Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Quick movie reviews
With reruns populating prime time, my wife and I have been watching tons of movies lately, both in the theater and through the magic of Netflix. This has slowed down for the duration of the World Cup (how bad did the US look, by the way? ugh) but here's a quick take on each movie while they're still fresh in my mind. On an unrelated note, am I the last person to figure out Anthony LaPaglia is from Australia?
Cars - I liked this quite a bit. I thought it was another solid effort from Pixar. The plot was a little thin (not to mention recycled from Doc Hollywood) and it moved somewhat slowly, but it still had a lot going for it, including solid voicework, plenty of subtle visual jokes, and absolutely gorgeous animation. Of course, I'm something of a car nut so identifying the various cars that appeared in the movie was also kind of fun for me.
Waiting... - Awful. The premise was somewhat promising, but really, there was no plot there. Worst of all, Dane Cook and Luis Guzman's talents were both almost totally wasted.
Proof - Not was I was expecting (I didn't read the Netflix description closely enough, I thought it was a thriller for some reason), but still worth watching. It was thought-provoking in that it raised numerous issues of how you define sanity, genius, and even reality itself, but if you are the type of moviegoer that likes a resolution you're not going to get it. Also, there are only four characters in the movie. All of the actors do a nice job, but Gwyneth Paltrow is onscreen the entire time. She is very good, but her character is an emotional wreck from the first minute on, and the screaming and crying became a bit grating at times. One nice aspect is that you don't have to like or understand advanced mathematics to enjoy the movie, although it doesn't hurt.
Garden State - I had heard almost nothing but good things about this movie, and although I liked it, it did not really live up to my expectations. I did enjoy the offbeat humor, for the most part, but I just couldn't get into the characters. Natalie Portman's "Sam", in particular, starts off as completely socially maladjusted, then becomes simply quirky, and later acts almost totally normal, even when meeting new people (which she seemed incapable of in her first scene). Still, I liked some of the creative techniques and dialogue from Braff.
Mission: Impossible III - This movie was exactly what you would expect it to be. Nonstop action, with some scenery-chewing mixed in. More PSH would have been nice, and the opening scene was a bit of a cheat, but there's something to be said for a movie that delivers exactly what it promises.
Brokeback Mountain - Not much to cover that hasn't been already, but I liked it OK. The gay sex didn't bother me, although I was cracking jokes about it so perhaps I doth protest too much. The acting was good, although I think the praise for Ledger and Williams last year was a bit effusive. The real stars were Ang Lee (how versatile is that guy?) and his cinematographer, because the film was beautifully shot. As for the plot, I though it was too slow in the middle, showing us multiple visits to the mountain resulting in very little change in the relationship of the two main characters, but I enjoyed the overall story arc.
Elizabethtown - Another disappointing film, mostly because I expect a lot from Cameron Crowe. I just didn't like Orlando Bloom as the main character; he looked totally out of place. There were a few good scenes in the movie with the great dialogue I expect from Crowe, but for the most part I couldn't figure out where the film was going, with the "go back to your roots" theme and the "weird love story" not meshing terribly well. At least the music was good, if heaped on a bit thick.
Mrs. Henderson Presents - This was a nice little diversion, and a very British comedy. I'm generally all for attractive women without clothes on, although not at the expense of seeing full-frontal Bob Hoskins (shudder). The lovely Kelly Reilly (whom I had recently seen in Pride and Prejudice) made up for that, though. Judi Dench seemed to be having fun with her role, and any movie with Christopher Guest gets 14 bonus points in my book. The plot was pretty straightforward, although a few characters had some skeletons in their respective closets. The key was the back-and-forth dialogue between Dench and Hoskins, which was very energetic and entertaining. Lightweight stuff, even with the dramatic turn at the end, but definitely enjoyable.
Friends With Money - Another well-acted, character-driven piece. I enjoyed the performances by all four lead actresses (Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand, and Joan Cusack) as well as the supporting turns by their respective boyfriends/husbands. I was a little disappointed at the lack of background on each character. For instance, Aniston's character used to be a teacher but is now a maid. Why? Is that all she was qualified to do? Has she always smoked pot? How did she originally meet the rich Cusack character? That last one may have been left out intentionally, since the focus is the current relationship of the four women, but there is nothing else in the movie that really makes it even plausible. Despite that, the interactions are almost always entertaining, even the very strange Ambiguously Gay Duo of McDormand's husband and his friend. I like Aniston in these more esoteric roles, when she has to carry a more typical movie, it can go downhill quickly.
Which brings me to... Rumor Has It - Blech. This movie was chock full of whiny characters that you kind of want to slap, plot contrivances, and WINK WINK self references. For the most part, Aniston sleepwalks through her role. Kevin Costner's OK, but he can't save this clunker.
Walk the Line - I found this one very enjoyable. I knew nothing about Johnny Cash going into it and I'm still not a big fan of his style of music, but I found the movie both interesting and entertaining. I thought it was quite a bit more balanced and realistic than Ray, which I felt lionized the lead character a bit too much. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon both totally immersed themselves in their roles. Joaquin really rocks the "guy whose inherent craziness makes him a great actor" vibe. A few scenes that included full-length Cash songs dragged a bit for me, but I can see why they were included.
Alright, that's it for now. Now at home are The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Million Dollar Baby (yeah, I know). Perhaps I'll expound on them later.
Cars - I liked this quite a bit. I thought it was another solid effort from Pixar. The plot was a little thin (not to mention recycled from Doc Hollywood) and it moved somewhat slowly, but it still had a lot going for it, including solid voicework, plenty of subtle visual jokes, and absolutely gorgeous animation. Of course, I'm something of a car nut so identifying the various cars that appeared in the movie was also kind of fun for me.
Waiting... - Awful. The premise was somewhat promising, but really, there was no plot there. Worst of all, Dane Cook and Luis Guzman's talents were both almost totally wasted.
Proof - Not was I was expecting (I didn't read the Netflix description closely enough, I thought it was a thriller for some reason), but still worth watching. It was thought-provoking in that it raised numerous issues of how you define sanity, genius, and even reality itself, but if you are the type of moviegoer that likes a resolution you're not going to get it. Also, there are only four characters in the movie. All of the actors do a nice job, but Gwyneth Paltrow is onscreen the entire time. She is very good, but her character is an emotional wreck from the first minute on, and the screaming and crying became a bit grating at times. One nice aspect is that you don't have to like or understand advanced mathematics to enjoy the movie, although it doesn't hurt.
Garden State - I had heard almost nothing but good things about this movie, and although I liked it, it did not really live up to my expectations. I did enjoy the offbeat humor, for the most part, but I just couldn't get into the characters. Natalie Portman's "Sam", in particular, starts off as completely socially maladjusted, then becomes simply quirky, and later acts almost totally normal, even when meeting new people (which she seemed incapable of in her first scene). Still, I liked some of the creative techniques and dialogue from Braff.
Mission: Impossible III - This movie was exactly what you would expect it to be. Nonstop action, with some scenery-chewing mixed in. More PSH would have been nice, and the opening scene was a bit of a cheat, but there's something to be said for a movie that delivers exactly what it promises.
Brokeback Mountain - Not much to cover that hasn't been already, but I liked it OK. The gay sex didn't bother me, although I was cracking jokes about it so perhaps I doth protest too much. The acting was good, although I think the praise for Ledger and Williams last year was a bit effusive. The real stars were Ang Lee (how versatile is that guy?) and his cinematographer, because the film was beautifully shot. As for the plot, I though it was too slow in the middle, showing us multiple visits to the mountain resulting in very little change in the relationship of the two main characters, but I enjoyed the overall story arc.
Elizabethtown - Another disappointing film, mostly because I expect a lot from Cameron Crowe. I just didn't like Orlando Bloom as the main character; he looked totally out of place. There were a few good scenes in the movie with the great dialogue I expect from Crowe, but for the most part I couldn't figure out where the film was going, with the "go back to your roots" theme and the "weird love story" not meshing terribly well. At least the music was good, if heaped on a bit thick.
Mrs. Henderson Presents - This was a nice little diversion, and a very British comedy. I'm generally all for attractive women without clothes on, although not at the expense of seeing full-frontal Bob Hoskins (shudder). The lovely Kelly Reilly (whom I had recently seen in Pride and Prejudice) made up for that, though. Judi Dench seemed to be having fun with her role, and any movie with Christopher Guest gets 14 bonus points in my book. The plot was pretty straightforward, although a few characters had some skeletons in their respective closets. The key was the back-and-forth dialogue between Dench and Hoskins, which was very energetic and entertaining. Lightweight stuff, even with the dramatic turn at the end, but definitely enjoyable.
Friends With Money - Another well-acted, character-driven piece. I enjoyed the performances by all four lead actresses (Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand, and Joan Cusack) as well as the supporting turns by their respective boyfriends/husbands. I was a little disappointed at the lack of background on each character. For instance, Aniston's character used to be a teacher but is now a maid. Why? Is that all she was qualified to do? Has she always smoked pot? How did she originally meet the rich Cusack character? That last one may have been left out intentionally, since the focus is the current relationship of the four women, but there is nothing else in the movie that really makes it even plausible. Despite that, the interactions are almost always entertaining, even the very strange Ambiguously Gay Duo of McDormand's husband and his friend. I like Aniston in these more esoteric roles, when she has to carry a more typical movie, it can go downhill quickly.
Which brings me to... Rumor Has It - Blech. This movie was chock full of whiny characters that you kind of want to slap, plot contrivances, and WINK WINK self references. For the most part, Aniston sleepwalks through her role. Kevin Costner's OK, but he can't save this clunker.
Walk the Line - I found this one very enjoyable. I knew nothing about Johnny Cash going into it and I'm still not a big fan of his style of music, but I found the movie both interesting and entertaining. I thought it was quite a bit more balanced and realistic than Ray, which I felt lionized the lead character a bit too much. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon both totally immersed themselves in their roles. Joaquin really rocks the "guy whose inherent craziness makes him a great actor" vibe. A few scenes that included full-length Cash songs dragged a bit for me, but I can see why they were included.
Alright, that's it for now. Now at home are The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Million Dollar Baby (yeah, I know). Perhaps I'll expound on them later.
Labels: Movies
Monday, June 12, 2006
A Guide to Eating
Yes, I'm already slacking off with this blog, although to be fair, I've tried to post but Blogger's website has been down for me a lot lately. A friend of mine just forwarded me an email from her receptionist (who is kind of a harpy) that contained ridiculously basic instructions on how to "help her out" (e.g. "answer the phone when I page you", "sign out when you leave the office", etc.) I responded with a list of instructions that I thought might help her out. Here it is.
Some things that would be extremely helpful to remember when you are eating
food:
1. Food goes in your mouth. After you have put the food in your mouth, you must chew it and swallow it. This makes it go into your stomach, where it is digested, providing your body with essential nutrients and vitamins.
It's a good idea to eat some food every day.
2. Some foods are eaten hot, and some cold. Cold items should be kept in the refrigerator. Hot items may need to be warmed up in the microwave.
Using these appliances will ensure that your food is the correct temperature when you follow step 1. If you are unsure which category your food falls into, ask your supervisor.
3. Remember, use utensils! Spoons are great when eating something liquid, like soup. Forks are not. Use the right tool for the job!
4. If someone else is eating food, you may want to ask before suddenly grabbing and eating some of it, even if you're really hungry.
5. If you don't like the food you're eating, try a different kind! There are all kinds of different foods that are available at your local supermarket. You can buy them using money.
Following these few simple steps will ensure that everyone does not revert to a caveman state or die of malnutrition. Thanks for your cooperation!!!
Some things that would be extremely helpful to remember when you are eating
food:
1. Food goes in your mouth. After you have put the food in your mouth, you must chew it and swallow it. This makes it go into your stomach, where it is digested, providing your body with essential nutrients and vitamins.
It's a good idea to eat some food every day.
2. Some foods are eaten hot, and some cold. Cold items should be kept in the refrigerator. Hot items may need to be warmed up in the microwave.
Using these appliances will ensure that your food is the correct temperature when you follow step 1. If you are unsure which category your food falls into, ask your supervisor.
3. Remember, use utensils! Spoons are great when eating something liquid, like soup. Forks are not. Use the right tool for the job!
4. If someone else is eating food, you may want to ask before suddenly grabbing and eating some of it, even if you're really hungry.
5. If you don't like the food you're eating, try a different kind! There are all kinds of different foods that are available at your local supermarket. You can buy them using money.
Following these few simple steps will ensure that everyone does not revert to a caveman state or die of malnutrition. Thanks for your cooperation!!!
