Movies

Movies

Listings here make no entailment on date of original viewing. Bold means it's double bonus special.

2k9/11

• Children of Men. 10/10. A brilliantly conceived and executed movie. Acting is excellent; I love the wildly diverse set of nationalities, ethnic groups, and languages represented, it's so different from how most American movies would be cast. Plot is action oriented but very solid. Soundtrack is good in its wild diversity; awesome points for the King Crimson segment. There's not much to dislike here. Kee presents a serious, down to Earth, but alive character that sets off Theo's cynicism well. Julian is a great female "terrorist" character---tough, intelligent, believable. Clive Owen is his typical likable, darkly sarcastic English self. Bonus points to Michael Caine for the irreverent, fun performance here in a serious role.
• I Am Legend. 10/10. In retrospect, this gets the big bump from the rating below. The stillness, the small musical pieces, it all really grows on you. Smith does an excellent job with the emotional outbursts here. The ending is still a little disappointing and really drops a lot of the potential intellectual heft from the novel, but even there there are beautiful moments. I really love Neville pleading with the monsters to let him save them, followed by the quiet interlude. Loss of the book's main point notwithstanding, this commentary is worth reading for a good take on potential new meaning in the movie: NPR Review. Most of all though, it's just awesome to see the scientific method take center role in a major movie! As a side note, this movie has also totally shifted my perspective on Bob Marley, whose music I've never been a fan of. However, it works really well in this movie, and provides a strong theme, particularly when Smith emotionally recounts Marley's shooting. Light up the darkness.
• American Beauty. 8/10. A movie almost painful to watch at times with the awkward, embarrassing moments. Nonetheless, a good movie that is most compelling through being ultimately a hopeful, bright movie shrouded in absolute darkness.
• Fight Club. 8/10. I'm tempted almost to downgrade this a notch, but the adolescent mayhem is still awesome enough to keep its place. A little something is definitely lost after the first viewing when the twist is revealed, but it still remains an interesting movie. Like the Matrix it's a little over the top and simplistic with the philosophy, and tough to approve of the random violence, but it is what it is.
• Unforgiven. 9/10. The true excellence of this is how it purposefully throws itself at Western tropes and smashes them to pieces. For example, in the final scenes, of course Clint show up unseen, out of the dark, storm rampaging in the background. Of course he does, that's exactly the point! But then things shift dramatically---Clint's not some tactical genius, he just ducks a little bit while everybody else sucks. Throughout the movie there is great emphasis and realism that things aren't like the movies. In real life most people can't shoot well, people die slowly and sympathetically, good people are killed, guns jam, people get killed on the john, and it's all more sordid, sad, and brutal rather than majestic or an epic showdown of good versus evil. Clint's character is a little flat, but that's the point. At least in the movie's timeframe it's hard to really characterize him as an emotional, sadistic evil, rather than something different, something closer to purely amoral. This plays well off the anti-tropes, e.g., when the cliche opens about the sherrif not actually being dead and attempting to shoot Clint. Then the cliche detours again, Clint stopping him before there's even any real danger, then executing him. A smart, very literate movie commentary on both the Western genre and reality of that time period.
• I Am Legend. 9/10. This is a good movie that could have been really great. Smith gives an excellent performance as the near deranged loner, most notably his internal breakdown as he is forced to kill Sam. Also excellent is his repeated refrain that this is his site, he can fix it. Settings are all beautiful; New York finally looks wonderful, with no people... All that said, the final act is pretty hokey. It's not clear at all how Anna and her kid have been able to survive, or why they magically appear one day. Being familiar with the novel I kept excepting her to turn... But it just doesn't happen. I haven't seen it yet, but the alternate ending sounds much more faithful to the novel and much more interesting if done well, portraying Neville as the true monster in the relationship with the Darkseekers. After all, that is really the point of the entire novel on which this is based... The one good moment in the actual ending though is Neville again, in the face of imminent death, screaming that he can fix this, he can fix this! That was good, but could easily fit into the alternate as well. Between this and the Sam moment it's tempting to give this a 9 for Smith's performance, but the cheesy, convenient wrap up really kills it.
• Empire of the Sun. 7/10. A good movie, but very Spielbergian---the grandiosity is a bit over the top at times, and it's relatively predictable. The interplay between Jim and Basie and Jim and the Doctor is interesting, but not captivating. Probably the Doctor doesn't have a big enough role, and Basie is too reptilian a person for it to be deeper.
• Breaking Away. 9/10. The dad is perfect icing on excellent cake.
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 8/10. This movie is funny and very good, but it could have been even better. If slightly less time was spent on action and just slightly more on Butch, Sundance, and particularly their interaction w/ Etta, it could have been really something. There are just enough hints to carry it through, particularly in the traveling montage in the middle and of course the charged bicycling scene in the beginning, but there could be more. There's just enough depth here though to keep things going, e.g., reflecting on when Butch and Sundance actually kill anyone.

2k9/10

• Syriana. 9/10. This is a very good movie, nonetheless for its somewhat non-traditional architecture of four parallel stories. I would not have picked Clooney for the best actor in here, but his Award-winning performance is nonetheless very good. It's important for viewers to realize that many of the plot points and ideas here come from real life, either very directly or conceptually. What have we, America, done? How could we not expect everyone to hate us?
• Kite Runner. 9/10. A very gripping, emotional, intelligent story. I wasn't really paying attention to this and couldn't help but get drawn in. Definitely very strong and mature. Besides the character dilemmas, one interesting point is watching this and then thinking "Well, of course someone needs to go in and change all this, make this world better," then thinking "Has that happened? Could it happen?"
• Must Love Dogs. 6/10. A solid, traditional romantic comedy: Comfortingly predictable and staid, with every character and plot point pretty much known from the start.
• Invincible. 6/10. It's not painful to watch, but there's not much here either. None of the characters particularly has any depth, and the plot's pretty straight forward. The best part is clearly the closing credits with the videos and movie of Papale, which are actually pretty interesting to watch.
• Michael Clayton. 10/10. Fantastic movie. All of the actors here are excellent. Clooney, despite all the idiotic hype, is actually frequently a pretty good actor, as he is here. The facial tics and movements are superbly done and make the role. Tilda Swinton also does a great job in a fascinating, non-traditional role---the villain and definitely bad, but only superficially strong. Her performance is rivaled only by Clooney and Tom Wilkinson, who plays brilliantly as a manic depressive. Sydney Pollack and even the more minor roles are all also similarly well played. Even the relatively small screen time for Anna, Arthur's protectee, is rewarded with a great performance that adroitly manages to not make the relationship creepy. The movie has literally only one or two off lines, notably the LAPD loft scene, and is remarkably tight on the plot. Some commentators have expressed problems with the two murders, but I think they actually make sense and would go undetected, unremarked, as planned for at least long enough to enable the rest of the plot (in Mickey's case, forever in Arthur's w/out Mickey's involvement). A fair number of interesting questions are raised, for example: To what extent, if any, are Marty and the law firm involved, and what is their moral standing in any event? At first viewing it's not 100% that they're not involved, but it's most likely they aren't. However that Marty already has the memo that Mickey thinks is so revealing, which adds a whole other dimension to his development. The money shot however is the closing minutes in the cab with Clayton. So subtle and engrossing, watching Clooney convey the emotions so quietly. I especially like the small titles in the corner, using the seat as backdrop. One of the best credit sequences I've ever seen.
• The Boxer. 9/10. Excellent movie. Almost all of the actors here are very good. Daniel Day Lewis continues to rock the house. Danny Flynn almost comes across as a fairly cardboard character, but by the end has been fairly well realized. Brian Cox's character is also suitably deep, stuck between the world they've been living in and what they were supposed to be fighting for. It's notable also that there aren't really any truly perfect people here, perhaps the closest being Ike who apparently suffers solely from an alcohol problem. Danny's a former terrorist, Joe has sanctioned and enabled a lot of violence, and Maggie, after all, is in fact married...
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. 8/10. The acting and directing here are excellent; Gilliam does a predictably fantastic job with the psychedelic air while Depp and Del Torro carry their roles superbly. The movie is also fairly funny at times, but it's tough to pay attention to throughout. There just isn't enough going on to really captivate. In some ways, the whole thing adds up to not so much. Contrarily though, it's really more about the whole than the parts... I'm not sure how to rate this: It's an excellent movie that I wouldn't particularly recommend nor strive to watch again. However, a sign that Gilliam is---as always---more than simply psychedelic is the waitress scene near the end, which makes clear that this has not been funny and Dr Gonzo at least is not a sympathetic character at all.
• Saving Private Ryan. 8/10. The battle sequences are largely stunning, of course including the beach landing though the final battle seems somewhat odd even to an untrained person. However the themes and morals are all somewhat predictable and stilted and it falls slightly short of being really compelling.
• Johnny Mnemonic. 5/10. Almost nothing compelling about this movie. The story could be really good but the writing, acting, and directing are all terrible. It's not a good sign when pretty much the best character (Jones) is basically motionless and mute...
• Mad Max. 8/10. For what it is, this is an awesome movie. Not very deep but not shallow or purely-action based either. The action sequences are excellent, most notably the opening car chase. It also contains three super-memorable scenes: When the Nightrider breaks down crying when confronted by Max; Johnny-Boy screaming "We remember the Nightrider, and we know who you are!" as he's shoved out of the prison; Max offering Johnny-Boy his choice at the very end...
• Tropic Thunder. 5/10. Hugely disappointing for all the hubub. I see some of the clever things they're trying to do here, but it just doesn't work that well. Pretty boring, uninteresting movie.
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. 10/10. What an awesome movie, completely amazing. Every primary actor here is excellent, even Jeff Goldblum. Wacky props, scenery, and costumes all blend well with the perfect soundtrack to complement the plot. All of the animal vignettes and action sequences are also perfectly pitched at just the right level of fake amateurishness. Murray is fantastic. The role is almost somewhat cliched for him at this point, but it still really works and by the end him as Zissou along with Zissou's wife, the reporter Winslet, and Ned, turn the film into a solidly introspective, complex movie of character development and relationships. I also really love the very traditional Americans-in-Europe film festival closing, and the credits sequence. Excellent.

2k9/9

• Ronin. 7/10. This movie could be much better if it just had slightly more substance, possibly just a bit more specifics and character development. As it is it is entertaining and just on the verge of being very compelling. Car sequences are generally rock solid though.
• Matrix Revolutions. 7/10. Here the series definitely missteps. The shoot out in Zion is pretty stupid---why the walkers? why? what sense would they make?---as is the rave, and many other scenes. The Matrix machine community also seems somewhat less rich. However, most of the action sequences, particularly the final battle between Neo and Smith, are pretty good, and the core storyline is cool as long as you're fine with overt, blunt Christian parables.
• Matrix Reloaded. 7/10. This series almost loses its way here, but stop just short of the precipice. Most of the action sequences are very good, as expected. The much richer tapestry of the machine presence in the Matrix is also intriguing. The only real downside is that you can't quite avoid the vague feeling that things are starting to not make a ton of sense, and might actually be contradictory in places...
• Charlie Wilson's War. 9/10. Surprisingly good movie. Wilson, Ms Herring, and Gus are all well played. I expected this movie to be somewhat of a farce and Wilson to be a completely unsympathetic partying loser from the commercials, but neither is true. Wilson comes across as fairly complex, very intelligient, and is a sympathetic character. Gus and Herring similarly similarly fill out their more secondary roles well. The war sequences are a little cavalier and cheap for my taste, but this movie is very intelligent and a great overview and critique of US failings and misguided policy in Afghanistan. Even the jet flyover while Gus and Wilson talk in the closing sequences is perfectly pitched: Heavy handed in the symbology, yet subtle enough to be almost missed.
• Arsenic and Old Lace. 8/10. Great for what it is, simple comedy. Grant is impressively expressive and slapstick here.
• Lost in Translation. 8/10. Great music and scenery, almost purely a sequence of artworks in the colors and lights, but solid character development and a deep, multi-faceted romance story on top.
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding. 7/10. Definitely on the upper end of wedding movies, but very frustrating to watch the obstinate tradition and oblivious, loving obnoxiousness on display.
• Sideways. 8/10. Awkward enough to be hard to watch at times, this is a really good movie, particularly after the inadvertant revelation. From there on to the end is generally the most touching and compelling portion of the film.
• There Will Be Blood. 10/10. Amazing movie. Probably not something to watch endlessly, but definitely worth the occassional repeat. Plainview is an amazing character, hard to describe as any statement that can be made about him is not quite true. He oscillates wildly between presenting a facsimile of humanity, to being human, to stark brutality and ruthlessness. He's violence incarnate in a fashion wholely removed from typical movie bad guys. Not really an evil actor, but completely amoral and a force of evil in some sense. Completely gripping from the first moments crawling out of the mine shaft, when it is made entirely clear that there is something very wrong with this man. The next most stunning moment is probably when he simply tells Fletcher that H.W. is not ok. Settings and music are all also fantastic, the latter just on the edge of being jarringly modern and wonderfully filling in the madness lurking behind the images on screen.
• Back to the Future, Part III. 9/10. The true genius of this series is that even in this final episode, which should have been totally ridiculous, everything is just as strong as the opener. Moving to the Old West should have been equivalent to jumping the shark, but it's actually really good, definitely better than the second movie. I would probably also choose it over the first movie, though it's a close call due to the school dance sequence. In terms of the refinement and production it is clearly better though. Perhaps of most value is the portrayal of Doc as a scientist. He's a genious, he's out of it, but when push comes to shove, he also comes through on action sequences, saves the girl, and gets her in the end. This is the kind of hero people should see in movies.
• Back to the Future, Part II. 8/10. Just short of being as strong as the opener throughout much of the movie, but once it gets into the action around the high school everything gets back on track. Delivery of the Doc's letter at the end is a great scene and moment. I would have been pissed watching this in theaters though, with the very high cliffhanger and the blatant advertising for the next movie in the short concluding montage. The combination of explicitly including scenes from the first movie as well as referential scenes is done excellently.
• Back to the Future. 8/10. I'm pretty sure I've never actually seen the start to this before. Watching the opening sequences is definitely heading toward painful, the McFly's are so awkward and sad. Once it moves on a bit though, this is definitely an awesome film in the memorability of its set pieces and sequences. The whole segment of the movie revolving around the school dance is deservedly classic.
• Pirates of the Caribbean. 8/10. Remains thoroughly engaging in a light way due to the sheer delightfulness of the characters.
• Love Actually. 6/10. The movie is cute and most of the characters engaging, but I really despise the core premise that women should meet men by getting service positions and then seducing their employers and supervisors. Most of the storylines are cutesy and heartwarming. Interestingly though, of the two seemingly most irreverent storylines---Collin's and the stand-in actors---the latter is actually probably the most symbolic and intellectual of all of them, though it may seem the most gratuitous and silly.
• Real Genius. 10/10. Only better with every viewing...
• Alien. 8/10. I think the most intriguing part of the Aliens series is Ripley. So many movies and shows put forward female protagonists in these types of situations that just come across as annoying and fake. Ripley, however, is a legit, alien killing badass. Even when the movie somewhat unnecessarily calls for her to do so in half a pair of panties...
• Lady in the Water. 9/10. I think this is actually a pretty good movie. A little over the top at a couple points, e.g., when the movie critic is eaten, or, worst of all, that M. Night himself is of course cast as the world changing prophet. Absent that alone and this would be a pretty solid movie. It's a little weird that everyone buys into what's going on so easily, but maybe that's how things should be when you're on a clear mission. Giamatti does an excellent job as Mr Heeb, and almost all the characters are just so quirky that the ensemble works well. The multiple Dylan references also work well off each other, particularly the rock take on Maggie's Farm as compared to the prayerful take on The Times They Are A'Changin' as the credits roll. Perhaps most of all, I like that not everyone is a hero here but has a role regardless, even the hapless stoners, even after revealed as not being the guild.
• The Fast and the Furious. 5/10. It's a shame, because I want to like Vin Diesel, but there's just not much going on in this movie. Reasonably stylish, but not impressively so.

2k9/8

• End of Days. 7/10. I'm generally a fan of Schwarzenegger, and this is a solid movie. The plot is relatively thick enough, and Schwarzenegger almost complex. Toward the end the action and the satanic sequences become a little over the top, but that's ok. Probably not quite as good as some of the top films on similar themes such as Denzel Washington's or either of Keanu Reeves' satan-on-earth films, but pretty solid nonetheless.
• Quantum of Solace. 8/10. This movie is better on the second viewing. The car chase at the start is pretty decent, as is the fight through the bell tower. I like the take on Italy and the old world, essentially being that every wall and column is in danger of falling apart at any moment. I like that the Bond gizmos here are informational---databases, tracking systems, etc---rather than whiz bang and obvious---gun pods, jet packs, etc. Awesome styling on the displays as well. Bond is a good, dark character, and the secondaries all play well---M, Felix, Mathis, etc. Villains are reasonable but not complex, and still slightly underwhelming. While interesting and perhaps more realistic than many Bond scenarios, I'm not 100% compelled by someone stealing all of Boliva's water.
• Watership Down. 10/10. This is one of my favorite movies, and is excellent through and through, from the opening very stylized mythos animation, to the ending sequence. Hazel's obviously very sympathetic, but I particularly love Fiver's vision sequences, particularly the Bright Eyes segment as he searches for the injured Hazel, and the opening mythos animation. But probably the best moment is toward the end when Bigwig regains his composure, digs in, and calmly tells General Woundwort "My chief told me to defend this run," with the full prospect of that fate very clear to Bigwig. As Woundwort steps back in shock and the realization that he's misunderstood both the tactical and the entire situation, the delineation there between his world and Hazel-ra's is a great moment.
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine. 4/10. Straight out terrible movie. It covers all the basics of Wolverine's story, but is pretty predictable and boring in doing so. Action is ok but not compelling by any means. Sadly, I think the story could have been amazing, much more in line with The Dark Knight. The most compelling part is the first few minutes as the opening title credits play, watching Victor descend into madness while Jimmy tries to stop him and save him. This part of the story could have been very dramatic and serious. Clearly they tried to work with some aspect of that in the movie, but it mostly just comes across as a series of vaguely boring brawls.
• Star Trek. 9/10. I will have to watch it again, but I suspect this movie was amazing. It only gets dinged a point because the alternate reality and time travel stuff is pretty lame, as usual. The movie really took a slight dip once that was introduced. I can understand why they did it, but that doesn't diminish the negative impact. The first half of the movie is excellent though, lining up the characters and so on. Most of the backstory elements are very good. The second half is also good, but the alternate reality as awkward. The villains are also fairly flat, though they could have been interesting. Excellent action and styling throughout the movie as well. All in all, an excellent Star Trek film, which is to mean an excellent film: It's like going home.
• Garden State. 9/10. What's-his-name is usually pretty annoying, but he manages to overcome that here and present a reasonable, sympathetic character. Ditto what's-her-name. Great soundtrack as a bonus on top of a touchy-feely but not lame plotline.
• Ghost in the Shell. 10/10. Excellent. I love the tension in Bato, the arguable suppressed love & lust for the major mixed with his professionalism---e.g., his unflinching lack of recognition of her running around naked for work, his obvious uncomfort with it off duty---and her presumed total obliviousness to this subtext.
• Rocket Science. 9/10. A great sleeper movie, comes out of nowhere to be pretty good. Just a hint of sexual tension in a cute high school way, an extraordinary amount of awkwardness, enough wackyness to keep it moving, and appropriate movie drama without melodrama. Nice.
• Rescue Dawn. 9/10. Excellent, very surprising movie. I was really expecting a sort of lame action flick. This turns out however to be actually a very surreal, dramatic movie. Fantastic. The characters start out moving, talking a little funny, but maybe that's how we all look in real life from the outside. Then it hits the fan and it's a trip. I'm a big fan of Steve Zahn but I can't think of anything I've seen him where he was serious, let alone as perfect for a dramatic character as he is here. Bale is similarly awkward and just slightly weird and just so slightly German. Excellent other characters as well, beautiful scenery, interesting plot. Notable was the lack of particularly brutal torture sequences, though some were filmed.
• Sin City. 7/10. Almost tough to watch because the bad guys are so powerful, but this is very stylish and a good movie for what it is. Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke in particular stand out as great primary characters.
• Heat. 9/10. Always a great movie. Good characters, great action, and so on. Only troubling bit is that the protagonists mow down a number of policemen by the end...
• AI. 9/10. This movie has aged very well, or perhaps I have. I was largely underwhelmed but interested when this movie came out. Years later however I find it much improved. It is definitely stylish in many places, and somehow runs deep in many others. The ending should come well before it actually does---once we are entombed with the blue fairy---but that is a common problem we can mostly overlook.

2k9/7

• Kings. Season 1, 10/10. At times silly and pretentious, but on the whole stylish, grandiose, and dramatic. McShane clearly carries the day, but most of the acting is good and nearly all the characters interesting. Excellent. I am also appreciative that everything was very nicely wrapped up by the end of the first season, such that it could have continued or, as was the case, ended there very nicely if canceled. I particularly love the in-your-face but "subtle" touches of arcana and the physical hand of god, e.g., when the reverend blows out the lights in the supermarket, possibly somewhat accidentally in a momentary pique of anger.
• Bolt. 10/10. For what it is, this is awesome. At first I was all "What the hell is going on, this is stupid!" although I was very fond of some of the bullet time effects in the opening sequence. Then it cut to the editing studio and became a lot more palatable. The NYC pigeons sealed the deal that this was going to be a good movie, and then Rhino absolutely put it over the top. The little guy just never stops dancing, singing to himself, and fighting evil wherever it may appear! Totally fantabulous.
• Quantum of Solace. 6/10. For some reason, I found this completely non-compelling. By all conscious measures it seemed much the same as the first one, but I just wasn't nearly as into it. It seemed like I should love the action just as much, but somehow I didn't. Maybe it's just because when I started watching the first one I didn't know what I was watching for the first ten minutes, which left open whether or not Craig was playing a bad guy or not, and gave the opening battle a much darker and meaningful edge, more in line with the revised character.
• The Mummy Returns. 6/10. Some good sequences, but not as novel as the first Mummy movie.
• The Scorpion King. 6/10. It's ok, but there could have been so much more. Why is the Scorpion King all of the sudden a good guy?!?!? Even assuming he started as a good guy, it would be an awesome movie to capture his descent from this movie into the world-conquering tyrant he's depicted as in the other Mummy movies. Sadly, Hollywood hasn't called me lately for script ideas.
• Chronicles of Riddick. 6/10. The director's cut definitely makes more sense, but this still could have been so much more.
• Quantum Leap. 8/10. Season 1. Oh yeah! Blast from the past, and still really good. Interestingly, the heavy religious component that all the characters assume is inherent in the leaping is much more apparent and bothersome to me now than when I was a kid.
• Sliders. Season 1, 7/10; Seasons 2--3.5, 5/10. Starts off pretty reasonably with some pretty interesting alternate worlds, but grows terrible as the network took over more and more control of the creative side. Season 3 was so bad I couldn't stand to watch the whole thing, much like most of the actors found ways out of their contracts as it went on...
• Castle. Season 1, 6/10. Fillion makes this, but it's still only so-so. Better than most cop-dramas however.
• Dead Like Me. Seasons 1--3, 9/10. Generally excellent series, it's a shame it didn't continue. The humor is solid and the characters generally all compelling. I think they all gain dimension as the show goes on, even for characters not in the prime spotlight such as the father, a solid characteristic of a good show.

2k9/6

• Safe Men. 6/10. Very safe, fairly funny movie.
• Mutiny on the Bounty. 7/10. Gibson version. Pretty reasonable. It's fairly interesting watching Fletcher change and distort.

2k9/5

• The River King. 8/10. Surprisingly good. Actors are solid and appealing, plot's pretty solid, good twists but no disappointing "gotchas." Bonus points for the score as well, which is fairly simple and stands out. The credits indicate this is a Canadian movie, which explains why it's relatively low-key but smart and totally unappreciated by the American reviewers on Hulu...
• The Manhattan Project. 6/10. 1980s teenage science nuclear movie. Details are actually ok, they're probably within reasonable science tolerances given some suspension of disbelief---e.g., despite what people might think, Paul probably would not be radiated too badly (movie is correct), but the explosive action required to implode the material is pretty complex; I doubt it could be done with just C4 (movie is incorrect). But, there's not a ton to this movie to really motivate it. Not terrible, but not attractive either. If you're wondering where you've seen the teenage love interest before, she was later to be a star in Sex and the City.
• The Big Hit. 6/10. A fun action romp.
• Mad Dog and Glory. 6/10. Mediocre movie. The plot's thin, the acting so-so at best.
• Sexy Beast. 8/10. Definitely different. The styling is pretty sweet; I love the lazy, lavish atmosphere that fits in so well with Gal's lifestyle. Logan is almost boring, but not beyond limits. The movie's extremely violent, but only in a few short segments. Notable amounts of homoerotic imagery throughout as well. Not your usual crime movie and not really a fun time, but definitely worth watching.

2k9/1

• Someone Like You. 7/10. Light, reasonably fun romantic comedy. Plus, it talks a lot about cows, which is always cool.
• The Siege. 8/10. I actually saw this in theaters when it came out, and it's even more gripping now. Watching it, you need to go find the publication date to check that it was made before 9/11. The most compelling part is wondering, fearing how easily the incompetent, manipulating, blind warmongering of the previous US administration could have lead to exactly the scenario depicted in the movie.
• Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. 7/10. An odd, '70s/80s era movie by more than just date---it has sort of a rambling, ambulatory nature to it that I find in a number of movies from that period. More of an extended observation that classical story. The plot's not much and fairly thin, but it's interesting as it follows a bizarre set of characters through their lives. You know, as they rob a vault and pick up chicks and so on...

2k8/12

• Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. 10/10. Oh god yes. Really the only thing to discuss about this is that it is difficult to introduce to new people as the ending is so far removed in tone from the opening. Beyond that though, and perhaps in part because of that, it's awesome. Great characters, costumes, dialog, songs! Yes, the songs are fantastic, and catchy! The ending, jarring though it is, is also highly plausible and an unexpected breath of fresh air, blowing aside predictable closers.
• Sneakers. 8/10. Remains a great movie. The tech material seems to have aged fairly well. Most of it seems reasonably plausible, well within fair suspension of disbelief territory at the worst. The characters are also of course all really fun to watch---great cast & quirky backgrounds.
• Virtuosity. 7/10. I used to love this movie, but it doesn't age super well. The key attraction was and is the styling of Crowe's character (Sid 6.7). The way he moves and the somewhat touched nature throughout is slickly done, especially once he acquires the pimp suit.
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 7/10. I was expecting big things out of this. It's fun and somewhat stylish, but ultimately not as deep an experience as the novels; at least, as I recall the novels. It just moves too fast and ends too quickly to be much more than eye candy (though solid eye candy at that). Great visuals, character styling updates, and solid cast though.
• Mama Mia. 4/10. Caitlin took advantage of my immobility to force this upon me. It's boring, it's predictable, it projects questionable lessons & attitudes, the dubbing is often not synced well, and many of the songs barely fit into the plot where they have been placed. Entirely forgettable, except that it's so bad it's not.
• A Christmas Memory. 6/10. Cute, endearing I guess, not super captivating or moving.
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. 7/10. Stylish, fast moving, great fun to watch.
• Dragonheart. 6/10. Light, goofy kids stuff, but fairly fun.
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. 7/10. An interesting movie. Not too much character development or attachment, but solid nonetheless. The sets and historical detailing seem very impressive, the ships and their activity very ornate and watchable.
• The Thing, Carpenter 1982 version. 6/10. This could have been a great movie, but comes up a little short. The effects are terrible. Granted it's from the early '80s, but other movies from that time period don't suffer nearly as much. For example, Aliens from '86 has similar type and quality effects when Bishop's chest explodes and in other instances, but realizes its limits and doesn't overdo it. Here, Carpenter just does his trademark gory and gross, severely tarnishing the movie. Otherwise it's fairly reasonable, but could have been much more taut, much scarier as it explored its theme of trust and fear better.
• The Devil's Own. 6/10. Ok but ultimately mostly forgettable movie about an IRA soldier nearing the end of his rope. Plot is mostly blah, characters extremely predictable.

2k8/11

• Secondhand Lions. 5/10. The story is friendly and warm, but never really gets any hooks into you. It's probably much for the worse that everything is spelled out in the end, with no uncertainties left... There's also an odd feel to many of the scenes, particularly the flashbacks. They're probably supposed to feel cheesy and swashbuckling, but they come off feeling... cheesy and swashbuckling...
• 27 Dresses. 5/10. Don't ask. Cute perhaps, but not terribly compelling.

2k8/10

• Pitch Black. 6/10. Not the worst movie ever and what is there is reasonably well done, but there's not a lot there. Characters are mostly ok, and it's interesting having Carolyn be the one that teaches Riddick to be human, but there's not a lot of development story-wise. It's slightly better given the next movie and some extra gravitas around Jack/Kyra, but it's still not much.
• Starship Troopers. 7/10. I think this is a decent movie. Oddly, the action's almost the weakest part---the suits and so on are not particularly inspired. But, the overall motion and general mayhem makes up for it when combined with the not unreasonable portrayal of a very possible society. It's hard not to be scared by this one if you've actually sat and watched Fox News for a couple minutes at any point...

2k8/9

• Spanglish. 10/10. The pacing, cuts, motions, and speech mannerisms are just so odd and offputting here, but they really make a lot of sense here.
• Butterfly Effect. 7/10. Actually a more interesting movie than I expected. Pretty dark, it's awful violent and dark throughout.

2k8/8

• The Dark Knight. 10/10. Well beyond the super-hero or comic book genre, this is a complete, masterful movie, a great study on super heroes, law, and civilization. Batman's story arc is interesting here and would on its own be solid, but is almost a sideshow here compared to some of the new elements---the Joker and Harvey Dent are really the stories here. Heath Ledger's Joker is utterly brilliant, and makes a perfect, absolute image of uncompromising anarchy and insanity as a beautiful, flawless mirror by which to look at Batman. The voices, the movement, it's all extraordinarily well done. Notably, we saw this on a huge Imax screen, and the Imax-filmed Joker closeups were more compelling and memorable than any of the action sequences, which were themselves also excellent, speaking a lot to the quality of the Joker's portrayal. Dent provides the emotional core to the film and provides a character we can relate to, itself a foil for Batman and the stoic rock he has and continues to be turned into. Costumes, settings, and staging are all exquisite here as well, with standouts being the opening bank heist, the Hong Kong panoramas, the truck chase, and the Joker exiting Gotham General. All that being said, there are a few minor problems with the movie which slightly mar an otherwise nearly flawless delivery, such as:
  • Batman's "sonar," though faithful to the comic books, is kind of silly, and not really necessary. Bringing Lucius more into the picture is a worthwhile endeavor, but it could have been done in other ways. On the upside, I do like the scenes of Batman standing watch over Gotham, processing the overflooding feed.
  • The ruined side of Two Face's head is a bit cartoonish for the rest of the movie, especially against the Joker's makeup. However, it's worth noting that the directors allegedly explicitly chose this look as their other, more subdued, mockups were too disturbing and upsetting to actually have on screen as much as they wished.
  • The BatPod is ridiculous... Absurd moves such as upending and flipping over on a dime seem out of place here.
  • There are a bit too many extended monologues in the last fifteen minutes or so of the film.
  On the whole though these are easily overlooked and this is an amazing film. Notably, there's also no profanity or sex in the movie. There is a ton of violence though. Much of it things blowing and people getting punched around, but darker than in other super hero films. Several of the scenes are, however, very disturbing, despite not actually showing much of anything on screen. Long story short, this is a great action movie, a stunning super hero movie, and a very well done film examination of law, the War on Terror, and the social contract.
• Be Kind Rewind. 7/10. At first I thought this movie was terrible and relatively poorly done. By the end though it's fairly engaging. It avoids many cliches---no sudden romance but rather tempting possibilities, and no happy ending, just a not-so-bad resolution. It also makes some interesting commentary on community building, and on communities themselves.
• Dr Strangelove. 10/10. Classic. I could see where some might feel this to be ham-handed, and it probably is, but I think that's probably part of the charm---there's nothing subtle about nuclear war, after all.
• Run Fatboy Run. 7/10. Solid sports movie combined with a romantic comedy. I'm not sure how much there is to get out of this on repeated watching and I don't think it's as funny as Shaun of the Dead, but it is more family accessible and more positive.
• A Midnight Clear. 7/10. A very interesting movie, with a good mix of well-performing known and unknown actors. Presents an interesting take on WWII, definitely not in the typical heroic mold.

2k8/7

• Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. 10/10. Not strictly a movie, but this deserves mention. Great humor, fantastic characterization, and awesome musical elements. The comedic elements about evil scientists, bloggers, and shy lovers stand on their own, but there is a great super-hero/super-villain story here as well. It's actually fairly complex by the end of the 42 minute runtime, and both funnier and deeper than nearly all comic book and television fair out there. Check it out
• King Arthur. 7/10. Having seen the end of this movie a few times, I was not expecting much. Near the closing it becomes too wrapped up in an overwrought battle. The earlier parts, however, are actually fairly interesting. I like the twist on the Arthur legends, placing him as a Roman soldier in the Dark Ages. His band of knights also keep things fun & interesting.
• Old School. 5/10. I should have like this a lot, and it has its moments, but ultimately it's just not that funny. Van Wilder covered much the same ground but was somewhat more innocent in its debauchery and had a lot more humor to it.
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 8/10. An excellent movie. Really the only reason it's losing points is because ultimately it's an adventure movie and there's not a ton of depth here. Characterization is solid, but also not very deep. Contrast this with Serenity, which is probably only moderately heavier on issues but I think has deeper characters. Most of the effects here hold up really well, with one or two exceptions. Notably, in the final Temple, Elsa pretty much appears to go diving into the crack, and is visibly lowering herself down rather than falling. But, for fun times, this movie can't really be beat. I think I prefer Raiders of the Lost Ark but that is most likely simply because I haven't seen it as often.
• Serenity. 10/10. Another awesome movie, probably even without the background of the TV show. I'm not totally sure if this movie transcends genre or not, but it's definitely at the very top even if it doesn't. It doesn't really explore issues in the same way as Blade Runner or concepts in the same fashion as 12 Monkeys. There are some, but what's really at play here is people and characters, humans looking deeply at belief, love, and causes. To top it off the effects are awesome, the film visually appealing and realistic throughout, the music in perfect harmony.
• 12 Monkeys. 10/10. This movie has a lot of meat on it, lots of room for interpretation and deeper reflection. All of the actors are awesome, the characters interesting, the sets great. My dilemma at this particular moment: What is the meaning of the lead "scientist's" presence at the end of the film? None of the interpretations seem to be optimistic for the bulk of humanity. Even if the tenuous assertion that she is there as backup for Cole is correct (which I have trouble accepting), she's failed---Philadelphia is already toast. You might see why that would concern me. In any event, it's hard to read her motivation or goals, but that's the sort of thing that makes this a great movie. It explores a number of concepts such as reality and time travel fabulously, and is visually compelling throughout.
• Major League 2. 5/10. Sadly, this has not aged well as I've gotten older. The first one is maybe also better, though it could just be because I haven't seen it as recently. The movie is friendly, just empty. I must say though that one of my most common used personal catchphrases comes from this movie, so it gets a bunch of virtual stars for that moment of brilliance.
• Blade Runner. 10/10. Notably, Ghost in the Shell is very similar in both setting and themes but scores slightly higher in my personal book. My gut reaction is that GS gets the nod largely due to the cross-city helicopter trip by Kusanagi, one of my favorites scenes of all time. There isn't a scene here in Blade Runner that stands out in the same deeply introspective fashion. But, this is a great movie. I love the replicants, even the "dumb muscle" Leon is captivating and intellectual in his final battle; I really enjoy the dialog him and Deckard have as they fight in the alley, Deckard offhandedly lighthearted and subtly showing some sympathy and understanding of the replicants. Every character here is wacky and interesting, no matter how little on screen time they get. Chew particularly stands out, his lab is just so weird. Gaff and his origami are also compelling, and brings a lot of humanity to the movie in the closing scenes despite very little screen time. The repeated use of dialog components and themes (most notably, eyes---I love when Pris spray paints around her eyes, though I haven't fully determined the best interpretation there yet!) is also excellent throughout the movie. On a side note, arguments that Deckard is a replicant, drawn from the film rather than Ridley Scott's stated intentions:
  • Deckard gets kicked around an awful lot by the replicants, all of which have well beyond super human strength. How could a human stand up to that so easily? Why did his neck not break when Pris twisted it?
  • Holden's eyes glow in the opening sequences like the replicants' eyes do, arguing that all of the Blade Runners are replicants.
  • Gaff is always there on the periphery, never involved in the actual combat but immediately on the scene upon its conclusion. It's believable that he is Deckard's handler, tasked with overseeing the replicant Blade Runners, having them do the heavy fighting, while he makes sure they do not run amok.
  • After Roy dies, Gaff tells Deckard something along the lines of "You've done a man's job now, sir." It's kind of an odd statement, but makes a lot more sense if Deckard's not a man in the usual, strict sense.
  • As noted in many places, Gaff's unicorn strongly indicates that he knows the general contents of Deckard's dreams.
• Napoleon Dynamite. 8/10. Still processing this, but it's probably brilliant. It took a few minutes for me to get into it, but once we got about twenty minutes in I was sold. I'm not totally sure what the appeal is, but it's definitely there. Most likely it's just the natural tendency to root for the underdog that pulls you in. I also like that there aren't really any bad guys here. Sure, there are a bunch of bullies, but even they come across as vaguely sympathetic---everyone here is lost or awash in lost. Their facial gestures, e.g. Trisha on the phone with Napoleon, are also well done. Rico also isn't particularly bad, just his own special kind of awkward with just a hint of sleaze.
• Man of the House. 7/10. This movie's surprisingly not as bad as you think, largely because Tommy Lee Jones plays well off the crowd of cheerleaders, who are themselves also reasonably acted.
• Dr Dolittle 2. 5/10. Not so bad for what it is, probably not as funny as the first one. That probably says an awful lot...
• I, Robot. 6/10. Once you come to grips with the idea that this isn't really an Asimov story at all, it's not bad. Definitely an action sci/fi movie, but it's a decent entry in that genre. The robots move well and the cars are cool, but the CG definitely detracts here. Very stilted, plain, and dead scenery. It's unfortunate that most of humanity is cooped up for the last half of the movie as the opening street sequences were much better then the later highway sequences. Some sequences are good though, for example the deconstruction robots demolishing the house. Some hints of philosophical dilemna here as well, for example in regard to Sonny's future.
• Walk the Line. 10/10. Great music, acting, good screen adaptation of John & June's lives. The era and setting is intriguing and their emotions real. Combine it with a great soundtrack and you've got an awesome movie.
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. 8/10. Pretty funny, crazily schizophrenic. Kilmer and Downey Jr make a great buddy team here. My favorite moment is probably the soft, minor scene of Kilmer (Gay Perry) pushing the head of the grieving Downey (Harry the Great?) away from his car so he can drive away. There are a lot of little quiet touches like that throughout the movie. The plot is only so-so, and I'm fairly sure there are a number of contradictions throughout, but they're easily overlooked here. They may even be technically ok, given that the narrator is explicitly noted on several occasions to be unreliable. Good stuff, not really made for TV.

2k8/6

• The Fantastic Four. 5/10. There's a couple actors here that you want to like, notably Michael Chikliss and the guy from Nip/Tuck, but there's just nothing much here to really get into.
• Seasons. 5/10. Short art/biking movie. Interesting, not super compelling. The music and scenery are the highlights, and the first half's soundtrack is particularly good. The scenery is also awesome, most notably in the rainy BC segments. In general, I just can't take any of these pro downhillers/cyclists very seriously (get a job! don't be so stoned all the time!) and not being able to decide if any given stunt was actually impressive. Sure, I couldn't do it, but the glut of these videos and snippets has so inured me to the action that I can't even evaluate what's hard and what's not. Half the time, trying to figure out how the camera work was done is more interesting than what they're actually showing.
• Red Planet. 6/10. Not a ton here on repeated and repeated and repeated rewatching, but it's fun and visually/aesthetically great.
• Freedomland. 8/10. Even rewatching the movie, the mother remains gripping and intensely unlikable. Samuel L Jackson is also good as he's torn between the sides, and Kent's mom is even more interesting as you pick up on more subtleties.
• Blades of Glory. 6/10. Obviously light fare, but not a ton to dislike here. You're either into it or you're not, and it's pretty damn funny if you are. My favorite part is probably the chase sequence once they get off the lake and are stumbling around on skates through the city and buildings...
• Dune. 6/10. SciFi channel version. Not bad, not completely compelling either. I like both versions, this one doesn't bother me simply for being different. Some of the military action is pretty hokey, but it's the SciFi Channel...
• Freedomland. 8/10. Another movie about racial tension, police/citizenry tension, and... crackheads. Samuel Jackson is great. The mom is also a great character---she's sympathetic almost, but so weak and twisted that you can't stand her. Visually the movie is appealing in a dark, bleak way. Some of its unbelievable, notably the lockdown of an entire housing division. But, the movie bristles with barely contained violence, hate, and frustration.

2k8/5

• 2001: A Space Odyssey. 8/10. Very mixed feelings on this. An utterly awesome, breathtaking movie. It's just so slow!
• The Good Shepherd. 8/10. Still an excellent movie. It's quiet, reserved, and the main character almost totally unreadable to the point of being arguably emotionally dead, but that's the point.
• Doom. 6/10. In a sure sign that I've been playing too much Warhammer, this movie doesn't bother me as much anymore. I think without the high expectations it's way better than it is otherwise. Sure, there's still not much here, but it seems like a decent cheap genre science fiction movie. The conflict between Sarge and Reaper is interesting, and all of the characters reasonable. Only real sore point that remains is that the 1st person sequence is too long and kind of boring. The naked dead chick is also kind of disturbing and unnecessary...
• Dark Blue. 8/10. More compelling than it seems like it should be. The plot is somewhat plain, but the film as a whole manages to come across intensely. Kurt Russell is solid as the lead corrupt cop, and Ving Rhames is good as always. The scene where Holland (Rhames) declares in church his intention to stay in Los Angeles is particularly well done and compelling. Other characters fit in nicely as well. Dialog is sometimes somewhat odd, but that's probably true in real life as well. Use of the King Riots as background definitely adds to the tension, and the symbolism in the various plot lines fits together nicely; they may seem fairly obvious upon further reflection, but never obtusely present. I also like how much of the backstory is never filled in and the movie just jumps into the middle of things, e.g. Beth & Bobby's affair. Camera use throughout is great, shoving in on faces at good times, and framing scenes slightly askew (as most of them should be seen). I also like the varying video quality used throughout, sometimes switching to almost home video type washout. Hand motion in some scenes also adds to the gritty, down to earth feel.
• Bob Roberts. 8/10. Pretty awesome, disturbing mockumentary of the American media and political process. Features a ton of recognizable actors in almost every role. I argue that it's fairly even handed as well. Right wingers obviously don't come off well, but there's no strong liberal character either. Bugs is a good nominee for that role, but I'm sure many will not sympathize with that---he seems very left wing, yet all of his allegations are apparently true...

2k8/4

• Sahara. 7/10. In the interest of fair reporting, I have never read a Dirk Pitt novel and had no idea this movie was based on a Clive Cussler novel. I'm tempted to ding it some points just for that, but I think the movie's actually a hoot. The cast is fun and likable, and even though a few central plot points don't make a ton of sense, it's a good ride. Notable also for the total lack of language, sex, or gory violence.
• An Unfinished Life. 6/10. A very friendly, well down movie, just kind of staid and predictable. The scenery and setting is all beautiful and the acting pretty solid; even Lopez isn't annoying, nor the kid. Redford and Freeman are of course likable in their gruff way, and even the secondary actors like the Sheriff are pretty good. Mitch's (Freeman's) subplot is also interesting & fairly novel. The only downside here is just that you know exactly what's going to happen for the whole movie from very early on. I'm also not totally sure why Lopez keeps getting cast as the abused girlfriend...
• Casino Royale. 2006 version. 7/10. The best James Bond movie I've seen in a long time. The action's fantastic, very fluid and smooth. I wasn't watching particularly closely at first, but the opening chase over the cranes suckered me in. However, there are some downsides. Even for a Bond movie, the plot is pretty thin. The villains are also very uninteresting, shallow, and not compelling in the least. But, Craig mostly saves it all and makes a fantastic young Bond, tough but vulnerable. The darker, more serious, and much less gadget-filled tone of the movie is also very welcome.

2k8/3

• Jersey Girl. 4/10. Boring, staid, predictable. There are only two noteworthy things in this movie: Jennifer Lopez dies unexpectedly early in the movie (I had no idea what the movie was going to be out); much of the movie centers around Sweeney Todd, which is really bizarre as it doesn't fit in much at all and I'm sure 80% of the audience had no idea what the play was about, even after the movie came out. Regardless, after Lopez dies it's just a long, drawn out, movie on rails with cliched emotional touchstones. All the people that made cameos in this should be ashamed...

2k8/2

• Lady in the Water. 6/10. I really want to like this movie. It seems very fanciful and is just so quirky. However, it mostly comes across simply as flat and pompous. Between the death of the movie critic, and M Night's outrageously arrogant self-casting as a visionary writer, it's really off putting. Combine that with a sequence of events and behaviors that do their best to dispel disbelief and things are not so good. It seems like this is just on the edge of being great, but I've been fooled before. Quote from Ariel that I agree with: "If Neil Gaiman had written this, it would have been awesome."
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. 5/10. The story here actually isn't so bad, and there are some interesting points, it's just done so terribly. Everything was done on soundstages, and the blue screening shows through painfully; every set is very stagnant & dead. Clone troopers also move kind of funny in the background sometimes, which makes sense as they're all computer generated. The ships and such are cool, but dead like the sets. A few more script edits, some better acting, and this would be cool, but it's painful to watch as it is.
• Maid in Manhattan. 5/10. For the most part, I just don't get this movie. Even ignoring the chick flick aspect, isn't it offensive to everybody, including women? All I get out of it is that it's ok to steal from rich people, and the best way for a young woman to get ahead is to meet a rich, powerful man? You can stand up to him, but ultimately that's your fastest road to progress. Isn't anybody else bothered by that???
• Mr & Mrs Smith. 6/10. Ariel swears this is hilarious, but admits that may be because it happened to be on Albanian TV whenever he was stoned. I don't quite get it, though I dig the funky music. At times it is almost clever, but then devolves into being a star vehicle with a lot of double entendres...
• Terminator 3. 8/10. Great addition to the series; continues to be my favorite. The plot is good, characters all cool, and the action solid. Gotta love the opening chase sequence---cop cars, ambulances, fire trucks, construction cranes, awesome. It also manages to have a serious story without taking itself too serious, thanks to just enough humor. Producers, directors, actors, etc involved in run of the mill action movies should all take a good look at the Terminator series and figure out what makes it work so well.
• Muppet Treasure Island. 8/10. Awesome adaptation of the story. The opening island and Cabin Fever sequences are classic musical set-pieces. It's interesting looking at the backgrounds; there's something a bit off about them that I never noticed when I was younger. Too static perhaps. Doesn't really detract from the movie, and I wonder what their budget was, but it is noticeable. Tim Curry does a great job here, and almost all the Muppet characters perform fantastic roles.

2k8/1

• Secret Window. 6/10. Seemed like a decent movie, but Depp as the oddball is somewhat overplayed at this point.
• Futurama: Bender's Big Score. 4/10. This was so bad and so disappointing, I couldn't even bear to watch it. The Everybody Loves Hypnotoad extra was much better, which is troubling given that it essentially consists of 22 minutes of the same short animation loop... Even the Math in Futurama clip was appallingly dismal.
• The Punisher. 6/10. Good movie for what it is. Maybe slightly better when they don't delete a whole slew of scenes!!!
• Hunt for Red October. 8/10. I had no idea until reading the Wikipedia article that critics originally panned this movie, with the notable exception of Ebert. Fools!
• Star Wars: Clone Wars, Vol I. 7/10. The second volume is stronger, but some of the action sequences in this volume remain among the best in the Star Wars saga.

2k7/12

• Nashville. 9/10. Now, I'll admit, at first I thought this was another dumbass artsy Ariel movie. But by the end I was sold. You just need to accept that nothing really happens and that certainly nothing whatsoever at all gets resolved. You also just need to accept that they basically wrote the movie by just hiring a bunch of people they know, asking them about their life, and throwing them in front of the camera. That may be some of the genius of it. A lot of the music, even not necessary that clearly intended to be bad, is pretty terrible. But some of it's really good. And once you watch through it once and think about it, there is a very subtle set of plotlines that is actually pretty engrossing. The actors also do a great job, just again in a very very subtle, human, and realistic way.
• T2. 7/10. For an almost pure action movie, it's pretty thought out. You'll note that most thing have well thought out lead-ins/cues, and there's plausible explanations for most all of it (with the notable exception of how the T1000 gets through the non-organic materials barriers of the time machine...). The kid's a little annoying at first, like most kids, and especially punk rebellious ones from the early '90s, but gets better as things go on. The Special Edition DVD has a pretty cool text commentary track which describes a lot of movie making details. Some of it's really interesting, for example the lighting differences and substanially different rigs required for filming on east/west roads versus north/south (due to the different relative locations of the sun), and a lengthy discussion on filming video monitors. The Special Edition also has a lot of worthwhile segments cut from the theatrical and TV versions, for example Dyson actively helping to smash the lab, a quick explanation of how Eddie determines which Sarah is a T1000 impersonation near the end (the T1000 glitches at the feet, which was not originally shown, along with several glitches cut from the original version), and more interaction in general with background characters.
• Platoon. 8/10. One of those cases where it's almost definitely a good movie, but you (or I) don't particularly feel like watching it, in part because what was shocking when it was new isn't so much anymore. The main character is mostly just a camera for what's around him, but the sergeants are taut & interesting to watch, and ultimately what makes this movie.
• Wargames. 7/10. This has aged both obviously and acceptably. It's ridiculous, but not so painful to watch as you might think. Watching the old equipment is pretty cool. It's also difficult to tell how silly some of it actually is. For example, random civilians in the war room is a stretch, but how much of one? Lucking into a breakpoint for a major computer site with a stupid simple hack is also not out of the question, so who knows, the movie may not be so far fetched in all respects as it might seem. Beyond that though, you have to love the graphics and the iconic "Shall we play a game?"
• Lost in Translation. 8/10. Good music and lighting throughout, and a nice, just barely complicated but meaningful story with likable characters.
• Chronicles of Riddick. 5/10. With the caveat that I haven't seen Pitch Black, of which Chronicles is a sequel, I am disappointed to say that this movie is not super compelling. I'm all about Vin Diesel and love that he's into sci-fi, but it would be nice to do something more with it. Most of the things here are pretty standard fare for the genre. Even with a little more style it would do better, but everything's just kind of flat and dated looking. The Necros in particular look like they fell out of an '80s movie. So, I hope that he keeps pushing his planned follow-ons, but encourage him to pick up a new director, artists, etc.
• Underworld: Evolution. 7/10. Very stylish, good job on the effects and the sound, but not spectacular. Should be a light movie, but you have to pay attention in order to keep track of what's going on. The movie is also extremely dark lighting-wise, which complicates things. Worse though, you just don't care much for anyone here. Very very graphic violence and surprisingly explicit sex, although one scene in particular is well done and an odd balance of being very revealing yet somewhat tender and tasteful... in a vampire and werewolves movie no less.
• Cast Away. 8/10. I'm not sure how many times I could watch this, but it's pretty good. Difficult to pseudo-watch while doing other things as that usually means listening to dialog, but here there isn't any... Major credits go to the movie for not having a typical happy ending where Chuck and Kelly get back together again. Not sure how I feel about the ridiculous levels of product placement here though...

2k7/11

• Goodfellas. 7/10. Not totally sure I see the huge draw, though it's a good movie. Most likely it was a good deal more novel when it first came out. Good set of actors, good pacing advancing to mania at the end. That end, however, is a definite letdown.
• Mission Impossible. 5/10. Pretty boring. Not much compelling action, intrigue, etc.
• Blown Away. 6/10. Not terrible, not great. Interesting to watch, but doesn't appear to have a ton of deeper content. Tommy Lee Jones is entertainingly crazy though.
• Devil's Advocate. 8/10. Haven't seen the start, but this is clearly a good movie. Pacino is very fitting for the role, and Keanu does just fine.
• Fever Pitch. 7/10. Harmless romantic comedy, but better than I expected, especially if you have even a small soft spot for baseball. There's a couple brilliant scenes in here as well, in particular the dancing for tickets sketch.
• Apollo 13. 10/10. This movie is near perfect. It's hard not to come out of this without a great appreciation for the huge scope, risk, and drama of the Apollo program.
• Hunt for Red October. 8/10. Great, iconic movie. Jonesy the sonar tech remains my favorite.
• The 6th Day. 6/10. Ok Schwarzenegger flick about the horrors of human cloning. Kind of neat little ships, and Arnie & his friends/family are likable enough, so it's a reasonable movie but by no means stellar.
• Air Force One. 6/10. Harrison Ford vehicle. Pretty outlandish, but if you accept the basic premise of the president being able to kick serious ass then I suppose it's not so bad. It's also entertaining watching the very obvious computer graphics when Air Force One finally crashes.
• Cool Hand Luke. 8/10. What we have here is a failure to communicate. This movie's almost laughably post-WW2: All the prisoners are likable, all the jailors not. There are no women, other than Luke's mom, and an almost total lack of sexuality other than tons of homoerotic '50s/'60s style horsing around. Ditto minorities, except for some sightings in passing while on the run. A lot of it's also just kooky and I'm not sure what to make of it, for example the egg competition. In general though, a worthwhile movie. I'm just not sure what the general lesson is to take from it.
• The Adventures of Pluto Nash. 6/10. Good humored, light science fiction. Some teeth grinding moments, for example the blatant disregard for the properties of sound waves in a vacuum... Interesting to note my acceptance of lasers, engines, and huge collisions in space, but not grunting and small noises. Three things of note in the movie: It actually has a ton of well known and recognizable actors; it's one of a relatively small set of science fiction movies with black actors in primary roles; Pluto uses a Kinesis keyboard, just like me. Entertaining & very kid-friendly.
• The Last Castle. 7/10. Interesting movie. Gandolfini & Redford both do a good job. The main problem here is that it rapidly unravels from a serious, engaging psychological drama to a hokey action movie. I mean seriously, snagging a helicopter with a grappling hook shot out of a water cannon? And how the hell did they build a huge trebuchet without anyone noticing? It's almost as if all the writers were fired halfway through. Still interesting though, just not earth shattering.
• Payback. 7/10. Lightweight, entertaining organized crime/heist/vengeance movie. Lot of good actors, and it unfolds well.

2k7/10

• Music and Lyrics. 8/10. Actually really funny, though you probably need to have a thing for 80s music & a good bit of background knowledge to catch a lot of it. Hugh Grant's character is very witty & clever.

2k7/9

• The Thomas Crown Affair. 8/10. 1999 edition. Pretty solid, entertaining. Characters are good, story ok, great music, couple really cool scenes such as the final "theft." I would put this above most of the "heist movie" crowd.
• Se7en. 7/10. Interesting, macabre. Not sure how much replayability there is. Somerset is a great detective character. Mills' character seems a little thin. I think the crimes aren't as obvious or "clever" in the edited-for-TV variety...
• Species. 4/10. This seems to lose a lot when edited to be PG safe... Pretty tame sci-fi movie. Not much unexpected here. Some really weird dialog pacing at times, though people are kind of weird so maybe it's intentional.
• Head Over Heels. 5/10. Pretty awesome if you're a 14 year old girl! Don't ask why I was watching this... It's Caitlin's fault...

2k7/8

• Snatch. 7/10. Pretty clear why there was a rash of these types of movies---black comedy, cuss-filled, English heist films---a while back. They're fun, entertaining, and the extravagant characterizations are a riot. But, at the end of the day, there's not a lot to take away here. Most disappointingly, Brad Pitt's role really isn't much of a character. A few spots that basically amount to cameos for all they're worth, and that's about it. Everyone is generally pretty good though and the editing/touches solid.
• Mean Girls. 8/10. Definitely still very watchable the second time around.
• We Were Soldiers. 4/10. Some catching combat sequences, but not subtle at all and very heavy on the cliched, Christian dogma and drama.
• The Art of War. 5/10. Predictable, boring, hokey action. Snipes never manages to convey here that he's not acting in a movie.
• Batman Begins. 8/10. Excellent comic book movie. Dark and moody, great settings and action sequences, just enough thought to make it watchable again. Bale makes a great Batman. Some of the effects are pretty good, possible because a lot of it is live action (e.g. they built a bunch of Tumblers & used them for the various chase and jump scenes).
• Soulsville USA. 8/10. Non-fiction. Documentary on Stax Records, which pretty much lead funk/soul music out of Memphis and then imploded. Interesting stuff, and some really good clips, especially of Otis Redding and Sam & Dave.

2k7/7

• Unbreakable. 9/10. Unbelievable. Comic books, Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson, M. Night Shamalayan, wow. This could be the best comic hero movie ever made. Understated and real with *just* enough action. Interesting characters and good settings and costumes, especially surrounding Elijah. Bonus points for all the Philadelphia coverage.
• Shanghai Knights.' 7/10. Somehow, Jackie Chan and Owen * manage to be more entertaining than they deserve to be in this one. There's just enough little jokes and references, i.e. Artie'' (Arthur Conan Doyle), to keep it interesting. The twist of Wang's sister falling for O'Bannon is also fairly entertaining, what with all of Wang's rolled eyeballs and such.
• Man on Fire. 2004 version. 9/10. Remains a solid, edgy movie. Great visual and sound work.
• Reign of Fire. 6/10. Upgrading this to an ok-channel flicker/work movie.
• The Fifth Element. 9/10. Hells yeah. Got to love the technology, from the Mandoshewans to the ships, and everything in between. Tons of fantastic touches here, like noting that Leeloo "Sounds like a freak of nature to me." as they stand in the UV light. The music throughout is just fantastic, and well keyed to what's going on. The diva scene is obviously the centerpiece of the movie in many respects, and an extremely well done choreography of fighing and music. All of the characters are fun and do a good job. This remains one of my very favorite movies.
• Changing Lanes. 6/10. Some uncomfortable moments, lots of people running around being crappy to each other, not terrible but not super compelling.
• Under Siege. 6/10. This gets points just for having a ridiculous amount of people in it that I recognized. And really, how can you go wrong with Steven Seagal up against Tommy Lee Jones? Solid channel flicker (you won't miss much if you don't come back in time), but not a lot going on. One or two good fights (knife fight with Tommy Lee Jones is kind of cool). Miss July 89 is pretty awesome as well, and manages not to be too bothersome in an extremely ridiculous role.
• The Italian Job. 6/10. Fun and a good heist movie, but there's not much too it.
• Last Samurai. 7/10. Better than I expected. Definite Cruise vehicle and very predictable, but a modestly pleasant surprise. Hard not to be drawn to the samurai.
• Transformers. 7/10. Pretty much everything you could ask of a movie based on a line of (awesome!) kids' toys from the '80s. Notably more internally consistent than most similar movies, though with a few glitches. Most of the characters are ok, though most are pretty much wasted---they don't contribute anything, even less than usual action movie characters, and seem to there simply to appeal to girls, minorities, etc. Why Megatron took the form of some generic air/space-plane is also up for debate. Still, solid movie for what it is. The action's pretty impressive, a really good blend of CG and live footage. Watching the robots move and transform makes it worth a matinee ticket.
• Animatrix. 8/10. Could be better, but it's pretty solid. Definite has a few weak segments, most notably the closing vignette Matriculated. Despite the hype, Final Flight of the Osiris is somewhat bland in both story and animation, and not the strong suit. Several are quite excellent however, including the track episode, which is probably my favorite. World Record, Program, and the two Second Renaissance parts. The others are solid, but don't have the same staying power as those, each of which features interesting art---as much in the dynamics and symbols (e.g. the robotic horse in SRp2) as anything else---and stories.
• Sideways. 7/10. Pretty solid. Not totally compelling, but definitely a good movie. I'm not totally sure what to take from it, but that's ok, there might be something there.
• Ghost in the Shell. 10/10. The movie's perhaps kind of confusing the first time through as you try to figure everything out, but there is an internal logic. Excellent somewhat low-key music score and interludes. My favorite part is probably the interlude with the major and Batou following the stolen Puppet Master. Good action, good dialog, good characters. I've no joke watched this five times this week in the background while working. Seems like there's a good bit of texture to keep it interesting. Artwork is also pretty solid, especially the city background.

2k7/5

• X-Men. 6/10. Starts off promising, kind of empty in the big battle scene, but fairly good for what it is. Gotta love Xavier, while Magneto, Wolverine, and Rogue are good as well. Typical comic book stuff---the promise and the mythos is there, but it doesn't quite pull it off as awesomely as it could. More backstory and details are in order.
• Spiderman 2. 7/10. Not as tight and slightly less fun than the first one, though Doc Oc is pretty good, and there are some real funny bits like the pizza sequence and theatre usher. If it was edited down more it'd probably be just a bit better. Still good stuff though. Does Spiderman need to reveal his identity to reach his full power (i.e. when his mask is lost saving the el train)? Does he need the love of the people and/or MJ to keep him going?
• Fugitive, The. 8/10. Great characters, good acting, etc. Pretty good action sequences here and there as well, most notably the dam/tunnels segment.
• Peacemakers, The. 6/10. Predictable movie. Somewhat unsettling though: Flipping channels between CSPAN announcing recent survey of infantrymen indicating 60% find torture acceptable, and Clooney beating the crap out of alleged bad guys.
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The. 4/10. Takes what should be a completely amazing movie and renders it completely dead. The effects are all boring, whether they be real or CG; the sets are lifeless though they should be filled with people; and the actors largely not compelling. I actually fell asleep before the end, which is very hard for me to do.
• My Fellow Americans. 7/10. Entertaining, goofy, politics themed movie. Just puff, but entertaining and fairly reasonable as that.

2k7/4

• American History X. 7/10. Pretty intense, and I watched a cut for TV version. It's fairly predictable, which is the only real problem with the movie other than making me feel generally uncomfortable for the rest of the night (the one murder is pretty awful).
• Men of Honor. 7/10. Cuba Gooding Jr and Robert Deniro both do a pretty good job at this movie. Definitely sweeps a lot of things under the carpet and can be a bit over the top at times with the righteousness, but it is an interesting and very watchable movie. Almost every character is fairly interesting as well, with Sunday's (Deniro's) wife and Brashear's (Gooding's) father having small but standout roles.
• Reign of Fire. 4/10. It has dragons, it's sort of sci-fi, it's pretty crappy. I was doing work while watching this and got a lot done, which is never a good sign. There's no real pull here, no content. The scenery's grimy and uninteresting, the people predictable, and many story elements silly.

2k7/3

• Man on Fire. 2004 version. 8/10. Stands out in my mind for the video editing, music, and especially the text and other graphic highlights. The play with subtitles is interesting, and the colors and shifts add a lot to the movie. Also interesting for Denzel playing a pretty tough character, much more violent than other roles of his I can think of. Ambiguous morality is a key part throughout the movie, what with Creasy torturing everyone, the reporter sleeping with the cop, etc. Interesting stuff.

2k7/2

• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. 7/10, mostly for being Star Trek. Of course, this is the one everyone loves, and it's ok. But, really, it makes very little sense. The use & abuse of time travel here is ridiculous. Would no one chance upon a huge spaceship parked in the middle of Golden Gate park? An apparent Russian found in the middle of a nuclear aircraft carrier in the mid-80s would not be surrounded by maximum security at all times? They prefer to beam in all the time, rather than use a simple gangplank? This is a cute friendly, good-times Star Trek movie, but it's become somewhat difficult to watch.

2k7/1

• Secret of Nimh, The. 8/10. A children's story of ultra-smart rats and their work to develop a new society and save some field mice along the way.
• Good Shepherd, The. 8/10. Pretty good, fictional but with many real elements, story of the CIA's early years. Matt Damon is really good at basically exactly what you'd expect of a superb spymaster---an extremely quiet, close guarded guy who manages to be interesting despite and perhaps because of almost never saying anything. It's pretty interesting to watch this and then go read about James Jesus Angleton, early CIA officer whom it's largely based on. The movie's slightly long, but I was interested the whole way through. The only real concern is that of many spy movies---everything's very coded & explanations are not necessarily given, so it's somewhat unclear from a moviewatcher's perspective what exactly happened and why. There seem to be a number of valid interpretations of several of the notable events in the movie...

2k6/12

• Red Planet. 9/10. It has spaceships, robots, funky music, Mars, what's-her-name, and Val Kilmer. What more could you want?!?! Probably not the most clever movie ever, but pretty decent and has tons of good sci-fi and decent actors. Solid geek humor too---the chief mechanic is a former NASCAR mechanical hotshot, poor little Mars Pathfinder makes an appearance, and their (ancient) escape craft's display has a wiggling cartoon cosmonaut bear. But, most of all this is a great movie because it reminds me why I came to school.
• Mean Girls. 7/10. I wasn't expecting much out of this, but it's pretty clever. I wasn't really watching and then the "waterhole" sequence in the mall happened and then I thought maybe I should click in a little bit. Damian's my favorite character. "Janus, remember, I can't stop the car, there's a curfew!" Kenny G's good too and the teachers. It has a stylism that's pretty cool, e.g. when the math teacher announces her punishment and in the next frame Kenny G is somehow already, instantaneously, standing there.
• Pirates of the Carribean. 7/10. Pretty funny, although that's probably obvious given its popularity. The way Jack moves about is fascinating and the whole movie's cleverly put together, e.g. the ridiculous action-packed, perfectly choreographed rescue at the end. The little touches are good as well---"Well clearly you've never been to Singapore."

2k6/11

• Negotiator, The. 7/10. Fairly solid cop/mystery movie. Spacey and what's his name, Samuel L Jackson, as usual act out fairly engrossing characters. Most of the actors are actually pretty good, and it has a good amount of tautness to it.
• Be Cool. 7/10. Pretty entertaining. Hadn't really heard of it, was moderately surprised when I picked it off my "Highly Questionable" stack. Could do with the music segments being shortened up a great deal, but it is pretty funny in places. Although I can't really support the WMDs for murdering anyone, even if they are scum, they are pretty damn funny. "Daboo---tea?! Tea?!? That's not gangster!"
• Planet of the Apes. 5/10. New version. Interesting, good costumes, but I don't particularly feel a burning need to watch it again. The very ending bit was sort of hokey as well.
• The Punisher. 6/10. Could be way better, for example if it had more about the neighbors. And what the hell is up with building that great car, and having it destroyed in a weakass chase ten minutes later? And why was the guitar playing guy only in it for a couple minutes? That song was easily on of the best parts! Lots of great cheesy lines in this though, like "God's gonna sit this one out."
• Hellboy. 6/10. Fun. Characters somewhat underdeveloped, but it's hard not to like Hellboy (Ron Perlman), and anything with a wise-ass, giant red hero who specializes in clobbering Nazis and Cthulhu-esque monsters has to be good.