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jstebel
Reviews
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Great Plot + HORRIBLE Dialogue + Jaw-Dropping Ending = Darn Fun Summer Flick
I'm not sure why I liked Pitch Black. The whole premise was just too convienient, Vin Diesel's Riddick character wasn't anything new, and for the most part the supporting cast were clearly Star Trek redshirts. Still, something about it just struck the right chord with me, the Plot was good enough to make up for the dialogue and Vin Diesel played his character just right and broke new anti-hero ground by being restraint during moments you expect the action hero to overact.
It's more of the same with Chronicles of Riddick. The dialogue sounds as though the script was written by an 11 year old. People, myself included, were laughing in the audience when I went to see this film. However, the actual PLOT was so fun and well conceived that I found myself unabashedly enjoying "Riddick". The visuals were STUNNING, some of the best CGI i've seen and I liked how the Necromongers had this futuristic/Zombie/Roman Gladiator mix in their wardrobe. The premise behind them was interesting, but I found myself annoyed they didn't explain enough about "The Underverse".
After a lengthy prison planet escape sequence, I wondered how they were going to wrap this movie up with such little time. What I got was one of the most fantastic endings I'd seen in a long time. It becomes apparent that this movie was a means to give the title character more development for the next sequel. This ending was worth the price of admission alone. I just hope they hire a better screenwriter to make the dialogue in the next "Riddick" movie worthy of the set up it was given.
I won't spoil this ending, but I do highly reccommend turning your brain off and giving this film a shot. It's a lot of fun.
Martin & Orloff (2002)
Had high expectations, which were met.
Something I've always loved about watching The Upright Citizen's Brigade when it was on Comedy Central was that its cast really had their own unique brand of humor and delivery. Even if it isn't exactly your style, it's still funny and respectable for how unique and unflagging it is in its consistency. With Martin & Orloff, the unofficial UCB movie, their humor translates to the screen with the same quality and integrity that makes them endearing to anyone with an open and progressive sense of humor.
Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh do an incredible job as the title characters. It is obvious from their comedic chemistry how long they've spent doing improv with each other in the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater. They are quite simply, masters of their craft. While obvious how low a budget this movie had, the director, Lawrence Blume does an Incredible job of stretching the budget and utilizing the higher profile celebrity cameos. David Cross, Andy Richter, Jeanine Garafolo, Rachel Dratch and Tina Fey are all used very well and in small doses so that they don't overshadow the main players. Andy Richter and David Cross's characters in particular, had me out of breath with laughter, as they are both charicatures of people we've probably all met and loathed.
I cannot stress enough how offbeat this particular brand of humor is, but there's nothing that would stop me from recommending this gem to anyone in order to extend its current one-week run at the Sunshine Cinemas in Downtown Manhattan. It truly deserves a larger audience. Go see this wherever you can and go in with an open mind. I guarantee you laugh at times without quite knowing why and you'll feel great about it. I got to see this movie free at an advanced screening and I would gladly (and will later this week) pay to see it again.
Storytelling (2001)
Very Enjoyable, but Todd Solondz's work always is :)
While I didn't enjoy Storytelling as much as I did the Director's two previous films, Happiness and Welcome to The Dollhouse, Solondz continues to amaze with his depictions of just how awkward true life really is. As always, he masterfully shows the oft times tactless, cynical, transparent motivations of everyday suburban life and combines them with outrageous situations, giving a humorous view into the myriad of interesting quirky characters he creates. As with Happiness, Storytelling has no background characters. Each character gets fully explored in a way that no matter how familiar or foreign a specific character's behavior might be to you, you can't help but understand their motivations. Solondz can develop over 10 characters in 88 minutes while most conventional hollywood films fail to portray just one in any given 3 hour "epic".
Selma Blair and Leo Fitzpatrick give incredible performances in the first segment of this film titled "Fiction". John Goodman is at his best here in the film's second segment "Non-fiction", not to mention it was a pleasure to see Julie Haggerty again.
One of the film's most honest moments (and there are MANY) comes in the beginning of the Non-Fiction segment, during a phone call Paul Giamatti gives to a female classmate he hadn't spoken to since high school. WHile hilarious, I couldn't help but feel bad for his character, which gets fleshed out in the almost confessional tone of the conversation (which of course, he blunders).
I don't want to delve far into the plot because the elements of shock and surprise that are Solondz bread and butter should only be revealed firsthand on the screen, suffice it to say I recommend this movie very highly. I look forward to anything this director does.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
So excellent I wanted to shoot myself afterwards!
But seriously, this film was fantastic. Darren Aronofsky is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors with pi, which I loved, but found a little lacking, and now this film, flawless in almost every way possible. THis film took Marlon Wayans and made you forget that he was Marlon Wayans. I never would've guessed he had talent and he was fantastic in it. Jared Leto, the pretty boy who I've always liked as an actor does his best Michael Rappaport accent here to the point where I actually thought it was Rappaport doing voice overs for Leto. "For Chrissakes!" Ellyn Bursten... WOW... this was one of, no this WAS the BEST performance by an actress i've yet seen. Only problem I had with this film was with Jennifer Connelly. This woman is incapable of looking anything but incredibly beautiful, no matter how depreaved her character is supposed to be. She's the only character who, despite the filmmakers' and the make up people's efforts, never looks less than gorgeous, which honestly i didn't mind after seeing what happens to the rest of the main characters on their long slow journey to the bottom.
Memento (2000)
Fantastic! I haven't enjoyed a film this much since Fight Club!
I do NOT want to spoil any aspect of this film, suffice it to say this is the best film I've seen in a year and a half and I recommend anyone and everyone with a love for intelligent, stylish, intellectual entertainment go see it. Guy Pearce does an incredible job of playing a man who due to an attack on him and his wife, loses his ability to form new memories.
The way this film is structured is delightfully confusing, taking twists in both style and plot. The matrix refugees, Joe Patalangio and Carrie Ann Moss both do great jobs as supporting antagonists (a quite suitable oxymoron)and compliment Guy Pearce's character "Lenny" extremely well.
Any plot holes or inconsistancies are either hidden and explained later, except for one that after you see the film you'll realize you don't care about because it served the plot SO well.
In short, this film is a must see, definetely the best film of 2001 thus far and it's gonna be hard to top. I can't wait to own this film on DVD and watch commentary, any deleted scenes it might have. It should come packaged with a sticker "If you like Fight Club, then you'll LOVE MOMENTO!!!" 10/10 a true cinematic masterpiece
Wo hu cang long (2000)
If you REALLY think about this film and have seen other martial arts films, this is NOTHING special, hated it in fact
Flying Is no problem. I can suspend disbelief enough to understand that these are supposed to me "mystical" figures. But to see them pumping their legs just looks ridiculous. OK, that being said, let's talk about the actual substance of the film.
Well, except for some beautiful cinematography and a great soundtrack, there's not much substance to this film. The plot IS razor thin. The only character that gets developed is Jen, and she's contemptable with her foolish attitude. Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh have the most stale romantic tension about them. in fact, you need a couple of characters telling michelle yeoh that she has feelings for him to even know at all.
The fight scenes are just plain ridiculous, wasn't impressed with them at all usually when people fight in a martial arts film, you notice an exhibition of acrobatic prowess and it looks like the characters are actually trying to hurt each other. This was not the case with CTHD. It looked like the characters were being swung at each other from ropes and they were playing pattycake (no, really) rather than fighting to the death.
The flashback, while without a doubt enjoyable and the most beautiful part of the film, ruins ANY and ALL forward momentum this film had going for it. I felt so detached from every character except for Jen, and I HATED her character, even though she's extremely gorgeous.
There is no plot, so therefore you wouldn't think that there'd be any holes, but there still manages to be holes in there anyway. How did this Jade Fox manage to learn all this stuff from a manual when she said herself she couldn't interpret it? How did she get into the service of Jen in the first place? Why does Michelle Yeoh's character get mad at her for no good reason? watch that scene again. it's like she just gets mad so there would be a convienient way for them to fight. It's completely ridiculous. People make fun of the Phantom Menace Star Wars Plot. In so many ways CTHD is a rip off of Star Wars. Young girl (luke/anakin) being trained by evil old crusty master (emperor palpatine). Rougish rebel (Leia/Han) becomes love interest. Chow Yun Fat (Qui Gon Jinn/Luke/Obi Wan) tries to convert Jen over to the good side of the Wudan (force) it's just silly. 3/10
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Entertaining as all heck!!!
WHile not the best Coen Bros. Film by a long shot, I must say this movie was one hell of a ride. I was hoping for a tighter interpretation of the Odyssey, but it was good enough. the soundtrack to this movie was amazing, and that's really what drove this movie along, the music. George CLooney was fabulous and his performance reminded me in a weird way of the way Bruce Campbell would have acted in this movie! haha. THe music alone is worth the price of admission to this flick. and it's utterly utterly entertaining :)