Holy crap, I can't believe it's been over a year since I posted on here. I guess I was more caught up in school and other life stuff than I thought. Can't remember every movie I've seen since last April so we'll just mention a couple of the more recent ones.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Pretty decent for a video game turned into a movie. I've never played the game so I wasn't going into the movie from a gamers perspective. I thought the story was pretty good and the effects weren't too overdone. It was definitely worth seeing in theaters. And if you're into Jake Gyllenhaal it's worth seeing for his beefed up body.
Robin Hood - Interesting take on the Robin Hood story, coming at it from how he became the legend rather than the regular angle. The cast was good, but overall the movie wasn't as good as it could have been. I lay that squarely on Ridley Scott's shoulders. The movie was oddly slow in place and the fight sequences, especially the big battle at the end, were nowhere near as good as they normally are in a Ridley Scott film. Probably could have waited to see this one on DVD.
Sex and the City 2 - Of course we knew this was coming as soon as the first movie had such a great opening weekend. The biggest strength of this movie is that the ladies are together for most of it and they are more the focus as a group rather than individually. Having Samantha in the movie more this time was great. The weakest part of the story was having Aidan in it. I never liked him on the show (and I've never liked John Corbett) and bringing him back did not make me happy. I really enjoyed the scene when Charlotte and Miranda were venting the stresses of being a mom. I found that very funny and very true to Charlotte that she didn't want to say anything because she wasn't suppose to be having problems with being a mom. It was definitely worth it, but I hope they don't push it much farther because they will ruin it. If they come up with a really good story there is probably room for one more movie, but they should not go beyond 3 and really it would be fine if they just left it alone now.
Salt - Just saw this when it opened on Friday and probably should do a full review of it, but I'm not in the mood right now. If it weren't for Angelina Jolie I most likely wouldn't have any interest in this movie. I must say though the story was much more interesting and thought provoking than I thought it would be. The action sequences will absurd at times (as they always are) were very well shot and executed. A lot of times in action movies people have a tendency to go over the top with their acting, but that didn't happen much with this movie. And I have to say the final kill in the movie is quite ingenious and original. The only thing I really didn't like about it was the ending. I knew early on that the ending would contain some sort of set up for a possible sequel. However, they could have done that with a much different ending.
Letters To Juliet - Luckily I was able to catch this at our local discount theater. I would have been happy to see it at the regular theater, but it didn't work out that way. As always Amanda Seyfried was fantastic. The story was very good and romantic without being overly sappy. Since it was shot in Italy it is also a beautiful movie to watch. What I didn't like about the movie was the two main male characters. Neither of them were that great and to me neither was worthy of Amanda's character. They would have done better to have them just be learning tools for her, but I understand why they played the story out the way they did. Honestly there really never was anything that made you understand why she was with the character played by Gael Garcia Bernal, and I see nothing good about him as an actor. He was completely annoying and not the least bit charming or attractive. Every time he left the screen I hoped he would never come back. As for the other character, the actor Christopher Eagn was fine, but the character was just awful. I really found not redeeming value in him at all and he never had any true growth he was just suddenly different. Can't stand that. Vanessa Redgrave was spot on. I'm very glad I was able to see this movie in theaters.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Monday, April 06, 2009
Fast & Furious
Ultimately there really wasn't any need to make yet another movie in this series. But, I guess if you can get the money to get the original crew together you might as well give it another go. And it did great box office this weekend. I anticipate a major drop off though.
The Fast & The Furious was a good movie, with some great action sequences, and a good young cast. The end of it left a small opening for a sequel but, it also left limited room for what that sequel could be if it was to include Vin Diesel's character. Honestly it left little room for story ideas outside of Paul Walker's character. Which is why 2 Fast 2 Furious worked since it was centered around his character.
So it really wasn't surprising that the new one involved Dom (Vin Diesel) still being on the run from the law and up to some of his old tricks in Mexico. It was cool that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) got to do the real stunts in the opening sequence rather than just being the driver. From there however, the set up for the rest of the story was disappointing. And the rest of the movie was disappointing. Mainly it was disappointing in it's lack of car races.
The premise of using fast cars to run drugs across the border was plausible but, not executed very well. It felt like there was a lot more they could have done. They really could have incorporated some sort of actual race with it so there was more racing and cool cars. I know it's kinda been done a lot but, lets get real what hasn't been done a lot these days?
I was very disappointed at how little both Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster were in this one. It was hardly worth the effort or money they probably put into getting them.
Major spoilers:
Pissed doesn't even begin to describe my feelings over them killing Michelle's character. At least she got to do the cool opening sequence but, we never got to see her behind the wheel and they could have set up a better story keeping her character around. It's very clear that they decided there was some fan base to her and Jordana and that's why they got them to come back just for the publicity appeal of having the "big 4" back.
Jordana was again under utilized in this movie. She was wasted more this time than in the original. And she didn't even get to do any cool driving until the very last scene of the movie. In this new era of female race car drivers not letting the girls drive is unacceptable.
The drug running was a good idea but, as mentioned earlier done completely wrong. The only race in the movie was for them to get the open seat as one of the drivers. That part was good and they should have done more. After all that is the point of the original and the one thing that should always be included. This movie was more just "look at the fast cars" a lot of the time.
When they actually went to run the drugs all they did was drive in a straight line across the desert one car behind the other and then into a tunnel where they had to play follow the leader. Very poor story development there. They could have done a thing where some people where running drugs during some big race or they could have had the drugs in one car and the cops were trying to stay on the one with the drugs but, no they think the big excitement is a bunch of cars driving in single file trying to avoid camera detection.
The big chase scene at the end was decent but, not enough to save the movie.
I saw the movie at a matinee and it was barely worth the price. Just wait for the discount theaters or dvd.
The Fast & The Furious was a good movie, with some great action sequences, and a good young cast. The end of it left a small opening for a sequel but, it also left limited room for what that sequel could be if it was to include Vin Diesel's character. Honestly it left little room for story ideas outside of Paul Walker's character. Which is why 2 Fast 2 Furious worked since it was centered around his character.
So it really wasn't surprising that the new one involved Dom (Vin Diesel) still being on the run from the law and up to some of his old tricks in Mexico. It was cool that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) got to do the real stunts in the opening sequence rather than just being the driver. From there however, the set up for the rest of the story was disappointing. And the rest of the movie was disappointing. Mainly it was disappointing in it's lack of car races.
The premise of using fast cars to run drugs across the border was plausible but, not executed very well. It felt like there was a lot more they could have done. They really could have incorporated some sort of actual race with it so there was more racing and cool cars. I know it's kinda been done a lot but, lets get real what hasn't been done a lot these days?
I was very disappointed at how little both Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster were in this one. It was hardly worth the effort or money they probably put into getting them.
Major spoilers:
Pissed doesn't even begin to describe my feelings over them killing Michelle's character. At least she got to do the cool opening sequence but, we never got to see her behind the wheel and they could have set up a better story keeping her character around. It's very clear that they decided there was some fan base to her and Jordana and that's why they got them to come back just for the publicity appeal of having the "big 4" back.
Jordana was again under utilized in this movie. She was wasted more this time than in the original. And she didn't even get to do any cool driving until the very last scene of the movie. In this new era of female race car drivers not letting the girls drive is unacceptable.
The drug running was a good idea but, as mentioned earlier done completely wrong. The only race in the movie was for them to get the open seat as one of the drivers. That part was good and they should have done more. After all that is the point of the original and the one thing that should always be included. This movie was more just "look at the fast cars" a lot of the time.
When they actually went to run the drugs all they did was drive in a straight line across the desert one car behind the other and then into a tunnel where they had to play follow the leader. Very poor story development there. They could have done a thing where some people where running drugs during some big race or they could have had the drugs in one car and the cops were trying to stay on the one with the drugs but, no they think the big excitement is a bunch of cars driving in single file trying to avoid camera detection.
The big chase scene at the end was decent but, not enough to save the movie.
I saw the movie at a matinee and it was barely worth the price. Just wait for the discount theaters or dvd.
ER
As anyone who follows television knows this past Thursday brought the end of ER. Over the 15 year run of the show I watched most of it. I watched it through it's ups and downs and cursed it when it decided to make it's female characters too much of secondary plot lines. There were times when you thought, "This has to be the end of the show. They've just gone too far into stupid land with this storyline." But, some how it always recovered.
The show was always at it's best when it was inside the ER. Showing the characters outside the ER in their regular lives was nice but, they had occasion to go too far and spend too much time outside the ER. I never cared too see much of their lives outside the hospital. I was more interested in the original point of the show which was how these doctors survived such a high stress job and how their outside and personal lives affected them at work.
I was very happy to see so many people come back and do appearances in the final season. It was nice that they came back to a show that really gave a lot of them their careers. And I liked how they folded some of the stories back in. While I was watching the retrospective leading up to the finale I thought to myself that it would be nice if they found a way to bring Dr. Green's daughter back into the story. But, I really didn't figure they would because she wasn't a big main character and since they had the flashback episode for him earlier that would be it. I was so pleasantly surprised when they did in fact find away to bring her into the story.
I almost cried when she told Frank who she was. That scene had so much impact because Frank was such a hard ass kind of guy. Never really seemed to care much about other people's feelings and certainly not showing his but, when he had that moment of sorrow and I guess joy at seeing her it was very moving.
When ER started there was one moment for one character that truly made me fall in love with the show. It was in the first episode when a patients heart stopped and Dr. Carter was the only one around. He called for help but, no one came. The crash cart was down the hall and instead of pushing the cart to the patient he ran over and grabbed the paddles and ran back to the patient pulling the cart behind me. That was the moment I knew the show had great potential. All that heavy drama and they never forgot the comedy that comes with life.
Unfortunately over the years they drug Carter's character down to a place that I began to hate him. I was never happier in my life to see a character leave a show because they had lost all focus of who he was and his character alone was dragging the show down. It was great that they brought him back and where able to center a good portion of the end of the series around him and that his character was back to what he once was.
My only problem with the final episode was it was too slow. They should have had a pulse pounding emergency early on in the show. In a way it would have been kind of fun if all the docs had visited and a major emergency had thrown them all into action together one last time. But, I know that would have been a little absurd. I did like how they put all the returning characters for the episode back into the opening sequence.
In the end it was a good episode and it wrapped up a lot of stories nicely.
The show was always at it's best when it was inside the ER. Showing the characters outside the ER in their regular lives was nice but, they had occasion to go too far and spend too much time outside the ER. I never cared too see much of their lives outside the hospital. I was more interested in the original point of the show which was how these doctors survived such a high stress job and how their outside and personal lives affected them at work.
I was very happy to see so many people come back and do appearances in the final season. It was nice that they came back to a show that really gave a lot of them their careers. And I liked how they folded some of the stories back in. While I was watching the retrospective leading up to the finale I thought to myself that it would be nice if they found a way to bring Dr. Green's daughter back into the story. But, I really didn't figure they would because she wasn't a big main character and since they had the flashback episode for him earlier that would be it. I was so pleasantly surprised when they did in fact find away to bring her into the story.
I almost cried when she told Frank who she was. That scene had so much impact because Frank was such a hard ass kind of guy. Never really seemed to care much about other people's feelings and certainly not showing his but, when he had that moment of sorrow and I guess joy at seeing her it was very moving.
When ER started there was one moment for one character that truly made me fall in love with the show. It was in the first episode when a patients heart stopped and Dr. Carter was the only one around. He called for help but, no one came. The crash cart was down the hall and instead of pushing the cart to the patient he ran over and grabbed the paddles and ran back to the patient pulling the cart behind me. That was the moment I knew the show had great potential. All that heavy drama and they never forgot the comedy that comes with life.
Unfortunately over the years they drug Carter's character down to a place that I began to hate him. I was never happier in my life to see a character leave a show because they had lost all focus of who he was and his character alone was dragging the show down. It was great that they brought him back and where able to center a good portion of the end of the series around him and that his character was back to what he once was.
My only problem with the final episode was it was too slow. They should have had a pulse pounding emergency early on in the show. In a way it would have been kind of fun if all the docs had visited and a major emergency had thrown them all into action together one last time. But, I know that would have been a little absurd. I did like how they put all the returning characters for the episode back into the opening sequence.
In the end it was a good episode and it wrapped up a lot of stories nicely.
A Haunting in Connecticut
I've always enjoyed horror movies. Pretty much any kind. However, of late they have begun to rely too much on the gore factor rather than the scare factor so I don't see them as much. Haunted house movies though are pretty reliable to not lose the story in blood and guts. Even at that though most horror movies of any kind don't deliver on the scares very well these days. That is absolutely not true with A Haunting in Connecticut. It delivers a good story and some legitimate scares. I jumped several times and even my boyfriend who doesn't think movies are scary anymore jumped a couple times.
I had actually watched a documentary on the story the movie is based around a week before seeing the movie. It was interesting to see how they tweaked the original story for the big screen. The underlying story was the same family with cancer stricken son moves into a new house to be closer to where he gets treatment and weird things start to happen. From there the writers spun the houses history to be more sinister but, it still worked. Other than the end of the movie they really didn't go over the top with the story the created. And even that little bit of over the top at the end didn't hurt the movie as a whole.
If you want the short and sweet high concept pitch for this movie it's Amityville Horror meets Poltergeist.
I went to a matinee showing and it was well worth the price. In fact is worth the price of full price evening admission.
I had actually watched a documentary on the story the movie is based around a week before seeing the movie. It was interesting to see how they tweaked the original story for the big screen. The underlying story was the same family with cancer stricken son moves into a new house to be closer to where he gets treatment and weird things start to happen. From there the writers spun the houses history to be more sinister but, it still worked. Other than the end of the movie they really didn't go over the top with the story the created. And even that little bit of over the top at the end didn't hurt the movie as a whole.
If you want the short and sweet high concept pitch for this movie it's Amityville Horror meets Poltergeist.
I went to a matinee showing and it was well worth the price. In fact is worth the price of full price evening admission.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Actress vs The Person (Michelle Williams)
So here it is Oscar night and we all know what moment everyone is waiting for. As the other awards have passed and tonight has approached I have realized just how great a person Michelle Williams is.
As an actress I have never liked Michelle. She drove me nuts on Dawson's Creek. I found her performance in Brokeback Mountain to be overrated. And none of her other performances have impressed me. She always winds up in things I'm going to see so it's not like I go thinking this will be the performance that she proves something to me. She just ends up being there and never does anything for me.
However, over the last year as a person Michelle Williams has greatly impressed me. She could have used Heath's untimely death as some sort of attention grab. She could have played all kinds of sympathy cards and gotten attention and probably acting roles. However, she did nothing of the kind. She has been very silent choosing to focus on her daughter and avoid the spot light. Even as the nominations rolled in she stayed quiet. At any moment she could have stepped out and taken attention or asked to accept the awards. She again chose to stay out of the picture.
This to me speaks volumes about the kind of person and mother she is. If she had sought attention it would have eventually brought attention on Matilda. She has protected herself and her daughter and their privacy.
Whether someone is a good actress is entirely up to the individual viewing their roles. But, I don't think anyone can ever say Michelle Williams is anything other than a amazing person and a great mother, and that is far more important than what I or anyone else will ever think of her acting ability.
As an actress I have never liked Michelle. She drove me nuts on Dawson's Creek. I found her performance in Brokeback Mountain to be overrated. And none of her other performances have impressed me. She always winds up in things I'm going to see so it's not like I go thinking this will be the performance that she proves something to me. She just ends up being there and never does anything for me.
However, over the last year as a person Michelle Williams has greatly impressed me. She could have used Heath's untimely death as some sort of attention grab. She could have played all kinds of sympathy cards and gotten attention and probably acting roles. However, she did nothing of the kind. She has been very silent choosing to focus on her daughter and avoid the spot light. Even as the nominations rolled in she stayed quiet. At any moment she could have stepped out and taken attention or asked to accept the awards. She again chose to stay out of the picture.
This to me speaks volumes about the kind of person and mother she is. If she had sought attention it would have eventually brought attention on Matilda. She has protected herself and her daughter and their privacy.
Whether someone is a good actress is entirely up to the individual viewing their roles. But, I don't think anyone can ever say Michelle Williams is anything other than a amazing person and a great mother, and that is far more important than what I or anyone else will ever think of her acting ability.
Rachel Getting Married
I really didn't have any expectations for this movie. Which is a good thing because I wasn't very impressed with the movie and if I had any expectations it would have been an even bigger disappointment.
Honestly all I really knew was the basic plot and that Anne Hathaway was in it. I somehow even managed to miss the fact that it was directed by Jonathan Demme.
I can not stand hand held "take you right into the middle" of it camera work. It always ends up taking me out of the story. When I walk around a room of people things are still people aren't bouncing around. Hand held camera work like they did in this movie kills the illusion.
As for the acting. Anne's performance was good but, there wasn't anything that great about it. Yes it was different from what she usually does but, I've seen better. Rent Havoc if you want to see what I'm talking about. The rest of the cast really wasn't that great.
And I know it's called Rachel Getting Married but, it was suppose to be about Anne's character getting out of rehab to go to the wedding and the wedding itself took over too much. It's like there wasn't enough of the of the main story to make a whole movie so they filled it with really annoying scenes involving the wedding. Those scenes ran way to long and really slowed down the movie.
Possible spoilers ahead:
One of the things that really bothered me about the movie was the fact that it left way too much stuff hanging. They explained how she killed her brother when she was 16 but, since that was what had cause her parents to split up you know it had been several years since that happened. But, they never explained why she ended up in rehab this time around.
The sisters best friend was annoying as hell. I could not figure out why she was constantly exacerbating the fights instead of trying to stop them. It seemed to me she would have wanted to do what she could to keep the fighting to a minimum and make sure her friend had a good wedding but, instead she took every opportunity to attack and make things worse.
I think the most powerful scene in the whole movie had to be when Kym and her mom got in a fight over why she left her in charge of her little brother when she knew how messed up she was. Wow that scene caught me so off guard. I did not see the physical part of it coming.
I saw a full price showing and it really wasn't worth it. Just wait for dvd.
Honestly all I really knew was the basic plot and that Anne Hathaway was in it. I somehow even managed to miss the fact that it was directed by Jonathan Demme.
I can not stand hand held "take you right into the middle" of it camera work. It always ends up taking me out of the story. When I walk around a room of people things are still people aren't bouncing around. Hand held camera work like they did in this movie kills the illusion.
As for the acting. Anne's performance was good but, there wasn't anything that great about it. Yes it was different from what she usually does but, I've seen better. Rent Havoc if you want to see what I'm talking about. The rest of the cast really wasn't that great.
And I know it's called Rachel Getting Married but, it was suppose to be about Anne's character getting out of rehab to go to the wedding and the wedding itself took over too much. It's like there wasn't enough of the of the main story to make a whole movie so they filled it with really annoying scenes involving the wedding. Those scenes ran way to long and really slowed down the movie.
Possible spoilers ahead:
One of the things that really bothered me about the movie was the fact that it left way too much stuff hanging. They explained how she killed her brother when she was 16 but, since that was what had cause her parents to split up you know it had been several years since that happened. But, they never explained why she ended up in rehab this time around.
The sisters best friend was annoying as hell. I could not figure out why she was constantly exacerbating the fights instead of trying to stop them. It seemed to me she would have wanted to do what she could to keep the fighting to a minimum and make sure her friend had a good wedding but, instead she took every opportunity to attack and make things worse.
I think the most powerful scene in the whole movie had to be when Kym and her mom got in a fight over why she left her in charge of her little brother when she knew how messed up she was. Wow that scene caught me so off guard. I did not see the physical part of it coming.
I saw a full price showing and it really wasn't worth it. Just wait for dvd.
Friday, February 13, 2009
He's Just Not That Into You
I'm just gonna tell you right off this is definitely a hit or miss movie with the audience. I don't think there is going to be a lot of middle ground with people. It's one of those either you like or you don't kind of movies. I liked it. It wasn't as consistently funny as I thought it would be but, it had some really funny moments.
All the performances in the film were good. For all the big name stars in the film I think it was a great move to give the true lead role to someone that people aren't as familiar with. She was very good in this role.
It's a tricky task to have interconnecting stories where the primary connection is more the overall theme of the story than anyone character. Meaning the actual character connections in this movie where very much a 6 degrees of separation kind of thing. But, in the end they actually pulled it off quite well.
The one thing I would have liked was to see a little more of the storyline for Drew Barrymore's character. In this day and age her character trying to negotiate the dating scene through all our various forms of communication technology is very spot on. It would have been nice to see a little more of her trying to figure out what's true and what's not in the cyber world.
Overall this is a pretty good movie. I know book was inspired by a line from an episode of Sex and the City but, this movie is actually put together very much like the series was. I think if you like the show you'll enjoy this movie.
I saw a matinee and honestly that's the perfect price. Good but, not quite good enough for the extra money for a night showing.
All the performances in the film were good. For all the big name stars in the film I think it was a great move to give the true lead role to someone that people aren't as familiar with. She was very good in this role.
It's a tricky task to have interconnecting stories where the primary connection is more the overall theme of the story than anyone character. Meaning the actual character connections in this movie where very much a 6 degrees of separation kind of thing. But, in the end they actually pulled it off quite well.
The one thing I would have liked was to see a little more of the storyline for Drew Barrymore's character. In this day and age her character trying to negotiate the dating scene through all our various forms of communication technology is very spot on. It would have been nice to see a little more of her trying to figure out what's true and what's not in the cyber world.
Overall this is a pretty good movie. I know book was inspired by a line from an episode of Sex and the City but, this movie is actually put together very much like the series was. I think if you like the show you'll enjoy this movie.
I saw a matinee and honestly that's the perfect price. Good but, not quite good enough for the extra money for a night showing.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
The Reader
I had no idea what to expect from this movie. I didn't even know what it was about. Sometimes that can be a good thing and sometimes it can be a very bad thing. This was a good thing. Honestly I think if you were to read too much about The Reader it would ruin the whole movie.
I don't know that I would call it a suspense or thriller. At least not in the traditional sense of those genres. It does kind of keep you guessing as too what's going to happen next. However, it's not a who's the bad guy kind of suspense.
You really have to be careful with what you say or write about it because you don't want to give too much away. And you really don't want to give too much about the characters away.
It absolutely deserved all the Oscar nominations it received. The directing nomination is totally deserved. There is scene in the film that brought me personally a feeling I have never felt at a movie. And it brought an uneasy feeling to the entire theater. I have never in my life felt something like that in a room full of people.
Kate was amazing. It's one of those roles that if you think dialogue is the most important thing you won't understand why she was nominated. But, it's a role that is perfectly suited to Kate. She has always been an actress who gave so much more to her parts through her body than her voice and a lot of this movie is like that. It's really hard to say what her chances are come Oscar night.
If this role had been nominated in the supporting category like it was at the Golden Globes and the SAG awards I'd pretty much guarantee she would win. However, in the lead category I am a little worried. The only other nominated lead performance I have seen this year is Angelina Jolie in Changeling and that was a superb performance and a true leading role. Kate's role in The Reader is at times the leading role and at time the supporting role. It's a very hard movie to figure out because honestly you don't always know which character the movie is suppose to be about. She is most definitely the lead female in the movie so in the respect it fits in the lead category. Hopefully the voters will see it as a real lead performance and finally give her, her long over due Oscar.
I am going to skip any section that would include spoilers with this review. I don't want to risk anyone accidentally reading more than they mean to when they skim over it.
This movie will definitely challenge your thought process as to the good and bad in people in the world.
Went to a matinee showing but, it totally would have been worth full price.
I don't know that I would call it a suspense or thriller. At least not in the traditional sense of those genres. It does kind of keep you guessing as too what's going to happen next. However, it's not a who's the bad guy kind of suspense.
You really have to be careful with what you say or write about it because you don't want to give too much away. And you really don't want to give too much about the characters away.
It absolutely deserved all the Oscar nominations it received. The directing nomination is totally deserved. There is scene in the film that brought me personally a feeling I have never felt at a movie. And it brought an uneasy feeling to the entire theater. I have never in my life felt something like that in a room full of people.
Kate was amazing. It's one of those roles that if you think dialogue is the most important thing you won't understand why she was nominated. But, it's a role that is perfectly suited to Kate. She has always been an actress who gave so much more to her parts through her body than her voice and a lot of this movie is like that. It's really hard to say what her chances are come Oscar night.
If this role had been nominated in the supporting category like it was at the Golden Globes and the SAG awards I'd pretty much guarantee she would win. However, in the lead category I am a little worried. The only other nominated lead performance I have seen this year is Angelina Jolie in Changeling and that was a superb performance and a true leading role. Kate's role in The Reader is at times the leading role and at time the supporting role. It's a very hard movie to figure out because honestly you don't always know which character the movie is suppose to be about. She is most definitely the lead female in the movie so in the respect it fits in the lead category. Hopefully the voters will see it as a real lead performance and finally give her, her long over due Oscar.
I am going to skip any section that would include spoilers with this review. I don't want to risk anyone accidentally reading more than they mean to when they skim over it.
This movie will definitely challenge your thought process as to the good and bad in people in the world.
Went to a matinee showing but, it totally would have been worth full price.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Changling
Awhile ago I went to see Changling. What a good movie. Not that I thought it would be bad. I'm not a big fan of Clint Eastwood as an actor but, he is a very good director. And it wasn't just the directing that was good. The acting and writing were very good as well.
The story is very good and one that really deserved to be told. As much corruption as there is in some police departments today nothing compares to the old Los Angeles police department. I think what's most frightening about it was that even when caught red handed they still act like they did nothing wrong.
The other thing that sticks with me about this movie is how it shows that the truth will always be more surprising and almost unbelievable than fiction.
Spoilers Alert:
It's really amazing the lengths people will go to, to make themselves look good. Not only did the Los Angeles police department try to pass off one boy for another they got doctors to say some of the most insane things to try and explain the differences between the two. Like saying that stress had caused the boy to shrink. And that other things just pretty much magically disappeared.
I think the most disturbing thing about the police trying to cover their butts was how they just locked women up who made a fuss. And not with fabricated crimes and into jail cells but, on basically permanent psych holds. How frightening to think that a police department could just do that because they didn't want people making them look bad.
If this wasn't a true story the movie would have been panned by critics when the twist involving a serial killer came along. A man who uses a young boy to help him kidnap other boys and then just chops them to bits for the fun of it would seem like the lamest attempt to make a standard drama a suspense thriller.
Nor would anyone buy the ending where one of the other missing boys suddenly turns up if it hadn't actually happened.
Overall this was a very good movie. If it's still in theaters near you I'd highly recommend seeing it. And it is absolutely worth full price. If can't see it in theaters be sure to put it at the top of your to rent list.
The story is very good and one that really deserved to be told. As much corruption as there is in some police departments today nothing compares to the old Los Angeles police department. I think what's most frightening about it was that even when caught red handed they still act like they did nothing wrong.
The other thing that sticks with me about this movie is how it shows that the truth will always be more surprising and almost unbelievable than fiction.
Spoilers Alert:
It's really amazing the lengths people will go to, to make themselves look good. Not only did the Los Angeles police department try to pass off one boy for another they got doctors to say some of the most insane things to try and explain the differences between the two. Like saying that stress had caused the boy to shrink. And that other things just pretty much magically disappeared.
I think the most disturbing thing about the police trying to cover their butts was how they just locked women up who made a fuss. And not with fabricated crimes and into jail cells but, on basically permanent psych holds. How frightening to think that a police department could just do that because they didn't want people making them look bad.
If this wasn't a true story the movie would have been panned by critics when the twist involving a serial killer came along. A man who uses a young boy to help him kidnap other boys and then just chops them to bits for the fun of it would seem like the lamest attempt to make a standard drama a suspense thriller.
Nor would anyone buy the ending where one of the other missing boys suddenly turns up if it hadn't actually happened.
Overall this was a very good movie. If it's still in theaters near you I'd highly recommend seeing it. And it is absolutely worth full price. If can't see it in theaters be sure to put it at the top of your to rent list.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Women
Went to see The Women this weekend. It was okay but, not quite as good as I was hoping it would be and it definitely wasn't as funny as I was expecting. The story itself was good. I liked the whole thing about finding yourself and not losing yourself in a relationship. That's something that probably resonates with everyone.
The biggest problem with the movie was that there wasn't enough interaction with the main characters. It's called The Women you'd think there would be a lot of scenes with the 4 main women in different combinations and that just wasn't the case. It just didn't feel real that Meg Ryan's character only had one on one interaction with Annette Bening's character. The only time Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith were involved was when there was a scene that had Annette in it. It just didn't make since, the whole point of the movie (or at least I thought it was) was that it was suppose to be about women supporting each other and being there when they needed each other and that wasn't the case.
I also felt that they took the title of The Women a bit too far when there were like no men what so ever in the film. Sure they were talked about but, never seen. It was just odd and really forced. A fact that I felt was made even more obvious with Jada's character being a lesbian. No problem with her being a lesbian it's just that it seemed that it was more like they did it to try and be trending and so they could use it as a device to further enhance the no men allowed thing. There is only one scene where they all get together at a restaurant/bar and it was a lesbian one. The fact that they had to point out twice that Jada's character picked the place was just drawing attention to all the wrong things.
For the most part the acting was good. It was nice seeing Meg Ryan on screen again and she did what she could with what she was given. The material was a little week for all of them. Jada and Debra certainly didn't have a lot to do but, they made the best of it. Probably the best part of the whole movie was Jada freaking out watching Debra's character give birth at the end. Annette Bening was okay I just felt she wasn't the best choice for the role. I felt she played it a little too stiff at times.
In the end it was okay and I was really hoping it would be the movie to back up the success of Sex and the City and say female driven movies can do good box office more than once a year. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I saw it at a matinee and unfortunately I really can't recommend seeing it in theaters. If you do I certainly wouldn't pay full price but, you'll probably be happier if you just wait for dvd.
The biggest problem with the movie was that there wasn't enough interaction with the main characters. It's called The Women you'd think there would be a lot of scenes with the 4 main women in different combinations and that just wasn't the case. It just didn't feel real that Meg Ryan's character only had one on one interaction with Annette Bening's character. The only time Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith were involved was when there was a scene that had Annette in it. It just didn't make since, the whole point of the movie (or at least I thought it was) was that it was suppose to be about women supporting each other and being there when they needed each other and that wasn't the case.
I also felt that they took the title of The Women a bit too far when there were like no men what so ever in the film. Sure they were talked about but, never seen. It was just odd and really forced. A fact that I felt was made even more obvious with Jada's character being a lesbian. No problem with her being a lesbian it's just that it seemed that it was more like they did it to try and be trending and so they could use it as a device to further enhance the no men allowed thing. There is only one scene where they all get together at a restaurant/bar and it was a lesbian one. The fact that they had to point out twice that Jada's character picked the place was just drawing attention to all the wrong things.
For the most part the acting was good. It was nice seeing Meg Ryan on screen again and she did what she could with what she was given. The material was a little week for all of them. Jada and Debra certainly didn't have a lot to do but, they made the best of it. Probably the best part of the whole movie was Jada freaking out watching Debra's character give birth at the end. Annette Bening was okay I just felt she wasn't the best choice for the role. I felt she played it a little too stiff at times.
In the end it was okay and I was really hoping it would be the movie to back up the success of Sex and the City and say female driven movies can do good box office more than once a year. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I saw it at a matinee and unfortunately I really can't recommend seeing it in theaters. If you do I certainly wouldn't pay full price but, you'll probably be happier if you just wait for dvd.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
This won’t be a long post considering there wasn’t that much worth discussing from the Emmy’s. They pretty much sucked and not because of who the awards went to. I really didn’t care that much this year because I watched so few of the shows nominated. And the one category I did care about wasn’t a surprise. As much as I would have like to see Kyra Sedgwick or Mariska Hargitay win Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series I knew from the minute Damages premiered that Glen Close was going to win the Emmy. He role was award bait whether it was on tv, major motion picture, or a play.
As for the rest of it, it was just dull. I knew it was stupid of ABC to not only have 5 "hosts" but, to use reality tv hosts. That was just stupid. They were constantly tripping over their lines and they were bland as hell. Unfortunately for ABC they apparently didn’t realize that the hosts actually do set the tone for the show. The audience wasn’t into what was going on and they wanted it to be over with as much as the viewers. You have to keep these things hopping and lively so people are engaged and don’t realize how long it is taking.
I did enjoy Laura Linney’s little line about supporting community organizers. That was a great little jump on and off the soapbox in a split second moment. I think it took people a few seconds to figure out what she was talking about. But, that is how it should be done.
Kathy Griffin and Don Rickles were great. Not often do you see Kathy flumaxed like that. It was great watching her struggle to get him on task and the gestures she made when it didn’t work. That was the best night comedy wise of the night. Screw the controversy of what she said when she won her Emmy last year someone needs to wake up and have her host the big show.
And would the directors of these things pull their heads out of their butts. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Emmys, the Oscars or the Golden Globes they are always screwing when they show clips. They are constantly showing clips for every category and then by the time they get to the big awards they don’t have time for clips. NEWSFLASH folks, the views don’t care about seeing clips for the small categories they want to see them for the big ones. All the series acting and show nominees should get clips. If you are behind in the middle don’t show the clips for mini-series and made for televison movies. Don’t show clips for writing and directing and stop with those stupid things that you let the variety shows do for the writing nominations. It’s all about the big awards folks. And whether you want to believe it or not people like to see the clips because they know those clips come from the submitted episodes and everyone always wants to know which episodes people submitted.
As for the rest of it, it was just dull. I knew it was stupid of ABC to not only have 5 "hosts" but, to use reality tv hosts. That was just stupid. They were constantly tripping over their lines and they were bland as hell. Unfortunately for ABC they apparently didn’t realize that the hosts actually do set the tone for the show. The audience wasn’t into what was going on and they wanted it to be over with as much as the viewers. You have to keep these things hopping and lively so people are engaged and don’t realize how long it is taking.
I did enjoy Laura Linney’s little line about supporting community organizers. That was a great little jump on and off the soapbox in a split second moment. I think it took people a few seconds to figure out what she was talking about. But, that is how it should be done.
Kathy Griffin and Don Rickles were great. Not often do you see Kathy flumaxed like that. It was great watching her struggle to get him on task and the gestures she made when it didn’t work. That was the best night comedy wise of the night. Screw the controversy of what she said when she won her Emmy last year someone needs to wake up and have her host the big show.
And would the directors of these things pull their heads out of their butts. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Emmys, the Oscars or the Golden Globes they are always screwing when they show clips. They are constantly showing clips for every category and then by the time they get to the big awards they don’t have time for clips. NEWSFLASH folks, the views don’t care about seeing clips for the small categories they want to see them for the big ones. All the series acting and show nominees should get clips. If you are behind in the middle don’t show the clips for mini-series and made for televison movies. Don’t show clips for writing and directing and stop with those stupid things that you let the variety shows do for the writing nominations. It’s all about the big awards folks. And whether you want to believe it or not people like to see the clips because they know those clips come from the submitted episodes and everyone always wants to know which episodes people submitted.
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
I absolutely adored The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and was a bit worried about them making a sequel. Luckily the sequel was worth it but, it definitely wasn't as good as the first one. I also didn't feel the stories flowed together s well as they did in the first movie.
As in the first one all the acting was good. In the original though Blake Lively was left hanging a bit story wise. She was given the weakest of the four stories and it didn't make her seem like much of an actress. In the scenes with the other three actresses she was pretty good but, alone she didn't hold up well. However, she was given a much stronger story and very talented actresses to work with in that story and she fared much better.
The guest appearance of Blythe Danner was good. Funny yet emotional which pretty much defines the two movies. I also enjoyed the guest appearance of Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo. That was a nice surprise.
On a side note I was very surprised to hear a new song from Michelle Branch at the end of the movie. It's a great song and fits the movie very well.
Spoilers:
I liked how the story had the girls drifting apart. It's very true to life how things get told to one person but, somehow don't always make there way to others.
One slight story issues was the out of nowhere part with Bridget going on an archaeological dig. That seemed odd and didn't go with her character. I did however, like how it played into her deciding to go see her grandmother.
I liked the reality of the condom breaking when Tibby and Brian had sex. Not something you usually see. Everything usually works out perfectly. Tibby's reaction of not wanting to see him seemed pretty true to her character. What didn't seem true to her character was sitting around just hoping she didn't get pregnant. Sure that set up a very funny scene later when she put the pants on hoping they would bring her another miracle. However, in this day any young woman would know about the morning after pill. And Tibby would so be that girl who after the initial freak out would run straight to the health services on campus and get it.
Overall the movie was good and worth the price of matinee admission. I think if you're a fan of the original it would also be worth full price admission.
As in the first one all the acting was good. In the original though Blake Lively was left hanging a bit story wise. She was given the weakest of the four stories and it didn't make her seem like much of an actress. In the scenes with the other three actresses she was pretty good but, alone she didn't hold up well. However, she was given a much stronger story and very talented actresses to work with in that story and she fared much better.
The guest appearance of Blythe Danner was good. Funny yet emotional which pretty much defines the two movies. I also enjoyed the guest appearance of Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo. That was a nice surprise.
On a side note I was very surprised to hear a new song from Michelle Branch at the end of the movie. It's a great song and fits the movie very well.
Spoilers:
I liked how the story had the girls drifting apart. It's very true to life how things get told to one person but, somehow don't always make there way to others.
One slight story issues was the out of nowhere part with Bridget going on an archaeological dig. That seemed odd and didn't go with her character. I did however, like how it played into her deciding to go see her grandmother.
I liked the reality of the condom breaking when Tibby and Brian had sex. Not something you usually see. Everything usually works out perfectly. Tibby's reaction of not wanting to see him seemed pretty true to her character. What didn't seem true to her character was sitting around just hoping she didn't get pregnant. Sure that set up a very funny scene later when she put the pants on hoping they would bring her another miracle. However, in this day any young woman would know about the morning after pill. And Tibby would so be that girl who after the initial freak out would run straight to the health services on campus and get it.
Overall the movie was good and worth the price of matinee admission. I think if you're a fan of the original it would also be worth full price admission.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
I really didn't think they needed to make a third movie in this series. And while it wasn't bad it also didn't change my opinion of them making it.
The story was little stilted and it wasn't nearly as exciting as the first two. Even the fight sequences weren't that great. The writing was very forced in places as was the delivery particularly by Brendan Fraiser. The problems with the action and the dialogue aren't a surprise since they changed both the director and the writer. I really felt everyone involved was trying to create too much new stuff. It's like they got together and said lets forget the first two all together. It's a franchise you can't just through out what came before.
I wasn't too sure how the switch from Rachel Weisz to Maria Bello would go. It was okay mainly because the changed the characters a bit. Primarily that was done by moving the time of the story forward a bit so the character were older.
There really just wasn't that much that was notable in the movie.
Spoilers coming up:
There was a cute moment with the dialogue at the beginning of the movie. Maria's character has become an author and she was doing a book reading. Someone asked her if the character was based on her. The response she gave was "I can honestly say it's a completely different person." Very subtle nod to the actress switch.
I did not like the ending very much. I liked that the guards of the mummy this time were women. However, I didn't like that they had no real hand in killing him. That was a big let down.
Saw a matinee and it was barely worth that price to me. I really think you should just wait for dvd.
The story was little stilted and it wasn't nearly as exciting as the first two. Even the fight sequences weren't that great. The writing was very forced in places as was the delivery particularly by Brendan Fraiser. The problems with the action and the dialogue aren't a surprise since they changed both the director and the writer. I really felt everyone involved was trying to create too much new stuff. It's like they got together and said lets forget the first two all together. It's a franchise you can't just through out what came before.
I wasn't too sure how the switch from Rachel Weisz to Maria Bello would go. It was okay mainly because the changed the characters a bit. Primarily that was done by moving the time of the story forward a bit so the character were older.
There really just wasn't that much that was notable in the movie.
Spoilers coming up:
There was a cute moment with the dialogue at the beginning of the movie. Maria's character has become an author and she was doing a book reading. Someone asked her if the character was based on her. The response she gave was "I can honestly say it's a completely different person." Very subtle nod to the actress switch.
I did not like the ending very much. I liked that the guards of the mummy this time were women. However, I didn't like that they had no real hand in killing him. That was a big let down.
Saw a matinee and it was barely worth that price to me. I really think you should just wait for dvd.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Hell No
Some people out there need to be smacked. I have had about enough of classic horror films being remade. Of course the Friday the 13th remake is really an update since last I saw they had drastically altered the story. Spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen the original and/or doesn't know about the change in story- The killer wasn't Jason in the original and now it is. STUPID is all I have to say on that one.
And now they are going ahead with remaking A Nightmare On Elm Street. There are so many things wrong with that. The biggest one being the fact that I just read that Billy Bob Thornton is going to play Freddy. HELL NO is my opinion on that one. And I do not care if Robert Englund thinks it is good casting.
The thing with movies like Halloween or Friday the 13th is the killer is masked and has no real personality. They are silent stalking killers. You can make as many of those movies as you want and as long as the actor playing the killer is of the same basic body type and learns the mannerisms it doesn't matter that much. That isn't the case with Freddy.
Part of the genius of the Freddy character was the Wes Craven wrote him with a personality. He has dialogue and it's not lame dialogue either. Not only did it take great writing to make that character it took some damn good acting. In the wrong hands Freddy is campy and not scary. Robert however, made Freddy into an icon of pop culture. He transcends all horror sterotypes and can never be recreated properly. The only reason Freddy vs. Jason worked at all is that Robert came back to play Freddy. I've always said when Robert was done being Freddy that had to be it and it should be.
The other problem with Billy Bob being Freddy is his age. Should this work and they decide to make a whole new series they are going to have problems. They run a huge risk of having to recast the Freddy role again and that screws things up even more.
Any new Nightmare on Elm Street movie without Robert is just a complete waste of time and shouldn't be made. They won't be getting my money at the theater for this disaster.
There is really only one Elm Street movie left to make. And it is the only way to make one without Robert. You would still need Wes though since the character and the story are his creation. And that movie is a prequel. That's right if you want a new Elm Street movie Wes needs to write a movie about Freddy leading up to his death by fire.
And now they are going ahead with remaking A Nightmare On Elm Street. There are so many things wrong with that. The biggest one being the fact that I just read that Billy Bob Thornton is going to play Freddy. HELL NO is my opinion on that one. And I do not care if Robert Englund thinks it is good casting.
The thing with movies like Halloween or Friday the 13th is the killer is masked and has no real personality. They are silent stalking killers. You can make as many of those movies as you want and as long as the actor playing the killer is of the same basic body type and learns the mannerisms it doesn't matter that much. That isn't the case with Freddy.
Part of the genius of the Freddy character was the Wes Craven wrote him with a personality. He has dialogue and it's not lame dialogue either. Not only did it take great writing to make that character it took some damn good acting. In the wrong hands Freddy is campy and not scary. Robert however, made Freddy into an icon of pop culture. He transcends all horror sterotypes and can never be recreated properly. The only reason Freddy vs. Jason worked at all is that Robert came back to play Freddy. I've always said when Robert was done being Freddy that had to be it and it should be.
The other problem with Billy Bob being Freddy is his age. Should this work and they decide to make a whole new series they are going to have problems. They run a huge risk of having to recast the Freddy role again and that screws things up even more.
Any new Nightmare on Elm Street movie without Robert is just a complete waste of time and shouldn't be made. They won't be getting my money at the theater for this disaster.
There is really only one Elm Street movie left to make. And it is the only way to make one without Robert. You would still need Wes though since the character and the story are his creation. And that movie is a prequel. That's right if you want a new Elm Street movie Wes needs to write a movie about Freddy leading up to his death by fire.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
90210 the second coming
Honestly I don't know what to think about them reincarnating Beverly Hills, 90210. At least they are dropping the Beverly Hills part from the title. I mean who really called it by it's full name anyway.
Considering the changes in society one thing's for sure the show will probably be a lot more risque this time around. Then again there were a lot of things they did on the original that were considered risque for the time.
I'm not really sure I buy Kelly Taylor becoming a school guidance counselor. Sure the character has a lot of life experience to pull from but, I see those kids just saying you did it so can I. I mean come on what are the chances that not a single one of those kids is the child of someone that went to school at West Beverly High at the sametime as Kelly and the gang.
Really though I had no interest in this show until they managed to land Shannen Doherty. I do believe that Brenda Walsh would become a big time director. And is will be interesting to see just how full of herself that character has become. I may actually take in a couple episodes with Shannen. I have to admit that part of me will be hoping there is some sort of throw down between Brenda and Kelly.
Ya know you really have to enjoy the development for Shannen on this one. All those years ago she was pretty much made a star by Aaron Spelling and she got a little too full of herself and was sent packing. Years later Spelling gave her another chance on Charmed which of course aired on the WB/CW and she blew it again when she felt she wasn't the big star. And now here she is on a new version of the show that first made her a star on the network that housed the show that gave her a second chance. And interestingly enough both those shows managed to thrive for several years after her departure.
So what is the lesson the producers from 90210 can learn here? Simple lose Shannen after a few years if you want the show to have a long run.
Considering the changes in society one thing's for sure the show will probably be a lot more risque this time around. Then again there were a lot of things they did on the original that were considered risque for the time.
I'm not really sure I buy Kelly Taylor becoming a school guidance counselor. Sure the character has a lot of life experience to pull from but, I see those kids just saying you did it so can I. I mean come on what are the chances that not a single one of those kids is the child of someone that went to school at West Beverly High at the sametime as Kelly and the gang.
Really though I had no interest in this show until they managed to land Shannen Doherty. I do believe that Brenda Walsh would become a big time director. And is will be interesting to see just how full of herself that character has become. I may actually take in a couple episodes with Shannen. I have to admit that part of me will be hoping there is some sort of throw down between Brenda and Kelly.
Ya know you really have to enjoy the development for Shannen on this one. All those years ago she was pretty much made a star by Aaron Spelling and she got a little too full of herself and was sent packing. Years later Spelling gave her another chance on Charmed which of course aired on the WB/CW and she blew it again when she felt she wasn't the big star. And now here she is on a new version of the show that first made her a star on the network that housed the show that gave her a second chance. And interestingly enough both those shows managed to thrive for several years after her departure.
So what is the lesson the producers from 90210 can learn here? Simple lose Shannen after a few years if you want the show to have a long run.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Mama Mia!
This is by far the best movie I have seen this year. I can't think of anything I didn't like about it. It was everything a feel good summer movie should be. And above all else it was fun. And yes I did catch myself singing along to a few of the songs.
The casting was perfect. It has only been in the last few years that I have become a fan of Meryl Streep and while I have come to enjoy her in the dramatic fair that she is so known for I most enjoy her in these kinds fun let loose roles. Even before I came to like her I always did enjoy her performance in Death Becomes Her. This performance was so great. I don't know if there will be any Oscar love for it but, I definitely anticipate a Golden Globe nomination and quite possibly a win.
I have enjoyed Amanda Seyfried in various projects over the last few years. And she has always taken steps forward in the differnet projects. This was most definitely her coming out party. And what a party it is.
All the rest of the cast was just fantastic. The best part was that they took it seriously. Not too seriously but, just enough to keep anything from coming off campy and dumb. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters were great as "The Dynamos" in other words Meryl's backup singers. Them doing the opening part of Dancing Queen was freaking great.
In all my years of loving Pierce Brosnan I never would have dreamed of him doing a role like this. He proved himself to be even more versitale than I thought he was. It doesn't get any better.
I saw this at a matinee (as I do most things these days) and it was worth so much more than that. No problem what-so-ever with paying full price for this. And I am hoping to see it again in theaters.
If you do see if be sure to stick around for the whole sequence between the end of the movie and the credits. It is well worth it.
The casting was perfect. It has only been in the last few years that I have become a fan of Meryl Streep and while I have come to enjoy her in the dramatic fair that she is so known for I most enjoy her in these kinds fun let loose roles. Even before I came to like her I always did enjoy her performance in Death Becomes Her. This performance was so great. I don't know if there will be any Oscar love for it but, I definitely anticipate a Golden Globe nomination and quite possibly a win.
I have enjoyed Amanda Seyfried in various projects over the last few years. And she has always taken steps forward in the differnet projects. This was most definitely her coming out party. And what a party it is.
All the rest of the cast was just fantastic. The best part was that they took it seriously. Not too seriously but, just enough to keep anything from coming off campy and dumb. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters were great as "The Dynamos" in other words Meryl's backup singers. Them doing the opening part of Dancing Queen was freaking great.
In all my years of loving Pierce Brosnan I never would have dreamed of him doing a role like this. He proved himself to be even more versitale than I thought he was. It doesn't get any better.
I saw this at a matinee (as I do most things these days) and it was worth so much more than that. No problem what-so-ever with paying full price for this. And I am hoping to see it again in theaters.
If you do see if be sure to stick around for the whole sequence between the end of the movie and the credits. It is well worth it.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
And the Oscar...I mean Emmy goes too
Again this year the Emmy nominations are not my favorite but, then again I wasn't expecting much. When it comes to the actor categories I wasn't surprised by my overall disappointment. The bright spot being that at least James Spader got nominated again. He truly is a breath of fresh air among the boring male characters currently taking up space on television.
Of course the categories I watch closet are the actress categories especially Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. I actually pegged 4 of the 5 nominees in that category. The only one I wasn't sure on was Sally Field and that's the only one of the 5 I don't watch. But, good for her. I find it very amusing that 3 of the 5 nominees are Oscar winning actresses. I do think there are good roles for them in film but, that they get a much greater chance to shine on television.
I think this will be the hardest one to handicap however, currently I think Glen Close has the edge. Her character was one you don't often see given to a women. She was a true villian and she just didn't care who got hurt in the end. At the sametime she played a villian out to help the little guy so it's a very interesting line there.
I just have to get a dig in at ABC here. I was very mad at them for canceling Women's Murder Club. I was even more ticked off about it when it turned out that it had a higher average viewership than the two male dominated shows that ABC renewed for next season. I told my friend that was a very stupid move because 3 of the highest rated and most talked about shows on cable were female driven cop dramas. (This was just after the premiere of In Plain Sight.) And then look what happens 3 of the 5 nominees for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series play cops. So I will officially say the people that run ABC are the biggest idiots in television.
I am very happy that 5 strong actresses that play 5 strong characters were nominated this year. And the fact that one of them is a villian only makes it better. This is the category I think everyone will be watching this year.
I must say though that I was disappointed that yet again a Lifetime original series was overlooked. When it comes to movies Lifetime usually gets some love but, they just can't get any for their series' and that is a shame. Army Wives really deserved some attention. I guess there are just too many great women on television at the moment and not enough room at the awards table for them all.
Of course the categories I watch closet are the actress categories especially Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. I actually pegged 4 of the 5 nominees in that category. The only one I wasn't sure on was Sally Field and that's the only one of the 5 I don't watch. But, good for her. I find it very amusing that 3 of the 5 nominees are Oscar winning actresses. I do think there are good roles for them in film but, that they get a much greater chance to shine on television.
I think this will be the hardest one to handicap however, currently I think Glen Close has the edge. Her character was one you don't often see given to a women. She was a true villian and she just didn't care who got hurt in the end. At the sametime she played a villian out to help the little guy so it's a very interesting line there.
I just have to get a dig in at ABC here. I was very mad at them for canceling Women's Murder Club. I was even more ticked off about it when it turned out that it had a higher average viewership than the two male dominated shows that ABC renewed for next season. I told my friend that was a very stupid move because 3 of the highest rated and most talked about shows on cable were female driven cop dramas. (This was just after the premiere of In Plain Sight.) And then look what happens 3 of the 5 nominees for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series play cops. So I will officially say the people that run ABC are the biggest idiots in television.
I am very happy that 5 strong actresses that play 5 strong characters were nominated this year. And the fact that one of them is a villian only makes it better. This is the category I think everyone will be watching this year.
I must say though that I was disappointed that yet again a Lifetime original series was overlooked. When it comes to movies Lifetime usually gets some love but, they just can't get any for their series' and that is a shame. Army Wives really deserved some attention. I guess there are just too many great women on television at the moment and not enough room at the awards table for them all.
Indiana Jones and the Kindgom of the Crystal Skull
I was really not impressed with this movie at all. I enjoyed the previous Indy movies but, this one was really lacking. The story was rather boring and kind of lame and the action sequences left a lot to be desired. Most of the time I just kept thinking how obvious it was that Harrison Ford was to old to be doing another one. I think everything was constructed to what he could physically do. I also felt it wasn't as funny as the others. It had it's comedic moments but, it just didn't seem to be as much as before.
With the exception of Harrison Ford I thought the acting was quite good. Honestly I felt like he was phoning it in a lot. I felt bad at times for Shia LeBeouf because it seemed like he wasn't allowed to be as good as he could be. It was like he was instructed to not do anything that might show up Harrison. At least he got that great sword fighting sequence with Cate Blanchet. That was probably my favorite part of the whole movie. Cate was great as the villian.
I was very disappointed with the fact that there weren't as many sequences with booby traps or other things to escape from.
Went to a matinee and that was a little much to have spent on this movie.
With the exception of Harrison Ford I thought the acting was quite good. Honestly I felt like he was phoning it in a lot. I felt bad at times for Shia LeBeouf because it seemed like he wasn't allowed to be as good as he could be. It was like he was instructed to not do anything that might show up Harrison. At least he got that great sword fighting sequence with Cate Blanchet. That was probably my favorite part of the whole movie. Cate was great as the villian.
I was very disappointed with the fact that there weren't as many sequences with booby traps or other things to escape from.
Went to a matinee and that was a little much to have spent on this movie.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Sex and the City
I wasn't really sure if it was a good idea to make a movie of such a great show. I was concerned that it wouldn't translate well to a long format. And in some respects I was right. There were times when it flowed very well. It felt very much like the show and those parts were very good. However, it was connecting those parts that caused the movie to slip and faulter at times. They didn't do a good job with the stories outside of the group scenes and Carrie's storyline. And it was a bit long.
The show was always at its strongest when the storylines for each character were strong and close to equal. I really felt the movie focused too much on Carrie. Yes the other ladies had a good amount of screen time but, they weren't given enough of their own storyline which is what made the show work so well. I wish they could have found more ways to have all of them together.
At least none of them tried to change their characters for the big screen. They were very much how they were on the small screen and that was very important. I also like that they didn't go over the top with crazy guest appearances. I'm sure they could have had just about anyone pop up in the movie either as themselves, or playing small characters. That would have been a big distraction so it's good that they didn't do that.
I really enjoyed the character of Louise, Carrie's assistant. Jennifer Hudson was fantastic in that role.
I thought the opening of the movie was very well executed. It was very smart of them to put together something that would quickly aquaint people with the characters. For someone less familiar with the show it gave them a reference for each character's personality.
I think the one thing I didn't like about the movie was them having Samantha in Los Angeles. They still managed to keep her quite active in the story but, I just didn't care for that story point.
Do to unforeseen circumstances I ended up seeing it at the discount theater. I would have gladly paid full price for it thought.
The show was always at its strongest when the storylines for each character were strong and close to equal. I really felt the movie focused too much on Carrie. Yes the other ladies had a good amount of screen time but, they weren't given enough of their own storyline which is what made the show work so well. I wish they could have found more ways to have all of them together.
At least none of them tried to change their characters for the big screen. They were very much how they were on the small screen and that was very important. I also like that they didn't go over the top with crazy guest appearances. I'm sure they could have had just about anyone pop up in the movie either as themselves, or playing small characters. That would have been a big distraction so it's good that they didn't do that.
I really enjoyed the character of Louise, Carrie's assistant. Jennifer Hudson was fantastic in that role.
I thought the opening of the movie was very well executed. It was very smart of them to put together something that would quickly aquaint people with the characters. For someone less familiar with the show it gave them a reference for each character's personality.
I think the one thing I didn't like about the movie was them having Samantha in Los Angeles. They still managed to keep her quite active in the story but, I just didn't care for that story point.
Do to unforeseen circumstances I ended up seeing it at the discount theater. I would have gladly paid full price for it thought.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wanted
For an action film this movie wasn't bad but, it wasn't all that great either. The action sequences themselves were pretty well executed even if some of them were a little too obsurd. There was potential for a good story however, that good story never came through. They really screwed it up in a couple places.
At least the acting wasn't a total disaster. That did manage to stay in check which is good. When the story of an action film faulters the way it did it can easily lead to over the top acting.
Spoiler Alert:
In theory the ideal behind the fraternity of assassins made since. If you could stop someone now from committing all kinds of horrible acts down the road, would you? However, the story lost all appeal when it turned out that they were getting the names of the people from reading a binary code in fabric coming off a loom in a secret room. It wasn't hard to figure out that Morgan Freeman's character was picking his own targets. Not just because the loom thing seemed so stupid but, because the story was too transparent.
The story line with the main character trying to kill the man he thought killed his father was not developed very well. It would have been much better had they spent more time playing a cat and mouse game. Clearly the writer couldn't figure out how to make that work with the twist of the story. That was a shame because that is what would have really made the movie work.
Overall it was a decent movie. I wouldn't recommend seeing it for more than matinee price.
At least the acting wasn't a total disaster. That did manage to stay in check which is good. When the story of an action film faulters the way it did it can easily lead to over the top acting.
Spoiler Alert:
In theory the ideal behind the fraternity of assassins made since. If you could stop someone now from committing all kinds of horrible acts down the road, would you? However, the story lost all appeal when it turned out that they were getting the names of the people from reading a binary code in fabric coming off a loom in a secret room. It wasn't hard to figure out that Morgan Freeman's character was picking his own targets. Not just because the loom thing seemed so stupid but, because the story was too transparent.
The story line with the main character trying to kill the man he thought killed his father was not developed very well. It would have been much better had they spent more time playing a cat and mouse game. Clearly the writer couldn't figure out how to make that work with the twist of the story. That was a shame because that is what would have really made the movie work.
Overall it was a decent movie. I wouldn't recommend seeing it for more than matinee price.
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