At the movies
Continuing my shockingly original trend of watching movies ...
King Kong - Not bad. Though other folks really loved it, I was kinda skeptical. But it does a very good job of flipping the whole story around and making the monster the 'good guy' in the plot. Plus, Peter Jackson did an excellent job in the re-creation of the final scene atop the Empire State Building. It's not often you have to try to redo one of the five most memorable scenes in movie history, but he delivered nicely.
An Inconvenient Truth - The partisans are going to say it's an Al Gore lovefest, and to an extent it is, but it's much more than that. It presents a compelling case for man's influence on global warming based on existing data, and somehow makes a PowerPoint presentation interesting enough to devote an hour and a half to as well.
Little Miss Sunshine - An excellent film all the way around, and it was just honored by the Screen Actors Guild as Best Picture, which was good to see. It's terribly odd, but beautifully scripted and marvelously acted. If Abigail Breslin doesn't win Best Supporting Actress, something ain't right.
The Sentinel - Remember how good I said Little Miss Sunshine was? Let's go all the way to the other end of the cinematic spectrum and just when you reach the crushing black void that is movie hell, The Sentinel is still a four-day car ride away. Absolutely awful. Nowhere near enough shouting by Keifer Sutherland, which is the primary reason I watch him on 24. And the movie ends so abruptly, it's almost as if the director said 'Whatever, screw it ... I've devoted enough of my life to this piece of crap.'
Syriana - Another quality film, though I might suggest that Alexander Siddig might have been more deserving of the Best Supporting Actor honor than George Clooney. One of those movies which leaves you absolutely infuriated by the end of it, and that's part of its charm I suppose.
King Kong - Not bad. Though other folks really loved it, I was kinda skeptical. But it does a very good job of flipping the whole story around and making the monster the 'good guy' in the plot. Plus, Peter Jackson did an excellent job in the re-creation of the final scene atop the Empire State Building. It's not often you have to try to redo one of the five most memorable scenes in movie history, but he delivered nicely.
An Inconvenient Truth - The partisans are going to say it's an Al Gore lovefest, and to an extent it is, but it's much more than that. It presents a compelling case for man's influence on global warming based on existing data, and somehow makes a PowerPoint presentation interesting enough to devote an hour and a half to as well.
Little Miss Sunshine - An excellent film all the way around, and it was just honored by the Screen Actors Guild as Best Picture, which was good to see. It's terribly odd, but beautifully scripted and marvelously acted. If Abigail Breslin doesn't win Best Supporting Actress, something ain't right.
The Sentinel - Remember how good I said Little Miss Sunshine was? Let's go all the way to the other end of the cinematic spectrum and just when you reach the crushing black void that is movie hell, The Sentinel is still a four-day car ride away. Absolutely awful. Nowhere near enough shouting by Keifer Sutherland, which is the primary reason I watch him on 24. And the movie ends so abruptly, it's almost as if the director said 'Whatever, screw it ... I've devoted enough of my life to this piece of crap.'
Syriana - Another quality film, though I might suggest that Alexander Siddig might have been more deserving of the Best Supporting Actor honor than George Clooney. One of those movies which leaves you absolutely infuriated by the end of it, and that's part of its charm I suppose.
posted by Jmac at 7:11 PM
4 Comments:
I thought King Kong was to "epic" for my taste. The dinosaur scene was entirely too long, and I didn't think the special effects really fit. I agree with you in regards to the final scene, but for the rest of the movie, I wasn't satisfied. I think you can have a little too much Peter Jackson. When you literally double the length of a film, that's a little too much Peter Jackson for my taste.
um, that would be too "epic"
I concur to a certain extent with ze Realist...I think "Kong" was too long but overall I thought it was a fantastic piece of work. Peter Jackson is the master of bringing detail and intricate touches to epic movies that elevate his works over other directors. Now, if only Carrie and I can get JMac in a room for 10 hours to properly introduce him to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
As for your other choices JMac...your comments on "Truth" were right on the money...did I really need the ten minute long interlude about the 2000 election/hanging-chad debacle...no, but the overall theme and message of the movie overcame Gore's self-indulgence. If you really want to get angry watch a double feature of "Truth" and "Who Killed the Electric Car".
As for "Little Miss Sunshine", I was a big fan but sorry to dissapoint you JMac, looks like Jennifer Hudson will walk away with the best supporting actress Oscar for "Dreamgirls" (a movie I haven't seen so...sorry...no opinion can be inserted here).
I liked Kong except they could have cut the bug part completely -- the dinosaurs were good, but the bugs. The words "trying too hard, Peter" entered my head in the theater.
I really liked "Sunshine." I left the theater thinking it was just ok, but the more I thought about it the more I liked it. I need to see it again. Carell becomes whoever he plays. Think about it -- The Office, his stint on The Daily Show, a 40 year old virgin, a depressed Proust scholar, retarded Brick Tamland, and gay Uncle Arthur on Bewitched. All Carell, but all very different. He doesn't disappear into the roles like Brando or Hoffman or some other name that I could drop to make me sound smart and like I know what I'm talking about, but he owns each character and makes them unique. I'm starting to feel douche-baggy so I'm stopping now.
Post a Comment
<< Home