What I've seen in the last 30 days and what I think about it.
(for reviews from farther back, see the Archives)

February 12, 2004
The English Patient

It’s something of a shame that a film that wins Best Picture and eight other Oscars is probably better known as the butt of a joke in an episode of “Seinfeld” rather than on its own merits.  Sure, there have been some Best Picture winners that won’t be discussed in film classes (anyone remember The Greatest Show on Earth?), but The English Patient seems to have fallen by the wayside a bit, and Jerry, Kramer and company probably had a bit to do with it.  Whether Elaine had a point in that particular episode is a topic for another discussion, though.  I speak only for myself, and I say that I remember The English Patient with great affection.  More...

January 2, 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

So, what does one say after finally finishing the viewing of a 10½-hour movie?  After all, that’s what The Lord of the Rings trilogy is, and The Return of the King is merely the final act.  After spending two years of anticipation, interrupted by about three hours each December of actual movie-watching, can one admit that such an investment of time and emotion was worth it?  Hell, yes, brother Nerds, one sure can! More...

December 30, 2003
Cold Mountain

Cold Mountain is the first film in three years from director Anthony Minghella, the man who brought us The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley, two films that while earning high praises, have also garnered some widespread derision in the arena of Pop Culture.  After all, not many movies can claim to be the butt of an entire episode of “Seinfeld,” as The English Patient has.  I personally loved that movie, and thought Ripley deserved much more attention than it received.  However, with this most recent effort from Minghella, I feel as though the Pop Culture Universe has somehow inverted on me, as I find myself wondering what I’m missing in this film that everyone else seems to love, even before they’ve seen it.  More...

June 20, 2003
The Italian Job

I wonder why it seems as though any film with Mark Wahlberg’s name above the title is certain to be a remake of an older, better film.  This is his third in a row, after Planet of the Apes and The Truth About Charlie (which was Charade, starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn), and it’s about time for him to start looking for original material.  More...

May 15, 2003
The Matrix Reloaded

Albert Einstein once explained to an interviewer how he enjoyed sitting in his easy chair, running simple mathematical equations through his mind, ones that he had solved many times before.  They presented him no challenge, but they were good for merely working the muscle between his ears.  The Matrix Reloaded is something similar, dripping with pseudo-philosophy and Stephen Hawking/Carl Sagan-type cosmic gobbledy-gook, none of which means very much, but it’s fun to try to follow along just to see if you can construct some semblance of logic from it.  More...

May 2, 2003
X2: X-Men United

Leading off the summer this year is X2: X-Men United, the sequel to 2000’s moderately successful adaptation of the Marvel Comics title featuring mutants with superhuman abilities attempting to live among a population that regards them with fear and suspicion.  While this film wasn’t awaited with quite the wide-spread anticipation of the next Star Wars film, per se, those of us who used to spend their Friday afternoons in comic shops eagerly awaiting the arrival of that weeks’ shipment were looking somewhat forward to this particular film.  Fellow geeks and nerds, it is my pleasure to say that this one is even better than the first one.  More...

April 20, 2003
Far From Heaven

What a neat idea, to make a movie about the 1950s that looks exactly like it was made in the 1950s (well, except for a much greater quality of film stock, but I won’t get too picky).  Writer/director Todd Haynes has done just this with Far From Heaven, modeled primarily after the works of director Douglas Sirk (Written on the Wind, All That Heaven Allows, etc.), a filmmaker who specialized in romantic tales of forbidden love and/or love against the odds.  Haynes uses this model to tell a tale about the “typical” American family of the day, except for a few blemishes that we in this more enlightened age know all families have.  Or, most families, maybe, since mine sure never had blemishes like these.  More...

April 18, 2003
Secretary

There are certain occasions where I run across the movie that I probably shouldn’t like, but do anyway, and can’t really clearly elaborate as to why.  Secretary is such a flick.  Of course, there’s no reason I shouldn’t be attracted to a movie about two people finding love despite their tendencies towards sadomasochism, now is there?  I mean, doesn’t everyone find entertainment these days in the sickness and depravity of others?  How else do you explain Monica Lewinsky hosting a show on Fox these days?  Anyway, if such a premise tickles your fancy, read on.  More...