Thought of the Day #317 - Star Trek

I finally had a chance to see the summer blockbuster "Star Trek". Loved
it! It gave me faith in sci-fi movies again. I WILL be seeing again!

Thought of the Day #30

I just finished watching Bangkok Dangerous with Nicolas Cage. I don't recommend the movie at all. But it did get me thinking about how just small details can ruin a movie. From the first moment of the movie, I was fixated upon Nicolas Cage's "Gene Simmons-style" hair. I find Gene a bit on the repulsive side. Oh, wait, make that REALLY repulsive. The hair is just the tip of the iceberg on that guy. Anyway, Nicolas Cage wearing the same icky hair ruined the entire movie. I don't mean to say that if the hair was "ok" the movie would have been fabulous, but it sincerely distracted me from potentially enjoying other details.

Once

If you haven't seen this movie, go out and rent it. It's simple, a little slow at times which adds to the charm, and exceedingly sweet. Oh, and excellent music as Oscar nodded yesterday. We saw it about a month ago and Ivan immediately went to ITunes and bought the album. He was hooked! http://www.foxsearchlight.com/once/ for more info on the film.

Yay! Finally he got his due...

I'm very happy that Phillip Seymour Hoffman finally got some major recognition for his craft as an actor with the nod from the Oscars tonight. He's been in so many great roles and rarely got a second glance from the Oscars or anyone else. I do wish that Catherine Keener would have won as best supporting actress too, as she's another one of those wonderful actors who supports so many films, many of them indy, with such great work. Ah, well, maybe next time!

Two second movie reviews --

• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- What a phenomenal film. I'm not normally a martial arts film fan, but this movie was fabulous. The fight scenes were brilliantly coreographed and fanciful. The characters have the agility and ability to ~~fly~~. Gorgeous scenes. It's a strong love story filled with honor, duty and respect and strong feminist overtones. The flick has subtitles, but don't let that stop you from seeing it. I'm going to wager on this being an Academy Award nominee for best picture. I'd bet about 50/50 that this will win too. Do not miss this one. Oh, and if you see it, let me know what you thought about the fight scene in the bamboo trees. Amazing! A
• The Gift -- Psychic premonitions, murder suspect twists and some haunting images make this normally categorized as a "horror" movie more of a mystery for me. I think I changed my guess as to who I thought the murderer was about 5 times. Obviously it was the skill of the director/plot that made me second guess my suspicions. There's some dark reality in this movie...child molestation, infidelity and murder. Definitely not a kids movie! I have nothing to complain about with this one. It took me in and kept me interested without fail. A-
• Thirteen Days -- Cuban missle crisis. I really thought all of the characterizations in this movie were fantastic. The Kennedy's looked and acted like the Kennedy's. My major complaint was the star...Kevin Costner. His accent just didn't seem *right*. I just don't think he's a strong enough actor to carry off an accent *and* act. The film took a hard look at the politics of war decisions and really made me hate politicians and army generals even more than I do now. :-) I suspect it was fairly *real*, but obviously we'll never know the full truth. We're only told what they want us to know. In any event, the movie told a great story..and did so quite well. B+
• Oh, Brother Where Art Thou -- Loved this film. It's a rare Coen Brothers film that I don't like. They're always a bit nutty yet warm and fuzzy, and ugly at the same time and funny without a doubt. I adore the films even more when I hear the "catchy tune" that each film has too. The main song, "I am a man of constant sorrow," from this one will surely make ya hum or sing out loud...especially when George Clooney is singing it near the end of the film. Which reminds me...I have to make a trip to amazon.com to buy the soundtrack. A
• Family Man-- I love Nicholas Cage. He was a real treat in this film. I don't have a strong opinion about this movie. I liked it, but it wasn't a fabulous movie...just enjoyable. B

I've got a few movies that I don't have time to review yet. Soon! Here's the list of movies I've seen recently: "The Gift", "Thirteen Days" and "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou" and "Family Man". No rotten tomatoes in the bunch, you're safe seeing any of 'em. Check back for my reviews a bit later.

I'm way behind in my two second movie reviews. Let's see if I can remember all of 'em. It's been a busy holiday movie season, don'tcha know?

• What Women Want -- I wasn't expecting a lot from this movie. The trailers made it look cute, and it was. Mel Gibson was perfectly cast in this light hearted flick. Not a lot of substance, but who needs substance all the time? Sometimes a fluffy movie is great on a Sunday afternoon. B
• Cast Away -- Certainly the kudos for this film will have to go to Tom Hanks. He really does carry the film. Of course without him, the time on the island would be just a ball named Wilson. The floating around in the ocean sequence near the beginning of the film was fabulous in making one feel the vastness of the ocean. There was a keen predictability to the film where you *knew* that items were being highlighted so that they had more meaning at a later point in the film. This object foreshadowing was a wee bit too heavily done, but I still liked it. The ending is pretty anti-climactic and probably far more realistically portrayed than the typical survivor type movies. This one is definitely worth seeing despite my minor whines. A-
• Miss Congeniality-- Another one of the "cute" holiday season movies. Not a lot of surprises in this one...the acting was mediocre, the script was mediocre, but the overall piece was pleasant. B-
• Finding Forrester -- This is a solidly good movie. The script was interesting, the acting was good (excellent in the case of the guy who plays the lead teen!) and the pace was decent. Some may find the pace of the film a bit slow, but for me it was a gentle unraveling of the multi-level plot tones -- generations, cultures, interests, and lifestyles all clash at some point in this film. A-
• Traffic -- Wow. Great movie. It was stressful, dark, thought provoking and depressing...yet enjoyable. My one complaint would be about the use of colored filters to let us know which location was being shown...blue filter in Ohio, yellow in Mexico, etc. Yeah, we got it already. It was a tad bit annoying after a while. One of the actors, Benicio Del Toro always causes me to pause. I look at him and say "handsome...no...ugly...no...sexy...no...hideous". He's got such an interesting face...an odd mix of Brad Pitt and John Wayne and somebody else I can't put my finger on. Anyway, the film itself is excellent...thought provoking, compelling, sad and gritty. A
• Chocolat -- Everybody loves chocolate, well, that is unless you're in a conservative French village during the lent season. Well, of course a wandering chocolatier played by Juliette Binoche happens to set up a chocolate shop in this little village. Chocolate is the devil's candy, don'tcha know? I'm sure you can figure out that some of the townspeople want her out and others find that she and her chocolate are an asset to the community. There's more to the story, but I'll let ya figure that out on your own. The film is gorgeous. That is thanks in part to Juliette Binoche...quite possibly one of the most alluring, timeless actresses around. Yeah, I want to be her when I grow up. Until then, I want her wardrobe. If you take a peek at the Chocolat movie site, and you head toward "The Process" you'll see the designs that Ms. Binoche wore including the captivating portrait collar red dress. It looks much prettier in the film than in the drawing...believe me. Chocolat is definitely a chick flick, but it's so wonderfully crafted that I'd bet most men would enjoy it too. No complaints except that Johnny Depp, a gorgeous creature in his own right, sports a poorly shaved chin which ruins his otherwise *hubba-hubba* face. A-

Before I end up seeing another movie this weekend, I better put up a couple of two second reviews before I forget 'em!

• Vertical Limit-- Lots of great *hold your breath* action in this one although the over all movie fell a wee bit flat. I loved some of the tense scenes, but found myself bored between them because of a lot of the predicability of the general plot lines. Don't get me wrong, there are a few surprises to be had. Overall, it was a decent $7.50 spent. I don't think I'd bother watching it again however. Oh, one thing that *really* bothered me at the theatre...during the opening sequence there's a seriously tense and horrible scene. If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyway, a couple people in the theatre laughed right after that scene. Makes me kind of ill just thinking about it. Yuck, yuck, yuck. People seriously scare and disappoint me sometimes. Movie grade- B
• Proof of Life - It's one of those movies that was ~~OK~~. Nothing really bad nor really good about the flick. Well, Russell Crowe -- definitely good. Yum! Especially yummy 'cuz he's not hiding his Australian accent. :-) The movie seemed to be very *safely* crafted. Not a lot of creative risks being taken...probably what kept it from being better. The low risks also meant that it turned out to be not horrible either. :-) How vague can I possibly be?! :-) B-

Three quick 2 second movie reviews

• Unbreakable -- A look at extremes of the human condition and one man's obsession with another's being seemingly "unbreakable" in contrast to his own frailty. Comic book hero/villain qualities or simply being born lucky and/or unlucky? It's a film with excellent casting...Bruce Willis as the "unbreakable" one and Samuel Jackson as the man who would be glass. The movie's major failure --tries to hard to be "arty" at times to where the direction interferes with the telling of the story. Overall a thought provoking film with a fairly shocking twist near the end. B+
• Bounce -- I liked this one A LOT. An emotionally charged piece with Ben Affleck and Gwenyth Paltrow falling in love as they come to terms with their roles in Ms. Paltrow's husband's death in a plane crash. Ms. Paltrow pleaded with her hubby to make it home for a holiday outing and Mr. Affleck gave his ticket to the hubby so that he could score with a chick at the bar and so that the hubby could make it home for the holiday outing. All of the characters realistically flawed and genuinely likeable in their failings. The survivors meet and lie to each other about their circumstances and then end up falling in love. Of course the reality of the situation needs to come to the surface at some point, right? Well, it does and that's where things get sticky. What is right to say and what is wrong. How much should one sacrifice for love? etc, etc. Bottom line -- a faboo chick flick that guys will enjoy too. A-
• Tao of Steve -- A wee art house film that for me, fell a wee bit flat. It was an enjoyable one and a half hours, but was it the popcorn or the movie? The Steve Tao is a phillosophy that the main character lives by...basically it's an ultimate plan to get laid by being cool. Like Steve McQueen, or Steve McGarrett or Steve Austin. I did enjoy the transformation of the main character from thoughtless "steve" to a pained emotional human...that alone was worth the price of admission. B-

2 second movie review - The Grinch -- If you're into seeing fat folk on the screen, this is the movie for you. All of Whoville is chubby. The film is cute, as expected, but not overwhelmingly engaging. I really enjoyed the first half of the movie but the second half just seemed to get a little Carrey-y. I'm not a huge Jim Carrey fan, so this is a problem for me. The Grinch make-up actually worked very well with Mr. Carrey's usual facial contortions. Overall, a generally fun movie. Don't have too high of expectations, you may get disappointed. B-.

Two minute movie reviews...again!

• Bedazzled -- a cute movie. Brendan Frasier plays a dorkie guy who is befriended by the hot-hot devil aka Elizabeth Hurley. She grants him 7 wishes, yadda, yadda. Old story line, but this rendition of it is actually entertaining. It's not brain surgery...it's just cute. B-
• Charlie's Angels -- A hot, hip, happenin', funny movie packed with action and good humor. The characterizations were very enjoyable and the action scenes are as hip as any male dominated action flick. I enjoyed it immensely. A huge leap above the TV-series. I'm sure there will be a sequel...Yay! A.

Have a great day!

Three 2-second movie reviews. Whoosh...I do see quite a few movies, don't'cha know? I'm not fat...I'm full of movie popcorn.

• Best of Show -- A very funny fake documentary about the dog show circuit. It wasn't drop down on the floor funny, but certainly worth quite a few chuckles. B
• Book of Shadows : Blair Witch 2 -- Just say no. I really, really liked the first movie. I know a lot of people didn't care for it, but I think for those people who enjoy non-slasher movies but still enjoy suspense would enjoy it. If you like ghost stories around a camp fire, you'd probably enjoy the FIRST one. This second movie had a good idea for a plot that really fell short in my estimation. The directing was bad. The acting was pretty bad. The music was BAD. You'd be better off going to go see the Exorcist revival currently in the theatres if you need a good scare tonight. D+
• Lucky Numbers -- Fairly lame, often predictable flick although I *really* enjoyed the Lisa Kudrow characterization. If you don't expect much when you see this one, you'll be getting your money's worth. C+

'tis all. Have a safe and happy Halloween.

Two minute movie review - "Pay It Forward". Not a bad flick...it's got very good performances by Helen Hunt, Haley Joe (I see dead people) Osment and Kevin Spacey. It did go a bit far in tugging at the heart strings. Maybe it was attempting to make a difference in the world much like Osment's character was attempting to do? Maybe so. It did cause me to get moist eyes at times and I liked the characters A LOT, but something was missing. Again, not sure what. I think I say that too often...I ought to figure out what that missing element is someday. :-) B-.

Two second movie review = "The Contender" I liked the film although it's very talky and could be thought of as *boring* by some. The performances were overall pretty good. When Jeff Bridges as the President spoke to the Congress at the end of the film, it nearly made me think that some presidents do in fact have the mettle to run the nation...then all of a sudden, the lights came up and the movie was over. Darn, it was just fiction. B+.

Two, two, two, two two-second interviews in one post!

"Remember the Titans" - a thoughtful racism in America/football piece staring Denzel Washington. Denzel always place the strong stoic type and doesn't disappoint in this movie either while playing a freshly appointed head coach in a newly integrated high school in Virginia. Overall, a really good flick although I really wanted to off the little girl who loved football....there was far TOO much of her sprinkled throughout the film. She was cute the first couple of times, after that she was pure annoying. On a size acceptance note, there was a really fat kid on the team...and no fat jokes were in the film other than one that the kid made himself. Amazing! B.

"Meet the Parents" LOOOOVE this film. It's a very funny flick about a guy meeting the parents of his girlfriend for the first time....uhhh, hence the title. :-) Anyway, the lead character can do no right when he's at the family household...if anything can go wrong, or get misinterpreted, it does. Ben Stiller, as he often does, plays the good hearted soul just a little short on luck...and because of his portrayal, we are able to feel his torment as we look into his soulful eyes. This was one of those movies where I didn't want the film to end, but like a fine box of chocolates, it eventually does. I want to see it again! A.

Two second movie review - "Almost Famous" - a wonderful coming of age flick tossed into a world of 70s rock and roll. A-. The main character's cherubic, innocent face makes the movie so much sweeter.

Two second review of "The Cell": A slightly less intense "Silence of the Lambs" meets the *prettiness* of "What Dreams May Come." Visually appealing and yet *something* is missing. I can't put my finger on it yet. Maybe because I didn't really get a strong feeling for the Jennifer Lopez character nor the main FBI detective. B+ It's been a terrible summer of movies. There are really no stand out movies to mention. The blockbusters fell flat and there haven't been any completely *feel good* movies either. Just overwhelmingly blahhhh.

I'm off to a movie. Dunno which one yet. I'll be back later with a two second review.