I am not a movie critic, and I don’t play one on TV. As a non-critic I tend to rate movies not on the execution of the craft, but rather on the amount of entertainment I derive from the movie. True, the amount of entertainment I derive from a movie is itself a benchmark of how well the craft was executed, but other than on an intuitive level I don’t know a whole lot about aspects of movie making such as lighting, editing, and camera angles.
I also don’t know how representative I am of the general audience out there, or how helpful it is for anyone to read my opinions. But like all critics, I am not so much interested in helping others formulate a response to a given movie as I am in feeding my own ego. With those caveats out of the way, I now feel empowered to comment on a few movies I have watched.
Documentaries aside, these are the most recent movies (in reverse chronological order) that show up in my rental history at Netflix: Wall-E, The Bourne Ultimatum, Babylon, A.D., Max Payne, Appaloosa, Tropic Thunder, Traitor, and Eagle Eye. Not all of these fall into the category of Science Fiction or Fantasy, but SciFi can only fill so much of a person’s life, and with many shows still in hiatus, it may be worthwhile for people to be made aware of alternatives to watching reruns of Stargate, SG-1. Of course, if that is the reader’s preference, by all means ignore the following four movies.
The Bourne Ultimatum — an old movie, but since it just came out on Blu-RayTM I rented it. Also because after nearly a year I wanted to be reminded of the annoyance of hand-held cameras, especially when used for static shots (the conversation with Marie’s brother was, aside being pointless, particularly annoying). I will grudgingly admit I like this movie, but I still rate it behind the other two. This prompts fear on my part with regards to a fourth installment. One hopes for it to be a worthy addition to the franchise, but one also fears it might drag down all the previous movies much like Matrix Revolutions did for The Matrix franchise.
Appaloosa — one of the new breed of westerns, aiming at historical accuracy (as much as it can be achieved in a fictional account), and understated in its presentation of the typical western genre plot. The action is pretty good, and the characters and plot hold your interest. Ms. Zellweger is not one of my favorite actresses, but was bearable in scenes where she was not called upon to smile or speak. I would recommend this movie for the action and the dynamics between the two leads.
Tropic Thunder — I am not a big fan of Stiller’s brand of comedy. It’s OK in moderation, but like Carey, Carrell, and Ferrell, he chooses to go past the funny line, and into the just-plain-embarrassing-to-watch realm. (Side Note: I find little comfort in the implied significance of their collective success.) That said, I liked this movie precisely because it made fun of itself, was over the top, and gave me a bunch of lines I can incorporate in my day-to-day dealings with people. “Never go full retard“ comes to mind as being excellent advice to give others and to follow one’s self. (Side Note 2: the movie took some flak for using the word “retard”; any complaints regarding my repeating the word here should be directed to me, not Slice of SciFi.)Â I recommend this movie for the skewering aimed at the movie industry and the luminaries within, but most of all for a Downey Jr. performance I rate above his effort in Iron Man.
Traitor — this is a well acted, well written, taut, suspenseful movie dealing with issues pertinent to present times. It manages to walk a fine line dealing with particularly touchy subjects, and is a fine example of what science fiction movies should aspire to. I recommend this for the acting, the well-written script, and the timeliness of the subject matter.
OK… and now on to movies which may be more in line with the interests of the Slice of SciFi audience. I should mention I only saw one of these movies at the theater, so for many readers this is old news as these movies were released many months ago. Heck, many readers will already have their own opinion on each of these movies, so my own musings likely hold little to no interest for them. But you know human nature; people always want to have their own opinions reaffirmed, and failing that, they find it cathartic to curse out those who disagree with them. I herein hope to provide one or the other experience for the readers.
Wall-E — Pixar has consistently shown the ability to invent believable characters, present them in entertaining stories, and bring them to life with amazing animation. There is a quality to their efforts that helps you forget you are watching a cartoon. This is in big contrast to other animation houses who, while doing a good enough job, in my opinion fail to bring their product to the same level (Shrek is a possible exception, but subsequent DreamWorks efforts seemed to be aimed more at the commercial success tied to marketing rather than inherent quality of the product. Then again, I don’t have kids, so I cannot accurately assess the artistic value of talking penguins). Wall-E presents a visual feast, a love story, social commentary, and hope all wrapped up in an entertaining vehicle, and I wager few would find the ride objectionable. The extras presented on the main DVD disc are enough to make me want to order the three-disc release, if for no other reason than to own the two shorts Presto and Burn-E. One subtle and important message in the movie is the ease with which humans can be progressively led down a particular path to the point of near-absurd existence, BUT that they also have the capacity to be snapped out of it and recognize what in life offers true value. Frankly, on this one point I believe the movie is engaging in a Pollyannaish view of human nature. I’m thinking in finding themselves in a similar situation, the vast majority of today’s people would have sided with the Autopilot. Then again, I’m not known for my abundance of optimism with regards to the character of the modern human. Still, at least some of said modern humans are responsible for this movie, and I applaud them for it.
Babylon, A. D. — what can I say; I tend to shy away from spoilers, movie reviews, and warnings regarding impending catastrophes. The trailer for the movie held promise of action, a quest, a damsel in distress… in short, things which normally make a movie passable. Passable in my book means mindless entertainment to be digested while munching on some snacks. Alas, this movie is not it. The plot, even once revealed in its entire splendor, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The ending gives as much satisfaction as finding a dead bug at the bottom of your bowl of chili. The acting, action, and cinematography turn out to be the dead bug at the bottom of that bowl. As near as I can tell, the movie is purely an excuse for the makers to showcase a vision of their world that is borne out of a darker pit of pessimism than the one I reside in, and that is saying much. The only redeeming thing about this movie is… no, sorry… that was another movie.
Max Payne — I never heard of Max Payne before watching this movie. Once again, the visuals presented in the trailer were intriguing enough for me to rent it. I was a little apprehensive with regards to the implied supernatural element in the movie, but I’m always prepared to buy into whatever premise the movie presents, and judge it strictly on continuity, plot, action, and acting. This movie was a pleasant surprise. No, not Oscar material, but the action, visuals, music, and plot did all combine to provide an entertaining ride, and one devoid of supernatural elements. Frankly, it’s a slick way of presenting incredible visions, and still have them be anchored in the real world. Admittedly, it was a little confusing at first, but it came into focus rather quickly. The only fault I could find with the movie was the transparency of who the bad guys were, and why. That said, I was not looking for a Hitchcock-like twist from this movie, so I’m pleased it delivered its meager promise and a bit more.
Eagle-Eye — this is another movie wanting to reach way beyond itself and presume to deliver a dire warning regarding something or other. Ignoring that aspect of the movie, it’s not too bad a thrill ride. Sure you need to switch off some parts of your brain, but many movies these days have the same requirements. You guess pretty quickly what is going on, but if you can manage to keep that one part of your brain switched off and judge it strictly on the action and fast-paced plot, the resulting entertainment is sufficient to justify having to watch LeBeouf and Thornton trying to act.
And that is it. Probably a waste of time for most people, but remember: it’s not the role of critics to do much more than to satisfy their own egos. In that I claim complete success. Any entertainment derived from reading this is purely incidental, and should be considered a bonus. However, should I get some encouragement; I could go a bit farther back and give my illustrious opinion regarding other movies I’ve watched last year: Death Race, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The Dark Knight, Wanted, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Hancock, Speed Racer, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
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