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Reviews
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
Could've been the Star Wars Experience for another generation... but wasn't.
After the first twenty minutes or so, I thought this was the greatest action movie ever created, but then slowly I had to start rationalizing my love, and by the time I walked out of the theatre I was confused. What went wrong? What had happened to that initial thrill of seeing giant robots stomp through NYC? Did I love this movie or not?
Can't really answer that till I watch it again, but I'm pretty sure I'll still think that the story is too tongue-in-cheek. A tribute to sci-fi's of the past, when I was looking for originality. Even the stylish visuals got a bit old, partially because the same care isn't given for the look of every scene. And occasionally the cgi doesn't look retro at all, more... video game-ish.
But... despite some uninspired happenings and boring acting (and way too many references to their buddy Dex) I did think Gwyneth did a fair job given the script, and I'm not really a Gwyneth fan. And the robots ranged from mildly cool to freaking amazing. The opening few scenes get a 15 out of 10, and the rest of the film a 7, so overall I'd call it an enjoyable couple of hours.
I'll be very interested in seeing the next creation of this Conrad fellow.
The Saddest Music in the World (2003)
Best film of 2004 that came out in 2003.
Been curious about Guy for awhile now, as he's from my home turf, never seen anything good from Winnipeg before. After seeing Sky Captain and reading that he's been using the same visual technique for years, I made the plunge.
And it's phenomenal. After one minute among working class Joe's (who's awards show I was interrupting with this small-time Canadian artsy film, and who's title was potentially way too depressing for their mood at the time) I was risking mutiny, they weren't into it at all. But I begged, begged, to watch my movie, and amazingly enough, they sat riveted from then till the end, no one got up for a smoke break, they all loved it. One person thought it was telling his life story. In other words, it had a plot, it wasn't just film school wankery.
Won't bother telling the story, you can read the summary, I will say it's unorthodox in places, not sure how close the screenplay is to the original book. Isabella is quite good, once again making a surprising career choice (she was just as good in Roger Dodger) and Mark of Kids In The Hall Fame even better.
I wouldn't compare this to Sky Captain, visually or otherwise, the closest thing that comes to mind is Caligari from the 30's or whenever that was made. Both fascinating tales for their days, and visually striking.
Anyways, I highly recommend this to most people, just give it ten minutes before you decide that you'd rather watch Ashlee Simpson collect some trophy for somethingorother, Maria's in this film and she's way hotter. And has a better voice.
The Beat (1988)
Lami Laki Sama (whatever the hell that means...)
My first review at IMDB, after a few years of using this site constantly...
Anyways, saw this on the tube the other night, loved it. It's in the mindset of a Dangerous Minds or a Substitute, but much better. Was sure for a moment that Rex was Speedy Levitch, in Waking Life, but after checking, it doesn't seem so.
I can see why many have problems with this plot and its poetry, but I also think these people are close-minded. Admittedly the ending wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but overall it was so unique and well-acted, I can't complain. I wouldn't call this cheesy, as one reviewer did, it pulled off the scene better than most films of the 80's did. And they refrained from playing any really dateable 80's music.
Can't remember everything that made me smile when I saw this, but basically it realistically showed very creative individuals surrounded by mediocrity, and whether I share Rex's beliefs or not, I love original attempts to describe the meaning of life. And his Mutant theory is, to my knowledge, original. He rambled a lot as well, but they showed how confused he was at times, and why he might have some psychological issues. And then in his moments of clarity he was a philosopher extraordinaire, a person who noticed the little details in life and tried to give expression to them.
Also I was very impressed with John Savage as the teacher. Usually actors fail at that role. He pulled it off brilliantly.
If you enjoyed Waking Life, I say watch this movie if you get a chance.
9.5/10
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