News
Box Office Results
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Sunday, March 30, 2003
Three new movie entered the marketplace this weekend and the three of them did pretty good. Chris Rock, with his
Head of State, was way ahead ignoring critics and attracting audiences instead. Meanwhile Aaron Eckhart and John Travolta ended close behind, although a certain Queen got in their way.
Check out the full list:
- Head of State
- $14M, $14M total - Bringing Down The House
- $12.5M, $100M total - The Core
- $12.4M, $12.4M total - Basic - $12.1M, $12.1M total
- Chicago
- $7.4M, $144.8M total - Dreamcatcher - $6.3M, $25.3M total
- Agent Cody Banks - $6.1M, $34.8M total
- Piglet's Big Movie - $4.6M, $12.4M total
- View From The Top - $3.8M, $12.5M total
- The Hunted - $3.6M, $29.2M total
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News
Three-way race
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Friday, March 28, 2003
Three big-profile movie will compete this weekend for the top spot at the box office and a place in moviegoers hearts... and wallets of course. Check'em out:
The Core - Aaron Eckhart and Hillary Swank headline this action yarn about saving the world and stuff like that. The movie is said to boast some impressive special effects and a cheesy storyline that is certain to please moviegoers who are not looking for Shakespeare. Reviews are mixed.
Basic - John Travolta is back in this
Rashomon-style military yarn directed by John McTiernan. The movie is said to be only ok. Travolta is back in form it seems, and the rest of the cast is equally good.
Head of State - Chris Rock makes his directorial debut with this movie in which he also plays the title character, a man who suddenly becomes the President of the United States. If it was for the reviews he's getting, Rock might not want to try his hand at directing again, but who knows? People might like it.
Travolta, Rock... Eckhart? Be open! It might pay off.
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Review
Urbania
- Director
- Jon Shear
- Year
- 2000
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, March 27, 2003
A couple of days ago I stumbled into this movie without knowing what I was seeing. The title suddenly came up and it sounded familiar. Suddenly I remembered it had played at the Sundance Film Festival a couple of years ago to a very enthusiastic response. So I kept watching, and there’s this woman seducing a guy in the street, then taking him to a room, then drugging him down and it was done. The guy suddenly woke up to find one of his kidneys had been stolen. The rest of the movie didn’t actually have anything to do with this specific sequence, but I was hooked…
Charlie (Dan Futterman) is a gay New Yorker who has apparently lost his lover (Matt Keeslar). He is still recovering when one night he stumbles into a guy he once saw at a party he attended with his boyfriend and spends the entire night tracking him down while also expressing his grief through encounters with all sorts of people.
I was blown away by this movie. It is indie filmmaking at its best. It is so different yet so interesting and entertaining and profound and tricky. It’s impressive to realize the director, Jon Shear, actually made his debut with
Urbania. I praise him especially for being able to bring such a difficult and talky script to the screen with so much aplomb and confidence.
Urbania is actually a difficult movie to explain. It works in many different levels and I was quite surprised by how effectively it can mix this sad story of a man going through a journey in the middle of the night while also interweaving many different stories about urban legends or unusual things that have happened to people, all without ever losing track of the main linear plot. These stories are actually integral to the overall storyline, since they all affect Charlie one way or another, even when he’s not the one who went through them. They’re all quite fun.
But the most interesting part of the movie is Charlie himself, a man who is one thing at the beginning of the movie and another at the end. A man we continually keep trying to discover, as more hints are given to us about his present and his past. A man we never completely understand, yet we identify with him because of what he has gone through. A mysterious, serious lad who is more than meets the eye and who is going through a phase of auto-discovery while exteriorizing all this pain he feels in every way he can. It’s heart-breaking.
Interesting to note as well is the fact that Charlie is gay, yet the movie isn’t about that nor does it try to be anything more than just the story of a guy. It’s rare to stumble into a movie that simply incorporates this issue in a normal way without even addressing it. The fact that Charlie is gay is integral to the story, yet he could’ve been straight and it would’ve worked too. I just liked the way it was treated because it felt honest and real.
Dan Futterman, an actor I’d rarely seen before, is outstanding as Charlie. This guy should get more work! He goes through so much during the course of the movie, and there’s never a false moment. I was shocked by his performance because it isn’t flashy or showy, yet it’s full of moments and nuances and expressions that bring Charlie painfully to life.
Great work by everyone.
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Review
Topkapi
- Director
- Jules Dassin
- Year
- 1964
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Dassin and Melina Mercouri, most famous for their collaboration in
Never on Sunday (1960), teamed up once again for this peculiar caper, rich in flavor and comedy, which also became a groundbreaker.
Mercouri plays a notorious jewel thief, who reunites with her former boyfriend and associate (Maximilian Schell) to plan a new heist. This time, their objective is to steal the Topkapi jewel, one of the most valuable on Earth, which lies in an Istanbul museum. They gather a whole gang and go for it. To be able to take all their tools and weapons through the border, they hire a bumbling everyman (Peter Ustinov) who’ll do anything for money. He drives a car packed with the merchandise, without knowing it is. He succeeds in a way, but circumstance sticks this man to the gang. Now everything will get complicated, as they prepare the robbery, and the secret service follows their steps.
Outstanding comedy/adventure, gorgeously photographed, amazingly acted and strikingly directed. Dassin cared as much for comedy as he did for thrills, creating a piece that has been cited as the main inspiration for “Mission: Impossible”. While Ustinov steals the show as the worried schmuck who simply wasn’t born for such work, the screenplay takes its time to involve us in the procedures and make us care that the job will be done all right. You’ll sweat! In the end, the experience is absolutely rewarding, also thanks to the classic, fun score by the great Manos Hadjidakis.
Good fun!
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Review
Lilo & Stitch
- Director
- Dean DeBlois
- Chris Sanders
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Oh, how I miss the good’ol Disney days! And I’m not really talking about the time they did so many classic movies. I’d be happy if they would only go back to the quality of the movies they did in the 90’s. And that’s not to say I hate what they do know, but aside from their collaborations with Pixar, their movies just don’t cut it lately. They’re good, but that’s about it.
A Hawaiian problematic girl named Lilo (voice of Daveigh Chase) lives with her sister Nani (voice of Tia Carrere) after losing her parents. One day she adopts Stitch (voice of Chris Sanders) thinking it is a dog and chaos ensues as the creature, actually an alien programmed to destroy anything at sight, starts to interfere with their already troubled lives. Meanwhile a pair of aliens are on the hunt for Stitch, since he’s considered dangerous and must be returned to his planet.
I came into
Lilo & Stitch expecting the best. It got mostly good reviews when it was released and it did a lot of money as well. Besides, the concept sounded like fun. The result is definitely somewhere between good and great. In fact, I’d say it is a good movie that tries too hard to be great, but somehow doesn’t achieve it.
The first thing I noticed is how different a movie it is from anything Disney has done in the past. Lilo is actually the weirdest heroine in Disney history. She’s a disturbed girl, she’s lonely, she’s desperate to have friends, she’s sad and she’s always fighting with her sister. How about that? Enter Stitch, an alien who actually starts off as a villain and gets Lilo and company in more trouble than you can imagine. So where’s the inspiring story, where’s the usual happiness?
Don’t despair! Little by little the movie starts turning into something more redemptive. In fact there are so many drastic changes that you could perfectly blame the directors of over-manipulating the audience. I thought I would be laughing the entire time, but instead it seems as if the goal of the movie’s creators was to make us cry. There are definitely one too many heart-breaking scenes.
Then again, isn’t it great when all characters in animated movies live happily ever after?
Lilo & Stitch proves to be a hybrid between
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and
A.I. Artificial Intelligence. It doesn’t strive for originality, yet it tells a good story and does so in a solid form.
Also, I liked the fresh, old-fashioned look of the movie. The animators did a good job!
“No more caffeine for you.”
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News
Box Office Results
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Steve Martin hosted the Oscars and remained at the top of the box office all in the same weekend. Talk about a good streak!
Meanwhile the new movies didn't do that well.
Dreamcatcher did the best while
Boat Trip tanked.
- Bringing Down The House - $16.2M, $83.3M total
- Dreamcatcher - $15M, $15M total
- Agent Cody Banks - $9.2M, $26.5M total
- View From The Top - $7M, $7M total
- The Hunted - $6.5M, $23.3M total
- Chicago - $6.1M, $134M total
- Piglet's Big Movie - $6M, $6M total
- Tears Of The Sun - $4.4M, $37.9M total
- Old School - $3.9M, $66.9M total
- Boat Trip - $3.8M, $3.8M total
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Review
Chicago
- Director
- Rob Marshall
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Monday, March 24, 2003
Explosive film, adapted from the Kander and Ebb Broadway Musical based on the true story of the “merry murderess” Roxie Hart, whose trial took the world by storm in the 1920s. Years of success on stage gave the play international acclaim, and now this movie even more so. So how is it? Excellent. Let me tell you about it.
Roxie (Renée Zellweger) dreams of becoming a jazz singer, just like Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), famous on stage, infamous now for killing her husband and her sister, who were having an affair. After Roxie murders her lover, who made her believe that he would use his connections to make her a star, she goes to jail too, and finds out that Velma is a star even in there. Everything moves smoothly if you pay “Mama” (Queen Latifah) enough, and freedom is fairly possible if you’ve got the right lawyer: Billy Flynn (Richard Gere).
Now it’s time to make Roxie a star, only that way can she be free. The media is manipulated and Roxie gets quite a makeover, and eclipses even Velma. But it’s all a game, and a cruel one too, so the path is not always pleasant. What’s the price of fame? How long does it last?
All this is told in an original, jazzy, extraordinary way. This film is a standout simply for keeping the feeling of a stage musical but not making it merely stagy or static. Everything is translated to perfection and even the use of light and scenery that made the theater production so great are used in a theater-like cinematographic way that’s unique. I don’t think anyone involved in the production was sure that the result would be ok, but director Rob Marshall pulled it off incredibly, and the success of the movie is quite well-deserved.
Great Kander and Ebb songs include an impressive reprise by Zeta-Jones of “All That Jazz” that sets a high standard in the beginning of the movie, a standard that is never lost or diminished through the film, “When You’re Good To Mama” where Queen Latifah steals the spotlight and makes us love her, “All I Care About” where Gere proves that he can be hilarious, “We Both Reached For The Gun” where both Zellweger and Gere explode in a dummy/puppeteer number of media manipulation, “Mister Cellophane” where John C. Reilly, as Roxie’s husband, breaks our heart, and “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag Medley” where Zellweger and Zeta-Jones wrap up everything perfectly.
Taye Diggs is the bandleader who narrates the film as if it was a jazz show. But heck, it is! Amazing performances with great voices abound and give us a hell of a time where we laugh and feel like applauding constantly. Zellweger doesn’t steal the show… it’s hers already! In my opinion her performance is the very best and she owns the spotlight, singing beautifully and convincing in every phase of her character. She’s followed by Gere, who makes us laugh and has a great personality, Zeta-Jones, who’s gorgeous and threatens to steal her own scenes, Reilly, who touches, and Latifah, whose presence is quite pleasant.
A triumph, all the way!
“Don’t you wanna take my picture?”
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News
Oscar Winners 2003!
- Posted by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- News date
- Monday, March 24, 2003
The 75th Academy Awards have been handed out through shocks and otherwise. So check out the results!
Best motion picture of the year
Chicago (Miramax)
A Producer Circle Co., Zadan/Meron Production
Martin Richards, Producer
Other nominees:
Gangs of New York (Miramax)
An Alberto Grimaldi Production
Alberto Grimaldi and Harvey Weinstein, Producers
The Hours (Paramount and Miramax)
A Scott Rudin/Robert Fox Production
Scott Rudin and Robert Fox, Producers
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (New Line)
A New Line Cinema and Wingnut Films
Production
Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson, Producers
"The Pianist" (Focus Features)
An R.P. Productions, Heritage Films, Studio Babelsberg, Runtime LTD. Production
Achievement in directing
"The Pianist" (Focus Features) Roman Polanski
Other nominees:
Chicago (Miramax) Rob Marshall
Gangs of New York (Miramax) Martin Scorsese
The Hours (Paramount and Miramax) Stephen Daldry
Talk to Her (Sony Pictures Classics) Pedro Almodóvar
Screenplay based on material previously produced or published
"The Pianist" (Focus Features) Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
Other nominees:
About a Boy (Universal) Screenplay by Peter Hedges and Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz
Adaptation. (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman
Chicago (Miramax) Screenplay by Bill Condon
The Hours (Paramount and Miramax) Screenplay by David Hare
Screenplay written directly for the screen
Talk to Her (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Pedro Almodóvar
Other nominees:
"Far from Heaven" (Focus Features) Written by Todd Haynes
Gangs of New York (Miramax) Screenplay by Jay Cocks and Steve Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (IFC/Gold Circle Films) Written by Nia Vardalos
Y Tu Mamá También (IFC Films) Written by Carlos Cuarón and Alfonso Cuarón
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Adrien Brody in "The Pianist" (Focus Features)
Other nominees:
Nicolas Cage in
Adaptation. (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Michael Caine in "The Quiet American" (Miramax and Intermedia)
Daniel Day-Lewis in
Gangs of New York (Miramax)
Jack Nicholson in
About Schmidt (New Line)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Chris Cooper in
Adaptation. (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Other nominees:
Ed Harris in
The Hours (Paramount and Miramax)
Paul Newman in
Road to Perdition (DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox)
John C. Reilly in
Chicago (Miramax)
Christopher Walken in
Catch Me If You Can (DreamWorks)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Nicole Kidman in
The Hours (Paramount and Miramax)
Other nominees:
Salma Hayek in
Frida (Miramax)
Diane Lane in
Unfaithful (20th Century Fox)
Julianne Moore in "Far From Heaven" (Focus Features)
Renee Zellweger in
Chicago (Miramax)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Catherine Zeta-Jones in
Chicago (Miramax)
Other nominees:
Kathy Bates in
About Schmidt (New Line)
Julianne Moore in
The Hours (Paramount and Miramax)
Queen Latifah in
Chicago (Miramax)
Meryl Streep in
Adaptation. (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Best animated feature film of the year
"Spirited Away" (Buena Vista)
Other nominees:
Ice Age (20th Century Fox)
Lilo & Stitch (Buena Vista)
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (DreamWorks)
Treasure Planet (Buena Vista)
Achievement in art direction
Chicago (Miramax) Art Direction: John Myhre
Set Decoration: Gord Sim
Other nominees:
Frida (Miramax) Art Direction: Felipe Fernandez del Paso
Set Decoration: Hannia Robledo
Gangs of New York (Miramax) Art Direction: Dante Ferretti
Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Art Direction: Grant Major
(New Line) Set Decoration: Dan Hennah and Alan Lee
Road to Perdition Art Direction: Dennis Gassner
(DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox) Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
Achievement in cinematography
Road to Perdition Conrad L. Hall
(DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox)
Other nominees:
Chicago (Miramax) Dion Beebe
"Far from Heaven" (Focus Features) Edward Lachman
Gangs of New York (Miramax) Michael Ballhaus
"The Pianist" (Focus Features) Pawel Edelman
Achievement in costume design
Chicago (Miramax) Colleen Atwood
Other nominees:
Frida (Miramax) Julie Weiss
Gangs of New York (Miramax) Sandy Powell
The Hours (Paramount and Miramax) Ann Roth
"The Pianist" (Focus Features) Anna Sheppard
Best documentary feature
"Bowling for Columbine" (United Artists and Alliance Atlantis)
Michael Moore and Michael Donovan
Other nominees:
"Daughter from Danang" (Balcony Releasing in association with Cowboy Pictures)
Gail Dolgin and Vincente Franco
"Prisoner of Paradise" (Alliance Atlantis)
Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender
"Spellbound" (THINKFilm)
Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender
"Winged Migration" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jacques Perrin
Best documentary short subject
"Twin Towers"
A Wolf Films/Shape Pictures/Universal/Mopo Entertainment Production
Bill Guttentag and Robert David Port
Other nominees:
"The Collector of Bedford Street"
An Alice Elliott Production
Alice Elliott
"Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks"
A Tell the Truth Pictures Production
Robert Hudson and Bobby Houston
"Why Can't We Be a Family Again?"
A Public Policy Production
Roger Weisberg and Murray Nossel
Achievement in film editing
Chicago (Miramax) Martin Walsh
Other nominees:
Gangs of New York (Miramax) Thelma Schoonmaker
The Hours (Paramount and Miramax) Peter Boyle
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (New Line) Michael Horton
"The Pianist" (Focus Features) Hervé de Luze
Best foreign language film of the year
Nowhere in Africa
An MTM Medien & Television München Production
Germany
Other nominees:
The Crime of Father Amaro
An Alameda Films/BluFilms/Foprocine/Gob. del Estado de Veracruz-Llave Production
Mexico
Hero
A Beijing New Picture Film Company/Elite Group Enterprises Production
People's Republic of China
The Man Without a Past
A Sputnik Oy/Pandora Film/Pyramide Prods. Production
Finland
"Zus & Zo"
A Filmprodukties de Luwte Production
The Netherlands
Achievement in makeup
Frida (Miramax) John Jackson and Beatrice De Alba
Other nominees:
The Time Machine (DreamWorks and Warner Bros.) John M. Elliott, Jr. and Barbara Lorenz
Achievement in music in connection with motion pictures (Original score)
Frida (Miramax) Elliot Goldenthal
Other nominees:
Catch Me If You Can (DreamWorks) John Williams
"Far from Heaven" (Focus Features) Elmer Bernstein
The Hours (Paramount and Miramax) Philip Glass
Road to Perdition Thomas Newman
(DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox)
Achievement in music in connection with motion pictures (Original song)
"Lose Yourself" from
8 Mile (Universal)
Music by Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto
Lyric by Eminem
Other nominees:
"Burn It Blue" from
Frida (Miramax)
Music by Elliot Goldenthal
Lyric by Julie Taymor
"Father and Daughter" from
The Wild Thornberrys Movie
(Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies)
Music and Lyric by Paul Simon
"The Hands That Built America" from
Gangs of New York (Miramax)
Music and Lyric by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
"I Move On" from
Chicago (Miramax)
Music by John Kander
Lyric by Fred Ebb
Best animated short film
"The ChubbChubbs!" (Columbia)
A Sony Pictures Imageworks Production
Eric Armstrong
Other nominees:
"The Cathedral"
A Platige Image Production
Tomek Baginski
"Das Rad"
A Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH Production
Chris Stenner and Heidi Wittlinger
"Mike's New Car" (Buena Vista)
A Pixar Animation Studios Production
Pete Docter and Roger Gould
"Mt. Head"
A Yamamura Animation Production
Koji Yamamura
Best live action short film
"This Charming Man (Der Er En Yndig Mand)"
An M&M Productions for Novellefilm Production
Martin Strange-Hansen and Mie Andreasen
Other nominees:
"Fait D'Hiver"
An Another Dimension of an Idea Production
Dirk Beliën and Anja Daelemans
"I'll Wait for the Next One… (J'Attendrai Le Suivant…)"
A La Boîte Production
Philippe Orreindy and Thomas Gaudin
"Inja (Dog)"
An Australian Film TV & Radio School (AFTRS) Production
Steven Pasvolsky and Joe Weatherstone
"Johnny Flynton"
A Red Corner Production
Lexi Alexander and Alexander Buono
Achievement in sound
Chicago (Miramax) Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella and David Lee
Other nominees:
Gangs of New York (Miramax) Tom Fleischman, Eugene Gearty and Ivan Sharrock
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick,
(New Line) Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek
Road to Perdition Scott Millan, Bob Beemer and
(DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox) John Patrick Pritchet
Spider-Man (Sony Pictures Releasing) Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Ed Novick
Achievement in sound editing
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Ethan Van der Ryn and Michael Hopkins
(New Line)
Other nominees:
Minority Report (20th Century Fox and DreamWorks) Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
Road to Perdition Scott A. Hecker
(DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox)
Achievement in visual effects
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook
(New Line) and Alex Funke
Other nominees:
Spider-Man (Sony Pictures Releasing) John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara and John Frazier
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll and
(20th Century Fox) Ben Snow
Tally:
Chicago - 6
"The Pianist" - 3
Frida - 2
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 2
Adaptation. - 1
8 Mile - 1
The Hours - 1
Nowhere in Africa - 1
Road to Perdition - 1
"Spirited Away" – 1
Talk to Her - 1
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News
Razzies Winners 2003
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Sunday, March 23, 2003
Just when the Oscars are about to be handed this year's razzies winners were just announced. Here's the "winners", with Madonna deserving a huge 'OUCH!':
WORST PICTURE:
Swept Away (Screen Gems)
WORST ACTOR:
Roberto Benigni (Dubbed GODZILLA-Style by Breckin Meyer)
Pinocchio
WORST ACTRESS:
Madonna/
Swept Away, Britney Spears/
Crossroads (tie)
WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Hayden Christensen/
Star Wars/Episide II: Yada-Yada-Yoda
WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Madonna/
Die Another Day
MOST FLATULENT TEEN-TARGETED MOVIE (New Category!)
Jackass: The Movie (Paramount)
WORST SCREEN COUPLE:
Adriano Giannini & Madonna/
Swept Away
WORST DIRECTOR:
Guy Ritchie/
Swept Away
WORST REMAKE or SEQUEL:
Swept Away (Screen Gems)
WORST SCREENPLAY:
STAR WARS: EPISODE II: THE BOREDOM CONTINUES,
Screenplay by George Lucas* and Jonathon Hales
WORST ‘ORIGINAL’ SONG
“I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” from
Crossroads,
Written by Max Martin, “Rami” & Dido Armstrong
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News
Oscar Weekend!
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Friday, March 21, 2003
Four big movies are opening today folks! You won't want to miss them, but if you gotta choose, check this out:
Dreamcatcher - Thomas Jane and Morgan Freeman star in this Lawrence Kasdan-directed spooky thriller about four friends who have contact with some strange stuff that might come from another planet. The movie is said to be so-so. Not too good apparently.
Boat Trip - Cuba Gooding Jr. stars in this supposed comedy that takes place in a gay cruise. The movie is said to be horrible. What's the matter Cuba???
View From The Top - Gwyneth Paltrow stars, along Christina Applegate and Mike Myers, in this movie that has been in the can for some time now and that is being released today to scathing reviews. Mmh, too bad for Gwyneth...
Piglet's Big Movie - The beloved character from the Winnie Pooh series now has her own movie for all children to enjoy. Actually, only children will, since it's said to be really bad and tiring for adults.
So there were pretty bad reviews overall, but don't despair, just follow your heart. Meanwhile, have fun!
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Review
The Good Girl
- Director
- Miguel Arteta
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, March 20, 2003
I am a huge “Friends” fan. I have always been. It is such a good show and Jennifer Aniston is amazing in it. That’s why I couldn’t miss her latest movie, right? It’s actually a serious one and it boasts a critically-acclaimed performance. A must see, I say!
Justine (Jennifer Aniston) is an unhappily married woman who works at a Walmart-like store. Her husband Phil (John C. Reilly) is on drugs and to top it all nothing seems to happen in her boring life at all. That’s until she meets Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal) and starts an adulterous relationship with him.
If you thought
The Hours was the feel-bad movie of the year (a big misconception, by the way) you clearly haven’t seen
The Good Girl, director Miguel Arteta’s latest movie. It depicts the struggle of this woman who just can’t take it anymore. Her life has become such a tedious routine that she has no expectations for her future whatsoever. She’s in a state of no-sense existence, where one just lives to wake up the next day. This movie explores exactly that state of mind, and it does so in a satiric yet seriocomic way full of great little moments of truth.
Writer Mike White (who also appears in the movie as Justine’s Bible-loving co-worker) successfully blends some really harsh facts about the human being in a story about wanting to achieve more. Justine finds something different in her relationship with Holden, but she’s so desperate that she can’t realize it might not be such a good idea. She then becomes so desperate to straighten things out that at one point she does some pretty unexpected yet totally realistic things. Justine could be you or me, and it is not our place to judge her, but to understand her. I did, and I really enjoyed her story.
The ending might not be what many people may want, but I found it absolutely believable. I might or might nor agree with it, but it rang true, it felt like that was something Justine would do. And it is sad as well for reasons I can’t delve into right here, but that prove more poignant than they look at the surface.
Jennifer Aniston delivers a knock-out performance completely absent of her usual mannerisms. This is a different Aniston, a low-key, sad, unglamorous one. It’s not just a vanity project, it’s a real performance. John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal and Tim Blake Nelson are excellent as well, but it is Zooey Deschanel who steals the movie. She’s just absolutely hilarious!
A solid, rough movie.
"If I were a woman, I'd be a slut. A lesbian slut."
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Review
Nowhere in Africa
- Director
- Caroline Link
- Year
- 2001
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Wednesday, March 19, 2003
In 1938 Germany, a successful Jewish lawyer, Walter Redlich (Merab Ninidze), foresees that there’s no future for him and his family in their home country as long as the Nazis have power, and flees with his wife Jettel (Juliane Köhler) and their little daughter Regina (Lea Kurka). He goes first, and expects them in a Kenyan farm, where he’s caretaker. Of course, the transition is not easy, especially for Jettel, who cannot accept their new life. Walter values life and settles down, while Regina becomes fascinated by the new culture that surrounds them and absorbs its language, its customs and everything else.
Soon, everything Walter feared comes true and then war unleashes and they hear about it, and live a remote anguish for their loved ones who stayed in Germany. They have a war of their own to fight, as Jettel and Walter find continuous bumps in their relationship. Yet, there’s always Regina to open their eyes. Years pass, and some things change.
Extraordinary epic of parallelism and truth, focusing on a family of refugees while making accurate statements on racism, adaptation and human nature. While we’re never shown what’s going on in Germany, we hear about it in a remote way, just like these characters, and we also feel the impotence. While in the middle of nowhere, this family develops in itself and outside, and there’s evolution going on. Little by little, Walter longs more and more his former life, while Jettel becomes self-assured and established. Regina, the most beautiful character of the movie, becomes a citizen of the world who grabs the best values of every culture she’s confronted with. Both Kurka, adorable as little Regina, and Karoline Eckertz, appropriate as the teenaged one, excel. Another standout is Sidede Onyulo as Owuor, the farm’s cook who stays with the family throughout the years. His scenes with Regina are heartwarming from beginning to end.
The School Principal’s change of mind is an extraordinary scene for its meaning, as is Jettel’s conversation with Owuor concerning his family, or her encounter with a dying woman, and these are just three among the many examples I could give. This film is filled with poignant scenes that mean much more than they seem to. Beautiful. So incredibly beautiful. And at times, so incredibly sad.
Based on the autobiographic novel by Stefanie Zweig (the real-life Regina), this movie is emotive, enlightening and refreshing. It’s a tale of the Second World War that gives us a completely different scope on things. And it’s also a tale of optimism, change and variation of cultures. A great score by Niki Reiser adds to the intensity. Every production value is top-notch. Only overlength hurts this wonderful film. Not to be missed!
“Everything I love is on this bed.”
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Review
Punch-Drunk Love
- Director
- Paul Thomas Anderson
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of my favorite directors of all-time. I mean it. And that statement holds even if I haven’t seen all of his movies, but only the three last ones. I don’t consider
Punch-Drunk Love to be nearly as good as
Magnolia or
Boogie Nights, but I enjoy the way he takes risks, the way he does things differently, the way he writes like no one does. He even manages to bring his personal style to the way the actors talk! He’s just brilliant.
Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) is the owner of a small business who comes from a family with a lot of sisters. He doesn’t have a girlfriend and despite appearing as an easy-going guy he has an anger-control problem. One day he meets Lena Leonard (Emily Watson), a luminous woman who, get this, actually seems to like him!
Can you believe that premise? Paul Thomas Anderson actually decided to do a simple romantic comedy in old-fashioned boy-meets-girl way. But if you think it is safe territory think again. It’s Anderson after all, and his movie is filled with quirky subplots, elements and dialogue. For one reason or another a piano coming out of nowhere gets involved, an innocent sex-phone service turns ugly, a huge miscalculation by an airline company and another that sells pudding serves as a plot device, a family party goes catastrophic and all of a sudden Hawaii turns up.
Despite all the bizarre moments the movie ends up being surprisingly sweet. That’s due in part to the main couple, Sandler and Watson, and the chemistry they share. Yes, they do share some chemistry. I know it sounds unbelievable. It even sounds ridiculous! But believe me, it works.
Anderson also knows exactly what he’s doing. There are some moments in the movie when Barry feels so trapped that he can’t handle the anguish. The director uses a lot of cinematic devices to make us, the audience, feel his pain. Whether the camera starts moving around incessantly or the background music starts to pump up in unexpected ways, we always get in the mood, and it turns out to be a very effective procedure. Jon Brion’s score and the songs used throughout the movie are very helpful in achieving this.
Performance-wise, Sandler is not very different than his usual on-screen persona. He is certainly more contained and that allows us to see a more restrained and focused performance than usual. But it is Emily Watson who steals the movie. She’s so talented and lovable and beautiful… she’s just breath-taking! Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzman and many other talented performers do an excellent job as well.
All in all, it is Anderson’s show and he takes the best out of it. From the colorful visual-style he gives his movie to the queer script he wrote, he seems to be having fun. And we are as well!
“I didn't ask for a shrink - that must've been somebody else. Also, that pudding isn't mine. Also, I'm wearing this suit today because I had a very important meeting this morning and I don't have a crying problem.”
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Review
The Man Without a Past
- Director
- Aki Kaurismäki
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Monday, March 17, 2003
This Finnish film starts off strong, with a man (Markku Peltola) being brutally beaten and robbed in a train station. The initial mood is thus set to potential suspense and mystery. Things get weird however when the man is pronounced dead at a hospital, and suddenly awakens from a coma. He fixes his broken nose himself, and walks away. Is this a supernatural thriller? By the way, he lost his memory. Oh jeez, one more movie about amnesia. Where can this movie go?
The results are surprising, and even unsettling, definitely unexpected and refreshing. The film doesn’t go towards the man’s past or the reasons why anything happened or anything else like that. Instead, it takes the man to the outskirts of Helsinki, Finland, where he meets a poor community that tries to help him: First a married couple (Juhani Niemelä and Kaija Pakarinen), then a wannabe-tough-but-actually-kind policeman (Sakari Kuosmanen) and finally the Army of Salvation, one of whose volunteers, Irma (Kati Outinen) conquers the heart of our nameless hero. After the latter has regained his health and has adapted to society, he helps back.
At the core, Kaurismäki’s second part of his “Finland” trilogy is nothing extraordinary, or shocking, or new. But what is it really? It’s a moving piece that takes unexpected paths and uses a big cliché (amnesia) not as a cliché but as an excuse to redefine the terms “second chance” and “born again”. It plays with the premise that a middle-aged man can start anew and how it could be for someone really good inside. This man isn’t too worried about his past, except when it comes to affecting someone from his new life (specifically Irma, as it’s possible that he’s already married). If he’s worried about anything, it’s his new life, and his new friends and community. And no wonder, since they’ve given him so much without asking anything in return…
The viewer is presented with a story that flows so seamlessly that it doesn’t force the question, but let me ask you: What would you do in his place? You probably wouldn’t take things so calmly; I know I wouldn’t. What motivates all this people to live life like there’s no problem at all? Well, that kindness and humility is what helps their new neighbor reconstruct his life with big values that he probably lacked before the accident. Maybe we’ll never know, but as he is now, we like him. The fact that living in a storage container, with no money or documents, and no memories, means nothing against the goodness of the spirit, is beautiful. And there’s the catch.
The quiet, easy-going tone of the film extends to the performances as well. Nothing spectacular here, but instead, people who deliver their lines without exaggeration or illogical passion. These people seem real, and that makes the piece more effective and powerful. The scene where middle-aged Irma tells the man that he’s her first love is absolutely moving, but it’s not played that way. I wonder if it would be as moving had she told him the same thing exuding emotion and enchantment. Probably not. One more reason why this movie is highly recommendable.
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Box Office Results
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Sunday, March 16, 2003
For the second consecutive weekend,
Bringing Down The House was #1 at the box office. Steve Martin and Queen Latifah proved they have a hit in their hands.
Of the three new releases
Agent Cody Banks did the best, although its result wasn't that spectacular.
Meanwhile
Chicago actually upped its cume compared to last weekened's. Pretty impressive.
- Bringing Down The House - $22.4M, $61.6M total
- Agent Cody Banks - $15M, $15M total
- The Hunted - $13.5M, $13.5M total
- Tears Of The Sun - $8.8M, $30.8M total
- Chicago - $7.7M, $125.4M total
- Old School - $6.8M, $60.9M total
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
- $4.8M, $93.8M total - Willard - $4M, $4M total
- Daredevil - $3M, $96M total
- Cradle 2 The Grave - $3M, $31.7M total
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Pre-Oscar Weekend
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Friday, March 14, 2003
Three new movies open this weekend just before the Oscar ceremony takes place and the country goes to war (hopefully not!). They're quite different from each other, so here's the deal:
Agent Cody Banks - Frankie Muniz of "Malcom in the Middle" stars as a James Bond-like kid in this adventurous movie that isn't getting any kudos from critics, yet I don't suppose that'll matter at all.
Willard - Crispin Glover stars as a freaky guy who happens to befriend rats and with whom he establishes a rare bond that could help him achieve his scary goals. Critics are saying the movie is beautifully shot and interesting to watch. They kind of like it!
The Hunted - William Friedkin directs Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio del Toro in this action thriller in which they find themselves trying to catch and escape each other. It isn't precisely groundbreaking, but reviews range from mixed to good.
And that's it. Great choices I think. Have fun!
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Review
Jackass: The Movie
- Director
- Jeff Tremaine
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, March 13, 2003
A long time ago there was some controversy over an MTV show called “Jackass” that was all about doing dangerous stunts. As the controversy heated up I decided to give the show a look, finding myself entertained during the half hour it lasted, although with no urges whatsoever to see it again anytime soon. Then a movie was made about the TV show and I still didn’t feel like I really wanted to see it. But hey, there’s always ideal movies for a boring Wednesday afternoon, so why not give it a look!
Jackass: The Movie isn’t really a movie except for the fact that it lasts about an hour and a half and granted all the participants to curse on-screen and do even more dangerous stuff than what they can do in the small screen. We follow Johnny Knoxville and his gang (including Steve-O, Spike Jonze, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Dave England and many more) as they perform all type of hazardous and gross-out stunts that no rational human being would ever attempt to do.
So what is there to review about a movie that consists purely of short sketches? Well, after all it is a comedy, and when you pay for a ticket you expect to be entertained and you expect to laugh. Does
Jackass: The Movie succeed in doing that? Yes it does!
The truth is, there is very funny stuff here to keep you busy for the entire running length. To me the funniest bits always involved stunts that had to do with common people who had no idea what they were getting into. Whether it’s the crocodile-in-the-kitchen gag, or the pissing-out-people-trying-to-play-golf joke, or the rent-a-car-and-then-crash-it stunt or every scene involving Oriental people, they’re all laugh-out-loud moments because of the way other people behave. Of course, the stunt that definitely gets the most notoriety involves a Hot Wheel, a condom and a doctor. You won’t believe how far this guy is willing to go. Hysterical!
Of course there are a lot of gross-out scenes, most of which provoke more squirms than laughs. People also get hurt several times, but they’re always doing insane stuff and if you play with fire be ready to get burned. That’s part of the fun for us, of course, so I’m not complaining.
Anyway, an audacious, fast-paced, crazy movie for those who want something different.
“I guess I don’t have any last words. I’m just gonna kill myself once I lose my wiener.”
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SAG Winners 2003
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Wednesday, March 12, 2003
This past Sunday the 9th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards took place and took Hollywood by storm, confirming
Chicago's place as this year's Oscar front-runner.
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis,
Gangs of New York
Best Actress
Renee Zellweger,
Chicago
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Walken,
Catch Me If You Can
Best Supporting Actress
Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Chicago
Cast Ensemble Performance
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Review
Chicago
- Director
- Rob Marshall
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, March 11, 2003
So finally I got to see the movie everyone’s been talking about for so long. The movie that swept the Oscar nominations and the movie that is likely to sweep come Oscar night. The movie that is giving Scorsese a headache but is putting a big smile in Weinstein’s face. The movie that finally got made after so many years of finding funding, a good cast and a viable way of turning the play’s story into a coherent cinematic endeavor. The result… breath-taking!
Chicago, the 20’s, Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) has always admired Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a flamboyant cabaret performer who is serving some time in prison for the murder of her husband and her sister. Soon Roxie finds herself in the same position after murdering her lover, and thus begins a battle of egos as the two vixens try to grab the media attention with the help of sleazy lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), a big personality himself.
To set the record straight, I haven’t seen the Broadway musical, although I’ve been fairly familiar with the story for many years now. To watch the movie version was an out-of-this-world experience, since I had never wanted to applaud so many times during a projection as I did here. Number after number my jaw kept dropping, and as I continued to think there would not be a number to top the one before I kept finding myself embarrassed for having even thought of it.
There sure are some show-stopping numbers that I hail as my favorites. Catherine Zeta Jones’s opening rendition of “All That Jazz” is a stunner. The movie begins with a bang and never ceases to keep the energy level at such a high point. Then there’s the spectacular rendition of the “Cell Block Tango”, in which the choreography is so impressive and the song so imposing and the performances so magnificent and the finale so splendorous that my eyes just couldn’t believe what they had just seen. The final number, “Nowadays”, involving Roxie and Velma, is also a wow.
But what else is there that deserves special mention and that doesn’t include Catherine Zeta-Jones? A lot actually! The trial scene moving to the rhythm of Richard Gere’s “Razzle Dazzle” is expertly shot by director Robert Marshall and impressively staged by the actors, dancers and everyone involved. Gere, and specially Zellweger, also stun in their rendition of “We Both Reached For The Gun”, a musical press conference with Roxie as dummy to Billy’s ventriloquist.
And last but not least there’s John C. Reilly’s “Mr. Cellophane” number, which almost brought tears to my eyes. Heart-breaking!
Credit to whom credit deserves, and the man behind
Chicago is Rob Marshall, who makes his debut with this movie and shows impressive range behind the camera. Not only that, but he also choreographed the musical numbers. I don’t know if he’ll live up to what he accomplished here, but Bob Fosse would be proud and I think he deserves all the recognition he’s getting. His work is amazing.
And amazing as well are the performances populating this visually-creative production. For me, there is one actress who owns the movie, and that is Catherine Zeta-Jones. She’s got the chops, the pose, the voice, the moves, the body, the attitude. She commands the screen and devours the part. It’s as if she was born to play Velma. Meanwhile, Renee Zellweger does a good job as well and brings her character the right mix of Marilyn Monroe-like sexiness and innocence, while also being quite tough on the inside.
Supporting players include John C. Reilly, excellent as Roxie’s husband; Queen Latifah, adept as Mama Morton; Christine Baranski, a wonderful Mary Sunshine; and of course Richard Gere, charming as Billy Flynn.
There’s nothing greater than a musical that also makes you think, as
Chicago does with its biting social commentary on the media frenzy towards the scandalous, a topic much in vogue nowadays.
Stunning!
“There’s only one business when that’s not problem at all.”
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Review
Hero
- Director
- Zhang Yimou
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Monday, March 10, 2003
Recently I got the unexpected chance to see this film, which has been nominated for a
Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, so I’ll tell you about it.
Historical facts of ancient China meet legendary treatment of tales of old in this story of conspiracy against the King of Qin (Daoming Chen), one of the seven kingdoms back in the days when China was not unified. A Man With No Name (Jet Li) has defeated three of the deadliest enemies of the King: Sky (Donnie Yen), Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung). The King has summoned this man and allowed him to get dangerously near him, which is a risk such man can only take with someone who’s proved to be on his side. The Nameless Man starts telling his tale, which we see in flashback. However, his version of the procedures just might not be completely true.
Hero is a magnificent Martial Arts/Asian Legend epic, with every ingredient to make it enjoyable: big scale effects, outstanding settings and cinematography, and haunting music (by Tan Dun). The performances are credible if not exactly great, but it’s not the actors’ fault but the script’s, for no character is more profound than one layer, two at best. That’s a shame, especially for the main character, who could have and should have gone further in development. His motivations are unclear because we never really get to feel them coming from him. Still as I said, it’s not really the actors’ fault; everyone does their best, to be sure.
Another problem of this film is that director Zhang Yimou, of
The Road Home (1999) fame, attempted to create a sort of
Rashomon (1950) meets
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) experience, and wasn’t successful in the aspects that made those films internationally successful classics. There’s no poignant character study and the legendary treatment isn’t exactly unforgettable. In fact, it’s treated in such a way that it can be catalogued as a popcorn movie much easier, and that’s quite sad.
I don’t think this film is completely unsuccessful however, but far from it. The
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)-like fights are still irresistible, the flying more moderate (not to say that I disliked it, but I know some people who had a problem with it), and the story somewhat fascinating, and credible, so the movie’s good fun. Watch out for the first fight involving Nameless and Sky… Certainly one of Jet Li’s brightest moments. And what about that army of arrows attack? Never saw anything like that before! Gorgeous Zhang Ziyi appears in a small role and delights as usual.
Overall, something unmemorable to check out for fun.
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Box Office Results
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Sunday, March 09, 2003
Well, Queen Latifah can't complain about anything these days. She's got an Oscar nom, a movie in the #1 spot at the box office and another one in the top 5! She's on fire! And I'm happy for her. Not even Bruce Willis was able to defeat her. Big guy, uh?
Check out this weekend's results:
- Bringing Down The House - $31.7M, $31.7M total
- Tears Of The Sun - $17.2M, $17.2M total
- Old School - $9.2M, $50.8M total
- Chicago - $6.9M, $114.5M total
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - $6.7M, $86.9M total
- Cradle 2 The Grave - $6.5M, $27M total
- Daredevil - $5.1M, $91.4M total
- The Jungle Book 2 - $4.2M, $39.5M total
- Shanghai Knights - $2.7M, $54.7M total
- The Life of David Gale - $2.1M, $17.1M total
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Top 10 of 2002 Update
- Posted by
- a.k.a. Gon
- News date
- Sunday, March 09, 2003
So, here’s the story: Groucho saw
The Hours and he mailed me his updated top 10, with typos, giving away the fact that he was still shaky. The film affected him and he loved it, and it also climbed to the overall top 10. Between us, it doesn’t look like it’ll be changing positions soon. So,
Catch Me If You Can at last lost its crown,
Frida,
Chicago and
Adaptation. lost one spot each, and
Road to Perdition surprisingly climbed to spot 7, sending
Y Tu Mamá También to spot 8. Stay tuned, for everything’s shaping up, but there are still changes to come. Plus, Groucho will review
The Hours soon.
Here’s the current list:
- The Hours
- Catch Me If You Can
- Frida
- Chicago
- Adaptation.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Road to Perdition
- Y Tu Mamá También
- Gangs of New York
- Signs
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Writers Guild Association Winners 2003
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Saturday, March 08, 2003
The Writers Guild Association has just announced this year's winners and they're quite shocking. A documentary had never won in Guild history and in a suprising twist
Adaptation. wasn't the big winner.
Here's the results:
Best Original Screenplay
Michael Moore -
Bowling for Columbine
Best Adapted Screenplay
David Hare -
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Tears... of laughter?
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Friday, March 07, 2003
It's SAG weekend but the studios don't care and keep releasing March films which are getting a little better in overall quality than the stuff we got in the past two months. It's Bruce Willis vs Queen Latifah this weekend. It could get ugly...
Tears Of The Sun - Bruce Willis and Monica Bellucci star in this war film about heroism amidst difficult times. The theme is quite resonant with today's environment, and the stars are said to be in prime form. Mixed-to-strong reviews show it could be a good choice for the weekend.
Bringing Down The House - Steve Martin and Queen Latifah headline this
romantic comedy that is said to be just about as hilarious as it can get. If word spreads out it could turn out to be a big hit. Time will tell...
Meanwhile have fun at the movies!
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Review
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
- Director
- George Clooney
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, March 06, 2003
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a movie I’ve followed since it was in the writing stage and Charlie Kaufman was just adding the final details to his draft. A lot of people were attached at one point or another, but somehow the project always seemed to be doomed for perdition. But wait, the script had a fan, a very huge fan I must say. His name is George Clooney. He couldn’t stand the fact that “one of the best scripts out there” was not going to be made into a movie. What to do? Easy, star and direct it himself.
The movie tells the story of Chuck Barris’ (Sam Rockwell) rise to stardom. He started as a producer of “The Dating Game”, but then went on to host the infamous and irreverent “Gong Show”. But wait, Barris claims in his autobiography that at night he used to be a CIA hitman who happened to kill 33 people. Whether that’s true or not, it’s all in the movie. While living this double-life Barris tried to keep his relationship with Penny (Drew Barrymore), while also being seduced by a mysterious co-worker (Julia Roberts).
So what exactly is
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind? Therein lies the mystery. It’s a biography, yet a highly unusual one; it’s a thriller, yet only once in a while; it’s a romance, yet that almost never takes center stage. Perhaps there’s not one simple way to define the movie because it would be just like defining life. It’s everything and it’s nothing. But after all is said and done, it’s the peculiar story of a peculiar man who might or might not have lived this extraordinary life filled with highs and lows.
George Clooney proves to be a very capable director. I’ve always said that if you are going to borrow from someone, borrow from the best. Clooney did just that, mixing some of the Coens style with that of Soderbergh. The result is an intriguing combination of style and pizzazz that works really well for the tone and story.
The movie never fails to entertain, it’s filled with fun Kaufman-esque dialogue and situations and it is very well acted. Overall it is a solid movie that doesn’t reach greatness for the fact that after a while there isn’t much more to tell. Sure, Barris’ life was captivating, but in the last third the movie starts to feel like a one-joke exercise. Don’t get me wrong, that’s just a minor quibble, but it does drag the experience a little bit.
Sam Rockwell takes center stage in a star-making performance that will hopefully get him a lot of good roles, because it’s a pleasure to watch him. The way he gets under the skin of Chuck Barris in such intense, accurate and charismatic fashion is breath-taking. Barrymore, Roberts and Clooney lend excellent support.
"Jesus Christ was dead and back again by the time he was 32. You better get crackin'."
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Review
Never on Sunday
- Director
- Jules Dassin
- Year
- 1960
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Wednesday, March 05, 2003
An American Scholar, Homer Thrace (Jules Dassin), goes to Piraeus, Greece, and meets the peculiar way of life of people there, in his opinion opposite to the customs that once made of Greece the greatest country on Earth. His obsession to find out what’s happened to such a fine land, now turned to libertinism and entertainment as opposed to culture, finds an object of study in Ilya (Melina Mercouri), a prostitute that loves her work, chooses her men and is adored by everyone in town… except of course, by “No face”, the man who wants to control the prostitutes and can’t get a hold of her business. Homer is delighted by Ilya but still thinks that he must change her mind, for he sees in her a bright woman who can be cultured if she’s willing to learn. His ideas are not welcome in the beginning, but soon he grows on Ilya and she starts to consider a change. However, he considers a change of his own too…
Delightful, uniquely tasteful comedy, featuring Mercouri in one of her unforgettable roles, of a woman who conquers the hearts of those around her and those in the audience watching this movie. Dassin plays with charm but does a better work scripting and directing. Yet this unconventional movie hits the spot.
Great score and title song by Manos Hadjidakis.
“And they all go to the seashore.”
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Review
About Schmidt
- Director
- Alexander Payne
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, March 04, 2003
To tell you the truth I wasn’t the biggest
Election fan. I did like the movie, but I never hailed it as the masterpiece most people seem to think it is. I loved Reese Witherspoon in it and I loved its originality, but that was about it. And then director Alexander Payne announced his next project. It would star the Jack and it would be a comedy that sounded really good. Then came its release, then the awards. It was time for me to cave in with my opinion.
Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) is a man in his 60’s who just retired. His plan is to travel along with his wife Helen (June Squibb) through the country. But then a very unfortunate event takes place and Warren is forced to reconsider everything about his life, including his relationship with his daughter Jeannie (Hope Davis). As it happens she is about to marry a dork (Dermot Mulroney) with a foul-mouthed mother (Kathy Bates), something he just can’t understand.
Going into this movie I was expecting it to be an out-there comedy. Little did I know it would be the thoughtful, quiet drama with some bursts of neat satire that it is.
About Schmidt is actually a slow movie. It is so well-written that every moment rings true and every moment has some significance. It is the kind of movie that stays with you. As of me, the more I think about it the more I like it.
About Schmidt tells a simple story. It is about an ordinary man, an old man, who is just about to start a completely new life. Writer/director Payne has a keen eye for American society. The way he satirizes the American way in such a classy way is a pleasure to watch. He really knows the feeling, the details, the absurdity of it all. And he really manages to get a lot of laughs from unexpected little moments that could happen to anyone. Most amazing of all, he manages to bring his movie with just about the right tone, that of dramatic momentum with bursts of laughter that don’t seem out of place.
To tell you the truth, when the movie was over I didn’t completely understand what the Ndugu subplot was all about. Sure, it was nice, but did it serve the movie? And then it hit me! This movie is about second chances. It is about redemption. It is about not giving up and always finding something to make your life meaningful. Just when you think you’re pretty much a failure, there’s always something or someone that doesn’t think that way of you. There’s always hope.
Jack Nicholson just got himself a record Oscar nomination for his performance as Warren Schmidt. I was quite sure I had seen everything there was to him from his previous movies, but I was pleasantly surprised to realize how layered and controlled his performance is here. You have really never ever seen Jack quite like this. To start off he plays an old man, he makes that transition. And then he just lets it go and delivers some amazing moments such as that very last shot which would’ve been enough to get him all the awards he deserves.
An excellent supporting cast accompanies Jack through the road trip he embarks on. The best of all being Kathy Bates, who appears late in the movie but steals every scene she’s in with a flamboyant, no-holds no-barriers turn.
A profound experience in itself.
“Larry, we've been welcomed by you, thank you so much, now would you please just drink your fucking milk and shut the fuck up?”
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Review
Adaptation.
- Director
- Spike Jonze
- Year
- 2002
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Monday, March 03, 2003
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman was assigned to adapt Susan Orlean’s non-fiction book “The Orchid Thief” to the big screen. Given the nature of the book, the task was not easy, and he struggled hard to do it.
This premise is both fact and fiction in this fascinating, strikingly original film, from the team that brought us
Being John Malkovich (1999). Nicolas Cage plays Kaufman as a desperate man who can’t find a way to create an interesting movie script from a book that’s more about flowers and human nature than about a particular story. He’s anxious and depressive and kind of pathetic. His twin brother Donald is just the opposite, and when the latter decides to become a screenwriter, Charlie’s scenario becomes even more pessimistic.
Years before, New Yorker writer Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) went to Florida to make some research on people who collect, clone and deal with orchids, and some especially rare kinds of them. Her object of research was John Laroche (Chris Cooper), an eccentric, attractive and unique plant dealer of this kind. Kaufman can’t seem to understand two things: the way in which Orlean made flowers such an interesting subject to fill a book and make it worthwhile, and the passion of some people towards certain things in life to make everything else seem unimportant. The very same questions were Orlean’s during her research, and finding the answers was her real quest. Now Kaufman goes through a similar road. And neither is easy or rewarding.
This is no autobiographic account. True, Charlie and Donald Kaufman are the credited writers of this movie’s script, and Susan Orlean’s book is real, as is John Laroche. However, though this film is an account of how this very film was written, it is also in fact a metaphoric retelling of the book, a faithful adaptation in a way, with all characters representing elements from Orlean’s original text. Kaufman did put himself in the script, but did so in a symbolic representation of Susan Orlean, creating for himself a fictitious twin brother to represent another side of oneself, a dark one maybe, though actually lighter in many ways. Streep’s Orlean represents Laroche from the novel, and probably also the orchids in a way, so fascinating, but why? The essence of the book was respected, as were the orchids by the way, intoxicating, fascinating and unforgettable.
The story wraps itself twice and thrice for the sake of entertainment, reflection and self-study. The writer even deconstructs himself and finds out how weak he really is when trying to please others, failing to do so in search of his own satisfaction in the creation of something masturbatory but masterful. The layers of this story are incalculable, just look closely and you’ll find out that everything parallels something else, and everything is there for a reason concerning a moment before or after. Everything. But still, nothing is missing. How could Kaufman think of this? How did he start, how did he finish? I just can’t imagine it, the man’s a genius! This screenplay is one of the best ever written, no doubt about it, and Kaufman deserves (or should I say, the Kaufman twins deserve) unlimited recognition and admiration.
And who better than Spike Jonze to turn such a prodigious script into an enlightened movie? There are no false moves in the direction. And though the screenwriter takes most of the applause in this case, there’s a lot of talent involved. Only check out those performances! Easily Cage’s best, and certainly one of the best from Cooper and Streep too. The three of them are absolutely outstanding, and even though they are and have always been talented, they surprise; words really can’t do them justice. Other talented performers include Tilda Swinton, Cara Seymour, Brian Cox (in the role of real-life screenwriting guru Robert McKee), Judy Greer and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Good score by Carter Burwell.
“The book isn't like that, and life isn't like that, it just isn't!”
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News
Top 10 of 2002 Update
- Posted by
- a.k.a. Gon
- News date
- Monday, March 03, 2003
So, here’s the news: our guys love
Chicago! Groucho more than Morris, or so it seems, but both praised it high and put it in their lists. The result: third place in the overall top 10.
Y Tu Mamá También sadly went down two spots, while
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers went up one!
Road to Perdition maintained its eighth place, and
Signs reentered the list in tenth, surprisingly, saying good-bye to
Spider-Man and
Minority Report. The biggest shock was the terrible loss of spots by
Gangs of New York, which went from sixth to ninth, too bad! Both Groucho and Morris will review
Chicago soon, so stay tuned!
Here’s the current list:
- Catch Me If You Can
- Frida
- Chicago
- Adaptation.
- The Hours
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Y Tu Mamá También
- Road to Perdition
- Gangs of New York
- Signs
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News
Producers Guild of America Winner 2003
- Posted by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- News date
- Monday, March 03, 2003
As you probably know, the winner of this award usually goes on to get the Best Picture Oscar. Then it's a very happy moment for
Chicago (Miramax), which took the prize yesterday. Good!
Other nominees for the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures:
Adaptation. - Columbia/ Sony Pictures Ent.
Gangs of New York - Miramax
My Big Fat Greek Wedding - IFC Films
Road to Perdition - Dreamworks / SKG
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - New Line Cinema
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News
Box Office Results
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Sunday, March 02, 2003
Another movie starring DMX and another movie at the top of the box office. That's becoming a trend, so watch out for this guy. His new movie,
Cradle 2 The Grave, did really good.
Meanwhile, Oscar-hopeful
Chicago crossed the 100-million mark. Not bad!!!
- Cradle 2 The Grave - $17.1M, $17.1M total
- Old School - $13.9M, $37.2M total
- Daredevil - $11M, $84.1M total
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - $10.1M, $77.5M total
- Chicago - $8.1M, $105.1M total
- The Jungle Book 2 - $6.8M, $33.6M total
- Shanghai Knights - $4.8M, $50.7M total
- The Life of David Gale - $4.3M, $13.4M total
- Gods and Generals - $2.7M, $8.7M total
- The Recruit - $2.6M, $48M total
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News
Directors Guild Association Winner 2003
- Posted by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- News date
- Sunday, March 02, 2003
Now this is good news for
Chicago: Director Rob Marshall won the DGA Award for Best Director. This was his first nomination and now he's frontrunner for Oscar. Good for him! The movie rocks, as does his direction. Too bad for Martin Scorsese.
Other nominees:
Peter Jackson,
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Stephen Daldry,
The Hours
Roman Polanski,
The Pianist
Martin Scorsese,
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Morris wrote at 3/24/2003 10:33:11 PM:
Morris wrote at 3/27/2003 8:21:30 PM:
It definitely sounds like fun!!!