Movies for the week of Feb 19–25
Almost Famous: Untitled Edition
Almost Famous is the story of a child thrust into the world of adults, which is paradoxically, almost less mature than the juvenile world that he left.
Probably Cameron Crowe's best film, Famous doesn't actually say much that is too profound about life and growing up, the nature of being cool, or what it means to have integrity, but an amazing number of people seem to be blithely unaware of some of the truths presented.
Simply put, the movie is about being true to yourself, because being basing all of your meaning on the achievements and persona of someone else is terminal when that person burns out, or decides they don't want you around anymore. I liked it quite a bit. I don't know how this was by the same guy who did Jerry Maguire.
Grandma's Boy
Utterly terrible. Notably the worst movie I saw this week (yes, even worst than Into the Blue), Grandma's Boy was the sort of movie that needed a better lead, and a better cast in general, a better concept, and a better script. I did sort of like that the main character was an accountant who quit his job and became a video game tester because he wanted to smoke up all the time, but beyond that the film was utterly retarded.
In fact, the best part of the film was the rap over the end credits that just recited the events of every single scene. Terrible.
Stealth
Not a good film, but it goes in a couple of directions that I didn't expect. First off, Jamie Foxx dies, spoiler, and, get this, the computer is actually good, or something.
Strangely, the movie ends up having a plot rather similar to Team America: World Police, only done seriously. And with an AI plane that stops being the point of the plot about two-thirds of the way through the movie.
It was also the most boring movie I watched all week, not quite bad enough to be interesting, and certainly not good enough to be called quality.
Also, for those of you paying attention, and in appreciation of Josh Lucas' staring role here, this chart:
Cole Hauser < Josh Lucas < Aaron Eckhart < Tom Jane
XXX: State of the Union
Before I go into my comments of XXX2 I want to point out that XXX was a terrible movie, where Vin Diesel struts for the camera, but without the cheesy hyper anti-heroic awesomeness of Chronicles of Riddick. The fact that he's hanging out with Tony Hawk at the beginning of the film is a perfect example of its stupid, made-in-a-boardroom feel.
XXX: State of the Union is an embarrassment to the name XXX. I think they made this movie to inflate Vin's ego. Ice Cube comes off as a pathetic over the hill wankster who has none of Vin's flare. Wasn't' the point of XXX the fact that he wouldn't just kick your ass, he would do it while doing a quadruple flip off a dirt-bike over an exploding building onto a snowboard down an exploding mountain? Ice Cube is too busy being fat and old. To quote Adam Houston: "Why is this scene in slow motion, and why is everyone but Cube moving at regular speed. ... Oh."
To cap it off, Cube is sucks too much to kill the evil chick (Sam Jackson does that), sucks too much to save the president (Scott Speedman does that), sucks too much to beat up WILLEM DAFOE, and doesn't even get the final shot on the bad guy (Sam Jackson, once again). You suck Ice Cube. And don't forget, life is shit.
The Abyss: Special Edition
One of James Cameron's most underrated films, the theatrical cut of The Abyss got rid of all the cold war riffs that were essential to the film's theme. However, the best part is in both versions: an almost half hour long sequence of exquisite action that ends with one of the most brutal and difficult to watch CPR sequences I've ever seen.
Cameron is, as a craftsman, probably one of the best film makers working today. In his feature work he seems resolved to stay away from material that is anything but popcorn fair and that seems to mute critical reaction over his mastery of pacing, characterization, integration of effects and music, and his overall ability to simply make a fine looking and feeling film. This reaction has since become even more negative since Titanic. Hopefully his next project, whether it be the mysterious "Project 880" or Battle Angel Alita, comes out soon.
Speaking of The Abyss specifically. Give it a chance. Watch it in a dark room with the sound loud and the screen big.
The Terminator
From Cameron's forgotten project to his first. Terminator is certainly raw (especially in the effects department), but the downright creepy portrayal of the Terminator by Arnold Schwarzenegger is what makes it great. He was one mutherfucking scary dude. It's unfortunate that by the end of the movie the Terminator becomes one, not very scary, special effect.
You can see the beginnings of Cameron's style here too. From start the pacing is both deliberate and economical, nothing seems rushed, but the film isn't overly long either.
A surprising number of people haven't seen this first movie, and they really should; it's significantly moodier than most horror movies coming out now, and Arnold plays to his strengths here (as he did in Conan: The Barbarian).
Terminator 2: Judgement Day: Special Edition
Most of you have seen this movie, so I'm going to comment on the "Special Edition" version and its differences between the theatrical cut.
Unlike the special edition of The Abyss, which is almost necessary, I found that the extended version of T2 made the movie bloated and damaged its pace. My main complaint is that most of the extra material is added between when the good guys escape the T-1000 at the sanitarium and when they meet up with him again before the film's conclusion. The result being that he's missing for almost an hour of the movie, significantly reducing his threatening nature by making him seem less relentless and kind of incompetent.
Additionally, the use of the Sarah Connor voice-over is messed up because there's a much longer period in the film where no voice over is used, making the use of the voice over abrupt when it comes back two-thirds of the way through the film.
That being said, it's a fantastic film, special or regular edition, and worth revisiting if you haven't seen it since 1991.
Flightplan
All I going to say about this one is that I really wish she had been crazy.
Into the Blue
I'll start off my comments to Into the Blue with a quote from P-Walk (that's Paul Walker, for those not in the know) himself about his co-star Jessica Alba: "Come on, dude, you know what I'm looking at. I couldn't take my eyes off that ass. I'm sorry. She's beautiful. And she's such a pain in my ass, too. But that's what I love about her. She's the kind of girl you just want to have angry sex with for the rest of your life because it's just that good."
And now a picture to illustrate his point.
And now I've said everything good there is to say about Into the Blue.
Almost Famous is the story of a child thrust into the world of adults, which is paradoxically, almost less mature than the juvenile world that he left.
Probably Cameron Crowe's best film, Famous doesn't actually say much that is too profound about life and growing up, the nature of being cool, or what it means to have integrity, but an amazing number of people seem to be blithely unaware of some of the truths presented.
Simply put, the movie is about being true to yourself, because being basing all of your meaning on the achievements and persona of someone else is terminal when that person burns out, or decides they don't want you around anymore. I liked it quite a bit. I don't know how this was by the same guy who did Jerry Maguire.
Grandma's Boy
Utterly terrible. Notably the worst movie I saw this week (yes, even worst than Into the Blue), Grandma's Boy was the sort of movie that needed a better lead, and a better cast in general, a better concept, and a better script. I did sort of like that the main character was an accountant who quit his job and became a video game tester because he wanted to smoke up all the time, but beyond that the film was utterly retarded.
In fact, the best part of the film was the rap over the end credits that just recited the events of every single scene. Terrible.
Stealth
Not a good film, but it goes in a couple of directions that I didn't expect. First off, Jamie Foxx dies, spoiler, and, get this, the computer is actually good, or something.
Strangely, the movie ends up having a plot rather similar to Team America: World Police, only done seriously. And with an AI plane that stops being the point of the plot about two-thirds of the way through the movie.
It was also the most boring movie I watched all week, not quite bad enough to be interesting, and certainly not good enough to be called quality.
Also, for those of you paying attention, and in appreciation of Josh Lucas' staring role here, this chart:
Cole Hauser < Josh Lucas < Aaron Eckhart < Tom Jane
XXX: State of the Union
Before I go into my comments of XXX2 I want to point out that XXX was a terrible movie, where Vin Diesel struts for the camera, but without the cheesy hyper anti-heroic awesomeness of Chronicles of Riddick. The fact that he's hanging out with Tony Hawk at the beginning of the film is a perfect example of its stupid, made-in-a-boardroom feel.
XXX: State of the Union is an embarrassment to the name XXX. I think they made this movie to inflate Vin's ego. Ice Cube comes off as a pathetic over the hill wankster who has none of Vin's flare. Wasn't' the point of XXX the fact that he wouldn't just kick your ass, he would do it while doing a quadruple flip off a dirt-bike over an exploding building onto a snowboard down an exploding mountain? Ice Cube is too busy being fat and old. To quote Adam Houston: "Why is this scene in slow motion, and why is everyone but Cube moving at regular speed. ... Oh."
To cap it off, Cube is sucks too much to kill the evil chick (Sam Jackson does that), sucks too much to save the president (Scott Speedman does that), sucks too much to beat up WILLEM DAFOE, and doesn't even get the final shot on the bad guy (Sam Jackson, once again). You suck Ice Cube. And don't forget, life is shit.
The Abyss: Special Edition
One of James Cameron's most underrated films, the theatrical cut of The Abyss got rid of all the cold war riffs that were essential to the film's theme. However, the best part is in both versions: an almost half hour long sequence of exquisite action that ends with one of the most brutal and difficult to watch CPR sequences I've ever seen.
Cameron is, as a craftsman, probably one of the best film makers working today. In his feature work he seems resolved to stay away from material that is anything but popcorn fair and that seems to mute critical reaction over his mastery of pacing, characterization, integration of effects and music, and his overall ability to simply make a fine looking and feeling film. This reaction has since become even more negative since Titanic. Hopefully his next project, whether it be the mysterious "Project 880" or Battle Angel Alita, comes out soon.
Speaking of The Abyss specifically. Give it a chance. Watch it in a dark room with the sound loud and the screen big.
The Terminator
From Cameron's forgotten project to his first. Terminator is certainly raw (especially in the effects department), but the downright creepy portrayal of the Terminator by Arnold Schwarzenegger is what makes it great. He was one mutherfucking scary dude. It's unfortunate that by the end of the movie the Terminator becomes one, not very scary, special effect.
You can see the beginnings of Cameron's style here too. From start the pacing is both deliberate and economical, nothing seems rushed, but the film isn't overly long either.
A surprising number of people haven't seen this first movie, and they really should; it's significantly moodier than most horror movies coming out now, and Arnold plays to his strengths here (as he did in Conan: The Barbarian).
Terminator 2: Judgement Day: Special Edition
Most of you have seen this movie, so I'm going to comment on the "Special Edition" version and its differences between the theatrical cut.
Unlike the special edition of The Abyss, which is almost necessary, I found that the extended version of T2 made the movie bloated and damaged its pace. My main complaint is that most of the extra material is added between when the good guys escape the T-1000 at the sanitarium and when they meet up with him again before the film's conclusion. The result being that he's missing for almost an hour of the movie, significantly reducing his threatening nature by making him seem less relentless and kind of incompetent.
Additionally, the use of the Sarah Connor voice-over is messed up because there's a much longer period in the film where no voice over is used, making the use of the voice over abrupt when it comes back two-thirds of the way through the film.
That being said, it's a fantastic film, special or regular edition, and worth revisiting if you haven't seen it since 1991.
Flightplan
All I going to say about this one is that I really wish she had been crazy.
Into the Blue
I'll start off my comments to Into the Blue with a quote from P-Walk (that's Paul Walker, for those not in the know) himself about his co-star Jessica Alba: "Come on, dude, you know what I'm looking at. I couldn't take my eyes off that ass. I'm sorry. She's beautiful. And she's such a pain in my ass, too. But that's what I love about her. She's the kind of girl you just want to have angry sex with for the rest of your life because it's just that good."
And now a picture to illustrate his point.
And now I've said everything good there is to say about Into the Blue.
