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Reviews
24Seven (2001)
love it
I, being a naive American girl, love just about everything about the British. That's why I watched '24Seven' to begin with. What can I say? It didn't disappoint, and I love it. Love the accents, love the actors (esp. Royce Cronin), love the light, generally inconsequential storylines. The theme song (in the US) is great, too.
Signs (2002)
Well, regardless...!
I honestly liked 'Signs', regardless of all the "contrived" parts and "plot holes", all of which were things I truly didn't notice when I was watching it. (It is in my personal opinion that everyone who reviewed it saying those things is either desensitized or overanalyzing.) True, I was not really *scared* by any part of the movie -- certainly on edge.. think the part where Graham (Gibson) drops the flashlight in the cornfield in the dark, which the previews built me up for, or that dog bark -- and I don't think there were enough leap-out-of-your-seat-and-scream-bloody-murder parts, like in 'The Haunting', another movie that aims to scare using the unseen. But despite that, I still really liked 'Signs'. As another reviewer pointed out, M. Night Shyamalan (whom, you must admit, really knows what he's doing) chose to center the movie more around the concept of faith rather than extraterrestrials.. faith in fate and divine intervention, in the idea that maybe coincidence isn't just mere coincidence. This was an original way to go about a sci-fi movie that I certainly appreciated.
Mel Gibson gives a subdued, textured performance tinged with subtle comedic moments that I like, although sometimes it seems as if he is going on autopilot. The child actors, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin, underact beautifully. (They were not *lacking emotion*, people. They were lacking tacky Jake Lloyd-in-'The-Phantom-Menace' sitcom-ish exuberance. Be grateful! No -- be IN AWE!)
And as for the amazing Joaquin Phoenix. I read this in a previous review, written by a one Bent Brush:
" b) Phoenix could not act his way out of a box. His character of the brother is flimsily and under developed. "
Firstly, it is not *his* fault that his *character* was "flimsily-" and "underdeveloped".
Secondly, where the hell have you been that you think Joaquin Phoenix can't act his way out of a box?
He has blown me away with every performance I have seen him give, and his portrayal of Merrill Hess is no exception.
All in all, yes, 'Signs' has its flaws. But they're not unredeemable. Overall it's a fantastic experience and trust me, it's worth your money.
And I'm not going to make a joke using wordplay with "signs" because... that's lame.
Keeping the Faith (2000)
cute and entertaining
I really love this movie. Really, I do. It's cute, it's funny, it's sentimental, it's completely original, it's full of great performances by great actors and lots of energy and feel-goodness.
I'm not familiar with Jenna Elfman's work, but I thought she brought a lot of energy and life to Anna, being confident and smooth while still being able to break down and be honest and emotional (though sometimes it felt to me as if she were overacting a bit). Ben Stiller was rather good as the unorthodox rabbi.. very real, and funny. Edward Norton (who co-produced and directed this movie) is totally endearing and cute as the clueless and confused priest. His performance really helps to prove how versatile he is as an actor.
The movie itself is very original.. very quirky.. very creative. After the first hour or so you really can predict how it's going to end, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. This is one of those rare movies that has good entertainment value, but also has a lot of quality as a film. Think of movies like Charlie's Angels.. good for a lift, but a total waste of money otherwise. Keeping the Faith is not one of those movies. It's cute, it's funny.. it's worth two hours of your life and $2.99 for a rental. Highly recommended.
Rounders (1998)
one of my favorites
I don't know why I love Rounders as much as I do. But it's on my favorites list, right up there with Star Wars and Glory.
Admittedly it is predictable. Admittedly the plot is a little thin and a little typical of the genre. Admittedly Matt Damon (of whom I am not a huge fan anyway) seemed just a wee bit off in the role of Mike McDermott... but then again, I can't think of anyone else I would have preferred. (I don't think Mike was meant to have an 'edge', really.. I interpreted him as being quietly in control, a good kid, unlike the boisterous Worm.)
Speaking of which. The casting of Edward Norton seems perfectly appropriate here. Tall, slender, lanky, with a general whatever-happens-happens attitude and an unsophisticated -- yet very funny -- sense of humor, Norton the chameleon truly becomes the undependable (is that even a word?) carefree gambler, just as he always easily morphs into every character he portrays. Martin Landau is impressive, and John Turturro -- while his character seems a little all-knowing ever-wise mafia boss-ish to me with that way too collected demeanor -- delivers well. The casting of Gretchen Mol seemed off to me. She seemed just a bit too mousy, a bit too non-understanding and even a bit too uncaring. I understand that is probably partially just the way the character was written. But I think it was also poor interpretation.
This is a sophisticated movie. It had a lot of thought and work put into it and it shows. It's intelligent, it's classy, it's intensely interesting. The pace is steady and unwavering. All in all, very highly recommended. In my opinion Rounders is a must-see.
Primal Fear (1996)
Impressive acting, especially Norton
Primal Fear is a fantastic courtroom drama that keeps you guessing and in suspense. I'm not particularly familiar with the genre, but something tells me this movie is definitely all the way excellent. I feel almost ashamed for not having seen it before.
I'm going to be honest with you. I rented this movie, first and foremost, because Edward Norton was in it. I wanted to familiarize myself with his work, because I really liked him in Rounders (one of my personal favorites) and The Score. And with Primal Fear I was not disappointed. Norton is incredible as Aaron/Roy... endearingly clueless and wholesome with a violent, hostile, uncontrolled and uncontrollable alter ego.
Richard Gere's performance was rather good as publicity-hungry Martin Vail. Laura Linney was great in her role.. I figure this because by the end of the movie I was really starting to strongly dislike her character. I think that definitely means she did her job well.
I don't have too much else to say about this movie, except that the ending will leave you shocked. Primal Fear is an incredible movie. If you haven't seen it.. which I'm sure most of you have, it's hella old.. then rent it. as soon as possible, even. You won't be disappointed.
The Score (2001)
underdeveloped, yet entertaining
"The Score" is a guilty pleasure. It is suspenseful, it is explosive, it is pure fast-paced fun.. despite being noticeably underdeveloped. While being over two hours long this movie seems to go by quickly.
After seeing this movie, I had this strange feeling that it had been *missing* something.. that it wasn't quite as good as it could have been. I thought a while and came up with this.. While the heist itself is pretty impressive, everything leading up to that, well, isn't. Nothing is fully developed and it all just seems too easy. I also didn't particularly care for the ending. **possible spoiler**While Jack had admittedly done something "bad" (for lack of a better word, that is -- but to me it seemed more a fit of insanity than actual presence of logical motivation), it is still hard to believe that he deserved a fate such as this movie happily tosses him in what seems like a half-baked desperate attempt to land a fitting ending. It is far too well-rounded.. it seems like the ending to a fairy tale. Difficult to accept or believe, really. The score to this movie also could have been better. The same monotonous not-very-exciting theme playing over and over as if on a loop got pretty old pretty fast for me.
Robert De Niro's performance as Nick Wells, a jazz club owner slash underground thief who is thinking seriously of retiring from the latter profession, is relatively bland and not notably exciting to watch. However, this movie has secured Edward Norton's position in my small list of favorite actors. His showstealing performance as overconfident amateur thief Jackie Teller, partnered up with De Niro's Nick, is incredible. He is young and impulsive, he is confident, he is intense. And as Brian, the mentally challenged janitor's assistant that Jack role plays on the midnight shift, Norton is -- as always -- amazing, believable, and impressive. Can we please give this man an Oscar nod already? Otherwise.. Marlon Brando lisps/slurs his lines in a particularly annoying way and his performance is nothing outstanding; and Angela Bassett, while delivering a solid performance, was unfortunately given a role that was completely unnecessary and could (and most likely should) have been dropped as excess baggage.
I'd say this movie is worth seeing, despite some of the negative things I've mentioned. It's a fun ride, really; good entertainment. Plus, seeing Ed Norton, sweaty, in a beater, looking rather suspicious and intense, is surprisingly -- and almost even disturbingly -- appealing. Hm.
Crazy/Beautiful (2001)
very disappointing
To me, this movie was a huge disappointment. Not only did the ending leave a lot of unanswered questions, but the entire plot of the film was futilely thin.
Although you have to applaud the originality of this movie. The stereotypical idea would be that Carlos and a rich posh white girl fall in love but they must overcome obstacles of narrow-minded society and possibly her overbearing Hispanic/African American/etc-hating father. That would have been the easy way out, I think. Instead they opted to make Nicole a drunken mess, irresponsible and crazy, which made it a little more realistic. And instead of not liking Carlos and not accepting him because of his race, her father not only liked him, but ::gasp:: favored him enough to sponsor him into the Naval Academy at Annapolis!
Previews of Crazy/Beautiful made it seem as if it would be focused on the familiar clashing-of-races idea. However, this hardly seems to be the point at all in the movie, which focuses more on Dunst's nervous-wreck state and how that affects their relationship.
Anyway. As original as this movie might have been, it still was a disappointment. Definitely not worth the $7.25 I paid for admission. Maybe okay for rental someday.
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
The Emperor's New Groove delivers
"The Emperor's New Groove" is one of the best throw-it-all-away-and-enjoy-it movies I've ever seen. It is in your face, it is funny, it is deadpan, and the animation is that same gorgeous Disney animation that we have always known and loved.
In a nutshell, spoiled brat Emperor Kuzco breaks the news over the head of selfless, caring Pacha that he is destroying his village to make way for Kuzcotopia, his "ultimate summer getaway". His plans are put on halt when his ex-advisor, Yzma, and her assistant Kronk, plot to kill him with poison over dinner but turn him into a llama instead. Kronk has the llama in the bag, with plans to kill him outside of palace grounds, but then trips over a cat and the bag ends up riding out of town on Pacha's cart. Once he is discovered, Pacha and Kuzco the llama are stuck in a four-day journey together back to the palace to turn him back.
Everything about this movie is great. The humor is so dry, and so realistic. (Scenes to look for: The dialogue between Kuzco and Yzma in the dining room once Kronk runs out, realizing his spinach puffs are burning; The dialogue between Kuzco and Pacha the morning after the first night they spent in the wilderness.) The animation is also fabulous. (Scenes to look for: The opening, narrated by David Spade, with the big-eyed pitiful llama slopping around the rain and mud that makes you actually feel bad for him; The zoom-out scene when Kronk has just dropped the bagged Kuzco the llama into a river and, on an impulse, caught him again to keep him from dropping down a waterfall which must fall for eternity.)
I also enjoyed the voices that were cast in this movie. All the roles seemed tailor-made for them. David Spade, of whom I am a big fan, was spectacular with a lot of lines, even scenes, that could have fallen flat without his deadpan, right-on voice. John Goodman's resonant voice was the perfect fit for humble, sweet Pacha. Eartha Kitt, with her spitty, articulate, scratchy voice, brought the character of Yzma to life. And I enjoyed Patrick Warburton as the clueless, dumb yet entirely endearing Kronk to no end. In fact, Kronk and ChiCha (Pacha's wife, voiced by Wendie Malick), were my two favorite characters. (Scenes to look for: Any time Kronk is cooking to see him in action; for a glimpse of ChiCha's personality pay attention to Pacha's homecoming.)
And this movie was surprisingly funny. To kids AND adults, and everyone in between (which is where I fall). In fact, many of the adults in the theatre were laughing harder than the children. (My favorite joke in the movie? The recurring "Okay, why does she even HAVE that lever?" is great, especially the second time, when the llama emerges with the crocodile gnawing on him.)
I liked this movie so much that I saw it twice. (The second time was an accident; Cast Away had no empty seats, but this movie was my next in line to go for.)
I can't think of any criticism for this movie. Oh yes, and I also enjoyed Sting's music very much -- I am a big fan, but even if I wasn't, the songs are catchy. This movie is very well done, and very, very entertaining. After all, it's not really meant to give you something to think about; it's meant to entertain, and "The Emperor's New Groove" certainly delivers.