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Rated: R
Cast: Shannon Elizabeth, Matthew Lillard, F. Murray Abraham, Tony Shalhoub, Embeth Davidtz, Rah Digga
13 Ghosts decided to stick to keep a low-key promotion until the week before its release when they released the final television trailer. In the trailer, you find out that the movie is rated R for horror. This I laughed at for a long time. Of course it was also because of language, nudity, and some language, but from the proclamation of R for horror I knew that something was wrong with the people in charge of this movie.
Arthur(Tony Shalhoub), his daughter Kathy(Shannon Elizabeth), and his son live in a small apartment and hate the poor life. This soon changes as a man knocks on the door. It is a representative of Cyrus, one of Arthur’s relatives who had recently passed away. He tells them that Cyrus left his house and money to them in an attempt to make amends for never being around them. They immediately go out to the house and find an electrician inspecting the exterior. He is troubled because the house had caused a surge that cut off the power for the rest of the neighborhood. Everyone enters the house, which is almost all glass that is covered in a strange alphabet. Quickly, they find out that the electrician, Rafkin(Matthew Lillard), was really a colleague of Cyrus. He tells them of the ghosts that are trapped in the basement. Then, when the representative attempts to take off with a huge bag of money, the house begins to change. It starts to move around and let out the different ghosts. Now the family must attempt to survive the ghost attack and somehow get out of the house.
The set design, ghosts, and ideas in the movie were really good. The ghosts were really cool looking. The writing on the walls and the movement of the house was really cool too. However, the characters in the movie were really bad. They made no since and sometimes it took way to long to find out the simplest thing about them. The only thing worse than the characters, though, was the dialogue. It was terrible. Sometimes, I had no idea what they were talking about, and when I did I often wished that I did not. The movie had a lot of potential, but really did not come through in the end. Surprisingly Matthew Lillard was one of the sole high points as I enjoyed his whinny portrayal of his character, again one of the few good ones in the movie. I give 13 Ghosts a 6.
28 Days Later
This film was one of the most intriguing films of this half done year. The
preview only showed a man awaking from sleep in a hospital only to find the
building and the streets beyond empty. It ended with flashes and screams. So,
what is it, what it going on. That’s what I went to find out.
28 Days Later is the story of how a virus broke out and killed nearly everyone
in at least England. It started as something they called rage in a primate
experimentation facility where they were given drugs and forces to watch extreme
scenes of violence. When a bunch of hippies break in to let the animals free,
they are passed on the virus from them and immediately begin to spread it. After
28 Days from the beginning of the infection, a man wakes from a comma he was in
to an empty hospital. He walks the streets in an attempt to find someone. He is
spotted by some of the infected and takes off running. Luckily some normal
humans saw him as well and set up an explosion to give them some time.
After hiding in an abandoned shop they eventually decide to go to the man’s
house so that he can see if any of his family survived. On another trip they
find the lights on in an apartment building. When they go for it, they are again
attacked. However, the people in the apartment help them to get rid of the
attackers. They all decide to make a run for it the next day to a British
blockade where they have been told to go by a recording on the radio.
Along the way they stop at a supermarket and load up on food then continue to
the blockade. After loosing one of their number there, they are taken in by the
British soldiers. They go back to their home base and get the new people settled
in. However, they soon reveal their motives. They want the two girls for sex and
when the man will not allow it, he is brought out to be shot. He escapes and
then unleashes hell upon the base.
This was a very interesting low budget film. Although some shots were big and I
don’t know how they could get them with a low budget. There were a few things
that didn’t seem to mesh in the film, but all together it was an interesting end
of the world tale. I give 28 Days Later a 7.
Romantic Comedy has Amnesia
40 Days and 40 Nights is the latest film with Josh Hartnett, an actor who really earned my respect in “O”. But can he pull off comedy as well as drama?
Matt Sullivan(Hartnett) is a young man up and coming in the design field. He gets all of the girls all of the time. However, after one of his old girlfriends gets engaged, he decides that he needs a major change in his life. When confessing to his not quite priest brother, he decides to do something special for Lent. He knows that it should be the hardest thing for him to do, so he takes a vow of celibacy for 40 days and 40 nights. His friends are not with him in this endeavor and decide to set up an intricate betting scheme around his oath. This makes his quest known to everyone around town, including his new friend, Erica(Shannyn Sossoman) who has to find out about it on the Internet. After a couple of weeks, the women on the outskirts of his life take note to what he is doing and group up in an attempt to take the power back from him. This power, they say is what women have by holding the decision over who has sex. By taking his oath, he has upset this balance. So, extremely hot women pass him on the street or in the office and make strong passes at him. However, he will not be swayed in his journey and when Erica forces him to wait for her as well, he knows that he cannot give in.
40 Days and 40 Nights had a lot of potential, but the film missed its mark. It very easily could have gone down the path of the strait comedy about his mishaps. I believe this would have been the better film than adding the real strait love story with Erica. I guess it would have worked better, but I did not get the couple feeling from them and didn’t really like Shannyn Sossoman in the role at all. The supporting cast involving the bet were good as was his boss. However, one big anomaly was when he was raped by his ex-girlfriend and they completely skip over it. Not only was it rape, but it was also premeditated and done for money. This really dropped any sense of comedy in the movie for me and was a really bad situation to add to the movie. I give 40 Days and 40 Nights a 5.
400 Blows or Quatre cents coups, Les
European Cinema
400 Blows was directed by Francois Truffaut and was released in 1959. The film was Truffaut’s first feature attempt and was loosely based on his early years when he had difficulty staying out of trouble and finding something he was passionate about. “Francois Truffaut's ``The 400 Blows'' (1959) is one of the most intensely touching stories ever made about a young adolescent. Inspired by Truffaut's own early life, it shows a resourceful boy growing up in Paris and apparently dashing headlong into a life of crime” (Ebert). The film centers on a young boy, Antoine Doinel (played by Jean-Pierre Leaud), and his grade school shenanigans with best friend Rene, played by Patrick Auffray. They get into a lot of trouble which eventually leads to Antoine getting shipped off to a boarding school.
The story was a very good one, written as well as directed by Truffaut. It shows the life of a young boy who deals with many hardships at home and instead of facing them, chooses to run away on many occasions. In the film we are able to see two sides to the boy. One side is the mischievous troublemaker who steals, cheats, and lies. At other times we see the devoted friend, obedient son, and wishful poet who just wants to have a bit of fun. “Adults see him as a troublemaker. We are allowed to share some of his private moments, as when he lights a candle before a little shrine to Balzac in his bedroom” (Ebert). The story was one that was created in such a way that the characters are the soul of the film. Therefore the film, even when viewed today has much of the same impact that it would have in the 50’s and 60’s. “It is testament to the evocation of humanity that The 400 Blows does not appear dated today. It is from a more innocent age, but a film so completely about people as this remains timeless. If the plot dominated, it might not sit so well with modern audiences; what matters is Antoine Doinel and the people around him. They are as relevant today as they ever were” (Alkaliguru).
As director, Truffaut was able to put the words he wrote together with images to make a wonderful film “Truffaut himself, in his first feature, displays the directorial flair that would make him such an influential auteur. Take, for example, a remarkably revealing scene in which Antoine opens up to a psychologist: it's shot from her point of view, with Antoine confessing his feelings directly into the camera” (Korsner). . His famous conclusive shot as well as scenes such as when Antoine confesses to the camera what has made him what he is are great scenes put together by a man who would be quickly known by many as the master of modern French film. “If the New Wave marks the dividing point between classic and modern cinema (and many think it does), then Truffaut is likely the most beloved of modern directors--the one whose films resonated with the deepest, richest love of moviemaking” (Ebert).
Antoine, played by Leaud, always seems a bit static or hesitant as if he is constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. In his situation it could come from anywhere and it often does. Leaud’s performance helps to create the bleak portrayal of a character in an environment that isn’t as bleak as many others that have been shown on film, such as in The Bicycle Thief. “Antoine Doinel was played by Jean-Pierre Leaud, who has a kind of solemn detachment, as if his heart had suffered obscure wounds long before the film began” (Ebert).
However, I disagree from the common consensus that Antoine is a good kid that has merely run into some bad situations. Such suggestions as “His Luck is Not Good,” and belief that his paper on Balzac was an homage rather than plagiarism by Ebert and being called misunderstood by Acquarello are confusing to me. Even when given second chances and offers of money for good grades, he cheats and continues to skip school and steal. I do not disagree that Antoine is a product of his environment, but that he is a delinquent who would probably go on to do much worse than he already has due to the worse condition that he will be in after escaping from the school.
Antoine’s mother, Gilberte, was played by Claire Maurier. She was a strange character to grasp. However, these inconsistencies worked well for the ever moving film. At times she would be a loving, caring mother who tried to help Antoine and even barters with him for better grades. However, at other times she is the adulterous, hot tempered yet cold woman who would rather give up her child than bother to try to keep him in line. One thing that I have noticed about most of the films that we have watched is that there is one very beautiful woman in each. Maurier fits the bill in this one as a beauty who likes to show it off a bit. “The mother (Claire Maurier) is a blond who likes tight sweaters and is distracted by poverty, by her bothersome son, and by an affair with a man from work” (Ebert).
Antoine’s stepfather, Julien, is played by Albert Remy. He is a fun loving man who runs the auto club and would rather joke off his near poverty than to deal with it openly like his wife. It is only revealed about halfway through the film that Julien is not Antoine’s real father and due to his treatment of Antione it is easy to see why Antoine treats him as his father. However, for happiness, he is ready to give up his troublesome son, especially after Antoine steals a typewriter from his work. “The stepfather (Albert Remy) is a nice enough sort, easy-going, and treats the boy in a friendly fashion although he is not deeply attached to him” (Ebert).
One character and star who are missing in all of the critical analysis is Rene, played by Patrick Auffray. He is the best friend of Antoine who gets into many of the same situations as Antoine, but never seems to get in trouble. He has a much better life despite the similarities with the two characters. Afuffray does a good job of giving his character a bit of regality, showing his better social position, while at the same time blending in with the others of near poverty such as Antoine.
The film is storyline throughout. We see a few days in the life of Antoine, just enough to get a glimpse of his stimuli and the results of such on his personality before following him to the boarding school. As shown earlier in the film, Antoine is a free spirit and the ending is a bit obvious, however it is still affective. “Little is done in the film for pure effect. Everything adds to the impact of the final shot” (Ebert). His free spirit is undermined at the boarding school and this mixture of his past free life, his restrained current life, and the open possibilities of his uncertain future are all rolled up into the final scene. “In contrast, Antoine's flight from the reform school is slow and labored, reaching an uncertain conclusion. Ending with the infamous stop motion zoom of Antoine at the shoreline, he is at a proverbial crossroads: unable to keep running away, looking back at a familiar, hopeless fate” (Acquarello).
Resources
Roger Ebert – Chicago Sun-Times - http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1999/01/blows1022.html
Acquarello – Strictly Film School - http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/truffaut.html
Jason Korsner – BBCi - http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/02/28/400_blows_1959_review.shtml
Alkaliguru – iofilms - http://www.iofilm.co.uk/fm/0/400_blows_1959.shtml
A. I.: Artificial Intelligence
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards, Brendan Gleeson
A. I. was not publicized nearly as much as I thought that it would be. With four top-notch participants in Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg, Haley Joel Osment, and Jude Law I would have thought that there would have been a lot more advertising before it opened. As the release date loomed closer and closer I began to feel a stronger and stronger feeling about how good the film would be. One thing that scared me, though, was that some close to the film were planning on $200-250 million in the U. S. where I was expecting closer to $100-150 million. Also most saw the film as being targeted towards teens and a younger audience.
In the future, there has been a great flood and most costal areas are now completely underwater. Although this has slowed down a lot of things in the world, technology is not one of them. By the time you have revolutionized one field, you have the technology to do it again. Also, you must go through screenings and get permits to be able to have children due to the now reduced surface area of land. When these two problems come together, someone must find a way to consolidate the problems and find an answer. Finally one company does. It is a company that creates mecha’s or robots that have become extremely advanced to where they can now feel pain, and react to it. They decide that the next step should be to create a child who can actually have emotions. To create a robot that can love. When the company has finally designed a fully functional mecha-child, it decides that it needs a recipiant for their experiment. It is decided to screen the company members and to find out which ones are good candidates. It is soon found that an extremely loyal family, the Swintons, in the company has a son who is near death and in a deep coma waiting for a cure to his disease that may never be found. The family is given the mecha-child for a test run as a normal mecha and are told that if they decide to keep him, they can only go back by having him destroyed. Monica Swinton(Frances O’Connor) after original withdrawal from the mecha decides to keep him and make him fully functional, his name is David(Haley Joel Osment). Things go well between David and the Swinton’s until a cure is found for their real son. He recovers quickly and is soon at home where he becomes jealous of the new mecha and pulls cruel tricks on him. Eventually because of these it is decided that David can no longer live with the family. Monica is forced to bring him to be destroyed. She cannot do it, as she sees him as a normal little boy and instead leaves him with his robotic teddy bear in the woods and tells him to run. There he meets a lover robot named Gigolo Joe(Jude Law). With his help, he travels in an attempt to find the blue fairy that can change him into a real boy so that his “mommy” will truly love him.
A. I. was an extremely good movie that forces you to think and make decisions of your own throughout the picture. What if your mother was a robot, would you still love her? It was very thought provoking and left me battling over what I would do for the rest of the morning. Haley Joel Osment is in need of another Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the mecha-child David in this movie. He makes you believe that he could be a robot and also you can feel his emotions as they change throughout the movie. Jude Law has a nice small part in the film as Gigolo Joe the guide and friend of David who is running from the law. This was a very good movie visually as well. I loved how it was made a lot darker than many believed it would be, which meant that many of Kubrick’s ideas made the final cut. However, one of the only parts that stuck out as purely Spielberg is the ending, which I felt was how he really wanted to end Close Encounters of the Third Kind, not A. I. This was a very good movie though, I only wonder why it was released in June and not in the fall where smarter, darker, award winners are released. I hope that this movie is not forgotten by the Academy when its nominations are announced. I give this misplaced wonder a 9.
Adam’s Rib
This is one of what I found out today was nine films made with the real life
couple of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. This film was one of the stack of
movies that I am currently attempting to watch. They are all classics that I
have meant to see many times over the past few years, but for one reason or
another hadn’t made it around to yet. With the death of a beautiful/amazing
woman/actress I decided that there would be no better time to see Adam’s Rib
than the present.
Adam’s Rib is about two stories tied in together. At home they are a couple.
Very happy with their lives and very loving to each other. However, a strange
crime tears them apart. One is a prosecutor and the other a defense attorney.
This had never been a difficulty before, but this case would change all of that.
A woman believes that her husband is cheating on her and is very angered by it.
So, she goes out and buys a handgun. She then follows her husband to work and
then to lunch where he met a woman. She then follows him back to an apartment
where she barges in. After this, she notices that the two of them are close
together on the couch and starts shooting. It just so happens that all the harm
that is done is an injury to her husband and a broken lamp.
This crime is looked on very differently by the couple. The husband believes
that they should just lock her up and be done with it. However, the wife
believes that this is sexist and that had she been a man the charges would be
dropped and he would have been applauded for trying to keep his family together.
So, of all the cases in the world this case is the one on the husbands desk in
the morning. He wishes that he didn’t have to deal with it, but isn’t given a
choice. So, he interviews the husband and finds that he is a liar and wishes to
embellish on the truth.
Not too long later, the wife decides that since the murderess is going to get a
public defender and certainly go down quickly that she will take the case. This
disturbs her husband, but she does it anyway.
The wife goes on to turn the courtroom into a circus and eventually her
theatrics lead to a not guilty. This enrages her husband who has moved out of
their apartment. He states that they see things completely different and that
she has no respect for the law. However, when they are forced to meet to go over
their finances their love pulls them back together.
This was a good film that could have been great. The acting was top notch and
most of the story was good. However, there was a big disappointment. The story
tries to make out that two people, one of which has completely thrown love and
respect for her husband out of the window will win the day no matter what. This
is a charming notion, but sometimes it doesn’t need to be so. I think that a
better point to the story would be not to let ego and whims come in the way of
love. It was still a very good movie, though. I give Adam’s Rib an 8.
Rated: PG-13
Cast: David Spade, Brittany Daniel, Christopher Walken, Dennis Miller, Jamie Pressly, Kid Rock, Fred Ward
Joe Dirt is a man who was left at the Grand Canyon by his parents when he was nine. His life has been one long journey in search of his parents. At the present time, he lives in Hollywood and works as a janitor for a large radio station. When one of the people from the midday show sees him, he believes that he is the perfect thing for the host of the show. Over the next couple of days, Joe tells his story to an every growing audience. He originally started in numerous foster homes before landing in a Juvenile Home. He quickly decided that the life there was not for him, and soon there after, he ran away. He began living on anything that he could find. Along the way, his first friend was a meteor that fell out of the sky one night near his campsite. He decided to bring it in to be appraised and found out that it was actually airplane waste that had been dropped and frozen on the way down. He moved on and met actual people. On of these was Brandy. She was beautiful, fun, and really liked Joe. Eventually, Joe becomes restless and must again search for his family. He then comes across --- when he is a worker at a carnival. She is a beautiful girl who thinks that Joe is reckless and mysterious, and so they spend a day or so together before Joe again moves on. He meets a few other people along the way from his boss janitor who is actually in the witness protection program to a woman who he works for a an alligator farm to an Indian guide who he helps run a better fire cracker stand. He also tells the tragic story of the last time he went to see Brandy and his heartache that she did not want to see him. He did find out that his parents were dead, which he quickly learns is not the case. After he finally finds his parent, and finds out how obviously bad they are, he decides to end his life, one that has been spent trying to find them. Will Joe actually take the plunge, or will someone be able to talk him down?
I decided at the last second to see this film, which I thought would break my weeks of enjoyable movies. I saw the preview and thought that it would be horrible. When I watched it, however, I found that most of the bad parts were in the trailer and that the story was not as bad as it seemed. This movie was also a possible breakout movie for Brittany Daniel who plays Brandy in the movie. Kid Rock was funny as the big, bad redneck, and Christopher Walken was also good as Joe’s janitor boss. This movie follows with all of the other films I have seen this week, which are goofy, and meant to just sit back and enjoy with no thought necessary. This spring is giving such movies and leaving summer for action and finally fall for thought. This movie as I said was much better than I believed it would be and so, I give The Adventures of Joe Dirt a 7.
African Queen
In part two of my tribute to Katherine Hepburn I saw one of many critics upper
echelon of films of all time, African Queen. This is one of the few biggies that
I had yet to see in my movie watching history. The film stars Hepburn and
Humphrey Bogart, both in the twilight of their careers it seemed, but still on
top form as proven by Bogart’s only Oscar to date.
In African Queen, two people are living in Africa as missionaries in hopes of
helping the natives. However, when the Germans begin WWII they try to quickly
take over the old British Empire where the resistance is small, but the people
are vast. So, they come into the town and murder the male missionary. However,
the woman gets away and joins a steamboat captain on his way out. He has been
avoiding the soldiers for a while and readily accepts the passenger on board.
With plenty of supplies, he is contempt to wait out the war.
He tells his new passenger that the Nazis will not allow the British into where
they are because they have a large boat with many guns based in a major river
and they blow up anything coming near. She decides that they should make an
attempt to get rid of this boat.
So, they manage to get through tough rapids, steep drops, rain storms, swarms of
bugs, liquor, and a fort on the edge of river only to be faced with impenetrable
weeds. They get through after a downpour of rain so that they can get into the
lake. They stuff old oxygen tube full of explosives and prepare to ram the ship
in an attempt to blow it up when the rain strikes again, throwing them from the
boat and tipping it over as well. They are captured and nearly hanged by the
Nazi’s until the boat rams their overturned one and blows up.
This was a good film with a good plot, good characters, good acting, and good
dialogue. I am glad that I caught this film and finally added it to my list of
seen movies. It was a great film to discover and I only wonder what sort of
replay value it will have. I did really enjoy it this time. I give African Queen
an 8.
All About Eve
All About Eve is the story of a young woman who has complete adoration for her
favorite actress. She comes to every show and attentively watches over and over
again. One night after the show, one of the friends of the stage star sees the
young woman, Eve, hanging around outside. She takes pity on the poor woman and
invites her inside to see the star. She immediately hits it off with the entire
circle of friends and collaboraters and quickly make a spot for herself in the
star’s life. She becomes mother, sister, best friend, and personal assistant
rolled into one.
Soon, the starlet begins to realize that that Eve is taking over her life and
her friends and is becoming upset by it. Her maid and helper was the first to
clue her in, but she didn’t need much time before she ran with it. Nobody else
could see it until it was too late. So, Eve eventually tried out to be the
starlet’s understudy and got it. Then, when the starlet can’t make it to a
performance because she is stuck in a car somewhere, Eve goes on stage in her
place.
She gets rave reviews and after a bit of black mail and the like is quickly the
star. She wins a prestigious award, but the joy is fake as she gets a bit of her
own medicine when the critic that helped start her career blackmails her into
being with him. So, as the picture closes, Eve comes back to her room where a
young woman is waiting for her, and the cycle continues anew.
All About Eve was a pretty good film about trust, friendship, and betrayal. It
was a fun and interesting film dealing with the theater and the relationships
that happen around it. One of the little gems about this film was the quick
appearance of Marilyn Monroe as a hopeful young starlet who can’t stomach her
audition. I also rediscovered that Bette Davis scares the crap out of me. She is
again hideous in this film to me. I just got a shiver thinking about it. Anyway,
All About Eve is a fun little film full of backstabbing and blackmail and is a
good watch for any interested in the theater. I give All About Eve a 7.
Analysis of Almost Famous
American Cinema 1950-Present
In 2000, one movie set itself aside as one of the best movies of all time. It wasn’t the more technical Traffic or the epic Gladiator, but it was the rock drama Almost Famous.
The film is a semi-autobiographic tale by screenwriter/director Cameron Crowe about his young life traveling with bands and writing for Rolling Stone Magazine.
After successes with Say Anything and Jerry Maguire it was time for Crowe to tell his own story, the story that millions wished they could live. This is one of the things that drew me into the movie the most. We get to see the story through the eyes of William Miller(Patrick Fugit), a fifteen year old boy who has been accelerated through school to the point that he is set to graduate in a few weeks. “What thrums beneath "Almost Famous" is Cameron Crowe's gratitude. His William Miller is not an alienated bore, but a kid who had the good fortune to have a wonderful mother and great sister, to meet the right rock star in Russell (there would have been wrong ones), and to have the kind of love for Penny Lane that will arm him for the future and give him a deeper understanding of the mysteries of women. Looking at William--earnestly grasping his tape recorder, trying to get an interview, desperately going to Bangs for advice, terrified as Ben Fong-Torres rails about deadlines, crushed when it looks as if his story will be rejected--we know we're looking at a kid who has the right stuff and will go far. Someday he might even direct a movie like "Almost Famous” (Ebert).
However, an event years earlier set him on him on a path that takes him away from his accelerated schooling. When his sister Anita(Zooey Deschanel) leaves home to be a stewardess after turning eighteen, she secretly gives William her hidden record collection. He knows that his mother would flip if she saw the records, but is intrigued by the images on the albums by such bands as Led Zeppelin, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Who. This starts a fascination with rock that leads him to his current journey.
After meeting the unrelenting rock critic Lester Bangs(Philip Seymour Hoffman), he is given an assignment to write on the Black Sabbath concert. After arriving, he finds that he won’t be let inside and must wait with the Band Aides. These women are there for the music and have transcended past being mere groupies. He is immediately taken in by their leader Penny Lane(Kate Hudson). However, he is not allowed in with them and because of this meets his first big break, Stillwater.
Stillwater is an up-and-coming band led by singer Jeff Bebe(Jason Lee) who is the voice of the band on and off stage and is currently in a power struggle with lead guitarist Russell Hammond(Billy Crudup). Russell is the one person in the band that has the ability to be a truly great musician, but finds it hard to leave the success and camaraderie found in the band. The bassist and drummer tend to keep to themselves in the background while the other two take the spotlight.
After showing Stillwater that he is a fan foremost and a journalist second, the band takes him under their wing and allows them to enter with them. He is quickly looked at as the sixth member of the team which includes their manager. He leaves the concert a changed man and knows what he wants to do with his life.
While writing the article for Lester at Creem magazine, he receives a call from Ben Fong Torez at Rolling Stone who offers him one thousand dollars for a few thousand words on a band. He suggests Stillwater and they work out the extras such as expenses. He is quickly back on the tour after a ride by Penny Lane L.A. where he beings interviewing the band for the piece. Despite warnings by Lester Bangs and Rolling Stone, William is quickly captivated by the scene and becomes friends with the band and those around them.
He goes to the shows and witnesses Russell being electrocuted and a town or two later taking acid and shouting, “I am a Golden God,” while on a fans rooftop. He later succumbs to the nymphs who call themselves Band Aides and looses the little bit of his childhood that he had left to them. He also saves a life, admits his love, and overcomes all obstacles to complete his article on Stillwater.
This movie has the best credits to credits music of all time. Cameron Crowe is the master of using popular music in films to their greatest effect. In this film, you never hear the great songs, the ones known to everyone. You hear the lesser known songs. These are the songs that hold an album together and make it worth listening to in its entirety.
The best of these is Tiny Dancer by Elton John. This is the best placement of music in a film, at least in the ones that I have seen. As the band is going through its hardest times, everyone ready to give up and mad at the world, one thing is left, the music. In the words of lead singer Jeff Bebe, “One of these people is gonna save the world. And that means that rock 'n' roll can save the world... all of us together.” At this point you feel this way, as the piano starts up over the depressed feeling of the bus you can feel an electricity as if everyone just got a set of paddles to the heart and received a quick jump start. This is one of the most magical scenes that Crowe has ever created on film and for the brief moment it does appear that rock and roll can save the world. Anyone who has ever been down, depressed, lonely, sick, tired, or just a little bummed and put on their favorite album knows what I am talking about. The ability of someone who you’ve never met or even been in the same room with being able to affect you so deeply.
This film was made with much love and care by Crowe who based many of the characters and events on actual things that happened during his early years as a writer. “Lester Bangs was a real person, and so are Ben Fong-Torres and Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone, played by look-alike actors. The movie's sense of time and place is so acute it's possible to believe Stillwater was a real band” (Ebert). After traveling with and writing about Peter Frampton, he had him come back to return the favor in being Crowe’s music consultant on the film. Along with Crowe’s wife Nancy Wilson, once of the band Heart, they were able to create a convincing story of a band directly before they hit it big. The band and many of the stories are loosely based on Crowe’s adventures with the Allman Brothers Band.
This film was a career booster for nearly all involved. Kate Hudson prospered the most as her career blasted off quickly after the film hit and she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Frances McDormand also got a bit of a boost from the buzz surrounding her performance as Williams’s mother. The Film was also a huge break for Jason Lee. Lee has stared in a few of Kevin Smith’s movies but had yet to really catch the public eye. After this he went on to numerous wide release films such as Heartbreakers, Big Trouble, Vanilla Sky, A Guy Thing, and Stealing Harvard. The star of the movie, Patrick Fugit went on a bit more leisurely pace, with roles in White Oleander and Spun.
Although I cannot think of one poor performance or even mediocre one in the film, the one that stood out above the rest a bit was that of Penny Lane. She did seem to have a bit juicier of a role then most, and did amazing things with it. “The Penny Lane character is written with particular delicacy, as she tries to justify her existence and explain her values (in a milieu that seems to have none). It breaks William's heart to see how the married Russell mistreats her. But Penny denies being hurt. Kate Hudson has one scene so well-acted; it takes her character to another level. William tells her, "He sold you to Humble Pie for 50 bucks and a case of beer." Watch the silence, the brave smile, the tear and the precise spin she puts on the words, "What kind of beer?" It's not an easy laugh. It's a whole world of insight” (Ebert).
Almost Famous is a great film that deserves to be noticed as one of the best films of all time. It eventually comes down to one key aspect that anyone involved with the music industry knows quite well, hope. “Almost Famous" is about the world of rock, but it's not a rock film, it's a coming-of-age film, about an idealistic kid who sees the real world, witnesses its cruelties and heartbreaks, and yet finds much room for hope” (Ebert).
References
Roger Ebert – Chicago Sun-Times - http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/2000/09/091501.html
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, Michael Wincott
When I heard that there was going to be a prequel to Kiss the Girls I decided that I would rent the original so that I would know what to expect. I also did not want to miss anything from the original that might have a reference in the new one. So I watched Kiss the Girls, which I found had Ashley Judd, and wished that I had caught it when it was in theaters. I enjoyed it and began waiting for the prequel.
Along Came a Spider follows Detective Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) who is contacted by a kidnapper after he has kidnapped a Senator’s daughter. Alex Cross was known for his books on profiling, his police prowess, and his recent loss of a partner. He is still trying to cope with this loss, when he is contacted by a kidnapper and is forced back into the game. He immediately begins working on the case, and quickly takes charge. He befriends Special Agent Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter) who worked as head of security where the girl was kidnapped. She travels around with Dr. Cross as he tries to ascertain the identity of the kidnapper thought extreme clue and games. After a couple of mishaps with the kidnapped girl, the kidnapper demands a ransom. After some Mel Gibson style run around to loose the rest of your people tricks they are no closer to an answer than they were at the beginning. Will the kidnapper ever be found? Does he want to be?
Along Came a Spider was a good movie that holds your attention throughout because you never know what is going to happen next. Morgan Freeman lets everyone know that he can still hold a movie as good as ever. Monica Potter also shows more as an actress that she did in her most recent other role in Head Over Heels. With a strong opening, good middle and great ending, I found Along Came a Spider to be a most enjoyable couple of hours. If this movie is any indication of things to come this summer, it looks like film lovers like me are in luck.
Cast: Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, Ali Larter, Timothy Dalton, Gabriel Macht, Kathy Bates
You have to love a movie about thieves that everyone loves. This is the first movie that I will see will Colin Farrrell in the cast, but after the great reviews that he has received, I am anxious to see what I have missed. Also any movie with the beautiful and talented Ali Larter cannot be that bad.
American Outlaws is the story of the James family and the Younger family. Young men from each house showed up to fight the Civil War for the South, and after its conclusion they were more than happy to go back home and harvest from their land. However, this was not to be as no sooner than they had arrived, they found out that the railroad was passing through town trying to bully these people out of their homes so that the railroad would have more room to work. Jesse James(Colin Farrell), immediately set out to make sure that they could keep their land. His brother Frank(Gabriel Macht) looked into the matter and found out that they were well within their rights to keep their land. At this, the railroad decided to go around the law and secretly burned down the Younger and James houses thusly killing Ma James(Kathy Bates). At this point, they had had enough of the railroad’s bullying tactics and joined up as the James-Younger gang. Their plan was to rob the banks in which the railroad had money. They would keep some for themselves, but also give a lot to the people of the land that had lost a lot due to the railroad. This would allow them free passage, food, and rest without worrying about being backstabbed. From the beginning, though, Cole Younger(Scott Caan) did not like the arrangement of the gang and felt they treated him inferior to Jesse. Eventually they began to cripple the railroad, then tragedy struck and their youngest member was shot down after a botched robbery and Jesse could no longer fight with the gang and along with his brother left. The Younger gang continued on, but had a hard time of it without Jesse. Jesse, moved to Florida with Zee Mimms(Ali Larter) his girlfriend and got married, but was soon captured by the railroad and authorities. There were even rumors that Cole had turned on Jesse and helped with his capture. Could the infamous Jesse James really be tried and hanged?
American Outlaws, although it goes completely away from the truth is a very entertaining movie where there is no bad guy, just a meaner one. Colin Farrell appears to be a very charismatic action ready young actor who could be the next Tom Cruise or Hugh Jackman given the right script. He really brings the movie to life and makes it what it is which is a nice clean action western. I would advise anyone looking for some good clean fun to check this one out. I give American Outlaws a 7.
Cast: Jason Biggs, Jennifer Coolidge, Shannon Elizabeth, Chris Klein, Alyson Hannigan, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eugene Levy, Natasha Lyonne, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas
American Pie was one of my favorite movies of 1999. It had a good story, lots of great characters, and a good soundtrack. The reason I believe that it worked so well was because it made you like some character, associate with some, and hate others. So when things happened to them you cared and your emotions were stronger. With the entire cast coming back, American Pie 2 was pretty much a sure thing.
After a full year at their respective collages, the guy get back together in their home town for summer vacation. Jim(Jason Biggs) soon discovers that Nadia(Shannon Elizabeth) will be coming back into town at the end of summer vacation and is looking forward to seeing him. Kevin(Thomas Ian Nicholas) is looking forward to the summer, but when it begins to get boring after Stifler’s(Sean William Scott) house parties are busted by the police, he decides to call his brother for advice on the matter. He tells Kevin that they should go and get a lake house and the fun will find them. Once there, they take up summer jobs to get enough money pay for the rental of the house. Soon the parties start and the fun begins. Also, Jim has sought out his only sexual partner in Michelle(Alyson Hannigan) to become better for Nadia. Michelle begins to train Jim so that he can do better with Nadia. Well, everything is ready for their final blowout at the house, but will anyone show up? Also, will Jim be up for Nadia and will she be the same that he remembers?
American Pie 2 decided to be more of a continuation of the original other than a new story. It might as well have been called American Pie, Part 2. This movie is very funny, but I found myself not caring at all about the characters. You must remember the first movie to really get into the second. If not, then you loose a lot of the comedy that requires a lead in from the first. I liked the love story of Jim, but for the most part that was the only real story in the movie apart from the group. In the original, everyone was important and had their own stories. In this movie some big possibilities were left idle as only a few things were explored. This was still a very funny movie that was more a base comedy movie than the first. I give this very funny movie an 8.
American Werewolf in London, An
This film is one of those that I bought a few years ago and have meant to see
for a long time. The sequel of sorts is American Werewolf in Paris, which was a
strange film that I saw in (I believe) 1999 and thought was decent. However,
this one is supposed to be pretty good with great effects for the time.
In the film, two young men are backpacking around Europe when they enter a small
village. They are a bit cold and so they enter the nearby pub for a drink. Once
inside, they find the inhabitants rather cold to them and eventually they decide
to try their luck on the road.
They are told to stay out of the moors, but in the dark and fog, they loose
there way. They are quickly attacked by a werewolf, and one of them are killed.
The other gets some minor injuries and is sent to a hospital in London for
treatment. Once there he meets a young nurse and they immediately fall for each
other. They both think that he is a bit insane every once and a while, but most
of the time he is ok. So, when it is time for him to leave he stays at her house
until he can get back home to the U.S.
However, after only a day or two out of the hospital the full moon rolls around
and he begins to change. The special effects are very special and it would be
hard to get close to that today with CGI. So, the new werewolf goes off and
kills a bunch of people.
The man wakes up in the zoo and eventually makes it back to the nurses place. He
is now certain that he is a werewolf and his dead friend ( who had been showing
up on occasion) reinforces that he must kill himself. Only by doing this will
the bloodline be broken and all the people that he and the werewolf that bit him
killed will finally be released to the afterlife. However, the convincing is not
in time and he changes in the back of a movie theater. He kills a few more
people before finally getting cornered in an alley. The nurse/girlfriend comes
to the scene in the nick of time and rushes past police. She attempts to talk
reason into the werewolf and nearly gets bitten in response. However, the boys
in blue take him down quickly and break the bloodline.
This film was a decent distraction for the day. There is nothing of real weight
in the film, but the transformations in the film are really good and the plot,
while not great was good enough to keep my attention. This was a film that I was
glad to have watched. I give An American Werewolf in London a 7.
American Werewolf in Paris, An
American Werewolf in Paris is a Suspense\Horror in which a group of three young, American boys decide to tour Europe in search of fun. When they arrive in Paris strange things start to happen. They first break into the Eiffel Tower. One of them decides he will bungee jump off when they hear footsteps. It ends up being a young woman who has decided to jump. The man saves her from certain death. He repeatedly tries to talk to her, but she does not want to. He goes to a club and is bitten by a werewolf and brought home by the woman. He then tries to find a way to reverse the werewolf effect. This movie was pretty good with good special effects and a little bit of comedy. On Da Man’s Movies Review I give it a 7.
Cast: Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zea-Jones, John Cusack,Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Walken, Seth Green, Alan Arkin
As you know if you have read my review on Erin Brockovich, I believe that it was a bad movie and that Julia Roberts was not very good in it either. That being said, I already had a major problem with America’s Sweethearts before I had even seen a single frame of film. I did not particularly like her and was not looking forward to anything that she would be in. John Cusack on the other hand was a maybe. I had seen some movies where he wasn’t so good, but more and more I have seen movies in which I have enjoyed his performance. Then with Billy Crystal, Seth Green, Christopher Walken, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Hank Azaria this movie was a star-studded flick, but could they hold the film together.
Gwen(Jones) and Eddie(Cusack) were America’s couple. They were in movie after movie together and they were loved in everyone. The strange thing was that when either of them made a movie separate from the other, nobody wanted to have anything to do with it. This worked out, however, as they were together off screen as well as on. That was until they separated. When they separated, Gwen already had a new man, and Eddie tried hard just to stay alive. He had done some stupid things and was now trying his luck with meditation. This is where Lee(Crystal) comes in. He is a publicist that has promoted a few Eddie and Gwen’s films. The only problem there is that he was recently fired and is finally convinced to stay along for the ride under his own terms. His problem is that people hate that the couple has been separated and that the critically acclaimed artistic director Hal(Walken) has the only copy of the movie and has refused to show it until the press junket for the film. At this point, Lee must focus on the couple. He talks to them and eventually gets them both to agree to appear at the junket and to act as if they are enjoying each other’s company (although Gwen does have a restraining order against Eddie). Then the real story starts happening, as Eddie becomes attracted to Kiki, Gwen’s sister and personal assistant. Well, the press is fooled by the fake relationship, but what about the movie?
America’s Sweethearts is so far the best romantic comedy of the year. It did the impossible, it took Julia Roberts, put her in a film, made me like the film, made me like her performance, and even made me go out and rent other films that she had done so that I could make sure that she had more than one piece of decent work. Enough about Roberts, though, America’s Sweethearts was a good movie that I actually felt for. Even though you know the ending to a movie like this, I still enjoyed it when it happened. Also, Billy Crystal was really good as the mastermind behind the scenes, and I am glad that he took that role instead of Eddie, which he originally wanted. The same goes for Roberts, who they originally wanted for Gwen. This puts her back in the sweet, how can you possibly not like me realm where I do like her. Seth Green and Christopher Walken were good as well in their roles and I only wish that I could have seen Walken more. Green’s role was not the best it could have been, but funny nonetheless. One of the few problems that I did have with the movie was Hector(Azaria) who was the “I talk funny so laugh at me” person in the movie. This, I believe is one of the best of the year so far behind the likes of Memento, Moulin Rouge, and A.I. I hope that people do not listen to most of the other critics and give this one a chance. America’s Sweethearts was a fun and entertaining movie that gave a shove towards the Julia Roberts bandwagon, so I give America’s Sweethearts a 9.
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, James Caviezel
Angel Eyes was one of the few movies that back doored its way into the summer. It suddenly appeared at movie theaters with little notice and only Jennifer Lopez to bring people in. This very rarely happens that a movie has this little advertising for a summer release. It must have been trying to catch overflow business from other movies.
Sharon Pogue(Lopez) is a police officer that is nearly alone in the world. She has been separated from her family after ratting her father out for abusing her mother. Then, at work, she is ostracized because she is female and never lets people close enough to become friends with her. Scratch(James Caviezel) is a guy who walks around devoid of emotion always trying to do good deeds for people. Then he sees Sharon and is captivated by her. After saving her life while she is attempting to arrest a criminal, the two begin to see each other. Scratch is more closed off than even Sharon can believe. Any time that she tries to find out anything about him, he becomes defensive and breaks off the conversation. She finds out that this name is Scratch because he has started over or started from Scratch. She needs to know more, like what is his real name and what happened to change him so much. When she finds out, will she be able to help him, and will he be able to help her with her family?
I found out why they decided not to push Angel Eyes… it is really bad. When I first saw it I gave it a higher rating because there was nothing bad about the movie. That was until a couple of days later I realized that nothing good happened either. The movie was so bad throughout that I could not tell how bad it was. Angel Eyes appeared to be thrown on the scene so that it would be gone from the studio for good. I don’t blame them, I wouldn’t want it either and I definitely wouldn’t pay to promote it. This movie was absolutely out of season and should have been in the middle of the fall or late winter with all of the other crap. I had a really hard time rating this movie due to the constant level of crap, but after thinking about it, the plot wasn’t horrible but the movie was. I give Angel Eyes a 4.
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Rob Schneider, Colleen Haskell, Adam Sandler, Norm MacDonald, Guy Tory, Scott Wilson
Rob Schneider has done a couple of borderline movies in the last two years with buddy Adam Sandler. They have done decent business, but not as much as his friend. He tries to pick up things a bit with the addition of Colleen Haskell of Survivor fame appearing as his love interest.
The Animal is the story of Marvin Mange(Schneider) a wannabe cop who is joked on and laughed at by everyone. He can’t even keep a bunch of little kids under control when visiting the police station on a field trip. When the rest of the force is out playing a softball game, an urgent call comes in and Marvin is forced into action. When responding to the call, however, his car flies off the edge of a cliff and crashes hundreds of feet to the bottom. There, a mad scientist pulls him free and uses animal parts to keep him alive. When Marvin finally makes it back to civilization, everyone wonders where he has been. Now, Marvin has super senses and reflexes, which he shows off to a girl, Rianna(Haskell) that he knows. Later, he busts a guy who was trying to smuggle heroine at an airport and is made a policeman. Soon, however, he begins to have nightmares that he is getting up and doing things in the middle of the night, and on occasion wakes up in strange places. When things start coming up dead, he suspects his nocturnal self of the crimes. He finally shacks up with Rianna and she makes him believe that she will help him.
The Animal was a lot like Schneider’s other movies. They have some funny parts, but mostly its not that good. The only thing that made the Animal decent to watch was the debut of Colleen Haskell. She has a screen presence that few people do, and I believe that with the right pictures, she could become a hit in Hollywood. I for one hope so. The Animal whimpers in with a 4.
Fisher’s Price
There are always a few films every year that try to hang with the award winning films but end up in the back of the pack with little money and little talk from the critics. This is one of those films. These films are usually pretty bad, but somebody got it in its mind that the film was a contender. So, they would set up crazy release patterns and therefore loose the little money it would have earned, while at the same time showing the critics that you think it is awesome therefore leading to higher expectations. Antwone Fisher, however, seems to be the exception. It is an extremely good movie that has gotten lost in the mass of award seeking films late in 2002 and early in 2003.
Antwone Fisher is a young man who joined the NAVY as soon as he turned of age. However, there is no nostalgia for Fisher; he joined out of the necessity to have a warm bed and meal every night. Antwone Fisher was born in Cleveland, Ohio to an incarcerated mother and a deceased father who had been shot by one of his ex-girlfriends. Fisher grew up in a house where he was raised by foster parents. The father was a fire and brimstone preacher and the mother stayed at home and frightened the children. Antwone hated his life but had not reason to hope for any more than he had. He left his foster home in his early teens and was taken in by an orphanage until he was too old to stay. At that time he was sent to a men’s shelter where he only stayed the night before making his way back to his old neighborhood and friend.
He quickly left again and ended up in the NAVY where he found new problems. Antwone had a quick temper from his childhood and got himself into frequent fights on the ship. It just so happened that many of these fights were with slightly superior officers, and therefore the crimes had significance. He was forced in a last ditch effort to see the new NAVY psychiatrist to see if he should be able to stay. After first refusing to speak to the man, Antwone eventually opens up and they begin to get to the root of his problems. At the same time, Antwone has met a young woman and they have begun to get to know each other. He is scared that is previous experiences could effect those with his new girl friend and brings that as well as other issues into the office.
The Antwone Fisher Story is one of the best films of the year with two extremely strong performances and a lot of smaller roles that get the attention that they deserve. Denzel Washington is as strong with his craft as ever as the NAVY psychiatrist Jerome Davenport. He truly gives the feeling of being torn between his fatherly teachings to Antwone and his reluctance to get attached due to the rules of his position. However, the true star of the film is Derek Luke who plays the title character Antwone Fisher. He is able to show all levels of the strong and emotional Antwone Fisher.
The most interesting things about this film may have come behind the camera. This film was Denzel Washington’s directorial debut in which he did a good job of telling an interesting and emotional story. Also, the story is based off of the real life story of Antwone Fisher who wrote the book of his life and later adapted it into the screenplay for the film.
This film is one of the most emotionally filled films of the year in one that has been pretty devoid of such. If you get a chance to see this film before it leaves theaters than do so. Since it is not making any money, though, I would suggest you do it soon. I give The Antwone Fisher Story, one with feeling and two great performances a 9.
Arsenic and Old Lace
Arsenic and Old Lace is an old screwball comedy staring Cary Grant. In the film,
Grant it a writer who falls for the young woman next door and they get married.
However, this is small potatoes. Mortimer is spending some quick time with his
aunts before he leaves for his honeymoon with his new bride. However, things
quickly get out of hand. He finds a body in a window chest and soon finds out
that his aunts are murderers and have killed about a dozen men. They don’t look
at it as killing, but as helping them. So, Mortimer is trying to figure out
something to do while also dealing with one if his uncle’s who is insane. By the
way, this is a family trait.
So, Mortimer starts running around trying to get his uncle (who thinks he’s
Teddy Roosevelt) committed to get the eye off of his aunts. Meanwhile,
Mortimer’s brother showed back up after killing a dozen people himself with is
odd sidekick Dr. Einstein. This doctor is the brother’s personal plastic surgeon
and lackey who can give him a real make over after each crime. Mortimer comes
back to get Teddy and finds out that the brother that mistreated him as a child
is back to torment him again. So, the brother takes the house hostage until the
cops show up at which point that movie really goes crazy.
Arsenic and Old Lace is a crazy little movie directed by Frank Capra. The film
is a bit over the top, but works ok all the same. It is not Gratn or Capra’s
best efforts by far, but a decent way to pass the time. However, I would only
suggest this for the true fans of film, Grant, or Capra. Others would probably
find the film a bit dull and over the top. I give Arsenic and Old Lace a 7.
Rated: PG
Cast: voices: Michael J. Fox, Jim Varney, Corey Burton, James Garner, Phil Morris, Leonard Nimoy, Don Novello, Jacqueline Obradors, Cree Summer, Claudia Christian
Going into the weekend if you had asked me which movie would be the better movie Tomb Raider or Atlantis I would have laughed. I have never been a big animation fan and I am a big adventure fan. Also, Tomb Raider seemed to be in a no loose situation. Then the on-line critics stepped up to the plate. They deemed Tomb Raider a flop and Atlantis a huge winner in quality. Still, I had my own feelings that although these people hadn’t let me down all summer, I still thought that Tomb Raider would be the highlight of my night.
Atlantis is the story of Milo(Michael J. Fox), a young archeologist, who following in his grandfather’s footsteps is fanatical about searching for the lost city of Atlantis. After being rejected again by the board of the museum where he worked, Milo was approached by a woman who said that she new who could help him. Soon he was face-to-face with a man who had traveled with his grandfather and eventually found out that he had promised him that he would finance his search for he city. When his grandfather died, the promise did not and the old man told Milo that he would lead the search for Atlantis. He had already rounded up a group that had traveled with them in previous years to go with him. They soon headed out to sea where they met great perils before surfacing in a dry land cave. Once there, Milo knew that he was hot on the trail to the mythical land and would stop at nothing to find it. Soon, it found him the shape of the princess of Atlantis Kida(Cree Summer). She showed the group around the amazing island country and he met the king. Then, however, he found out that Atlantis was slowly loosing its power, and that it was falling apart. Milo then found out that the princess was the key and she sacrificed herself for the good of her people. After this, Commander Rourke seized the newly regenerated source of power and began loading it up to carry away. This is when Milo realizes that the govronment only wanted to find Atlantis for the fabled power source. Milo would not give in, though, and decided to fight back, recover the power supply, and attempt to rescue Kida.
Well, after watching Atlantis, I was surprised by how good it was. It is one of the best animated movies that I have seen. It is not a Skrek, but close. It was made for the whole family and still held my attention throughout. I would deffinetly have to say that it is far better than Tomb Raider. With an all-star cast of voice talents and a great plot, Atlantis is sure to be loved for years. This movie was really good and I give it an 8.
Auteur Theory
I was thinking tonight about all of the movies that I see over the course of a
year and how every once and a while I come across a gem or a stinker that really
deserves a mention so that people are aware of it. It is not even the end of
March and I have already seen over 100 films this year and one tonight really
stood out, Auteur Theory.
In Auteur Theory, a documentary director goes into an office in search of funds
to finish the film that he is working on. It seems that this man has come a few
times before in search of these funds and after a couple of refusals they will
not see you again. So, he has to pitch his film to them in hopes of acquiring
his money, to a less than receptive threesome.
So, he begins his pitch. He was covering a Short Film Festival and began by
talking to people about their movies and whatnot until someone ends up dead. As
the festival continues one after another filmmaker ends up dead and pretty soon
you come to realize that it must be one of the filmmakers. They all work on the
movies together since they have the same classes, so everyone is equally suspect
until they die.
The documentary maker decides that he will solve the mystery and that the killer
will reveal all through the submitted film. So, he begins watching them. During
this time he also falls for one of the filmmakers, played by Natasha Lyonne. It
ends up being her film that reveals the possibility of her being the killer, so
he tries to talk her out of it. She refuses and after the film plays she is
arrested by detective investigating the crime, played by Armin
Shimerman(Principal Snyder of seasons 2 and 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
They are bringing her out of the building when the documentary maker has an
idea. The winner of the previous year’s festival was given money to make another
film to show at the current festival. He has to chase him down, but eventually
he is caught and the film shows. He tells how he watched the young girl’s film
for the festival and was finally inspired to make his own film. He used her
images to kill the people in the ways that she showed so that Art would imitate
Life imitating Art.
This film was much better than I thought it would be. It was very light, despite
the premise and had some decent dialogue in it. There were also numerous little
nods of things such as the Godfather and Scream. The film was obviously on a
very small budget where things would be shot fast and loose. However, despite
the obviously low budget it was able to keep up pretty reasonable production
standards.
Auteur was a fun little film that I enjoyed. One of those films that I wouldn’t
expect to find in any rental store. In fact, the reason for my purchase of this
film was due to its small appearance by Alison Lohman. During my Lohman craze a
few months ago I purchased some of her older films including KRAA! The Sea
Monster, Planet Patrol, Menace, and Auteur Theory and finally decided to watch a
few of them here. She only had one scene in the movie in a documentary in a
movie, but I was really glad I saw it anyway. So, if you ever have the chance
watch this film or if you know me, say the word and I’ll let you check it out.
Until next time, I’m Wulfgar discovering gems in the Video Vault.
Rated: R
Cast: Tyrese Gibson, Omar Gooding, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Tamara Bass, Candy Brown, Ving Rhames
I had heard a little about Baby Boy before seeing it. Having not seen Boyz in the Hood, I was happy to hear that Baby Boy was to be a companion piece and not a prequel or sequel. Having Ving Rhames in the movie gave it at least one actor that I was glad to see and after Snoop Dogg’s performance at the MVA’s I was ready to see what he could do as an actor.
Jody(Tyrese Gibson) is a young man who lives at home with his mother. He has two children by different mothers and does not have a job. He hangs around the house making model cars and hangs out with his friends. He also spends time with his two children and their mothers. His whole life is turned upside down when Melvin(Ving Rhames) shows up and begins dating his mother. Melvin is an ex-con who Jody is scared will hurt his mother like his father did. While these two men are bumping heads, one of Jody’s girl’s ex-boyfriends are out of jail and has moved in with her against her will. This upsets Jody and at one point, he contemplates killing him. After the guy tries to get him in a drive by, Jodi has had enough.
Baby Boy has to be one of the worst movies that I have seen this year. Jodi and his friends are bad people who do bad things. I thought that although the story was told pretty well, it was a bad one. I could not get past the fact that Melvin was one of the best characters in the movie, and he had done ten years in prison. Ving Rhames is good in this role, but is not enough to make the movie any good. This has been one of the few movies this year that I doubt why I even wasted a couple of hours. For its lack of character and plot, I give Baby Boy a 3.
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thorton, Cate Blanchett
After seeing a trailer for this movie, I was surprised at a few things. First of all, this was not the typical Bruce Willis movie, and it is seldom that you get three great actors like Willis, Billy Bob Thorton, and Cate Blanchett together in one film. Also, the idea for the movie seemed pretty original and with the strange characters I was intrigued by this film.
Joe(Willis) and Terry(Thorton) are cousins who are spending time together in prison. When an opportunity arrives in the form of a concrete truck, Joe quickly surmises a plan for escape. After highjacking the truck, they are soon they are on their way to freedom. They quickly stop at a local home to pick up some new clothes and a new form of transportation. They then head off to meet an old friend of Joe’s. Joe and Terry discuss their future and decide that the way to go is to rob some banks, save up the money, and then go to Mexico to remodel an old nightclub/hotel together. They meet up with the friend, who is now studying to be a stuntman, and they decided on the best way to begin robbing the banks. The friend will be the front man, while Joe and Terry quickly become known as the sleepover bandits. This is due to their new style of robbery, where they kidnap the manager of the bank and then steal the money before they open the next day. Everything is going well until Terry runs out of gas on the way to the next theft. He tries to force a car to pull over and instead the woman in the car hits him. When he crawls over to the door, she accidentally opens the door into his face. At this point, she picks him up and puts him in the car. He then, after an argument, tells her where to take him. When they arrive, the others are upset but quickly come to terms with the new member of the team. She eventually becomes a full-fledged member of the team but is only known to the average person as a missing person who was kidnapped by the sleepover bandits. After a brief fling with both cousins, things become more complicated between the three. In the end, the only question is whether she has changed her mind about them or still wants to be with them.
Bandits was a decent movie that had interesting characters that were well acted. The plot was pretty good, but at times I felt as if they tried to dumb it down too much. In the end, though, I felt compelled to watch, and the movie was not only interesting but smart as well. With good acting all around, this movie finds a good niche in the above average films of the year. Although I liked many aspects of this movie, nothing really jumped out at me as great and some parts dragged on a little. Therefore, I give Bandits a 7.
Batman the Animated
Series: Out of the Shadows
This was the third in what appears to be a
long line in the Batman Animated Series of DVD releases. In the first part of
the story, we see Harvey Dent before he became Two-Face. We see him as the DA of
Gotham, trying to clean up his city, but having a time of it. It is found out by
the top mafia boss that Harvey sees a shrink and that he has an alter ego so
they work it. However, their plan soon backfires when they unleash Harvey’s bad
side and he is horribly scarred on half of his body. At this point he truly
became Two-Face and began to lead his own mob and continually hit the places
that the old mob used for business.
In the final part of the disc, there is a sill little episode where batman is
knocked unconscious by some gas and saved by some little kids that were playing
detective in the neighborhood. He is able to get Batman into the Batmobile and
back to his basement where he lets Batman stay until he could wake up. However,
when some local ruffians uncover the car outside of the boy’s house they aren’t
the only ones to see it. One of the Penguin’s birds saw it as well and this sent
him after Batman. At the last moment, Batman awakens and wins the day.
This was a decent disc of stuff. The first story is much better than the second.
But none of this stuff comes close to the stuff with The Riddler or Scarecrow. I
give this little compilation of animated Batman a 7.
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Elizabeth Hurley, Brendan Frazer, Frances O’Connor, Orlando Jones, Gabriel Casseus, Rudolf Martin
Reviews: Elliot Richards(Bredan Fraser) is a computer troubleshooter and has done so for much of his adult life. His life is a dull one, meaningless job by day, trying to hang with people who avoid you by night. On one of these nights he sees the girl he has been drooling over for the last few years, Alison. When he is dared to go talk to her he is up for the challenge and is embarrassed when she does not remember him and walks away as he believes he is talking to her. It seems to be his night, though, when a beautiful woman begins to talk to him. Quickly she makes it known that she is Lucifer and is willing to help him out. She will give him seven wishes and all that she wants is return is his soul. After a quick chat, she shows him one possibility and he falls hook, line, and sinker. He soon finds out that there is a reason she is the devil as every one of his wishes seem to backfire and only make things worse.
This movie was about what I expected it to be. There were a couple possibilities that I thought of that weren’t used that might have been funny, but there’s a reason I don’t write scripts for a living. Elizabeth Hurly shows again that not only is she one of the most beautiful actresses working today, but she is talented as well. I loved Elliot’s change as he gained experience in his wishes, it made his character 100 percent better. The ending, although not great was pretty decent. All in all Bedazzled was like many movies released in the last couple of weeks, good but not great, and deserving of a 7.
European Cinema
Belle de Jour was directed by Luis Bunuel who also co wrote the screenplay with Jean-Claude Carriere from the novel by Joseph Kessel in 1967. Although the film did not have the symbolism or intellect of Seventh Seal, it reminded me a bit of 400 blows in the discovery of the main character and was overall my favorite film so far of the European Cinema class.
Belle de Jour is the story of a young woman who is bored by life. She is stuck in a marriage to a well off, financially, but stunted, emotionally, man who cannot give her what she needs. She is also confronted by her first temptation, a friend of the couple who wishes to seduce her. Well, not so much as to seduce her but to attempt to do so. He never really wants to be with her but likes to try. This is due to the fact that in the morally lax French society he is attracted to her ability to stay true to her husband. “An older friend (the saturnine Michael Piccoli) boldly attempts to seduce her, but she does not respond. "What interests me about you is your virtue," he says. Perhaps that is why she is not interested: She does not desire a man who thinks she is virtuous, but one who thinks she is not” (Ebert).
This leads to her problem and the storyline itself. Séverine Serizy wants more than she is getting out of her marriage. So, after hearing about brothels from a few of the people she meets and hearing that one of the women that she knew has become a prostitute on occasion, she is intrigued. In her dreams she thinks of kinky and exciting ways to have sex, while not wanting to give in to the dull, bland sex she is sure to have with her husband. Therefore she becomes distant from him and doesn’t even allow him to share the same bed. This is hard on her young husband, but he decides to give her space and doesn’t push too hard. However, we find out that if he had the following events would probably not have even taken place. It is this passionate and shocking event that she is waiting for.
We are shown her hesitation as she goes to the brothel where she is dubbed Belle de Jour as she tries to leave on multiple occasions. However, the mistress will do what her husband would not and becomes firm with her at times, making Severine more excited than she ever had been with her husband. Being elegant and beautiful, Belle quickly begins bringing in clients and begins to enjoy her reprieves with them. However, when one becomes too obsessed, she knows that it is time for her to quit.
Catherine Deneuve really makes the film as Severine and later Belle de Jour. She can do what few can, which is to portray thoughts and feelings with out saying a word and at times barely moving. “We will begin with Catherine Deneuve's face, as she listens to a taxi driver describe a famous Parisian brothel - a place where bored women might work for an afternoon or two every week, to earn some extra money. Her face is completely impassive. The camera holds on it. The taxi driver continues his description. We understand that the Deneuve character is mesmerized by what she hears, and that sooner or later, she will be compelled to visit that brothel and have the experience of being a "belle de jour" (Ebert). Certain glances and turns of the head direct the audience as to what she might be thinking or feeling. This inability to immediately place her also adds to the movie. We are not meant to know all there is about Severine. We are meant to guess and in this film that guessing is fun. “But in "Belle de Jour," we are invited into the secret world of Severine. We have to complete her thoughts, and in that process, they become our thoughts. The movie understands the hypnotic intensity with which humans consider their own fantasies. When Severine enters a room where a client is waiting, her face doesn't reflect curiosity or fear or anticipation - and least of all lust - because she is not regarding the room, she is regarding herself. What turns her on is not what she finds in the room, but that she is entering it” (Ebert). Severine is a character that most can relate to on a basic level. She wants more out of life than it is currently giving her. So, instead of just trudging along, she decides to do something about it. To go out and experience what she wants to experience.
The ability to make the audience think for itself instead of giving it all of the answers does not just take place with Deneuve. Bunuel is able to cleverly pull this off numerous times during the movie to make it a bit more of a thinking man’s film. “The film will contain no sweaty, steamy, athletic sex scenes. Hardly any nudity, and that discreet. What is sexual in this movie takes place entirely within the mind of Severine. We have to guess at her feelings. All she ever says explicitly is, "I cannot help myself." Much happens off-screen. The most famous scene in "Belle de Jour" - indeed, one of the best-remembered scenes in movie history - is the one where a client presents her with an ornate little box. He shows her what is inside the box. During his hour with Severine, he wants to employ it. She shakes her head, no. What is in the box? We never find out” (Ebert). It is remarkable that in a movie that is so focused on one act, sex, that he is able to pull it off with very little of said activity actually taking place on film. This was a truly astounding feat by both writing and direction.
Catherine Deneuve definitely gave the most amazing performance in this film; however it was surprising how good her supporting actors were and how well their parts were written. Genevieve Page is wonderful as Madame Anais, the woman who runs the brothel. She has a regal sexuality and a stern motherly nature that truly fit the role as she in affect plays mother to her girls and gives them firm advice when they do wrong.
Michael Piccoli plays Henri Husson, the older man who occasionally hits on Severine. The role was crafted amazingly. At first you are to think he is just a horny old man looking for a younger lady to get with. However, you find out later that this is just the banter that he enjoys and truly never wished to be with Severine which is a shock not only to the audience but to Severine as well.
Finally, Belle de Jour’s biggest client Marcel, played by Pierre Clemente, was an unexpected addition to the film. He is dirty, greasy, and slimy, but for some reason Severine seems to fall a bit for him and he falls head over heels for her. He becomes the villain with a heart of gold or so we think until his jealousy gets the better of him. He is the shock she needed to get out of her stupor.
Belle de Jour is a wonderful film and amazing collaboration between the actors and the director to make a truly memorable movie. This is one movie that belongs in the category of great films, not just great foreign films.
References
Ebert, Roger – Chicago Sun-Times - http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1995/07/987908.html
Bend it Like Beckham
Finally onto today. I woke up at a decent hour and went to bring a film back.
After this I went to a flea market where I got a couple of older comic books
(Batman 500, 503, 504, a couple of Incredible Hulk’s, and an Iron Man. I also
got a couple of books including Ride with the Devil novelization, a grouping of
Dracula stories including one by anne rice and the autobiography of Dominique
Moccianu. She was the young gymnast on for the US that was really good at the
2000 Olympics.
I then went and picked up a pizza at Papa Johns. Large Pepperoni all the way.
Papa Johns has the best pizza and fairly cheap too. I came home, and after
eating started watching movies. I finished the film Just a Kiss that I had
started watching the previous day. Then I watched Invincible with Billy Zane.
Next was Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, a thirties movie with Gary Cooper, pretty good,
much better than the adam sandler version. Next was Last of the Mohicans,
another pretty good movie, this time with Daniel Day-Lewis. Final