Funniest thing I read today:
A man believed he was getting a bargain on Ebay by buying a flat-screen TV for $2,000. Yet what he got in the mail was simply a picture of a flat-screen TV. When he emailed to complain, the auctioner said he should've known better.
Well, the authorities got involved, but I don't know what's worse: the fact that a guy is auctioning off pictures of televisions or that at least 3 people fell for it.
Luckily the kid was caught, bringing shame to Asians and Brians alike. Brian Kim of New Jersey was arrested at his high school and charged with theft by deception. He defends himself by saying the word picture was clearly marked in the ad. But come on, does he really think people are dumb enough to bid thousands of dollars on a picture??? Okay, three people are.
8/30/2004
8/29/2004
So now it has come to this. We're approaching autumn and that could only mean films are being released with Oscar on their minds. Either that or they're dumping films upon us to mix things up. Here are the movies being released in the next four months sure to generate buzz, both good and bad.
September 1
Vanity Fair - Based on the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, Reese Witherspoon seeks a higher position in society in 1820's London.
September 3
The Cookout - Cultures clash as a just-signed basketball player decides to hold a cookout for his black family, his white neighbors, and his friends, both rich and poor.
Paparazzi - A celebrity is fed up with the paparazzi hounding him so he decides to kill them all.
Wicker Park - Josh Hartnett decides to settle down in Wicker Park until he puts everything on hold to search for his long-lost love.
September 10
Cellular - Chris Evans is the only one who can save a kidnapped Kim Basinger and the only thing helping him is the conversations they're having on their cell phones. Can he save her before the battery runs out???
Resident Evil: Apocalypse - I didn't even know this movie did well enough to earn a sequel, but here we are. Some movies deal with zombies, others a biological weapon. In this sequel, Milla Jovovich reprises her role to defeat zombies and stop a biological weapon from detonating.
Criminal - Diego Luna and John C. Reilly happen upon some rare currency from U.S. history, but in order to sell it, they need the help of Reilly's sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal. (Limited)
September 17
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - In the computer generated world of tomorrow, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, and Angelina Jolie work to find out why all the famous scientists are being abducted.
Mr. 3000 - Bernie Mac's whole life is based on his achievement of hitting 3,000 times in baseball, but ten years later, a careful study of the records shows he is three hits short, forcing him to come out of retirement.
Silver City - While the film is about a high-level conspiracy involving a dead body, one can't ignore the performance by Chris Cooper as the President who's bumbling qualities will remind everyone of our own real President.
Wimbledon - Paul Bettany has been merely an average tennis player but finds his muse in Kirrsten Dunst, and suddenly finds himself on the verge of winning the most famous tennis tournament in the world.
Head in the Clouds - Charlize Theron is a wealthy woman living in Europe, dating Stuart Townsend and is best friends with Penelope Cruz. As World War II erupts though, Townsend and Cruz focus their energies on fighting the Fascists while Theron entertains the Nazis. While all three separate, their destinies bring them back together. (Limited)
September 24
First Daughter - Romance blossoms as Katie Holmes, the president's daughter, attends college, but how will she react when she finds out the true identity of her new love?
The Final Cut - Robin Williams continues his string of creepy roles as a scientist who implants a chip in kids to gather information for postmortem movies.
The Forgotten - Julianne Moore deals with the loss of her son until she finds out that he was just a figment of her imagination.
The Last Shot - Matthew Broderick's dream of filming a major production in Providence, Rhode Island is threatened by the revelation that the producer (Alec Baldwin) is using it to investigate the Mafia for the FBI.
Shaun of the Dead - A British comedy lampooning the recent spate of zombie movies.
A Dirty Shame - John Waters' latest film sees Tracey Ullman become a sex addict as a result of a concussion she suffered. (Limited)
The Motorcycle Diaries - A road trip of Latin America by motorcycle has a profound effect on the lives of two friends. (Limited)
October 1
Hair Show - Peaches (Mo'Nique) owes $50,000 to the IRS and the only way out of this mess is to earn first place at a hair show.
Ladder 49 - Joaquin Phoenix is trapped while at the scene of a fire as John Travolta and company rush to save him.
Shark Tale - From Dreamworks comes another animated film, this time involving a fish named Oscar (Will Smith) who becomes a great hero for fending off a shark only to find himself a target. Robert DeNiro, Renee Zellweger, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Martin Scorsese also provide voices.
Around the Bend - Michael Caine, Christopher Walken, Josh Lucas, and others journey around the world to discover more about themselves. (Limited)
I Heart Huckabees - Albert (Jason Schwartzman) is going through an existential crisis, but when the detectives who were helping Albert soon turn their focus on helping the very cause of his problems, Jude Law and his girlfriend Naomi Watts, Albert teams up with others to take matters into his own hands. (Limited)
October 8
Friday Night Lights - Another in a long line of inspirational sports movies turns its attention to high school football, chronicling the actions of a high school team of a struggling small town in Texas.
I Am David - A story about a young boy's travels through Europe from war-savaged Bulgaria.
Raise Your Voice - Hilary Duff combines her musical and acting talents to make this film about a girl who goes to summer music camp on the strength of her extraordinary voice against her father's wishes.
A Sound of Thunder - When a time travel trip run by Ben Kingsley goes awry, Edward Burns must undo the damage.
Taxi - Sorry, the TV series isn't coming to the big screen. Jimmy Fallon is a cop who can't drive and is forced to use the cabbie services of Queen Latifah to track a group of bank robbers.
Stage Beauty - Ned's (Billy Crudup) acting career is over after the King orders no man shall play female parts any longer but Claire Danes hopes to turn his career around. (Limited)
October 15
Shall We Dance? - A workaholic (Richard Gere) discovers a passion for dancing. It doesn't hurt to have Jennifer Lopez as a dancing partner.
Team America: World Police - The creators of South Park bring out a team of marionettes to save the world from terrorism.
Being Julia - Based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, a May-December affair involving turns into a revenge plot when the woman discovers her lover has his sights set at a younger woman. (Limited)
The Machinist - Christian Bale's confusing life may be pieces of a puzzle that when fit together will unlock the reasons why he has lived this way for so long. (Limited)
P.S. - Laura Linney is a 30-something college admissions officer who falls for one of the applicants (Topher Grace). (Limited)
October 20
Sideways - Jack is about to be married and Miles decides to treat him to one last road trip. But lots of wine leads to women complicating things for the two men. Directed by Alexander Payne.
October 22
Alfie - A British playboy (Jude Law) in New York City discovers the truth and consequences of his free-wheeling lifestyle.
Finding Neverland - Starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, Finding Neverland follows J.M. Barrie's journey toward creating Peter Pan.
The Grudge - This horror flick starring Sarah Michelle Gellar centers upon a curse passing down from generation to generation.
Surviving Christmas - Ben Affleck yearns for a Christmas like he had as a child, so he returns to his childhood home for a nice, old-fashioned Christmas, even if his family doesn't live there anymore.
October 29
Ray - A biography about Ray Charles starring Jamie Foxx, who certainly looks the part.
Eulogy - The patriarch of a dysfunctional family has died but the following days sees the chaotic nature of their personalities struggle to co-exist and the comfort it provides. Stars Ray Romano, Hank Azaria, Kelly Preston, and Zooey Deschanel. (Limited)
The Hollow - Marking the acting debut of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys is this film that continues the Sleepy Hollow story of the Headless Horseman. (Limited)
It's All About Love - Set in the near future much different than today, a separated couple (Joaquin Phoenix and Claire Danes) meet to sign the divorce papers but other things at work threaten both of their lives. (Limited)
November 5
Alexander - The first of two films about Alexander the Great is released, this one starring Colin Farrell in the title role and directed by Oliver Stone.
The Incredibles - From Pixar comes probably the next big idea in animated film, a story about a retired superhero who returns after receiving a top-secret communique.
Birth - Nicole Kidman believes her husband has been reincarnated in a boy. (Limited)
November 10
The Polar Express - Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks team up in an animated version of the children's story about a ride to the North Pole.
Seed of Chucky - In a particularly shrewd move of counter-programming to The Polar Express, the fifth installment of the horror series Child's Play is released.
November 12
After the Sunset - Master thief Pierce Brosnan is lured back at the promise of a big score.
The Ringer - With Johnny Knoxville in the mix, two guys conspire to rig the Special Olympics.
Kinsey - A story of the life of Alfred Kinsey, a pioneer in the study of human sexuality. (Limited)
November 19
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - Renee Zellweger returns to her role as Jones, picking up right where the first movie left off in her new relationship with Colin Firth.
National Treasure - Nicolas Cage finds some competition in his quest for a Revolutionary War treasure chest: the FBI.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - The hit children's TV series makes it to the big screen.
Bad Education - This new film from director Pedro Almodovar follows the lives of two people from grade school to adulthood. (Limited)
November 24
Beauty Shop - More hijinx in hair styling ensues as Queen Latifah brings her character from the Barbershop sequel to her own beauty shop.
Christmas with the Kranks - The Christmas spirit is usually strong at the Kranks' household, but with their daughter not coming home, the parents (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) decide to take a vacation. But a daughter's change of heart brings about a rushed preparation for the joyous holiday.
The Flight of the Phoenix - A plane crashes carrying a bunch of outcasts and through the rebuilding process, their own lives begin to get rebuilt.
Beyond the Sea - Kevin Spacey plays the role of Bobby Darin, a successful musician who has battled health problems throughout his life. (Limited)
December 3
The Phantom of the Opera - The revival of Broadway in cinematic form continues with Joel Schumacher directing a big-screen version of this enduring musical, a movie which includes a new song from Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Closer - With a cast featuring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen, this romantic drama sure can't go wrong, can it? Written and directed by Mike Nichols. (Limited)
December 10
Blade: Trinity - Honestly, I didn?t even know they were making a third Blade film but here it is with Wesley Snipes in the lead role again. Here, he joins up with a couple of Nightstalkers to battle a modern Dracula.
Ocean's Twelve - The entire cast from Ocean's Eleven plus Catherine Zeta-Jones travel to Europe to pull off another heist.
The Life Aquatic - Wes Anderson is back with another film and the usual cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Angelica Huston. Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, and Jeff Goldblum come along for the ride as Bill Murray is an European oceanographer traveling the waters. (Limited)
December 17
The Aviator - This biography of Howard Hughes focuses on his early years as he expanded his fortunes to include Hollywood and the skies while falling for Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardner. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the lead with Kate Beckinsale and Cate Blanchett supporting.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - One of the more anticipated movies of the season finds Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, who schemes to steal the inheritance of two orphaned children, but continually fails, often with hilarious results.
Spanglish - A newly immigrated mother and young daughter from Mexico are taken in by a couple (Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni) where they must deal with the language barrier and the cultural barrier.
December 22
Meet the Fockers - Now that Ben Stiller has successful dealt with the father of the bride, Robert DeNiro, it's now time for the two sets of parents to meet. Playing Stiller's parents are Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.
December 24
An Unfinished Life - Robert Redford has been living in solitude ever since his son's death, but 10 years later, the person he blames, his daughter-in-law Jennifer Lopez, comes back with a granddaughter he didn't know he had while old wounds begin to show up once again.
Proof - Starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, a daughter comes to the aid of her dying father, a math professor who is losing his grip on reality.
The Woodsman - Kevin Bacon struggles to rebuild his life as he tries to escape his past as a sex offender. (Limited)
December 25
Fat Albert - One of Bill Cosby's most popular characters gets the live action treatment as Kenan Thompson plays the title role.
December 29
Synergy - It's an office relationship of a different sort as Dennis Quaid's new younger boss, Topher Grace, begins to date his daughter, Scarlett Johansson.
September 1
Vanity Fair - Based on the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, Reese Witherspoon seeks a higher position in society in 1820's London.
September 3
The Cookout - Cultures clash as a just-signed basketball player decides to hold a cookout for his black family, his white neighbors, and his friends, both rich and poor.
Paparazzi - A celebrity is fed up with the paparazzi hounding him so he decides to kill them all.
Wicker Park - Josh Hartnett decides to settle down in Wicker Park until he puts everything on hold to search for his long-lost love.
September 10
Cellular - Chris Evans is the only one who can save a kidnapped Kim Basinger and the only thing helping him is the conversations they're having on their cell phones. Can he save her before the battery runs out???
Resident Evil: Apocalypse - I didn't even know this movie did well enough to earn a sequel, but here we are. Some movies deal with zombies, others a biological weapon. In this sequel, Milla Jovovich reprises her role to defeat zombies and stop a biological weapon from detonating.
Criminal - Diego Luna and John C. Reilly happen upon some rare currency from U.S. history, but in order to sell it, they need the help of Reilly's sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal. (Limited)
September 17
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - In the computer generated world of tomorrow, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, and Angelina Jolie work to find out why all the famous scientists are being abducted.
Mr. 3000 - Bernie Mac's whole life is based on his achievement of hitting 3,000 times in baseball, but ten years later, a careful study of the records shows he is three hits short, forcing him to come out of retirement.
Silver City - While the film is about a high-level conspiracy involving a dead body, one can't ignore the performance by Chris Cooper as the President who's bumbling qualities will remind everyone of our own real President.
Wimbledon - Paul Bettany has been merely an average tennis player but finds his muse in Kirrsten Dunst, and suddenly finds himself on the verge of winning the most famous tennis tournament in the world.
Head in the Clouds - Charlize Theron is a wealthy woman living in Europe, dating Stuart Townsend and is best friends with Penelope Cruz. As World War II erupts though, Townsend and Cruz focus their energies on fighting the Fascists while Theron entertains the Nazis. While all three separate, their destinies bring them back together. (Limited)
September 24
First Daughter - Romance blossoms as Katie Holmes, the president's daughter, attends college, but how will she react when she finds out the true identity of her new love?
The Final Cut - Robin Williams continues his string of creepy roles as a scientist who implants a chip in kids to gather information for postmortem movies.
The Forgotten - Julianne Moore deals with the loss of her son until she finds out that he was just a figment of her imagination.
The Last Shot - Matthew Broderick's dream of filming a major production in Providence, Rhode Island is threatened by the revelation that the producer (Alec Baldwin) is using it to investigate the Mafia for the FBI.
Shaun of the Dead - A British comedy lampooning the recent spate of zombie movies.
A Dirty Shame - John Waters' latest film sees Tracey Ullman become a sex addict as a result of a concussion she suffered. (Limited)
The Motorcycle Diaries - A road trip of Latin America by motorcycle has a profound effect on the lives of two friends. (Limited)
October 1
Hair Show - Peaches (Mo'Nique) owes $50,000 to the IRS and the only way out of this mess is to earn first place at a hair show.
Ladder 49 - Joaquin Phoenix is trapped while at the scene of a fire as John Travolta and company rush to save him.
Shark Tale - From Dreamworks comes another animated film, this time involving a fish named Oscar (Will Smith) who becomes a great hero for fending off a shark only to find himself a target. Robert DeNiro, Renee Zellweger, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Martin Scorsese also provide voices.
Around the Bend - Michael Caine, Christopher Walken, Josh Lucas, and others journey around the world to discover more about themselves. (Limited)
I Heart Huckabees - Albert (Jason Schwartzman) is going through an existential crisis, but when the detectives who were helping Albert soon turn their focus on helping the very cause of his problems, Jude Law and his girlfriend Naomi Watts, Albert teams up with others to take matters into his own hands. (Limited)
October 8
Friday Night Lights - Another in a long line of inspirational sports movies turns its attention to high school football, chronicling the actions of a high school team of a struggling small town in Texas.
I Am David - A story about a young boy's travels through Europe from war-savaged Bulgaria.
Raise Your Voice - Hilary Duff combines her musical and acting talents to make this film about a girl who goes to summer music camp on the strength of her extraordinary voice against her father's wishes.
A Sound of Thunder - When a time travel trip run by Ben Kingsley goes awry, Edward Burns must undo the damage.
Taxi - Sorry, the TV series isn't coming to the big screen. Jimmy Fallon is a cop who can't drive and is forced to use the cabbie services of Queen Latifah to track a group of bank robbers.
Stage Beauty - Ned's (Billy Crudup) acting career is over after the King orders no man shall play female parts any longer but Claire Danes hopes to turn his career around. (Limited)
October 15
Shall We Dance? - A workaholic (Richard Gere) discovers a passion for dancing. It doesn't hurt to have Jennifer Lopez as a dancing partner.
Team America: World Police - The creators of South Park bring out a team of marionettes to save the world from terrorism.
Being Julia - Based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, a May-December affair involving turns into a revenge plot when the woman discovers her lover has his sights set at a younger woman. (Limited)
The Machinist - Christian Bale's confusing life may be pieces of a puzzle that when fit together will unlock the reasons why he has lived this way for so long. (Limited)
P.S. - Laura Linney is a 30-something college admissions officer who falls for one of the applicants (Topher Grace). (Limited)
October 20
Sideways - Jack is about to be married and Miles decides to treat him to one last road trip. But lots of wine leads to women complicating things for the two men. Directed by Alexander Payne.
October 22
Alfie - A British playboy (Jude Law) in New York City discovers the truth and consequences of his free-wheeling lifestyle.
Finding Neverland - Starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, Finding Neverland follows J.M. Barrie's journey toward creating Peter Pan.
The Grudge - This horror flick starring Sarah Michelle Gellar centers upon a curse passing down from generation to generation.
Surviving Christmas - Ben Affleck yearns for a Christmas like he had as a child, so he returns to his childhood home for a nice, old-fashioned Christmas, even if his family doesn't live there anymore.
October 29
Ray - A biography about Ray Charles starring Jamie Foxx, who certainly looks the part.
Eulogy - The patriarch of a dysfunctional family has died but the following days sees the chaotic nature of their personalities struggle to co-exist and the comfort it provides. Stars Ray Romano, Hank Azaria, Kelly Preston, and Zooey Deschanel. (Limited)
The Hollow - Marking the acting debut of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys is this film that continues the Sleepy Hollow story of the Headless Horseman. (Limited)
It's All About Love - Set in the near future much different than today, a separated couple (Joaquin Phoenix and Claire Danes) meet to sign the divorce papers but other things at work threaten both of their lives. (Limited)
November 5
Alexander - The first of two films about Alexander the Great is released, this one starring Colin Farrell in the title role and directed by Oliver Stone.
The Incredibles - From Pixar comes probably the next big idea in animated film, a story about a retired superhero who returns after receiving a top-secret communique.
Birth - Nicole Kidman believes her husband has been reincarnated in a boy. (Limited)
November 10
The Polar Express - Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks team up in an animated version of the children's story about a ride to the North Pole.
Seed of Chucky - In a particularly shrewd move of counter-programming to The Polar Express, the fifth installment of the horror series Child's Play is released.
November 12
After the Sunset - Master thief Pierce Brosnan is lured back at the promise of a big score.
The Ringer - With Johnny Knoxville in the mix, two guys conspire to rig the Special Olympics.
Kinsey - A story of the life of Alfred Kinsey, a pioneer in the study of human sexuality. (Limited)
November 19
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - Renee Zellweger returns to her role as Jones, picking up right where the first movie left off in her new relationship with Colin Firth.
National Treasure - Nicolas Cage finds some competition in his quest for a Revolutionary War treasure chest: the FBI.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - The hit children's TV series makes it to the big screen.
Bad Education - This new film from director Pedro Almodovar follows the lives of two people from grade school to adulthood. (Limited)
November 24
Beauty Shop - More hijinx in hair styling ensues as Queen Latifah brings her character from the Barbershop sequel to her own beauty shop.
Christmas with the Kranks - The Christmas spirit is usually strong at the Kranks' household, but with their daughter not coming home, the parents (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) decide to take a vacation. But a daughter's change of heart brings about a rushed preparation for the joyous holiday.
The Flight of the Phoenix - A plane crashes carrying a bunch of outcasts and through the rebuilding process, their own lives begin to get rebuilt.
Beyond the Sea - Kevin Spacey plays the role of Bobby Darin, a successful musician who has battled health problems throughout his life. (Limited)
December 3
The Phantom of the Opera - The revival of Broadway in cinematic form continues with Joel Schumacher directing a big-screen version of this enduring musical, a movie which includes a new song from Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Closer - With a cast featuring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen, this romantic drama sure can't go wrong, can it? Written and directed by Mike Nichols. (Limited)
December 10
Blade: Trinity - Honestly, I didn?t even know they were making a third Blade film but here it is with Wesley Snipes in the lead role again. Here, he joins up with a couple of Nightstalkers to battle a modern Dracula.
Ocean's Twelve - The entire cast from Ocean's Eleven plus Catherine Zeta-Jones travel to Europe to pull off another heist.
The Life Aquatic - Wes Anderson is back with another film and the usual cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Angelica Huston. Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, and Jeff Goldblum come along for the ride as Bill Murray is an European oceanographer traveling the waters. (Limited)
December 17
The Aviator - This biography of Howard Hughes focuses on his early years as he expanded his fortunes to include Hollywood and the skies while falling for Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardner. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the lead with Kate Beckinsale and Cate Blanchett supporting.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - One of the more anticipated movies of the season finds Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, who schemes to steal the inheritance of two orphaned children, but continually fails, often with hilarious results.
Spanglish - A newly immigrated mother and young daughter from Mexico are taken in by a couple (Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni) where they must deal with the language barrier and the cultural barrier.
December 22
Meet the Fockers - Now that Ben Stiller has successful dealt with the father of the bride, Robert DeNiro, it's now time for the two sets of parents to meet. Playing Stiller's parents are Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand.
December 24
An Unfinished Life - Robert Redford has been living in solitude ever since his son's death, but 10 years later, the person he blames, his daughter-in-law Jennifer Lopez, comes back with a granddaughter he didn't know he had while old wounds begin to show up once again.
Proof - Starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, a daughter comes to the aid of her dying father, a math professor who is losing his grip on reality.
The Woodsman - Kevin Bacon struggles to rebuild his life as he tries to escape his past as a sex offender. (Limited)
December 25
Fat Albert - One of Bill Cosby's most popular characters gets the live action treatment as Kenan Thompson plays the title role.
December 29
Synergy - It's an office relationship of a different sort as Dennis Quaid's new younger boss, Topher Grace, begins to date his daughter, Scarlett Johansson.
8/28/2004
Hero
Three assassins threaten the kingdom of Qin, specifically the king himself, and a reward has been offered if someone can eliminate them. One man has stepped up to the challenge and has succeeded, bringing with him the assassins' swords as proof of his success. After Nameless (Jet Li) approaches the king, he tells the story of how he defeated Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Long Sky (Donnie Yen), but the king (Daoming Chen) is skeptical. What follows is a series of back-and-forth stories until the truth is revealed.
This is a magnificent movie on all fronts. It's an old film that was nominated for an Oscar and a film I watched a long time ago, but only now being released to American theatres. What audiences will be thrilled to see is a high-flying and thrilling Asian film that exceeds expectations, especially considering the above average, but ultimately disappointing, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film, directed by Zhang Yimou, displays remarkable balance with luscious scenery, beautiful cinematography, intricate swordplay, and good control of the large battle scenes with lots of arrows and lots of real people; none of that CGI we've been accustomed to lately. But most importantly, it's the people that count and while they don't say much, it is their actions that is particuarly telling of their characters. It isn't quite emotional, but nevertheless, still packs quite a punch. 4 stars
Three assassins threaten the kingdom of Qin, specifically the king himself, and a reward has been offered if someone can eliminate them. One man has stepped up to the challenge and has succeeded, bringing with him the assassins' swords as proof of his success. After Nameless (Jet Li) approaches the king, he tells the story of how he defeated Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Long Sky (Donnie Yen), but the king (Daoming Chen) is skeptical. What follows is a series of back-and-forth stories until the truth is revealed.
This is a magnificent movie on all fronts. It's an old film that was nominated for an Oscar and a film I watched a long time ago, but only now being released to American theatres. What audiences will be thrilled to see is a high-flying and thrilling Asian film that exceeds expectations, especially considering the above average, but ultimately disappointing, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film, directed by Zhang Yimou, displays remarkable balance with luscious scenery, beautiful cinematography, intricate swordplay, and good control of the large battle scenes with lots of arrows and lots of real people; none of that CGI we've been accustomed to lately. But most importantly, it's the people that count and while they don't say much, it is their actions that is particuarly telling of their characters. It isn't quite emotional, but nevertheless, still packs quite a punch. 4 stars
8/24/2004
How many weeks are in October?
The question sounds easy, but apparently it isn't. I was doing some forecasting at work when it came time to do a few projections for October. I look at the database calendar and it says October has 4 weeks. Every business goes by the quarter system and as such each quarter has 13 weeks. These 13 weeks need to be divided among the 3 months and for the fourth quarter of 2004, they've decided to do it with a 4-4-5 split, 4 weeks in October and November and 5 weeks in December. That would cause my projections to be a little skewed since all the quarters I've researched have a 5-4-4 split. I pass this piece of information to my co-workers and they scream bloody hell. Apparently, they believe it's a 5-4-4 split for the 4th quarter. So I submit the question to the database management.
Soon enough, my simple question has turned into a problem ticket where at least 8 big-wigs need to be contacted for a solution to the problem. It took 3 days to uncover another problem ticket that fixes this problem. It actually is a 5-4-4 quarter but nobody bothered to change the calendars, probably just to confuse the heck out of me.
The question sounds easy, but apparently it isn't. I was doing some forecasting at work when it came time to do a few projections for October. I look at the database calendar and it says October has 4 weeks. Every business goes by the quarter system and as such each quarter has 13 weeks. These 13 weeks need to be divided among the 3 months and for the fourth quarter of 2004, they've decided to do it with a 4-4-5 split, 4 weeks in October and November and 5 weeks in December. That would cause my projections to be a little skewed since all the quarters I've researched have a 5-4-4 split. I pass this piece of information to my co-workers and they scream bloody hell. Apparently, they believe it's a 5-4-4 split for the 4th quarter. So I submit the question to the database management.
Soon enough, my simple question has turned into a problem ticket where at least 8 big-wigs need to be contacted for a solution to the problem. It took 3 days to uncover another problem ticket that fixes this problem. It actually is a 5-4-4 quarter but nobody bothered to change the calendars, probably just to confuse the heck out of me.
8/22/2004
Interesting things I've found along the way...
I read this quote as the controversy over the Swift Boat ads was stirring. "Mr. (Scott) McClellan (the White House Press Secretary) needs to understand that John Kerry is not the type of leader who will sit and read `My Pet Goat' to a group of second graders while America is under attack," said Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter in a reference to President George W. Bush's activity during the first minutes of the Sept. 11 attacks. While being a supporter of President Bush, I feel it's necessary to make this correction to the quote just for a cheap laugh. George W. Bush wasn't reading "My Pet Goat" to a group of second graders on September 11, the teacher was reading it to him and the second graders.
It seems Microsoft isn't widely accepted throughout the world because employees at the company didn't have geography lessons according to news.com. Among the gaffes that have caused its products to be banned: the Spanish-language version of Windows asked its users to choose between male, bitch, and not specified when asked for their gender, a couple of games featured the chanting of the Koran as well as Muslim fighters turning churches into mosques, and the incorrect coloring of 8 pixels meant to represent Kashmir.
USNews.com says officers who had swum in Saddam Hussein's old pool in Baghdad can't anymore because somebody gave all the lifeguards two weeks off. But one colonel has chosen to swim anyway. His response? "What are they going to do," he said. "Send me to Iraq?"
The reference above to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has made for interesting conversation as it has dominated the airwaves for the past few days even though the ads they produced have been out for about 3 weeks. It wasn't until last Thursday when Kerry denounced these ads and called for the President to do the same. Coincidentally, or not, Thursday was also the day a CBS News poll was released showing Kerry's support among veterans weakening to the point that even though it was tied at the beginning of August, President Bush now has a commanding 18 point lead among them.
The center of the controversy is the ads by this 527 group. A 527 group can collect as much money as they want for political purposes as long as coordination between any campaign is non-existent. The most popular one among Democrats is moveon.org. Republicans who were pretty much opposed to 527s, saw Democrats take advantage of this loophole and have thus been far behind in their own 527s. Spending by these groups along with Kerry/Edwards have exceeded Bush/Cheney spending. In regard to the Swift Boats, there are many points and counterpoints that can be made.
Point: The ad claims Kerry lied about his service in Vietnam and betrayed his comrades, both by leaving early and protesting against the war when he returned.
Counterpoint: Kerry volunteered to serve in Vietnam and in the process saved at least one life and earned 3 purple hearts, a bronze star, and a silver star.
Point: It is this organization that is lying and it is the front of a negative attack machine from the Bush/Cheney campaign. Kerry is pushing for an end to the attacks on his service in Vietnam.
Counterpoint: While we don't know who is telling the truth, we do know you can't have a double standard when it comes to letting veterans talk. On the day Kerry denounced the ad and wanted those veterans silent, he allowed Wesley Clark and others to attack Bush's service in the Texas National Guard. Yes, the Swift Boats have a lot of Republican connections that make it possible for coordination to occur but it's also entirely possible that there are numerous Democratic connections in the 527s. I say there will never be total independence from the campaigns until heavy regulations are put down almost to the point that there is public financing of the campaigns.
Point: Bush should denounce this ad.
Counterpoint: Bush has denounced all ads made by the 527s and has pushed for Kerry to do so also. Democratic 527s have been big business, attacking Bush with $63 million worth of ads throughout the campaign. The Swift Boats ad has cost less than $1 million to run.
Point: With Kerry taking a break from campaigning, running mate John Edwards said Bush needs to tell the group to pull its ads, a step the White House and the Bush campaign refuse to take.
Counterpoint: Of course not. First of all, it's helping Bush, as those similar ads that attacked Bush helped Kerry. Then there's that independence rule. 527s can't do what campaigns tell them to do so even if Bush told them to stop, there's no guarantee that they will. This group has insisted that if Kerry was a Republican, they'd still be doing what they were doing.
Luckily with the Republican convention next week and debates shortly after, we may have heard the last of the Swift Boats. In the end, it may hurt both campaigns, raising questions about Kerry's military records as well as the poor comparison of Bush's military record against Kerry's accomplishments. Negative campaigning does work, but at the cost of voter turnout.
I read this quote as the controversy over the Swift Boat ads was stirring. "Mr. (Scott) McClellan (the White House Press Secretary) needs to understand that John Kerry is not the type of leader who will sit and read `My Pet Goat' to a group of second graders while America is under attack," said Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter in a reference to President George W. Bush's activity during the first minutes of the Sept. 11 attacks. While being a supporter of President Bush, I feel it's necessary to make this correction to the quote just for a cheap laugh. George W. Bush wasn't reading "My Pet Goat" to a group of second graders on September 11, the teacher was reading it to him and the second graders.
It seems Microsoft isn't widely accepted throughout the world because employees at the company didn't have geography lessons according to news.com. Among the gaffes that have caused its products to be banned: the Spanish-language version of Windows asked its users to choose between male, bitch, and not specified when asked for their gender, a couple of games featured the chanting of the Koran as well as Muslim fighters turning churches into mosques, and the incorrect coloring of 8 pixels meant to represent Kashmir.
USNews.com says officers who had swum in Saddam Hussein's old pool in Baghdad can't anymore because somebody gave all the lifeguards two weeks off. But one colonel has chosen to swim anyway. His response? "What are they going to do," he said. "Send me to Iraq?"
The reference above to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has made for interesting conversation as it has dominated the airwaves for the past few days even though the ads they produced have been out for about 3 weeks. It wasn't until last Thursday when Kerry denounced these ads and called for the President to do the same. Coincidentally, or not, Thursday was also the day a CBS News poll was released showing Kerry's support among veterans weakening to the point that even though it was tied at the beginning of August, President Bush now has a commanding 18 point lead among them.
The center of the controversy is the ads by this 527 group. A 527 group can collect as much money as they want for political purposes as long as coordination between any campaign is non-existent. The most popular one among Democrats is moveon.org. Republicans who were pretty much opposed to 527s, saw Democrats take advantage of this loophole and have thus been far behind in their own 527s. Spending by these groups along with Kerry/Edwards have exceeded Bush/Cheney spending. In regard to the Swift Boats, there are many points and counterpoints that can be made.
Point: The ad claims Kerry lied about his service in Vietnam and betrayed his comrades, both by leaving early and protesting against the war when he returned.
Counterpoint: Kerry volunteered to serve in Vietnam and in the process saved at least one life and earned 3 purple hearts, a bronze star, and a silver star.
Point: It is this organization that is lying and it is the front of a negative attack machine from the Bush/Cheney campaign. Kerry is pushing for an end to the attacks on his service in Vietnam.
Counterpoint: While we don't know who is telling the truth, we do know you can't have a double standard when it comes to letting veterans talk. On the day Kerry denounced the ad and wanted those veterans silent, he allowed Wesley Clark and others to attack Bush's service in the Texas National Guard. Yes, the Swift Boats have a lot of Republican connections that make it possible for coordination to occur but it's also entirely possible that there are numerous Democratic connections in the 527s. I say there will never be total independence from the campaigns until heavy regulations are put down almost to the point that there is public financing of the campaigns.
Point: Bush should denounce this ad.
Counterpoint: Bush has denounced all ads made by the 527s and has pushed for Kerry to do so also. Democratic 527s have been big business, attacking Bush with $63 million worth of ads throughout the campaign. The Swift Boats ad has cost less than $1 million to run.
Point: With Kerry taking a break from campaigning, running mate John Edwards said Bush needs to tell the group to pull its ads, a step the White House and the Bush campaign refuse to take.
Counterpoint: Of course not. First of all, it's helping Bush, as those similar ads that attacked Bush helped Kerry. Then there's that independence rule. 527s can't do what campaigns tell them to do so even if Bush told them to stop, there's no guarantee that they will. This group has insisted that if Kerry was a Republican, they'd still be doing what they were doing.
Luckily with the Republican convention next week and debates shortly after, we may have heard the last of the Swift Boats. In the end, it may hurt both campaigns, raising questions about Kerry's military records as well as the poor comparison of Bush's military record against Kerry's accomplishments. Negative campaigning does work, but at the cost of voter turnout.
The Village
At this Amish-like community in Pennsylvania, everyone is in his or her right place. You've got the village elders, headed by Edward Walker (William Hurt), running this place of isolation while the rest of the population does the everyday activities. The two most important rules that bind the community? Never show off the color red and never go into the forest. If you do, you may never come back. Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) has the urge to venture through the forest and travel to the towns but the elders forbid it. Edward's daughter, Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard), cares deeply for Lucius as well as Noah (Adrien Brody), a mentally challenged man. When an accident occurs, the call to reach the towns is renewed in order to get medicines. Edwards thus is reluctantly forced to send Ivy through the woods while he, Lucius' mother Alice (Sigourney Weaver), and others reflect on the true nature of the village.
So we're told M. Night Shyamalan directed this feature, and you know what? All the elements of a Shyamalan movie were there. The creepy music. The dark places. The slow pacing. What was missing? An interesting story to tie it all together. Nothing compelled me to be fearful of what lurked in the woods surrounding the community, a perception helped moreso by their brief appearance, nor were there the light moments to identify with the characters and so what we're left with is a 19th-century period piece that really isn't a very good one. Our feeling of detachment from the film leads into an underwhelming ending which leaves the reaction of "oh, yeah, I guess that works." The leading stars are left mired in a script that Data from Star Trek could read better. Phoenix, with a surprisingly limited role, avoids the bad lines and had the most potential in the film, but that wasn't used. The focus instead turned to the newcomer Howard, whose performance as a blind woman wasn't too convincing, but nevertheless was a bright spot in this dreary film. So in a switch, Shyamalan's handling of the film is much better than his script, but it doesn't save it at all. 1.5 stars
At this Amish-like community in Pennsylvania, everyone is in his or her right place. You've got the village elders, headed by Edward Walker (William Hurt), running this place of isolation while the rest of the population does the everyday activities. The two most important rules that bind the community? Never show off the color red and never go into the forest. If you do, you may never come back. Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) has the urge to venture through the forest and travel to the towns but the elders forbid it. Edward's daughter, Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard), cares deeply for Lucius as well as Noah (Adrien Brody), a mentally challenged man. When an accident occurs, the call to reach the towns is renewed in order to get medicines. Edwards thus is reluctantly forced to send Ivy through the woods while he, Lucius' mother Alice (Sigourney Weaver), and others reflect on the true nature of the village.
So we're told M. Night Shyamalan directed this feature, and you know what? All the elements of a Shyamalan movie were there. The creepy music. The dark places. The slow pacing. What was missing? An interesting story to tie it all together. Nothing compelled me to be fearful of what lurked in the woods surrounding the community, a perception helped moreso by their brief appearance, nor were there the light moments to identify with the characters and so what we're left with is a 19th-century period piece that really isn't a very good one. Our feeling of detachment from the film leads into an underwhelming ending which leaves the reaction of "oh, yeah, I guess that works." The leading stars are left mired in a script that Data from Star Trek could read better. Phoenix, with a surprisingly limited role, avoids the bad lines and had the most potential in the film, but that wasn't used. The focus instead turned to the newcomer Howard, whose performance as a blind woman wasn't too convincing, but nevertheless was a bright spot in this dreary film. So in a switch, Shyamalan's handling of the film is much better than his script, but it doesn't save it at all. 1.5 stars
8/14/2004
So, a couple of months ago, some guy emails me to write that it's difficult to find old movie reviews on this site. First of all, he doesn't need to be wasting his time here. He could go to a more respected guy to read reviews from. Second, how hard is it to work the archive? It's by month. So you just have to remember when the movie came out. Third, why should I listen to him? I don't even know the guy. After more thought, I figured a secondary archive wouldn't hurt. So I ran around looking for sites to transfer the reviews. At first, I thought about making my own site. That wouldn't work. My HTML knowledge is a bit rusty and basic at best. Plus I didn't have the time for it. So, as a user of Rotten Tomatoes, I started my own little journal over there. All the reviews are out there from every movie reviewed here at Blogspot. Looking at it from that viewpoint, I really do spend a lot of time watching movies. I'm lucky I graduated from college, which according to BearFacts, is finally official.
On a related note, I'm changing the email address in the upper left corner from the old Netscape email address to Gmail. No reason...I just wanted to use the Gmail account.
I'm feeling pretty tired. I didn't get my usual nap at work because I actually had an assignment to do that took most of the day. Though I finished a hour early, I had packing to do. That's how much they care about me, the poor co-op. First, they get me an inferior computer, incapable of handling the files that my department uses. But now, they're moving me downstairs away from my co-workers. A couple of people took out the seniority card in wanting to move closer to their respective departments so I'm left hanging by moving down and sharing an office with somebody else. I guess it's better than a cubicle.
The Olympics started. Yawn. I used to like the Olympics, but I think not watching the last two has really turned me off from it. I watched a little of the replay after I got back last night and I liked this line from Katie Couric describing the warm conditions in Athens. "Nights in Greece are much cooler than in daytime."
So that beheading tape released around the world and caused such a furor was really just a hoax. But you know what I thought was the most disturbing? Accompanying the news story I was reading was a picture of the guy who did it. They took a picture of him in just his boxer shorts. Ewww. Really, I don't need to be looking at hairy guys when I'm reading the news, please.
I saw a commercial recently touting the world's easiest phone. The phone works with a LCD screen you can touch. I don't know about you, but phones with buttons are already pretty easy in my book. I don't think you can get easier than that.
Some of you found it weird that my sister was taking classes before she started San Jose State. As I've explained, it was only because she couldn't find a summer job. Well, classes ended a couple of weeks ago and on the last day, what happened? She got a job offer. So if you're at Old Navy, please go bother her. Umm, I mean, open an Old Navy account for her. She doesn't get a commission, but it looks bad to have no accounts opened.
Blast from the past after Karate Kid I and II was on. Wow, the first was one of those movies that was so bad, it was good. The sequel was just bad. But come on, how could you not like Mr. Miyagi just clapping his hands together and magically healing Daniel's leg? Or the goofy way Daniel tries to woo Elisabeth Shue? And successfully too! Then, there's the classic montage highlighted by the song You're the Best...Around where Daniel gets beat up but then all his opponents fall down so that he can advance. It's unintentional comedy at its finest.
Let me remind you of the greatest study of the Karate Kid trilogy ever written. Okay, maybe it's the only study of the Karate Kid trilogy ever written. It's by Bill Simmons and it can be found at ESPN.
On a related note, I'm changing the email address in the upper left corner from the old Netscape email address to Gmail. No reason...I just wanted to use the Gmail account.
I'm feeling pretty tired. I didn't get my usual nap at work because I actually had an assignment to do that took most of the day. Though I finished a hour early, I had packing to do. That's how much they care about me, the poor co-op. First, they get me an inferior computer, incapable of handling the files that my department uses. But now, they're moving me downstairs away from my co-workers. A couple of people took out the seniority card in wanting to move closer to their respective departments so I'm left hanging by moving down and sharing an office with somebody else. I guess it's better than a cubicle.
The Olympics started. Yawn. I used to like the Olympics, but I think not watching the last two has really turned me off from it. I watched a little of the replay after I got back last night and I liked this line from Katie Couric describing the warm conditions in Athens. "Nights in Greece are much cooler than in daytime."
So that beheading tape released around the world and caused such a furor was really just a hoax. But you know what I thought was the most disturbing? Accompanying the news story I was reading was a picture of the guy who did it. They took a picture of him in just his boxer shorts. Ewww. Really, I don't need to be looking at hairy guys when I'm reading the news, please.
I saw a commercial recently touting the world's easiest phone. The phone works with a LCD screen you can touch. I don't know about you, but phones with buttons are already pretty easy in my book. I don't think you can get easier than that.
Some of you found it weird that my sister was taking classes before she started San Jose State. As I've explained, it was only because she couldn't find a summer job. Well, classes ended a couple of weeks ago and on the last day, what happened? She got a job offer. So if you're at Old Navy, please go bother her. Umm, I mean, open an Old Navy account for her. She doesn't get a commission, but it looks bad to have no accounts opened.
Blast from the past after Karate Kid I and II was on. Wow, the first was one of those movies that was so bad, it was good. The sequel was just bad. But come on, how could you not like Mr. Miyagi just clapping his hands together and magically healing Daniel's leg? Or the goofy way Daniel tries to woo Elisabeth Shue? And successfully too! Then, there's the classic montage highlighted by the song You're the Best...Around where Daniel gets beat up but then all his opponents fall down so that he can advance. It's unintentional comedy at its finest.
Let me remind you of the greatest study of the Karate Kid trilogy ever written. Okay, maybe it's the only study of the Karate Kid trilogy ever written. It's by Bill Simmons and it can be found at ESPN.
8/12/2004
Congrats to John Heffron for becoming the Last Comic Standing. Of course, I'm a bit disappointed since I believed he was the third best comic on the stage. Alonzo, I believed, was head and above the other two. But it was not meant to be. Gary had a weak set in the finals which probably ruined him. John was strong throughout the show, but later on, my impression of him soured. He got better in the last episode, which helped him a lot.
Now I bet we're all looking for Last Comic Standing 3, which pits the comedians from the first two against each other. Yes! Dave Mordal is back, hopefully. Bad news...we get to see Ant perform again. And of course, I'm holding out hope that Dat Phan has at least one brand new joke to entertain the masses before he goes back to the tried and true. If tonight's set is any indication, his performance will be dismal. Come on! He did that bathroom joke again!
Now I bet we're all looking for Last Comic Standing 3, which pits the comedians from the first two against each other. Yes! Dave Mordal is back, hopefully. Bad news...we get to see Ant perform again. And of course, I'm holding out hope that Dat Phan has at least one brand new joke to entertain the masses before he goes back to the tried and true. If tonight's set is any indication, his performance will be dismal. Come on! He did that bathroom joke again!
8/11/2004
Collateral
Vincent (Tom Cruise) coolly walks through the airport and is bumped. Bags fall and apologies are exchanged. And so begins his next job. As a contract killer, Vincent is hired to kill 5 witnesses of a crime to be used in an upcoming trial. To drive him around, there's Max (Jamie Foxx). He's the hard-working cab driver with dreams of starting his own limo company. When Vincent offers him $500 to drive him around, Max can't refuse. But soon, he quickly realizes what he has gotten himself into. With each successive kill, Max stands by helpless, succumbing to the whims of a greater foe. It isn't until he finds out who the last victim will be when Max musters up the courage to do something about it.
Director Michael Mann has created a movie you can't take your eyes off for a second. First, there is the cool camerawork capturing an essence of Los Angeles rarely seen on-screen: a nighttime setting that is large but quiet with an emptiness that permeates throughout the city unless you find the right vibrant spot. Cruise dazzles in his performance as Vincent, a cool and confident hitman who's thinking many steps ahead of the next guy. Cruise has seemingly been on a hot streak since splitting from Nicole Kidman, hasn't he? The dialogue is filled with small nuggets that let us know more about the mysterious Vincent as well as the innocent Max, who Foxx plays well. The film's lone shootout evokes thrilling emotions as Vincent must fight his way through guards and police to get to his target. But as smart and as thrilling as the movie is, the ending degenerates into the usual chase sequence that yes, ties up the loose ends, but still, misses its mark to put an exclamation point on a fine film. 3.5 stars
Vincent (Tom Cruise) coolly walks through the airport and is bumped. Bags fall and apologies are exchanged. And so begins his next job. As a contract killer, Vincent is hired to kill 5 witnesses of a crime to be used in an upcoming trial. To drive him around, there's Max (Jamie Foxx). He's the hard-working cab driver with dreams of starting his own limo company. When Vincent offers him $500 to drive him around, Max can't refuse. But soon, he quickly realizes what he has gotten himself into. With each successive kill, Max stands by helpless, succumbing to the whims of a greater foe. It isn't until he finds out who the last victim will be when Max musters up the courage to do something about it.
Director Michael Mann has created a movie you can't take your eyes off for a second. First, there is the cool camerawork capturing an essence of Los Angeles rarely seen on-screen: a nighttime setting that is large but quiet with an emptiness that permeates throughout the city unless you find the right vibrant spot. Cruise dazzles in his performance as Vincent, a cool and confident hitman who's thinking many steps ahead of the next guy. Cruise has seemingly been on a hot streak since splitting from Nicole Kidman, hasn't he? The dialogue is filled with small nuggets that let us know more about the mysterious Vincent as well as the innocent Max, who Foxx plays well. The film's lone shootout evokes thrilling emotions as Vincent must fight his way through guards and police to get to his target. But as smart and as thrilling as the movie is, the ending degenerates into the usual chase sequence that yes, ties up the loose ends, but still, misses its mark to put an exclamation point on a fine film. 3.5 stars
The Notebook
Allie (Rachel McAdams) was the rich girl who stayed in the Carolinas for the summer. Duke (Ryan Gosling) was the hard-working man living in the Carolinas. But one night at the carnival changed both of their lives. They soon fell for each other, but Allie's parents disapproved of the couple and moved her back early. Life went on, but while Allie moved on, eventually becoming engaged to a wealthy military man (James Marsden), Duke can't get the image of Allie out of his head. Duke's picture in the paper forces Allie to re-examine the choices she has made thus far. All of this is told from a notebook by James Garner, telling the story to an Alzheimer's patient (Gena Rowlands).
The movie is quite a predictable love story but the couple of McAdams and Gosling make that part of the story work. However, it is the interludes of Garner and Rowlands that messes up the timing and effectiveness of the movie. These scenes try too hard to hide the secret that director John Cassevetes wants to save for the big finale that not only is it pretty obvious where the story is leading, I lost all interest I had in the old couple and impatiently waited for the young couple to turn up again. The scenes are beautifully shot and the script isn't all too bad for this type of film, but it never builds up a rhythm to the point where we really feel for them. Instead, we're just waiting for the inevitable to happen. 2 stars
Allie (Rachel McAdams) was the rich girl who stayed in the Carolinas for the summer. Duke (Ryan Gosling) was the hard-working man living in the Carolinas. But one night at the carnival changed both of their lives. They soon fell for each other, but Allie's parents disapproved of the couple and moved her back early. Life went on, but while Allie moved on, eventually becoming engaged to a wealthy military man (James Marsden), Duke can't get the image of Allie out of his head. Duke's picture in the paper forces Allie to re-examine the choices she has made thus far. All of this is told from a notebook by James Garner, telling the story to an Alzheimer's patient (Gena Rowlands).
The movie is quite a predictable love story but the couple of McAdams and Gosling make that part of the story work. However, it is the interludes of Garner and Rowlands that messes up the timing and effectiveness of the movie. These scenes try too hard to hide the secret that director John Cassevetes wants to save for the big finale that not only is it pretty obvious where the story is leading, I lost all interest I had in the old couple and impatiently waited for the young couple to turn up again. The scenes are beautifully shot and the script isn't all too bad for this type of film, but it never builds up a rhythm to the point where we really feel for them. Instead, we're just waiting for the inevitable to happen. 2 stars
A Cinderella Story
Once upon a time in the San Fernando Valley, there lived a young teenage girl named Sam (Hilary Duff) who lived with her stepmother (Jennifer Coolidge) and her stepsisters. With the passing of her father, Sam worked daily at the restaurant her stepmother inherited while trying to balance the studies necessary to get into Princeton. In her dreams though, it is the thought of ending up with Austin (Chad Michael Murray). Unbeknownst to her, the secret man she has been communicating with has been Austin. When he musters up the courage to ask to meet at the dance, Sam is faced with the choice of defying her stepmom or staying. Ultimately, she goes and has a wonderful time without revealing herself to him. The road soon becomes uphill as the pressure to come clean gets to be too much for Sam.
Two annoyances stick out. First, Sam's mask only covers her eyes and you expect me to believe Austin couldn't pick her out of a crowd the next day? And Sam really didn't have any friends at all, did she? After all, nobody, including Sam, called the phone to see who has it. "A Cinderella Story" though is your by-the-numbers teen romance, straight down to the bitchy jealous former girlfriend and the nerdy friend who sticks by the main character at all times. But forcing upon it the Cinderella storyline actually made it worse off. Duff is obviously talented, as evidenced from her turn as Lizzie McGuire, but she needs to distance herself from fare such as this. 1.5 stars
Once upon a time in the San Fernando Valley, there lived a young teenage girl named Sam (Hilary Duff) who lived with her stepmother (Jennifer Coolidge) and her stepsisters. With the passing of her father, Sam worked daily at the restaurant her stepmother inherited while trying to balance the studies necessary to get into Princeton. In her dreams though, it is the thought of ending up with Austin (Chad Michael Murray). Unbeknownst to her, the secret man she has been communicating with has been Austin. When he musters up the courage to ask to meet at the dance, Sam is faced with the choice of defying her stepmom or staying. Ultimately, she goes and has a wonderful time without revealing herself to him. The road soon becomes uphill as the pressure to come clean gets to be too much for Sam.
Two annoyances stick out. First, Sam's mask only covers her eyes and you expect me to believe Austin couldn't pick her out of a crowd the next day? And Sam really didn't have any friends at all, did she? After all, nobody, including Sam, called the phone to see who has it. "A Cinderella Story" though is your by-the-numbers teen romance, straight down to the bitchy jealous former girlfriend and the nerdy friend who sticks by the main character at all times. But forcing upon it the Cinderella storyline actually made it worse off. Duff is obviously talented, as evidenced from her turn as Lizzie McGuire, but she needs to distance herself from fare such as this. 1.5 stars
Thunderbirds
Based on the British show, the Thunderbirds go live-action, following the sixth Thunderbird (Brady Corbet) as he dreams of following in the footsteps of his father (Bill Paxton) and his brothers. But when The Hood (Ben Kingsley) damages the Thunderbirds' space station and effectively traps them once they leave on a rescue mission, it's up to the young son, a couple of friends, the brainy scientist (Anthony Edwards) and Lady Penelope to save the day.
So Thunderbirds are go! Okay, just stop. You'd think accompished actors Paxton, Kingsley, and Edwards would steer clear of movies like this. Instead, they're part of a film we're laughing at instead of with. Luckily for Paxton, he's barely in it. Unluckily for Kingsley, he must recite bad line after bad line while trying desperately to keep up the facade of a villain. The children awkwardly work through the scenes with an inexplicable handle on each situation. I would have been more interested on how Kingsley and the little girl got those superpowers. What explanation do we get? Ehh, it runs in the family. In the end, kids will probably suck it all up and enjoy it, but Thunderbirds has at much depth as a Saturday morning action show. But at least those are 30 minutes long. 1 star
Based on the British show, the Thunderbirds go live-action, following the sixth Thunderbird (Brady Corbet) as he dreams of following in the footsteps of his father (Bill Paxton) and his brothers. But when The Hood (Ben Kingsley) damages the Thunderbirds' space station and effectively traps them once they leave on a rescue mission, it's up to the young son, a couple of friends, the brainy scientist (Anthony Edwards) and Lady Penelope to save the day.
So Thunderbirds are go! Okay, just stop. You'd think accompished actors Paxton, Kingsley, and Edwards would steer clear of movies like this. Instead, they're part of a film we're laughing at instead of with. Luckily for Paxton, he's barely in it. Unluckily for Kingsley, he must recite bad line after bad line while trying desperately to keep up the facade of a villain. The children awkwardly work through the scenes with an inexplicable handle on each situation. I would have been more interested on how Kingsley and the little girl got those superpowers. What explanation do we get? Ehh, it runs in the family. In the end, kids will probably suck it all up and enjoy it, but Thunderbirds has at much depth as a Saturday morning action show. But at least those are 30 minutes long. 1 star
The Bourne Supremacy
Matt Damon returns to his role as Jason Bourne, the spy with amnesia. He has calmly reclaimed his life and along with his girlfriend, has settled in India. However, the past has caught up to him and soon, he begins a whirlwind tour through Europe to reclaim what he has lost. The plot revolves around secret Russian documents that the CIA was about to obtain only to lose them through sabotage and the murder of a CIA agent. Bourne is framed for this crime. Soon, Bourne's actions seem to be vital to his survival rather than living up to a promise of retribution.
One thing annoyed me about "The Bourne Supremacy". The camerawork during the most intense scenes could have used some work. In a fight scene, I wanna see the whole picture. I don't just wanna see body parts. Overall, it almost gets dizzying. But while this sequel loses some of the intrigue about its main character, it doesn't lose its intelligent storytelling and gains a whole lot more in thrills and fast-paced action. Damon establishes the signature role of his career as Jason Bourne while the cast against him brings an air of intimidation with their performances including Joan Allen and Brian Cox. And just like the first movie, Julia Stiles just disappears halfway through the film. Sure, she's effective so why can't she be in more of the movie? Now here's another minor question. In a land of BMW's and Mercedes, why is the CIA driving around in Chrysler minivans? In any case, The Bourne Supremacy lives up to its title as being a supreme movie. 3.5 stars
Matt Damon returns to his role as Jason Bourne, the spy with amnesia. He has calmly reclaimed his life and along with his girlfriend, has settled in India. However, the past has caught up to him and soon, he begins a whirlwind tour through Europe to reclaim what he has lost. The plot revolves around secret Russian documents that the CIA was about to obtain only to lose them through sabotage and the murder of a CIA agent. Bourne is framed for this crime. Soon, Bourne's actions seem to be vital to his survival rather than living up to a promise of retribution.
One thing annoyed me about "The Bourne Supremacy". The camerawork during the most intense scenes could have used some work. In a fight scene, I wanna see the whole picture. I don't just wanna see body parts. Overall, it almost gets dizzying. But while this sequel loses some of the intrigue about its main character, it doesn't lose its intelligent storytelling and gains a whole lot more in thrills and fast-paced action. Damon establishes the signature role of his career as Jason Bourne while the cast against him brings an air of intimidation with their performances including Joan Allen and Brian Cox. And just like the first movie, Julia Stiles just disappears halfway through the film. Sure, she's effective so why can't she be in more of the movie? Now here's another minor question. In a land of BMW's and Mercedes, why is the CIA driving around in Chrysler minivans? In any case, The Bourne Supremacy lives up to its title as being a supreme movie. 3.5 stars
King Arthur
It's the beginning of the end for King Arthur and his knights. After years of protecting Britain for the falling Roman Empire, it's time to claim their freedom. Whoa, not so fast. One last task remains. Arthur (Clive Owen) and the gang must transport a priest and his family to safety from the Saxons, who are beginning to invade. Once there, Arthur is troubled by the conditions he sees on the priest's lands and takes matters into his own hands. He tells the commoners on his land to follow him. On his way back, his eyes gaze toward Guinevere, played by Keira Knightley. Once he returns, he aims to protect the last remnants of what he governs from the Saxons.
I don’t know about you but the Arthur legends I remember were just that: legendary. Here, director Antoine Fuqua goes completely against the mainstream stories and instead tells the tale of an uninspiring man who led his troops to battle against an enemy he didn’t have to fight at all. And maybe it was because I was dozing off a bit, but why was Knightley fighting again? When did she become an all-out warrior? It’s a different Guinevere than I remembered. All the better though; she basically wore straps onto the battlefield. As for the main villains, they weren’t too villainous, were they? At first, it was Merlin, but he eventually makes nice. The Saxon leader doesn’t show much leadership at all, not saying much and taking his time to make decisions. So is there anyone to look up to in this film? Not really, and that’s why once you get to the final battle scenes, something that might have been extraordinary 10 years ago but now poor against the likes of Braveheart, the Lord of the Rings, and Gladiator, you don’t care about it. It just needed to get resolved. 1.5 stars
It's the beginning of the end for King Arthur and his knights. After years of protecting Britain for the falling Roman Empire, it's time to claim their freedom. Whoa, not so fast. One last task remains. Arthur (Clive Owen) and the gang must transport a priest and his family to safety from the Saxons, who are beginning to invade. Once there, Arthur is troubled by the conditions he sees on the priest's lands and takes matters into his own hands. He tells the commoners on his land to follow him. On his way back, his eyes gaze toward Guinevere, played by Keira Knightley. Once he returns, he aims to protect the last remnants of what he governs from the Saxons.
I don’t know about you but the Arthur legends I remember were just that: legendary. Here, director Antoine Fuqua goes completely against the mainstream stories and instead tells the tale of an uninspiring man who led his troops to battle against an enemy he didn’t have to fight at all. And maybe it was because I was dozing off a bit, but why was Knightley fighting again? When did she become an all-out warrior? It’s a different Guinevere than I remembered. All the better though; she basically wore straps onto the battlefield. As for the main villains, they weren’t too villainous, were they? At first, it was Merlin, but he eventually makes nice. The Saxon leader doesn’t show much leadership at all, not saying much and taking his time to make decisions. So is there anyone to look up to in this film? Not really, and that’s why once you get to the final battle scenes, something that might have been extraordinary 10 years ago but now poor against the likes of Braveheart, the Lord of the Rings, and Gladiator, you don’t care about it. It just needed to get resolved. 1.5 stars
I, Robot
In a time when robots have become a vital asset to everyday life, Del Spooner (Will Smith) seems to be the only skeptic. Soon, he's called to the scene of the apparent suicide of Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), the creator of these robots. All the clues lead Spooner to believe a robot did it, something the president of the company (Bruce Greenwood), the leading psychologist/scientist (Bridget Moynahan), and his police chief (Chi McBride) deem ridiculous. But with the rollout of a new line of robots comes an apparent mutiny: the robots begin to control themselves. It's up to Spooner to come face-to-face with his enemy in order to keep the robots in line.
"I, Robot" suffers from a cliched story that this movie does not really improve upon with the inclusion of Will Smith and his brand of action and humor. The jokes mostly fall flat and I didn't know which was acting more robotic: the robots themselves or the human actors (with the exception of Smith and Moynahan). Instead, what this movie should be remembered for is its superior special effects. The robot-human interaction looks great and director Alex Proyas and his team should be commended for the final action scene in the catwalks of Viki filled with dazzling camerawork and, well, many, many robots. But the lack of any suspense from the merely average plot makes this a slightly above average movie. 2.5 stars
In a time when robots have become a vital asset to everyday life, Del Spooner (Will Smith) seems to be the only skeptic. Soon, he's called to the scene of the apparent suicide of Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), the creator of these robots. All the clues lead Spooner to believe a robot did it, something the president of the company (Bruce Greenwood), the leading psychologist/scientist (Bridget Moynahan), and his police chief (Chi McBride) deem ridiculous. But with the rollout of a new line of robots comes an apparent mutiny: the robots begin to control themselves. It's up to Spooner to come face-to-face with his enemy in order to keep the robots in line.
"I, Robot" suffers from a cliched story that this movie does not really improve upon with the inclusion of Will Smith and his brand of action and humor. The jokes mostly fall flat and I didn't know which was acting more robotic: the robots themselves or the human actors (with the exception of Smith and Moynahan). Instead, what this movie should be remembered for is its superior special effects. The robot-human interaction looks great and director Alex Proyas and his team should be commended for the final action scene in the catwalks of Viki filled with dazzling camerawork and, well, many, many robots. But the lack of any suspense from the merely average plot makes this a slightly above average movie. 2.5 stars
8/07/2004
Judging by its site, Americans Coming Together (ACT) is obviously not a big supporter of President Bush. Any other time then, I'd ignore it, but how can you pass up Will Ferrell playing Bush in a new video? I know I can't. Watch the hilarious commercial at this site.
8/06/2004
Yes, it's Friday just after midnight, but it's Friday nonetheless so it's time to wish Jeanette a happy birthday. So happy birthday Jeanette.
I think the building I work in just isn't working with me. For those familiar with the former IBM campus, I'm in the large blue building you can see from the highway. It's the main building covered with windows. And while it looks nice, it really is just a big metal box. And what lies within are many metal walls. And for me, that means electric shocks. Nothing like a nice jolt to wake you up in the morning when you reach out for the doorknob to the stairs. Then there's my cell phone. If you've tried to call during the workday, you've probably heard the voicemail go on. Why? No signal. But now, I can correct that statement to read weak signal. It takes laying the phone down on its side on the opposite side of the desk facing the door. I can get two bars out of that, but if it rings and I pick up, you'll have 10 seconds or so to say something before the connection cuts off.
I could've been in LA tonite watching Last Comic Standing, but that wasn't meant to be. Instead, I had to watch it in my home. But what transpired? Gary and Alonzo are obviously at the top of their respective games. But John's set about the girls in the bar was not the best that he's done. I would have rather seen Kathleen go on, but instead, I predict Alonzo wins it.
Then again, who woulda thought Dat Phan would win it last year?
I think the building I work in just isn't working with me. For those familiar with the former IBM campus, I'm in the large blue building you can see from the highway. It's the main building covered with windows. And while it looks nice, it really is just a big metal box. And what lies within are many metal walls. And for me, that means electric shocks. Nothing like a nice jolt to wake you up in the morning when you reach out for the doorknob to the stairs. Then there's my cell phone. If you've tried to call during the workday, you've probably heard the voicemail go on. Why? No signal. But now, I can correct that statement to read weak signal. It takes laying the phone down on its side on the opposite side of the desk facing the door. I can get two bars out of that, but if it rings and I pick up, you'll have 10 seconds or so to say something before the connection cuts off.
I could've been in LA tonite watching Last Comic Standing, but that wasn't meant to be. Instead, I had to watch it in my home. But what transpired? Gary and Alonzo are obviously at the top of their respective games. But John's set about the girls in the bar was not the best that he's done. I would have rather seen Kathleen go on, but instead, I predict Alonzo wins it.
Then again, who woulda thought Dat Phan would win it last year?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
