Anthology of Interest - Movies

Crash

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Sun, 31 Jul 2005 01:53:49 -0400

Tamara somehow got herself a free pass to a movie at Cinecenta. I think it was free with her iced latte or something. Tonight she redeemed it to see Crash. I had to pay.

Crash is a very good movie. It's a relatively low budget drama, but with a lot of largish names. People like Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, and Ryan Phillippe. It's an ensemble movie that follows the stories of about six groups of people, and how they cross over each other over the course of about two days.

Its got characters, storytelling, plot advancement, acting, surprises, miracles, personal growth, and generally all the stuff that makes a good drama. It is set in L.A., and the early part of the movie focuses a lot on racial tension. That is sort of the root of everyone's problem in the whole thing. Its all shades of grey, nothing is black and white. People are stubborn, rude, angry, alone, and generally just real people. The people you think are the bad guys turn out to be the hero's, and the people you think are the good guys turn out to be evil. But that's an oversimplification; everyone is both the good guy and the bad guy, depending on the situation and the circumstance.

It was masterfully directed and overall put together very well. Good music too. Highly recommended.

Movies

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Sun, 05 Jun 2005 15:31:15 -0400

Tamara and I went to the Roxy Cinegog (hey, I didn't name it) on Wednesday night. For $5 each, we saw Kung Fu Hustle and Sin City. Kung Fu Hustle had been recommended by various astronomers and physicists, and it was pretty good. It's super-slapstick; no nods to realism at all. People run road-runner fast, make hand prints in metal by hitting it, and so on. There are some really funny bits, but I wasn't that into it.

Sin City is comic book all the way. Someone said somewhere that comic books had always felt unfinished, like a project that only got to the storyboarding stage, and that this movie was what the final result was actually supposed to be. If you like American comic books, you'll probably like this movie. It's black and white, except for hints of color where appropriate. Blood is white or black or yellow. It's got comic book gore and comic book dialog, which is unbearably silly sometimes, but that's the comics for you.

We rented Oceans 12 last night. Oceans 11 is much, much better. While the premise for more jobs in Europe was fine, the heists themselves barely made any sense. Half the time I couldn't figure out what they were up to. And the thing at the end is just silly. And it's all out of order. Ugg.

Serenity Now!

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Mon, 30 May 2005 17:16:28 -0400

Our trip to Seattle to see Serenity started on Wednesday, when we sailed to Vancouver. Our escape from Victoria was hindered by a condo fire. A ladder truck fighting the fire took up two lanes of the north bound Pat Bay highway, and traffic was backed way up. We though we weren't going to make it, but BC Ferries has put up a sign that shows how full the ferry is just after Sidney, and it was only 37% at about 4:45, so it wasn't a problem getting on. Seattle is normally a fairly rainy city, but of course the day we go we get a heat wave. Five people in a small car with no air conditioning... adventure! Traffic was also quite backed up on the I5 due to a rather nasty accident, but we qualified for the HOV lane and made good use of it, squeezing by most of the traffic.

After finding the theater, we went to the Space Needle and took a few pictures. The admission to go up was $13 USD or something silly, which we decided was not worth the view. We wandered around and stumbled across the Science Fiction Museum and hall of fame, which is housed in a really crazy looking building. Being a bunch of sci-fi nerds, we decided that it was much more worthy of our $13 USD than the space needle, and we were not disappointed! There was a lot of exhibits on old sci-fi books, and newer ones like Neal Stephenson's baroque cycle. They actually had the hand written manuscripts, pens, and ink bottles Stephenson used. There were a lot of cool props, costumes, and so on.

After the super cool sci-fi museum, we drove over to the theater to see how big the line up was. This was about 5 o'clock, and since there were already people there, we decided to line up as well. There were lots of cunning t-shirts in evidence, and a few people even dress up as characters. After 4 hours of waiting, they slowly let us into the theater. They searched bags for recording devices, and took away one guy's batteries. Some people tried to just the queue, but some angry people near the front of the line yelled at them to go to the back. There could have been a riot if they had gotten in first, when everybody else stood in line all that time!

Finally seated, we found that lining up early paid off, as we ended up with five seats together in the middle about half way back, which is almost ideal. I immediately spilled greasy popcorn all over my blue sun t-shirt... argh!

The movie itself was awesome! There was only one bit of dialog that I didn't like. The film needed a little work, in terms of grain and colour, but I think that was just because it was a one-off print. Other people who know more about film than I know the finishing steps that have to happen. I was so engrossed in the movie that I didn't notice any special effects blunders or the filler music. Others noticed music from movies like The Fifth Element, but it worked fine for me.

This was not a two hour episode either. It's a self standing movie that contains enough information about the characters that people who haven't seen the TV show should have no problem following who's who. The story works well, and explains a lot of really interesting things. The dialog and acting is just awesome. So very, very funny in places, sad in others, subtle and nuanced.

It had less western elements than the TV show did, but I think to a degree there just wasn't enough time to go in to that. It may also help keep things on more of a sci-fi track, for those who think the idea of a space-western is silly, when in fact, it's awesome.

Marli and Walter both have some notes about Serenity, and some photos too.

I look forward to seeing it a few more times when it comes out in September.

Star Wares

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Sat, 21 May 2005 16:47:36 -0400

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith will probably break even on the merchandising and cross-promotion deals alone, even if no one goes to see the movie. Of course, it made a record amount of money on Thursday, and Tamara and I chipped in. We attended an afternoon matinee, and lined up outside for a while after arriving about an hour early. There were already people lining up for the 6 o'clock shows, but the line wasn't very long for us. Went we came out, it was practically wrapped around the theater!

For what it is, a cheesy, special effects laden, good vs. evil epic, it's not bad. I enjoyed it, perhaps in part because I was determined to. There are lots of naysayers out there talking trash about it, and from what I've read, their points are valid. I couldn't help but notice some continuity errors, and the droid personalities bothered me a bit. Star Wars has always had droid personalities of course, and the R2D2 / C3PO banter has always been enjoyable.

SPOILERS...

Continue reading "Star Wares"

Reavers!

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Tue, 26 Apr 2005 17:09:40 -0400

I can't believe that Tamara hasn't blogged this yet: the Serenity trailer is out!!

It is awsome. That is all.

The Birds, The Peacemaker, The world is not enough

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 17:28:24 -0500

Our local family run video store has a nice 3 older DVD's, 3 days, for $3.75 deal. Our recent selections were The Birds, The Peacemaker, and The world is not enough. Of these, I think The Peacemaker was my favorite.

If you like Tom Clancy style thrillers like Clear and Present Danger (Harrison Ford is soooo dreamy!) then chances are good that you'll like The Peacemaker. This movie was made in 1997, but it's surprisingly relevant in a post 9/11 world. It probably has a greater impact now than when it was made.

Spoilers follow...

Continue reading "The Birds, The Peacemaker, The world is not enough"

The day after tomorrow

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 10:48:30 -0400

I rather enjoyed The day after tomorrow, even with all the pseudo-science and stuff. The animatroic wolfs were cool (but it was also obvious, so...). Sometimes animatronics and models beat CGI hands down. Anyway, aside from my ability to let my monkey brain love the spaceship rumbles, its nice to get more perspective on the science. Via MetaGrrrl, we have a review of the movie from an actual, honest-to-god, real live, flesh and blood, ice core wielding, PhD holding, paleoclimatologist. It is amusing.

I, Robot

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Mon, 19 Jul 2004 20:48:00 -0400

We went to see I, Robot this evening. It was good. The effects were nice, acting was pretty good, story held up alright on the first viewing...

Spider Man 2...

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Wed, 07 Jul 2004 12:53:00 -0400

...sucks. Well, it's ok I guess. Maybe I was expecting too much because everybody has been saying that it is better than the first one. Oh well.

I liked the sort of recap of the first movie during the opening credits, and I liked the struggle to deal with the clash between ordinary life and super-hero life. But something was missing; it was somehow hard to suspend my disbelief. I kept thinking that this or that wouldn't work, or whatever. Which is silly, because how often to people who get bit by spiders gain super-powers?

MILD SPOILERS

Another things that bugged me was that Peter's super-powers becoming intermittent was never really explained. Why should his vision come and go? Why should the web slingers stop working? I guess it could be chalked up to tiredness and stress. The spidey-sense could have been used to heighten the conflict between the desire for an ordinary life and the responsibilities of having great powers.

I found the CGI to be really obvious and cartoony in places. It can be hard to do though, because the setting isn't dark and dreary like Gotham City. The brightness makes it more obvious I think. There were points in the movie where I was thinking to myself that they didn't put enough effort into some of the models.

2 and 1/2 out of 5.

Recent movies

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Sun, 16 May 2004 18:00:00 -0400

I've watched a lot of movies in the last few weeks. I like movies. But most of the movies I've watched haven't warranted their own entry. So here is a little list of what I can remember:

The Manchurian Candidate - The original, B & W, with Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Janet Leigh. Ole Frank smashes a real table in a fight. It's good if you like older classics.
The Italian Job - The original version, with that British guy. You know, that guy. This one sucked. Skip it and watch the new Italian Job instead. It's sooo much better.
Wilbur wants to kill himself - This has funny moments, and moving moments. And a nice little love story; a love triangle between two brothers and a former maid. Recommended for people like me.
Scary movie 3 - If you got nothing better to do...
Girl with a Perl earring - Slowest. Movie. Ever. A period piece about a guy who paints a picture of a girl with an earring. As far as I was able to discern, nothing actually happened.
Starship Troopers 2 - None of the cast of the original as far as I could tell. Interesting on a certain level; had sort of a ten little Indians feel to it. So tension was created. Might have been better if I was drunk.
Panic Room - Jodie Foster. A bit of a thriller. Watched it twice, since Tamara wanted to see it after I watched it when she was out. Had some CGI shots... CGI is so cheap and real now that it's not just for sci-fi and fantasy any more. But it wasn't good enough, because I could tell before the camera did physically impossible things.
Resident Evil - Like playing a video game, only without the excitement of actually getting to control the characters! I eagerly await the sequel.
Under Suspicion - I think. A Morgan Freeman thriller about a guy accused of murder. It was decent.
Paycheck - After MI:2, which has the dubious distinction of been the only movie I've ever been tempted to walk out of, I wasn't expecting much from John Woo. But a movie is an ensemble work, and Paycheck is a pretty good movie. Tamara even liked it.

Kill Bill Vol 2

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Thu, 22 Apr 2004 08:53:00 -0400

We went to see Kill Bill Vol 2 on Tuesday night. As with Volume 1, it was pretty violent, but not as much. As the reviews said, it was dialed back a notch, with a little more character development instead.

There was some great spoofing of old kung-fu movies, when The Bride goes to train with and old Kung-Fu master. It's so cheesy delicious you just can't help but laugh, but it's also obvious that that is what he was going for. There is the age old kung-fu movie plot line where some adversary kills someone's master and revenge is required. It's excellent.

If you liked the first, you'll like the second, I think.

Ginger snaps

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 07:51:00 -0400

Another movie from the Canadian cinema, balancing the francophone with the anglophone, the drama with the horror. Yeah, is in a way a girly movie (Tamara made fun of me while renting it), but it's a gory horror movie too. If the Bubba Ho-tep mummy was going to give Tamara nightmares, this one really would have given her nightmares, so it's a good thing she didn't watch it. It's pretty much all about puberty bring out the monster within, taken really literally, which is a pretty common theme for werewolf movies (or TV shows).

Excellent acting, pretty good puppetry (way better than low budget CGI could have done I think), chills induced in the appropriate places (although that might have been due to the window being open). Good movie, although maybe not the one for those who are squeamish about the female side of puberty.

The Barbarian Invasions

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 07:37:00 -0400

We saw this a while back, at Cinecenta. This is a movie from the French-Canadian cinema, and I think it won an Oscar for the best foreign film. And now for my best, most cliché movie reviewer line:"it paints a damning portrait of the Canadian health care system..."

But it really does; maybe hospitals in Québec are worse off than those in Alberta, or maybe I just have been fortunate enough to have been able to avoid hostpitals in general for quite a while, but in this movie it's pretty bad. People are stacked in the hallways and so on. It's actually a critical part of the story; a man is dying and his stockbroker son comes from back from London and throws some cash around to give his father some last moments of dignity. He also goes to a great deal of trouble to get all of his fathers old friends together again, which is good, because they each have an excellent sense of humor and really lighten the movie up.

This is a really excellent movie, funny and moving, and a great portrait of a father-son relationship.

é is my new favorite HTML character identity.

Hellboy

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 07:20:00 -0400

This one has a simple plot, almost like a Dick-and-Jane reader for preschoolers. It has realllllllly obvious wire work. People fly in straight lines for miles it seems like.

BUT, there is some pretty cool action and some pretty good lines. If you are into comic books, and know the Hellboy books in particular, then you'll probably enjoy this movie. Otherwise, you might as well go see Ella Enchanted or something, you know, if you liked the Princess Bride, and wanted to know what it would be like with more singing and dancing.

Double plus evil undead Nazi bad.

"My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!"

Bubba Ho-tep

nospam@example.com (Matt Hughes) — Sun, 11 Apr 2004 07:09:00 -0400

As I predicted, Bubba Ho-tep did indeed turn up at Cinecenta. We went on Thursday night. It was pretty funny. Tamara even liked it, so much so that she murmered somthing about getting the DVD. But she still doesn't like Army of Darkness. This one admittadly doesn't have the chessy lines and cheesy puppets that Army of Darkness does, and it's overall a lot more subtle and refined.

There are quite a few crude jokes, but some of the best stuff comes from Bruce Campbell deadpanning Elvis lines, like "thank-you, thank-you very much."

Double plus undead good.