Back in my early days of reviewing films when my kids were growing up and still at home I created a special category called “Young People” where I placed movies that didn’t treat cinema kids like idiots or totally obsessed with sex and fart jokes.
All in Another Time & Place
The Coen Brothers' TRUE GRIT
Readers of my book and movie review will know about my occasional hankering for a Western. It’s no surprise I was looking forward to this movie especially given my positive reaction to my recent discovery of the novel.
Kevin Macdonald's THE EAGLE
Swords, grit, shields, alien lands, culture clashes, honor, heroism, and a cruel empire. Mix wisely with colorful photography, human scale action, crisp editing, and intelligent dialog, and you have THE EAGLE.
Guillaume Iverne & Arthur Qwak's DRAGON HUNTERS
I was transfixed by this animated film, not because of the story — a traditional mix of family-oriented fantasy quest elements — but because of the astonishing artistic imagination on display throughout the film.
Val Guest's QUATERMASS 2 (ENEMY FROM SPACE)
This mixture of British horror and sci-fi from 1957 is thoughtful and at the same time scary.
Quentin Tarentino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
This is some movie. It’s scary, emotionally draining, funny, exciting, tense, thoughtful, violent, whimsical, cruel, and in a few places, just plain weird.
Saul Dibb's THE DUCHESS
I’m a sucker for 18th Century costume dramas, especially if part of the time is spent in sailing ships. This one, despite being landlocked, is heads above most.
Keiichi Sugiyama's ORIGIN: SPIRITS OF THE PAST
The visuals and artwork are impressive but the characters and story are a letdown.
Although visually arresting, I thought Tarsem Singh’s THE CELL was inuman, inhumane, and tawdry. THE FALL is also visually gorgeous. It’s also clever, imaginative, and touching.
Mamoru Oshii's “THE SKY CRAWLERS”
Wonderfully animated, this moody anime adventure combines elements of 1984 (perpetual warfare), Blade Runner (androids with fuzzy memories), Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise (alternate history and retro-futuristic aircraft), and Dark City (constant recycling of character experiences and events).
Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING
Many of the scenes in the Theatrical Return beg for more exposition. I don’t know if that’s because the story has been too highly compressed, or if I’m just aware that an Extended Edition is due out in a couple of months. Probably a bit of both.
Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS
I have watched parts of the film repeatedly on DVD and have seen it in a theater. Many images - too many to mention here - dazzle the senses and cry out for the big screen, there is so much rich lush detail on the screen. The performances of Ian McKellan, Ian Holm, and Christopher Lee are wonderful to behold. And the action set pieces are spectacular.
Gil Kenan's CITY OF EMBER
This extraordinary family film reminded me of the sense of wonder I experienced as a child reading my way through the best of the children’s fantasy and science fiction collection of my local public library.
Andrew Stanton's WALL•E
My first reaction to seeing Pixar’s WALL•E was “This is better than Coruscant!”
Alex Proyas' “DARK CITY”
This is what I wrote in my blog when, once upon a time in Indiana, I found myself working late at night with the TV turned on:
Kevin Lima's ENCHANTED
If you need something pleasant and friendly, you need look no further than Enchanted.
Steven Spielberg's MINORITY REPORT
This movie expands upon the dazzling realistic-future-world special effects of Spielberg’s A.I. but wastes astonishing technical and artistic virtuosity on a hackneyed, uninvolving murder mystery.
Jean-Jacques Annaud's “ENEMY AT THE GATES”
The cast if this WWII movie is uniformly excellent; the direction balanced, detailed, and sensitive; the photography and lighting are superb; and the set designs, stunts, special effects and general environment seem real and immediate.
The story is simple: in the early 1920’s a young German mail-order bride, gramophone in hand, comes to rural Minnesota to meet her Norwegian husband to be.
Ashutosh Gowariker's “LAGAAN: ONE UPON A TIME IN INDIA”
This 3-hour-plus historical-drama-cum-sports-extravaganza has something for everybody:
* Little guy against big guy
* Noble farmers vs. evil foreign conquerors
* The Big Game at the end where everything is decided
* Girl From The Country competes with Girl From The City for the same dashing hero
* Pleas for religious and social tolerance
* An intermission (!)