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Miz Muzik
Reviews
What I Like About You (2002)
More Charming than "Charmed"
Thankfully, "What I Like About You" never seems to take itself too
seriously. The last thing we need is another "Gilmore Girls" on
our hands. Seventeen year old Amanda Bynes and "90210" icon
Jennie Garth co-star as sisters living together in the Big Apple.
Bynes is charming and charismatic, hamming up her goofy
scenes with her winning smile. She even manages to steal the
spotlight away from the surprisingly decent Garth, whose Lifetime
original movies have finally paid off. The writing is smart and
playful, though maybe a bit predictable. "What I Like About You"
looks poised to take off, especially with the talented Bynes at its
helm. With its witty writing and cloying endings, it might just be the
WB's next big hit.
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Open Your Wallet
I can't help but feel bothered by the fact that I spent 9 dollars watching Tom Cruise run around Times Square trying to look confused. VANILLA SKY starts off as a real nail biter, that is until Tom Cruise stops acting like Tom Cruise and becomes Paranoid-Tom-Crazy-Cruise. No matter how hard he tries, Cruise just isn't taken seriously outside of a witty romance. And once again, will someone please drag Penelope Cruz into the street and riddle her with bullets? Yes, she has a pretty smile and I'm sure Tom and she make a snazzy couple, but the poor girl can't act. However, Jason Lee does it again, delivering a great supporting role without so much as breaking a sweat. Cameron Diaz is deliciously evil, though her part grows old toward the end of the film.
VANILLA SKY desperately needed another hour on the cutting board, deleting some of the nonsense that just adds to the complete confusion of the audience. Now, I'm not saying I don't like confusion. I loved FIGHT CLUB, THE SIXTH SENSE, THE MATRIX, and any other movie that might be labeled as a psychological thriller. But Cameron Crowe's cast seems lost in the film, not sure if this is a surreal romance or a sci-fi horror flick or what. Without ruining the ridiculous "plot twist" (an embarrassing deus ex machina), it is difficult to elaborate on the shamefully low point of VANILLA SKY. After two hours of laughing at Tom Cruise's serious lines and groaning at his supposedly funny ones, I will say this much: (*SPOILER*) How come he got to jump off the building?"
For Trying So Hard: *1/2 of ****
What Women Want (2000)
One romantic comedy in need of less romance...
Expecting to see Mel Gibson strut his funny side, I went into What Women Want eagarly awaiting the comedy. I came out tired and bored. Sure, the movie was predictable. Sure it was another cutsie plot. But when it was funny, it was reeeaal funny. Gibson does a great job with the comedy, along with Marissa Tomei, Bette Midler, and various other cameos. Yeah, some of the writing too deliberate: Look! Now we're poking fun at men! Now we're poking fun at women! Oh god, the stereotypes are atacking me!!! But mostly, the jokes were fun and quirky. That is, until, Helen Hunt appears on the scene. Now, I loved Hunt in Mad About You, and comedy is her thing. But this role was pathetic. What's more fun than watching Helen Hunt play Helen Hunt? The whole relationship between Gibson's and Hunt's characters was boring and expected. The last twenty minutes was frustrating and drawn out, just like the end of a romantic comedy shouldn't be. Show me more laughs, less rolls of the eyes, and you've got yourself a movie. Enjoyable, entertaining, but nothing seems special about this one. **1/2 out of ****
High Fidelity (2000)
High Expectations
Apparently I'm the only one that wasn't blown away by this movie. Yes, it was different and witty and smart. No, it wasn't very entertaining. Maybe I was expecting too much, because I just don't see the fuss about High Fidelity. John Cusack does a fine job of portraying Rob, but Rob is so bland you have to wonder how he managed to snag Catherine Zeta-Jones, in an enjoyable cameo. Rob and Laura's entire relationship is boring and frustrating to watch, as well as their chemistry- or lack thereof. High Fidelity has a lot of great stuff going for it: good actors, a perfect soundtrack, witty lines, and nice timing. Unfortunately, this is all overshadowed by the tediously drudging conflict between Rob and Laura. By the end of High Fidelity, you're half expecting John Cusack to pay *you* for all the whining you put up with. It's like listening to a friend tell you on the phone that they're single and lonesome and they miss their ex... You'd rather be sleeping. ** / ****
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Hype killed the plot twist, but still The Sixth Sense manages to impress.
I was expecting the greatest plot twist in history when I sat down in my squeaky generic movie theater seat. I heard so much hype about this movie and was ready to be blown away. Well, needless to say I figured out the ending plot twist about ten minutes into the movie. I guess I feel if I wasn't warned that would be a plot twist, I wouldn't have been expecting it, nor would I have picked it out immediatly. Sside from the fact I felt cheated out of a perfectly spooky twist, it was a wonderful movie. Definitly worth the 8 bucks I forked over to the cinemas (and let's not count the popcorn). One of the best and most orignal horror (would you call it horror? I love the way it can be classified under so many different genres, it always helps make the movie) movies I've seen. Cheers to little forrest gump- cursed and *still* adorable- for stealing the show. Bruce Willis emerged from his stereotypical die hard cliche and produced a wonderful look into the heart of his well written character. Compelling! 9/10
Contact (1997)
The Best of 1997
I was actually bribed into watching Contact. I was at my friend's house, and she wanted to watch her latest purchase from Blockbuster, and I wanted to watch Alice in Wonderland again. After agreeing to watch her three-dollar-rental-with-a-free-bag-of-pop-corn with the popcorn on *my* side of the couch, I became spellbound by the extaordinary story written by Carl Sagan. Admittedly, I love Sci-Fi. I watch the X-Files every Sunday night, and I can't get enough out of Douglas Adam's writing. But Contact is not just a science fiction flick. There's so much more to the movie. It is about one scientist's hurtles with life trying to find extra terrestrial intelligence and the problems and decisions she must make in order to achieve Contact with other life. Jodie Foster is at her best as the determined scientist Ellenore Arroway. Her love interest, Joss Palmer (Mathew McConaughey) beings out the other side of Ellie that doesn't involve searching for "little green men". Robert Zemeckis' work is beautifully done and touching, especially the scene in which young Ellenore's father dies. Instead of making it a sappy death scene that forces you to cry, Jena Malone (playing Young Ellie) show's the devestated girl with superb acting that will move you. Angela Bassett plays the President's right hand (wo)man sharp, intelligent, and down to earth. David Drumlin, Ellenore's enemy, is played viciously by a deliciously sinister Tom Skerrit.
My only dissapointment in this film is that it ended to soon (hardly, it actually runs a little long but the plot is so thick and detailed the time goes by quickly). No sooner did I finish the last of my friend's free popcorn did I say "This is my favorite movie." And it is. Not only that, but it has also become my favorite book (by Carl Sagan).