I have to stop being fooled by marketing. A Woody Allen film is going to be a Woody Allen film. To be honest, the acting was good, the script was tight, the dialogue was engaging, and the characters were intriguing. So why only one star? Because, at root, I'm just not into Woody Allen. Sure, he's done a couple of movies I liked, but by and large I find the man pathetic and often despicable. Your mileage may vary, though, so if you like Woody Allen movies, see this one.

Viewed: 9/18/2003 | Released: 9/18/2003 | Score: D

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I think that I'm really coming around to Nicolas Cage. I didn't think much of him in his earlier films (not to say I particularly disliked him; I didn't think much of him at all) but movies like Family Man, Adaptation, and this one are making me think he is a seriously talented actor. Alison Lohman also gave a very honest performance; I'm curious to see where her career takes her. The ending left me feeling a little sad, but it was the right ending. The only thing I wasn't sure about was whether Cage's performance was a particularly accurate portrayal of such extreme neurosis.

Viewed: 9/17/2003 | Released: 9/11/2003 | Score: B

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This was my fourth attempt at reading this book, and I finally succeeded. What the heck was wrong with me those other three times? I tell you, it takes a really good writer to tell you everything that will happen before it happens and still keep you emotionally involved in the story. I read almost the entire book in a single day.

Started: 9/1/2003 | Finished: 9/6/2003

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It was a Friday night, I had nothing to do, and I had already seen every movie that I wanted to see. So I found myself watching Dickie Roberts. And you know what? It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I thought many of the cameos were hilarious, and David Spade actually managed to pull off a couple of genuinely touching moments. Stick around during the credits for the music video. It's totally worth it.

Viewed: 9/4/2003 | Released: 9/2/2003 | Score: C

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It took me a while to finish this book, but only because there was so much to think about. Goldstein provides a good look at the history of copyright, both in America and abroad. In today's world of the Internet, file-sharing, digital satellite and cable systems, and video-on-demand, it is a highly apropos subject. Some of Goldstein's biases come out in the book (and, writing in 1994, he was a bit optimistic about how worldwide networks would develop), but it is still highly informative. But what I found even more interesting was the way in which it examined the workings and interworkings of Congress and the Supreme Court. It's not a difficult read, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.

Started: 8/2/2003 | Finished: 8/31/2003

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I can't decide if this movie was brilliant or awful. You see, there are two ways that a director can play with an audience. Some directors (David Lynch, for example) like to beat into you how much smarter and more creative they are than you, the audience. When you leave their films with no idea what you just saw, they are laughing at you because you're too stupid or bourgeois to understand their art. On the other hand, some movies are an invitation to figure them out, a challenge to raise your level of consciousness. I can't decide which this is. The performances were good. A lot of people wouldn't like this movie for it's extremely slow pace, though. The more or less constant nudity was certainly titillating, but it made me kind of uncomfortable, and I didn't understand the need for it. I think this is the type of movie I'll need to see again before I can completely make up my mind about it.

Viewed: 8/31/2003 | Released: 7/1/2003 | Score: C

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I have very mixed feelings about this film. On the one hand, Kevin Costner is a terrible actor. Well, perhaps that's not fair. He has done some good sports movies, and both of his previous westerns (Silverado and Dances With Wolves) were good movies. But he was pretty bad in this one. On the other hand, Kevin Costner as a director has a very good sense of epic landscape, which is crucial for a good western. The main problem with Open Range, though, was the script. The dialogue felt really forced. Robert Duvall is a terrific actor, but he just wasn't given anything to work with. Also, the movie differed in many key ways from a typical western (**SPOILERS HERE**): the heroes are freegrazing cattlemen, rather than farmers; the gunfighter finds that he can change and is brought into polite society; the good guy draws first in the climactic shootout, which is uncomfortably brutal. It was a very slow movie. Still, it had its moments, and I don't feel like it was a waste of money.

Viewed: 8/28/2003 | Released: 8/10/2003 | Score: C

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You may be able to guess that I saw this movie because my wife wanted to. Well, I've definitely seen worse. The main problem I had with this movie, apart from it's expectedly clichéd writing, was that I just couldn't sympathize that much with Brittany Murphy's character. Plus I had a hard time looking at her without thinking how unhealthy she's looking these days. Still, Dakota Fanning is a really great actor and I'm very interested to see how her career develops. There were some quite amazing moments between she and Murphy. Not surprisingly, most of these happened where there was no speaking.

Viewed: 8/21/2003 | Released: 8/14/2003 | Score: C

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There are certain stories that you can just feel the truth of. Whale Rider is one of those. The storytelling is so perfect that you forget it's a story; you feel like you are looking into the lives of real people. On the one hand, it's a glimpse into the Maori culture of New Zealand. On the other hand, it's a profound coming-of-age story. It's also a deep examination of why tradition is important, but also how it can hold us back. At times the film is heartbreaking, because Keisha Castle-Hughes' performance in the lead role is so honest, so vulnerable, so real that you forget you are seeing a performance; you see only a little girl trying so hard to be loved. Yet it is also a triumphant film, one which leaves you feeling good in the end. All I can say is, wow. What an amazing movie.

Viewed: 8/14/2003 | Released: 1/17/2003 | Score: A

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I wasn't very excited about this movie. I saw the previews and figured it would be just another over-produced, under-talented Disney disappointment. Boy, was I wrong. A tight script, swashbuckling action, and well-written, well-acted characters made this one of the best adventure movies I've ever seen. Johnny Depp, who I always enjoy, gave a marvelously quirky performance with just the right combination of comedy and depth. Orlando Bloom was, in my opinion anyway, kind of boring and stilted, but he can hardly be blamed for the script, and besides, all the girls will love him anyway. The real surprise for me was Keira Knightley, who managed to turn the normally cliché ingenue role into one that I actually cared about. And, as usual, Geoffrey Rush was a pleasure to watch; his last line was haunting.

Viewed: 8/7/2003 | Released: 7/27/2003 | Score: A

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