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spunky-22
Reviews
X2 (2003)
One word: Wow!
I just got back to my apartment after seeing this movie, and I'm still on a high from it. I think this sequel gets that rare distinction of being better than the first. Everything was right on target with this movie. Since there were fewer character introductions, the audience is treated with a much faster paced movie with more action and even more impressive special effects. I don't want to go into detail so as not to ruin anything for those who haven't seen the movie. On that note, I must say the trailers of this movie were excellent by virtue of the fact that there was plenty to see in the movie that was not in the trailers. Anyway, back to the actual movie... If you're a fan of the comics, you will really enjoy this movie. It has plenty of plot turns that remind you of why you love the comics so much. I'd like to keep this vague since one of my favorite things about X2 is that I had (purposely) known very little about it prior to seeing it. So go see it now. I mean it...NOW!
Crossroads (2002)
hey, it kept me entertained for about two hours; and that's really all a movie's supposed to do
First of all, I must make a short comment on the other reviews I've seen. There seems to be two distinct classes of reviews for this movie: those based on the movie, and those based on the reviewer's feelings toward Britney. I suggest reading those of the first kind (so long as you can differentiate between the two) for two reasons: the first is actually useful in judging what others though of the movie, and the second kind has no purpose since you probably already know what you think of Britney.
Okay, time to get to my review of the movie...
As many reviews have pointed out, the movie isn't bad, but isn't great either. It's enjoyable and entertaining, but not particularly thought-provoking. Yes, it's predictable, but there's comfort in consistency (that's why people tend to order the same thing every time they go to a fast food place), so that's not such a terrible thing in some respects. No, Britney won't win an Academy Award, but to tell the truth, she's a fine, believable actress. The other two main actresses do pleasant performances as well. The main male actor is easy to watch and looks comfortable in his character, so no complaints there either. Sure, you've seen these characters before in numerous other teen movies, but just think of the collection of teen movies as a sort of series (like the Jack Ryan books of Tom Clancy or Nancy Drew books) where you watch the newest film in the "series" to see what these favorite characters have gotten themselves into this time. Don't watch it thinking it's going to blow your mind or spawn days of philosophical pondering in solitude; it's simply meant to be a fun movie that keeps you entertained for a couple hours. If you allow yourself to, you might just find you like the film.
Final suggestion: Don't watch it with friends who don't like Britney unless you have the same opinion (their comments will most likely take away from the movie and make it impossible to watch unbiased).
Thanks for reading my humble opinions.
Mother Goose Melodies (1931)
the more musical...and slightly strange...versions of nursery rhymes
Did you know that Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall because a goose hit him with Jack's and Jill's pail? This is one of the many interesting takes this Silly Symphony has on the nursery rhymes many of us have heard countless times. As in most Silly Symphonies, many of the jokes are dated, and it is all too obvious that this work comes from a time when simply cartoons put to music itself was cool and funny. However, there is still plenty left for modern audiences to enjoy. Additionally, the music is quite fun and takes you immediately to a childlike mind-set. As in many early Disney cartoons, half of the laughs come from noticing the absurdities and oddities. Before Monty Python put King Arthur on an imaginary horse and gave the king a servant with the job of clicking together coconuts, Disney put Old King Cole's trumpeters on children's stick horses and gave the king a servant with the job of holding up the king's enormous stomach. This animated piece is an excellent example of where a great amount of our humor comes from; and it's still pretty dang funny.
Elmer Elephant (1936)
big nosed geek saves the day; gets the girl too
Both cute and clever -- a good combination in a Disney animated Silly Symphony. We see a lot of comedy bits in this cartoon that are similar to gags in later animated stories, but they're somewhat different here. Sure, we've seen the whole anthropomorphic-fire thing, but a lot of the elements are pretty unique. I personally enjoyed way Elmer has all sorts of tricks up his, well, nose when it comes to hitting his targets with good ol' H2O. For the Looney Tunes fans out there, you may the voice of Tillie Tiger as the same voice as Petunia Pig.
The Golden Touch (1935)
"Give me gold, not advice."
A nice version of the story of King Midas and his wish-turned-curse. I chuckled when I noticed the 18K that appeared on the cat when it was turned to gold. I also loved his giddy little dance for joy upon using his new talent for the first time. His first realization for the curse of the golden touch occurs with him being squirted in the eye with gold coins by his grapefruit, which continues with a series of problems resulting in his whining about the possibility of the richest king starving to death. The fact that he is deemed wise because he asked for a hamburger (with onions) is one of those details laced with a little bit of absurdity that you don't notice at first but make you crack up later during a little afterthought. The song at the beginning is nice; my favorite verse would have to be: "I've never cared for women / I've never cared for wine / But when I count / A large amount / Of money - Ha Ha / It's Divine!" It has something for everyone and is short enough so that the gags don't go stale. Enjoy.
Hotel (2001)
Um...yeah
Yeah, don't see this movie if you're goal is to watch a story that actually goes somewhere. There were a few commendable scenes, but I'm still confused as to why they were in the movie at all. I don't even know what the movie is about beside being about a hotel with strange happenings and cannibals behind its doors. I'm sure some of you are thinking that I probably am just unable to "think outside the box" and, therefore, do not understand the movie because of my intellectual shortcomings or whatnot. I beg to differ. If anyone found any purpose in this film, I challenge you to explain. If there IS some point after all, then the only way to perceive this point is via information obtained by way of other sources besides the film; in my view, a film should carry itself and not require too much further explanation. By this standard, "Hotel" is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Another thought that may be entering your mind if you feel my opinion is "wrong" is that perhaps I was simply overwhelmed by the odd occurrences because I didn't expect the kind of movie that "Hotel" is. You are partially correct because I had no idea what "Hotel" was before going into the theater. A few friends and I on a whim decided to catch some movie at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and this is what we ended up with. However, immediately after the first scene, I recognized that this movie has too much in common with "Time Code" for it to be a coincidence. Thus, I prepared myself for 2 hours of some very random and sometimes inexplicable events. The problem was that I didn't prepare myself enough. And I don't think a movie should require such a high amount of preparation just for the cause of preventing such an immense disappointment at the end that occered after viewing this boring and (I hope) soon-to-be-forgotten film. In brief, I suggest NOT paying or going out of your way in any sense to see this movie. If you do get the chance to see it for free and at a time that you don't have anything better to do (like cutting up trash to make more room in the trash can, for instance), by all means, watch the movie. Like I said, there are some parts that are nice to watch (e.g. the flamenco dance scene, the scene with Max Beesley and Salma Hayek singing lounge-singer-esque, and the scene of John Malkovich sharing a meal with some of the sometimes-intriguing hotel residents from behind bars). Watch the film for those parts, and ignore everything else.
Kate & Leopold (2001)
Great Movie (especially the earlier version)
I absolutely loved this movie. The actors were charming to watch, the dialogue was quick and funny, and the plot had just the right amounts of comedy and romance (not to mention a clever way of including time travel without making the movie too cheesy). Luckily for me, I was able to see a sneak preview before it opened in theaters. This is lucky because some people got upset with a certain aspect of the movie that implied incest (I think people are waaaaay too touchy especially since I didn't even think of that implication until a few hours after watching the movie), and the makers reacted to the complaints by cutting out the parts that included this aspect. Unfortunately, taking out all parts pertaining to that aspect REALLY affects the movie. The plot makes a little less sense now, and without these scenes, the movie seems more unrealistic and cheesy than in the earlier version. For those of you who have seen it (i.e. for those of you who don't want any parts ruined for you, don't read the rest of this), the aspect they took out was the fact that Leopold is Stuart's relative (if I recall correctly, his Great Grandfather), thus making Kate also his relative (again, if I recall correctly, his Great Grandmother). Personally, I don't see the big deal (I would bring up the many reasons why, but this review is already somewhat long). Anyway, the problems with taking this out are: this explains why Stuart went back in time to see Leopold in particular; this emphasizes the importance of getting Leopold back in time (so he CAN'T stay in the future with Kate) since if he doesn't, Stuart won't be born; this also explains the importance of getting Kate to go back in time; finally, there are multiple references to this piece of information that add humor and continuity to the film. So, in other words, I may have a skewed view of the movie since I saw a different version, but I still think it's great.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Great and Accurate
This has to be one of the funniest movies of all time; even if you don't agree with the previous statement, it's impossible to disagree with the fact that it is THE most quotable movie ever. One thing most people don't realize is that this movie is probably the BEST cinematic representation of life in the Middle Ages so far. Sure, the self-abusive monks are quite funny, but people really did that. Aside from such obsurd elements as the coconut-weilding servant, a lot of this stuff happened or at least was believed to have happened by the people of that time period. This just goes to show that the best comedy arises from real life.