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Reviews
Ghostbusters (1984)
You're Right. No human being would stack boxes like this. . .
I knew a guy who once said that the only thing wrong with this film is that it wasn't the highest grossing movie of all time. In fact, there is nothing wrong with this film. The timing is perfect, all the actors are on the ball for the duration of the film, and the effects, for their time, are unparalleled. But it's not just that the film is well-made and technically proficient, it's also that it's obvious that a lot of time and energy went in to actually making it great. It's obvious from the opening at Columbia University that everyone involved with the production is having fun, and they want us to have just as much fun. Luckily, it works. I have never seen a film that is more fun, not to mention endlessly quotable, than "Ghostbusters." It's become a film that people go back to again and again for the simple aim of enjoying themselves. It's a film that makes people feel good and have a good time. Of course, this also extends to the film's life outside the cinema. Nine times out of ten, you can make a person born in the 70s or 80s crack up laughing simply by saying "Important Safety Tip," or "It would be bad," or "If someone asks you if you're a god, you say YES!" There are hundreds of other quotable lines from the film, but hopefully you get what I'm aiming at. The film is a joy to watch, and is one that you'll want to rewatch countless times.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Insightful? Intelligent? An Audience craves not these things.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you a movie for people who believe themselves to be of above-average intellect. There are many problems with this film, chief among them the fact that the film itself is a non-starter and its morals are hideous, but I wish to discuss here the fact that everyone who likes this movie seems to think that it works so well, and that it's filled with amazing ideas. There's one problem with this viewpoint: it's not. "Artificial Intelligence" is "Blade Runner" without the conflict, conscience, or coherence. The story itself is arbitrary; it feels like it has been constructed from one flimsy source material (in this case, Brian Aldiss' "Supertoys Last All Summer Long") which has been padded ad nauseum with ideas that were meant for radically different films. Does the plot about David trying to gain the acceptance of his "mother" have anything to do with the plot about Gigolo Joe's run from the law? They very well could, if any thought was put into actually connecting them. However, they are presented as just a stream of events leading one after another, like the film equivalent to an ink-blot test. There are many events there, and it's up to the viewer to make up some excuse to tie them together.
However, the worst offender of this faux-insightfulness is the idea that Spielberg has constructed around his film being a "fairy-tale." I wouldn't have a problem with this conceit if Spielberg had any clue what the story of "Pinocchio" was actually about. David, for all his seeking to make him a real boy, does not wish to alter or change himself. He is looking for a magic bullet that will change the world around him so that those that he "loves" will love him back. There is no inner conflict, only a wish to take the easy way out. For example, take the moment within Hobby's shop in Manhattan where David destroys the other David model with a desk lamp. By the rules set out by the film, particularly during the Flesh Fair, David is now a murderer. However, the film treats this incident as just another step in David becoming a "real boy," or at least sticking around long enough so that his mother will love him. Not only does this not work in the construct of a fairy-tale (where characters rise and fall on the content of their character), it doesn't work in any film, since Spielberg has decided he can change the rules of this fictional universe whenever he pleases to fit any new idea that comes down the pike. Unfortunately, films don't work in that manner.
There are many other things I disliked about this film, but this was my main complaint. All in all, this film had one or two good ideas, but they were buried by a mish-mash of ill thought out, conflicting sequences and ideas. It goes on much too long, has little to say, and has enough bankrupt morals to choke a horse. As a fan of Spielberg's, save the equally sanctimonious and insipid "Saving Private Ryan," I was disappointed. A complete failure from beginning to illogical end.
Harvey (1950)
The Most Human Film Ever Made
A truly significant film, this is. Normally I would just vote for it on the IMDB vote thingy there, but I felt the need to comment on this film because I feel that many people just don't get it. There are minor spoilers ahead, just to warn you. Elwood may be an alcoholic, but that really is just there as a cover. Elwood believes that Harvey is real because Harvey IS real. Everyone else in the plot is just too absorbed in their daily work and self-awareness to notice. Elwood has finally let go of all of his major gripes and pretentions about life, and has simply allowed himself to be pleasant. A few of the other characters learn how to be pleasant, too. Dr. Chumley, Mr. Meagles. Sure, they all seem to be insane, or at least a little off, but isn't this how we always see people who are different from us? Be pleasant. This is a lesson that everyone needs to take to heart. Slow down, enjoy yourself. You just may see that rabbit near the phone pole yourself.