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mark_r._mcdonald
Reviews
Kate & Leopold (2001)
Another missed opportunity
Why is it that Meg Ryan always gets caught in movies with precipitous or unfulfilling endings? "Sleepless in Seattle", "French Kiss" now this. laying aside criticisms about the length, her age, etc., my only real beef was that the ending had no play out. He sees her in the crowd, announces her, the end. What about her future? What about her brother, ex-boyfriend, ex-boss? There were a whole slew of loose ends that could have been neatly tied up before or even during the closing credits.
First, I would have loved to see her as Duchess of Albany, going to that estate in England that her ex-boss had purchased and leaving him a note, which he could have found and ....something, expressed incredulity or amazement. She could have fixed things in the past so that her brother suddenly had opportunities he wouldn't have had, a la "Frequency". And of course, guiding her descendents, the current Duke of Albany would have to be fabulously wealthy, the family having known how to invest during two world wars, depressions, peace protests, industrial booms and high-tech booms.
Yes, many possibilities overlooked here. Seeing a little of the results of her leap of faith would have made the movie much more satisfying. Well, so too would have been seeing a little more of her brother's flame; Charlotte Ayanna's role was too short.
A Knight's Tale (2001)
An enjoyable movie that definitely doesn't take itself too seriously
Alright, so the movie has serious anachronisms (his armor, her dresses, all the music) and was totally predictable. It was still entertaining--except perhaps to those curmudgeons that only find mentally challenging things entertaining.
It was also refreshing to be able to go to a movie where I wouldn't have to worry about graphic sex and language. Other directors could learn a lesson from the portrayal of Jocelyn and William's tryst: We have no doubt as to what transpired, but they didn't have to get naked and act it out. (Always remember, Victor Flemming didn't have to follow Rhett and Scarlett up the stairs to the bedroom, and Michael Curtiz left Rick and Ilsa's steamy relationship in Paris back in Paris.) I wonder how many people noticed the careful medieval pronunciation of certain vulgar words. I'm sure that went over the heads of all the kids.
As for Queen and Bowie, well, the crowds were at a sports event, so we had actors doing what WE would do at a sporting event. (I especially liked the nobleman sitting at the first joust who, with everyone else clapping around him, sits there looking like he's feeling stupid because he's too dignified to clap along but feels the yearning to do so.)
As for Jocelyn's costumes. They all looked like something from the 1930's rather than the 1360's. Also William's armor--in fact all the armor--look more 16th century than 14th century. Otherwise, the costuming was pretty accurate. I doubt if real jousts splattered as much wood splinters around as these did.
As others have pointed out, the thing that makes this movie is the inclusion of Chaucer. He really steals the show.
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Another missed chance for a better ending.
The plot was OK, the effects were OK, the acting was OK, the girl was...more than OK. I enjoyed the movie despite the weak plot and incredulous situations. I even found the two leads engaging.
Never mind the movie itself. What really roils me is when writers (or other decision makers) miss opportunities for better endings, and boy, they missed one this time. In the process they also missed a chance for a much better sequel. (I've noticed that third-time-arounds tend to learn from the mistakes of their immediate predecessors.) In this case, a pivotal point comes when the mummy, rendered mortal and vulnerable, finds that his eternal love will not risk life and limb to save him. The look on his face as she runs away was precious. He decides to let go and fall into Hell--so taking a great opportunity with him.
Imagine now if the O'Connells had somehow rescued him--it was well within their characterization to do so. Then we would have had a new dynamic to this ending, where the two protagonists would have had to come to some sort of terms. Imhotep now faces a life without his eternal (and faithless) lover. He has a debt, begrudgingly, to Rick. He is thrust into a different time. Moreover he has a load of guilt he may not even recognize. I imagine them parting company with a guarded truce--not friends at all, but not now mortal enemies. This would be a scene where some depth could have been added to all characters as they commented about right and wrong, time and eternity, loyalty and betrayal.
More importantly for the box office, it would have set up a scenario for one heck of a sequel. Does he regain his supernatural powers? CAN he regain them? If so, how does he use them now that his love interest is gone? I see a chance for the O'Connells to come to grips with some other evil with Imhotep the mortal on... whose side? Do we know which side; can we trust him at all? Then perhaps a grand finale where he manages to win redemption by some act of supreme sacrifice.
Ah, it could have been the best of the series. But the opportunity's gone. (I would love to have seen them doing a dig with what is obviously the dig from "Raiders of the Lost Ark", Nazis and all, going on in the background.)
Now, about that balloon... I calculate its envelope would have to have been roughly 50 times the volume of the one portrayed to have lifted that boat at all, let alone fly.
The Kid (2000)
So..what's keeping them from making more like this?
From a perspective that it is possible to make movies that are not offensive to people with strong moral values, this one is definitely worthwhile. This is the second Bruce Willis film in a row that manages to tell its story with no nudity, off-color humor, profanity, or gratuitous violence. (I refer of course to The Sixth Sense.) Both movies are engaging on more than one level. This one is appropriate for children as well, although as others have pointed out, it isn't a flick FOR kids.
I was bothered that the time travel device that drives this plot is never explained, except that we know Russell himself initiates it as a 70 year old. Also, why does his dying mother have to come to school to get him when he wins the fight; why, if as his older self says, he has to fight that kid again and again for the next few years does his mother not have to come and get him every time, and why he doesn't learn to kick butt in the process. I also found the score rather annoying and not always appropriate to the action on stage.
Good use of the red plane as metaphor, however.
Fireball Jungle (1968)
Stuff like this causes suicide amongst projectionists
Stupid plot, stupid dialog, stupider situations, all leading up to a really stupid car chase at the end. This is the kind of stuff that gets purposefully left off of resumes. I saw this back in 69 as part of a double feature (they used to show you two movies for the price of one--really, it was standard operations.) I don't remember the other movie because it wasn't nearly as dumb. But somehow I seem to remember having to watch this turkey twice--no doubt the fault of my then-girlfriend, who would drag me out of movies because she couldn't follow the plot. I thought of this film immediately when I learned that IMDB has a "Bottom 100" list. This needs to be included.
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Does not live up to the series.
The TV series featured a team of experts with the goal of causing something to happen without ever letting on that there had been any government intervention at all. The trick was to pull a high tech con job on world leaders, high-rolling criminals, or whatever. The technology was useful, but the psychological aspects were what made the show interesting. Jim Phelps had to pull off some very subtle acts at times. That very light-handed approach was why the missions were considered "impossible".
So what does Ethan Hunt do? Wreak havoc wherever he goes, it seems. No subtlety here, rather just an excuse to pack as much meaningless action into two hours as you can. I counted at least three opportunities to bring the mission to a successful conclusion that were missed or dropped. All so that we could be treated to an impossible car chase, an over-long fist fight and other inanities. The stunts were impossible, the mission was anything but. Rate this P for "Puerile".
Well anyway, the girl was cute.
The Butcher's Wife (1991)
Not again!
Comment first for Ian: Small town? They make it pretty clear that the name of that town is NEW YORK CITY--specifically Manhattan.
So again, here we have a sweet tale with no sex or violence and very little language. But I would feel uncomfotable watching this with my kids in the room because of the strong pro-homosexuality message. Does somebody in Hollywood actually get paid to purposely spoil otherwise "G" rated movies by throwing in just enough immoraity to make them unsuitable for general consumption?
Demi Moore shows here that she can be a knockout WITH her clothes on, although I'm not partial to blondes and would ratehr have seen her with her natural color. Jeff Daniels does a good neurotic. My only criticism of the casting is that the role of Grace should have been given to somebody who could really sing like Bessie Smith, and then given a chance to do so.
Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)
Puerile, very
Good thing this was made before some of these stars became headliners. OK, this was fun, but it is dumber than the blonds enshrined in the song (which, by the way, had absolutely NOTHING to do with the plot.) I had heard the song on Dr. Demento and just had to check it out. Trouble was, to do so I had to buy it. Everyone in or about this film has done better work. This will be one of the things that they will cringe at whenever it gets mentioned when their older. Definietly puberty material.
But the song is funny.
And Gena Davis is cute.
And my wife thinks Jeff Goldblum is cute too.
Simply Irresistible (1999)
Were not talking an epic here--this was a nice, fun movie and doesn't deserve a lot of the criticism expressed here.
I am appalled that some if you nit pickers are so jaded that you cannot see the charm in this amusing tale. Sure this is not a huge epic, but since when does each movie have to be a spectacular? It was a nice story, tastefully (pun intended) done. Hollywood needs more nice, clean movies like this, devoid of sex and blood. So it didn't break box office records; who cares, it still made money. That makes it a successful film. So lighten up, ye cynics.
One thing that I liked about the film, which several other commetators criticized, is that they DID NOT explain the magic. The characters were aware of it's presence but unable to explain it either. This thing just happened to her and she took advantage of it, not knowing how permanent the gift was and afraid of losing it.
One thing nobody seems to have mentioned is that Gellar's concoctions imparted the EMOTIONS she was feeling when she cooked them. Hence, when she is tearful, the diners are tearful. (Something that the pizza and beer crowd miss is that world-class cuisine can indeed be an emotional experience.)
I would have liked to see a bit more closure. What happens next? Does the gift continue? What role does the crab play? Who was that masked man..err, the guy at the beginning. He could have had some bit at the end that tidied up these loose story elements.
Above all, I want to say that this movie made me incredibly HUNGRY!
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
This movie hit a deep one and ran the bases, but was tagged out at the plate.
First I would like to say that Sam's wife's ghost was a total babe. I'd be grief stricken about her too.
That out of the way, this movie handled the first part well, where Annie becomes infatuated with this man. She of course is in love not with him but with the relationship he had with his first wife. The only problem here is that the story didn't give Sam a chance to develop more than a passing physical interest in Annie. This would nave added tremendous depth to the story and probably would have helped later on.
The real problem with this movie is the opportunity missed in the final scene for an emotional reaction from Annie. Here she is on the top of the Empire State Building, knowing that she is WAY late. She finds Jonah's bag and... nothing happens. This was a great point for her to realize that he had been there, that it was actually the kid who wrote the letter, that HE wanted this relationship too, maybe more so than the adults. etc. This was the point for her to pour out a lot of pent up and newly formed emotions that would have counterbalanced the emotional buildup earlier on. (She would have had time to do that--the trip down and back up by the boys really would have taken a bit longer than it was portrayed.) Then, her reaction at coming face to face with Sam and Jonah would have been markedly different, more complex. We might have had some confirmation that that magic they were all three seeking actually did exist, especially if we had seen some of the afore-mentioned missing intrigue on the part of Sam. I would also have had her pull her original letter out of the knapsack, along with the teddy bear.
So I feel that this was a very good movie, but it really missed an opportunity at the end which would have made it great.