movie redux
Hi all. I have seen several movies over the last ten days or so, and I thought I would put them in one quick session. I have exciting news for you! I have started taking my film class, and with this new alleged education, my reviews and thoughts about films should get better. Or, I will continue to spew out the crap that I always do.
No, this is not an ideal date, but rather a quick summation of the fun LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Now, to be honest, I did not see the second or third DIE HARD films, but very much enjoyed the first one with the delicious villain Alan Rickman. (Can that man do any wrong?) In his fourth trip out, Bruce Willis now finds himself older, divorced, and out of touch with his kids. A techno-terrorist seems to be declaring war on the USA, and the government asks local police forces to help bring in known hackers who might be up to the job. McClane heads out to pick up Justin Long's character, and finds a computer nerd who is freaked out and overwhelmed. During the time of pick-up, assassins come to take care of the hacker, and the a**-kicking begins. Willis is in fine form, and is always ready with a quip as he does ridiculous things, destroying everything between him and the bad guy. Long is hilarious as the computer hack, and it is great to see him onscreen again. (I was a fan of his on ED, the NBC television show of yesteryear.) Will this movie elevate film making to a new level? Heck, no....but it is good fun, and accomplishes what is should. Although many of the sequences border on the absolutely absurd, leave common sense at the door, and enjoy the ride!
I always seem to get myself really excited about a movie, only to feel kind of let down when I actually see it. EVENING looked to be an excellent film. With a cast including Claire Danes, Patrick Wilson, Hugh Dancy, Eileen Atkins, Toni Collette, Vanessa Redgrave, Glenn Close, and Meryl Streep, chances are this film would be acted to within an inch of its life. A woman lies dying in her bed (depressing) with her two grown daughters sitting vigil beside her. The woman is talking seeming nonsense about people the daughters have never heard of. The film then switches to flashbacks of the woman attending her friend's wedding and meeting a boy. This movie can't decide what it is about. With the deathbed, the flashbacks, and the daughter's issues, there is a lot going on, and none of the story lines seem to really be resolved. The film is well acted, with Hugh Dancy leaving the strongest impression on me. He is sweet, sad, and dark, and plays well off of the lovely Claire Danes. (Was any one's life not changed watching MY SO-CALLED LIFE?) I didn't hate this movie, by any means, and my mother with whom I saw it, loved it. I think I would have appreciated a more focused look, perhaps having fewer story lines, and more thoroughly exploring and resolving those.
I have a boy crush on John Krasinski. I have a girl crush on Mandy Moore. (Girl crush is defined as having a crush on someone but without the sexual element as I am not gay.) Therefore, I happily attended the film LICENSE TO WED with my roommate yesterday at 11am for $6. I had read some terrible reviews about this film, and found myself pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the piece of poo I thought it might be. Moore and Krasinski play an engaged couple who must attend couples counseling prior to getting married at the church the bride has chosen. The pastor, played by Robin Williams, sets up a series of exercises meant to prepare the couple for the rigors of marriage. There are some very funny moments, but all in all, the movie doesn't quite come together to become a great comedy. Both Moore and Krasinksi do well, but are stuck playing victims for the majority of the movie. Williams works hard to be ridiculous, and he gets there, but ridiculous doesn't always equal comic brilliance. I guess the real problem is that it doesn't feel very fresh or new. Where a movie like KNOCKED UP succeeds in taking a familiar premise and interjects humor and heart, LICENSE TO WED fails to bring something new and fresh, nor does it have much heart to fall back on. That said, I had a good time at the movie. Of course, loving the lovers made me want to enjoy the film. I look forward to seeing them both move on to (hopefully) better projects.
big, fast, and hard
No, this is not an ideal date, but rather a quick summation of the fun LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Now, to be honest, I did not see the second or third DIE HARD films, but very much enjoyed the first one with the delicious villain Alan Rickman. (Can that man do any wrong?) In his fourth trip out, Bruce Willis now finds himself older, divorced, and out of touch with his kids. A techno-terrorist seems to be declaring war on the USA, and the government asks local police forces to help bring in known hackers who might be up to the job. McClane heads out to pick up Justin Long's character, and finds a computer nerd who is freaked out and overwhelmed. During the time of pick-up, assassins come to take care of the hacker, and the a**-kicking begins. Willis is in fine form, and is always ready with a quip as he does ridiculous things, destroying everything between him and the bad guy. Long is hilarious as the computer hack, and it is great to see him onscreen again. (I was a fan of his on ED, the NBC television show of yesteryear.) Will this movie elevate film making to a new level? Heck, no....but it is good fun, and accomplishes what is should. Although many of the sequences border on the absolutely absurd, leave common sense at the door, and enjoy the ride!Final thoughts: Have popcorn, laugh, root for the good guy. The perfect summer movie.
okay evening
I always seem to get myself really excited about a movie, only to feel kind of let down when I actually see it. EVENING looked to be an excellent film. With a cast including Claire Danes, Patrick Wilson, Hugh Dancy, Eileen Atkins, Toni Collette, Vanessa Redgrave, Glenn Close, and Meryl Streep, chances are this film would be acted to within an inch of its life. A woman lies dying in her bed (depressing) with her two grown daughters sitting vigil beside her. The woman is talking seeming nonsense about people the daughters have never heard of. The film then switches to flashbacks of the woman attending her friend's wedding and meeting a boy. This movie can't decide what it is about. With the deathbed, the flashbacks, and the daughter's issues, there is a lot going on, and none of the story lines seem to really be resolved. The film is well acted, with Hugh Dancy leaving the strongest impression on me. He is sweet, sad, and dark, and plays well off of the lovely Claire Danes. (Was any one's life not changed watching MY SO-CALLED LIFE?) I didn't hate this movie, by any means, and my mother with whom I saw it, loved it. I think I would have appreciated a more focused look, perhaps having fewer story lines, and more thoroughly exploring and resolving those.Final thoughts: Some top-notch actors in an okay movie. Perfect if you need a good cry, or a movie to see with girlfriends, or with your mother. You can probably just add it to your NetFlix list.
girl/boy crush
I have a boy crush on John Krasinski. I have a girl crush on Mandy Moore. (Girl crush is defined as having a crush on someone but without the sexual element as I am not gay.) Therefore, I happily attended the film LICENSE TO WED with my roommate yesterday at 11am for $6. I had read some terrible reviews about this film, and found myself pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the piece of poo I thought it might be. Moore and Krasinski play an engaged couple who must attend couples counseling prior to getting married at the church the bride has chosen. The pastor, played by Robin Williams, sets up a series of exercises meant to prepare the couple for the rigors of marriage. There are some very funny moments, but all in all, the movie doesn't quite come together to become a great comedy. Both Moore and Krasinksi do well, but are stuck playing victims for the majority of the movie. Williams works hard to be ridiculous, and he gets there, but ridiculous doesn't always equal comic brilliance. I guess the real problem is that it doesn't feel very fresh or new. Where a movie like KNOCKED UP succeeds in taking a familiar premise and interjects humor and heart, LICENSE TO WED fails to bring something new and fresh, nor does it have much heart to fall back on. That said, I had a good time at the movie. Of course, loving the lovers made me want to enjoy the film. I look forward to seeing them both move on to (hopefully) better projects.Final thoughts: At $6, it was a fun way to spend the morning. Has some funny moments, but if you are not a die-hard fan of Moore, Krasinski, or Williams, don't bother.
photo credit: www.movieweb.com
posted by beth slack at 9:16 AM
1 Comments:
Wow, a triple bill!
About (Live Free Or) Die Hard (4.0): I liked it muchly. it was great, good action stuff with an actor who plays over the top action very well. My only problem with this one was that compared to the other Die Hards this was was actually unbelievable. If you jumped out of a car at a speed that would, when it hit an incline, catapult into the air to a height sufficient to knock out a hovering helicopter, then you would undoubtedly have your skin ripped off your body. Also, there is no way an F-35 jet, regardless of it's amazing technology, would enter into the middle of that circular roady thing to shoot its guns at a moving truck -- it would just loose a couple of missles at it from afar.
A friend of mine made an interesting comment: "Compare that with the scene in the first one where he sits on the sink and pulls shards of glass out of his feet. He talks to Al on the phone and actually bursts out crying, and for the rest of the film it's painful watching him try to walk. That's what makes Die Hard truly exceptional, the vulnerability of the hero, and the abandonment of that is what ruined the second film, and now the fourth."
I thought that was a valid point. perhaps, in keeping with recent cinema style of violence they should have gone for an ultra-realistic and gritty style?
Still, it was a pretty ace action flick!
Perhaps I should have sent that into Empire magazine, rather than fill up your comment space?
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