Good Night and Good Movie
November 28, 2005
I loved this film. It is about Edward R. Murrow, CBS anchor from the 1950’s. During the time of the McCarthy trials, Murrow uses television journalism to stand up to the unorthodox/unconstitutional tactics used by Senator Joseph P. McCarthy in McCarthy’s communist “witch hunt” trials.
David Strathairn does a phenomenal job of playing Ed Murrow. He very acurately portrays Murrow’s distinct voice as well as Murrow’s chain smoking. George Clooney directed the film very well, and Clooney actually does a good job acting in the film too as CBS producer Fred Friendly. The other actors/actresses, though many are “big names” don’t play a very significant role in the movie, so their performances aren’t much to speak of: Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Daniels, etc..
I found the moive to be very thought provoking and moving. It is a great look at defending one’s consitutional rights and how media can be used as a force for good. It is also a great look at how ridiculous accusations can be made with little or no evidence, and those accusations can get credence simply because people are living in fear. It is a reminder that we have to judge situations using facts not hearsay or assumptions. Government should be used to protect the rights of the individual. Each individual is entitled to a fair and speedy trial, and the burden of proof (legitimate proof) should always rest on the prosecution not the defendent.
It was a really neat movie with excellent acting and cinematography. I also loved how they seemlessly tied in the actual television footage of McCarthy’s rebuttal, and the trials: beautiful editing. The soundtrack was pretty sparse, but that’s what I’d expect from a film like this. Overall well done! I’d go see it again but not immediately; it is a movie I would own.
Fantastic Phoenix in Walk the Line
November 21, 2005
Perhaps it is just me, but I love biopics. I love learning about someone’s life behind the scenes. It is especially cool to see a bio of a musician because you always wonder: “Where did he think up those lyrics? Why did he carry himself the way he did? How did he become the man that he became?”
Personally, I am a Johnny Cash fan just because my father would listen to Johnny Cash every so often. Johnny Cash has one of the most recognizable and enduring voices in music history. I didn’t grow up when he was at his prime, so I don’t remember him in the news or anything about him. In fact I didn’t even know what he looked like. I just knew his voice.
Well, in this flim, Joaquin Phoenix not only does an excellent job of making the drama real, but he does an impeccable job of imitating the legendary voice and guitar of Cash. Phoenix has proven himself to be an outstanding actor in this film…I was amazed. Reese Witherspoon does a fantastic job as well at complementing Phoenix’s performance as Cash’s longtime friend and eventual wife June Carter.
Though it’s not the happiest film you will see at the theatre, it is a great story, and the acting is phenomenal. I give the film five stars. Here’s a link to the review on Fandango.
Here’s a link to see the trailer and get movie times on Fandango.
Want to see Alexander? Don’t.
November 20, 2005
It had all the makings of a great epic: the costumes, the scenery, the extras, the animals… even the excessive length (about 3 hours).
But, for all that, Alexander just didn’t make a great epic movie.
I saw a lot wrong with the film, but perhaps my biggest gripe is that the subject himself just doesn’t fit in with Hollywood’s “epic hero” archetype.
Let’s take William Wallace of Braveheart (which in my mind was a successful Hollywood epic). Wallace was a likeable character. He fought for a just cause (actually several). He was an underdog. All of these things together made Wallace a character audiences rooted for.
Now back to Alexander. He’s a complicated character. He’s full of pride. He’s master of his domain, but that’s not enough for him. He has inner demons he can’t deal with. And, after trekking east for years and years, his once-loyal army starts to dislike him and question his leadership.
Now, you could say that Alexander’s complicated life in fact makes him a more rounded and interesting character, and this might be true. But complicated characters don’t make great epic heroes.
You could also say that that, while the Braveheart script actually mangles a lot of historical fact, the Alexander script (because the story it tells is so well known) was a challenge to sculpt into an epic. But there are ways around this (for instance, just tell part of the story so you can frame it more appealingly but still stay true to history).
Basically, as fascinating as Alexander is historically, he just doesn’t come across well on the big screen.
Ready to rent movies at McDonald’s?
November 19, 2005
I was skeptical about the idea of Redbox — that is, going to my local Mickey D’s and renting a movie. I mean, what movies would they have? (Would it just be Disney and Warner Bros.?) Would I be required to purchase fries with my movie?
But the process was painless. The selection wasn’t really large (about 50 movies tops), but it mixed kid-friendly fare with adult-oriented new releases — and new releases are really the only things I like to rent anyway.
You pick your title, swipe your credit card, and the DVD pops out. The best part? Costs just $1.08 ($1 plus tax, which is 8 cents where I am, but could be different depending on where you reside). They are even special offers that periodically pop up, so some nights you might even be able to finagle a free rental.
So check here to see if there’s a Redbox near you. Questions? Read their sassy little FAQ.
Batman Begins: Too bad all the Batman movies weren’t this good
November 19, 2005
I saw Batman Begins last night on DVD, and it was very good — especially compared to the recent lackluster Batman films (especially Batman Forever). Rotten Tomatoes gives it a “fresh” rating (which is a thumbs-up in tomato-land).
Christian Bale does a more-than-decent job as the caped crusader. Michael Caine makes a terrific Alfred. Dawson’s Creek (and now Tom Cruise’s) chick Katie Holmes plays Rachel Dawes. Cillian Murphy, who I’d never heard of before (and who might make an attractive female, what do you think?), plays Dr. Crane. Other notable players include Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman.
“What Lies Beneath” Less Than Scary
November 18, 2005
Okay, I admit I’m a bit behind in the movie-watching department. I just rented the 2000 movie What Lies Beneath. I can’t say I was really impressed with it, but here’s the scoop.
Norman (Harrison Ford) and Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) Spencer have the perfect life: a beautiful, college-bound daughter, a gorgeous new house by a lake in Vermont, and Norman’s successful career as a geneticist.
Claire sees and hears her new neighbors arguing on several occasions. When the husband sneaks a body-sized bundle into the trunk of his car on a rainy night, she thinks he’s murdered his wife. After doing some checking, Norman assures Claire that the husband wouldn’t hurt a flea. But Claire won’t stop believing what she saw, and when a specter appears in her bathroom, Claire looks deeper into the mystery.
While at first she believes the ghost is that of the murdered neighbor, she learns that a college student (Amber Valetta) was murdered about a year ago, and she’s still listed as a missing person. Not coincidentally, Claire had been in a car crash about a year ago, and she can’t quite recall the details surrounding it. Claire believes the ghost is real, but husband Norman ignores her claims of seeing the dead woman and sends her to a psychiatrist.
Throughout the movie the ghost haunts Claire, her image appearing up in the reflection of Claire’s bathtub and in the lake behind her house. The front door opens voluntarily, appliances switch on and off, and the same picture keeps falling and breaking. Who is the girl and why is she haunting Claire?
The girl turns out to be a former student of Norman’s who disappeared. Did she run away? Is she dead? Claire begins to wonder what happened to the girl, and if her husband had anything to do with it. So she becomes an self-proclaimed investigator, seeking clues to the mystery. Eerily enough, the missing girl looks much like Claire.
The first forty-five minutes of the movie is quite slow, but pay close attention as much of the dialogue leads up to solving Claire’s mystery.
Credit should be given to both Pfeiffer and Ford, who are as always, extraordinary actors. Pfeiffer’s character Claire is extremely believable, making the viewer feel sorry for her having to be frightened by the ghost and have a husband who won’t understand her fears. Ford is quite clever as the intriguing Dr. Spencer, who pretends to be hard at work on a research paper and doesn’t have time for his wife’s suspicions that their home is haunted.
The supporting cast is thin, with most of them not having more than a scene or two. Veteran film director Robert Zemeckis (whose movies include Contact, Forrest Gump, Back to the Future and Romancing the Stone) gives the film a suitably eerie feel, using a series of creative camera positions to achieve certain visual tricks. This movie takes audiences on a faster ride with quick camera cuts and sharp picture angles.
As with many of Zemeckis’ movies, What Lies Beneath is quite predictable. It’s almost painfully obvious what’s going to happen next. It’s not a bad movie, just a little too easy to figure out. But it’s worth watching as Ford and Pfeiffer work very well together.
Click here for information on the film from the Internet Movie Database.
Click here for a review on Yahoo! Movies.
“Premonition” Weaves a Frightening Tale
November 18, 2005
I recently watched the movie Premonition. I thought it was a great thriller and wanted to share my review.
Hideki Satomi, a college professor and his family, wife Ayaka and their young daughter. Hideki finds a newspaper in a phone booth that has an obituary on it - and it’s his daughter’s. What is even more horrifying is that the date on the newspaper is the current day! Before he can stop the awful car crash that kills his daughter, it’s over. Hideki cannot deal with losing his daughter. He and Ayaka become estranged.
Three years later, Hideki finds yet another mysterious newspaper chronicling another terrible death. He takes it to Ayaka, who doesn’t believe he saw their daughter’s obituatry in the other newspaper, and tells Hideki he’s crazy. But future-telling newspapers showing horrible deaths all over Japan keep being forced through Hideki’s mail slot by unseen hands. Hideki doesn’t know why he is receiving the newspapers but begins to wonder if it is a sign that they should try to stop the tragic events unfolding on the sinister pages.
Together Hideki and Ayaka try to solve the mystery of the newspapers’ origins and learn that they cannot change fate - even their own - without consequences.
Hiroshi Mikami, the actor who portrays Hideki Satomi, has an amazingly expressive face. I found myself not really even reading the subtitling because I could see everything he was thinking, wondering and going through on his face. I was absolutely on the edge of my seat through the whole film! It did start out a bit slow, but once things began progressing, it was nail-biting. I thought Mikami was really amazing as the disraught, frightened main character.
Another thing I liked about this movie was seeing the images of Japan. The beautiful cities, the minimalist and incredibly well-kept little apartments Hideki and Ayaka lived in. It was a movie for the eyes as well as the story line.
The movie is in Japanese but is subtitled in English. Unlike some subtitled films, the dialogue is really quite simple and gives the viewer plenty of time to read the words before they flash to another scene.
To find this movie you might try searching by its Japanese title, Yogen. I am not sure of the rating, though I would say in the US it might be R because of some violence/frightening scenes.
Click here to link to information on the Internet Movie Database.
Click here to link to a review from Yahoo! Movies.
The Moolah Theatre (St. Louis, MO)
November 14, 2005
The Moolah is a theatre in the Central West End of St. Louis at the intersection of Lindell and Vandeventer. It is a one screen movie theatre with 400 seats. About one third of their seats (in the center of the theatre) are very comfortable leather couches! It has all the ammenities of a normal state-of-the-art theatre with all of the comforts of your home entertainment center (except for a remote). Parking is in the rear and costs $1, but if you present your receipt at the consession stand you get a $2 discount on any purchase (what a great marketing tool; I usually never buy from the consession stand). Overall, I give this theatre 5 stars; I loved it!
Go to the Moolah website for more information.
Zathura (PG: 2005)
November 13, 2005
| Zathura (PG: 2006) http://movies.yahoo.com/shop;_ylt=AuIqUCj1PK_TRSNMi3mG22pfVXcA?d=hv&cf=info&id=1808404698 Starring: Tim Robbins, Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart Directed by: Jon Favreau Produced by: Ted Field, William Teitler, Scott Kroopf The Jumanji styled adventure happens again when two boys left home alone to a sleeping older sister discover a game box in the basement of their dad’s house. Magical and mystical it throws them into outerspace for a high action packed adventure they have to finish if they want to return home. Killer robots, flesh eating lizards, and tons of meteor showers are only the tip of the iceburg they have to cross. Rating 4 stars out of 5. Viewed 11/12/2005. |
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Prime (PG-13, 2005)
November 13, 2005
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Prime (PG-13: 2005) http://movies.yahoo.com/shop;_ylt=AtWyz4VLu8LTXXxNQHamb6RfVXcA?d=hv&cf=info&id=1808640998 Starring: Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, Bryan Greenberg, Jon Abrahams, Jerry Adler Directed by: Ben Younger Produced by: Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd, Mark Gordon
A story of love and integrity hits the heart and rumbles the laughter as this tale of a 37 year old divorcee hooks up with a 23 year old young man. Is the age-gap too large? Hit right home since I’m 37 and lately have been dating ‘twenty-somethings’ lately. But the catch even turns wilder as she discovers she’s dating the son of her therapist! It’s a hilarious and sensual story of lovers in New York combatting everything standing against their age, faith, and integrity. Rating 5 stars out of 5. Viewed 11/12/2005. |
