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Reviews
The Smokers (2000)
Unconvincing.
A strange movie that while I'm not quite sure what to make of, I found to be rather compelling. I watched half bored but yet unable to turn it off, in a kind of wonder about what would happen next and if the whole thing would make sense. My biggest complaint being that the characters were utterly unconvincing. If this is how young teenage prep school girls think and act then somebody really needs to intervene. The nonchalant nature of some of the situations were ridiculous to accept and I kept searching for evidence to prove me wrong so I could enjoy the film. Sadly, that evidence never arrived and the movie ended in its predictable expected manner. I wouldn't say avoid this film, just know that it is an amateur film at best.
Enterprise: Broken Bow, Part 1 (2001)
Fresh and new!
This is what I was expecting when star trek DS9 premiered. Not to slight DS9. That was a wonderful show in it's own right, however it never really gave the fans more of what they wanted. Enterprise is that show. While having a similarity to the original trek it differs enough to be original in it's own ways. It makes the ideas of exploration exciting to us again. And that was one of the primary ingredients that made the original so loved. Another ingredient to success was the relationships that evolved between the crew members. Viewers really cared deeply for the crew. Enterprise has much promise in this area as well. The chemistry between Bakula and Blalock seems very promising. While sexual tension in a show can often become a crutch, I feel the tensions on enterprise can lead to much more and say alot more than is typical. I think when we deal with such grand scale characters of different races or species even, we get some very interesting ideas and television. Also, we should note the performances, Blalock is very convincing as Vulcan T'pol and Bacula really has a whimsy and strength of character that delivers a great performance. The rest of the cast delivered good performances also. My only gripes are as follows. The theme. It's good it's different, but a little to light hearted for my liking. We need something a little more grand. Doesn't have to be orchestral. Maybe something with a little more electronic sound would suffice. And my one other complaint. They sell too many adds. They could fix this by selling less ads, or making all shows two parters. Otherwise we'll end up seeing the shows final act getting wrapped up way too quickly as was one of my complaints of Voyager.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
This movie is not The Original!
First off, as a fan of the original POTA i found this movie to be EXCELLENT!!! I grow tired of hearing all the comparisons to the original. The worst complaint is that the film was not Satirical enough. This is a new movie. A satirical version of this movie already exists. Why would Tim Burton want to do another satirical version??? He wouldn't, that would be redoing a movie. This is a re-imagining! Perhaps this is why tim burton decided to create a more literal interpretation of the subject matter. And in so doing takes nothing away from the original and actually amplifies the sentiment of the original while actually maintaining a social message! It may have be in a different area and more straight forward but it still echoes the sentiment of the original. As for the complaints that the film makes no sense, it makes perfect sense. One gets the sense that much of what happened will be explained later, in a sequel. I could think of several explanations of various plot "holes" and inconsistencies. It just depends on what they have in mind. Just remember how much was left out of the original POTA. To watch that film alone without all the sequels prompts many questions. Also, I thought the small homages to the original were brilliant and fun. And, The Special effects were astounding. The makeup alone is completely worth seeing. It really saddens me to see such a backlash against this film. I left the theater actually feeling like this film stands right in line with the rest of the Apes films.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
The new fairy tale... A wonderful dream... The future is fantasy.
One of those few Hollywood gems that is more a work of art than what we are used to. I sense this film will be greatly misunderstood and unappreciated. I hope not, but the average movie goer these days is not up to the challenge this film offers. However, for those of us who look deeper, A.I. Artificial Intelligence is an excellent story with many levels of meaning. It asks/ponders the question of human dreams. Or more directly, our desires or yearning to reach impossible goals. It tells us the future is a place of dreams where fantasy is reality. It also takes a look at the nature of family in a subtlety disguised manner. One can see how love for ones parent ties into how one will view death and loss. Additionally, the film boasts many other treats. Wonderfully shot the film has a luster about it that makes it seem so dream like. Shots melt in and out of each other as the fairy tale references fall out all over the screen. The atmosphere blends extremely well with the themes of the piece. Also, the cast are superbly understated and yet theatrical. Haley Joel Osmett should garner another oscar nomination for this performance. Finally, This film is a fitting tribute to Stanley Kubrick whose imagination has brought to life so much fantasy. So accept the challenge, go see this film. It is your nature.
The Mummy Returns (2001)
I've seen this movie, it was called "The Mummy."
First, let me say, I really enjoyed the first "The Mummy." "The Mummy Returns" is almost as good. I knock it a bit for being too much like the first one in some spots, but not similar enough in the places it counts. Strangely enough I believe this was deliberate on the part of the director, but whatcha gonna do? The primary thing I noticed is this movie takes itself even less seriously than the first. It has an almost cartoon-like quality in certain spots which really threw me for a loop. However, it's still a fun time film that you really couldn't ask more of. Thank god "The Rock" had such a tiny role. Watch for "The Scorpion King" prequel scheduled to come out 2002.
7 out of 10
The Patriot (2000)
Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong!!!
This film suffers from a bad case of revisionist history. It really works well on a popcorny kind of rah rah way, but fails to really enlighten people in any way shape or form. I especially detested the way the issue of racism was dealt. A majority of the main characters never displayed any racist attitudes which I find completely insane to accept. I realize that doing so would have taken away from the "feel good" nature of the film, but should a film about war be a "feel good" film anyhow? If your looking to see a truer picture of early America go see Ang Lee's "Ride with the devil." It's actually based on the civil war instead of the revolutionary war, but it has more ethical bite to it than "The Patriot."
The Perfect Storm (2000)
Wolfgang! What happened????
Going into this movie I had high hopes. Wolfgang Peterson, director of the great submarine epic "Das Boot" is on the water again! Then the movie started and my expectations faded, and then crashed. The film is brimming over with cheesy cliches and outrageous situations. The acting is decent but the overall motivation of the characters is ridiculous and incomprehensible. Maybe the characters are too down to earth to be interesting I dunno, but it makes for bad movie making anyhow. Also, the SFX seemed ridiculous. CG will be the downfall of great movies. Go see "Das Boot" and you will see how a great director like Wolfgang Peterson is wasting his time on so much Hollywood garbage!