dev's Movies page

the movie madness page, 5/21/2000

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Enough of the java crap. Let's talk movies. First, here's the amazing and indispensible Internet Movie Database and the ever so convenient 777-Film / MovieFone, but hey, a $1.50 per ticket surcharge? come on, the internet is supposed to make transactions cheaper! Second, you can't enjoy movies to their fullest these days without a big screen and big sound. To really enjoy watching movies at home, you need a large TV [at least 27" or bigger], a decent hi-fi system, a disk player of some type [see my friends at Evolution -- they have a great selection of disks and more], and surround sound. I must say that I am sold on DVDs since I now have 120 movies in the space of 2 hardcover books -- I threw out the holders and store them all in a cd Project holder. For the absolute cheapest new movies, you cannot beat buy.com or shopping.com. You can also use PriceScan to do comparative shopping. If you are serious about shopping, try my shopping page. Do you want to trade disks? Contact me. I'll have my collection online soon. Now, I am not saying that one can't enjoy movies without all this gear. The Seven Samurai on a b/w 13" TV is better than oodles of movies on a THX certified 10' screen, but then again The Seven Samurai would be better on the 10' screen than the 13" one. Believe me, there's a difference. See my tunes page for info on equipment. probot I love movies. I love watching movies, talking movies, making movies. My favourite? I knew you'd ask that! There can't really be just one and it depends on my mood but I certainly can tell you some of my favourites. Come to my new Chat Page at www.InsideTheWeb.com and talk some smack.

Would you like to receive an email when this page or the chat page are updated? A free service courtesy of netmind.com...

Star Wars. Yes, the Phantom Menace was worth waiting for. Go see it. Yes, it got over-hyped, but that is its main fault. The special effects were at once spectacular without being dominating. The story is a little weaker than I would have liked -- there is simply not the same sense of urgency as in Episode IV [which is my favourite so far still]. My other gripes with PM is that Jar Jar was too much the comic relief -- unnecessary, I thought. Also, the robot army was puny, not fearsome at all. I think Ani and Queenie are going to hook up...

2/23/97. Saw Empire Strikes Back. Not as many new scenes in this one [not that there were that many new scenes in Star Wars, mind you] but still worth seeing on a BIG screen. I watch the entire trilogy about once a year on TV. My memory of Empire was that it left me hanging, a lot. There was that "Luke, I AM your father" thing, plus nothing big got blown up at the end of the movie. No climax as it were. Luke also clearly got beat 'fair and square' by Darth, plus, the end shot with Luke, Leia, and the droids looking at what looks like the Milky Way was a bit hokey. Still, some great stuff, we find out a bit more about the 'Force', we meet Yoda, we see some great interchanges between Han and Leia.

On the flip side of being [okay, okay, one of] the most influential movie EVER, is that Star Wars, and the technology that Lucas brought to the table, spawned lots of movies without much substance but with a big special effects budget. These high tech blockbuster generally do do well so they get churned out every year. BUT, this is no reason to blame Lucas or Star Wars for the decline of civilization! That's like blaming Prometheus for every fatal fire. Star Wars does not use special effects as its mantra. Yes, there are tonnes, look at all the throwaway characters in the bar scene. But the magnificence of Lucas's vision lies in the intricate world he created. The story is woven on a tapestry so rich that every facet feels familiar, there are no loose ends, and you feel as if each character is worth an entire movie by himself.

My list would also certainly contain The Godfather. Part II is my slight favourite. Pacino was outstanding. The theme of the movie is loyalty, responsibility, and accountability, not the violence. Like Mama Corleone said, "But you can never lose your family. Never." The wordless court room scene with Pantangeli and his older brother is classic. I can go on and on. Think it's time to watch I & II again! Read the book as well.

Rounding out the top five are Casablanca [oh Ingrid, Bogey, my heart aches and breaks for you both every time], Raging Bull [as beautiful a film as can be made, and oddly enough, it's about a man who's as brutal as can be], and Dr Strangelove Sellers and Kubrick are two of cinema's greatest unsung [well, not nearly sung enough] geniuses / genii?. Of course all these movies get a 4.0+.

Recent reviews/viewings:

Suna no Onna or in eigo, Woman in the Dunes, is a haunting, beautifully photographed movie. The story doesn't make a huge amount of sense here, but it is not the main elemment. This a simple yet complex, thematic movie with a major assist by the lush, black & white photography. The cinematography imposes itself and the sand as a character. An amateur entomologist, burdened by modern society's rules and regulations, wanders to a remote desert village by the sea in order to find a new species of sand beetle. This he does in order to "get into the insect book". Here, he finds a beautiful woman living at the bottom of a sand pit [looks physically impossible, but the astute viewer is asked to suspend his skepticism for this transgression, much as parables have talking animals or the characters in this movie is asked to accept their fate]. What follows is a parable about life, one that questions man's relationships with nature and with society, human existence, freedom, love, responsibility. The movie does not explicitly answer these questions, but the viewer should be left thinking.
Rating: 3.75/4.0

Boys Don't Cry What a totally depressing yet powerful movie. I mean, the facts that this is a true-ish story *and* that I knew roughly what the ending would be, make it even more of a downer. [Apparently, in true life, Teena was undergoing hormonal treatments, while in the movie, she was not.] Who are the redeeming characters in this one? I don't see much beyond 'Teena's' courage that crosses over to stupidity. Lana, for her acceptance, but at times, it feels less like acceptance, but more like delusion. The entire backdrop of the small midwestern town even beyond the violence and homophobia is an ever reminder of 1. why I prefer to live in a large city, and 2. why country songs are ever so mournful. But the characters don't have to be admirable for a movie to succeed. Boys don't Cry succeeds in part because it does not try to do too much. For the masochists among you who want another movie with a similar feel [actually a bit more uplifting], try Lee Tamahori's Once Were Warriors, a story of the modern day Maoris.
Rating: 3.5/4.0

okay, so Gladiator was not all that bad, but you get my drift. Spartacus this is not. Hate to harp on bad points but this simply was not that good of a movie. Like I didn't know the WHOLE storyline 3 minutes into the movie. Characterization was minimal, and frankly, this is poor for a movie of this length. The characters were as one-dimensional as you can get. We never really felt the gladiators' pain & suffering. Never felt Maximus's pain. And as to his dilemma of wanting to join them, yet needing to stay alive to avenge Marcus Aurelius, HE NEVER tried to escape. If he were so sure about his men's commitment to him, why did he not command them to take over after Marcus died? He surely knew what Commodus would do. What about his guilt of not taking the Caesar's power? He could have saved us all the trouble by accepting. Ooops, no movie I guess!! His guilt of not arriving on time to save his family. How did Commodus give that order, by email? It seems like Max would have been riding as hard as he can, which would be harder and faster than a messenger. Anyhow, the first battle scene was so reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan so that to no one's surprise, Spielberg is in the credits. I've always like Ridley Scott, especially his ability to create mood with atmosphere, but his Rome looked a little too artificial. And any student of Latin knows that the life or death thumb signals were not depicted properly. Decent camera work, the spectacles were well done, the fight scenes lacked a certain je ne sais quoi, and we had an overuse of the wide sky. I respect the homage to a lost genre of film, and Gladiator is certainly entertaining enough, but please, stop touting this as a great movie. **˝
Rating: 2.9/4.0

Here are Esquire's top 10 date movies.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being
After Dark, My Sweet
American Gigolo
The Big Easy
Henry & June
A Man and A Woman
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Body Heat
The Hunger
A Walk on the Moon

I thought that Deep Blue Sea was fairly predictable. I was intrigued by the trailers [super-smart sharks preying on scientists] but was let down by the execution. One, the script beyond the initial idea is poor, low on meaningful dialogue [oh, Saffron's Alzheimer's speech, aiya...], low on even plot. Some of the action sequences are wonderful, as Renny Harlin can do, and Saffron looks and acts like a supermodel... 'nuf said.
Rating: 2.75/4.0

I liked Snow Falling On Cedars]. Like Deep Blue Sea, kudos on the cinematography, even more so. The movie did have some personal ramifications for me so might have richer meanings for yours truly than the average Joe. It is about love, and lost loves, and obsession, and acceptance, and closure. Throw in some ethical dilemmas and some racism [the scene where the US troops rounded up the Japanese Americans for the 'internment centers' are reminiscent of the Holocaust] and you get a fairly complex movie. I would have like to see more of Ishmael's internal struggle, and was disappointed that he called Hatsue a "Japanese bitch", even at his low moment. Still, well done.
Rating: 3.6/4.0

Tom Hanks's The Green Mile [I don't really have to link these to the imbd for you anymore, do I? I mean, I think you should be able to search that site by yourself by now, no? Okay, here's Green Mile] is good. Fairly faithful to the novel, which if you remember, was released serially. My problem with The Green Mile is that it is too long. I am not against long movies in principle, if there is enough material for it, but quite frankly, though I thought the novel was good, there simply was not enough material here for a 3 hour+ movie. The pacing got too screwed up. If Darabont [the director and screenwriter] & King had opted to explore deeper issues of capital punishment or perhaps the problems of immortality, then yes, I can tolerate not going to the bathroom for 188 minutes.
Rating: 2.9/4.0

Daniel Myrick's and Eduardo Sánchez II's The Blair Witch Project is a greatly innovative little movie which exceeded I would think, most rational expectations. The innovation came from their web page which helped spread the buzz about the movie and also from the way they marketed the movie. I think that most people thought it was a true story. Stepping back from this hype, the movie was not that good. I know there were all sort of budgetary constraints but the fact remains that the plot is razor thin and very predictable. And come on, who would continue to film the way these guys did when they were running for their lives? Still, gotta give points for being creative.
Rating: 3.0/4.0

Another overly long movie. Andy Tennant's remake of The King & I, Anna & The King weighs in at 149 minutes. I've never thought much of Anna Leonowens's memoirs in that Anna is an imperialist who doesn't think she is, so she is condescending to everyone. And to base the movie on her memoirs adds a certain colour to the script. She and the King falls in love but her pride won't let her consummate with an Asian, while the King doesn't want to be rejected or risk his crown in chasing Anna. Anyhow, lots of side plots to obscure the main romance. Foster was not very effective with her English accent or this role. And what gives with turning down Silence of the Lambs Part 2?? Chow Yun-Fat was good though. The cinematography was gorgeous as so were the landscape.
Rating: 2.75/4.0

Coming soon:

Now, please note that I am a big believer that there are no truly bad movies. Just as there are no truly evil children. Hmm... Okay, so there may be a few evil children so there may be one or two truly bad films. But, as most children do start out with great intentions and hope, most movie makers do not set out to make a bad movie. They work with the talent they have, with the actors they signed, and with the budget and time available. And I generally watch most movies from beginning to end and generally am entertained, one way or another.

For older reviews, go to the archive page.

If you have problems with any of this, feel free to email me at the address below. I'd like to thank the folks at the Internet Movie Database for providing their valuable public service. Visit them! And more importantly, visit their sponsors :>

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