Reviews

After seeing Baz Lurhmann's gutsy "Moulin Rouge," I marveled that he may be the only major film director in Hollywood left with any balls. Spielberg proved me wrong.

First of all, there are some things you simply cannot take away from this film. The performances, particularly by Osment and Law, are wonderful. The images are breathtaking. The ship made to look like the moon rising over the horizon was particularly memorable.

Two of the most common criticisms of the film need reexamining: the depth of the subject matter and the ending of the film. While there may be valid criticisms, I do not believe enough respect has been given to Spielberg's choices. Choices have to be made when telling a story; Spielberg made them, and he didn't always make the traditional ones.

The commonly held criticism that Spielberg failed to fully address the issues connected a machine capable of loving its owner - and thus sacrificing depth - is simply a let down of expectation rather than a flaw in the film. The path for the film divided into (at least) two possibilities: an exploration of the ramifications of a robot capable of love or the fantasy journey of a young robot boy to become real. Some viewers must have expected the film to be a commentary or message about humans and technology and felt gypped when they were instead confronted with a fairy tale. I personally believe Spielberg took the more interesting and what will over time prove to be the more rewarding route in the film.

Also, for those who also lamented any loss of Kubrickian elements: going deep into subject matter would have been a decidedly Anti-Kubrick move. Did Kubrick pontificate on the nature of man and war in "Full Metal Jacket?" No, he satirized such thinking. Similarly, he did not try to give any answers in "2001" and instead gave us a beautiful film that we could later ask ourselves and each other questions about. Spielberg does the same in "A.I."

Now, the ending - another choice. I admit that I thought it would end with David at the bottom of the ocean and I would probably have been content - at least temporarily - with this ending. Adding the last fifteen or so minutes was Spielberg's gutsy move. Again, it was a matter of expectation. A reeling audience member still looking for a film with a message or commentary (and they had better not be the same ones complaining about the *ending* being "spoon-fed" to the audience) would find these final minutes pointless. But the story wasn't finished. Would David's love last as long as he did?

A.I. is a modern fairy tale, not a social commentary. Fairy tales are stories where darkness meets light - Kubrick meets Spielberg in a mystifying, at times unusual combination of techniques and imagination.

The result is an undeniably beautiful work of fantasy.

"Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days" is an interesting look at the filming of the American icon's final and unfinished film. As a documentary, it lacks in several areas (an example - director George Cuckor is said to be angry at Monroe's frequent inability to work, but nothing is said about their on set relationship), but it includes much rare footage of Monroe and a 37-minute recreation of the film using what was shot before Monroe tragically died and the footage vaulted. It is this footage that makes "Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days" worthwhile.

Angelina Jolie is the only thing worth watching in this film, which is the only film I have seen with a plot worse than the video game it is based on (that includes Wing Commander). Jolie just provides a certain something essential to the character of Lara Croft. She gives a fantastit performance, making boobs out of all her enemies. Definitely the breast possible choice for the role.

OK, I apologize for that last one. Download pictures of Jolie. Skip the movie.

Honestly, if you haven't seen the brilliant documentary "American Movie," don't bother with this film. While there are a few neat shots, far more are marred by poor lighting. The story not only doesn't make sense, but isn't very involving either. The acting is atrocious (with a possible exception to Mark himself, who is quite believable as an angry drunk who has difficulty finishing a project...but I digress). It was great that they included the film on the American Movie DVD but "Coven" itself isn't worth watching otherwise. On a positive note, there have been much worse films and at least this one didn't use millions of dollars.

Wow. With a first rate comedic cast, a very funny script, and an easy target audience, it must have taken some effort to #$%@ this one up. Hats off to Kinka Usher, who by using a pace that feels like it's traveling through swamp water, camera angles and movements that scream "hey! there's a director here!!", and an amount of gratuitous cuts and close-ups that should only be attempted by Darren Aronofsky, makes Mystery Men look like an undergraduate film student project. And not a very self-aware film student at that.

The macho yet sensitive Brando stars in this tale of motorcycles, women (ok - a woman) and a dangerous amount of booze. Also there is some social commentary on outsiders, rebels versus cops, etc. It would all be done again later, and it would all be done to various degrees better. Try "Rebel Without a Cause" for your social commentary, and "On the Waterfront" for your brooding Brando, both better flicks.

...make this one of them. Some excellent performances by Mary Pickford and other colorful supporting characters around make this an enjoyable watch. Very, very funny. I saw it as distributed by "Milestone," and the music track was fantastic as well.

The critic in me wants to dismiss this film as style over substance, as being too long on melodrama and too short on character, or at worst manipulating feelings against a habit (drug abuse) already generally known to be undesirable.

But the human in me cannot deny how hauntingly beautiful the film's images are, how just hearing the film's string quartet theme stirs memories of the film's characters and their inexorable plummet towards self-destruction, how every time I think on Ellen Burstyn's last line I feel as though tears could come at any moment.

Darren Aronofsky has painted a harrowing, at moments amusing, and in every way touching world in this movie.

Steven Spielburg has mentioned the influence of the 1933 classic "King Kong" on the making of "Jurassic Park." "Kong" filled many a youngster (so I am told) back in those days with awe at larger-than-life creatures battling humans and each other.

Well, "Jurassic Park" was my "King Kong." It was the most thrilling, most terrifying, most FUN thing I had ever seen at the movie theater at that time. I stomped around the house pretending to be a dinosaur for days. Sometimes I still do when people aren't looking.

Hopefully time will be kind to this film, if for no other reason so my future kids won't laugh at me too much when I show it to them.

Ayn Rand's deep and at times brilliant novel "The Fountainhead" is very difficult to adapt to the screen - especially at the time this film was made - mainly because of its breadth and the restraint required in the performances. This movie succeeds in many ways. The acting is excellent. It also falls short in others - ironically, mostly with the script adapted by Rand herself. The dialogue that can be used in book comes across as corny and preachy at times in the movie. Too much of the characters' early lives must is condensed into the first ten minutes. On the whole, the movie works for by itself for the most part, but is a poor substitute for the novel.

Ah, well. Maybe someday...

Good movies out of events in recent history can be done - just look at "Apollo 13." Unfortunately, "Thirteen Days" fails to grip the viewer like "Apollo 13." The fault lies in Donaldson's overly dramatic direction coupled with restrained performances. The movie becomes much more interesting in its last half hour, but, alas, it is too late by this point. Perhaps in the hands of somebody like Ron Howard this one could have worked.

This lost little bit of film noir featuring Bogart in his usual tough guy role (this film being made just previous to Casablanca) is not a bad watch for a lazy afternoon. There is nothing stellar about the plot, the performances, or the action, and some of it is even quite funny. Watch as the camera is pushed in at the actors' faces at key moments time and time again. Another fun part is the snowy car/motorcycle chase, a danger anyone who has fish-tailed their car on the way to work on a cold winter morning can relate to. If you haven't seen "Casablanca" or the "The Maltese Falcon," make sure you've seen those first, but you could certainly do worse than "The Big Shot."

An interesting film that actually does better than the later "Magnolia" in tying the fates of its characters together. Some fine performances (special mention to Sandra Oh in that department), and a nice job of ending the world without loads of pyrotechnics. A good idea well executed.

The wonderful framing of the shots in this film sets it apart from other classics of the silent era. Although the film has some of the usual "problems" found in early cinema (the occasional over-the-top acting, a couple jump cuts), it is still a beauty to look at. The use of dissolves is captivating, especially in scenes such as the husband's fantasy of the city girl and the wedding.

What could have been a very interesting and intense movie fails to hold its premise to the end. The film has excellent suspenseful moments, especially in the opening scene, then tries something new as the killer is presented in sympathetic light, and the obsessed investigator is more and more demonized. The final shot of this intriguing build up of drama comes when the killer hides from his pursuer in the garbage dump.

Apparently it is in this dump where he happens upon the idea to become a killer again while losing the third dimension to his character. Whatever studio executive demanded a "thrillfest" ending be tacked onto this movie instead of following the film's natural progression deprived us of what could have been a very interesting - as well as scary - movie.

This is one of the better dark comedies out there. Carrey's cableguy is intriguing and creepy in a very Hitchcockian way -- he's just enough like someone you know to be very unsettling.

The movie comes to a point where it must decide what it's going to be, and unfortunately director Ben Stiller tries to go both directions, leaving both not adequately explored. The movie begins as the story of two lonely people - the cableguy, who tries to cure his loneliness by being your best friend 24-7, and the average lonely guy played by Broderick who deals with life and relationships in the average American way. The movie then rapidly becomes a satire/warning of TV culture in general and its isolating effect on people like the cableguy and others less extreme. This culminates in the (rather overstated) shot of a man picking up a book when his TV has gone on the fritz.

What could have been an engrossing - and at times even scary - film tries to do too much in the end and instead becomes an example of what happens when you don't stick to the point.

Ray Harryhausen's effects are what made this movie worth viewing. Like his phenomenal work in King Kong, the effects are not entirely realistic, but have a personality and craftsmanship that can only come from his diligent and skillful work.

I never could understand why some people have an aversion to older films, especially silent ones. If you are one of these people just watch "The Cameraman" (or any one of Chaplain's great silent comedies) and you can easily see that good humor is not a new thing. A few of the gags may be starting to show their age in Keaton's film (such as the changing in the pool dressing room), but I've seen few things as funny as Keaton's coverage during the Chinese parade riot. His droll expressions, perhaps a precursor to Jack Benny, only add to this very funny film.