A bit of a cinema drought in the UK at the moment. For some reason, 21 Grams isnt showing at any of my local cinemas, and is only playing at about 10 Odeons in the whole country. As a result, I was dragged to see Cheaper By The Dozen by my girlfriend I like Steve Martin, but not exactly my type of film

The last great film I saw at the cinema was Big Fish, which was a while ago now. The Passion Of Christ is out on the 26th so I'll probably catch that.

Oh yes, I loved that movie.

One of my favorite recent horor films is Suicide Circle. It's the only movie I've seen to combine horror and musical theater without treating either as a joke- it's surprisingly effective.

The Monster, with Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci
is an excellent movie. The subject matter is not light. Charlize's
performance was outstanding, and very much worthy of an Oscar.
(the movie is still in theaters, here on the west coast)

Intolerable Cruelty, with George Clooney and Catherine
Zeta-Jones was actually very enjoyable and light. I'd recommend it,
as a rental.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was excellent - and I am not a Jim Carrey fan. Think of it more as a Charlie Kaufman movie (the guy who wrote Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) and you'll kinda get the picture: a lot of toying with narrative, alternate versions of events, and keen observation of odd relationships. It's also got a good, if quirky, supporting cast, and brilliant design, effects, and editing. And it's Jim Carrey's best - and most subtle performance ever. I'd recommend it, though as it's bound to be a disappointment for Carrey fans (and will put off a lot of his detractors), I don't imagine it'll be around for long...


Home on the Range I saw more out of duty than anything, but it turned out to be much better than I was expecting. It's very "old school" animation and reminded me a lot more of Warner Bros. than Disney. It was cute, cute, cute, pretty funny, very fast-paced, and totally forgettable. It's not at all as bad as many of the critics are making out (and, again, I wasn't expecting much) - and what other possible vehicle would combine the talents of Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Randy Quaid, and Steve Buscemi?? There are also a couple of decent songs by k.d. lang and Bonnie Raitt - and a guest appearance (if the word applies to voice-work) by former Texas governor Ann Richards!

I agree. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an incredible film. I loved every second of it. Brilliant screenplay from the wildly imaginative Kaufman. I also have to give credit to director Michel Gondry, who uses visual effects and incredible camerawork without drawing needless attention to itself. This is one of those examples where special effects work to supplement the story, not replace it. I think Jim Carrey tries far too hard with his dramatic roles, but I do agree he does an impeccable job here. Better is Kate Winslet who once again shows herself as a very gifted actress. It's hard to make such a quirky (almost bipolar) character so likeable.

I'd advise staying far away from Dawn of the Dead which is a poor update of George Romero's classic satire on American consumerism. *sigh* What a waste opportunity.

I'd agree with Wertz here, I watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last weekend and it was brilliant. I actually enjoyed watching Jim Carey in a more serious role, his old act was getting really tired. I wouldn't be surprised if this gets a few Oscar nods next year.

You know, I heard about that film, and without even seeing
the previews I said, "No way!" I'm NOT a fan, at all, of
Jim Carrey. But, with such great reviews from you and
Wertz I will give the movie a chance.

OK, it's not 100% current, but I just got the DVD of Fog of War and it is a very excellent movie. Robert McNamara thinks back on everything from the fire-bombing of Tokyo to his prosecution of the war in Vietnam.

Went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised about the Last Samurai.

Didn't know what to expect from the house of sand and fog but it was so disappointing I couldn't enjoy my crush on Jennifer Connely.

My Son rented Last Samurai. All the reviews were terrible so I had NO expectations.

It was really a good show!

Please do not see Troy unless you have 3 hrs and $8 to waste. It was a bomb of a movie in every aspect except the amount of Brad Pitt's legs that was shown.

Kill Bill 2 was great if you enjoyed the first one.

I could have told you it would be horrible. Anything (except
for Thelma and Louise) that has starred Brad Pitt, has
been bad. To me, he's not even cute, so I wouldn't throw the
money away...

I just saw Kill Bill 1 (on DVD) and I liked it, despite the
gratuitous violence. I'm a fan of Q.T.'s films.

A funny movie that wasn't in the theaters for very long
is called Stuck on You, with Greg Kinear and
Matt Damon. It was super-funny. I highly recommend it.

Ultra-violence : The Punisher. People go through hell before they are killed in this movie. Picture everyone being beaten, thrown off of something, beaten some more, shot, and then blown up! If you're looking for a no-nonsense 2 hours of action and violence, look no further!

Van Helsing is an enjoyable popcorn movie. You watch it, enjoy it, and then forget about it.

Godsend had really good previews, and the movie was actually pretty good. But the most important part of it (the ending) was AWFUL.

I just watched Bubba Ho-Tep- which turns out to be a surprisingly poignant movie about how the elderly are treated in our society, within the context of an "Elvis-and-John F. Kennedy-fight-a-redneck-mummy" movie.
Honestly, Bruce Campbell as Elvis and Ossie Davis as Kennedy ( ) turn in two of the best performances I've seen in quite a while. I'd heartily recommend this movie to anyone who isn't put off by an abundance of crude humor.

Shrek II Is a wonderful movie, for adults and kids.
It's definitely worth the price of the tickets!

Recently viewed, in brief:

The Ladykillers: Awful. Desperate. One of the worst movies I've seen in ages. A crass remake of the old Ealing comedy that does it no justice whatsoever (and, apart from Alec Guinness and Peter Sellars, the original wasn't even all that great).

The Fog of War: A movie every member of the Bush administration should see - and several good history lessons from former Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. It's got a fine score by Philip Glass, too.

Mean Girls: Pretty funny, with some dark humor - but not at all as dark as it should have been considering it was written by Tina Fey. Still, much better than your run-of -the-mill high school comedy (think Heathers without Christian Slater).

13 Going on 30: A not very impressive variation on Big. It does have Jennifer Garner in it, but I still haven't been able to figure out whether she's got any talent or if she's just great to look at.

Van Helsing: A relentless CGI-fest with a semblance of (fairly silly) plot hung on it. Entertaining and entirely forgettable. At least the Frankenstein's monster is finally one that Mary Shelley might recognize.

Elephant: This won't be to everyone's liking, but I thought it was brilliant. A quiet, naturalistic film consisting of a mundane slice of high school life that erupts in violence which is neither exploitative nor easily explicable.

Shrek 2: Not quite as good as the original, but loads of fun anyway. Antonio Banderas' Puss in Boots is hilarious and there are, again, lots of references to other movies. The animation is stunning.

Just watched Kill Bill vol. 1 again on cable and it's still waaaaay over the top with it's violence and gore, but I liked it. Uma Thurman is a uber-babe in all her butt-kicking glory.

The body count for Kill Bill vol. 2 was far smaller, but it picks up where the last one ends and I found it quite satisfying. I hope Quentin Tarantino eventually releases both films in it's original four-hour format.

That was the last flick I've seen in the theatre, though I do plan on catching The Punisher when it reaches the second-run theatres. I like the comic book and though critics hated the violence and grim nature of the "hero", it seems to fit in line with the characterization in the comics.

Nothing much else on the horizon until Spider-Man 2 shows up.

I actually liked it as much as the first- actually thought of it as an equal to the first- how often does a sequal measure up to the first movie?

I really like Elephant (and bought the soundtrack).

I just saw La Mauvaise Education, which is Almodovar's new film. Im not sure if its out in the US yet, but if it does come out, its worth seeing. Not as brilliant as Talk to Her, but still good, and interesting. Plus the hottest man alive is in it, in drag.

I must disagree with Devil's Advocate on Troy. I saw it last weekend, and thought it was pretty good. It does deviate from The Iliad to the point of being almost unrecognizable, though the characters are the same. I don't like Brad Pitt either, BTW, and I usually don't watch his movies. It isn't the best movie I've ever seen, but I do think it was worth the ticket price.

I don't know if I can watch it knowing Paris lives, and Ajax isn't killed by the God's but Hector <sigh>

Yes. And, unfortunately, in the movie Troy, Paris is much wimpier and more unlikeable than in Homer's version.

Paris WAS a wimp by the time he died- that is why the nymph let him die. I never liked him in the Iliad either- no thought to the consequences of his actions. Leave it to hollywood to miss the real relevence to todays trials and tribulations out of the movie- mans charge of his own destiny, instead of just letting the Gods do with us as they will.

You gotta see The Day After Tomorrow! The CGI may be a little overboard, especially seeing as it's dead obvious with the twisters in LA, but it's a good movie. The suspense never stops once all Hell breaks loose.

OK, I haven't been to a movie (in a theater) in forever, but I had to jump in here....two, count 'em TWO women don't think Brad Pitt is a stone fox????? Yikes! Granted, I could do without the forced pout, but he's a hottie!

I hear Shrek II is very good-better than the first. Has anyone seen "Saved"? I read an interesting article in Sunday's LA Times about the young star of that movie - an actress with principles - who'd a thunk it? Her agent kept pushing The Parent Trap at her, so she fired him! You GO, girl!

OK, I got that out of my system, carry on....

I have been able to get out and see a few movies recently...

The Day After Tomorrow - Cool special effects, decent action, science was completely bogus, emotional appeal was weak. Overall, this one is worth seeing in the theater if you like special effects, and you won't be disappointed if that is all you go in to see. We actually saw this on an IMAX screen in SF, was pretty cool.

Troy - Haven't seen it, and I don't plan to. From what I hear Hollywood completely destroyed the plot and the characters in Homer's original tale, almost to the point where it is a different story. I might catch it on DVD... maybe.

Van Helsing - Eh. Some decent eye candy to be had, but I could have stood to save my $9.75 and caught this on DVD instead.

13 Going on 30 - Ugh, my wife lost her movie picking privledges for a month over this one. This was too much like a female version of Big and it just didn't measure up. Wait for this to hit DVD.

Kill Bill Vol 2 - Quentin is still a genius, but I think making two movies was a big mistake. He could have cut a few scenes here and there and made an excellent 3.5 hour movie. I'm hopinh that they'll do something like combine the movies in the original directors cut for DVD, but we'll see.

Looking forward to: Shrek 2... I, Robot... Garden State... Saved... Harry Potter 3... Collateral... The Chronicles of Riddick... The Village and The Terminal and I really need to catch up on some of the good indie flicks out there. TiVo has been garnering most of my time for movies, etc.

I saw Day after tomorrow this weekend, nope, didn't like it. Special effects were very good, but I found myself routing for the disasters to WIN!

But, my wife liked it.

Haha, me too Red! But I have to confess that I enjoy any movie where they destroy LA

Wait a second... are you saying Paris dies in the Iliad?

I like Brad Pitt. I think hes a great actor. I just saw Troy today and I'm split on it. I liked the battle scenes, but even having not read the Iliad, I could still sense the great missing PLOT

Wolfgang Petersen... shame on you!

As an FYI, this article gives a fairly thorough review of Troy and where Holywood completely destroys Homer's plot and character elements.

There are probably likeable things about the film, it was Hollywood-ized afterall. I just have a pet peeve with writers coming along and ruining a perfectly good story just to make it into a "formula" blockbuster movie.

I think Troy is one of the very best films in theaters right now. Yes, I admit it is not an adaptation of Homer's "Iliad", but it is not supposed to be. It is a historical interpretation of what might have occurred during the Trojan War, inspired by Homer's poem. However, I must say it is definitely a movie pro-war patriots will dislike. The entire film is dedicated around this simple quote: "War is young men dying and old men talking."

Of course they took artistic liberties (particularly with the timeline condensing ten years of war into two weeks), but this is hands down one of the most well crafted epics I've seen in years. It is far superior to "Gladiator" or "Braveheart" (the two films it is compared with most frequently) and blends the brutal nature of war with the psychological complexities of loyalty and family. I was quite surprised at the emotion, never becoming sappy (although sometimes becoming cheesy) but involving nonetheless. The hero/villian lines were obscured enough to where it was hard to care about anyone. But such is the point the film is making--in war, each side believes they are right. I especially liked the argument of whose side the gods are on--a nice reflection of our current war-stricken times.

While it has numerous flaws, I think Troy is grandiose filmmaking, a throwback to Ben Hur and Spartacus and the great sword-and-sandal epics of the past. But better still is the human drama which plays out.

Eric Bana should get an Oscar nomination for his fantastic portrayal of Hector.

*edited for grammatical corrections*

Glad you enjoyed it, too, FargoUT I was starting to feel alone.

I saw Day after Tomarrow This is a film you can talk to your friend/partner all the way and laugh throughout since it never hits grand scale horrification at whats going to happen or happens, certainely not edge of your seat. Good effects and pretty scenes. Lack of real disaster, a feel good movie because civilization wins out in the end with no consequences. Major film flaws, like ungloved hands on metal in an impending permanent freeze, no real struggle to get your teeth into despite Ice age. Mexico looks hot as ever, there is a lot to laugh at in this movie.

It could have been a tv movie of the week.

They already had one of those, it was called 10.5

I'd agree Artemise, good assessment. The tragic thing is they could have used this movie to actually make a pretty powerful political statement. But alas, another missed opportunity.

A lot of people have been raving about the Day After Tomorrow, and I must say i enjoyed this also. I love disaster movies, even the really cheesy OTT ones of the 90s.

Tonight I'm going to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I'm not a fan of the books, but I did enjoy the first two movies. Child heroes annoy me for some reason, so I'm glad to see them looking older.

Its not current cinema, but I've started waiting for the His Dark Materials trilogy to come out, the first instalment due in 2005. I haven't felt this way about a film since 1999 when I first heard there was a Lord of the Rings film in production.

I saw Troy this weekend and thought it was a ok, here a some of the things I thought were wrong:
1. The timeline and the story were all wrong, they didn't even explain why Achilles (sp) heel was his weak point.
2. The one on one fights lasted maybe two minutes each and the rest of the battles were all CGI.
3. There was no "good" guys in the movie, except maybe Hector but he died in the end. Gosh darn greek tragedies, didn't anyone in ancient Rome or Greece live Happily ever after.

I thought Van Helsing was AWESOME. Great special effects. You can really appreciate how far the technology has come since the days of Godzilla. The creatures were very convincing in this film. Totally cool. I saw it twice already.

To answer some things...

1) They didn't need to explain Achilles' heel being his weak point. This movie did not deal with the mystical/spiritual side of the story. Achilles was vulnerable at all times in the film--he was just such a good warrior as to prevent being injured. While this does go against the idea of his being watched over by the gods, the movie is taking a more realistic approach. (Furthermore, does it really need to tell about the river Styx? Isn't that common knowledge?)

2) The one-on-one battles are intense (particularly Achilles and Hector), but much of the larger battles are real people (at least, the ones we watch anyway). There is a lot of CGI, but most of the CGI is thankfully left to background battles. The foreground should capture our attention, so Petersen used CGI to filled out the background to make the battles look larger and more epic. As someone who criticizes the use of CGI (this was one of the reasons I hated "Gladiator"), I was pleasantly surprised by "Troy". It all felt real.

3) This I completely disagree with. That is exactly why it is a good movie. There are no good guys in war--there are guys with opposing views. What makes those views "good" or "bad" is hindsight.

There were a lot of psychological underpinnings in "Troy" which I did not expect. I was surprised and I have recommended the film to everyone I can. Aside from some unnecessary cheese and campy acting, I think this is one of Hollywood's finest big-budget pictures as of late.

I just saw Super Size Me last night, everyone needs to go see this movie. In fact it should be required viewing for every middle school and high school student, parent, and school administrator.

The documentary was very well done, humorous at times, frightening at others. The best part about it is the facts are irrefutable, the director actually went on a McDonalds diet for a month and proved how unhealthy the food is. There just isn't any way to spin that.

This came out in Mid-May so it should still be in theaters near you, but probably not your mainstream theaters though. You are going to have to find your favorite indie movie house to go see this one.

Just saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I really enjoyed this film (haven't read the books so I can't compare), but it definitely has a different feel than the first two. A friend who has read the books tells me that it was very good, but there was a lot missing. That's to be expected, as I understand the book is huge, so huge that initially it was proposed that it be made into two separate films!

If ANYTHING can beat Shrek 2, it'll be Harry Potter. But i honestly think these 2 will be neck and neck this weekend

I went to view this movie with my mom. We thought we'd be the only ones in
the theater because it was a matinee on a Friday. It just so happens that we
were among a group of high school students who were assigned to see this
movie (as part of their Health class). Viewers walked away with the same
reaction, "Ughhh, I'm never eating at McDonald's again!"



Indeed. It makes me proud that I've never fed my kids fast food. I hope every
parent out there will watch it, and understand the reality of fast food, and how
harmful it is.

I saw Shrek 2 last evening. I thought it was good, but I really couldn't say it was better then the first.

Not bad for a sequal, and probably a pretty good show for kids. I Loved the first one, but I could have waited for the video on #2.

Red

I know you are not supposed to do back to back posts, but since my last post on this was several weeks ago......

Went to see Stepford wives.

I thought is was a very entertaining movie. A don't wait for Video movie. Christopher Walken and Glenn Close were excellent.

If you can forget a couple of glitches in the script it is a very good remake of a very good original.

The wife and I give the Movie

Oh, and Bette Midler (spelling) did a great job in her role also!!!!

Saw Garfield (against my better judgement) and was pleasantly surprised. Nothing fantastic, but an enjoyable movie.

Dodgeball was pretty funny, but I think that Ben Stiller is a complete waste. I know we're supposed to dislike his character in the film, but man I wanted a large animal to appear on-screen and devour him while I watched and laughed because I would never have to see him in anything ever again. Vince Vaughn is a great straight-man, delivering some of the funniest scenes. While it has it's share of potty-humor, it unexpectedly has some smart humor as well.

All the reviews I read said it was horrible. But, I guess, to each his own.
I don't think I would even see that one on video, though..

slim


I'm not a big fan of his , either. But, he was pretty good in the role he played -
a very believable jerk-off...



Yes, Vince Vaughn was great. The movie was actually quite funny.
I would recommend it, if you don't mind crude humor.

The Terminal, with Tom Hanks, was enjoyable. He's one of my
favorite actors, and he gives another great performance.

I recently watched a video named "Touching the Void". It is a documentary about two very young mountain climbers who experienced something terrible. One was 21 and the other 25 yrs old. The film splits between them talking now (around 40 yrs old) and action film of actors and mountaineers filmed at the real glacial mountain in Peru where it all happened. It is cleverly done and I felt that I was actually watching the event. I really felt the horror.

It is not "based" on a true story. It "is" a true story. Second by second, painful step by painful step. Every reviewer raved about his film, but none felt the discomfort of the narraters (the actual climbers). For me this was the most discomforting part of the movie. There was an incident on the mountain that each of them passes off as dramatic, but normal. But it was far from normal. They make far too light of it. IMO, both of the climbers are traumatised by this. I could see it in their faces as they spoke. There is much drama and many extaordinary moments, but that one incident is harrowing. What would you do if faced with that decision?

Watch it.

I watched the video 'City of God' last night. That was the very most sobering and disturbing film I have ever seen. I highly recommend it, though....very well done. Graphic and realistic depiction of desperation and violence in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.

I also saw Spiderman II. It was great.

I watched "King Arthur" (against my better judgement, but we have to screen new movies at the theater to make sure there are no problems with the print) and was very surprised. I don't know how historically accurate it is, but I thought it was a pretty good film. The battle scenes were well-done, the acting was okay, and it has some beautiful scenery. It could just be because my expectations were so low, but I actually enjoyed this film.

Just remember: no magic, no mythological creatures, just some decent swordplay and lots of horses.

I am mildly interested in watching King Arthur, but somehow I don't think it will surpass what I consider to be the greatest movie on that subject (even though it is ancient), Excalibur.