modern – Page 2 – Daleisphere

September 17, 2008February 28, 2017

The Dark Knight (2008)

(5/5)

Reference: |
Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 95% | Metacritic 82%

Wow! The Dark Knight was so good I would have wanted to give it 5.5 Dale-heads out of 5. But, its whopping 2.5 hour length, and the fact that I don’t have a graphic for 5.5 Dale-heads, pulls it back to a meagre perfect 5 out of 5. 🙂

I quite enjoyed Batman Begins (2005). The Dark Knight was even better. In this instalment, Christian Bale‘s Batman, Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman ) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) had been making significant strides in reducing the crime-ridden Gotham City we encountered in Batman Begins until a new arch-villain, The Joker (Heath Ledger), rose up to challenge them. And challenge-them he does.

Heath Ledger as the Joker was spectacular and is a shoe-in for Best Supporting Actor. He steels the show from Christian Bale, though Bale’s performance was very good too. Ledger’s creepy, nuanced performance of a sociopath is acting at its best.

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September 14, 2008February 28, 2017

Enchanted (2007)

(4/5)

Reference: |
Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 93% | Metacritic 75%

Enchanted (2007) is a terrific movie that lives up to its name. Few musicals since the Sound of Music (1965) and West Side Story (1961) have been as satisfying and enjoyable as Enchanted. It had me pleasantly smiling from beginning to end.

Amy Adams plays Giselle, a princess, that literally falls out of a fairytale into Manhattan’s Time’s Square. My first discovery of Adams was her Oscar nominated performance in Junebug (2005) where she, but not the movie, was wonderful. In Enchanted she plays the same kind of unwaveringly, wide-eyed optimist character that she played in Junebug. She convincingly plays a fairytale princess, capable of motivating hard-edged New Yorkers into spontaneous song and dance. Somehow she pulled it off in an entertaining fashion. So much so that I rewound and watched that scene several times. Her That’s How You Know song got me humming along.

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August 15, 2008February 28, 2017

Legally Blonde (2001)

(4/5) romantic comedy

Reference: |
Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes (68%) | Metacritic (59%)

Golden Globe nominated Legally Blonde (2001) introduced me to two of my favourite (and two of the prettiest) contemporary actresses, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair. Despite its quirkiness, I laughed a lot and really it (it’s sequel Legally Blonde 2 (2003) – not so much). I saw it at the cinema when it first came out, again on DVD a few years ago and was happy to watch it once again when it was broadcast in HD on abc this evening.

In Legally Blonde (2001), after being dumped by her Harvard Law-bound boyfriend (Warren), fashion merchandising major Elle Woods (Reese) (with a 4.0 GPA) decides to make an unlikely application to Harvard Law School to impress upon him that she is marriage material. While very blonde (Reese sports some 40 different hairstyles in the film), Elle’s definitely not dumb!

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August 2, 2008February 28, 2017

Batman Begins (2005)

(4.5/5) action, super-hero, thriller

Reference: |
Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes (84%) | Metacritic (70)

This is a very good movie.

I watched Batman Begins (2005) for the second time both to prepare for The Dark Night (2008), and to test HD Internet movie downloads through my Apple TV (review coming soon). I was impressed when I saw it in the theatre back in 2005 and was impressed once again.

As a child Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) witnessed the murder of his parents. We discover him years later in an Asian jail as part of his ‘exploration of the criminal batman begins (2005) - liam neeson fraternity’. Ducard (Liam Neeson) urges Wayne to follow his master, Ra’s Al Ghul (a cameo role played by Ken Watanabe), to become more than just a vigilante. Ducard promises, that as a member of the ‘League of Shadows”, Wayne will learn to combat his fears, combat evil – and become a legend. That’s how Batman begins!

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July 27, 2008February 28, 2017

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

(2/5) sci-fi, mystery

There isn’t much to say about The X-Files: I want to Believe (2008).

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their roles as Mulder and Scully. Despite undeniable chemistry, their relationship is as confused as ever. Fresh off the failure of the terrific Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the always enjoyable Amanda Peet gives a passably respectable performance as an FBI agent.

Unlike the first X-Files movie (The X-Files: Resist or Serve (2004)), there are no aliens of any kind. Instead, this one takes the viewer down the paranormal X-Files track. A convicted child molester priest (played by Billy Connolly) uses his visions to help the FBI track down a missing agent. Without spoiling anything, I found the resolution to the mystery to be preposterous.

But for the chance to hang out with a buddy I hadn’t seen in awhile I never would have wasted my time with this movie. Disappointed by the first X-Files movie, I didn’t “want to believe”, and was vindicated in that view. There are any number of TV episodes that were better than this movie.

If you enjoyed the TV series, you’ll probably enjoy the movie when it reaches the rental window. If you are not a fan, my recommendation is to wait for it to come out on TV or skip it altogether.

Reference: |
Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes | metacritic.com

July 27, 2008February 28, 2017

Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black (2000)

(3/5) sci-fi, thriller

While I enjoyed Vin Diesel in Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Boiler Room (2000), I became a fan after watching his unexpectedly good performance in xXx (2001).

In 2004 I discovered, Vin Diesel’s cross-media Chronicles of Riddick franchise after playing the terrific Xbox video-game Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher’s Bay (2004) (“Butchers Bay”). The video game serves as a prequel to the movie that is the subject of this review – Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black (2000) (“Pitch Black”). The third work of this series, the movie The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) (“Chronicles of Riddick”), is a sequel to Pitch Black (I haven’t formally reviewed it on The Daleisphere. It is about on par with Pitch Black).

Somewhat confusingly, the sequel movie, Chronicles of Riddick, came out at the same time as the prequel video game, Butcher’s Bay – and both came out four years after Pitch Black. To confuse things further, the developers of Butchers Bay (Starbreeze Studios) are developing a remake of Butcher’s Bay for the Xbox 360 and PS3 with a different name: The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (due out in late 2008 or 2009). Confusion notwithstanding, playing the critically acclaimed video game before watching either of the the not-so-acclaimed Pitch Black or Chronicles of Riddick , made both movies more understandable and enjoyable.

Back to the movie at hand: Chronicles of Riddick: Pitch Black (2000).

Until today, Pitch Black was the only part of the series I had not experienced. When I discovered that the HD version was available on Apple TV [review coming soon], I chose to download and view it as my inaugural Apple TV rental test. I wasn’t disappointed.

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July 16, 2008February 28, 2017

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

(4/5) – fantasy, super-hero, action, sci-fi

2008 is the summer of super heroes. First came the terrific Iron Man, then Ed Norton’s Incredible Hulk and Will Smith’s Hancock. The Dark Knight (Christian Bale’s Batman) comes out soon. And then there’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

I was surprised how much I liked the original Hellboy (2004). This second treat did not catch me off guard. While the beginning was a bit slow, the wonderful second half made the movie very enjoyable. The movie is Marvel comics meets Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars.

In Hellboy II Selma Blair and Ron Perlman are a bickering, but seemingly happy, married couple. What can I say, I melt a bit whenever I see Selma. She’s a Dale-type through and through. Perlman’s performance captivated me in the second instalment as much as the first. Perlman, Blair and their comrades must save the world from trolls and elves that have broken a millennial long truce between man and elf – or some such thing.

Frankly, the plot didn’t much matter to me. What made this movie wondrous were the breathtaking special effects by Guillermo del Toro who did both Hellboys as well as the Oscar winning Pan’s Labyrinth. The CGI and cinematography are as magical as Hollywood can produce. I wanted to pause and rewind the scenes to examine the excruciatingly detailed beauty. What an imagination this man has. This quote from Variety’s review is apt:

Not to disparage the f/x guys, but what’s onscreen in Hellboy II is all about the seismic eruptions in del Toro’s head. Comparing his work to most fantasy cinema is like comparing cave drawings to the Cathedral of Cologne.

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July 14, 2008February 28, 2017

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

(5/5) – animation, action, comedy
Kung Fu Panda is a beautiful, vibrant, original and, dare I say, inspirational, movie. I had high expectations going in and they were exceeded.

With a few notable exceptions (Nacho Libre) I’ve enjoyed pretty much every movie I’ve seen that featured Jack Black. This role, which seemed written for him, is no exception.

Animated features are hardly a novelty these days. We take their high production values for granted. Yet this Dreamworks production is a notch above. It has an authentic Chinese and kung-fu look and feel. The directors and artists pay particular attention to the details of Chinese architecture, painting, sculpture and philosophy. The colours are more vibrant, more real than usual. It ‘feels’ warmer and more believable. During the movie I noted to myself that this movie should be well received in China. It’s as close to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) as an animated movie can get.

It’s funny. I laughed out loud many times. With one exception (hint, there’s a Nacho Libre reference) it does not rely on the inside-Hollywood humour that has become common in animated movies. Instead, the movie’s original story stands on its own.

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July 10, 2008February 28, 2017

Wall-E (2008)

(3/5) – animation, comedy
Perhaps with all the non-stop publicity and, dare I say, hype, surrounding this movie, my expectations were set too high. Wall-E did not meet my expectations. It’s just an OK movie. The story was unoriginal pabulum, that should, nonetheless, be entertaining for a family that is looking for a safe summertime viewing experience.

Reviewers have mentioned that the movie is a strong critique on consumerism. Yawn! I think it is more of a commentary on a lazy society’s willingness to be lead around like lemmings which, perhaps, includes to movies like Wall-E.

Wall-E is the lone, and lonely, remnant of a humanity that abandonned earth for the stars centuries before. I laughed a few times, but spent most of the movie thinking about how board I was and trying to understand what everyone saw in this movie. Every scene is predictable. Nothing to delight in that hasn’t been done before. As for the scene pictured on the right, rather than being enchanted with the ‘dancing in space’ routine, all I could think about was “how long will the fire extinguisher last?”

Pixar’s production was typically ‘pixar-perfect’. But a well-made movie without much of story doesn’t a good movie make. Wall-E is about on par with Pixar’s lesser-movies Toy Story 2 (1999), A Bug’s Life (1998) and Monsters Inc (2001). The Incredibles (2004) (the best of them all), Toy Story 1 (1995), Finding Nemo (2003) (the 2nd best), Cars (2006) and even Ratatouille (2007) were all better Pixar movies than Wall-E.

There were, however, two exceptional aspects to my Wall-E viewing experience. First, I paid $13 for a ticket – the most I’ve spent on a movie ticket in my life. Second, it was the first digitally projected movie I’ve ever seen.

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May 24, 2008February 28, 2017

The Reaping (2007)

(1.5/5) horror, suspense
Despite my general aversion to horror films, my deep admiration for Hilary Swank compelled me to watch what I expected in advance to be a dog of a film. And a dog it was.

In The Reaping, Hilary plays a previously ordained minister who turned away from the cloth after her daughter was killed in an African mission. She has become a renowned expert at debunking miracles and scientifically explaining away plagues believed to be the work of the devil.

When a boy dies in the bible-belt, a young girl (AnnaSophia Robb), believed by the town-folk to be possessed by the devil, is blamed. Hilary is called in to solve the mystery when the river turns blood-red.

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May 22, 2008February 28, 2017

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

(5/5) action, adventure
I had a silly Indiana grin on my face as I strode out of the cinema whistling the John Williams theme song. Did I like it? Yes indeed.

"Too Much of Life is Wasted in the Waiting"

This quote from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull(2008) sums things up nicely. It has been a long 19 year wait since Indy and his father rode off into the sunset (literally) at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade .

I liked it despite a questionable plot, err, ‘twist’. It held fast to the winning Indy formula:

exotic locals, James-Bond-style action sequences, beautiful cinematography, ancient treasure hunts, pictogram puzzle solving, the supernatural, wise-cracking quizzical humour, whips and guns, hero vs. villain, feisty and reluctant love interest, implausible, yet engaging, fantastical story, snappy (and sappy) dialogue, snakes, critters and Harrison Ford’s trademark grin.

Harrison was Harrison. A flawless performance despite 19 intervening years. It was great to have Karen Allen reprise her role as Indy’s original love interest Marion. I asked in my recap what happened to Marion? The Crystal Skull neatly answered the question and tied it up in a bow. Cate Blanchett played a wonderfully eccentric and strangely sexy KGB agent. Shia LaBeouf (a relative unknown to me) adequately played Marion’s son and adventurer in training. The happy-go-lucky Denholm Elliot (Marcus Brody) passed away in 1992 so Jim Broadbent ably stood in for him as the dean of Indy’s college. If you look closely you’ll see a picture of Elliot hanging on a hall wall. But, you won’t have to look closely to see a statue of him. 🙂 Sadly Sean Connery, chose not to come out of retirement to reprise his role as Dr. Jones Sr.

The cinematography, music, special effects, lighting and costumes were all spot on. It was Spielberg’s and Lucas’s ‘everything and the kitchen sink’ movie, and it worked.

Another fun romp. Go see it in a cinema, where it was meant to be seen.

Reference: Roger Ebert | IMDB External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |

May 21, 2008February 28, 2017

Indiana Jones Trilogy Recap & Mini Reviews

(5/5) action, adventure
In preparation for the much anticipated North American release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (1998), due out tomorrow (May 22, 2008), over the last week I watched the original Indiana Jones trilogy for the first time since their cinematic release. Alongside the original Star Wars Trilogy [], the Matrix Trilogy [] and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy [], The Adventures of Indiana Jones [] is one of the all-time great trilogies. I enjoyed them as much as I did when I first watched them years ago. They are true classics.

Each movie in the series follows the tried-and-true Indiana Jones formula: exotic locations, James-Bond-style action sequences, beautiful cinematography, ancient treasure hunts, the supernatural, wise-cracking quizzical humour, hero vs. anti-hero, reluctant love interests, implausible, yet engaging, fantastical stories, snappy dialogue, snakes, critters and Harrison Ford’s trademark grin.

John Williams brilliant Oscar winning Indiana Jones soundtracks are pleasantly seared into my brain from years of repeated listening and from the thirty or so enjoyable hours I spent playing the under-appreciated Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb video game on my original Xbox.

To bring you up-to-date, below are mini-reviews for each of the three original Indy movies followed by a reminder summary of how they all ended.

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May 13, 2008February 28, 2017

Iron Man (2008)

(5/5) super-hero, sc-fi, action, comedy
Iron Man (2008) is as good as super-hero movies get. Up there with Spiderman (2002) (IMDb) and Batman Begins (2005). It is a visual, dramatic and comedic treat, worthy of several Oscar nominations, possibly even a Best Picture nomination.

Prior to Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. had not made a movie equal to his talents – though very good in both Chaplin (1992) and Zodiac (2007). Ironically, his previous inability to control his drug addiction (single handedly torpedoing the admittedly declining Alley McBeal TV series), combined with his undeniable acting talent made him perfectly suited to play the eccentric, alcoholic, playboy, munitions magnate Tony Stark.

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March 26, 2008February 28, 2017

Zoolander – Redux

Zoolander Cover (0.5/5) comedy

As a true-blue movie fan. I’ve easily watched more than 1,000 movies at the cinema and hundreds more on DVD, HBO, Showtime, the Movie Channel, etc. In 30+ years of movie watching I have walked out of only two – Zoolander (2001) and Purple Rain (1984).*

I walked out at the point where Zoolander was pumping gas, drinking Orange Frapacinos and dancing with his friends to Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go“. My less-than sophisticated one-word assessment of the movie from the 16 minutes I watched back then was – gay!

I had no intention of attempting this movie again. But in the intervening years, too many pop-culture references and friend recommendations made their impact. And, perhaps Owen Wilson’s recent suicide attempt may have weekend my resolve. So when I saw it in my TiVo listings as an HD broadcast on City TV, I relented.

With some trepidation and a willingness to accept the possibility that my tastes may have changed in 7 years, I sat down and watched it.

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March 26, 2008February 28, 2017

Hellboy (2004)

(3.5/5) super-hero, sc-fib

Hellboy (2004) has fallen out of the bottom of my TiVo at least twice. Seeing it reappear in my TiVo listings as Fox Channel HD movie last week I decided to record it once-again on the off chance I’d actually watch it.

As a rule I do not watch horror films. I was under the mistaken impression that this was one such film. It isn’t. It’s more of a super-hero movie.

I enjoyed it. Ron Perlman was surprisingly good. I don’t recall watching Perlman in any prior movie. I was delighted by his light-hearted sardonic performance. From the first time I saw her in Legally Blonde (2001), I’ve been enamoured with Selma Blair. She was fine in this film.

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