I’ve got to take some time out to write a post about the great author, Michael Crichton. He died yesterday after battling cancer. He was 66. He wrote the fantastic novels Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Congo, Sphere, Next, and others.
I’ve got to say, I’m pretty shocked about this. I wasn’t even aware he was battling cancer and he was pretty active in films up to his dying day. He’ll definitely be missed.
There’s a part of everyone that still cherishes their childhood (yes, everyone.) And everyone had a favorite movie, whether it was Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, or Pinocchio. Here’s my Top 5.
The Lion King Definitely one of Disney’s finest animated films. Memorable characters, catchy tunes, an excellent storyline, and jokes that are still hilarious make this film an all-time classic. I dare anyone to argue with me.
The Land Before Time Now, statistically, The Lion King is probably better than The Land Before Time, but in my book, there is no better animated film this one. Perhaps my opinion is slightly biased as I watched this film all the time when I was younger. But, of all the films that I have seen, this one is absolutely flawless. What could be better than little dinosaurs that team up to reach the Great Valley?
The Sword in the Stone Back in Disney’s heyday, they made some really good movies. All-time classics. Now they make stupid Disney princess sequels that tell little girls to “follow their hearts,” whatever in a pink dress that means. But the Sword in the Stone is an excellent film, a superb animated adaption to a wonderful book. It was also just recently released on DVD for the first time ever.
The Jungle Book Ah, yes. Who has not seen this movie? If you haven’t, you are very deprived. No, I’m kidding. You’ve just missed a huge chunk of childhood. Every kid I know loves and adores this movie.
Robin Hood Disney had a knack for making talking animals believable (a skill that they have exercised with the Chronicles of Narnia films). Robin Hood is no exception. Disney was also very good at bringing classic books to the screen in a-made-for-kids fashion. But who says older people can’t enjoy them also?
Well, if you’re any kind of a prophet you probably saw this coming. I made the Director Spotlights so I’ve got to do something for actors. The first one is quirky actor Jeff Goldblum. He played mathematician (chaotician, CHAOTICIAN, actually) in Steven Spielberg’s excellent science fiction films Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park: The Lost World. He also played David Levinson in Roland Emmerich’s blockbuster Independence Day (good, solid summer fun if you haven’t seen it yet). However, after 1997, he kind of fell from star status. He receded into the background. He’s still a very solid actor, however. He brings to life so many quirky quotes, and his character Ian Malcolm is unforgettable. Perhaps his most famous Jurassic Park line, as he walks up to a pile of dino-droppings: “That is one big pile of s**t.”
Personally, I think he would be an excellent choice to play the Riddler, should the sequel to The Dark Knight actually get made. He has the quirkyness yet intelligence to do very well in that kind of role. (The Riddler was never a Joker-like character in the comics, by the way.) He’d be TONS better than the overrated Johnny Depp, as much as I like him.
I usually don’t like modern horror films. I prefer the ’50s classics. Black and white suits horror so much better, I think. I also don’t particularly care for the modern horror genre because it’s usually just 2 hours of people (usually teenagers) getting slaughtered, with an overload of vulgarities and blood. And they usually don’t give any message, which is why I prefer classic horror, since those always had a message. So, imagine my surprise when I watched this utterly fantastic film.
I’ve heard that I Am Legend didn’t capture the feel of the original novel. Supposedly, the novel was a huge chess game between Robert Neville and the leader of the Dark Seekers. I haven’t mustered up the courage to read the novel though, as I’ve heard it’s pretty gruesome. But, all I can say is, if the novel was nothing like the 2007 film, then the film is better than the novel, because the film was amazing. It’s a modern day vampire/horror film that has a message. How odd is that?
It definitely has some Christian themes to it. Undoubtedly. Anna’s quote “Now the world is quieter. We can hear God’s plan. All you have to do is listen.” At first it seems like a ridicule of Christianity. But at the end, Neville says “I’m listening.” Oh boy. I seriously about teared up at that part. It was such a great moment. The whole thing with the butterfly was kind of odd, but beautiful also. (Might I recommend, if you went out and bought the two-disc edition, like I did, don’t bother with the alternate ending. It has a point, but it’s kind of dumb.)
Now, there’s some language in this film (the worst being the s-word, but you’ll miss it unless you have the subtitles on) but there’s not a lot. It’s not riddled with bad language. There are also some jump moments that are definitely freaky, including a buildup of suspense. But overall, this is an excellent film. 8/10 stars for I Am Legend.
Next review: Song of the South.
We’ve lost so many legends in the showbiz this year. Starting with Heath Ledger, we lost Stan Winston (the creator of the aliens in Alien, the Predator, the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, and other movie monsters), Bernie Mac (hilarious fellow, he was ‘Bobby Bolivia’, the used car salesman in Transformers), Don LaFontaine (the voice of thousands of movie trailers “In a world where…”) and now, Paul Newman. One of Newman’s best remembered roles was in the con movie The Sting, where he plays an all-around rascal, helping a young Robert Redford to beat out the villains that killed his best friend. Bad guy Lonnigan is played by Irish actor Robert Shaw (of Jaws fame), with his famous quote “You follow?”
Now, this movie is, at its core, a con movie. Have you ever seen the Ocean’s films? It consists of guys trying to one-up other guys, tricking and lying to gain an advantage. It’s a rather genius film, as are Ocean’s 11, 12, and 13. It definitely has some questionable themes in it, including premarital relations (you know what I mean), lying, and cheating. Some harsh language also, including a G-d. None of this should ultimately take away from this classic though.
9 out of 10 stars for the gritty, realistic The Sting.
Next review: I Am Legend.
I decided to add a new category to the posts I shall make: Director Spotlights. In these posts I will talk about a specific director. In this one, I shall (obviously) talk about Spike Lee. for those of you who aren’t familiar with him, he’s an African-American director. Most (actually, all) of his movies have African-American themes. He used to be a very respected director. Note I said ‘used’ to be. Now, I respect every director out there (save for maybe Uwe Boll) but Lee I respect the least. Why? He’s incredibly racist. Ridiculously so. Perhaps you heard of his little spat with actor-turned director Clint Eastwood. Eastwood made two World War II films: Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. These two films were centered around the raising of the flag in Iwo Jima, especially the first one. What was Lee’s trouble with it? It didn’t give African-American soldiers their due. He claimed that it showed no African-American soldiers whatsoever. First of all, the films did show African-American soldiers. Second of all, there were no Afican-American soldiers in the group that raised the flag. Lee subsequently called Eastwood racist, and Eastwood, in Western cowboy-type attitude, fired back that Lee needs to “shut his face.” Now, most recently, Lee has made a film called Miracle at St. Anna’s, which tells the story of a massacre in Italy. The only problem is, he shows African-American soldiers in the film where, historically, there were no African-American soldiers of any kind. When the modern day citizens responded (many of whom lost loved ones in the massacre) with things like “you are rewriting our history” Lee told them they “need to come to grips with their history.” So he’s making up history! He’s probably the most racist person in Hollywood. Not to mention probably one of the most arrogant. He tried to sue Spike TV because they were “capitalizing on his fame” by using his name. He also thinks that his passion for Knicks baseball has cost him Oscars before, because the Oscar voters are usually Los Angeles based. “That’s definite bias right there,” he claims. Face it, Spike. You missed Oscars because your films aren’t good enough.
Now I chose to do the Pirates of the Caribbean films separately because each one is different. The first one is good, solid Hollywood pirate action, the second is a lame, dark, convoluted script with actors who were either tired or uninterested, and the third, while odd, is a masterpiece of both script and CGi. Allow me to explain.
“Gentlemen…I wash my hands of this weirdness.”
“Ah, so we’ll have a lovely garden party and you’re not invited.”
“Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today…TO NAIL YER GIZZARD TO THE MAST, YER POXY CUR!”
And that’s just some of the fabulous lines. I’ll admit, the whole Calypso thing was terribly unnecessary and boring, but you have to admit, the Pirate Lords bit was hilarious. Not to mention the comic timing of this movie. When the pirate lord who never speaks finally speaks and his voice is painfully high-pitched, Johnny Depp’s look of confusion and surprise is right on the money.
Now for the themes. The biggest and most obvious is the fact that these films glorify the pirate life. While we all might fantasize about being pirates, it really isn’t a God-honoring thing to wish for. Secondly, Elizabeth’s speech and whole idea that she’s voted as the ‘Pirate King’ seems to encourage feminism.
Despite the film’s flaws (and they are many, I gladly admit) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is an exciting romp, even though, to follow anything story-wise, you must first watch the lackluster Dead Man’s Chest. All in all, 7 out of 10 stars for the third film in a pirate series that attempts to be epic.
Next review: The Sting (in honor of Paul Newman)
This one took a while, and I actually have a legitimate excuse: I am swamped with homework. This is my senior year and I’m taking a good deal of classes. So I’ve barely had the time to post. But anyway, now I’ll talk about The Bourne Ultimatum, which is a fantastic movie.
I’ll admit, the first half of it is relatively, well, to put it bluntly, boring. The first time I tried to watch it I fell asleep. (It didn’t help that the only other Bourne film I’d seen was Supremacy; thanks, Kyle) so I had a relatively difficult time keeping up with the flashbacks and backstory. (I still haven’t seen Identity, by the way.) But I’m glad I gave this film another chance. It just got better and better. Matt Damon did an excellent job as Jason Bourne, portraying him as a killer who wished he didn’t have to kill. There are several awesome scenes, such as the “Where are you?” “…In my office.” “I doubt that.” “Why?” “Because if you were, we’d be having this conversation face to face.” Just excellent dialogue. But, as we inevitably do, let’s talk about the themes.
This movie definitely has a redemptive story, but I don’t know that I would call Bourne a Christ-figure. He certainly redeems himself, but he doesn’t sacrifice himself. I know this is a short analysis, but I think it’s safe to say that there are no Christian themes in this movie.
This film definitely deserves it’s PG-13 rating, with violence and swearing. A couple uses of G-d. All in all, I give this film an 8/10.
Next review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
I can not wait for this movie! It looks awesome. Here’s the trailer.
This film has been called “the benchmark for all science fiction films to come.” Well…I agree…somewhat. The effects of the The Matrix should be the benchmark for all effects to come. The story…no. I’ll be honest. I hated this film. Utterly hated it. The story was terrible. The idea, while clever, was poorly executed. There are too many things not explained. For example, during the chase at the end, when the Agents are chasing Neo, people everywhere are being taken over by the Agents. No one notices this? Why does life just go on? Another example: how does Cypher, the little rat-faced traitor, manage to get into The Matrix and talk to Smith, but no one notices? How does Morpheus not notice what Cypher is doing? And the acting was definitely not top-notch. Keanu Reeves was downright bad. He wasn’t just not very good; he was bad. He can’t act in this movie. He tries to make his voice sound too…husky. Too masculine. Really the only good acting in this movie came from Hugo Weaving, as Agent Smith.
Enough of me telling you how much I hated this movie though. I’ll talk about the themes. First off, where’d the name Trinity come from? Why’d they name her Trinity? Something to think about there. This is one of those kinds of things where you think “What?” I mean, they gave her a name from the Bible, a good name, but there’s nothing about her that says she represents the Trinity. Consider that and then this: Morpheus’ ship is called the Nebuchadnezzar. Remember in the Bible that Nebuchadnezzar was the evil king that God turned into an animal until he realized that God is the supreme ruler. Nebbie (as VeggieTales charmingly shortened his name to) was bad. He was evil. So why name the good guys’ ship Nebuchadnezzar? Are they glorifying those that rebelled against God? Bu then, there’s that, and then this: the place that the good guys’ have their headquarters is called Zion. What is with this? There seem to be so many contradictions and hidden meanings in this movie but you can’t figure them out because everything is so muddled.
I’d say no one 10 or younger needs to see this movie, simply because of the many disturbing images. And the language. No movie needs that much language. There are about 20 G-d’s in the movie. More than were needed. I’d say 2 out of 10 stars, simply for the effects.
Next review: The Bourne Ultimatum
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