Crys383-3 Reviews

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Epic indeed

[10/10 · 24 July 2010]

The tagline for this film is "An Epic of Epic Epicness" and I couldn't agree more. After waiting in line for 3 hours after last night's Comic-Con and finally being sat in the gorgeous Balboa Theater, I didn't know what to expect. I loved the comics and the previews looked faithful. The moment the movie starts (literally; the Universal logo and theme are 8-bit) you are thrown into a comic book atmosphere with video game references aplenty.

The plot revolves around Scott Pilgrim needing to defeat the 7 Evil Exes of Ramona Flowers in order to date her and it is a harrowing sequence of battles. Each fight is crazier than the last and some are used purely for comedy, not excitement. Almost every other line is a punchline and they all work. References to TV shows, video games and comics (just like a 20-something's life would include) are everywhere and if you accept the concept of the plot, it all feels natural.

While the audience might've been biased (we held a 10-minute standing ovation for Edgar Wright when the movie finished) there's no denying that it's an excellent film. Edgar Wright has an uncanny sense of comic timing with edits and sound cues to make the picture tight and focused when it's looking for laughs.

I can't imagine a mainstream theater erupting in applause and laughter like ours did but make no mistake; this a crowd pleaser and the MOST enjoyable film I've seen in years. Don't hesitate to watch this masterpiece in a theater near you.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

When the genius of two men meet, ANYthing can happen.

[9/10 · 30 June 2001]

Steven Spielberg has achieved almost idolic status. And he isn't even dead. Stanley Kubrick had to die in order for the "general" public to recognize his works. When these two minds combine they create one of the most disturbing, uplifting, ORIGINAL movies to date.

Spielberg has a style that appeals to almost everyone (and seems to cause quite a few young movie fanatics to sniff at such "commercial" success) and is able to communicate on many levels. An artistic and wide spread style is almost needed in this day and age. Stanley Kubrick has an almost disturbingly keen sense of what he wants. He's able to intrigue and frighten at the same time. You'll see both of these styles in A.I. There are times when the futuristic world will catch you in it's awe inspiring heights and wonders. Close around the corner will be scenes that don't try to alarm you but succeed wonderfully. I'll never look at a pair of scissors the same way, again.

Everything about this picture has made it the best moviegoing experience for me to date. Memento was great, but was saddening in it's self denial. Requiem for a Dream was awesome but saddening beyond belief. This is a great, ORIGINAL film that made me happy to go to the movie theater. I was sad to leave. The score is one of the best I've heard and not at all what I was expecting from a Spielberg movie. If you need a good film to create a sense of wonder, there is nothing better than A.I.

Memento (2000)

Gripping.

[10/10 · 6 May 2001]

Having your mind messed with is not something I usually enjoy. I don't like the idea of some director filming a movie, going into the editing room and saying to himself, "Self, I can make this movie as complicated and bas-ackwards as I can and people will love it." Usually the movie ends up being downright unconvincing. This movie was none of the above. It's got twists and turns aplenty. Because the movie is backwards. Driving your car backwards will end up with a twisting ride. Same with this movie. When a scene is tense to begin with, you know that in ten minutes the experience will be recreated the same way, to perfection. One of the best examples of classic film-making I've witnessed to date.

Suicide Kings (1997)

Twisty-turning, mild-mannered, but over all else, immensely enjoyable.

[9/10 · 13 November 2000]

When a group of five rich (and gratingly whiny) rich kids decide to kidnap an ex-mob figure to help pay the $2,000,000 ransom for the sister of one of the boys, they figure out that they didn't quite think the situation out much past the kidnapping part. Over the course of this darkly comic movie we get to see Dennis Leary give one of the best performances of his career. I'm not too fond of non-actors deciding to do movies, *cough,cough,SINBAD,cough,cough*, but I can stomach Dennis Leary. He's mostly used for comic support (half the comedy alone comes from his rants, the other half mostly from pansy-boy Ira) but when he decides to give acting a real try he succeeds wonderfully. A monologue he delivers to an abusive step-father had me breathless. YOU CAN'T MISS IT!!! Worth watching just for that instance. I must admit that the second ending (on the DVD) was better than the one most people see (mostly for the comic value) I consider it to be a delightfully insane movie. The plot doesn't go much further than the house. Most of the scenes are either spent talking to Charlie or watching Dennis Leary hunt down who actually kidnapped the girl. Not the best movie I've ever seen but it comes darn close.

Matrix (1993)

Weird but overall enjoyable (although short-lived) experience.

[13 November 2000]

I was inspired to watch this only through the poking and prodding of an old friend of mine. He had just gotten his boxes of stuff from his cousin in the south. Besides piles of frowned-upon literature he had tapes of rare shows that NO ONE AT ALL HAS SEEN!!! This ranged from the short (Mission Impossible was brought back a long time ago...rather unsuccessful) to the crazy. Some of these tapes were marked "Matrix" curious as to why he would copy one of my favorite movies onto tape (he already had it on DVD) we popped it in. WOW!!! What a ride. I was surprised to see Carrie-Ann Moss's name (couldn't really recognize her) in the credits. That's interesting. The show wasn't the best I've ever seen but it was an enjoyable diversion. Probably would've been better if I had seen it when it was on the air. I wasn't that old then so I might've been more inclined to enjoy the weird plot line.

Murder by Death (1976)

Not Neil Simon's best but an amusing Saturday night diversion....if nothing else is going on.

[6/10 · 13 November 2000]

This is one movie that I had high hopes for. As most people who have seen what Neil Simon can do, I was waiting for some balls-out humor. I was left with an attempt at pop-culture comedy and something of a dry feeling in my mouth. I like how it ends (well.....kind of) and the "message" it gives. Something that probably felt better at the time than nowadays. But it still doesn't disguise the spicy bits of dialogue and the weird plot. Everything considered, if you want a dinner style murder-mystery-comedy you'd be better off with the hilarious Clue. And you get to see 1 particularly funny performance from that guy who plays(ed) the principle on Sabrina:The Teenage Witch. I don't know if he's still there...but so what.