current film review

Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould         Sun, 11/21/04             Definitely would watch again
An intriguing "dramatized documentary" (with no hint of fictionalization) about the life of, you guessed it, Glenn Gould. The film is indeed segmented into vignettes (thirty-two, I suppose) that range in length from very brief to several minutes long, but there is still a consistent feel to the overall composition of the film (so this isn't just an anthology of short subjects by a bunch of film school students).

My previous exposure to Glenn Gould has just been through repeated listening to his famous recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations. This film did a good (and presumably accurate) job of introducing and explaining Gould, his eccentricities, and his particular sort of genius.

The DVD has no real special features to speak of (just a trailer or two), but pay particular attention to the end credits, since they provide a few interesting details about the film's subjects, including a category called "irradiated people"; I'm not sure if those names are included because of rules governing attributrion to screen actors or because of rules governing experiments on human subjects, but it's very unusual, either way.

I probably won't run out and buy a copy of this film, but I will definitely end up buying the soundtrack (all of the piano music is performed by Glenn Gould), and I'll probably use that as a jumping-off point from which to get into other Gould recordings (of which there are many... the film even addresses the subject of Gould's rejection of live performance in favor of recording and other non-musical pursuits).

archived film reviews (more recent reviews listed first)

Chocolat         Tue, 11/02/04             OK; wouldn't watch again
For the most part, this was an annoying movie. Yes, there was some decent acting, but the writing was full of caricature bordering on travesty (look it up), particularly in how it dealt with the topic of the Christian belief. I'm not sure which was more ludicrous, the film's portrayal of what life and the people were like in this insular little french town, or the fact that the town was finally saved by the magic of chocolate.

The story was almost completely predictable. Earlier, I had mistakenly thought that this was some kind of foreign film; I realize now that one consistent attribute of foreign films is that they're at least somewhat unpredictable to me. How's that for a paradox (i.e., "consistently unpredictable")?.

The DVD contains the usual "making of" and "delete scenes" type of bonus features. They should have included a documentary on how actual chocolate is made.

Jazz         Mon, 10/18/04             Would consider buying
A superb Ken Burns documentary. I already knew bits and pieces of jazz history and musicology, but watching this documentary really helped glue those pieces together and fill in a bunch of gaps. I'm now (at least temporarily) doing much better at the artist recognition thing, too (i.e., recognizing a jazz musician by their name / face / sound), which is actually pretty important if you're planning to become a jazz snob (not that I am planning to become one, but we'll see what happens).

As you'd expect, Mr. Burns & company do a great job of breathing life into their story, even though the bulk of it comprises still photos (black and white, mostly), narration, background music (relevant jazz numbers, obviously), and segments of interviews with certain topical experts.

Over the course of the documentary (10 installments of roughly 2 hours each), you become very familiar with the interviewees and their opinions. I have seen some reviewers complain about the amount of attention that is given to Wynton Marsalis' thoughts and opinions, but I didn't have a problem with it, probably because I happen to agree with him (and, further, this documentary really helped build a strong case for why his opinions are correct).

Although I have some misgivings about doing so, I probably will end up buying this DVD box set. It's obviously quite an investment. While I can't see myself ever watching it from end to end again, I could probably see jumping in to catch certain snippets, especially if I'm trying to remember something about an artist on whom I've started to focus. The strongest reason for buying it, though, would probably be so that I could loan it to several different friends who have already expressed interest in watching it. Figure that if, in its lifetime, you can inflict this documentary on a dozen people, then your investment of ~$15 a pop to broaden a friend's musical horizons is probably worthwhile. And remember that your investment of money will be significantly less than your friend's investment of the time that it takes to watch this.

Whale Rider         Fri, 9/3/04             Would consider buying
A great character-development story that is very well acted. Yeah, there is a little bit of deus ex machina action, but at least it's consistent with with the whole point of the story. Plus New Zealand accents are fun, so I'm in a good mood about it.

I can understand the practicalities of why Keisha Castle-Hughes didn't win the Academy Award for Best Actress (since that would have been seen as a "let's one-up the Anna Paquin award" move), but she really did an amazing job. The rest of the cast was also very believable, and the extras (who were ~all locals from the town) did a good job, too.

The DVD has a decent amount of extra material, but it could have used more actual "making of" footage. But I guess that's worth giving up for a film that stayed simple and turned out so good.

In America         Thu, 8/19/04             Definitely would watch again
A touching story that gets deep without becoming heavy-handed about it. And considering that the story is narrated by a ??-year-old little girl, that's no small feat.

The Netflix write-up of this film made it sound like just a bunch of pasted-together vignettes (about a poor Irish family trying to make it in mid-80's New York), but there's actually a rather profound theme running throughout the whole thing. So there's a pretty high re-watchability factor (plus I'd like to hear the director's commentaries).

The acting is very good and non-annoying, although I could swear that the "mother" character was in some other film where she was annoying. Let's see; IMDB says it was "Minority Report". Ah, yes. Well, I succeeded in not holding it against her this time.

The Last Samurai         Fri, 7/30/04             OK; wouldn't watch again
Gag. The story was such a huge swirl of stereotypes, melodrama, and "predictable improbabilities" (how very zen) that the only things that might have redeemed the film (but didn't) were massive amounts of battle gore and a surprise ninja attack. Ninjas are cool!

This film reminded me of both "Gladiator" and "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves", thanks to the aforementioned swirl.

At one point, the main non-Japanese characters in the story share a little laugh because they fooled some Japanese characters into thinking that Tom Cruise was the President of the United States. It's supposed to be funny because it's just so ridiculously impossible. And yet this is the same film in which Tom Cruise and his buddies pay repeated visits to the Emperor of Japan? Oh please. The writers and directors of this film are either (1) not thinking, (2) insulting their audience, or (3) trying to be ironic.

Again with the fascination at how the old-school Japanese fighting involved running around with flags attached to you (see "Ran").

Road to Perdition         Fri, 7/16/04             OK; wouldn't watch again
I enjoy mafia flicks, but it seems like the 30s-era Chicago strain are usually, for some reason, poorly written (yes, even including "The Untouchables"). I guess we've been spoiled by "The Godfather". Anyway, the plot in this film was too predictable, implausible, and often melodramatic. And the characters were pretty one-dimensional and caricaturish.

In the end of the film, the beach they end up at has sand dunes, but it actually is in Indiana (on Lake Michigan), as the story claims. I have been there, and it's somewhat interesting but nothing particularly special (just like this film).

Bend it Like Beckham         Thu, 7/1/04             Probably would watch again
Obviously this was a somewhat "girly" film, but it was still quite good. There wasn't too much "baby's all grows up and turning into a young lady" kind of nonsense, and there actually wasn't too much soccer, either. Most of the fun was in watching the main characters' parents (especially their mothers) go into conniptions.

Also, I thought this was going to be a movie for the younguns, but it actually has several "mature" topics in it. Be forewarned.

It was something of a revelation to discover that there are real people that actually talk like Ali G, innit. For those people to also be Indian (and women) was strange.

The DVD includes a short segment of the director making aloo gobi while her mother and aunt look on; it's pretty funny (and you could even maybe learn how to cook some Indian food from watching it).

Punch-Drunk Love         Sat, 6/26/04             Definitely would watch again
Certainly a quirky film, as billed. I wouldn't say it tries too hard to be cute, but it does come pretty close to the edge.

There is a fair amount of symbolism in the story (or, more specifically, in some of the imagery that's used); any repeat viewing that I'd care to do would probably be to dig into some of the deeper layers (e.g.: what's up with the occasional vehicle streaking through at meteoric speed, and always from left to right?).

I didn't realize that this was a Paul T. Anderson film, although I should have guessed the moment that Luis Guzmán appeared onscreen. The film is slightly more surreal than some of his other stuff, but it shares some of the same "somewhat larger than life" feel to the story (sort of like some Cohen brothers films... surrealism / quirkiness as a vehicle for greater symbolism, once you figure out what the symbols actually represent).

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World         Thu, 6/24/04             Probably would watch again
A moderately good story, albeit with an unnecessary lull in the middle and with a rather predictable and meaningless "twist" at the end.

Mostly I enjoyed this film for the detailed (and accurate?) depiction of early 19th-century naval warfare. It would have been much more interesting if there were more ships involved (i.e., an actual navy); maybe the success (?) of this film will inspire someone else to make a film about Nelson... or maybe not.

The acting was decent. Some of the characters were a bit stereotypical, but it could have been worse. At least it gave me a chance to play the "toast / not toast" game (wherein you try to guess and announce which characters will meet their predictable untimely end before the movie is over).

The special effects were great (assuming that most of the shots of sailing ships were simulated or composited); I would definitely have enjoyed watching some "making of" footage to see how they did it, but no such footage was included on the single DVD that Netflix shipped.

Rashomon         Fri, 6/6/03             OK; wouldn't watch again
for such a short film, it sure seemed to drag on a long time. i actually fell asleep and had to view it in two sittings. watching a japanese woman go through hysterics (in Japanese) for about forty straight minutes was a bit much. and the whole "hey, i'm Toshiro Mifune, and i'm a wild and crazy guy... ha ha ha" typecasting thing gets old.

yes, the story had some interesting elements, and, yes, the cinematography was good and was revolutionary in its time. so i'm glad i watched it, but only as homework, basically.

the DVD includes the typical commentaries and the standard "isn't this such a great, important movie" interview with some film expert.

Black Hawk Down         Sun, 5/18/03             OK; wouldn't watch again
a very detailed and, i guess, realistic film. it was kind of frustrating to watch, since the film was based on real events (so it's sort of like gawking at a traffic accident). it also got somewhat tedious at points, mostly because it was easy to get disoriented about who the characters were or what was going on (losing track of units and their objectives), meaning you basically lost track of the plot and just sat their watching people getting blown up. in a way, that might have been an intentional effect, since it might help the viewer identify with how the actual situation felt (overall objective forgotten, details go out of control and take over, and you're left just trying to keep your head above water).

the DVD has a "behind the scenes" featurette, but i didn't watch it.

Notorious         Sun, 5/11/03             Sorry I wasted the time
perhaps this film was worth watching just so that i could say i've seen it (?), but ultimately it didn't interest me. for being a suspense film, it wasn't very suspenseful. also, i find Ingrid Bergman mildly annoying. not sure why.

[an aside on the suspense thing: i think that what passed for suspenseful ~fifty years ago is very much less than what passes for suspenseful today (just like with what passes for tawdry... it took me two thirds of the film to figure out to what the title of "Notorious" was referring).]

anyway, i did not think it was a great film. the characters in Hitchcock films ususally strike me as very flat/unsympathetic, and this film was no exception.

the DVD contained absolutely no special features... just the "play" and "select chapter" buttons.

Ran         Wed, 5/7/03             Definitely would watch again
very cool. it's an Akira Kurosawa film; it's "King Lear", but adapted to medieval Japan (so there's warlords and samurais and stuff). the plot is, of course, great, the acting is very good, and the cinematography is gorgeous. the battle scenes are fascinating (i had no idea that medieval japanese warfare involved so much running around and wearing of flags on your back), and they definitely didn't spare the red paint.

the DVD version that i watched didn't have much in the way of special features, but i noticed that there's now a "collector's edition" version (or something) that includes features such as audio commentaries, which would definitely have been nice to have.

Zoolander         Tue, 5/6/03             Probably would watch again
pretty funny, even if you don't know much about male models (i don't); basically, this film is to male models as "Austin Powers" is to spy flicks. my favorite part was probably where Ben Stiller's roommates (some particularly stupid male models) were frolicking around the gas station spraying gasoline on each other and then blowing themselves up (and a statue was later erected to memorialize the event).

the film is short (~ninety minutes), which was fine, because anything longer would have become tedious... i can only take this stuff in relatively small doses. the DVD's special features include (among other things) some fake public service announcements by Zoolander (Stiller's character), and those were very enjoyable (and it was for that sort of thing that this particular character was created, as a spoof for the VH1 Fashion Awards); fleshing out the Zoolander idea into a feature film was a bit of a stretch (and it showed), but it was still enjoyable, nevertheless.

The Deerhunter         Sat, 5/3/03             Probably would watch again
i had seen this film before, so this was just a re-viewing to remember what it was all about. it definitely lost a little of its shock value on the second viewing, but the story and acting were still interesting. it wasn't really a movie about Vietnam (as the production notes say, the war was incidental to the story); it was more about friendship and belonging, i guess. the whole Russian roulette thing was a bit bizarre / contrived, the way it kept popping back up in the story, but i guess you could call it a metaphor for something else.

the DVD special features include a trailer and some production notes.

On the Waterfront         Thu, 5/1/03             Probably would watch again
the plot is less than thrilling (predictable), but the acting is terrific. Marlon Brando was very good, and, man, did Karl Malden ever have a big nose.

you should definitely watch the extra materials included on the DVD, since they'll give you a much better appreciation of the film and how it was acted. i'd guess that the running audio commentary is pretty good, too, although i didn't listen to it.

Spartacus         Wed, 4/30/03             OK; wouldn't watch again
maybe i would have enjoyed it more if i hadn't already seen bits of it (particularly the last half). anyway, it was an interesting subject, but it just seemed like the story was a little too stretched out, leaving some dull / tired moments. and there was a fair amount of campiness. compare this film to "Lawrence of Arabia"... they're roughly the same genre and from roughly the same year (1960 & 1962), but i think "Spartacus" has aged a little less gracefully, in that it has more noticeably cheesy moments.

as the critics said, Peter Ustinov's performance was one of the highlights of the film, and you really can't go wrong with Laurence Olivier. Tony Curtis has always seemed kind of silly as the singer who never sings and who has a New York (?) accent. Kirk Douglas had a really weird circular dimple in his chin; i spent most of the movie staring at that thing.

there were no special features to speak of on the DVD... just some movie trailers and a bunch of notes (and some production stills? i don't remember).

Minority Report         Sun, 4/27/03             OK; wouldn't watch again
okay, i guess. i think this film would have been better if it had a much darker ending; the plot had huge "Big Brother" potential that evaporated. [spoiler] the fact that a figure as large as the Director of Precrime could be unwound by just two murders doesn't seem sinister enough. and the film would have been much more satisfying if, in the end, Tom Cruise had been lobotomized. [as a matter of fact, i think that will be my new standard for what makes a good film.]

so, yes, the plot was disappointing. since it was only based on a short story, i suppose it couldn't have had too many major twists & turns and all kinds of epic themes, so oh well. the special effects, sci-fi technology ideas, and action sequences were certainly interesting. the only action sequence that packed real punch was Tom's Nintendo-style hopping from slot car to slot car as they plummeted down the side of a building (which building must have been two miles tall, for the amount of time they plummeted).

i didn't see any of the DVD's special features, since they were on a separate disc that Netflix doesn't ship. i assume that there were many "here's how we did this shot and that shot" explanations.

Gosford Park         Mon, 4/21/03             Probably would watch again
very intricate. if i had another 2.5 hours to burn, i'd go back and watch it again, just so i could catch all the details that shot by early in the movie (when i had no clue who was who or what they were talking about).

this film is only partially a murder mystery, because there's not a lot of "whodunit" suspense, and you can sort of see it coming, and most of the characters find no resolution of the mystery. instead, the film is more focused on depicting the details of politics between the upper-class guests, between the guests and their serving staff, and between the serving staff themselves.

also, the film presents an interesting portrayal of how a large serving staff worked, showing the immense logistical details and ridiculous extremes involved. i'm guessing that this portrayal was pretty accurate (the DVD included a special feature called something like "The Accuracy of Gosford Park", which i didn't have time to watch).

now, there was so much detail and complexity in this film (particularly when it came to overlapping conversations and action) that i wouldn't be surprised if there were actually several hidden plots and clues buried in the movie... the sort of thing where you'd have to watch it all seven times over to pick them all up. i don't actually think that's the case (i.e., i don't think the writers said "let's bury sub-plots"), but it would have been neat, a sort of "easter egg" idea.

the DVD contains many special features, including directory commentary and a "making of" featurette, none of which i took the time to watch.

Session 9         Fri, 4/18/03             Definitely would watch again
pretty scary, and with very few "now something supernatural happens" moments. the film spends most of its time keeping you guessing at what's going on.

the story and acting are quite good, too, and this is high praise coming from someone who isn't ususally a fan of horror films (i.e., me). well, maybe it's more of a suspense film than a horror film... not sure what's the distinction.

the DVD's special features include a very good alternative ending (which i actually prefer) and a decent "making of" featurette, including some background on the mental institution where the story occurs (and was filmed).

High Noon         Tue, 4/15/03             Definitely would watch again
very good. it's only an hour and a half long, so you should also take time to watch the "making of" featurette which is included in the DVD's special features (the featurette is definitely interesting, and it includes interviews with the director and other crew members).

i liked how the film builds up tension, through the use of a couple of symbolic devices (clocks placed here and there; a long, motionless shot of train tracks leading to the town; and the marshall's pacing around town trying to find help).

as the featurette points out, there are several attributes of this film which departed from previously existing traditions in Western films, so this film was actually pretty revolutionary when it first came out.

A Midsummer Night's Dream         Sun, 4/13/03             Probably would watch again
good film, although Shakespearean romantic comedies can leave you feeling kind of ill (c.f. "Much Ado about Nothing"). i had never read the entire play, so getting to see it all the way through was enjoyable (not sure how much adaptation was involved, but nothing looked really out of place or missing).

the cast had its share of big names, but it didn't have any of that nasty "Mel Gibson does 'Hamlet'" quality (it helps that it's not a tragedy); Kevin Kline and Stanley Tucci were fun to watch, and no one really stank (and the cast even included the dad from "A.L.F.", so that's no small feat).

the soundtrack was pretty good, almost entirely from adapted classical music (mostly Italian opera arias, but of course Mendelsohn's "Ein Sommernachtstraum" figured heavily, too). it's always sort of jarring when, during a movie, you're listening to a piece you know and then they suddenly cut out a big chunk of it (and splice the two remaining pieces together).

no special features to speak of on the DVD... just a movie trailer (and perhaps a running commentary? i didn't check).

Bowfinger         Sun, 4/6/03             Probably would watch again
very funny. prior to watching it, i was confused about what the plot / theme of this film was going to be, so i got to watch it with "fresh eyes" (i.e., with no preconceived expectations, or with those expectations being discarded very early in the film). i realize that i actually prefer watching films that way (no big surprise)... it's almost always disappointing when you know mostly how a film will turn out before you actually see it, no matter how good the film actually is.

anyway, Steve Martin was pretty good; he has a real talent for playing sympathetic shysters. i would have liked to see a little more Eddie Murphy in this film, but i guess there was actually a lot of him there already.

the plot of the film was very clever and entertaining. there's also a fair amount of dissing on Hollywood (without being over-the-top satirical), and that's always fun to watch.

the DVD has a "making of" featurette, commentary from director Frank Oz, and some deleted scenes and outtakes.

Lagaan         Sat, 4/5/03             Definitely would watch again
a good film. the story was interesting, your typical "David vs. Goliath in team sports thing", plus plenty of buildup & preparation. the fact that cricket was involved was neat, too, because i really know nothing about it. and i especially liked the musical numbers, which weren't overly cheesy and which gave me a new appreciation of Indian music.

the film is pretty long (> 3 hrs), but it doesn't move too slowly, and there aren't really any scences that seem unnecessary or uninteresting.

the DVD doesn't contain many extra features (probably because they wouldn't fit).

High Crimes         Fri, 3/28/03             OK; wouldn't watch again
film makers love to do horrible things to Ashley Judd's characters. this film also had the "i'm engaged in a legal battle / mystery, so of course i get smacked with ominous, terrorizing violence along the way" thing, so basically the film was all about Ashley being in danger. that and the shocking "you won't believe it" ending that you could see coming a mile away. so, again, it was mostly about watching Ashley in peril. which, don't get me wrong, is entertaining.

the DVD had some interesting special features, a couple of them just your typical behind-the-scenes stuff. one of the features was "how to beat a lie detector test", which was, actually, fascinating. the biggest take-away point was that the polygraph apparatus could be an empty box and the "test" results would still be the same (because it's really just an interrogation w/ props).

Blade II         Wed, 3/26/03             OK; wouldn't watch again
decent. compared to its predecessor, this film's fight scenes were more detailed, and the scope of the plot was a little bit broader (pulling in a greater number of characters and addressing "larger issues"), and that's basically what i like in a sequel: expansion of scope and detail in the same universe portrayed by the first movie. [tangent: it's interesting to consider the kind of scope expansion accomplished here versus the kinds accomplished in "Seven Samurai" and "Lord of the Rings".] and i've learned to embrace the cheesiness of the Blade characters (since it's basically a comic book), so that's okay.

DVD features: hmmm, i guess i didn't take a look at any of them. oh well, i'm sure they were dazzlingly detailed and not terribly interesting.

The Shipping News         Sat, 3/15/03             Definitely would watch again
"man discovers spine, pulls self together". some of the details are a little outlandish... and the outlandishness is blamed on the rustic setting (Newfoundland), which is sort of cliché (c.f. "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"). but it's enjoyable and well-acted.

the DVD contains a short "behind the scenes" feature, which is decent. i discovered, among other things, that the primary child character in the film was played by triplets.

Snow Falling on Cedars         Mon, 3/10/03             Definitely would watch again
a decent film, but i'd probably appreciate it more if i read the book. the screenplay skipped back and forth through time a lot, which caused an interesting "life is a scrapbook" sort of effect (only loosely suggested towards the beginning of the film, and then more firmly stated towards the end, when scenes from different times merged together). also, i found it interesting that the film tried to hide the fact that [spoiler] the main character was missing one of his arms. i'm not sure what the symbolism was there, and i wonder if the book pulled the same trick somehow.

the DVD includes a full director's commentary; i didn't listen to it, but now i wish i had.

Casino         Sat, 3/8/03             OK; wouldn't watch again
pretty much just "Goodfellas" in Las Vegas... although there was more attention to the "gangster and his dysfunctional wife" thing, so that was fun to watch. as were the mafia whackings, although they were all grouped up at the end, mostly. yeah. definitely one of those movies that makes you ill to watch it, partly for the violence but mostly for how messed up these characters are.

the DVD has almost no extra materials on it. if i were a bigger fan of Martin Scorsese's films, i'd be disappointed at not getting some sort of "making of" documentary.

Men in Black II         Sun, 3/2/03             Probably would watch again
pretty much what you'd expect. compared to the first film, this one definitely doesn't have the same "gee-whiz, that's clever" factor going for it (naturally), but at least it's still interesting, and it's definitely entertaining. both MIB films felt more like episodes in a series rather than full-sized films, which is a little disappointing. whatever... they're not exactly supposed to be epics.

i didn't get to see any of the extra material available on the DVD. i presume there's a lot of it, and i'd guess that it's not particularly fascinating. i did get to see the included short subject "The Chubb-Chubbs", which was cute.

Donnie Darko         Sat, 3/1/03             Would consider buying
suprisingly good. it's science fiction / drama disguised as horror / suspense (but ultimately not that horrific or suspenseful). the trailers make it look like a teenage slasher movie (it was released around Halloween, 2001), but it actually reminds me more of "Slaughterhouse Five" (psychological drama w/ a little bit of scifi weirdness tossed in). good acting all around, and a plot that is interesting without resorting to plot twist after plot twist (there's really only one twist, and you pretty much know about it the whole time).

they cut a whole lot of scenes out of this film, some of which explain deeper levels of the plot, so definitely take a look at the extra materials on the DVD. the audio commentaries are pretty good, too, explaining a lot of missed details and symbolism.

Lawrence of Arabia         Wed, 2/25/03             Would consider buying
a great film (and very long). the story is engaging, and it's all the more intriguing for its historical accuracy (so far as i can tell). the desert scenery is spectacular, and you get to see lots of camels (camels have funny lips that bounce when they trot). the scope of the storytelling is immense; it's one of those movies that takes the time necessary to tell its its story (it's by the same folks who did "Doctor Zhivago", and the characteristics are clearly similar).

the DVD has a bunch of great bonus features, including an excellent "making of" documentary and many old featurettes & trailers. one of my favorite bonus features is an interactive map (note that it's a DVD-ROM feature, so you have to be running it on a computer w/ a DVD drive) that shows the geographic regions in which the story takes place, indicating many points of interest (over a hundred) across a broad range of time (including before and after the actual story). very interesting, and it really helps turn the whole film into something of a history lesson (it's all about Arabs vs. Turks during WWI). did you know that King Faisal (played by Alec Guiness) was the original ruler of Iraq?

Max         Tue, 2/26/03             Probably would watch again
interesting concept... it's basically "Shakespeare in Love", except with Hitler. so it's somewhat less comedic. and instead of trying to have an uplifting ending, it tries to be very ominous. but both films pull the same kind of stunts, showing you a larger-than-life historical personality in their (fictional) "early years". in both cases, they try to surprise you with little things (e.g., "wow, Shakespeare had writer's block" and "wow, people said things like 'Hitler, let's go drink lemonade'"). so it's a little bit cute / contrived.

but "Max" isn't too overbearing in that regard (although i do think they picked that title just so they could hide a barely-seen swastika on the movie poster). the film focuses on Hitler's initial self-doubt / self-hatred and on the character of the Jewish art buyer who, in a bit of dramatic irony, encourages Hitler to define himself as an artist, albeit a fascist one. so the film is less an exploitation of the "icon as a nobody" effect and is more an exploitation of the "wow, a Jew helped Hitler become Hitler" effect. the young Hitler is acknowledged as dangerous, but the extent of his danger is, of course, not realized, and so the characters just humor him as a quirky artist type. very ominous.

well, at least the film provides some food for thought. the art buyer is actually the main character, and the film has a lot to say about him which i haven't figured out yet. and John Cusack is always enjoyable (as the art buyer).

Vanilla Sky         Thu, 2/20/03             Probably would watch again
the "oh, i see, he's dead" movies are becoming cliché. i think the standard giveaway is whenever the trailer says "you'll have to see it again"... that means the protagonist is really dead, more or less. just a hint.

a decent film, but nothing to crow about (no pun intended). and once you guess that the main character was in some kind of dream / delusion, things become pretty predictable, with the only variable being the question of how the delusion will finally be explained (basically, is he actually dead or just dreaming, and how did he get that way... whatever). it was hard not to compare it to "Jacob's Ladder". i am proud, however, that i noticed the visual reference to the album cover of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" without any help.

the extra materials on the DVD are nothing terribly special. for some strange reason, they included a mini-feature on the movie's media tour thing (premieres, etc.), so it was pretty much just a bunch of stops in cities around the world, watching thousands of girls freaking out for Tom and watching Tom and Penelope moon over each other. not a big Tom fan here (he's an okay actor and everything, but i'm siding with Nicole).

Memento         Sun, 2/16/03             Definitely would watch again
definitely engaging; a very unique story that messes with your head. and, as i've alluded, it sort of reminds me of myself... you should see my desk & monitor at work. maybe i'll start getting "reminder tattoos" or something.

pretty well-acted, but plot (and not performance) is the star of this movie.

it was interesting how the DVD's menus were made intentionally "buggy" to invoke a sense of confusion & missed details.

Seven Samurai         Fri, 2/14/03             Would consider buying
very good film. i was surprised at how much it drew me in (as a comment on the IMDB page says, it "doesn't just progress, it grows", through three concentric stories). having watched "The Magnificent Seven" previously, it was interesting to see, in reverse, the various plot points which that movie adapted (e.g., the merging of the Kikuchiyo and Katsushiro characters) and how that movie stank compared to this one.

i listened to bits of the running commentary feature (from a Japanese film expert) on the DVD, and it was interesting. i wish i had taken the time (another three hours) to watch the whole movie again with the commentary turned on.

The Miracle Worker         Thu, 2/13/03             Probably would watch again

The Magnificent Seven         Tue, 2/11/03             Sorry I wasted the time
i guess i'm glad i watched it, but i wouldn't watch it again. it was mostly useful (and purposefully rented) as a reference for "Seven Samurai"; the plot was similarly interesting (because, hey, it's the same plot), but things got bungled at the end, and there were a few unbelievable characters thrown in (particularly Robert Vaughn's character) and a whole lot of unrealistic action (the heroes who died all died stupidly).

if you want to see some serious 60's schlock, take a look at the trailers included in the DVD's special features, particularly the one that has a bunch of Kingston Trio-esque guys singing "seven seven seven... the magnfiicent seven". cringe.

Man on the Moon         Mon, 2/10/03             Probably would watch again

The Others         Sat, 2/8/03             Definitely would watch again

Grosse Pointe Blank         Sun, 2/2/03             Definitely would watch again

The Emperor's New Groove         Wed, 1/29/03             Would consider buying
pretty hilarious, which is exactly what i want from a Disney movie. i already enjoy David Spade's typical character (which, if you think about it, is pretty unique), so watching him do the same old thing as a llama was enjoyable. Eartha Kitt was terrific, and Patrick Warburton (Puddy, from Seinfeld) pretty much stole the show.

the DVD is pretty standard, extras-wise (it's the computer-animated films that come with gobs of extras, and this is not really one of those films). there is, at least, a fun/cute game you can play (using your DVD remote) that your kids will enjoy. and the actor interviews are decent.

In the Bedroom         Mon, 1/27/03             Probably would watch again
a respectable, engaging drama that doesn't really resolve in the end. [spoiler] basically: main character's son is in affair with (married) mother of two, son is killed by estranged husband, and main character and wife are left trying to cope with loss of son and with killer's freedom. one of the story lines resolves and the other doesn't. i would call the movie engaging & thoughtful but not satisfying. the title is a reference to part of a lobster trap, not to any particularly tawdry content (there isn't any, other than some gore).

Band of Brothers         Mon, 1/20/03             Would consider buying
a very engaging and satisfying series from HBO. tells the story of a company from the 101st Airborne in WWII. the comparisons with "Saving Private Ryan" are obvious (especially with the the violence and ~realism). the series consists of ten episodes (five discs), and each episode takes a slightly different approach and perspective on the war, typically with a theme centered around some particular characters or some particular aspects of the events at hand. interviews with the real WWII veterans being portrayed begin every episode and help establish the sense of realism. very watchable and memorable.

Pi: Faith in Chaos         Sat, 12/14/02             OK; wouldn't watch again

The Iron Giant         Sun, 12/8/02             Probably would watch again

Pearl Harbor         Sun, 12/1/02             OK; wouldn't watch again

Best in Show         Sat, 11/23/02             Definitely would watch again