Movies

July 20, 2004....and the Cubs blew it (AGAIN!!)  I think I know why I have blood pressure problems, and it ain't what I eat.  You would figure once in the last 96 years they would've stumbled or bumbled their way to a pennant.  Nope! I'm not just frustrated....I'm pissy!  There, I said it, I said it...(thanks to my man Budro for that).  Alrighty, time to post some movie thoughts from the past week or so away we go!!

Had the opportunity to few some movies this past weekend......away we go: 1) I, Robot---I didn't realize until the opening credits started rolling that the film was directed by Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow).  All of a sudden, my hope for this film went through the roof.  So....how was it?  Hmmm.  Pro's & cons.   Pro?  Visually speaking, it may be one of the most spectacular looking films I've ever seen.  That's one of the hallmarks of a Proyas movie, and he doesn't disappoint here either.  I mean, there are a few scenes where my jaw just dropped, because the design of a scene...or just the look of what was going on up on the screen was truly amazing.  Just on the basis of how could the film LOOKS, I would recommend the film.  Now....that being said....cons?  Here's what I hate about Will Smith.  He's Will Smith in 90% of the movies he stars in.  He plays the same freaking character.  Its like going to an Adam Sandler movie....or lately, a Ben Stiller movie.  Those guys are the same thing.  They basically play the SAME CHARACTER in every movie.  Ben is the nebbish, shy guy--sort of a new millennium Woody Allen.  Adam plays the basically shy guy who is always picked on, or made fun of, who finally explodes.  Am I wrong?  Of course not.  And Will Smith has begun doing the same damn thing.  The character here is the "rogue" cop, Mr. Wise Ass, always with a smart aleck remark to the bad guy just to let him know that, by God, Will is a lot smarter than you realize.  I'm telling ya, its the same character that was in Bad Boys I & II and in those Men in Black movies, and essentially the guy from Independence Day too.  The only movies he hasn't been that character were in Ali & his role in Enemy of the State (which I just saw again the other day--that's a pretty damn good flick).  Now then, that being said, I'm sure the movie is going to make like a jillion dollars, because....well....quite frankly, that's what Will Smith movies do. But about an hour into the movie, I found myself wondering how much better the film would have been with someone else in the starring role.  I wondered if someone like Mel Gibson or Denzel Washington or even a Kurt Russell had taken the job, someone who really knows how to act....this could've been a really, really great movie.  Instead, its only a really, really great LOOKING movie.  ** 3/4    (By the way, I know you hate the whole CGI stuff, but man did they do amazing work with the robots in this film) 2) Thirteen---this may have been one of the scariest movies I've seen in a long time.  And its not a horror film.  Do you know what its like to have a daughter that's going to be 12 in one month and to see a film like this?  Holy crap!  Kim & I watched it and we were both just transfixed by the performances of the two leading actresses, one of whom wrote the story.  When she was 15!!  All I can say is, if this shit is really happening out there with girls that young....man do I ever worry about our future.  This is not an easy movie to watch, but its really an important one.  It shows you what can happen to a seemingly nice, innocent girl who feels like she's being left behind, not one of the "popular" girls....and the lengths she'll go to in order to achieve that popularity.  Its even more scary when I watch this and then listen to my own daughter complain that she's frustrated that she's "not popular".  Hearing that and then watching this film is scarier than The Exorcist or Texas Chainsaw Massacre could ever be.  ***1/2 3) Donovan's Reef---well, geez, after movie # 2 I think I deserved a little light hearted entertainment, don't ya think?  John Wayne & Lee Marvin brawl all over the South Pacific wooing Elizabeth Alden & Dorothy Lamour when they're not fighting each other.  Just a great "popcorn" movie.  Pop some corn, get a cold beverage and forget your troubles for a little over an hour and a half.  Great scenery also.  *** 4) Monster---geez, what sort of a dark mood was I in this weekend anyhow?  First I get movie # 2 and now this one!!  Again, not the most pleasant movie to sit through, but there's an important reason to do just that.  Charlize Theron is incredible in this role.  This is one of those performances that just transcends time.  50 years from now, people will look back on this role and still talk about it.  This is like watching DeNiro become Jake Lamotta.  (And just saying that to you...and understanding how much you love DeNiro tells you what I thought of this performance)  At first, you sit there and marvel at the physical transformation that took place for someone as Theron to become someone who is such a mess.  But there are moments in this movie when Theron doesn't just take over the physical role of Aileen Wournos....its like she reaches down and becomes her emotionally also.  Its really gripping stuff, and the only bad thing about it is that I don't see anyway Theron can ever find a role that can ever approach this performance again.  Its that good.  ****   Later, Jeff