Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Ebert and Deets
I appreciate good films more than most and I can pick apart bad and mediocore films better than most. Three of the last four movies I have seen have left me quite unsatisfied.
First, War of the Worlds, I had very meetable expectations for this going in. And it did not make it. You can expect entertainment from Spielberg and Cruise, but not something extraordinary, not a really great film. You aren't going to get a revolutionary film like Pulp Fiction, you aren't going to get something completely different like Donnie Darko, you aren't going to walk out of the theatre talking about it like you did after Memento - and you have to know that going in. Sitting down in the theatre you have to be ready for an over-budgeted, Hollywood flick with a feel good ending. You aren't going to see a film that's going to leave you thinking about it and talking about it on your way home.
War of the Worlds is a movie left with much to explain. For those who have not seen it, I will not go into detail, but suffice it to say that what you expect to happen will happen. You'll see nothing you haven't seen at least twice over before. I'm sure if I had read the book I would have disliked it even more.
Next, Dark Water. I had two expectations for this going in. On one hand, a movie starring Jennifer Connelly has a pretty good chance to be very good, this thought simply based on her past role choices - House of Sand and Fog and Requiem for a Dream. But on the other hand, it is an over-hyped Hollywood flick, like another movie she was in, Hulk.
Connelly is my favorite acrtress. And she was great to watch on the big screen, but the movie failed and did it well. It was a boring one-way plot where the outcome was quite obvious and made little impact on any level.
Next. Million Dollar Baby. I am sure most of you, if you have not seen, have read many reviews on it... most of them being accurate. It is a great movie with great acting and great writing.
Next. The Machinist. The Machinist is a movie that tries very hard to be more than it really is. Christian Bale went from 180 pounds to 120 pounds to play the lead role and is often hard to look at because he is so thin, but his weight loss does actually make sense in the plot of the film. The Machinist tries to be something ala Memento or The Sixth Sense but it fails to reach that kind of "difficult to wrap your mind around" status. Confusion is minimal, suspense is too tolerable, and the plot is pretty straight forward in the end. I was dissapointed because I had high expectations for this one. I like what they tried to do, but the execution could have been better. Hopefully more people will make movies like this though because someone is bound to get it right. It's better than seeing more War of the Worlds and Dark Waters.
It's been hard for me to write this on a regular basis. My work schedules are not at all on normal pattern and my days are often 10-14 hours on the job. Stay with me; I'm trying hard to be more consistent.
Until The Next.
First, War of the Worlds, I had very meetable expectations for this going in. And it did not make it. You can expect entertainment from Spielberg and Cruise, but not something extraordinary, not a really great film. You aren't going to get a revolutionary film like Pulp Fiction, you aren't going to get something completely different like Donnie Darko, you aren't going to walk out of the theatre talking about it like you did after Memento - and you have to know that going in. Sitting down in the theatre you have to be ready for an over-budgeted, Hollywood flick with a feel good ending. You aren't going to see a film that's going to leave you thinking about it and talking about it on your way home.
War of the Worlds is a movie left with much to explain. For those who have not seen it, I will not go into detail, but suffice it to say that what you expect to happen will happen. You'll see nothing you haven't seen at least twice over before. I'm sure if I had read the book I would have disliked it even more.
Next, Dark Water. I had two expectations for this going in. On one hand, a movie starring Jennifer Connelly has a pretty good chance to be very good, this thought simply based on her past role choices - House of Sand and Fog and Requiem for a Dream. But on the other hand, it is an over-hyped Hollywood flick, like another movie she was in, Hulk.
Connelly is my favorite acrtress. And she was great to watch on the big screen, but the movie failed and did it well. It was a boring one-way plot where the outcome was quite obvious and made little impact on any level.
Next. Million Dollar Baby. I am sure most of you, if you have not seen, have read many reviews on it... most of them being accurate. It is a great movie with great acting and great writing.
Next. The Machinist. The Machinist is a movie that tries very hard to be more than it really is. Christian Bale went from 180 pounds to 120 pounds to play the lead role and is often hard to look at because he is so thin, but his weight loss does actually make sense in the plot of the film. The Machinist tries to be something ala Memento or The Sixth Sense but it fails to reach that kind of "difficult to wrap your mind around" status. Confusion is minimal, suspense is too tolerable, and the plot is pretty straight forward in the end. I was dissapointed because I had high expectations for this one. I like what they tried to do, but the execution could have been better. Hopefully more people will make movies like this though because someone is bound to get it right. It's better than seeing more War of the Worlds and Dark Waters.
It's been hard for me to write this on a regular basis. My work schedules are not at all on normal pattern and my days are often 10-14 hours on the job. Stay with me; I'm trying hard to be more consistent.
Until The Next.
