While Kal Pen did not play a starring role in this film, I think it is safe to say that he added something. I noticed him. In the last film I saw I did not notice him. Apparently, his character was named Stanford.
As for A Lot Like Love, it would be easy to spit out the age old romantic comedy slam, but that is not what this page is all about. For some reason, the Seattle Public Library system owns at least one copy of this movie and this copy was sitting unborrowed on the shelf when my wife went into our local branch to pick up the latest No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book. The next thing you know, its Sunday night and we are watching Ashton Kutcher and some girl go through a relationship where they really connect but let life get in the way of their relationship. Happily, when watching this movie at home you can also do things like, clean the kitchen and fold laundry while viewing the film and not miss much. And to be fair, I did come back to watch A Lot Like Love several times when I could have taken a book into the other room. So it is not painful to watch, it does have a story and good looking characters, I always have a hard time when people talk about on screen chemistry. The only thing to be fairly dissappointed by in this movie is Kutcher’s lack of funny moments. I loved his work in Dude and That Seventies Show, but maybe he just can’t carry comedy on his own.
I went to see this film on a whim, because my brother was watching it and he is my go to guy for watching dumb movies with. I entered the film with mixed expectations because while I love Super Troopers, I was not a big fan of Club Dredd. Beerfest has some enjoyable moments, the Germans have some big lines. But most of the time spent with the four main characters is so-so with some good parts, like the party scene, thrown in. I could also see this film improving after a repeat viewing or two. Then again, maybe I am just too old or too sober to appreciate all of the drinking game gags. I guess these things happen in life. I will say one thing for these guys, they know how to make a movie for college guys.
After reading the last two reviews of this film I got real worried about my plan to see it at the Boeing Imax Theater in 3-D. I even had a conversation with a good friend about how Peter Jackson made everyone think that they too can have really long movies and now all kinds of people can do it. Then I braced myself for 2.5 hours of better than average filmaking. Imagine my surprise as I walked out of the theater a thoroughly satisfied Imax customer. Many have been critical of Superman Returns for a slow pace and meandering dialogue/plot. For some reason, I really liked all the meandering.
I enjoyed the action sequences, even though there did seem to be a lot of catching of falling objects. Still, we saw all the powers, and heard super hearing. I also thought there was some cool stuff thrown in there. After thinking about the movie after the fact, I realized that many aspects of the plot were borderline absurd. But I think the tone and feel of the movie drew me in enough to make me not care at the time. Singer did a good job of making everything really big and important feeling. Maybe it was just the classic music and crowd reactions, but it did the trick.
I went into this film thinking, “what is the point?” I am already on board the global warming train, its not like my mind is going to get changed here. But I did get a lot from the film. I have spent time around a lot of doubters and am often left with the scientific consesus idea as my big argument. This film not only points out that the popular opinion does not reflect science at all, it also lays out the data in an understandable, thorough manner. There is a popular idea that climate change is due to natural cycles, and he pretty much blows that out of the water.
The film itself is very straightforward. Its more or less a film version of a slide show that Gore has give about a thousand times, with some personal reflections of Gore thrown in between. Gore comes off looking very good. So if you want to know where the new waterfront property is going to be, I suggest watching this film.
This is the second Jim Jarmusch film I have seen and I am beginning to get a feel for a “Jarmusch” style: black and white, interesting images, notable actors and uncomfortable overtones with bits of quirkiness thrown in.
Dead Man is not an easy watch despite the quirkiness. The plot, pacing and music all combine to give it a deliberate yet aimless feel. We don’t know exactly where it is going, but it takes its time getting there. My wife compared it to a Shakespearean play with archetypical characters and slow fade in/outs between scenes. It is safe to say that there are no cheap thrills in Dead Man.
What it does have is an interesting story, some great cinematography and some great characters. I really enjoyed most of Nobody’s work and I can’t imagine many people doing a better job than Johnny Depp at the William Blake character. I am still trying to get a handle on the violence in the film, I don’t know quite what to think of it. Tons of people got shot, but it was always in a very calm, matter of fact way. The ‘action’ sequences involving this gunplay got my attention but did not really get me wound up either. All in all, I think it is safe to say that Dead Man, is a surprisingly lively film.
I was a bit taken aback by Hoffman winning the Oscar for best actor last year. But that was before I saw the film. After seeing the film, I am on the Hoffman bandwagon. The film had a lot going for it, solid perfomances, good tone and intriguing subject matter. But it would have been merely good with a less than stellar performance from its lead.
Capote was definitely an idiosyncratic character to say the least. I feel like it says something when you leave the film thirsting for more information on it. Hoffman’s performance is like a delicious small meal; a fantastic blend of flavors that leaves you hungry for more. I left the film wanting to find out more about the guy, and could only find one small clip on YouTube.
Whenever he took his glasses off during the film, I got kind of confused because he looked like his character in Mission Impossible III. For the same guy to do both of those roles. . . you can color me “impressed.”
I liked this movie a lot and I like George Clooney a lot. However, I am not sure why Clooney won an Oscar for this. He did a good job, but it wasn’t mindblowing. Maybe a little of the Monster dynamic? Maybe this should be a list, any other ideas? Anyway. . .
I have some friends who are notorious for asking questions during movies and I cringe at the thought of watching this in the theater with one of them. “Who is he? What are they talking about? Are these the same guys who . . .?” These questions abound. I enjoyed the spread out nature of the plot and it seems like a fairly believable level of corruption, though perhaps a little over the top in the evil oil executive and poor Muslims department.
I liked how it was less a big conspiracy than many people making decisions based on their own perspectives. Also lots of gray areas, which is good when you are dealing with political stuff. While it may have been a little over-sympathetic, I enjoyed the depictions of Pakistanis living in the unnamed oil emirate. It lays out some ramifications of divisions between Muslims and Arabs, which a little thought provoking. I thought it was interesting that Hezbollah had a somewhat prominent role in the film. This was when most people didn’t know much about them, I think.
The combination of an interesting, provacative story with a creative storytelling technique make this an engaging viewing. Plus there are lots of solid performances and cool footage of Beirut and the desert. I would only warn away people have a hard time with sporadic plot lines.
This movie has three things going for it: awesome visuals of Alaska and Grizzly Bears, a fascinating main character and the astute, thoughtful direction of Werner Herzog. Those three things make this movie a solid A, in my book.
The footage of Alaska and the bears plays out to expectations. Timothy Treadwell shot a ton of footage of the animals and did things other wildlife photographers would not. Herzog does a really nice job of painting an an affectionate, yet balanced portrait of Treadwell. Herzog’s editing shows a man with a somewhat warped perception of reality, yet still puts his life on the line for what he thinks is right. He narrates his perspective on some of the footage and talks to people with varying feelings about Treadwell. And the Grizzly Man does some absurd stuff on camera, which I could not tear myself away from.
