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Milian
Reviews
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
YES!!!
No, it is not up there with Empire, of course not. Yes, the acting by Portman, Jackson and Christensen is very, very stiff. Yes, the "romantic" dialogue between Anakin and Padme is embarrassingly silly.
But everything else is great fun. I admit that there is not really that much of a story, but I loved what is there. But by now, all of you know what is happening.
So would just like to tell you that the action is great (especially the already famous last half hour, but I also liked that little fight between Obi-Wan and Jango Fett), that Ewan does a very good job and that Yoda actually kicks ass.
Two things I have to add nevertheless: Because of the digital production, the film sometimes looks like a converted SECAM copy, especially in the scene with Padme and Anakin lying in the grass. It's weird to see pictures like that in a film as expensive as this one. Not good.
And: George Lucas is not a great director. When there is no slam-bang F/X around, Lucas doesn't really know what to do, and even in the action sequences, there are no great ideas or a great sense for timing. Who knows how great this film might have been if it had been directed by, say, Irvin Kershner...? :-)
But what the heck? I loved this film. The force is back. And that's something I did not expect after the horrible Episode 1.
Heaven (2002)
Going on for ages - to nowhere
I'm not a Cate Blanchett fan, that may be a problem. In fact, I do not like her at all. And I do not think that she is all too good in this film. But maybe it's not her fault, it's impossible to like her character in Heaven. Impossible to like any of the characters. Let alone understand why they are doing the things they are doing.
In Heaven, Tom Tykwer tries to be slow and atmospheric. But the movie's just slow. It seems to go on for ages, building to a climax that never happens. It is just too far away from us, never gives us any chance to connect. And it feels like Kieslowski's script was never meant to be filmed because it just wasn't finished. All his catholic themes are there, but for no reason whatsoever - what's the point to it all, I permanently asked myself.
Finding no answers to that question doesn't automatically mean that a movie is an 'art movie'. It may appeal to some critics because they usually think that being bored and clueless is what it feels like to watch a good movie.
Well, it's not. I do not know what audience Heaven is targeted at - but I know that not too many people cared.
Panic Room (2002)
Welcome to superboredom
I sometimes still can't believe how incredibly stupid and boring Hollywood's blockbusters have become. With disasters like Tomb Raider or Pearl Harbour in mind, one can't possibly look forward to next blockbuster summer. Who knows how empty and hollow Attack of the Clones nad its clones may be.
But here is David Fincher, Hollywood's hotshot, with something we wouldn't expect from him: A flat, boring so-called thriller. After two overrated (Seven, Fight Club), one underrated (Alien 3) and one just plain good film (The Game), we believed that guy could do at least one thing: Keep us interested.
Wrong. After probably twenty minutes, Panic Room falls flat. Jodie Foster and her terrible cliché daughter hide in a special Panic Room in their new house when Forest Whitaker and two thugs (one of them being Jared Leto in the worst of overacting moods) break in to get the previous owner's money out of the Panic Room.
And that's about it. Fincher shows absolutely no talent for suspense here. When Foster at one point leaves the Panic Room to get her mobile, it's important that no one hears her. So Fincher turns off the sound and makes it all slow motion. No excitement. Fincher prefers to show one digital camera move after the other, which is boring at first but ultimately becomes unbearable. There's also a digital gas explosion. I wasn't sure whether I was watching Poltergeist IV at that point.
The script doesn't help. The attackers are not scary at all. Whitaker's the nice guy, the good guy, the sad guy; Leto is a joke, and Raoul, the masked marauder, is all violence. So we're not really afraid. What scared me was Jodie Foster's daughter because I had hoped that we would never have to see a movie character like that again.
Then, after 90 minutes of boredom, comes a moment that totally sinks the film: The gangsters are in the panic room with Foster's daughter. The cops arrive. Foster's opening the door, telling the cops nothing's wrong because she's afraid something might happen to her daughter. Now at that point we know that the gangsters have absolutely NO CHANCE of hearing what she tells the cops because the film told us EXPLICITLY earlier on. So why doesn't she tell the cops to stay outside, but also what is going on in there??? I rest my case.
The finale would be a letdown - if there was anything good in the film before that.
Now don't get me wrong: Of course it's not as bad as Michael Bay. But exactly that is why I'm so disappointed. And by the way, it worked with the audience I saw it with, so it may work with you. But I hated it and it makes me angry that this film turned out to be so bad.