Bride and Prejudice:
This is a pretty good adaptation of the Jane Austen Classic. It is set in contemporary India, Los Angelas and London. The characters in the film are great and lots of fun - they also correspond the traits of the original quite well. The plot, too, follows the original well, and so, there is little to fault to find there. The setting is adequately adapted, but the film is too short to fully develop the parallels and we are left relying on the original to fill things in. Then there is the singing and dancing.... well it can be amusing and often it is annoying.
*** Three Stars
Constantine:
Here we have another comic/superhero movie. It is a stark contrast to The Phantom. The scene is dark and gothic the characters are deeply flawed. The story is interesting, though not too engaging. The story is driven by characters we don't ever get to know. That means that the supervillain isn't very active there is nobalance to the hero. That hero, Keanu Reeves doesn't put up the greatest performance - nor do any other actors. It's a decent attempt and is entertaining. You'd be surprised - it isn't a total waste of money.
** Two Stars
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Movie Review: Million Dollar Baby
Here we have a decent movie that has been given a lot of attention because of the paucity of good films to come out this past year. I enjoyed this film, that is, I enjoyed it as much as one can enjoy a film of this nature. The problem is that Million Dollar Baby has been thrust into the company of films beyond its merit.
The film starts off well. In fact, it was the beginning of this movie that made the greatest impression on me. We meet some great characters - all of the important ones - in a boxing club run by Clint Eastwood. The dynamic that develops between the regulars at the club was far more interesting, better acted, and generally done with greater skill and effect than anything in the third and final act. One enjoys the relationships as these characters learn to get along, deal with the past and build a future. The lessons learned and the themes are developped with a modicum of subtlety and a great deal of sympathy is built.
The second act train starts to gather speed, but stays on track. If the first act was a character drama, the second is a boxing fantasy. The backstories begin heading toward resolution and we are curious to know if anyone learns anything.
Of course, my problem is always with the endings of movies. The ending has all of the subtlety and art of a trainwreck. First, everything in the final act is alluded to in the second act, because the third act is so extreme that if these allusions hadn't been made the whole act would have been considered 'unrealistic'.
A lot of attention has been drawn to the relationship between Clint's character and the priest character. Many people believe that film is trying to make a statement. I think the film is really just trying to setup a basis for discussion. That is, the film wants the discussion that takes place between Clint and the priest to continue after people leave the theatre. In that respect, it has been successful. However, the ending belittles the potential of the first and, to a lesser extent, the second act. The third act has all of the subtlety of one of those moral-philosophical thought experiments where everything is setup, then put in motion and one decision is required with great, but innevitable, consequence. Such experiments are designed to eliminate variables and to focus ones thought on the essential question that requires an answer. And so, in the end, we are tricked by a movie that appears multifaceted that is, though interesting, a well constructed one-dimensional conversation piece.
The conflict between the beginning and the end of this movie, obviously, left me feeling as though it had failed to live up to its dramatic beginnings. Maybe the attention that it has been getting is simply a refelction of its success at generating discussion - what I think its goal was. Clearly in one respect it is a good movie, but in the aspect that I have tried to articulate I feel it has a big problem and it is the kind of problem that 5 star movies ought tobe able to sort out.
The film starts off well. In fact, it was the beginning of this movie that made the greatest impression on me. We meet some great characters - all of the important ones - in a boxing club run by Clint Eastwood. The dynamic that develops between the regulars at the club was far more interesting, better acted, and generally done with greater skill and effect than anything in the third and final act. One enjoys the relationships as these characters learn to get along, deal with the past and build a future. The lessons learned and the themes are developped with a modicum of subtlety and a great deal of sympathy is built.
The second act train starts to gather speed, but stays on track. If the first act was a character drama, the second is a boxing fantasy. The backstories begin heading toward resolution and we are curious to know if anyone learns anything.
Of course, my problem is always with the endings of movies. The ending has all of the subtlety and art of a trainwreck. First, everything in the final act is alluded to in the second act, because the third act is so extreme that if these allusions hadn't been made the whole act would have been considered 'unrealistic'.
A lot of attention has been drawn to the relationship between Clint's character and the priest character. Many people believe that film is trying to make a statement. I think the film is really just trying to setup a basis for discussion. That is, the film wants the discussion that takes place between Clint and the priest to continue after people leave the theatre. In that respect, it has been successful. However, the ending belittles the potential of the first and, to a lesser extent, the second act. The third act has all of the subtlety of one of those moral-philosophical thought experiments where everything is setup, then put in motion and one decision is required with great, but innevitable, consequence. Such experiments are designed to eliminate variables and to focus ones thought on the essential question that requires an answer. And so, in the end, we are tricked by a movie that appears multifaceted that is, though interesting, a well constructed one-dimensional conversation piece.
The conflict between the beginning and the end of this movie, obviously, left me feeling as though it had failed to live up to its dramatic beginnings. Maybe the attention that it has been getting is simply a refelction of its success at generating discussion - what I think its goal was. Clearly in one respect it is a good movie, but in the aspect that I have tried to articulate I feel it has a big problem and it is the kind of problem that 5 star movies ought tobe able to sort out.
On the official Chris' Choice scale Million Dollar Baby gets three stars.
***
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Zip.Ca
So we've been getting the movies delivered to the shacks here in Halifax. That is, we've been using an internet movie rental site to order DVDs. So far things are going well. We are pleased with the DVD service. There wasan incident where one DVD did not arrive. We knew it had likely shipped with three others in the same package, if at all. Since the DVD in question didn't arrive with the others we sent an e-mailand got no response. The site doesn't seem to respond too wel l to e-mails, though when the DVD was sufficiently overdue the website allowed a proforma complaint to be filled and that was deal with rapidly.
Stay tuned as we get more experience with the service and have more to report.
Stay tuned as we get more experience with the service and have more to report.
Movie Review: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
This movie is notas bad as everyone says, though it certainly isn't a good movie.
Good: Big-name actors, neat out-of-time technology.
Bad: The big-name-acting, some of the situations get too fantastic for the fantasy setting and become 'unrealstic'.
On the official Chris' Choice scale The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen gets Two stars.
**
Monday, February 07, 2005
Contemplating the East Coast
Now that I've been out here on the East Coast of Canada for some time - this is my second time in Halifax, I feel as though it is time to shed some light on a misconception.
Atlantic Salmon:
Well, it pales in comparison to some of the larger pacific varieties. I've been trying to experience as much Atlantic Salmon dishes as I possible can. Simply, I want to be able to judge as openly and fairly as I can the local 'delicacy'. Of course the manner in which a dish is prepared willhave a tremendous effect on the quality and the taste of any dish. As it turns out the methods of preparation on the east and west coast do not vary as much as one might have expected. I've also sampled extensively, so I feel confident in my belief that I am not judging the lesser fish on a poor preparation.
The fact is simply this, Atlantic Salmon has a lighter colour and a weaker taste. Compared to that rich flavour that one expects from, say, a Coho or Sockeye Atlantic Salmon is bland.
Coming Soon: Haddock & Cod vs Halibut
Atlantic Salmon:
Well, it pales in comparison to some of the larger pacific varieties. I've been trying to experience as much Atlantic Salmon dishes as I possible can. Simply, I want to be able to judge as openly and fairly as I can the local 'delicacy'. Of course the manner in which a dish is prepared willhave a tremendous effect on the quality and the taste of any dish. As it turns out the methods of preparation on the east and west coast do not vary as much as one might have expected. I've also sampled extensively, so I feel confident in my belief that I am not judging the lesser fish on a poor preparation.
The fact is simply this, Atlantic Salmon has a lighter colour and a weaker taste. Compared to that rich flavour that one expects from, say, a Coho or Sockeye Atlantic Salmon is bland.
Coming Soon: Haddock & Cod vs Halibut
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Movie Review: Terminator 3
The only thing remarkable about this movie is that it is the shape Arnold is in after all of these years!
The intriguing ideas and three (or four?) dimensional characters the first two movies are gone and all that is left is a long chase scene. Arnold can keep up - cool.
I don't know why a third movie was necessary. I was happy with T2.
Anyway, what is there to say? Machines (one good and one bad) go back in time to solve problems of the future... they chase some people... destruction... slight surprise at the end. For a chase movie T3 is pretty good. There are some cool scenes that I don't think have been done before and the budget was high - cool.
The movie is cool, but unremarkable. I am wasting time that could be spent elsewhere.
On the official Chris' Choice scale Terminator 3 gets two stars.
**
Movie Review: The Matrix Reloaded
 | Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. William Shakespeare, Macbeth, act 5, scene 5 |
Keep poor old Macbeth in mind when you watch this movie and you will have a grand time. The Matrix Reloaded is a fabrication about a fabrication about a ...
I liked this movie - maybe because I have a tendency to be soft on the middle movie of trilogies. Much has to be revealed and set-up for the third movie. There are long speeches by the Morpheus, new characters, and hints of things to come. I don't see this stuff as boring or some kind of teasing but as potential for a really good third movie.
The movie plays with what we understand reality to be. In the first installment we were confident that we could tell one from the other. The sequel puts that all in question. We see speeches by Morpheus that seem so deep that they signify nothing; the unstoppable determinism that rules Neo's life makes us wonder if he is on a stage; we even meet the idiot. My question is: whose story is he telling? and how far does the stage extend? All of these questions, and more, get posed or at least alluded to in this movie. The possibilities are intiguing. I was not expecting to leave satisfied, I was expecting to leave excited to see the third. I was happy - surprised even - to leave with my knowledge of the first film so unravelled that I had to watch it again.
A movie like this is a refreshing change from a lot of the crap that gets spewed out these days. On one level it thrills you with all the FX it uses and the cool fight scenes. The thing I like is that it excites you intellectually you are forced to spend time trying to figure out just what idea is the key that will bring reality into focus. The "philosophy" and "depth" is sound and fury - in the end signifying nothing - regardless of what a bunch of geeks think. The search for the key, or the coffee house theories about what will make the whole story make sense provides the fun.
On the official Chris' Choice scale The Matrix Reloaded gets three stars.
***
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