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Reviews
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
It's no "Empire", but it comes pretty close.
As soon as the music hits and "Star Wars" blazes onto the screen, you are thrown back to a time long ago, when you only knew of George Lucas from American Graffiti. This excitement builds whenever I see the intro, and I am always reminded of the first time I saw A New Hope. You realize this is going to be a great theatrical experience but then you remember... The Phantom Menace made me feel the same way too, that is, until those three paragraphs faded out of view and the movie started. Without giving anything away, I want to say full out that this film is NOT THE PHANTOM MENACE. This is old school Star Wars with new school special effects, plain and simple. We have everything, good guy gusto and bad guy brashness. From the first thrilling scenes to the final close that leaves you wanting more, I felt a tingle that kept with me long after the final credits rolled. But... with all reviews, I have to give some shortcomings. First, the characterization is better (much better) than Menace, but it still feels like Christiansen and most obviously Portman actually have to dumb down their acting skills to play these characters. They don't overact... it's just that they have traditionally played more in depth roles (Life as a House for Christiansen, and Portman's enitire catalog except Menace). Aside from this and one other shortcoming (Yoda is all animated... I miss the puppet. The puppet worked, and looked real enough. Yoda actually gives the movie a cartoony, video game feel.)The movie is fantastic. Most other performances are done extremely well, and for those who think this movie will ruin the classic star wars experience, it won't. I feel it will enhance what you already love, because like I said before... IT IS NOT THE PHANTOM MENACE.
Everything for a Reason (2000)
A great firm from New Jersey that's NOT by Kevin Smith!
I saw this film at the New York Comedy Film Festival at the Anthology Film Archives in November 2001 and was delightfully surprised at what I saw. My sister is a friend of Vlas and Charley (writer/director & producer) and I tagged along for lack of anything better to do. I'm glad I did. For those who have no idea about the movie, Everything For A Reason is a story of a handful of Greek Twenty-somethings and the relationship ups-and downs that they endure during a summer at the Jersey Shore. Not being Greek I was a bit skeptical at this aspect of the film when I first heard of it but was glad that it just played as a backdrop to the story and not the focus. To give a little more detail without ruining anything, Manny, the main character, is an aspiring screenwriter who is looking for a girl who he can have fun with but not get so involved as to overshadow his career. He meets Eve, the girl of his dreams and is exited to find out she's a virgin. Now, not having to worry about the relationship getting to far, he can focus on his career... or so he thinks. Meanwhile, Manny's best friend Teddy is relentlessly trying to get back with his girlfriend all the while trying to help Manny out with his problems. Tie this all in with more relationship woes and you come up with one of the most refreshing and original comedies in years. Although I love this movie and hope it finds good distribution so I could see it again, there are a few minor flaws that I would like to bring up. Although this could be the fault of the theater, the film's sound quality was at times horrible. I don't know if re-dubbing was possible on this film but the dialog goes from perfect to inaudible at times. There are also a few minor editing glitches that don't really affect the movie but annoy you anyway. Other than these few technical errors, my only complaint is in the first ten minutes. The beginning of this film is tolerable to poor if best. It feels like a bad home movie that is barely salvaged by a poor bathroom joke. I honestly wasn't expecting much of the film during the first few minutes but was blown away by the rest. This is a great movie that doesn't rely on shock humor to get you laughing. It's an intelligent and clever look on relationships centered within the Greek community and I recommend it.