Robots
I think after seeing The Incredibles it would be hard for the next animated film I saw to measure up. In terms of animation, this one was actually at least as good, if not better. The story, on the other hand, was the same one that's been used in more kids' movies than I can count. My wife and I came away with the impression that a bunch of studio execs got together saying, "How can we repackage the same movie and get people to see it again?" "I know! We'll make all the characters into robots and then get some big names for the voice acting!" If you're tired of seeing the same old formula over and over again, it's probably best to skip this one. On the other hand, if your kids are old enough for PG-rated movies and you like Robin Williams, go ahead and give Robots a shot.
Viewed: 2005-03-11 | Released: 2005-03-10 | Score: C
Be Cool
I still haven't seen most of Get Shorty, so maybe I'm not completely qualified to give Be Cool a fair review. I saw it, though, so you get my opinion anyway. Despite the fact that there were a lot of funny, clever parts, I found the movie in general a little boring. There just wasn't any sense of urgency. In most movies there's a general understanding that things will work out in the end, but that's different from a story in which everything works out at every turn for the good guys. If I gave out half-stars this would be a one-and-a-half for the clever metafilmic humor and the fun performances by Cedric the Entertainer, André 3000, and The Rock. As it is, it gets one star for not keeping me very entertained.
Viewed: 2005-03-05 | Released: 2005-03-03 | Score: D
Constantine
Juliette didn't want to see this one, so I went by myself on a Wednesday night. It was probably best that she didn't go; she probably wouldn't have cared for it. I, on the other hand, thought it was quite a fun movie. Keanu still can't act, but what I've come to realize is that he's only bad when he's talking. If you take into consideration only his physicality, he's actually OK. I know next to nothing about the comic on which the movie is based, but I found the writing to be pretty decent. The story was engaging, and if it wasn't particularly profound, so what? It's not that kind of movie.
Viewed: 2005-03-01 | Released: 2005-02-15 | Score: B
Hitch
I find it extremely irritating when I go see a comedy only to find out that every single one of the funny parts was in the preview. I know that the advertisers are trying to get people in the door, but I feel so gypped when I spend my money for no extra funny. So if you're looking for cute parts, Hitch will do just fine, but if you want funny, the preview will suffice. As for the rest of the film, well, it doesn't break any new ground, but it's entertaining enough. I found myself wishing for a slightly different climax, but all the same it was a decent example of a romantic comedy with, perhaps, slightly more guy appeal. (Slightly.)
Viewed: 2005-02-11 | Released: 2005-02-10 | Score: C
Million Dollar Baby
It's now been almost two weeks since I actually saw this film. I've been pretty busy lately, sure, but really I just didn't feel like reviewing it. Many of you may have already formed your own opinions about it; it's been out for a while, and even if you haven't seen it, all of the controversy might have left an impression. For my own part, I'm ambivalent. On the one hand, from a technical standpoint, it's a brilliant film. The acting, directing, and score were all very well done, nearly perfect. (All three of the stars I gave it are solely on the merit of these technical points.) But on the other hand, the actual story is so tragic that it's over the top. And now that I've had several important plot holes pointed out to me, the writing seems even clumsier. I don't feel the same outrage that many people do, but I am still bothered by how the film ends. I don't know if I'll ever completely make up my mind. So, to end with a corny one-liner, I guess you could say that Million Dollar Baby was a split decision.
Viewed: 2005-01-29 | Released: 2004-12-14 | Score: B
In Good Company
Some of you who go to see this film may be a little surprised to find a little more substance than you were expecting. But then again, you could say similar things about writer-director Paul Weitz's last project, About a Boy. The trailers for In Good Company make it look like either a light-hearted romantic drama or a somewhat serious romantic comedy. Either way, you expect the movie to be mainly about the romance between Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansson's characters. Really, though, the movie is about Topher Grace's character taking on Dennis Quaid's character as a father figure and becoming an adult in the process. Overall, the picture is pretty good, with the only real flaws centering around Johansson. She's not a particularly great actor to begin with and her role was rather underwritten to boot. But since the movie focuses so much more closely on Quaid and Grace--who were, in my opinion, perfectly cast--these are forgivable flaws.
Viewed: 2005-01-15 | Released: 2006-12-05 | Score: B
The Aviator
Despite the fact that The Aviator has a very good chance of winning Best Picture this year, I didn't think it was that great. It's not the fact that the film changed some of the historical facts. Not only should that be expected from a Hollywood biopic, but it makes for a better, more cohesive story. I didn't have a real problem with the acting. True, Kate Beckinsale still lacked any personality and I found Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Katharine Hepburn a little stilted, but I'm finally starting to respect Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor. I might even think he deserves a Best Actor nomination (the win obviously going to Jamie Foxx). No, the real problem with this movie is that it's so long. Any film would feel long at 170 minutes, but long stretches of The Aviator limp by with almost nothing happening. This is not to say that the movie didn't have it's moments, but so much time passed between those moments that it got kind of boring.
Viewed: 2005-01-08 | Released: 2004-12-13 | Score: C
Sideways
With all the buzz about this movie, I felt I had to see it before the Academy Awards. Still, I'd heard enough personal reviews that I wasn't expecting real greatness. Sure enough, Sideways didn't live up to the hype. The film follows two friends, Miles and Jack--played by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, respectively--through a week-long wine-tasting trip leading up to Jack's wedding. The characters were interesting and the principal actors all did a good job--though I don't think the role was that much of a departure from Giamatti's previous work--but I just didn't find any real profundity in the story. Moreover, all of the wine talk kind of turned me off, even while simultaneously being interesting to me. Now, people who know me know that I like wine. I even like talking about wine. But in Sideways it just made me feel like the filmmakers were pretentious. Still, the wine provides the background and sets the tone for the whole film; it wouldn't have been the same story without it.
Viewed: 2005-01-07 | Released: 2004-10-11 | Score: B
Meet the Fockers
I hated Meet the Parents. You see, there's a certain style of humor involving humiliation that makes me physically uncomfortable that, unfortunately, is a big part of many comedy films and most sitcoms. For example, just about every scene in Friends that centers on Ross. I call that "the part of the show that I can't watch." When it starts, I know immediately, and I avert my eyes and start squirming in my seat. I usually have to leave the room. This meant that more or less the entire 108 minutes of Meet the Parents was completely unwatchable for me. I expected Meet the Fockers to be much the same, but Juliette wanted to see it so badly that I saw it anyway. And you know what? With one glaring exception, the movie was quite watchable. In fact, I found a lot of it hilarious. Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand were perfect as Ben Stiller's uninhibited parents. Sure, much of what they did would have embarrassed me horribly, but they were so well-meaning that it didn't really bother me. Additionally, they provided a much-needed contrast to Robert De Niro's character. In the first movie, De Niro's ex-CIA father figure is contrasted with Ben Stiller's Greg Focker, making Stiller look even more bumbling than he would on his own. Here, the Fockers make De Niro's Jack Byrnes look much less sympathetic. All of that added up to a movie that I was actually able to laugh at instead of running away screaming in agony.
Viewed: 2005-01-02 | Released: 2004-12-15 | Score: B
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Life Aquatic may be the Wes Anderson film that I liked most on the first viewing. It took me a couple of tries to warm up to Rushmore, and although I liked The Royal Tenenbaums immediately, I didn't laugh out loud until the second time I saw it. Something about this one, though, really worked for me. Maybe it was the whole campy documentary thing. Maybe it was Bill Murray. Maybe it was the Portuguese David Bowie songs. I don't really know. Whatever it was, I loved it.
Viewed: 2005-01-01 | Released: 2004-11-19 | Score: A