Movie Reviews & More
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
I was in for a shock with this one. I figured it was a happy story with some letdown, kind of like a girl Rocky. Boy was I wrong.
Starring Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, and Morgan Freeman, this is a really good movie. I have seen a number of movies Clint has directed in the last ten years and haven’t known it. But he has gotten quite the acclaim for the last two. I didn’t really understand the big hoopla over “Mystic River”, but this one…
Swank comes from a redneck trailer family, and is trying to scrap her way through life, eating other people’s food at the restaurant she works at, and living with the bare essentials. But she has one goal. She pays three month’s fee to work out at a ratty gym owned by Eastwood, who happens to be a great and personal trainer who cares about his fighters.
She works and works, and finally wins his attention, his promise to train her. And she is good. There is something satisfying about watching her win fight after fight against girls of all sizes, most of them K.O.’s. You believe Swank all the way. The shape she is in, her punches, her humility and simple way.
Swank then takes all of the money she has saved to try to do good in her family chain. All she gets in return is a slap in the face, and from that point on Eastwood is the only family she has, and we find out they only have each other really.
Hesitant about his fighters and disappointment, Eastwood lost a fighter in the beginning of the movie. So he lets Swank fight at the top level. To make a long story short, after three rounds of intense back and forth fighting, her opponent continues to fight dirty, hits Swank and she falls onto a stool and breaks her neck.
Painful and sad, she is paralyzed for the rest of her life. She loses a leg to bed sores and gangrene and loses hope. She doesn’t want to go out that way, after reaching such great heights for her hard work. She asks Eastwood to kill her, and although he says no at first, he does anyway as she finds ways to kill herself.
The movie kind of drags at the end, being so sad. But I would recommend anyone to see this at least once. You may feel depressed, but at least you will feel some satisfaction that this girl, this redneck girl, experienced life.
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
A gave this movie one last chance. But as I feared, it still sucks.
It’s been at least ten years since I have seen the original Star Wars. I have watched “Empire” and “Jedi” many times in that span, but I never did like the first one. Watching it again, I figured out more reasons why.
It is slow. This says it all. The epitome is when the droids are wandering in the desert. Could that be any more stupid and boring?
The dialogue. I had remembered this being better, like Lucas had slipped over the years. But like Chip Cullen says, “Show not tell” and the whole first movie is all about the “tell” and the forced dialogue between the characters, it’s hokey.
It’s dated. I know at the time this was huge, but the stupid aliens, and look of the film, and the lack of action because of the lack of technology really prevents this movie from ever living up the dream idea.
Other things that I noticed specifically where Darth Vader. He is a real tool in this movie. You can hardly believe that Anakin is in there after seeing the first three parts. He talks way too much, and gets pushed around way too much by the average soliders.
Obi Wan. He is just way too eager to get back into fighting. It just doesn’t seem like the same character. He meets Luke and he’s all “When are ya going to learn the force? Huh? You gonna You gonna?”
If anyone even reads this, I know those people are hating me. The design for this movie is great, but I think people have gotten caught up in the romantic idea of what this movie is more than actually the substance is there. It really can’t touch the newer versions, even in concept. If you haven’t seen this, I don’t think you are even alive, so I don’t need to give a recommendation. But just realize that if Lucas would have had his way, all of the movies would look as digitally amazing as they do today. He even admits the first movies aren’t very good, so maybe people should look at them through his eyes and a little less their own.
X-Men 2 United (2003)
I’ve seen this three times, and I can never get enough of this movie.
The famous Mutant Marvel Team, the X-Men, are back in this second movie that now has the advantages of an established backgound of characters and stories. We now get to see things really let loose, while at the same time, continue to develop these great relationships that seem to be at the core of Bryan Singer’s movies.
The base idea, there is one evil hellbent government official that is focused on wiping out mutant kind. His son was a freak mutant and his son caused him great pain that only pushed him further over the edge.
All of our favorite characters are back, Magneto, Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm. But this time we added Nightcrawler who is introduced in a stunning and truly fitting opening sequence, showing off his teleporting powers in the White House. We have also added a more grown up Pyro, who is young and head strong, and shows off his powers way too much.
A great story and great action. I recommend this movie to all. I may be biased, but you still need to see this movie. The first one would help to see first, but that isn’t nearly as good as this one.
So many great parts, Wolverine protecting the children at the mansion when it is hit by military troops, his viciousness still gives me chills. The small rols of Cyclops and Yukio, who has a great battle scene with Wolverine and her adamantium finger blades. Magneto when he uses iron in a guard’s blood to escape a fully plastic prison. And of course, let’s not forget the end, when Jean Grey’s powers come to a boiling point as she sacrifices herself for the others and we see glimpses of “The Pheonix”.
A shame that Singer won’t be directing any more of these movies anytime soon, but you can’t pass up a chance to direct a new Superman movie, and he will be perfect at the relationships in that movie. I just hope Brett Ratner is not the Joel Schumacher of the X-Men franchise. With strong rumors of Kelsey Grammer as “The Beast” and possibly “The Sentinels” the new script promises some great things.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
What a movie!
I had been waiting on this with wet dreams since last fall when we saw the first trailers. It does not disappoint.
I liked the first two new Star Wars movies. I like the technology, I like the battles, I like them for everything that Lucas wished he had back in the day, and is making up for now. Incidentally, the opposite is what people love the old movies for, and I believe that I am in the minority in liking the newer ones better.
But the second movie especially, had such forced dialogue, that it would have been better if it was solid action. This movie, that is not the case. The dialogue may not be the best, but it is believable and much less of a nails on a chalkboard effect then the last movie.
But the scenes in this one. The opening battle in space with all of the ships, the battle on the Wookie planet with the trees and the water, and all of the machines and characters, from General Grievous to the ships and Imperial attackers, everything was so amazing. The design, the texture, everything is so rich.
Then, you have this little thing called the story. You have empathetic characters that question what you would do in their situation.
Anakin becomes more powerful as the movie goes along, but he is seduced by the dark side only in hopes of saving Padme. Then we realize Senator Palpatine is Dark Sidious, and all of a sudden all of the Jedi are being killed, betrayed by their troops. The land is falling, and then Anakin is fighting Obi Wan on the lava planet of Mustafar.
It ties to the old movies so well, and you see the pain and suffering of Anakin as he falls and is badly burned, and then the ultimate transformation into Dark Vader. It is all so amazing.
This is the best movie of all six in so many senses. You have to see this. This is the best movie I have seen since Spiderman last summer.
The Ring 2 (2005)
When Sarah and I rented “The Ring” a year and a half ago, we didn’t know what to expect. We were scared out of our minds, where we couldn’t even pee alone that first night. Nonetheless, even though I don’t enjoy movies that scare me, it was a really different and the story was really interesting. The second part ties everything together.
The story is about Noami Watts (mother) and her son, who are looking to make a new start. They are scarred from their experiences involving a deadly video tape and a little girl that was murdered. Just as they think they are in the clear, the little girl finds them.
If you haven’t seen the first movie, the basic premise is that there is this video that teenagers are passing around and watching. Seven days from the time you watch the video, you die. This time round though, the consequences are a little more dire. I really could go on and on about the second part of the movie here, but you really have to see the first part to understand.
The little girl that is the ultimate evil in these stories is looking to take over the son’s body and become a real child again, to have a new mother. Watts has to convince those around her she isn’t crazy, or abusive to her son, as well as figure out a way to get him back before time runs out.
There is plenty of suspense, from the two messed up faces that are the trademark from the first movie, to a scene where the car Watts is driving is viciously attacked by large deer, about 20-30 of them to be precise.
Not a movie for children, although some stupid parents brought them anyways, I think you have to be a certain type of person to like this movie. But the idea of a deadly video tape, with some very bizarre footage on it, some haunting music, and some interesting use of cut footage make this movie intriguing to those who like interesting cinematography.
Robocop (1987)
I gave this movie the rating I did largely because of how I remember it. I had seen this in the mid 90’s as a TV edited version, and I loved it then. But now looking at it, you see how the dated the movie is, and how far we’ve come in technology since then.
The movie is about Murphy, a cop that is viciously killed in the line of duty. His timing is just right that the police department of the future is looking for something less human and breakable in the form of a complete robot or a cyborg. The full monstrous robot Ed 209 is a disaster, killing everyone in sight, so Murphy because a cyborg robocop.
He then spends the rest of the movie in self discovery, reversing his brain washing, and killing off all of the bad guys that killed him first. Pretty simple.
Graphic in many senses even by today’s standards, I don’t think I would recommend many people to see this movie. There was one part that scared me so bad the first time I saw it, and that was TV edited version, that I had to fast forward through this time again. But the idea is pretty cool and the Robocop design is really awesome. This is kind of a classic in a sense, so maybe check it out for the whole campy futuristic ideal is portrays in the movie.
Night Shift (1982)
Old but funny, this movie may be dated, but if you are a fan of Michael Keaton, he comes out in full swing in this movie.
Along with Shelley Long(Cheers) and Henry Winkler(Happy Days), this movie is about two guys who turn their night shift at the morgue into a prostitution ring. Now, that may sound really bad, but the movie stays on the surface of the dirtiness of the whole thing. Winkler lives next to Long, who is a hooker, and her pimp was just murdered. She and the rest of her friends are without a pimp, and Winkler is smitten with Long, so he offers to help them out.
Keaton is the brains behind the whole thing, and the driving force of the movie, as Winkler is a push over. Keaton is the jittery funny man who is throwing parties in the morgue, driving kids to their proms in a hurst, and slew of other really bizarre things.
Not exactly a family movie, but if you like Keaton this is a must. And of course, if you can overlook some of the content of the movie. I am a fan, and I hate old movies.
