mattedesa Reviews

A Wrinkle in Time (2003 TV Movie)

One of the worst film adaptations of a book

[2/10 · 12 September 2007]

I'm sure there are worse that I've been privileged enough NOT to see, and that's the only reason I didn't give this a 1. I'm generally not too hard on movies, even re-makes of books and older movies, but this one is a stinker.

A Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorite books as a kid, and I had just finished re-reading it and introducing it to my wife when I came across this adaptation at the video store. Excitedly, we started watching it, only to find that it departs from the story line of the book increasingly as the movie goes on.

To be fair, I don't know that it would be possible to do complete justice to such a unique book, especially the way my very strong child-like imagination remembers it. That said, this was hardly recognizable as the same story. Just a few of the things that were vastly different:

• In the book, tessering was nothingness and blackness, in the movie it's a psychedelic light show.

• In the book, Mrs. Which was an ethereal shimmer that spoke in ghostlike tones; in the movie, she is nothing but a grumpy grandma.

• In the book, Camazotz first appears to be a normal city - it takes them a while to notice the eerie similarity of everything; in the movie, their first landing takes them through a dark scary sand/lightning storm and it is overtly obvious that this place is dark and sinister.

• Whole scenes were added in the movie that had nothing to do with the book, and key elements of the book were entirely left out, or rushed so much that they didn't have time to sink in.

I could go on for some time about the inconsistencies, but I want to take time to mention the bad acting - even for a television series. I didn't believe the interactions between the characters at all. They just seemed to happen to be there at the same time. Also, the special effects were horrible. Again, I know it's a TV movie, so I'm not as much complaining just about the quality of the effects as I am the fact that they used them unnecessarily AND they were bad.

Okay, I'll stop now. The bottom line is: don't see this movie. If you loved the book, this will leave a bitter taste in your mouth. If you haven't read the book, this movie will leave you wondering how the story ever got so popular. If you have seen the movie and not read the book, please don't judge this story by the movie. Forget the movie and read the book.

The Fountain (2006)

Like an abstract painting

[4/10 · 12 September 2007]

This film is visually beautiful. If you put a lot of stock in cinematography, this will be a delight for you.

If you put a lot of stock in understanding the story, this film will be a big disappointment.

If I were to compare this film to a painting (which I think is a fair comparison, since both are works of art), it would be abstract modern art. The Fountain is truly one of those movies that leaves a lot for your mind to ponder, and I generally like that. Unfortunately, I felt this film was too disjointed. Most people don't stare at one piece of abstract art for 2 hours as this movie asks you to. I needed a little more explanation about how everything fit together. I fully believe that there is a wonderful story to go with this eye candy, but this movie did not tell it to me.

In good movies, an hour into the film, I'm hoping the story will go on forever. In this film, I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Joshua (I) (2002)

It's all about love

[8/10 · 24 May 2004]

It's not about what church you go to, it's not about doing good or

doing bad, it's not about who likes you or how 'important' you are.

It's all about love. We love others because God first loved us.

That's the message this movie portrays as Joshua comes in this

completely hypothetical portrayal of Christ coming to modern,

small town America. He reminds the townspeople in plain, simple

ways what it means to truly care for people. It's not trying to be a

prophetic second coming film, only a fictional story designed to

prove a point.

Maybe the film's a little idealistic, maybe it's a little corny in a

couple places. Who cares? I felt better after watching this movie

than I have after any movie in a while. It's a nice change from the

normal film of today's market which glorifies hatred and revenge.

8 of 10

The Time Machine (2002)

Climax? Suspense? Who needs 'em?

[3/10 · 24 May 2004]

I'm not a huge critic of movies, meaning it doesn't take a whole lot to please me on a movie, but this was one of the poorest movies I have seen in a while.

The biggest problem was that the movie never seemed to reach a climax. The plot was going along (slowly) and it was all of a sudden over. No exciting turning point in the movie, no suspenseful buildup, it just finished.

Effects and visuals were good, but this movie proved to me that visuals are not enough to make a good movie. There were so many different ways they could have gone with the plot to make it interesting, but none of the subplots were followed through on - they were just introduced and passed over. It felt to me like they were trying to fit the movie in a designated time slot, so they had to cut out all the good parts.

From someone who likes 90% of the movies he sees, I give this one a 3 of 10.

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Sweet revenge breeds bitter hatred

[8/10 · 24 May 2004]

To make it simple, this is a story of betrayal and revenge. Caviezel does a wonderful job of portraying the carefree, innocent victim at the beginning and the movie, transitioning (through a long prison stay) to a bitter, revengeful man.

The movie holds fairly true to the classic story. The director wisely leaves out special effects and distractions and lets the good acting and gripping story make the movie a joy.

It's also nice to see such a film that doesn't have to pack the film with coarse language and graphic violence. There are some fights, but they are done in a very classy manner, neglecting any gratuitous gore.

It's not a quickly moving movie, so sit down and decide to get involved in it, but it is well worth your time.

8 of 10

Spirited Away (2001)

The only anime movie I've ever seen and liked

[9/10 · 24 May 2004]

I've never been a big fan of anime.

Granted, I've only seen a handful of anime films, but they've never really interested me. So when a friend threw a copy of Spirited Away in my hands and said, "You've gotta watch this!" I was less than thrilled, but decided to give it a try.

I'm glad I did.

The little girl in the movie is made to seem very real. She has all the mannerisms and quirks of a normal, bratty little girl. She is suddenly cast into a surreal world of spirits in which she must be brave and take care of herself.

The unique characters and fascinating artwork make this fun to watch. These aren't your stereotypical cutesy anime characters either. The film really branches out and has diverse characters that keep you guessing.

If I can think of anything negative about this movie, it might have run on a few minutes too long, but that's a small point, and can easily be overlooked.

So, I'm still not going to rush out and watch all the anime films I can, but for those of you who (like me) have decided that you don't care for anime, allow this to be the rare exception.

9 of 10

Sphere (1998)

Dry Sci-Fi action/drama

[7/10 · 24 May 2004]

A seemingly random team of professionals are called together to investigate a mysterious spacecraft at the bottom of the ocean.

The premise behind this movie is excellent, but I feel it didn't go as deep as it could have. The namesake sphere seems almost to be a secondary character in the movie - so much more could have been done.

Surprisingly, the high caliber actors in this movie didn't put out their usually high quality performances. It feels as though they learned their lines the night before and didn't put much emotion behind their parts.

Still, lacking so many things, this movie holds a strange appeal to me. It has a high level of intrigue and mystery that keeps me interested.

6 of 10

Conspiracy Theory (1997)

See inside the life of a paranoid weirdo

[7/10 · 24 May 2004]

Mel Gibson plays a very unique character - a paranoid weirdo who believes that everyone is out to get him and everything that happens is part of some vast conspiracy. Julia Roberts plays a Justice Department worker who for some reason, Gibson's character likes to tell his far-fetched stories to. Patrick Stewart makes a believable bad guy - though it's still hard for me to see him and not see Captain Picard! There are enough twists and turns in this movie to keep you guessing, but not so many that it's hard to follow. A few places had some hard to believe moments, but not so much that it detracts from the movie much. This movie really kept my attention with a good story and intermittent action scenes.

Gibson's character really makes this movie stand out to me. Little details like the way he locks everything in his apartment (the coffee is in a locked container in his locked refrigerator inside his six times over locked apartment) really make him a very interesting and real character to follow.

Picard's character and a couple of the other 'bad guys' in the movie are a little less developed and their roles are not as well explained. This only detracts a little.

Conspiracy Theory isn't on my best of all time list, but it is a very enjoyable 2 hours. Worth a watch.

7 of 10.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Wild and involving

[11 May 2004]

I remember hearing that Ocean's 11 was supposed to be a good movie, so when I had the chance to borrow it from a friend, I was glad to.

I ended up watching it twice right in a row.

Sometimes the danger with so many big name stars in a movie is that they all try to show off, and may not work well together. I didn't get that impression at all in this one. With Clooney being the main character, the others seem plenty happy to play supporting roles. Characters are dry - but that's how' they're supposed to be - and do a good job of interacting while still remaining individuals. It always feels like they are hiding something. You expect a surprise around every corner.

The way they work out their heist is a very smooth operation - but not TOO smooth. There are the natural inconveniences that make the characters seem more real, not the perfectly polished characters sometimes seen in this type of movie. Yet other 'mistakes' turn out to be exactly what they planned. See if YOU can tell which is which the first time through....

I watched it twice because a couple of the twists caught me so off-guard that I had to go back and see if I could see them coming. Nothing in this movie was wasted.

This is a movie to watch and really get involved in, not to casually watch while doing something else. I look forward to seeing what the sequel brings. I really hope they can match the intensity of this one.

4.5 out of 5