Wednesday, July 06, 2005
We've actually seen some movies lately! And here are thumbnail reviews:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Two words: Jim Carey. If you want to see Jim Carey do his typical overacting, hey, this is the movie for you! If you want something else, you're probably going to be disappointed. And for all the stuff up front about it not being a happy movie, it has a Hollywood ending, not a dark one. Pretty much.
Hitch
This was a pretty good romantic comedy, and the featurettes were pretty cool, too. The plot pretty much follows the standard romantic comedy loop, but then, that's to be expected. After all, we only have the "basic eight-plot architecture we inherited from OralTrad".
National Treasure
I liked this one, too. Ok, there was a bit of suspension of disbelief required, but on the other hand, unlike some action/adventure movies, the good guys didn't grab guns and become super shooters. In fact, it clearly never entered their head to "shoot it out", which was nice for a change. There is an "easter egg" at the end of the "Riley Pooles' Decode This", but I didn't get to it, because the disc we were watching just about blew up my speakers midway through the crypto thing, and I didn't feel like going all the way back through it just to see what it was. I don't know what happened, but I had to turn my amp off and back on in order to clear the problem, which was massive static that persisted even when I put another movie in the DVD player! The other special features were pretty cool, though.
I Robot
Another, quite different from Hitch, Will Smith vehicle. Some parts definitely required the suspension of disbelief: Half of the city's police force couldn't hit one robot, but Will hit 'em every time, even when they were coming hundreds at a time. And of course, the ending is pretty boilerplate, but I won't spill the beans by telling you what it is; but here's some hints:
The Dead Zone
Ok, it isn't a movie, but the new season is underway, and it isn't too bad. Of course, one wonders how Johnny can steal a cab, and do all sorts of other stuff, and not go to jail, but I guess I'm just being picky. Ah, well.
Sith Apprentice
Can't let this go without special mention for one of the Star Wars fan films: Sith Apprentice. This is extremely well done, with tons of cross references, to Star Trek, Stargate, even The Princess Bride! And it very much captures the style of the Trump reality show.
Quote of the day "I know you shouldn't make major decisions when you're Hungry Angry, Lonely, or Tired. 'Completely exhausted' isn't in there, but I think it qualifies."
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Two words: Jim Carey. If you want to see Jim Carey do his typical overacting, hey, this is the movie for you! If you want something else, you're probably going to be disappointed. And for all the stuff up front about it not being a happy movie, it has a Hollywood ending, not a dark one. Pretty much.
Hitch
This was a pretty good romantic comedy, and the featurettes were pretty cool, too. The plot pretty much follows the standard romantic comedy loop, but then, that's to be expected. After all, we only have the "basic eight-plot architecture we inherited from OralTrad".
National Treasure
I liked this one, too. Ok, there was a bit of suspension of disbelief required, but on the other hand, unlike some action/adventure movies, the good guys didn't grab guns and become super shooters. In fact, it clearly never entered their head to "shoot it out", which was nice for a change. There is an "easter egg" at the end of the "Riley Pooles' Decode This", but I didn't get to it, because the disc we were watching just about blew up my speakers midway through the crypto thing, and I didn't feel like going all the way back through it just to see what it was. I don't know what happened, but I had to turn my amp off and back on in order to clear the problem, which was massive static that persisted even when I put another movie in the DVD player! The other special features were pretty cool, though.
I Robot
Another, quite different from Hitch, Will Smith vehicle. Some parts definitely required the suspension of disbelief: Half of the city's police force couldn't hit one robot, but Will hit 'em every time, even when they were coming hundreds at a time. And of course, the ending is pretty boilerplate, but I won't spill the beans by telling you what it is; but here's some hints:
- Why do the bad robots suddenly stop being bad, without being reprogrammed?
- Why do the big, sophisticated bad guys have an unprotected way to stop them? (shades of Independence Day (another Will Smith vehicle), or Star Wars' Death Star)
The Dead Zone
Ok, it isn't a movie, but the new season is underway, and it isn't too bad. Of course, one wonders how Johnny can steal a cab, and do all sorts of other stuff, and not go to jail, but I guess I'm just being picky. Ah, well.
Sith Apprentice
Can't let this go without special mention for one of the Star Wars fan films: Sith Apprentice. This is extremely well done, with tons of cross references, to Star Trek, Stargate, even The Princess Bride! And it very much captures the style of the Trump reality show.
Quote of the day "I know you shouldn't make major decisions when you're Hungry Angry, Lonely, or Tired. 'Completely exhausted' isn't in there, but I think it qualifies."
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