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Reviews
DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (2003)
Could work as a musical comedy - if they added some music.
This movie was so bad I couldn't turn it off. It's rare for a "historical" movie like this to be released so soon after the events transpired. What's great is that seeing it now, we are able to see it for the propaganda that it is. Take a movie like JFK that tries to rewrite history. While a lot of JFK is presented as speculation, the notion that Kennedy was trying to get the U.S. out of Vietnam has been debunked by documents released over the years. Still, it is somewhat difficult to research the facts because they happened so long ago. What's really funny about this 9/11 movie is that it presents so many lies and inaccuracies as facts while the news is still fresh. I'd like to watch it again with my 9/11 Commission Report at hand to count how many things are just plain wrong. All that aside, it's just impossible for me to accept the scenes of W "helping" his speech writers and referring to Cheney as "consigliere." This could work as a musical comedy if they just added some music.
Fever Pitch (2005)
Only because I'm a Red Sox fan...
OK, it should be a 5. Really, it was funny. And I like Jimmy Fallon. And Drew Barrymore was better in this movie than she is in most. And it was a good movie to watch with my wife because it's a semi-sappy romantic comedy. But for me, I got a bigger rush at the end of this movie than I did at the end of Rocky. Bigger than when they blow up the Death Star in Star Wars -"Great shot kid, that was one in a million!" And in Titanic...well, I hated Titanic. But you get the idea. This movie had the best ending of any movie since 1918. The footage of the Red Sox coming back from three games down to the Yankees and then winning the series gave me goosebumps, got my chest all filled with electricity, and yes, I cried a little. Yes, I am a Red Sox fan.
The Station Agent (2003)
Where do trains go, really?
There's really no point to this film. It is entirely linear. And while there are occasional conflicts and resolutions, they are minor - there is no clear beginning, middle, or end to this movie. I guess one could draw some parallel to riding a train. Each of us may ride from point A to point B, but the train just keeps going and knows only tie after tie and station after station on its journey. Maybe in a few days I'll figure out why I liked this movie so much and gave it an 8. There are no real memorable quotable quotes or incredible scenes. But I would watch it again. I rode the Skunk Train once from Ft. Bragg to Willits and back. And I remember it as a great time. And I'm in no hurry to do it again. But if the opportunity came up, I would do it again.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Greatest Story Ever Told...
...and, without question, the greatest movie ever made. Enough said, I think, but the site requires at least ten lines. So here are ten lines...
1.) Shut the f*&% up, Donny. 2.) Phone's ringing, Dude. 3.) Jeffrey, Love me. 4.) He's a good man...and thorough. 5.) Also, "chinaman" is not the preferred nomenclature, Dude. Asian American, please. 6.) That rug really tied the room together. 7.) Am I wrong? 8.) Say what you will about the tenets of National Socialism, but at least it's an ethos. 9.) I'm just gonna go find a cash machine. 10.) Your revolution is over Mr. Lebowski, do you hear me? The bums lost.
Titanic (1997)
600 million dollars can't be wrong...or can they?
It pains me that this is the top grossing film of all-time and I'm shocked at the lead it has over second place. It was awful. The music was terrible. The plot was terrible (it's fiction, remember?). The acting was terrible. Leo is just not believable as the leading man, in my opinion. It's entirely too long. I will grant that the sets were fantastic.
But then, I don't like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" either.
Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War (2004)
Right or Left, you should see this before you vote in '04
I was invited to a viewing of this film at a neighbor's house up the street. I thought it was a neighborhood get together, but it turned out to be a simultaneous nationwide viewing sponsored by moveon.org. So my guard was up as I was surrounded by a lot of Bush hating liberals, but the movie had just started as I arrived and I was quickly seated in the back. So I decided to stick it out and watch. I'm glad I did.
All along, I felt that the story we've been told about why we are in Iraq has changed over time. I remember that we were sure that there were weapons ready to be unleashed on us or given to Al-Queda terrorists who would smuggle them in to our country and cause more damage than the World Trade Center attack. Then it was not so much the weapons as the weapons programs. And there were those "mobile weapons labs". And then it was simply to liberate the Iraqi people. It's all jumbled in my mind and I can't remember exactly when and how the official reason change, I just know that it did somehow.
The best thing about this film is that it documents the subtle changes over time by showing our leaders speaking at various times before and after our invasion of Iraq. There is no "liberal bias" like you get from the news sometimes, it was simply factual presentation of what our leaders told us and when.
It also presents documentary evidence of things we were mislead about. The "yellow cake" in Niger, the "uranium enrichment tubes" that were actually not suitable for that purpose, the "mobile weapons labs", the satellite evidence and so on.
After seeing this movie, I am left with two possibilities. We were either lied to deliberately or our leaders were grossly negligent and incompetent. Whatever your political views, this movie should make you angry about how we have been mislead. It pulls together a lot of information that is jumbled in the public mind and makes it clear.
If you can stand hearing the views of the people that gravitate to this sort of thing, I encourage you to watch it at a local group presentation. Or buy a copy from the website and watch it with friends. It brings up a lot for discussion and thought.
Elf (2003)
Instant Classic, just add syrup...
I'm not usually one for opening night crowds, but I made an exception for this one. My wife and I (In our mid-30s) brought my wife's sister (mid 20s) and our son (who is 10). My wife laughed the hardest - to tears at a few points and for about a minute and a half after one joke. I was second on the laugh-o-meter. Our son laughed the least. My sister-in-law laughs quietly, so it's hard to tell with her. Lots of laughing in the packed theater, though.
For about the last 20 minutes, the laughs stopped for me, but I didn't really mind because I needed a break as my belly hurt. And there were some underdeveloped characters and relationships and a lot of nonsense. But it is a comedy first and foremost and it delivers.
There was nothing in it we wouldn't want our son to see, save for one scene with alcohol and a drunken Elf, but it was short. So it's safe for the family, but we definitely enjoyed it more than our child. I recommend seeing it in a crowded theater during a mid-evening show. Our audience was a lot of fun and started singing along with the movie.
It will be one of those movies on TV every Christmas and I will look forward to it every year.
Final Destination (2000)
Got us a few times...
There were some things here and there that my fiance and I didn't like, but I still give it an 8 because it rolled our guts up in a knot early and now, it's a couple of hours after we watched it and they are still not quite back to normal.
Dogma (1999)
Some people have a talent for doing a lot with a little.
My girlfriend and I are huge Kevin Smith fans. We both enjoyed the movie but there wasn't much to discuss afterwards. And post-movie discussion is one of our favorite things. So I feel a little cheated.
I have come to expect interesting insights shared by characters in Kevin Smith's films. Clerks was full of them. Mall Rats had a few. And Chasing Amy had enough to satisfy me. Dogma has its share, but they are difficult to separate from everything else going on. The great dialog gets lost in the shuffle of giant poop monsters and people falling from the sky.
I enjoyed the movie and the message that I took away that human error and misinterpretation does not negate the existence of God. But I felt like the movie was trying really hard to convince me of something in which I already believe.
Some people need a big budget to make a great movie. And some people can make a lousy movie with a big budget. I think Kevin Smith has a knack for making great movies. Adding dollars to his movies doesn't add much, and in my opinion detracts from his talent.