March Movie Madness
The Crazies - Romero's conceptual stepping stone between Night and Dawn is a great b-movie. Overacting, guns and hazmat suits come together for a farcical take on science vs. hippies vs. the military. Watch it for the development of France's voice in Dawn and glimpses of Liberty's lunacy in Day. 5/10 Overall, 9/10 in genre.
Pride and Prejudice - YAJAM (yet another Jane Austen Movie) which is obviously from an inexperienced director. Strong scenes, decent enough acting, and of course the story is utterly compelling, but nothing meshes together as well as it could, and i blame Wright. Perhaps i was simply spoiled by Lee's Sense & Sensibility. One undeniable good point to this movie is that Knightley has been redeemed after Domino (not that that travesty was solely her fault). 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
Love Actually - Cute intermingling of stories that teaches us women are pawns in the love affairs and desires of men. Maybe i just missed the deep British/New Zealander relationship insight. Not worth more words. 5/10 overall, 4/10 in genre.
Mansfield Park - YAJAM pulld together quite well as far as the main story goes, but with dangling bits that make it seem awkward (particularly the slavery issues). Good performance from O'Connor and Miller add up to an average Austen flick, which equals a better than average movie (but i'm highly biased). 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
Kikujiro - Nice Kitano movie which pokes fun at his previous work while telling a sad yet funny story of a young boy's search for his mother. The movie rotates around solid Kitano acting - a must see for his admirers. 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
The Devil's Rejects - Gone is the "extended music video" feel of Corpses, replaced with a slightly more involved story and more robust directing. Doesn't add much to the horror genre, but is a solid piece nonetheless - the acting, gore, and soundtrack are topnotch. 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
Jane Eyre - Remarkable performance from Paquin followed by a stiff performance from Gainsbourg and though the role calls for it, it seemed a little overdone. The story has less layers, less meaning, less reality, less interest than an Austen. But don't trust me, i don't even remember MacPherson being in it. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Typical Potter flick, replacing solid storytelling with active storytelling. Maybe if the movies were made to be more than just supplements to the books, the story would really shine through, but seen as just a movie, the character development falls too short and the plot is overly disjointed. Pretty visuals, though, and the bitty pieces are good in themselves. 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
The Affair of the Necklace - Swank's ok as a boxer but doesn't cut it in 18th century France. Watch the movie for the guillotine scene at the end, otherwise the acting, plot, and visuals leave a little to be desired. 5/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio - I guess this is what "Heart Warming" means. The true story of a drunk, the wife that makes up for it, and the family she keeps together. Suprisingly well done if styled in a manner i don't generally enjoy. Watch it for Porterfield's great performance, she may go far. 7/10 overall, 9/10 in genre.
Everything is Illuminated - stylized tale of a historical, familial journey. It's a little underdeveloped in places, or maybe not as robust as i generally enjoy - some simple commentaries take too long in the movie, could have been used to say more. It does a good job of switching from humour to seriousness, mostly due to Hutz's good performance and some good (if overused) camera work. Well worth seeing. 8/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
Good Night, and Good Luck. - Should have taken the titular hint and gone to sleep. McCarthyism is no sleepy issue, but this insular flick lessens its relevance and importance: where is the average american represented, do they care, is this just another stance that self-important folk are making important, or is it really on the same level as Liberace's new home? The movie doesn't do enough to draw the relation of the People to the issue, despite the top-notch acting all-around and the inclusion of Dexter, MI. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
Steamboy - Pretty anime from the dude who brought us Akira. Lacks depth, character and value. 4/10 overall, 4/10 in genre.
A History of Violence - All the cinematography, scenery and action that you'd expect from a big Hollywood flick packed into a slow-moving story with a few obvious twists. Could have been called "Good Night, and Good Luck." except that the action sequences really are top-notch. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
The Crossing Guard - One of the weakest (though still good) performances by Nicholson but one of the strongest performances by Morse. Crawling movie about the repurcussions of drunk-driving through a father's daughter. Nothing too special, but leaves a feeling that Penn might have some skills in directing/writing as well as acting. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
The Evil Dead - True classic from Raimi, the director who went on to bring us some very different (yet similar) movies. Low budget horror flick that does more with a camera, a cabin, and some groceries than most movies do with millions upon millions of dollars. Coupled with great acting as Campbell sets in stone just who he is, this movie is a must see. 8/10 overall, 10/10 in genre.
Adaptation - The epitome of the downtrodden, pitiful characters Cage has played recently set in a story that is almost but not quite compelling. Points for trying, but the dreariness isn't cute, revelatory or interesting, despite some good acting and directing. The overall effect is like a great movie tucked inside a bad movie, wrapped in a boring movie, twirled into a slightly above average movie. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
Iris - Great acting moves this story forward, as the pain and love and loss of the characters combines to display human frailty, human wonder. Bravo to Broadbent and Dench, they pave the way for adequate performances from Winslet and Bonneville. 7/10 overall, 8/10 in genre.
Missing Pages - Story is surprisingly similar to La Jetée and done is a surprisingly similar manner, though not quite as good. Still worth seeing (if you can get your hands on it) for the very good photography. 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
Dawn of the Dead, 2004 - Takes the old Dawn's messaging techniques and delivers an almost tongue-in-cheek response: the new age is faster, better, more glamorous - but don't foresake us a certain amount of irony; we'll still shoot our lead performers (not the movie's main actors, but the Hollywood/tv look-a-likes that die in the mall's gathered masses (i.e. the rooftop sniping)). Otherwise delivers nothing (save today's standard jam-packed action) that the old one didn't, and through this teaches a valuable lesson: what an old, lumbering zombie could do in the 70's, it now takes a flashy, fast-moving zombie to do. 8/10 overall, 9/10 in genre.
Pride and Prejudice - YAJAM (yet another Jane Austen Movie) which is obviously from an inexperienced director. Strong scenes, decent enough acting, and of course the story is utterly compelling, but nothing meshes together as well as it could, and i blame Wright. Perhaps i was simply spoiled by Lee's Sense & Sensibility. One undeniable good point to this movie is that Knightley has been redeemed after Domino (not that that travesty was solely her fault). 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
Love Actually - Cute intermingling of stories that teaches us women are pawns in the love affairs and desires of men. Maybe i just missed the deep British/New Zealander relationship insight. Not worth more words. 5/10 overall, 4/10 in genre.
Mansfield Park - YAJAM pulld together quite well as far as the main story goes, but with dangling bits that make it seem awkward (particularly the slavery issues). Good performance from O'Connor and Miller add up to an average Austen flick, which equals a better than average movie (but i'm highly biased). 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
Kikujiro - Nice Kitano movie which pokes fun at his previous work while telling a sad yet funny story of a young boy's search for his mother. The movie rotates around solid Kitano acting - a must see for his admirers. 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
The Devil's Rejects - Gone is the "extended music video" feel of Corpses, replaced with a slightly more involved story and more robust directing. Doesn't add much to the horror genre, but is a solid piece nonetheless - the acting, gore, and soundtrack are topnotch. 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
Jane Eyre - Remarkable performance from Paquin followed by a stiff performance from Gainsbourg and though the role calls for it, it seemed a little overdone. The story has less layers, less meaning, less reality, less interest than an Austen. But don't trust me, i don't even remember MacPherson being in it. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Typical Potter flick, replacing solid storytelling with active storytelling. Maybe if the movies were made to be more than just supplements to the books, the story would really shine through, but seen as just a movie, the character development falls too short and the plot is overly disjointed. Pretty visuals, though, and the bitty pieces are good in themselves. 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
The Affair of the Necklace - Swank's ok as a boxer but doesn't cut it in 18th century France. Watch the movie for the guillotine scene at the end, otherwise the acting, plot, and visuals leave a little to be desired. 5/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio - I guess this is what "Heart Warming" means. The true story of a drunk, the wife that makes up for it, and the family she keeps together. Suprisingly well done if styled in a manner i don't generally enjoy. Watch it for Porterfield's great performance, she may go far. 7/10 overall, 9/10 in genre.
Everything is Illuminated - stylized tale of a historical, familial journey. It's a little underdeveloped in places, or maybe not as robust as i generally enjoy - some simple commentaries take too long in the movie, could have been used to say more. It does a good job of switching from humour to seriousness, mostly due to Hutz's good performance and some good (if overused) camera work. Well worth seeing. 8/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
Good Night, and Good Luck. - Should have taken the titular hint and gone to sleep. McCarthyism is no sleepy issue, but this insular flick lessens its relevance and importance: where is the average american represented, do they care, is this just another stance that self-important folk are making important, or is it really on the same level as Liberace's new home? The movie doesn't do enough to draw the relation of the People to the issue, despite the top-notch acting all-around and the inclusion of Dexter, MI. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
Steamboy - Pretty anime from the dude who brought us Akira. Lacks depth, character and value. 4/10 overall, 4/10 in genre.
A History of Violence - All the cinematography, scenery and action that you'd expect from a big Hollywood flick packed into a slow-moving story with a few obvious twists. Could have been called "Good Night, and Good Luck." except that the action sequences really are top-notch. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
The Crossing Guard - One of the weakest (though still good) performances by Nicholson but one of the strongest performances by Morse. Crawling movie about the repurcussions of drunk-driving through a father's daughter. Nothing too special, but leaves a feeling that Penn might have some skills in directing/writing as well as acting. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
The Evil Dead - True classic from Raimi, the director who went on to bring us some very different (yet similar) movies. Low budget horror flick that does more with a camera, a cabin, and some groceries than most movies do with millions upon millions of dollars. Coupled with great acting as Campbell sets in stone just who he is, this movie is a must see. 8/10 overall, 10/10 in genre.
Adaptation - The epitome of the downtrodden, pitiful characters Cage has played recently set in a story that is almost but not quite compelling. Points for trying, but the dreariness isn't cute, revelatory or interesting, despite some good acting and directing. The overall effect is like a great movie tucked inside a bad movie, wrapped in a boring movie, twirled into a slightly above average movie. 6/10 overall, 6/10 in genre.
Iris - Great acting moves this story forward, as the pain and love and loss of the characters combines to display human frailty, human wonder. Bravo to Broadbent and Dench, they pave the way for adequate performances from Winslet and Bonneville. 7/10 overall, 8/10 in genre.
Missing Pages - Story is surprisingly similar to La Jetée and done is a surprisingly similar manner, though not quite as good. Still worth seeing (if you can get your hands on it) for the very good photography. 6/10 overall, 7/10 in genre.
Dawn of the Dead, 2004 - Takes the old Dawn's messaging techniques and delivers an almost tongue-in-cheek response: the new age is faster, better, more glamorous - but don't foresake us a certain amount of irony; we'll still shoot our lead performers (not the movie's main actors, but the Hollywood/tv look-a-likes that die in the mall's gathered masses (i.e. the rooftop sniping)). Otherwise delivers nothing (save today's standard jam-packed action) that the old one didn't, and through this teaches a valuable lesson: what an old, lumbering zombie could do in the 70's, it now takes a flashy, fast-moving zombie to do. 8/10 overall, 9/10 in genre.
Labels: movies
posted by francisco at 4/02/2006 10:41:00 PM
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