"Zane knew himself to be a headstrong young idiot with delusions of artistry and literacy." - Piers Anthony (On A Pale Horse)

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

"There are no such thing as monsters."

A History of Violence
It makes sense that a film adapted from a graphic novel would be a blunt, intense, and (dare I say it) graphic film. The violence is presented in as straight-forward and brutal a manner as possible. The sex is much the same. Not for everyone, but a good film.

Serenity
Here's the story...
Joss Whedon wrote a 2-hour pilot (called 'Serenity') for his tv show (called 'Firefly'). Fox hated the pilot and had Joss write a new one which, ultimately, aired as the first episode of the series. The show lasted for one season. Fanboys cried foul, teamed up with the 'Enterprise' trekkers, and petitioned for the lost pilot to be made into a movie.

So here we are. If you like the way Joss Whedon does his thing... 'Serenity' will make you very happy. If you never liked 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' film or tv, 'Angel', or 'Firefly'... go ahead and skip this one. If you love you some sci-fi, thought the occasional ep. of 'Buffy' of 'Angel' was worthwhile, or even just thought the 'Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna die' line from the trailer was funny... dig in and enjoy.


Into The Blue
Can I spend 90 minutes staring at Jessica Alba's bikini-clad ass?
I can?
Seriously?
My girlfriend might get a tad bored by all the titties. Is there something for her?
There is?
Oh... you mean the 'Fast and the Furious' guy.
What about plot?
Nothing but a bunch of stupid people making bad decisions and reaping what they sew... but their hot right?
Sweet.

Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
It's Wallace and Gromit. It's a textbook horror film in the style of the classics. Why haven't you seen it yet?

Waiting...
This movie is exactly as the trailer indicates. If any part of the trailer makes you cringe or you think it just looks stupid... stay home, save the 9 bucks.

If you do go see this movie, sit through the credits. That Rube Goldberg on the wall in the background is the payoff.

Thumbsucker
Everyone seems to want to talk about the specifics of this film (the thumbsucking, ADHD diagnosis, etc.) or they want to call this a 'coming-of-age' film. They are missing the point.

The son is trying to grow up. The father is trying to tell his family that he loves them. The mother is trying to find some happy in her days. None of them seem to understand what the other is doing, nor can they communicate their own wants to each other.

This is a film about growing pains. Life happens, people change, and you need to adapt to keep up.

This could have easily been a Hal Ashby film.

Two For the Money
"You push, and you push, and you push, and you push, until they push back, and then you push some more."

Al Pacino says it and it pretty much sums up his character and this movie. I spent the entire movie trying to figure out what Pacino was trying to do. This movie is less about Pacino training a replacement, than it is about him fucking with people. All he does is play the asshole. I kept waiting to learn that he was the devil and that Matthew McConaughey was the antichrist.

Which leads me to the ending (that's the *SPOILER* flag for the uninitiated)...
Given the way this story unfolds, how the hell does everybody win? Matthew McConaughey leaves the corrupting influence of the bad man, Al Pacino wins more money than the average citizen can fathom, and Rene Russo forgives her lying bastard of a husband. How fucking Hollywood can you get? Then again, what did I expect from the guy that wrote 'Freejack'?

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