Movie Reviews & More
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
I got to borrow this movie for free, and I enjoyed it the first time, so why not jog my memory.
A fun movie with a ton of people in it, this is a remake of some really, unimportant original from back in the day. I am sure that this is much better.
Basically, Nicolas Cage is an expert car thief, and when his little brother’s life is threatened, he comes out of retirement to lead his band of rag tags to one last amazing heist. A Jerry Bruckheimer film, that also stars Robert Duvall and Angelina Jolie, it is fun and if you are into cars, this is like a fantasy.
But most of that stuff is lost on me, except for the 1967 Shelby GT. That is a pretty amazing car for how old it is.
So, if you like Nicolas Cage, he is funny, and this has some good action, including a scene where Cage flies Evil Kenievel style over a string of 15 cars. If you aren’t into the most engaging or original dialogue, this won’t have it. There are some hokey moments. But slow motion, big explosions, and mass appeal, all in Bruckheimer style. This movie should appeal to most.
National Treasure (2004)
I usually like Nicolas Cage in big action movies, but the previews for this Jerry Bruckheimer produced film didn’t really catch me. But Chris liked it, so for fifty cents I gave it a try. Boy was I glad.
A great mixture of history and action, this is one of the most original movies I have seen in the past six months to a year. Also starring Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Sean Bean and Diane Kruger, this movie will keep you guessing until the very end. I would have given it a higher rating if there weren’t the big action shots that made you go, “Yeah right” or “No one would ever say that”, but you expect a little fantasy in these “big bucket o popcorn” type films.
The story revolves around the idea that the founding fathers of the USA hid the biggest treasure ever known to man, one that was fought over since the dawn of time. In order to hide it, the fathers used an elaborate scheme of clues to keep the treasure safe. Cage is in a family that has been searching for the treasure for many generations and he is the one to finally make the discovery. The movie doesn’t elaborate how he goes the extra distance, but we soon learn how intelligent he is at solving riddles.
So, not to go on an on. See this movie if you like good action, but contained in the relevance of the film in archeology. Nicolas Cage does an awesome job as does Justin Bartha who serves as the comedic relief. See this movie too if history interests you, from the technology in protecting the Declaration of Independence, down to the allure of a hidden message from a lost generation of thinkers. Don’t see this movie if you can’t stand occasion bad dialogue, or a movie that assumes some things to be able to tell a great story in a two and a half hour time slot.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
The Jury is still out on this one.
I got to borrow this movie from Christine, and so that was one of the main reasons I watched it, Free film.
This is an MTV film with no one noteworthy, and is highly oft-kilter. It is basically about the weird lives of these high school teens that live in a dismal poor town in Idaho. The main character is every stereotypical dork rolled into one.
I liked the movie because if you can look past it’s slow pace, and kind of stupid humor, the character development pays off in the end for some of the humor. Plus, it was a different story, and everything was really rough and dirty to kind of fit the run down town.
I wouldn’t recommend this movie to the general public. Like I said, if you appreciate seeing a different idea, then see it. This movie is all about some of the most awkward moments someone can have in high school, so you may enjoy that too. But the humor is poignantly planned stupidness, so many people won’t be able to get past that. But, to see the main character (dork) do the dance at the end of the movie for the whole school, is just breathtakingly hilarious. Trust me.
Closer(2004)
I still don’t get what this movie was completely about.
I spent some time last night trying to look it up online. This is set in London England and stars Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen, and is about love, intimacy, and the lies that always seem to swirl in the midst of the other two.
Jude Law and Natalie Portman fall in love early on in the movie, but then Jude meets Julia Roberts and falls for her. Thinking about her, and playing a bizarre joke on her, Jude hops into a sex chat room and plays with a guy’s head and sends him to meet Julia at the Aquarium. Julia falls for this guy and they get married.
But then Jude still has an affair with Julia, and on and on. There is backstabbing, and there is partner swapping, all except for Natalie Portman. After Jude dumps her she goes back to stripping in London. The movie was extremely sexually explicit, so this is not something I would recommend for a younger audience.
I didn’t care for the dialogue. All of it was witty between the four characters, and seemed a little too rehearsed, like none of them were dumb enough to speak like normal people. There were huge time lapses, like years, when a scene would open which wasn’t a bad thing, just a interesting quality of this movie. And now that I am moving towards things I liked about the movie…
I liked that I left the theater with a little bit of a “What in the name of Petey the Pirate?” There were some underlying themes about lying that were interesting, in particular a line by Natalie Portman that was something to the extent, “Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking off her clothes, But it’s so much more fun if you do.” The whole movie the partners are telling each other, or figuring out about their affairs. By telling this truth they hope to find intimacy, when in fact, it is just the opposite. The intimacy is ruined as soon as truth comes out.
Which is what happened in the end. Jude wants to know if Natalie slept with Clive. She denies it vehemently, but as soon as he makes an ultimatum if she doesn’t tell the truth, he realizes that it is over between the two of them. He comes to her and she tells him the truth, and says she doesn’t love him anymore. In the end of the movie we find out that she lied about her name all along, and that she didn’t need truth to find true intimacy.
So, if you like strange movies and stars, you might want to see this. But the sexual language will put you off if you are reserved at all, and the somewhat non traditional method of telling a story. I would have given it more stars if it was just a touch more entertaining.
Seabiscuit (2003)
We bought this movie yesterday, and it still holds the magic it first did when we saw it in the theaters. As the filmmakers say on the disc, a Classic American Tale, Seabiscuit is an emotional film that touches the heart of most any red blooded American.
Beautifully shot in such a memorable era, Seabiscuit is a story about a discarded horse that brings together three lives that have been beaten down by the depression, and rises to the penultimate success. For every American whose worth was shattered, this movie is about second chances, hope, and faith that those who believe in those three ideals can rise to the top.
A perfect cast of Jeff Bridges, Toby Maguire, Chris Cooper, Elisabeth Banks and directed by Gary Ross, each character shows the emotion of a troubled spirit in a great way. Jeff Bridges lost his son to the very thing that made him rich, Toby Maguire was given up by his family in hopes of a better life that never was, and Chris Cooper was a nomad that slowly watched his precious untouched country-side dwindle.
This movie makes me cry ever time I see it. The color, the grandeur of the costumes, and that secret wish down within that the underdog will win, this is a movie that blends classic film making with modern technology and resources.
Jarhead (2005)
Who’s in it
Jamie Foxx, Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Lucas Black, Peter Sarsgaard
What was good
This is a solid movie. I think it would resonate more with those who have experienced war, because I think it may really portray what war is like, a lot of waiting on politics. Some of the imagery towards the end is just amazing when the oil wells are lit up with that as a backdrop for the soldiers at night, wow. Plus, it really gets into the psyche of war and those that fight it.
What sucked
This is a solid film. It isn’t the most entertaining at all times, but that shouldn’t be what you rented it for. If there is anything, it may be that while they are waiting, the film feels as slow as I am sure it does for the soldiers when they are there, in Iraq, waiting for something to happen.
Who should go see this
Everyone. This isn’t what I would call a real bloody movie, the marines don’t even kill anyone. But you do see bodies of burned Iraqi citizens and you get to see some of the guy get branded with a hot iron. But overall, it has some humor, if you like movies about Marine’s, and less about the training, this movie only deals with the training and conditioning for a part of the movie. It deals with more keeping sharp when things are slow. I would recommend most people should see this, just with the idea in mind if you don’t like the subject matter, you probably won’t like it.
Spanglish (2004)
I almost gave this movie four and a half stars, but it wasn’t concise enough to be that good. But it was pretty darn close.
I like Adam Sandler. To date I have seen pretty much everything he has been in. And like most comedic actors, lately he has had the serious urge. Punch Drunk Love was a little too quirky for me, so this is a nice midway for me.
This movie is about Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni and their well to do family. They hire a nanny in the form of a beautiful young Spanish woman, (Paz Vega) and they soon all become enveloped in one big family. But not by choice.
Paz does not speak English and has deep cultural roots, and Tea is this borderline Obsessive Compulsive with no tack and extremely low self esteem that she projects on others. So, naturally, they butt heads. Adam Sandler is stuck in the middle. A world class chef that is understanding and loving, and trying to work with everyone around him, but getting walked over and is near his breaking point.
There is a short love affair between Tea and her real estate agent, and Adam Sandler is falling for Paz. But being a good husband, he mostly resists, and puts his children first.
All the while, Paz’s daughter Christina, is pulled in every direction. She is actually the narrator of the story. This is why I did not rate it higher.
I was riveted by the movie. But it was convoluted on who is was supposed to be about. You want some more resolve at the end of the story, but you don’t really get it because the story is about Christina. Or so they want. But the story focuses equally on many different relationships, so that is why you feel this tug of war as an audience member.
This movie has a lot of chick flick in it. If you like Adam Sandler, he does some funny commentary on what is going on around him, but is for the most part serious. But it has great acting from Sandler, Leoni, and Vega, so see this movie, just don’t expect everything to be completely resolved when you leave the theater.
