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Reviews
The Astronaut Farmer (2006)
The farmer corrals space
I saw this movie today with my 10 and 14-yr old sons. The 10-year old was fussy in his seat during the movie, but said it was "pretty good" when I asked him afterward. My 14-yr old had no comment and kept text messaging on his cell phone (which he did during the movie).
In my opinion, when this movie was good, it was very good. It did well in foreshadowing, especially with the death of the grandpa (I kept wondering how that related to the story) and the payoff was that it killed the "ticking clock" of foreclosure on the ranch. (And Farmer finding his "lost" wedding ring the capsule.) The grandpa's death set up the second successful launch after the first failure. That event bothered me. I thought it was the movie's climax, and then the story went into an extended coda that resolved Act 3. But it took long to get there. My sense was that the movie overall was too long and needed about 20 min taken out. Too many scenes of family life. Sure, it's central to the film, but it was established very quickly.
The story structure was vague. The story spine was fuzzy some of the time. I didn't really see where Act 1 and Act 2 ended. Most scenes had conflicts, but some just did not move the story along. I felt that many story beats were missing. The screen writing ranged from so-so to very good.
I really liked the humor when it popped up -- understated but right on. More would have helped.
But, heck, the good guy overcame all obstacles to realize his dream -- something his father did not do. We had a hero in the end -- the hero's journey completed. And a solid family who participated in and celebrated their father's success.
P.S. I live in New Mexico, and this was one of the many feature films shot here in the last two years. But why was the story set in Texas?
Ten Canoes (2006)
Not a Hollywood Movie!
"Ten Canoes" tells three stories: That of the storyteller himself, that the of hunt for geese and their eggs, and that of the ancestors -- especially their troubles and the consequences of their actions and relationship to the law. Midway through the second story, which bookends the mythical one, that interior storyteller (Elder Brother) states that Younger Brother is beginning to learn a lesson from the telling itself -- patience. Such patience is also required of the viewer, for the pace and structure of both the "today" story and the "mythical" have their an organic unfolding (metaphor: a growing tree) that is quite unlike that of most contemporary Hollywood movies, with their fast call to conflict and continuous conflict.
I was struck by the transition of "today's" story from color to black and white as the mythical story is told, the showing of the mythical tale in color (which helped to separate it from the today story), and the dissolve to color in today time as the mythical telling ends.
Water is the core of the story, as the river, the swamp, and rain are the images that open and close the movie. The tale begins, ends, and begins again.
Night at the Museum (2006)
Tried too hard for occasional laughs; best gags are visual
I saw this flick with my 10-year old son on a Saturday afternoon. Families packed the theater. The first act set-up dragged a bit, but when Larry (Siller) gets the job and then meets the "old guards" (Cecil, Gus, and Reginald), I was up for action. And it started fine with the "puppy" T-Rex (excellent and difficult animation). Larry's first meetings with the "live" museum folks and the critters were pretty funny. Then, for me, the story lost momentum. Jokes were few, forced, and garnered little reaction from the audience. I don't recall any really loud laughs. The story became kept repeating scenes with only some variation, though it did pick up at the climax. Overall, too long for the premise. My son thought it was good, and I asked him to rate it 1 - 10. He gave it an 8 and said he liked the special effects. He did giggle a few times. Overall, given what I can take my son to see, this was probably the best choice in my middle-sized town.
Braveheart (1995)
Loved it better the first time around.
When I first saw this film, I thought it was fantastic! In particular, it skirted the second act letdown. Tonight, I saw it on DVD. One, too many and too long battle sequences. Two is enough for me. Second, Wallace (Gibson) is carried to his execution on a cart with a cross. Well, OK, Christ dies for all of us. But then, when he is secured to have his head cut off, he is also spread out in a cross. Too much Christianity for me. I did not notice this aspect when I first saw the film.
Otherwise, this film hooked me well into its story, and it has a very strong spiritual aspect. The love that was consummated (twice) struck me as more of the spirit than of the flesh.