Tuesday, August 26, 2003

From That Guy Named David:

Chicago (B+)
This grade is the highest possible grade I can attribute to a musical based upon my inherent bias against musicals. So, it should reflect that I thought this one was very well done. Extremely creative writing, and I didn't want to shoot myself very often when I saw Richard Gere singing. Both Catherine Zeta Jones and Rene Zellweger were tremendous, as was the supporting cast. Very enjoyable (even if it was a musical).

Seabiscuit (B-)
While the self-proclaimed Movie Queen and I have many agreements, I must disagree a bit with her review of this summer's blockbuster "feel-good" movie. Maybe I had too high of expectations going into the movie, or maybe I ruined it by watching the Discovery Channel's presentation of "The True Story of Seabiscuit," but this movie just didn't live up to the hype for me. I thought the ending was great (as I am a sucker for the Hoosiers/Natural/every other sports movie endings); however, for the first hour, I was not into the movie at all and thought it wasn't well-developed. The acting by Chris Cooper and William Macy was splendid, as usual, but I still cannot understand the hype with Tobey Maguire. Overall, it was worth the watch, but I wish I hadn't expected it to be better than it was.

Bowling for Columbine (B+)
I'll admit being a big fan of Michael Moore ever since the first time I saw Roger & Me (which I still maintain rivals Hoop Dreams as the best documentary I have ever seen). In this documentary, Moore again showed why I am a fan. From the opening sequence showing Moore opening a bank account to get a free gun to when Charlton Heston walks out of their interview in a state of confusion as to what had just occurred, the mix of political statement with wit and humor and social awareness was well-done. I did think that Moore was a bit inconsistent at times in putting forth his message (ex. making a point to illustrate how poverty does not affect gun crimes and then immediately thereafter, telling the story of a "welfare to work" participate whose 6-year old unsupervised child shot and killed a classmate). That being said, someone needs to shine a spotlight on issues that most would like to turn a blind eye to, and if it takes the (albeit extreme) message of Michael Moore to do it to a degree, then so be it.

The Hunted (D-)
So, I make some mistakes every now and then. Who doesn't? Thinking that an action movie with Tommy Lee Jones and Oscar winner, Benecio Del Toro might be worth the rent was a definitely a mistake. Not entertaining in the least. If you have seen The Fugitive or the other Fugitive, you've seen this Tommy Lee Jones character. And I can't even begin to understand what kind of character Del Toro was playing in this movie. In order to save you the couple of hours in watching the movie, I'll give you the quick synopsis: Del Toro is GI Joe; Del Toro becomes GI Joe gone crazy and begins killing people hunting him down (for reasons never explained); Jones (former training officer) begins to hunt down Del Toro (hence the name of the movie); Jones finds him; Knife fight; Death. I just saved you $3.00.

Monday, August 25, 2003

From the Movie Snob.

Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines. (B-) I still think T2 had a very good, tight little ending that should have put an end to this franchise, and this movie did not satisfactorily explain it away. That said, this flick was more enjoyable than it had any right to be. I enjoyed the action sequences and laughed at some of the one-liners. Don't take it seriously, and you just might enjoy it.

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

A book review from the Movie Snob.

Islam: A Guide for Jews and Christians, by F.E. Peters (Princeton 2003). As an introduction to Islam for the totally non-initiated, this book was decent but not great. Peters' accounts of pre-Islamic Arab civilization and the life and times of Muhammed are pretty good, as is his description of the Quran, but his account of Islam after Muhammed got a little confusing at times. Sentences like this one were killers:

"There was a considerable Ismaili apparatus in Iran, which, with schism and political impotence in Cairo, was taken over by the dai Hasan ibn al-Sabbah, who sometime before 1090 installed himself in the impregnable fortress of Alamut in Daylam, south of the Caspian Sea."

Whaaaa?!?!

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

The Movie Queen makes a rare appearance at The Court:

Open Range. (A-) Wholesome, heart-felt western with Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner. It has beautiful scenery (enough to justify a trip to the theatre—don’t wait for a rental), a nice story, strong acting (even though Costner was in it) and a really cool dog. I mean, what else do you need to make a great movie. I really enjoyed this movie—even if the story wasn’t incredibly original. It worked!

Seabiscuit. (A-) A wonderful, empowering movie about a horse who brought an unlikely crew together and got them through their hard times. The movie was very well done with lots of historical references scattered throughout to really put the movie into perspective. The acting by Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper and Tobey Maguire was superb. I think it was just such a wonderful, true (you gotta love those) story that the movie made itself. In fact, it was so good that during the climax of the film and at the end, the entire theatre burst into applause. It is well worth a see. I am now reading the book!

Just Married. (D) Not surprising that this Ashton Kucher, Brittany Murphy rental was a dud. I don’t even know what to say, except to say, don’t waste your $3 or your 2 1/2 hours.

Monday, August 18, 2003

From the Movie Snob:

I Capture the Castle. (B+) Guest reviewer Mike N. aptly reviewed this movie a few days ago, so I will content myself with posting my grade and recommending this movie to anyone who likes romantic, coming-of-age type movies. The lead performance by Romola Garai is especially enjoyable. The performances by the two leading men, unfortunately, were weak and wooden. Even Henry Thomas, of E.T., couldn't seem to turn on his heartlight.

Friday, August 15, 2003

Top guest reviewer Mike N:

Dirty Pretty Things

Ever heard the urban legend about the guy who went to a party, someone put something in his drink and the next thing he knew, he woke up in a bathtub full of ice and discovered that someone had removed his kidneys? This movie is reminiscent of the urban legend, except it’s about impoverished immigrants who are so desperate to remain in the UK, they are willing to sell their kidneys at the risk of death resulting from a lack of sterile operating procedures. The cast in this film is terrific. Although he does not receive top billing, actor Chiwetel Ejiofor is the main character of this movie, playing a Nigerian Immigrant (Okwe) who just wants to keep his nose clean and survive. Okwe is eventually pulled into the midst of the dirty pretty secret in order to save a friend. Audrey Tautou (Amelie) is sweet and sympathetic as Okwe’s friend. Sergei Lopez plays a great bad guy and would make a great Andy Garcia stunt-double. This thriller gets a little gruesome and gritty in places, but the end is worth the trip. (B)

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Guest review from Mike N., who has posted way more reviews than some actual members of this Court:

I Capture the Castle
This is a wonderful film about love. Cassandra Mortmain and her sister, Rose, are two adolescents who are part of a very eccentric and comical family living in England. Rose is determined to marry into wealth and escape the poverty in which her family lives. Cassandra is determined to help Rose realize her dream. Cassandra, however, has also pledged that she herself will never fall in love. When Rose and Cassandra meet two brothers who have been reunited and enriched by the death of their father, Rose and Cassandra hatch a plan to help Rose realize her dream. The events that follow are quite entertaining. The story and its characters provide a refreshing and touching look at the effects love can have on people and their relationships. Filmed on the Isle of Man in Wales, the scenery is captivating. The costumes for this 1930’s setting are also worthy of mention and, at times, whimsical. If you like independent films, you should see this one. (A-)

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

A review from That Guy Named David:

American Wedding (F)

Wow, this movie was bad. My date looked at me about 20 minutes into the debacle with a look on her face as if to tell me, "If we don't leave right now, I may never speak to you again." Nonetheless, we stuck it out, and I haven't heard from her since. Just kidding, but truly, this was one of the single worst films I have ever been to. I have walked out of two movies in my life (City Slickers 2 and Little Shop of Horrors), and this one came close to being number 3. The plot is non-existent, and the humor is beyond juvenile (although, I'm pretty sure eating feces and having sex with grandparents was not even humorous in my youth). Stifler is over the top, and he reminded me of a really horrible Jim Carrey imitation throughout the movie. In a nutshell, do not see it, do not think about seeing it, if you are driving by a theater showing it, turn your car around. It is really that bad.

Monday, August 11, 2003

From the Elder Statesman:

Horns and Halos. (B) A documentary about one man's attempt to publish an unauthorized biography of George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign. The book's title was "Fortunate Son," and it portrayed Bush as a lightweight backed by a powerful political family and economic interests. The foci of the documentary are the author, an ex-con who had turned his life around, and his promoter/publisher, a sincere believer in his message who takes on the project after the author's major publisher backs out, allegedly under pressure from "the interests." But the documentarian does not avoid the shaky aspects of the author's story, which makes it a pretty compelling film.

Sunday, August 10, 2003

From The Movie Snob--

Northfork. (D-) I came away from this movie with one very clear thought: I don’t get it. The premise is straightforward enough. A river is about to be dammed in 1955 Montana, and the town of Northfork is going to be at the bottom of the resulting lake. Almost everyone has cleared out, and a handful of federal agents, including James Woods, has the assignment of persuading the few stragglers to leave too. In a separate plot line, a priest played by Nick Nolte cares for a sick orphan boy who is seeing or hallucinating angels. But these are very odd and quirky angels, and they seem to have some sort of mysterious agenda or quest of their own. Nothing much comes of either plot line, and Nolte mumbled most of his lines so low I couldn’t even hear them. The bottom line is that I found this movie weird for the sake of being weird, and I dislike that kind of movie very much. Skip it.

Site Meter