Pete with LOTR comments


Hey Paul,
Maybe I was a LOTR geek as a kid, I don't know. But I would have to say that, in order for you to fully appreciate the two (soon to be three) films, you need to read the books. I thought the character of Gollum was Brilliant. It worked on a level even deeper than it does in the books. There was a greater level of pathos for the character, and that scene where he argues with himself about what to do with the Hobbits (reminiscent of Spiderman and Willm Defoe, though this was filmed earlier, so I don't think of it as stealing anything) was wonderful. I liked this one even better than the first film. (Which I liked a lot.) I'm about to go to the two dollar movie theatre near my house and see it again, in another hour.
I think you might give this one another look.
Pete

To which I responded


Hey Pete -

I get alot of grief for my "LOTR" comments. Ah, well. I once called it 'underwhelming' and my friend Erika went off on me. Well, I always post the comments for equal footing. I'm sure I will see "The Two Towers" again, I saw "Fellowship" twice, and I felt the same way about that. I just got more into the "Harry Potter" movies than these. But with the "Star Wars" and "The Matrix" franchises totally shitting the bed, I'm putting my faith in the X-Men. "X2" was great!

See ya,

Paul

Steve's responses


Adaptation:
Beyond belief acting, and a son-of-gun amazing piece of sciptwriting.
Great film and beyond measure quality of script.
I really fell for the writing and layers,
AND the performances.


Hey, just saw About Schmidt.

I gotta tell ya, I really like it. I though the acting was great and
the directing SUPERB. The DVD gives you deleted scenes and the
director explains WHY. Very cool, insightful, almost educational stuff.

Word up

Steve

Chris on 2003 movies I've missed!


On '03 flicks I've seen "A Mighty Wind" (twice) and "X-Men 2." Christopher Guest is a genious. So is Eugene Levy and the rest of them for that matter. Is it me or is Fred Willard one of the funniest men on the planet. But what's really shocking is the fact that for all my ranting about "good scripts", "fine acting", etc. I rented on pay-per-view, "Jackass, The Movie" and laughed my ass off. Some of it was too stupid to watch but most of it was hysterical. Just a little mindless entertainment. Gotta cut this short, it's late. Talk to you soon bud. See ya! Chris

And I said...(with a hint towards later reviews)


Yo Chris -

DAMMIT! Too many movies, not enough time. I STILL haven't seen "A Mighty Wind" or "Identity" (another spring holdover that's gonna get lost in the shuffle if I don't hurry). About Fred Willard, the guy's a freakin' genius. He's a Second City legend and I'm inspired by the enthusiasm he brings to his characters. He'll play someone dumb as pile of shit, and the character will be so excited about whatever he's doing, it's brilliant. That's evident in "Best of Show" and "Waiting for Guffman" (in which his line 'if you don't know what to do, just say a line, that's what I do. It doesn't even have to be from the same play' - I'm paraphrasing- is a gem).

I loved "X2". They're handling a HUGE number of characters very cleanly. The plotting is easy to follow, the special effects are hot shit and Hugh Jackman is fucking GREAT as Wolverine. And Magneto remains the most fascinating of the mutants. How great was it to go, "WOW, he's saving the day!" to "HOLY SHIT, he's a sick freak!" within two minutes at the end of the film. They all use their powers intelligently and the film is fun, dammit. I would definitely see "X3".

Beyond that, there's not much to recommend. "Bruce Almighty" is decent, "The Matrix Reloaded" was disappointing, "People I Know" sucked, "Phone Booth" was fairly good, but the only thing to knock me out was "X2".

More later, as always,

Paul

Brian on 2003 flix


Hey man,

I have been so out of the loop with movies that I still have not been to see
Mighty Wind, and that is high on my list.

Thanks for the Spacey Flick recommendation (Christmas 2002). I wanted to see it
at the theater, but it was so badly panned, that I passed. I will have to rent
that when it comes out.

Jen on A Mighty Wind. So I should see that, then?



I&nbsp; had fun watching "A Mighty Wind".&nbsp; Loved it loved it.&nbsp; A PBS wet dream.&nbsp; Matt would like to write his own comments to Paul on "X2" because I'm sure I wouldn't do justice by saying, "gee it was swell!"</DIV>

Paula, Take Two


Of the few films on your recent list
that I saw, I will throw in my oh-so fascinating two
cents:

1) "Catch Me If You Can" is a thoroughly enjoyable
film, which might've entered the realm of greatness if
the third act had been trimmed, focused, and knew when
to end. Leonardo DiCaprio is MUCH more interesting in
this than in "Gangs of New York", and Tom
can't-do-anything-wrong-in-my-book Hanks was
delightful, a character I wanted to see more of. Also
fantastic was Christopher Walken, taking a much needed
break from, um, bad movies!

2) "Gangs of New York" had so much going for it -
compelling history, the take-no-prisoners performance
of the great Daniel Day-Lewis, a gifted director...so
why didn't I like it? The only reason I'd sit through
it again would be for the heart-stopping opening
battle scene, or any of Day-Lewis' fascinating scenes.
You'd have to force me at gunpoint to sit through any
of those so-called love scenes between DiCaprio and
Diaz again. Note to Hollywood: a film does NOT need a
romance in it to succeed. Especially one that sucks. I
couldn't believe that Martin Scorscese would allow
that cliched "we hate each other but we really love
each other" garbage in his movie. Oh, and another note
to Hollywood: a movie's length alone does not make it
an "epic". Give me a shorter movie without meandering
plotlines. By the third act of this movie, I wanted to
scream, "get to the point already!"

3) "The Recruit" is a movie I might've liked better if
it wasn't...um...BORING. Yes, technically, it's a
"good" movie - the plot was reasonably interesting,
Pacino was restrained, Colin Farrell's got that rare
combo of good looks/actual acting talent...but I
could've cared less about any of the characters! It
wasn't exactly edge of your seat stuff, for a spy
movie. Perhaps I was expecting too much of a spring
movie. Perhaps not, at nearly ten bucks a ticket!

Well Paul, there you have it.
Paula

Dayve's take


Paulie,

Just read your Catching Up Since Dec. 02 page.... you were dead on with 90 percent of it...(the other 10 percent, I haven’t yet seen, so, I’m in no position to disagree).

I rented “Igby” this past Memorial Day Weekend. I couldn’t agree more with your take on it.... Igby wanders about, self-destructing, pathetic, a victim of his own cavalier attitude about everything, including being cheekily cavalier. So? Give us some meat, I say! Instead, the writer gave us....mush. The story, just as you say, meandered into sheer nothingness. No pitched conflict, no resolution, and certainly no denoument. How lame, indeed. Yes, the two best things about that film were Culkin’s performance (hey, he did fantastic with what he’d been handed), and, as always, Mr. Goldblum. (That scene when Amanda P.’s character enters the restaurant, and he regards her with as much disdain as I’ve ever witnessed in someone’s expression, and dismisses her wordlessly - - powerful. My favorite scene.)

I also want to recommend a film that perhaps you haven’t seen (a rare thing, I know)....called “Wasabi.” Directed by Luc Besson, whom I suspect you might not truly love(?). But, it stars the enigmatic Jean Reno, one of my favorite foreign actors. Plot: French super-detective, who lost, under suspicious circumstances, his true love that he met while in Japan 19 years previously, finds himself teetering on the edge of self-immolation. Something occurs to bring him all back to that questionable time, and the rest unfolds in a wildly entertaining way. It’s got sharp, punchy, comic-laden dialog, and that plays nicely against Reno’s cooler-than-thou delivery. It’s truly stylized, yes, but in a fun, eye-candy sort of way that doesn’t undermine the substance of characters, the sets, and plot. The cinematography will leave you thirsty for more, and the quirky lead actress (a young, rebellious, vulnerable Generation Why Japanese gal) will melt your heart. Plus, it’s got some of the best damn fight scenes - - Jeezum. I was cackling with delight. (Note: subtitles and dubs on the English language DVD selection. I think you can handle it, though). Released in 2001, distributed to the U.S. this year.

Lastly: I can’t wait to hear your take on The Matrix: Reloaded. I don’t want to spoil jack shit, so, I’m remaining mum. Oh, and if you can track it down, read Ebert’s review of the same flick AFTER you see the movie. Not before.

Peace out, Homie G.

-Dayve

Then I responded...


Dayve -

As far as "Wasabi" goes, I'm glad to hear that that was a good movie. My friend Adam LIVES for Luc Besson. I give him "La Femme Nikita" and especially "The Professional", but "The Fifth Element" was one of the worst movies EVER. And I haven't heard too much glory heaped on "The Messenger". So, when he's involved in a project like this, a pared down thriller that seems alot like one of his good movies (unlike the blown up beyond his control epic failures), I'm interested. I've heard mixed about "The Transporter", which Besson exec.-produced as well. NOTE: Besson did not direct "Wasabi". He's attaching his name to a number of projects as exec. prod. that he SHOULD be directing. Long story short, I look forward to seeing it (and "The Transporter"). But I'm even more interested in Besson's next directorial move.

Pete's comments on LOTR.


Thanks for the update. Lots I didn't see, including
Gangs, which I wanted to if it wasn't so damned long.
I will say about the talking trees in LOTR 2, their
monologues made Liv Tyler seem vital! Not that Liv
Tyler needs it, she's my guilty pleasure Kate Winslet.
Lots of good Christian imagery in the first two
movies, so like the Matrix this past month, I will
probably do a four-part film study on the two movies
in the fall to prepare for part three.

Fr. Pete -

Beth gives me a compliment!



Hey guys!!!
How are you??? Thank you for all the movie reviews - I love reading them!!!

Melissa with a recommendation for one and all.


You may already have seen this, but I watched it last night and thought of
you. Came out in 1996, based on Kurt Vonnegut best seller:

MotherNight.

Nick Nolte and a damn fine cast. Written so well that I actually commented
on the incredible dialogue DURING the film. Disturbing, emotional, sad and
wonderful. This has joined the top 5 of my favorites ever, and if you
haven't yet seen it, I think you may enjoy it. Of course, I have not as
discerning a palette, but still... The DVD also has an interview with Kurt
Vonnegut.

Happy viewing!
Makael


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