Movie Update...
Here's what I think about the movies I've seen recently...
* The Chronicles of Narnia - Narnia, as expected, is getting rave reviews from Christians and (at best) tepid reviews from critics. I fall somewhere in between. The movie is beautiful and I whole-heartedly agree with the slight changes made from the book. Tilda Swinton, who plays the White Witch, and Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan are spectacular. With the exception of the boy who plays Edmund, the children are not. There's quite a lot of character development with Edmund and the actor does a really good job. Peter and Susan are the worst, and Lucy does ok (she has that annoying English habit of saying "fanks" instead of "thanks"). There's an odd and unsettling sexual tension in the way Tumnus and Lucy interact. Overall, I would say it's a good movie, but I still prefer the book.
* King Kong - Billy Bush said it best when he said it's King Long! At three hours, you have to wonder if Peter Jackson actually made any choices, or if he just put everything in. The first and third acts are good for the most part, but almost an hour could have been taken from the middle. What's there is completely irrelevant to the story and could have been done in about half an hour at most. Unlike Narnia, the acting is really good and right on par with that sort of thirties melodrama. Kong is breathtaking. Not so much in the running and fighting, but the emotion in his face and his interaction with the girl will bring a tear to your eye.
* Fun With Dick and Jane - Some cute scenes, but mostly forgettable. I love Tea Leoni because she's married to David Duchovny and named her daughter "West Duchovny", but she is just not a good actress. Jim Carrey is very much himself and, after seeing what he could do in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, that just wasn't enough for me.
* Rumor Has It - Surprisingly cute. I think Kevin Costner is about done as an actor, but he worked in this role. Jennifer Aniston is as cute as ever, but a little too neurotic at times. When I think of Rob Reiner, I always think what a great director he is, but his movies of late do not seem to support that thought. The movie was a cute chick flick, but not much more.
* Cheaper by the Dozen 2 - While the main plot is tired and not very entertaining, the subplots are engaging and emotional. I teared up (but I tend to do that) on several occasions, particularly when the tween-age daughter goes through a sort of identity crisis and the oldest gives birth. This movie isn't going to win any awards, but it was a very nice way to spend an afternoon.
* Cinderella Man - WOW! I waited to see this movie because I'm not a very big Russell Crowe or Renee Zellweger fan, but I wish I had seen it in the theatre! Both actors do an absolutely fabulous job and this movie convinced me (once again!) that Ron Howard is possibly the greatest director of our time. There is almost nothing I would change about this film. The pacing, the dialogue, the camera angles, the fight sequences, the acting, the interacting, the lighting, the editing...everything is spot-on. I hate this movie didn't do better in the box office and that it came out so long ago. It is likely to be overlooked come Oscar time, but if it is, this will be one that "got away" from Academy members.
* The Island - Fast paced and adventurous with some nice comic relief and social commentary mixed in...what more could you ask? I enjoyed The Island as a great chase movie and mystery with a sci-fi twist.
* Man On Fire - This is one I also hesitated to see, but only because I had heard the second half wasn't really any good. I totally disagree, though. This is one of the best movies I've seen in a while, particularly for the editing. With Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, and Christopher Walken, I had not doubt the acting was going to be stellar, and I wasn't disappointed. The pacing of the movie was great. The editor (Christian Wagner - I looked it up on IMDB.com - coincidentally, he also edited The Island - hmmm) is really the star of this movie. The mixture of camera angles, the whole set up of flashbacks mixed in with the present. It's just perfect. If you haven't seen this one, please do.
Peace. Out.
* The Chronicles of Narnia - Narnia, as expected, is getting rave reviews from Christians and (at best) tepid reviews from critics. I fall somewhere in between. The movie is beautiful and I whole-heartedly agree with the slight changes made from the book. Tilda Swinton, who plays the White Witch, and Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan are spectacular. With the exception of the boy who plays Edmund, the children are not. There's quite a lot of character development with Edmund and the actor does a really good job. Peter and Susan are the worst, and Lucy does ok (she has that annoying English habit of saying "fanks" instead of "thanks"). There's an odd and unsettling sexual tension in the way Tumnus and Lucy interact. Overall, I would say it's a good movie, but I still prefer the book.
* King Kong - Billy Bush said it best when he said it's King Long! At three hours, you have to wonder if Peter Jackson actually made any choices, or if he just put everything in. The first and third acts are good for the most part, but almost an hour could have been taken from the middle. What's there is completely irrelevant to the story and could have been done in about half an hour at most. Unlike Narnia, the acting is really good and right on par with that sort of thirties melodrama. Kong is breathtaking. Not so much in the running and fighting, but the emotion in his face and his interaction with the girl will bring a tear to your eye.
* Fun With Dick and Jane - Some cute scenes, but mostly forgettable. I love Tea Leoni because she's married to David Duchovny and named her daughter "West Duchovny", but she is just not a good actress. Jim Carrey is very much himself and, after seeing what he could do in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, that just wasn't enough for me.
* Rumor Has It - Surprisingly cute. I think Kevin Costner is about done as an actor, but he worked in this role. Jennifer Aniston is as cute as ever, but a little too neurotic at times. When I think of Rob Reiner, I always think what a great director he is, but his movies of late do not seem to support that thought. The movie was a cute chick flick, but not much more.
* Cheaper by the Dozen 2 - While the main plot is tired and not very entertaining, the subplots are engaging and emotional. I teared up (but I tend to do that) on several occasions, particularly when the tween-age daughter goes through a sort of identity crisis and the oldest gives birth. This movie isn't going to win any awards, but it was a very nice way to spend an afternoon.
* Cinderella Man - WOW! I waited to see this movie because I'm not a very big Russell Crowe or Renee Zellweger fan, but I wish I had seen it in the theatre! Both actors do an absolutely fabulous job and this movie convinced me (once again!) that Ron Howard is possibly the greatest director of our time. There is almost nothing I would change about this film. The pacing, the dialogue, the camera angles, the fight sequences, the acting, the interacting, the lighting, the editing...everything is spot-on. I hate this movie didn't do better in the box office and that it came out so long ago. It is likely to be overlooked come Oscar time, but if it is, this will be one that "got away" from Academy members.
* The Island - Fast paced and adventurous with some nice comic relief and social commentary mixed in...what more could you ask? I enjoyed The Island as a great chase movie and mystery with a sci-fi twist.
* Man On Fire - This is one I also hesitated to see, but only because I had heard the second half wasn't really any good. I totally disagree, though. This is one of the best movies I've seen in a while, particularly for the editing. With Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, and Christopher Walken, I had not doubt the acting was going to be stellar, and I wasn't disappointed. The pacing of the movie was great. The editor (Christian Wagner - I looked it up on IMDB.com - coincidentally, he also edited The Island - hmmm) is really the star of this movie. The mixture of camera angles, the whole set up of flashbacks mixed in with the present. It's just perfect. If you haven't seen this one, please do.
Peace. Out.
posted by Michelle at 9:58 PM
2 Comments:
"There's an odd and unsettling sexual tension in the way Tumnus and Lucy interact."
that's so funny because i totally thought the same thing...i didn't like that part but i thought the movie, overall, was good.
and as for cinderella man...own it and love it! awesome movie!
great post...hope you guys had a wonderful christmas and new years!
I loved Rumor Has It..., but I cried my eyes out watching The Family Stone. Tip: If you have issues dealing with cancer, don't watch that movie without a box of tissue! :)
BTW, I loved Man on Fire, but there were some parts that made my butt crawl...one example would be when he taped the mans hands to the steering wheel, but left his fingers sticking out. Oh my gosh!! :)
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