26 July 2004, terribly early in the morning
I watched Chasing Amy again with Simon and Steph. I hadn’t seen the film in quite some time, but am happy to report I still found it quite funny. Chasing Amy is a film about a guy that falls in love with a lesbian. Hilarity ensues. There is nothing exceptional about the film. The acting and directing I would say is pretty good, but not incredible. I didn’t think the more serious parts of the film worked as well as they could have. However, everyone does there job well enough though for the film to be quite enjoyable. Jason Lee as Bankee is hilarious. Chasing Amy is rated R with good reason. The film is coarse to say the least. Some may be put off by the jokes and language, though I think they add to the feel of the film. Chasing Amy is worth checking out.
I say her on her hands and knees getting filled out like an application constitutes ‘being with a guy’.
The official Chasing Amy web site.
[3] Movies
25 July 2004, terribly early in the morning
I watched Starsky and Hutch tonight with Shima and Riadh. I thought the film was quite funny. The movie does a pretty good send up of the 70s, making fun of the hair, music, disco, swinging, and anything else it can. The movie follows two cops as they work on trying to make a big cocaine bust. Vince Vaughn plays the coke dealer, and does a great job at it. Frankly, I think Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson can do no wrong, so there may be a little bias with respect to my opinions on the movie.
The Official Starsky and Hutch web site
[8] Movies
24 July 2004, the wee hours
The second film following the adventures of Jason Bourne, the Bourne Supremacy, picks up two years after the first film ends. Now living in India—Goa no less—he is attacked by a mysterious assassin. This act draws him back in to the world he tried to escape a the end of the first movie. The film is entertaining to watch as the first movie, though I thought the plot was a little bit weaker. There are fewer fight sequences, but more chase sequences in this film when compared to the first. As action films go, I thought this one was quite good. The film also features a very cute Russian girl.
The official the Bourne Supremacy web site.
[5] Movies
23 July 2004, terribly early in the morning
Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation may laugh at how campy the original Star Trek series was. The fact remains that the best Star Trek movies feature the original cast. I personally think that Star Trek 6 is the best Star Trek film made, but to many, that honour would belong to Star Trek 2: the Wrath of Khan. At the very least, Star Trek 2 is the most notorious of all the Star Trek films. At its simplest, Star Trek 2 is a revenge film. Khan, a character Kirk stranded on a planet in the original series, manages to get a hold of a ship and sets off to kill Kirk. There is a lot more to the movie then simply this. The Wrath of Khan probably has one of the most famous endings out of all the Star Trek films, and features many classic moments. The film also sets the stage for the next two movies. Any self respecting Star Trek fan should have already seen this movie. I recommend it to anyone. It is entertaining to watch, though I will be the first to admit the special effects look quite dated at times.
The film is 100% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes, though only from 14 reviews as I write this.
[7] Movies
19 July 2004, early evening
2 Fast 2 Furious was a whole other kind of suck. I’m not sure if 2 Fast 2 Furious is as bad as its predecessor, the Fast and the Furious. The sequel stars Eva Mendez, who is hot, so that is at least one plus for the film. I mean, the first one was bad, but at least it had lots of souped up cars. This one has almost no cars or car chases. Even the plot is lamer, if you can believe that.
The official Fast and the Furious web site
[7] Movies
17 July 2004, terribly early in the morning
Sometimes I watch a movie, and my expectations are so low I am pleasantly surprised by what I end up seeing. The Butterfly Effect would be one such movie. The film is a sort of creepy drama about a man who can travel back through time by reading his old journal entries. Every time he goes back however, he ends up fucking things up. Carvill, Steph and I watched the film with my youngest brothers friends. We decided to watch the Directors cut, which I thought was pretty good. The ending it quite different then the theatrical releases ending, a bit more sad I suppose. I think Ashton Kutcher actually didn’t do that bad a job with this role. He didn’t come across as Kelso. Good for him.
The official the Butterfly Effect web site
[4] Movies
17 July 2004, terribly early in the morning
I liked I, Robot. I thought it was quite good. I would say the special effects were top notch, as was the story. I think the girl in the film is quite pretty. I wish that showers didn’t mist up so much when you take one. I think you should go watch this film, it is a very entertaining film.
I am linking to the Official I, Robot site
[7] Movies
12 July 2004, the wee hours
I watched Gangs of New York last night with Gary, Martha, Chris and Shima. I enjoyed the movie, though I did find it to be a bit on the long side. The characters, the setting and the story are so over the top the film feels quite surreal. I thought Daniel Day Lewis was excellent in the movie, though I suppose he rarely disappoints. The film is basically a revenge story, set in 19th centuary New York city, a place where crime is rampant. I would say the film is worth watching, you should check it out.
The official Gangs of New York web site
[2] Movies
10 July 2004, early evening
The dialogue still hasn’t improved, but at least the movie as a whole has. I watched Spiderman 2 this past friday with Gary and Shima—neither of them seemed too impressed with the film. I thought this sequel was a lot better then the first movie. The action sequences are superb. I enjoy watching all the Spideman flying around New York scenes, so I may have some sort or bias. Doc Oc is a cooler bad guy as well in my opinion. I think this movie is truer to the comic then the previous film. My hope is that they get better writers for the film. X-Men 2 remains the greatest comic book movie of all time.
The Official Spiderman 2 web site
[10] Movies
9 July 2004, early afternoon
Cold Mountain was a movie I had absolutely no desire to see. When the commercials were running on television many months ago I thought it looked like an unimpressive civil war film. Even when it started getting all sorts of accolades it never struck me as a film I’d want to watch. Steph rented the film yesterday, and her and Raylene watched it with Gary, Shima and I. I would have to say I am glad I got a chance to see it. The film is quite deserving of all the praise it has received. Cold Mountain reminded me a bit of the Odyssey by Homer. Jude Law’s character is fighting in the civil war, but decides to desert to return to Nicole Kidman’s character. The acting is superb, as is the general look of the film. The cinematography is great. The movie is a pleasure to watch.
[3] Movies
8 July 2004, terribly early in the morning
How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at the princess with Ryan, Martha and Shima. The main story line in the film is Jim Carrey erasing his ex-girlfriend from his memory. Steph, who had seen the film months ago, told me she thought the film presents relationships in a very realistic way. I’d have to agree with her. I’ve been waiting to see the movie for quite some time. The film was thoroughly enjoyable—I thought was incredible. I really can’t stress how impressed I was with this movie. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve seen a lot of movies. Go watch this one!
[5] Movies
6 July 2004, the wee hours
I watched Dodgeball while I was in Ottawa this past weekend. There is something inherently funny about watching people get hit by balls and other objects. Ben Stiller is a wicked-funny man, and in this film his character has some brilliant one-liners. The entire cast of the film are quite funny to watch. The premise is simple enough, a group of losers have to play dodgeball to raise $50,000 dollars to save their gym from being bought by the evil Globo Gym corporation. If you liked Old School and Zoolander, you’ll definitely like this movie.
The official homepage of Dodgeball.
Movies
25 June 2004, late evening
I watched Fahrenheit 9/11 today with Steph and Simon. Moore is definitely on the attack, and holds no punches in his attempt to show the people of the US that their president and his cronies are basically korrupt with a k. The first half of the film looks at the numerous ties between the Bush family and the Bin Laden family, as well as the Saudi royal family. The second half looks at the war on Iraq, and how it has been presented to the people of America. Fahrenheit 9/11 was really quite amazing. Go watch this movie.
The Fahrenheit 9/11 official web site.
Reviews of the movie at Rotten Tomatoes.
[13] Movies
21 June 2004, terribly early in the morning
Mystic River is a thoroughly depressing movie. The acting in the film is superb. Tim Robbins and Sean Penn definitely deserve their Oscars. I highly recommend you watch this film.
You can read proper reviews of Mystic River at Rotten Tomatoes.
[1] Movies
19 June 2004, early evening
I watched Love Actually on Thursday night with Gary, Shima and Michelle. It’s a sweet little British romantic comedy, and is quite well done. There are a slew of stories, all loosely linked together, some more entertaining then others. The film is definitely better then the usual romantic comedy crap Hollywood puts out, so you should check it out if you want a laugh.
Movies
19 June 2004, the wee hours
I watched Supersize Me today at the princess. I would have to say the movie is quite funny. The film is about a man who decides to eat nothing but McDonald’s for thirty days. Supersize Me provides a humorous look at the serious problem of obesity in America. I wasn’t expecting the film to be that good, but was actually quite impressed. The filmmaker isn’t trying to make the point that eating nothing but McDonald’s is bad for you. I think most people would already know as much. I think he is simply using his stunt as a means of drawing attention to how ridiculous the fast food industry is. (Although, the doctors were all surprised at how bad his body got. The effects of his fatty diet were akin to some serious binge drinking.)
The Supersize Me official web site.
Movies
16 June 2004, mid-afternoon
How bad can a movie about kids who break dance for respect and money be? Pretty bad apparently. You Got Served was fun to watch, if only to laugh at it. The story is about a bunch of kids and their break dancing crews. There is an evil rich kid crew as well, that ‘serves’ the good guy crew early in the movie, kicking the plot off. Most of the women in the movie were pretty hot—Megan Good was looking very excellent. It should go without saying, don’t watch this movie unless you want a good laugh.
The You Got Served official web site
Movies
15 June 2004, mid-afternoon
I watched To Live and Die in L.A. with Mezan and Steph on Sunday night. The film is a gritty cop movie from the 80s, bloody and violent at times, but far from an action film. The film is pretty good, a look at this hard-boiled cop basically being a bad ass, breaking rules, and bringing his partner down with him. The hard-boiled cop is played by William Peterson, from CSI. Seeing him playing this basically evil cop was quite strange—seeing him naked didn’t help on the strange front either. The movie is good and worth watching.
Review of To Live and Die in L.A from Rotten Tomatoes.
[1] Movies
11 June 2004, terribly early in the morning
I spent the evening watching Hotel with Mezan. The film is by Mike Figgis, of Timecode and Leaving Las Vegas fame. Hotel features a crazy cast; there are too many famous people you would recognize in the film for me to list. That said, the film is for the most part far too bizarre to be enjoyable. I guess this was Figgis’ attempt at making a David Lynch film. I can’t describe the film. The cinematography is quite good, the aesthetics of the film are nice, but other then that, this film is really not worth watching.
The official website for Hotel
[7] Movies
9 June 2004, evening time
Mez and I finally watched City of God last night. City of God follows the life of some hoodlums, and those trying not to be hoodlums, living in the slums of Rio. The film is split into a series of stories, and narrated to us by a boy who wants to be a photographer. The film is amazing. Probably one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.
The official City of God web site.
Movies
7 June 2004, terribly early in the morning
Shaolin Soccer is wicked funny. Stephen Chow is quite talented at making comedies. The film follows a young student of Shaolin kung-fu, played by Chow, as he tries to spread the message of his teachings. Chow’s character is approached by a disgraced soccer star who wishes to start a soccer team. The film features some very innovative special effects, which are all done quite well. The computer graphics are all blended quite seamlessly with the live action. This movie is definitely worth watching. Do yourself a favour and get the Hong Kong version of the movie, because I’ve heard that the Mirimax release is going to dubbed, edited, and otherwise butchered.
Movies
4 June 2004, early evening
Our satellite is working again, which probably means even more posts about movies I’ve seen. I just watched Phone Booth and thought it was an entertaining enough film. Most people I spoke to about the movie were unimpressed, but I thought it was a good little thriller. The movie stars Collin Farrell, who seems to have made a crap load of movies recently. The film is about a dude trapped in a phone booth by a crazy dude with a sniper rifle.
The official Phone Booth web site
[1] Movies
4 June 2004, mid-afternoon
I finally saw Dirty Pretty Things last night. The film is about the illegal immigrant community in London, and is really quite good. The story is very well done, and explores how those people who exist outside of the system get taken advantage of. The film is also in some respects a little bit of a thriller/mystery. The acting in the film is also quite good, and the set of characters in the movie are all interesting and unique. You should definitely check it out.
Check out Go Underground, the official site for Dirty Pretty Things.
[3] Movies
2 June 2004, terribly early in the morning
The big budget movie of the summer didn’t disappoint. I think the trick was to go in with expectations so low that anything they put on the screen would look like gold. The story was quirky enough to be entertaining, and the special effects were incredible. If you want to see some serious eye candy, go check the movie out. Just don’t spend too much money on your tickets. Oh, and incase you haven’t been watching TV, The Day After Tomorrow is about global warming causing another ice age.
The Official Website of The Day After Tomorrow
[2] Movies
31 May 2004, terribly early in the morning
Howard lent me his copy of the film Equilibrium. The film is set in a post apocalyptic future, where people have decided that since emotion is the cause of war, the best way to avoid war is through the suppression of emotion. People take drugs at daily intervals to suppress their emotions. The film stars Christian Bale, who plays a dude that goes around hunting down people that aren’t suppressing their emotions. Some of the fight scenes are cool, mostly dudes spinning around with guns killing all sorts of people. The plot is alright, though I think the story could have used a little work. If you are stuck for something to rent, I’d recommend you go see the movie, though the film wasn’t as good as I thought it would be.
Here is what they were saying at Rotten Tomatoes. They weren’t so impressed.
[2] Movies
