Movies at the Theatre
Men In Black II
Fun sequel. I laughed out loud a few times and this, as we know, is enough for me. The story didn't make sense in a few places and they seemed to throw in new rules whenever they needed them. (So says Michael, and I can't argue.) But I went for a funny movie with good special effects and that's what I got. So there were a few lousy patch jobs between jokes... I can forgive them.
Signs
Wow, we talked about this one for hours after the credits rolled. Was it simply one man's need to make sense of his life? Was it a lame religious message? Was it a B alien invasion movie with grade-A special effects? Why were the 'heroes' so stupid? Why should I care whether they make it through the night or not? Why were there so many damned loose ends left dangling at the end? etc... As you can see I am left with many more questions then answers here. That worked for me in the case of Donnie Darko, but it didn't really work for me here.
Movies On Video or DVD
The Ninth Gate
I like this one. It has a few elements that always get me. Johnny Depp, a dark anti-christian element, Lena Olin, good acting, etc... Michael grumbled about lame plots here too, the loose ends didn't work for him. Why him? Who was the girl? Why was he always smoking around these really old books? etc... I liked it all because in my head it all fit together just fine. Johnny and Lena even get partly naked together. There's a fantasy screen match. Woo-hoo!
The Muse
Cute, but not great. Here's Albert Brooks again as a writer with a block. Here he takes in a crazy woman who calls herself a Muse. Everybody else seems to love having her around, but he doesn't seem to be getting the benefits he's paying for. Everything spins out of control and then suddenly it's happily ever after. *Bleh* The end wraps up a little too neatly for everyone involved.
Sugar & Spice
I was dubious, but this was a pretty funny spoof on high school cheerleaders. Each girl being a different stereotype and the jokes all have punch. The best one being after the girls start fighting, and their leader starts crying and says she's calling the whole thing off because they aren't acting like cheerleaders anymore their acting like sorority girls.
Unbreakable
I rather enjoyed this one. I went into it as I did Signs, or Sixth Sense, I didn't know hardly anything about it. Really I only knew that this guy walks away from a train wreck in which everyone else dies. Is he unbreakable? Well, the movie is a bit of a homage to comic books and I think they did a damn good job of it. The hero, and how he discovers his special abilities, and the demented villian who is his opposite. Michael happened to notice that all of M. Night Shyamalan's movies so far seem to have the common element of a family having trouble and by the end they are doing better. In this case our hero, David Dunn, is estranged from his wife. They live in the same house with their son who is about 10 or 12 I guess, but they don't even sleep together, and he is planning to move out soon. By the end he is reconsidering all this.
The Ref
This is another great comic movie that asks why the hell do so many people put up with family gatherings every single year of their lives? It is always shown as hell, and that everyone is gritting their teeth in order to just get through it. Never does it appear that only one person is hating it all. Here the kids are ordered to smile and thank grandma for the stupid gifts even though they hate it. The inlaws stop off for dinner because they hate the hosts cooking. Grandma is an overbearing woman who hates men, and raised two sons unfortunately. The central couple in this film hate each other. They have distroyed their own lives for superficial securities and luxuries, and they blame each other for all the problems. Enter the theif on Christmas Eve who has had a bad night and needs a hide-out. He kidnaps the main pair and goes home with them and tries to think about what he should do next. Unfortunately these two bicker constantly and he resorts to hosing them down once to shut them up. Dennis Leary does a great job as the theif, and Kevin Spacey (as the whipped husband) is amazing as always.
Sexy Beast
I've got mixed feelings about this one. It was definitely worth seeing once for the astounding, my jaw was hanging open, performance by Ben Kingsley. He was absolutely believable as the completely psychotic lunatic who has come to ask a retired theif to take on another job. (Michael suggested we watch Ghandi next for contrast.) They are terrified of him for a good reason. But I didn't like much else about it.
Pushing Tin
This was pretty good. I really love watching John Cusack, he's a complete nutball. Billy Bob Thornton is too, but in a completely different way. I think they worked really well together. Cate Blanchet and Angelina Jolie as their respective wives were fabulous. Cate was the best because I didn't even recognize her, I had to see the credits. Anyway, we have Nick (JC) as a hot shot air-traffic controller, Russell(BBT) comes in and threatens his position. Connie(CB) is Nick's loving wife, and they have two kids you only see once. Mary(AJ) is Russell's sex pot wife. From here the chaos ensues. Nick is grossly jealous of Russell, and then manages to end up in bed with Mary, he spends the rest of the movie in fear of Russell, and trying to keep his marriage together at the same time. It oscillates between comedy and drama, but gently enough that I didn't mind.
Books
I can't believe that I didn't finish a single book this month.
Interested in buying one of these books or movies online? Try Amazon.com.
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