The Village
(M. Night Shyamalan, 2004, 130)
A dopey disappointment. Afterwards, there was a discussion whether it was better than Signs or not. I guess I was the only one that thought Signs was better. That movie was a dumb guy's Ordet. This one was a dumb guy's 2-hour Twilight Zone episode.
Bourne Supremacy
(Paul Greengrass, 2004, 315, very good)
If you liked Bourne Identity, then you'll like Bourne Supremacy. Matt Daemon reprises his roll as the super spy Jason Bourne. The movie has excellent action just like the first with some great fight scenes. More interesting is to see how Bourne applies his spy tactics. He is again always one step ahead of the people chasing him. Joan Allen also turns in a nice performance as the CIA agent tracking Bourne. One of the best films, I have seen all year.
Training is over movie goers, this is a live environment, and you are a go to see this movie. Make sure to check this one out in the theatres.
Anchorman
(Adam McKay, 2004, very good)
Will Ferrell and Fred Willard in one movie. And Steve Carell too. The only thing that'd make this movie any better is if it had Bill Murray in it. That'd be a combination for best comedy ever.
That aside, highlights include:
- "It's so hot! ...milk was a bad choice."
- An excellent Planet of the Apes ode/reference.
- More oaths to Norse and Greek Gods than you can count.
- "The Germans discovered it in 1904, and they called it "San Diego", which in German means 'whale's vagina.'"
- Brian Fantana: [speaking of a musk] They've done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time it works every time.
Ron Burgundy: ...That doesn't make any sense, Brian. - "[on the phone] Well, really, I don't know where he would get his hands on German Pornography... but really, as adults, its not like we haven't seen our share of pornography in... Oh you haven't? Well, neither have I, I was just joking... listen, I have to go, we'll talk about this later, Sister Margaret."
And so on, and so forth.
In summary, go see it. And if it's hot, remember, milk will be a bad choice.
All the Real Girls
(2003, David Gordon Green, very good)
(Note: I've decided to eschew the Kelvin rating scale in favor of "stinks," "ok," "good," "very good," and "awesome." Or words along those lines. Having detested most natural science since about the ripe old age of 3 months -- I had a terrible Gerber experience -- I can never remember what those numbers mean, so I'm always looking up the ratings I've given past movies.)
I don't usually like movies that just end all the sudden with no resolution, but if this movie ended with a resolution, it wouldn't have been as good. In fact, All the Real Girls really fits the "real" part of the title: everything about it seems like realism cinema. I don't know if that phrase means anything, I just mean to say it seems like a much more true to life movie than say, Mystic Pizza, or, on the positive side, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The main plot -- which will sound too cheesy if I summarize it -- is laced through-out with an excellent sub-character-plot, that of Bust Ass. Without a doubt, a whole movie could be made out of just this guy. As Chip's pointed out, the deleted scenes have some of the best Bust Ass, e.g.:
Bust Ass: Will you have sex with me?
Lady in bar: No. You just don't get it do you?
Bust Ass: What?
Lady: I'm your cousin! How do you think grandma would feel?!
Bust Ass: Hey, come on!
Lady (walking away): Fuck you!
Bust Ass: Hey, just don't tell my mother.
Lady: I'll tell grandma and your mother.
Bust Ass (drinking beer, muttering to himself): Christmas is fucked.
That's not it exactly, but you get the idea. Maybe if they threw in a Jay and Silent Bob cameo, along with some Ronnie Dobbs, it'd be even better.
Admittedly, it is a romance, so if you don't like those, or you're not into the speed of lackadaisical movies, you might prefer The Untouchables, wherein folks actually do get their heads bashed in.
Spiderman
(2004, Sam Raimi, 62)
So far Spiderman has managed to pull in just over $300 million. I would say the general public seems to like it. The critics also seem to agree. Over at Rotten Tomatoes is scored Fresh with a score of 93%.
So let me be the lone dissenting voice in all the Spiderman hoopla. I for one thought it stunk. The effects were weak. They didn't look realistic at all. They felt way to cartoonish. The villain octopus guy was also weak. Then we have the heart felt melodrama in the middle. Peter has lost faith in himself, oh I am so sad. He has to have real jobs and gets fired, oh I am so sad. He can't go out with Mary Jane, oh I am so sad.
Of course though, there is the whole "there is a hero in all of us" plot point as well. I didn't know we were watching an after school special. How about some anti-drug ads or some reading to your children Public Service Announcements, while were at it.
Several people have said "Spiderman is the best comic/superhero film ever made." Well, I didn't know that we're now grading on a curve. Even if we were I still do not see how this film is any better than say X-Men, Dare Devil, or for that matter Superman I.
If you haven't seen it yet, then you didn't miss anything.
Posted by Random
