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Reviews
War of the Worlds (2005)
All the special effects in the world couldn't save this movie.
Every single movie that I have seen this summer is a better movie than War of the Worlds, and none of them cost nearly as much to make.
Beneath a veil of absolutely stunning (and insanely gory) special effects, lies a plot that is so implausible that I left the theater laughing at first, then cursing Spielburg later. I want my $7.50 back.
I will not tell any secrets or spoilers, but I will say that an entirely superior alien race made a plan a VERY long time ago to wipe out the human race. In all that time, they couldn't find a better and more cost-effective method? Those really cool toys (that seem like Star Wars rip-offs) seem to be able to destroy anything, so why did they wait to attack for so long? If you're willing to accept all of this, one might wonder what the alien motive is? What are they getting for their effort? I saw the movie and still don't understand.
What I do know is that the ending, without giving anything away, is going to leave every self-respecting, even mildly intelligent person asking, "Does Spielburg really expect us to buy into this?"
Bewitched (2005)
Too much effort for what should have been a simple film
Bewtiched is a complicated effort in way. I don't mean to imply that it is hard to follow. Actually, it might have been too easy to follow and begins to drag a bit toward the end.
I say the effort is complicated because Ephron chose to make this a movie about a group of actors and a REAL witch remaking the original Bewitched television for the world of television within the fictional world of the movie.
This seems more complicated than it is. The movie is easy to follow, but the layering of the plot creates a cast of characters we aren't really invested in. The plot exists, much like the original TV show, to set up specific, comedic scenarios, and the effort is often strained and obvious. In the end, the movie is more complicated and taken more seriously than it needed to be. A simple remake would have been better I think, and I don't say that to be a purist. Change is fine, but a movie about remaking a sitcom is just one layer too thick, and it led to a movie that was longer than it needed to be.
Still, this movie set out to be a cute movie that nods to the original and to do something different than a simple remake of the original show. It succeeds in being cute, and Nichole Kidman has a surprising amount of chemistry with Will Farrell. Michael Caine is always enough of a presence in a movie to boost its score a little bit, and he adds to the chemistry of the actors as a whole The casting was excellent. I claimed that Mr. & Mrs. Smith was a movie saved from being "bad" by the chemistry of its actors, but Brad and Angelina's chemistry is dependent on their real life relationship to give it legitimacy (if only on the subconscious level). The cast of Bewitched has independent and unexpected chemistry that made the scenes seem a bit more magical.
The basic plot of Mr. & Mrs. was better, but Bewitched beats it in the execution phase by keeping (if only slightly) a better pace and spending less time (although not by much) investing in high-cost special effects that detract from a story not calling for them. An unusual comparison these two movies might be, but they were box office competitors and both appealed to the "date" crowd that seems to be the largest movie-going force these days when most people seem to prefer waiting for the DVD. Though I wish I had waited for the DVD on both films (to rent - not buy), Bewitched is the better movie for those looking for a date movie. It would also make a good stay-in date when the DVD comes out, though.
Batman Begins (2005)
Finally, a Batman movie about Batman.
Batman movies in the past have always been about the villain. While villains are often what makes a piece of fiction truly captivating, developing intriguing villains should never be at the expense of developing the main character.
Batman is a character who has CHOSEN to develop a second personality in the way that some people who endure personal tragedies do subconsciously. This is a truly unique decision as most of humanity tries to grieve by moving on with their lives and remembering the good times. Bruce Wayne chooses to become Batman. The question that no other film has really explored is WHY the heir to a billion-dollar enterprise would make such a decision. No human in history has ever made such a decision to my knowledge, so Batman Begins had a hard sell to pitch.
This is the movie's greatest strength. Rather than shying away from this crucial question, Batman Begins embraced it and used some 2 hours and 14 minutes to explore the answer. We are given, for the first time, a real Bruce Wayne to go with our Batman, and the villains are secondary. Perhaps in sequels it is more appropriate to focus on the villain(s), but not before we have a movie explaining who Bruce Wayne is. Finally we do, and there is a decent amount of time explaining that Bruce Wayne has become Batman, and now Bruce Wayne is the real mask, the real charade. Somehow that makes all that is unbelievable about Batman come to life and seem, in some impossible way, to be possible.
On this film versus Tim Burton's 1989 Batman (a large topic of online debate). Burton's Gotham City and depiction of Batman had an atmosphere and world that truly felt like it could produce a character such as Batman, and it really sold us on the Joker. What it did not do was sell us on Bruce Wayne (a mistake that continued for three subsequent films and one more director). When Batman took off the cape and cowl in the 1989 film, Michael Keaton looked the part and performed well, but there was no dialog or plot development leading us to believe that Burce Wayne had any inner turmoil. The reclusiveness of the Bruce Wayne played by Keaton (and three subsequent actors) made the entire film unbelievable. If Bruce Wayne hid away in his mansion nursing battle wounds and was one of the few men alive with the means and motive to become a vigilante AND was generally anti-social, then surely he would be discovered as Batman very quickly.
Of course Bruce Wayne has to be all those things Michael Keaton portrayed him to be: reclusive, introverted, and quietly furious with the world that murdered his parents. It wasn't that Christian Bale is a better actor than Michael Keaton, necessarily, it's that Batman Begins generally does a better job of explaining the reason for Wayne's fury. also, we believe the Bruce Wayne of Batman Begins could keep his moonlighting a secret because he takes measures to build a public image counter to his nature by making himself appear to be the quintessential playboy.
The 1989 film created a beautiful, film noir depiction of Gotham that I love. The 2005 version kept that dark image of Gotham and gave it an almost industrial feeling that mimics that of the city in Blade Runner. Both approaches work because they evoke a feeling of dark desperation. Burton's noir approach didn't work as well when he took it beyond the scenery to the story. Gotham can't be like a Bogart film because it admits that there is a world outside Gotham that is peaceful and normal. Gotham City is supposed to be PARTICULAR in its darkness, and though it scenes are welcome to be dark and evil, it must stand constrastly to the rest of the world and to some of its citizens. There were no brighter elements to the Burton film, no characters that truly seemed innocent. Who was Michael Keaton trying to save?
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Rental - Mediocre and Overproduced
The basic plot was an interesting idea (obliviously married hit men) but was poorly developed in a week script and poorly executed with strained dialog. The actors do well with what they're given, and Vince Vaughan in particular seemed to shine for me, which should tell you why I think the movie is more of a rental than a trip to the theater. Vaughan, much like Will Farrell, is often funny, but his performances, on their own, are rarely enough to make me run to the theater (Swingers being the only exception coming to mind).
The film is saved by the chemistry between Jolie and Pitt, but it's chemistry we know comes from a real relationship. They carry it into the film, but I don't think the lines they deliver would have been believable outside that subconscious acknowledgment that they are really together. The movie, however, doesn't depend on plausibility for its kicks, which is fine. Still, after a while the glitzy and overdone special effects cease to impress and cover the lack of good writing.
All that said, it's a good movie to rent with your spouse, date, or significant other. Women seem to get more of a kick out of it than do men (check the demographics by vote), so it's something a guy can watch and enjoy while his date thinks he picked a real winner.
Alien (1979)
The Greatest SciFi - Horror Film Ever
10/10 Movie: Alien (1979)
Scroll to bottom for bottom line.
Some movies aspire to be what Alien is. It is in my mind and the minds of many others what SciFi is all about_: a sense of wondering. Every glimpse of the derelict vessel on LV-420 is a glimpse into the depths of human imagination.
Some SciFi movies are filled with adventure, and some with romance, or ingenuity, but Alien is a SciFi movie filled with horror, suspense, and wonder. The basic question SciFi always gets around to is not about the future or its innovations, but whether we are alone in the universe. Is there someone, or someone else out there?
Alien has the answer, and it may be more than you are willing to handle. The movie is definitely not suitable for younger viewers, as it is among Hollywood's finest suspense films. There are moments in ALien that would make any reasonable person shake in his skin.
And now for the breakdown:
Sound: Simply eerie. The ambient sounds in the background, the humming and pinging of the ship, metallic clankings, and every squeal of the Alien adds to the suspense and fear the viewer will be doubtlessly experiencing.
Music: Once again, eerie. everything audiowise in this movie deserves that adjective. the music is soft and understated, but in this type of film the soft creepy tones you hear are perfect. I am quite certain a large musical score would have been too distracting, and what audiences did get was a very soft musical presence that supplements the movie's mood.
Set Design/Scenery: This film is the best SciFi film I have ever seen, even to date, for the set design. SciFi films always try to make the settings look to grandiose or too extravagent. The Nostromo, however, looks like a warehouse or a factory, with only a small area designed to accomodate the crew. It really looks like it was designed for mining purposes since machinery and equipment dominate the ship while there are but smally cubby holes for the crew (which Parker or Brett one decorated with nudy photos - adding to the realism). LV420 is equally impressive with its harsh conditions and low visibility. Most impressive of all for me was the derelict alien spacecraft and the "Pilot" as he is so often referred to as. The scenes of that ship are simply beyond description, and to think the movie was released into theaters in 1979! You would never know it from the sets.
Plot: Amazing. I hate to overstate anything, and I rarely am so giving with my praise as this, but the plot was amazing. It is sort of simple, but unique. An evil unnamed (at least in the first film) corporation redirects one of its mining ships to intercept a communication of unknown origin. The crew rises from Cryo-sleep to investigate the signal, as is required by a clause in their contracts under penalty of "total forfeiture of shares". The crew sets own on the planet where the signal has come from. Some of the crew investigate the derelict alien spacecraft that has long been on the planet while Lt. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) discovers to their dismay that the signal was in fact a distress signal. Meanwhile, those of the crew inspecting the derelict ship find that its pilot is dead in his chair: something burst through his ribcage. It would appear that their was a second species on the derelict ship, and it is very much alive. What's worse, a member of the second species
Subplots: This movie had a few of them. There was the ongoing stryfe between Parker, Brett, and the rest of the crew. Apparently Parker and Brett get paid half as much as the rest of the crew, and there was a lot of tension concerning the "bonus situation". Also, there was the relationship between the creature and the Company, and also the betrayal of Ash and his connection to the Company. I am also given pause to wonder more about the origins of the Pilot species and its connection to the alien (ie - why all those eggs were aboard its ship and where the rest of its crew was if any ever existed). There was a lot left to the imagination. My biggest gripe with Alien's sequels is that none of them deal with these latter questions. Maybe Alien Versus the Predator will go into it, but I doubt it. Actually, I am hoping that it will not, since any answers given would be rushed in a film about both these creatures. With a poor director like Paul Anderson on the AVP film, I am sure a lot of the alien and predator fans will see their favorite SciFi characters dragged through the mud.
Mood: Eerie (have I said that enough?). Thanks largely to the white areas of the living area sof the Nostromo contrasting with the metal, dark-coloured mechanical portions of the ship where the creature lurks, the film manages to create a simultaneously gritty and sterile environment either of which could get the mind wandering places one wouldn't want it to in such a place. Even without the alien lurking about the halls of the Nostromo it is a breeding ground for fear. The movie definitley illicits fear and eerieness. It also illicits a feeling of remoteness as a result of truly feeling distanced from the rest of humankind. The small number of people in the cast helps add to the feeling of isolation that allows the imagination to really go wild conjuring up all kinds of opportunies for the alien to appear when in fact the creature often appears when you least expect it.
Dialogue/Characterization: There is no over-acting here. the characters all act exactly as a I would expect random people in such a predicament to react. They were not soldiers or explorers (well Kane was sort of an explorer at heart -- poor guy should have known he was in a horror flick where it least pays to have that pioneering spirit), but they were miners and truckers of the futuristic sort. Weaver, Skerrit, Cartwright, Stanton, and Kotto all performed as their characters would have had the situation been real. This sounds like a duh for most movies, but SciFi actors usually overact, and characters in horror movies rarely act with any semblance of human nature. This movie comes across with a real presence ofor both genres with character that were both written and acted believably.
BOTTOM LINE: Buy this movie if you ever buy anything else SciFi or horror. In fact, buy the whole Quadriology in box set. The last two films are markedly lower quality than the first two, but there was a lot of room to fall from standard set by Alien and Aliens. the latter two films are still enjoyable, and buy the time you have paid for Alien and Aliens, you may as well shell out an extra $20 and have the whole 9-disc set.
Hangmen (1987)
This movie is not old enough to suck this bad and get away with it.
This movie is from the 80s, but it looks like it was made in the stone age. The effects are way too cheesy. My copy has Sandra Bullock on the cover, which was why I bought the movie. She was in the movie for about 5 minutes of total screentime. She would most likely deny all involvement.
In short, there is no part of this movie worth seeing, except to laugh at how bad it sucks. Rent this to see the worst film ever made, bar none.
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Fantastic CGI
This film had some of the best scenery and backdrops of any film I have seen to date, computer-generated or otherwise. Even if the plot of the film does not agree with one's taste, then the film may be appreciated for its sheer aesthetic quality. Of course, with a plot of betrayal and revenge, it's the ultimate tale of human nature, so I doubt anyone will be complaining that the plot was lacking. The dialogue was well-written and delivered by an entourage of fresh faces. The actors are sure to be seen in more upcoming films. It would be disappointing should they disappear after such a remarkable performance. This film is definitely a favorite of mine as is the novel.