Movie Review Archives

Adaptation	Nicholas Cage plays dual role as twin brothers, one struggling to author a screenplay while the other falls into schlock film success. How the personalities eventually complement one another to form a whole is an interesting story.
American Splendor	A "comic book" film unlike any other made this year focuses on underground comic book writer Harvey Pekar. This film is ultimately about hope, the American Dream and the indomitable spirit against odds to the contrary. The film features actors in the key roles inter cut with the real life subjects of the story.
Bad Santa	I was disappointed in this film from Terry Zwigoff who has done "Crumb" and "Ghost World." The musical selections were decent and there were certain scenes that benefited from Zwigoff's direction, but much of the film struck me as trite. I did not find the Billy Bob Thornton character to be likeable and the kid was off the charts. There were some funny moments. I may have enjoyed it more if I had seen it with a buddy.
Bend It Like Beckham	A familiar tale nevertheless told in an engaging style with "Bollywood" elements that help to give the film a fresh look.
Bulletproof Monk	Tongue-in-cheek martial arts film doesn't take itself too seriously, has a story that's good enough and likeable characters.
Cinerama Adventure	Documentary on the Cinerama film process told by the people who experienced it first hand and risked life and limb in many cases. This was shown at the Chicago International Film Festival and we were treated by a visit from the filmmakers themselves.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind	Quirky story where Gong Show host is actually an undercover CIA agent. I'm perhaps naive enough to not be as skeptical as film critics are on the premise. Why not? If it's true, it's a weird story and if it's made up, it's perhaps even weirder. Fans of that television era w.r.t. game shows should enjoy it. The film has a good cast, screenplay by Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation) and the DVD has interesting footage about how the scenes were shot. The movie is much different from the book of the same title.
Daredevil	Passable comic book adaptation. I found the beginning portion "origin" story very tedious and the Elektra role seemed miscast -- she doesn't look durable enough to kick ass.
Dirty Pretty Things	Twist and turns in an English Hotel that takes advantage of its undocumented immigrant staff.
Hulk	Hard to pull this story off with so much reliance on C.G. to make the Hulk appear believable. Suspend disbelief and the movie works in the capable hands of director Ang Lee.
Identity	I did not like this film. I felt it cheats too much and reveals its premise too soon prior to the end. Ultimately, I found myself simply not caring.
In America	Story of a young family who has emigrated from Ireland to the US. They land in a tenement in New York, home to a lot of drug addicts and one mysterious neighbor who seems filled with rage. This family has their own cross to bear as we find out they have lost a young son in an accident prior to coming to the US. The father studies acting and the family lives close to the edge, but they somehow function more or less normally. The daughters are gems and their neighbor turns out to accept them as his own family. The experience adds more to their lives than they suspect.
In the Cut	Hard-edged crime drama. Not spectacular and you'd have to be able to stomach the starkness of the story.
Kill Bill, Vol. 1	This film both disappoints and delivers. The story is very weak and I have not yet found myself caring about whether the main character succeeds. Some of the film styling is what I hoped it would be, a blend of what they occasionally can accomplish in Japan's weakened film industry of the last forty years. I'll see the sequel just for the places where it does work. You'd have to be a fan to enjoy this.
Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King	This film is, not surprisingly, on a par with the other two. The look of the film is always perfect. The production quality is unsurpassed by any other movie. One problem I had with it was the many "ending." I'm sure they were reasonably true to the book but I have much more patience with that sort of thing in a book than I do with a movie. Once a film climaxes, I want there to be no more than five or ten minutes to the end. The other thing I didn't like was all the false deaths and crying. I'm sorry, but even if you didn't read the book you just know Frodo isn't going to die prior to the climax. That's all that I saw wrong with it and the films are such a triumph that it's hard to complain about some minor irritations. We've been waiting for this film for a long time and Peter Jackson and company did it right!
Lost In Translation	While I wouldn't recommend that this is a must see film, it does have its moments.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World	This adventure tale held my interest throughout and the filming was entirely convincing. Peter Weir directs and I'm a fan of what I have seen of his in the past.
Matrix Reloaded, The	Lots of action but I was bored with the underground society. I wondered how they achieved all of this if they were truly under the thumb of the machines and it looked like life really wasn't all that bad for them. It got too Star Trekky for me and lost the mystery and anticipation of the original. The third film is out and I've no desire to see it either at the theatre nor on video. I give up on the Matrix.
Mighty Wind, A	Amusing film about the reunion of several folk music acts from the '60s to commemorate the passing of the producer who made them click so many years ago. This is another "mocumentary" from Christopher Guest (Best In Show, Waiting for Guffman). If you're a fan, you'll like this one and you don't have to like folk music to enjoy the story. The usual ensemble cast is featured.
The Station Agent	Described as three unlikely friendships (etc), I found the three to be so unlikely that I simply didn't believe they would ever get together. While I did not hate the film, I never felt drawn in by the story.
Old School	I saw this during some throw away time where there was literally nothing to see. Will Ferrell made me chuckle a couple of times but the story could have used some polish. I felt that, as stupid comedies go, there were some opportunities to come through with a classic on the level of Animal House, but they never scored a big hit in this one.
Spellbound	My favorite movie of the year is this documentary about the National Spelling Bee. It features humor, courage, anxiety, and edge-of-your-seat anticipation. I found most of the subjects to be likeable and their family dynamics were interesting. I admit that the hair was standing on the back of my neck at times and a lump came to my throat as contestants pressed through some very trying moments. I can't wait to see this again.
To Be and To Have	Nice film about a rural, one room schoolhouse teacher in contemporary France. There are about a dozen students who range from kindergarten age to perhaps the sixth grade. The teacher is near the end of his career but he demonstrates a lot of patience with the young minds and imparts valuable life lessons to his students. In French with English subtitles.
Twilight Samurai	This was screened at the Chicago International Film Festival and is a solid entry in the samurai period film catalog. It has what I feel is a surprise ending for anyone familiar with the genre. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Underworld	This film was on par with The Crow and would probably not disappoint fans of the vampire film (as did the unacceptable John Carpenter's Vampires).
View From the Top	Another wasted film afternoon with a little bit of humor supplied by Mike Myers. The film is a typical star vehicle, not really worth making and not especially worth seeing. I had to leave prior to the end in order to make an appointment and it did not bother me in the least, missing the last ten minutes of the film.
Warner Brothers Cartoon Extravaganza	Little disappointing that they only had one feature with Daffy Duck, but there were enough gems in there to make it worth a look. The show is 1 1/2 hours of classic Warner Bros cartoons shown in the main theatre at the Music Box in Chicago. What better way to spend a Saturday morning?
Whale Rider	Not unpredictable film that still found me blubbering at a couple of points. It's a good family film and possible more so for young girls as the heroine struggles against tribal prejudices to show that leaders can emerge from perhaps where they are not expected.
Wonderland	Stark telling of the murders which may have involved former porn star John Holmes. The subjects of the story lead lives that are a world apart from most people (thank goodness) but the scary thing is that they're not so far away as you'd like. There aren't really any "good" people among the principles. These are people making bad choices after bad choices and ultimately paying a heavy price for it.
X2: X-Men United	Excellent entry in the X-Men story line that leaves one wanting for more. Unfortunate studio choices to emphasize the Halle Berry role in order to capitalize on her film success in another role. The story should stick to the X-Men legacy but even the short-sighted tinkering couldn't completely spoil the film so let's try for at least one more.