Monday, March 27, 2006
Aguirre: Wrath of God
All one needs to know about this movie is that one must watch it through to the very end. That is not to say that the matter preceding the end is not worth watching on its own for it is, but the finale is in a class of its own.
Labels: movie note
Big Fish
Another Tim Burton movie about leafless trees, minds of doubtful sanity but unquestioned clarity and a whopping great dollop of sentimentality. This could have been several more interesting, but unmarketable, smaller movies, or even a miniseries. I love Albert Finney but i wanted to punch him in the gut the whole time.
Labels: movie note
On the Beach
Optimistic fantasy portrays humans as dignified and noble as they face nuclear annihilation. As if. Only slightly less improbable as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and then only because of the presence of oompa-loompas. Gregory Peck has his stoic schtick on full display while Fred Astaire does his level best to steal the show. Maybe it's all a radiation sickness-induced hallucination. This notion is supported by the interminable repetitions of Waltzing Matilda.
Labels: movie note
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Fail-Safe
Poor cousin to Dr. Strangelove has all the makings of a great movie, but doesn't quite make it. The best moments belong to Henry Fonda. Compare and contrast his portrayal of a wordl-weary president with Frederic march in Seven Days in May.
Labels: movie note
Thursday, March 16, 2006
I, Robot Is a Bad Movie
RoboFlop - The mechanical heart of I, Robot. By David Edelstein
RoboFlop - The mechanical heart of I, Robot. By David Edelstein: "There are people who regard Proyas' Dark City as a masterpiece for the ages—I believe Roger Ebert holds seminars in which he goes through the movie frame by frame for something like two years with breaks only for Yom Kippur and Lent."
Labels: movie note
I, Robot | The A.V. Club
I, Robot | The A.V. Club: "Only in Hollywood could Asimov's robot theory somehow get processed into a sassy grandmother with sweet-potato pie at the ready."
Labels: movie note
I, Robot (Roger Ebert)
:: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: I, Robot (xhtml): "You can't even be mad at them, since they're only programs. Although, come to think of it, you can be mad at programs; Microsoft Word has inspired me to rage far beyond anything these robots engender."
Labels: movie note
Monday, March 13, 2006
loaded thoughts
Vikings!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Seven Days in May
The final scene is one of my all-time favorite performances from Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster. The premise of the movie (an American putsch) is all too likely now.
Labels: movie note
Monday, March 06, 2006
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I thought this was going to be a new production based on the book, but it seems to owe a lot more to the earlier movie. Very handsom and imaginative. The expansion into Glass Elevator is a good idea. And of course, Christopher Lee in a surgeon's smock is always welcome.
Labels: movie note
Beagle on the ferry
I looked up from reading the Stranger to find this squat hound staring at me.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Miscellaneous Spring Pictures
Warren Buffett and the Fruit of the Loom Guys
"For investors as a whole, returns decrease as motion increases." Isn't this part of what John Nash was on about?
