And on with the show...

I'll be taking further movie reviews (100 words or otherwise) to www.hyperwest.net. Or possibly www.jonyang.org. How many movies can I keep watching? I hope a lot. I'm still out to convert people on the beauty of watching movies by themselves in theatres. No distractions, more popcorn, more Slurpee. Dig it.

in the land of women (2007)

Usually romantic comedy movies like this have the problem of the actors being way too old for their roles. Adam Brody has the opposite problem; he looks like he blends in with the high schoolers around him and it's tough to picture him as a 26-year old (even if he actually is). The movie also compounds the problem by not giving us enough motivation behind anything Brody's character does. Despite that, the movie has a few "nice/interesting/cute" moments and even with the family of blondes to carry the show, the film just suffers from a lack of depth.

the host (2007)

i watched this movie in the most beautiful movie theatre i've ever been in. they played opera before the showing, the popcorn was amazing, and the stage/theatre was just amazing. la paloma theatre in encinitas, san diego. check it out.

i thought the movie was pretty good too. a bit slow but every time the pace slacked, the monster would arrive. that's the best part about the movie; they didn't skimp on showing the (very obviously) cgi monster. i thought the movie was hilarious as a satire but my film companions just thought it was so-so. i liked it; although i'm not sure i'd watch it again. but i'd return to the theatre!

popular (1999) vs undeclared (2001)

it kills me that judd apatow's most successful venture is "40 year old virgin." that was such a crappy movie; now judd's name has been sullied. his deserving of accolades masterpiece, freaks and geeks, came out in 1999 but was cancelled after one season because everything great must die young. his follow up, undeclared, is much sillier and generally not as well loved as freaks and geeks. still, it was a critically lauded show -- and also cancelled after one season.

popular came out the same year as freaks and geeks, and lasted two seasons. this last point is criminal because despite being a good show, popular is not a classic like freaks and geeks, yet it went on longer. popular probably lasted one season longer than freaks and geeks because it was on the wb, an up-and-coming network at the time who took a few more chances and had a bit more patience. not too much patience however, since popular ended up being cancelled after two seasons; in the middle of a cliff hanger no less, and with a third season originally promised to creator. too bad, so sad.

having just watched the first disk for both shows, i have to weigh in: which show is better? undeclared or popular?
continued on diorama...

the fountainhead (1949)

i didn't realize the fountainhead movie was adapted to the screen by ayn rand herself. she only did it on the condition that "not one word be changed." typical, right? the movie isn't half bad actually. gary cooper and patricia neal are about what you'd expect as the main characters, and due to the style of the movie, all the dialogue (essentially ripped straight from the book) sounds somewhat natural. i don't think this movie could be made today because they'd dress it up for no reason; it's too idea/dialogue heavy; and current acting methods would make the movie overly campy.

apparently, nobody liked it when it was released (in 1949, six years after the book was published), but to be honest, as a huge fan of the book, i wasn't disappointed in the movie. sure, cooper's dramatic monologue had the most uneven delivery i've ever heard but i can look past it.

i'm curious what a non-randian would think of the movie. would any of the philosophies get passed on? or would it just put people to sleep? this also makes me even more curious about the upcoming movie version of atlas shrugged -- starring angelina jolie (and maybe brad pitt) of all people. not who i envisioned as dagny taggart but that's the least of my worries about how rand's seminal work will translate to the screen.

zodiac (2007)

david fincher continues to churn out his unique style of movie. this one isn't quite as good as his other efforts (se7en, fight club, the game) but the reality of the situation is gripping. the movie seems like its over two-thirds of the way through but then there's another hour or so of jake gyllenhaal running around being scared by would-be serial killers. it's strange that "the zodiac" actually ends up fucking most of his kills, as many of the victims are left alive. after the movie, i had to head over to the crime library to check out the real story.

thank goodness the movie was good as we spent $40 on tickets and parking -- we forgot to stamp our parking ticket and we got out of the movie at 2:30am, well past the closing time. damn me.

300 (2007)

i was psyched for this movie. ridiculously psyched. if you like spartans and violence, this highly stylized movie will set your neck hairs on tilt with its numerous "cool scenes." not much plot or exposition to speak of (in comparison to say, gladiator) and i would have wanted some trimming of the unnecssary "girl in wheatfields, i love you" scenes but hey, what can you do? some great moments, a few laugh out loud moments (not in a good way), but mostly, a cool movie i'd watch a few times over. go watch it in the theatre; what's the point otherwise?

i wish there was more insight and backstory into how the spartans lived. i'd recommend reading gates of fire, by steven pressfield -- which, sadly, probably has no chance of being made into a movie now.

pan's labyrinth (2006)

indeed, a "fairy tale for adults." don't bring your kids to watch this; it's no labyrinth. this film has been touted as one of the best movies of the year and that's about right. i can't say i even had one complaint about it aside from maybe having more scenes in the fantasy realm. but it's hard to complain when everything works together so well. i made a special effort to make sure i saw this on the big screen and i'm delighted i caught it. watching it on a rinky dink television wouldn't have done it justice.

ghost rider (2007)

there was a time nicolas cage was in good movies right? (his acting was always suspect, like an older keanu reeves) at least he tanked this superhero movie instead of starring as superman like he wanted. this is about the worst, most illogical, comic book movie i've ever seen. no thrills, spills, chills, or sense. eva mendes matched old nic for acting ineptitude but looked much better doing it.

this is what wes bentley has done to his promising career post-american beauty? he's the least menacing comic book villain ever. sheesh.

bridge to terabithia (2007)

to be fair, i was movie hopping and only saw half the movie. i walked out before all the fun stuff really started but i'm not sure i missed much. the weird voice used by the female lead, annasophia robb (who looks just like a young keira knightley), bothered me too much. and i felt i was a bit too old for the story. but i've heard good things about the film; which is nothing like chronicles of narnia -- in a good way.

here's an interesting article from slate about the movie: what bridge to terabithia still teaches us.

life of david gale (2003)

kevin spacey is still best as a smarmy type of guy right? his attempts at other roles have usually failed but it's easy to forget how effective his face and voice were in se7en, the usual suspects, and american beauty. underrated voiceover prescence. the whole movie is underrated actually. maybe it's the subject matter but the movie is a must see that nobody's seen. superb acting all-around (laura linney and kate winslet both shine) and great plot to boot.

saved! (2004)

ten minutes into the movie, i thought we were heading into "classic" territory as saved! skewed the lifestyle of teen jesus lovers accurately and with great humor. any film that hinges on a virgin sleeping with her gay boyfriend in order to cure him sounds good to me. mandy moore is great, macaulay culkin is great, jena malone is pretty good. classic territory. then when the "message" starts to get in way of the satire, the movie goes downhill pretty quickly. but still worth viewing for the first hour or so.

because i said so (2007)

diane keaton must of had a field day "acting" in this movie. she's trying to be one of those over-bearing slightly loopy moms that have become almost commonplace. trouble is, we like diane better in more serious roles (see, family stone or something's gotta give). here she's thrust in situational/physical gags that don't quite work. oh right, and the movie sucks too. if not for the late hour and the lack of other options, i would have walked out around the 45 minute mark.

i swear i read a good review of this from my favorite movie critic, don't believe it.

the sound of music (1965)

i've been waiting to re-watch this guy forever. fabulous. great movie. nothing really to say about it. except "five things i now know about the sound of music." the 40th anniversay edition comes with all these extras i still need to watch. a must see and must buy.

brick (2005)

take all the conventions of a traditional film noir detective story but set it in a modern day (dingy) high school. clever right? it might be overly clever. the styling of this film is excellent, the acting isn't too bad, and everyone takes their roles -- and the stylized dialogue -- very seriously. you still kind of wish more happened though. it's an interesting idea but not exactly a great movie.

children of men

i'd seen this movie touted as one of the best films of the year so i was psyched. originally, the preview didn't capture me but i was willing to take a chance on some gritty sci-fi. instead, what i got was an intriguing set-up of a premise that moved along at a good clip, but then about halfway through, i realized that this wasn't going anywhere. the ending scenes are completely laughable and there's no real lesson (or warning) to be learned here. waste of time.

the good shepard

matt damon seems too young to be playing a father; especially a middle-aged one. robert de niro did a good job directing, but some of the movie was a bit confusing and most of it was just okay. it's topically about the beginnings of the c.i.a. but devolves into how being an agent can ruin your personal life. no duh.

i'm not sure if this "human element in movies" is worth it anymore. for movies like this, i'd rather spend time with how the c.i.a. was actually formed, get some interesting stories, and learn some lurid details; instead they always insert some crappy story about an unloved wife (honestly, who would ignore angelina jolie for 30+ years) and a creepy kid.

one of the actresses in the film, tammy blanchard, looks JUST like judy garland. blanchard played the young garland in a 2001 tv movie. the resemblance is astonishing.

i.m. pei

this is how architecture docs should be done; heavy on the insight, heavy on the architecture, light on the personal fawning motivation. the gehry movie may be more widely known but i enjoyed pei's fascinating explanations far more.

this dvd is actually two documentaries, "first person singular" and "the museum on the mountain."