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[xAndyx]

Star Wars: Episode III (Lucas,2005)

I felt that this film, unlike the previous prequels, finally gave reason to the creation of this earlier trilogy, or later depending on your thought, by George Lucas. It makes the sufferings of the last two, or first two, worth while and actually improved my thoughts on them and the older, or younger, movies. It did a much better job of tying the two trilogies together than I thought it would, and it actually brought true emotion into the viewer, which neither Episode I or II came close to. The fall, as usual is the dialogue.... But this time the rest of the film outweighs it.
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One day you will look behind you and you will see we three, and on that day, you will repent, and we will send you to whatever god you wish.

-The Boondock Saints

[a35mmlife]

Thus far in the week--

I'm house sitting at a home without internet... lots of DVD time... I decided to watch a few of the free DVDs I have gotten and a few of the ones the home owner has... mostly all shite...

Mr. 3000--- Eek Gads. I want my hour and a half back.

Steve O--- Even worse. Not even entertaining... painful to watch. ich.

License To Drive--- Finally got around to watching my new DVD. I love this film... puts me in a good mood every time I see it.

Happy Tree Friends 1-3 Funny. I actually really liked these. It was 3 am and I could barely see straight... but all in all... good silly fun.

Directors Label Series- Michel Gondry--- Wow. GET THIS DVD.

[beltmann]

[Danny Baldwin]

[beltmann]

[Danny Baldwin]

[beltmann]

[Danny Baldwin]

[xAndyx]

[beltmann]

5/16 ? 5/29/05

The last 2 weeks:

The Whole Wide World (Ireland, USA 1996)

Crash (Haggis, USA 2005)

The Phantom of the Opera (Schumacher, USA 2004)

The Third Miracle (Holland, USA 1999)

The Great Gatsby (Markowitz, USA 1991)

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (Wilder, UK 1970)

Dracula (Spanish language version) (Melford, USA 1931)

Where Eagles Dare (Hutton, USA 1968)

Star Wars: Episode 3?Revenge of the Sith (Lucas, USA 2005)

Desperate Hours (Cimino, USA 1990)

The Fortune Cookie (Wilder, USA 1966)

The Kingdom of Heaven (Scott, USA 2005)

Nazarin (Bunuel, Mexico 1959)

Kiss Me, Stupid (Wilder, USA 1964)

Funny Face (Donen, USA 1957)

Of those, I most enjoyed the three Wilder pictures?especially Stupid, which is top-heavy with really good phallic jokes and the racy idea that a hooker and a housewife might find contentment in briefly trading roles. I also liked Funny Face, Crash, and Nazarin, which has smart ideas about the uneasy links between spirituality, hypocrisy, and decadence and is probably the best of the bunch. Sith might not be a great movie, but at least I found myself invested in the story?and the Star Wars mythology?for the first time since 1983. It?s easily the best of the new trilogy, if for no other reason than it managed to capture my imagination in a way that reminded me of being 10 and in love with Star Wars. There is nothing in Phantom or Clones that remotely rivals the resonance of this new film.

Eric
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[matt header]

[Danny Baldwin]

5/18-5/30

Sorry for no update last week; school's had me busy--three weeks to go. Here's a chronological following of my movie viewing as of late (I wrote all of the comments right after seeing the movies, so be sure to mind some of the time references):



(repeats of:) Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II--The Attack of the Clones (Lucas, 1999/2002) - I virtually remembered nothing about this two before yesterday, in which I watched them for the first times since their theatrical releases. While my feelings for Episode II have weakened, mainly because of the jumbled third act and the desire for a stronger thead of romance between Anakin and Padme. However, Episode I gained some footing in my mind, although, now no longer a 5th grader, I've finally realized why people hate, and I mean hate, Jar-Jar Binks. I'm not sure you can beat the Pod-Race or "auto-pilot" scene in Episode I, although the chase in the first scene in Episode II, while ridiculously sprawling, comes close. As I see Episode III today, I'll be very interested in Hayden Christensen's performance because, like it or not, Jake Lloyd's basic, youthful performance in the role of Anakin as a child is better than that of his older successor, when it comes to the first two films.

...As if those thoughts weren't random enough, here are some for Sith:

Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith (Lucas, 2005) - A big, sprawling mess it is, indeed--and while I never let go of this fact, I loved watching it unfold. The CGI is amazing, like nothing any viewer has ever seen before, but I still wonder if it detracts from the real magic of Star Wars. Could it be that technological limits were the reason why the original trilogy was so much better than the prequels, that Lucas had to be more inventive then, narrative-wise? Nevertheless, it's impossible not to realize all of the non-visual things it has going for it. For one, I will be the first to defend the acting in this installment, which is surprisingly strong. Also, it has some themes worth exploring, even if many of them are rather blatant. All in all, I found it stunningly similar to Return of the Jedi, a wondrous experience that will be reminisced upon for ages, but often questioned because of what it could have been.

The Sea Inside (Amen?bar, 2004) - Brilliant work from Javier Bardem is certainly one of The Sea Inside's greatest assets, but what truly propels the film is the work of co-writer/director/producer/composer Alejandro Amen?bar, who I am finally, truly starting to admire, wholeheartedly. The movie flows terrifically both as commentary on euthanasia, politically and morally, as well as narratively, especially as far as biopics are concerned. Some tighter editing could've been instituted in the second act, but, all in all, its subdued artistry, which is both vivid and painful, comes across beautifully. The second-to-last scene, in which Bardem both tragically and freely faces the camera, is masterful.

Spite Marriage (Sedgwick/Keaton, 1929) - This Keaton film is probably my least favorite of the ones that I have seen, but it's just as historically fascinating as the rest. It offers quite the perspective on the true origins of slapstick, and exhibits most of the reasons why I hate the kind of humor. Still, it has many uniquely funny moments, playing out in the same way that The Cat's Meow would've had Keaton been aboard.

Crash (Haggis, 2005) - Between Crash and Million Dollar Baby, Paul Haggis has shown such a stunning command for human tragedy that it's a shame that he lets it get away from him here. In dwelling on racism instead of simply the strangely beautiful, natural desperation of life, Crash becomes utterly ridiculous and overblown in the greatest sense. The film contains many great moments, particularly the scene in which Thandie Newton is stuck in a car and the second scene shared between Shaun Toub and Michael Pena, but, ultimately, in exploring racial stereotypes, Haggis only delves greater into artistic stereotypes. This is extremely unfortunate because, had the story been tweaked to feel a little more natural and a little less preachy, Crash could've been a thorougly riveting experience. What it turns out to be is a somewhat thoughtful, but incredibly trite motion picture.

Much Ado About Nothing (Branagh, 1993) - We watched it in English class after reading the play, and, while watching it, I pretty much took it as another mediocre movie of the '90's that had been forgotten by all. And then I looked at the glowing reviews for it. Never has "WTF?" been more appropriate. The movie is trite, poorly acted considering the cast, and has no real Shakespearean spirit, whatsoever. I suppose the set design and locales are nice, but I really detested the picture.

Kinsey (Condon, 2004) - I was far more fascinated by the material regarding the history behind Alfred Kinsey's research than the famililal dynamics which writer/director Bill Condon decides to concentrate more on. Liam Neeson and Laura Linney head the film very strongly, but, to me, their relationship wasn't all that interesting. It took the Peter Sarsgaard's involvement in their lives or the scenes about actual research to get me involved. The last scene is particularly ridiculous.

Empire Falls (Schepisi, 2005) - I'm not really sure whether to look at it as a film or television, because it certainly functions better as the latter, although it certainly wants to be the former. Either way, the strong performances constantly had me engaged, despite the somewhat meandering and inconclusive storyline of sorts.

The Longest Yard (Segal, 2005) - Unlike many, I didn't find it offensive. I actually kind of like the standard Adam Sandler movie, though unremarkable. However, there is one thing that I don't think the filmmakers should be allowed to get away with that they try to: the idea that we're rooting for prisoners. The evil depiction of the prison guards and the light-hearted depiction of convicts for who-knows-what kind of left me uneasy. Nevertheless, it's pleasantly diverting, I suppose, and it manages to keep the formula (which, of course, leads up to "the big game) somewhat interesting. The last scene involving the Chris Rock character is just terrible, though.

Madagascar (Darnell/McGrath, 2005) - It's a wonderfully colorful and lively experience, certainly, but I did not for one minute mistake these qualities for originality. We've seen it all before, and it pains me to say it, because there's a lot of good stuff here that could've been extracted, shoved into a better plot, and worked immensely well. Visually, the film is very interesting, taking on many of the characteristics of hand-drawn animation, and, at the same time, retaining themarvelous, imaginative look of CGI. That Katzenburg sure does know how to sell stories; it's too bad that most of them aren't nearly as inventive as those of Disney. Nevertheless, this one should make a fine rental.
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Danny Baldwin

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[beltmann]

[xAndyx]

I agree with Beltmann, I felt that Much Ado About Nothing was a great film by Branagh, only bested by Henry V. We also watched this film in school, in my case Brit Lit., and the entire class had a great time with it. It does the job it was made to do; bringing Shakespear to another generation.
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One day you will look behind you and you will see we three, and on that day, you will repent, and we will send you to whatever god you wish.

-The Boondock Saints

[juhsstin]

i can't help but imagine how different starwars might have been with branagh as obiwan.
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Who let the dogs out?