Words can't describe how good, how powerful, how amazing this film is, so I won't even try.
Rating: 8.5/10
Monday, April 28, 2008
Run, Fat Boy, Run
You hear it all the time that running isn't just a sport; running is a metaphor for life. Perhaps more than any other sport, running causes us to confront our weaknesses, overcome boundaries, and, when we cross that finish line - regardless of what the time is - we have bettered ourselves because of those challenges that running forces us to overcome.
That metaphor is exactly what Run, Fat Boy, Run is all about, and it's well executed by director (and former Friends star) David Schwimmer. I also liked Simon Pegg's performance, which was different from his usual satirical-type of role. And finally, I liked the prominence of running in the film, which is probably the real reason why I think it was better than the average romantic comedy.
Rating: 7/10
That metaphor is exactly what Run, Fat Boy, Run is all about, and it's well executed by director (and former Friends star) David Schwimmer. I also liked Simon Pegg's performance, which was different from his usual satirical-type of role. And finally, I liked the prominence of running in the film, which is probably the real reason why I think it was better than the average romantic comedy.
Rating: 7/10
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Juno
Most of the time, when I get around to watching a film that has as much hype surrounding it as Juno did, I'm disappointed. Not the case with Juno - which used witty humor, the chaos of a teenage pregnancy, and the journey we all face as we mature - to the utmost success.
Although it's not an everyday watch, it's rare for me when a film's coda is reached and I find myself still wanting more just because I want to remain a part of the character's lives for a little while longer. Good film, powerful message, good rating.
Rating: 8/10
Although it's not an everyday watch, it's rare for me when a film's coda is reached and I find myself still wanting more just because I want to remain a part of the character's lives for a little while longer. Good film, powerful message, good rating.
Rating: 8/10
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Count of Monte Cristo
Woe is me. I haven't read the book, but I'm pretty sure Jim Caviezel's acting was not what Alexander Dumas would have had in mind.
Rating: 5.5/10
Rating: 5.5/10
Underworld
Bill Nighy was born on December 12, 1949 in Surrey, England, the son of Catherine Josephine and Alfred Martin Nighy. He honed his acting skills at the Guildford School of Acting and started his career in 1975 and after two seasons at The Everyman Theater in Liverpool, England, made his debut at the National Theater in the play "Illuminatus!"
Not one to stick with one performance medium, Nighy has also voiced the character Samwise Gamgee in the BBC Radio adaptation of the Lord of the Rings in 1981 - the same year he made his first on-screen appearance in the film Agony. Nighy has since kept busy in both theater and film, with his most well-known roles coming in such films as Billy Mack in Love Actually and Davey Jones in the second and third installments of the Pirates trilogy.
Nighy also portrayed the elder vampire Viktor in Underworld, which, in a roundabout way brings me to my actual and poignant review of the movie: I liked Underworld, I like hot chicks in tight leather outfits, and I like vampires, but not as much as I like Bill Nighy is that tender, not-gay sort of way.
Rating: 7/10
Not one to stick with one performance medium, Nighy has also voiced the character Samwise Gamgee in the BBC Radio adaptation of the Lord of the Rings in 1981 - the same year he made his first on-screen appearance in the film Agony. Nighy has since kept busy in both theater and film, with his most well-known roles coming in such films as Billy Mack in Love Actually and Davey Jones in the second and third installments of the Pirates trilogy.
Nighy also portrayed the elder vampire Viktor in Underworld, which, in a roundabout way brings me to my actual and poignant review of the movie: I liked Underworld, I like hot chicks in tight leather outfits, and I like vampires, but not as much as I like Bill Nighy is that tender, not-gay sort of way.
Rating: 7/10
Monday, March 31, 2008
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back
My favorite of the Star Wars films for years, the recently dethroned The Empire Strikes Back is still among my favorite films of all time.
There are plenty of reasons why this is a great, great work of art. For example, the silhouetted portion of the fight scene between Vader and Luke Skywalker is one of the strongest scenes I have ever watched. There is always some intrigue with a torn character like Lando Calrissian - will he help the cause or hurt it? - and that insecurity for much of the film is largely a driving factor of its success. I also personally enjoy the introduction of Yoda and our first real glimpse of what it takes to be a Jedi knight. Having one of the most well-kept and shocking secrets in all of movie history revealed in the story doesn't hurt either.
However, what really puts this film over the top is the fact that the bad guys win. Too often do we see the "good guys" overcoming insurmountable odds again and again. One could argue that Han, Chewie, and Leia did just that with their flight into the asteroid field and that Han and Luke would never had survived the frozen tundra of Hoth overnight, but before final conclusions are drawn, consider this:
By the end of the film, Han is frozen in carbonite and on his way - compliments of Boba Fett - to Jabba the Hutt. Additionally, Luke is confused by the revelation that Vader is his father and tempted by the power promised by the Dark Side. The loss of his arm, much like his father's, is also an indication that the rebellion is falling apart because Luke is so dangerously tempted by the Dark Side of The Force.
Although slightly hindered because it is a transitional film, The Empire Strikes Back is still one of the best of all time, and a close second place to its predecessor.
Rating: 9.5/10
There are plenty of reasons why this is a great, great work of art. For example, the silhouetted portion of the fight scene between Vader and Luke Skywalker is one of the strongest scenes I have ever watched. There is always some intrigue with a torn character like Lando Calrissian - will he help the cause or hurt it? - and that insecurity for much of the film is largely a driving factor of its success. I also personally enjoy the introduction of Yoda and our first real glimpse of what it takes to be a Jedi knight. Having one of the most well-kept and shocking secrets in all of movie history revealed in the story doesn't hurt either.
However, what really puts this film over the top is the fact that the bad guys win. Too often do we see the "good guys" overcoming insurmountable odds again and again. One could argue that Han, Chewie, and Leia did just that with their flight into the asteroid field and that Han and Luke would never had survived the frozen tundra of Hoth overnight, but before final conclusions are drawn, consider this:
By the end of the film, Han is frozen in carbonite and on his way - compliments of Boba Fett - to Jabba the Hutt. Additionally, Luke is confused by the revelation that Vader is his father and tempted by the power promised by the Dark Side. The loss of his arm, much like his father's, is also an indication that the rebellion is falling apart because Luke is so dangerously tempted by the Dark Side of The Force.
Although slightly hindered because it is a transitional film, The Empire Strikes Back is still one of the best of all time, and a close second place to its predecessor.
Rating: 9.5/10
American Psycho
WARNING: This post contains speculation and spoilers. Do not read if you intend to watch this movie, which is not for everybody, by the way.
After 8 years, I finally had the opportunity to watch American Psycho and, despite all the pent up expectation, I could not immediately bring myself to like or dislike the film.
I'm not saying that is a bad thing. In fact, it's been quite some time since I watched a movie that I had to sit down and think about. In fact, I will probably still have to watch a few more times before I can understand exactly what happened (for example, did Bateman actually kill Paul, or was that imagined?).
I speculate that half of the movie is comprised of Patrick Bateman's sick and twisted imagination, and the other half of the movie is reality. After having seen the movie one time, I think that the central murder - the murder of Paul Allen - was a fantasy brought on by jealousy. I think that the murder of the homeless man in the alley - the first murder in the film that the audience witnesses - was reality. During his exchange with the homeless man, Patrick made it exceptionally clear that he and the man had nothing in common, almost as if he was trying to convince himself that was the case both socially and personally. In reality, and one of the things the movie does make abundantly clear, is that Bateman is an insignificant yuppie riding his father's coattails to success. His interactions with the more successful Paul Allen are riddled with deceit and it is this deceit that makes me believe Bateman is insecure with himself and his standing, and is ultimately why I don't think he could have committed the murder of his counterpart.
For those of you who don't really care about the deeper meaning and speculation stuff, or for those of you who enjoy that and good old fashioned gore and action (like me), this movie provides us with plenty of both.
As interesting as it is sick and twisted, this is a good film.
Rating: 7.5/10
After 8 years, I finally had the opportunity to watch American Psycho and, despite all the pent up expectation, I could not immediately bring myself to like or dislike the film.
I'm not saying that is a bad thing. In fact, it's been quite some time since I watched a movie that I had to sit down and think about. In fact, I will probably still have to watch a few more times before I can understand exactly what happened (for example, did Bateman actually kill Paul, or was that imagined?).
I speculate that half of the movie is comprised of Patrick Bateman's sick and twisted imagination, and the other half of the movie is reality. After having seen the movie one time, I think that the central murder - the murder of Paul Allen - was a fantasy brought on by jealousy. I think that the murder of the homeless man in the alley - the first murder in the film that the audience witnesses - was reality. During his exchange with the homeless man, Patrick made it exceptionally clear that he and the man had nothing in common, almost as if he was trying to convince himself that was the case both socially and personally. In reality, and one of the things the movie does make abundantly clear, is that Bateman is an insignificant yuppie riding his father's coattails to success. His interactions with the more successful Paul Allen are riddled with deceit and it is this deceit that makes me believe Bateman is insecure with himself and his standing, and is ultimately why I don't think he could have committed the murder of his counterpart.
For those of you who don't really care about the deeper meaning and speculation stuff, or for those of you who enjoy that and good old fashioned gore and action (like me), this movie provides us with plenty of both.
As interesting as it is sick and twisted, this is a good film.
Rating: 7.5/10
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