Whale Rider: great frikken movie. If you can go through the whole movie without a snuffle or a tear, you are one heartless bastard. (I did, but I am one heartless bastard.) Movie is about a modern New Zealand tribe faced with the apparent task of finding a new chief when the current chief's son refuses to accept the role. The duties would fall easily to the son's progeny, except that she is a girl.
28 Day Later: If I grew up in England and knew that Route 405 is more packed than our I85/40 in RTP, then yes, seeing it empty would be rather scary. Shot on video instead of film, I wouldn't sit too close to the front because of the enlarged graininess. (Sorry, Gregg.) Quick cuts and hand camera movements I feel lessen the shock impact of the zombies. But there are many, many points to ponder from the resolution of the film's end. But in the end, not up to the scary hype.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: A friend says it is a pretty good graphic novel, comic book. I believe him. And I see where it has the idea of a pretty good movie. But dammit, I want to shoot the writer AND
the director. Basically, a dumbed-down script and an overwhelming preponderance of visual cues to explain even more where each scene takes place. Hey, you only have to tell me once (or not at all where the scene
takes place or what year it is). Go see it as a matinee if you must, or rent it this Thanksgiving (or earlier). I am not spoiling it when I say the bad guy ultimately fails by not having a secret escape route from
his own master bedroom suite.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Wow. Two and a half hours and I want more! Depp, what can I say that already has been critiqued? This is what a saturday matinee movie is all about. Fun, fun, fun. I want a large poster of the scene where the pirates are underwater walking towards the ship. Yeah
25th Hour (on video): Ham-handed visuals and speechifying by Spike Lee ruins what could have been a great movie. I really cannot say anything more derogatory about the man for fear of him calling me a racist.
Blegh.
