I've been going senile waiting for Peanut's Political Diatribe/Review of Children of Men, so in the interest of filling empty space... some thoughts on recent DVDs I've rented.
Rocky Balboa - 1.5 PB Jars
Eh, yo, this movie ain't too bad. But, it ain't too good either. The mildly amusing premise is somewhat entertaining, but honestly, no one cares about Rocky's relationship with his son, his dead wife (did you care about her when she was alive?), his new flame, etc etc. Ultimately, he's just an old dude on steriods. Boxing is dead. The De La Hoya - Mayweather fight didn't save it. On the upside, at least this movie didn't have Talia "the only bad part of the Godfather" Shire in it. More interesting than watching this movie would be a spirited debate about which Rocky movies and Rocky opponents were the best. I'd contend that only I and IV are good (2 or more PB jars), with 3 being entertaining because Mr. T is a badass.
The Good Shepherd - 2 PB Jars
I enjoyed The Good Shepherd the same way I would enjoy reading a book for history class. I was interested, but not overly engaged. I thought it was well made and well acted, but I was bored and wanted to get it over with. Now, I did spend nearly as much time on wikipedia after the movie researching the orgins of the CIA as I did watching the movie, so I'll give it a good deal of credit for exciting my interest in the subject. Angelina Jolie's talents are wasted, while Matt Damon does an excellent job portraying a rather unlikeable character (an not just because he went to Yale). The son is so obnoxious that found myself rooting for his untimely demise. I loved Joe Pesci's 2 minutes of screen time and wished he had been around longer. Final word, The Good Shepherd is a good movie, but ultimately Yale Sucks.
Night at the Museum - 1.5 PB Jars
I was entertained in spite of myself. A movie this cheesy and formulaic shouldn't have made me laugh as much as I did. One substantial criticism - what sort of message does this movie send that the bad guys don't get in bigger trouble?
Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock? - 2.5 PB Jars
A very fun movie. If you haven't heard of this documentary, I highly recommend picking it up. In a year with such self-important documentary features tackling weighty subjects (like An Inconvenient Lie, um, i mean Truth, and Jesus Camp, two of P's favorites), Pollock is a breath of fresh air. Quick plot summary for the unfamiliar - Old, foul-mouthed
trucker lady (Teri) buys an ugly painting in a thrift shop for 5 bucks. Someone informs Teri that the painting looks like something Jackson Pollock would have painted (cue title dialogue). Teri finds out that if painting is a genuine Pollock, it could be worth $50 Million. Hilarity in the form of a multi-year battle between Teri and obnoxiously snooty art establishment ensues. My favorite character is the near-unbearably pretentious former director of the Met in NYC. The contrast between his holier-than-thou art pundit attitude and Teri's salt-of-the-earth colorful irrationality is great entertainment. I also applaud the filmmakers for letting the natural drama of this story take center stage. There is no preachiness about the rights or wrongs of either side, as they are both presented with a full range of strengths and flaws. Well done!
Rocky Balboa - 1.5 PB Jars
Eh, yo, this movie ain't too bad. But, it ain't too good either. The mildly amusing premise is somewhat entertaining, but honestly, no one cares about Rocky's relationship with his son, his dead wife (did you care about her when she was alive?), his new flame, etc etc. Ultimately, he's just an old dude on steriods. Boxing is dead. The De La Hoya - Mayweather fight didn't save it. On the upside, at least this movie didn't have Talia "the only bad part of the Godfather" Shire in it. More interesting than watching this movie would be a spirited debate about which Rocky movies and Rocky opponents were the best. I'd contend that only I and IV are good (2 or more PB jars), with 3 being entertaining because Mr. T is a badass.
The Good Shepherd - 2 PB Jars
I enjoyed The Good Shepherd the same way I would enjoy reading a book for history class. I was interested, but not overly engaged. I thought it was well made and well acted, but I was bored and wanted to get it over with. Now, I did spend nearly as much time on wikipedia after the movie researching the orgins of the CIA as I did watching the movie, so I'll give it a good deal of credit for exciting my interest in the subject. Angelina Jolie's talents are wasted, while Matt Damon does an excellent job portraying a rather unlikeable character (an not just because he went to Yale). The son is so obnoxious that found myself rooting for his untimely demise. I loved Joe Pesci's 2 minutes of screen time and wished he had been around longer. Final word, The Good Shepherd is a good movie, but ultimately Yale Sucks.
Night at the Museum - 1.5 PB Jars
I was entertained in spite of myself. A movie this cheesy and formulaic shouldn't have made me laugh as much as I did. One substantial criticism - what sort of message does this movie send that the bad guys don't get in bigger trouble?
Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock? - 2.5 PB Jars
A very fun movie. If you haven't heard of this documentary, I highly recommend picking it up. In a year with such self-important documentary features tackling weighty subjects (like An Inconvenient Lie, um, i mean Truth, and Jesus Camp, two of P's favorites), Pollock is a breath of fresh air. Quick plot summary for the unfamiliar - Old, foul-mouthed
trucker lady (Teri) buys an ugly painting in a thrift shop for 5 bucks. Someone informs Teri that the painting looks like something Jackson Pollock would have painted (cue title dialogue). Teri finds out that if painting is a genuine Pollock, it could be worth $50 Million. Hilarity in the form of a multi-year battle between Teri and obnoxiously snooty art establishment ensues. My favorite character is the near-unbearably pretentious former director of the Met in NYC. The contrast between his holier-than-thou art pundit attitude and Teri's salt-of-the-earth colorful irrationality is great entertainment. I also applaud the filmmakers for letting the natural drama of this story take center stage. There is no preachiness about the rights or wrongs of either side, as they are both presented with a full range of strengths and flaws. Well done!
5 comments:
I hope you rented A Night at the Museum anonymously via Netflix or Blockbuster Online. If you rented it in-store, I would have loved to see the expression on the clerk's face.
Lunchbox - While I agree with your take on Rocky Balboa, I have to disagree with you on your contention that only "1 and 4 are good with 3 being entertaining because Mr. T is a badass." 1 and 4 are GREAT films, even though 1 has gotten rather outdated. (Yes, I realize Rocky 4 is not a great "film" but Rocky somehow ended the cold war so I think we can give Stallone a pass.)
All this being said, I think you're underestimating Rocky 3. Go watch it again and follow the plot. Rocky fights Hulk "Thunderlips" Hogan, Mr. T trains in a f-ing dungeon and ends up whooping Rocky's ass, Mick dies, Rocky finds the eye of the tiger while training with Apollo that ends in that gay beach hug in the ocean, and then he finally gets around to beating Mr.T. How is this NOT a great movie?
All this being said, I want your critique of the John Rambo trailer. I realize it is not a movie but you know you want to.
all this being said, i'm extremely confused about all of what is being said and then all of what is being said again. perhaps someone has spent a bit too much time watching Rocky 3 and not enough time learning how to speak or write. then agan, there are worse things that you could have been doing, such as watching Rocky 5.
i'll stand by my evaluation of Rocky 3. it is somewhat entertaining, but in no way is it good. the training montages, fight scenes, etc are all better in 1 and 4. that scene on the beach at the end could quite possibly be the most uncomfortable movie scene i've ever watched.
on the John Rambo trailer, i wish it was still on YouTube so that i could post a link. let me know if anyone can locate a 3 1/2 minute unedited trailer for John Rambo. i'll say that i haven't seen that much blood in 3 1/2 minutes since i watched the Lucy Liu boardroom sequence in Kill Bill. it is kind of hilarious, kind of disturbing, and entirely "been-there-done-that". honestly, i'm not as excited to see this flick as i expected, and making it a self-mocking bloodfest didn't really increase my desire. sorry andrew, i'm giving John Rambo a thumbs down. 80s movies are great because they are 80s movies. an 80s movie in the 2000s? well, that's just kind of sad.
I'm gonna have to go ahead and agree with Andrew on this one.
Here's my Rambo sequel idea: "Rambo vs. Gizmo." Specifically, the Gizmo of "Gremlins 2" after he straps on a red headband, makes a bow-and-arrow out of a paper clip and rubber band, and then shoots a flaming pencil at the evil Spider Gremlin. It would be a "student becomes the teacher" story in which Gizmo and Rambo have a falling out over the Iraq War, become bitter rivals, but then reunite to invade Afghanistan and defeat a Taliban-Communist-Gremlin terrorist cell. Pure box office gold.
p, are you kidding me? Rambo would spear Gizmo in the forest, roast him over an open flame, and eat him for dinner. now, Jack Bauer vs. Rambo... there's a sequel with promise. Bauer gets called in to investigate Rambo gone looney in downtown LA (a la First Blood). this time around Rambo bites it because he doesn't listen when Jack tells him to "holster his weapon!".
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