A Movie Diary

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2001 Archives
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Rating System

  5 = Loved it
  4 = Liked it a lot
  3 = Liked it
  2 = Tolerated it
  1 = Hated it

this is not a weblog: a movie diary

Thurs, August 30, 2001

Shrek

Finally, a non-Disney animated features that lives up to the hype! Shrek is a hilarious and pleasant film that appeals to children and grown-ups alike. The CGI animation is realistic and nearly flawless; the jokes and the story are well-written, but not corny or overly mushy. Eddie Murphy is absolutely hilarious as the donkey, but Shrek the character doesn't really allow Mike Myers to fully showcase his comic genius.

Mon, August 27, 2001

Hands on a Hard Body

Yikes. Them Texans are crazy, I tell ya. I never thought that a documentary about a bunch of rednecks trying to win a brand-new truck would be this much fun. Not much happens in the movie, of course, other than people just standing around and talking, but the interviews with these "contestants" are hilarious and surreal. Some of the comments these people made are just so outrageous and can only come from Texas! I thought it was a little too long though. As the contest went on, the conversations became too repetitive and boring as they kept on recycling the materials from the first half.

Mon, August 27, 2001

Office Space

Not as funny as expected, and certainly not as funny as the Milton shorts that it is based on, but Office Space was still an entertaining movie to watch. Their are many brilliants jabs at a corporate culture and made me reminisce about my horrible bosses and jobs from the past. The plot gets out of hand once the main characters start to plan their big scam though and I wished it stayed as a satire.

Sun, August 26, 2001

Waking Ned Devine

A feel-good comedy filled with likable characters. David Kelly and Ian Bannen are both wonderful as the two leads, and I really like how they didn't sugarcoat the main plot and made it clear that they could go to jail for their master plan. The events near the end were a little silly though.

Sat, August 25, 2001

Life is Beautiful

Maybe I'm just a cynical, cold-hearted bastard, but I was surprisingly unmoved by this supposedly touching movie. Roberto Benigni acts like Jim Carrey on speed, and thoroughly annoyed me the entire time. Granted, the field was a bit thin in 1999, but his winning the Best Actor Oscar has to be one of the biggest travesties in film history. I did enjoy the second half of the movie though.

Sat, August 25, 2001

Crumb

One of my favorite movies of all time! Crumb is fascinating in so many different levels, and after more than 10 viewings, I still can't find enough superlatives to describe this film. Terry Zwigoff supposedly followed Robert Crumb for 6 years with his camera to make this movie, and the end results is possibly one of the most insightful and haunting documentaries ever.

First off, there is Robert Crumb and his art that is often sexually-perverted and disturbing, but always amazing. I could've watched this movie on mute and still given it 5 stars just for the artworks. It's a real treat to watch him constantly scribbling on his sketchbook too. However, the most captivating moments come from his two brothers, Charles and Max. They are so messed up and mentally unstable that they make Robert Crumb look normal, but they are also extremely articulate and give way to very interesting conversations. I was especially touched by the story of Charles Crumb, a total recluse suffering from depression, and one of his quotes that Robert Crumb mentions at the end of the movie: "How perfectly goddamned delightful it all is, to be sure." Indeed.

Fri, August 24, 2001

Sex, Lies, and Videotape

I just love movies that are dialogue-driven. Sure, the premise is a little far-fetched (do people really talk to strangers so candidly about their private sex lives?), but the resulting conversations are intriguing disturbing and thought-provoking. I think the script suffers from being too clever though. Like Aaron Sorkin, Steven Soderbergh writes lines that are witty and insightful with carefully chosen words, but that also makes them feel too polished and fabricated. The plot was also a little too simple and I was left wanting more at the end.

Thurs, August 23, 2001

Mumford

Fairly entertaining and a bit heartwarming, even, but didn't quite realize its potential. All the patients and their stories are interesting at first but then they just disappear from the story abruptly, and all we have left is the hackneyed love story. Loren Dean is likable but bland, and isn't quite a lead material.

Wed, August 22, 2001

Save the Last Dance

Cliché, formulaic and predictable. I knew this movie would offer nothing new, but I still expected to be a lot more entertaining (in a mindless, guilty-pleasure-ish way) than it actually was. Acting was really stiff all around (even Julia Stiles) and its feeble attempts at social commentaries fell flat. Also, the dance routines were mediocre at best although I did like the final audition scene.

Tues, August 21, 2001

Sliding Doors

Sliding Doors and its parallel story lines will inevitably draw comparison to Run Lola Run (for the record, Sliding Doors came out first), but the similarities pretty much end there. It succeeds very well using a different approach to the same premise, and it's a completely different movie experience -- a really enjoyable one at that. Unlike Lola, Sliding Doors is much slower (i.e. "normal" pace) and it cuts back and forth between two parallel stories rather than having a separate segment for each. At first I thought this would be too confusing, but they pulled it off with flying colors. The transitions from one story to the other are smooth, effortless and clever (Gwyneth looks much better as a blonde, BTW) and effectively contrast her two would-be lives. Although I thought the movie a bit depressing at times, both stories were equally interesting and complement each other very well. I really liked how they balanced out the happy and sad elements between the two. My only major complaint with the movie: what the hell is Gwyneth Paltrow (and Jeanne Tripplehorn, for that matter) doing with these incredibly hideous guys?

Tues, August 21, 2001

Mallrats

Kevin Smith has publicly apologized for making this movie, and deservedly so. Mallrats is pretty juvenile, even by his standards. It's filled with the typical Kevin Smith-esque dialogues, pop-culture references that are absolutely hilarious at times, but the horrendously awful acting (Jason Lee has come a long way) and the stupid plot were almost intolerable.

Mon, August 20, 2001

Trans

Without much of a story and dialogues that sound more like incoherent background noise, this movie just goes from one pointless, uninteresting and disjointed scene to the next. I liked the exchanges between the two brothers near the end, and some of the techniques used were fairly interesting, but they weren't nearly enough to make up for the rest of the movie.

Mon, August 20, 2001

Crime+Punishment In Suburbia

A completely ludicrous story with hopelessly one-dimensional and uninteresting characters -- I was rolling my eyes and muttering "puh-leese" the entire time. It reminded me a little of Bully, just much stupider and a lot less realistic. Ellen Barkin is far too talented to be wasting her time in this crap.

Sun, August 19, 2001

Singles

I enjoyed this movie a lot more when I first saw it years ago. The jokes are still fairly funny and it's got some great lines (including my favorite: "I was nowhere near your neighborhood..."), but it just didn't hold up very well with repeated viewings. It all just seems a little cliché now, I suppose. It was fun to see a movie taking place in Seattle though. The quintessential 90s grunge soundtrack featuring Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, etc. is excellent and you can see Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell in brief cameo roles.

Sat, August 18, 2001

Red

The final installment of the Trois Couleurs trilogy was a little different than the first two, but disappointing all the same. It was mildly interesting to see how things come full circle for the main characters, but the movie didn't really go anywhere. Once again, the story and plot twists are arbitrary and not fully developed, and I couldn't get myself to care about the characters or what happens to them. The Oscar-nominated cinematography was fabulous, however.

Sat, August 18, 2001

White

Intoxicating, erotic and devilishly clever? How about lame, implausible and disappointing? The second installment of the Trois Couleurs trilogy was yet another letdown. At least this one tried to have a plot. The story is utterly simple and arbitrary and it was never intriguing or surprising. Everything happens in a matter-of-fact fashion and I didn't think the plot "twists" were convincing at all.

Fri, August 17, 2001

Blue

A huge disappointment. Perhaps my expectations were a bit high too, but why is this movie supposedly so great? Sure, the first half is mysterious and intriguing as it builds up to the supposed climax (and I kept on waiting in anticipation of a big plot twist or a revelation), but there was nothing at the end of the tunnel. It just fizzled towards the end. Also, many of the subplots (dead husband's mistress, stripper neighbor, etc) seem arbitrary and are never fully developed. The cinematography and the music were excellent, however.

Fri, August 17, 2001

What Women Want

This is one of those movies that has all the good parts in the trailer -- you've seen the trailer; you've pretty much seen the movie. It was still fairly entertaining in a silly way though, except they turned it into a mushy melodrama about a guy who grows a conscience towards the end. How original. I wish they did more with the fact that Mel Gibson's character, Nick, can hear women's thoughts. The first half is quite funny (even if you've already seen the jokes in previews), but it just gets sappy, long, predictable and boring in the second half.

Thurs, August 16, 2001

Strictly Ballroom

Another incredibly cheesy and predictable movie about ballroom dancing, but this didn't work quite as well as Shall We Dance? because it focused too much on dancing and not enough on the characters, and relied too heavily on slapstick and overly dramatic routines. It featured some fantastic dancing sequences and a great, creative flashback scene though. The movie also lacked the trademark Baz Luhrmann visuals, but the song Love is in the Air alone almost made up for it.

Wed, August 15, 2001

Shall We Dance?

Incredibly cheesy and predictable, but I couldn't stop smiling during this movie. Who knew ballroom dancing could be this much fun? I knew exactly what was going to happen, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this heartwarming light comedy. I normally hate over-acting, but it worked surprisingly well for this movie. The character of Mr. Aoki and his ill-fitting wig especially made me laugh.

Tues, August 14, 2001

Life Is Sweet

What starts off as a bumbling light-hearted comedy eventually becomes a rather serious and emotional drama towards the end. As with all Mike Leigh films, the dialogues are fluid and heartfelt, and the characters are natural and authentic. I especially loved the exchanges between troubled Nicola and her mother (and later, her twin sister) near the end. I wish more of the movie focused on Nicola and her family though. Even though Timothy Spall as Aubrey provides a great comic relief, I only really started getting into the movie once the movie changed its pace.

Mon, August 13, 2001

The Way of the Gun

There are a lot of good things about this movie: one super creative car chase scene, some really funny and memorable lines, and excellent performances by James Caan and Benicio Del Toro. Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good. The story is interesting at first, but soon gets out of hand. There is so much crammed into this movie -- just far many twists and double-crosses to keep track of, and it quickly got tiresome. I thought the shootout scenes were too long as well.

Mon, August 13, 2001

Chocolat

Mmmm... Chocolate... The plot is utterly predictable and it's definitely not a Best Picture Oscar caliber movie, but Chocolat was a thoroughly pleasant, feel-good movie experience. The chocolate making scenes are as (if not more) appetizing as the cooking scenes from Eat Drink Man Woman or Big Night, and fit well with the whimsical/magical theme of the story.

Sun, August 12, 2001

The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg

Hank Greenberg was more than just a baseball superstar. He was an icon -- the pride and joy of the Jewish Americans in the 1930s and 40s amidst rampant anti-Semitism. As the first prominent Jewish player in the Major League Baseball, Greenberg not only established himself as one of the best sluggers in baseball history, but he also gave the Jewish Americans something to cheer about. He also paved a path for other baseball pioneers like Jackie Robinson as he quietly fought discrimination by letting his stats speak for themselves.

This movie isn't your typical boring documentary either. It shows a nice balance of Greenberg's baseball achievements and personal life (though I wish they focused a bit more on the baseball part) with a good mixture of old baseball footage, interviews with fans, family, friends and Greenberg himself, as well as clips from classic baseball movies such as The Pride of the Yankees. You don't have to be a baseball fan/historian to enjoy and appreciate this movie. Besides, there is nothing quite like listening to "Take Me out to the Ball Game" sung in Yiddish.

Sat, August 11, 2001

Frequency

What a pleasant surprise! Frequency is like Field of Dreams, Back to the Future, Contact and Silence of the Lambs all rolled into one -- what I thought would be a sappy story about a father and a son turned out to be a fast-paced, exciting thriller. The premise and the story is original and filled with unexpected twists, and while it does get a little too messy towards the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Sat, August 11, 2001

Josie and the Pussycats

Note to self: don't watch a movie just because it's free, especially if it's something that Richard Roeper liked. This is one of the worst movies I've seen in a while. The plot is wafer thin and utterly ridiculous; none of the jokes are funny; all the characters are cliché, uninteresting and annoying (especially Tara Reid). Their pathetic attempt at being "hip" by poking fun at itself by constantly bombarding the screen with product placements is extremely annoying, and the supposed irony is completely lost on me.

Fri, August 10, 2001

Fallen Angels

Essentially, Fallen Angels is Chungking Express in overdrive. Originally intended as the third story of Chungking Express, Fallen Angels has several references to Chungking Express such as an expired can of pineapple and the Midnight Express restaurant. They both have quirky and strange characters in the similar settings, and two separate stories (one violent and film-noir-ish; the other light-hearted, quirky and funny) that somehow intersect with each other, but Fallen Angels works far better because it's more stylish, more violent and more bizarre than its predecessor. The trademark Wong Kar-Wai/Christopher Doyle visuals are all there (constantly changing color tones, extensive use of wide angle shots, and dazzling art direction) and it's almost worth it just to see the images on the screen. It somehow didn't have that "wow" impact that Happy Together or In the Mood for Love had on me though (probably because I didn't see it on a big screen?), and I thought the movie could've ended a bit earlier. There were a number of points in the movie when I thought it ended, just to realize that there is still more left.

Thurs, August 9, 2001

Chungking Express

This is a Wong Kar-Wai movie? Chungking Express was definitely not what I had in mind -- it lacks the dazzling visuals and funky shots that his more recent movies have, and it actually has a plot! I still enjoyed it though. The characters are funny and quirky (especially Tony Leung's character who talks to inanimate objects), and while the story doesn't really go anywhere, it's intriguing enough to keep you glued to the screen. Bonus points for Faye Wong's rendition of the Cranberries' Dream which is featured prominently throughout the movie.

Wed, August 8, 2001

Edge of Seventeen

One of the better coming-of-age, that-one-fateful-summer-which-changed-everything type movies I've seen. The story is totally cliché and predictable, but it's also very realistic and sometimes touching. It was also pretty fun to re-live the 80s, so to speak.

Wed, August 8, 2001

The Mexican

Much has been made of the fact that this movie has two of the biggest stars in Hollywood (Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt) together for the first time, but James Gandolfini is the real star of the movie. The main story is midly interesting, but the dialogues between Gandolfini and Roberts are the best thing about this movie, and the movie never recovers once Gandolfini's character is gone. Also, there are just too many switch-a-roos and screw-ups to keep track of, and by the end I couldn't care less about what happens to the precious gun or the remaining characters.

Tues, August 7, 2001

Chicken Run

Compared to Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run isn't as funny and the "characters" aren't as cute, but then again, that's a pretty high standard we're putting it up against. This is still an immensely entertaining and well-made movie. Nick Park's claymation is amazing as ever, and the voice-overs (especially Timothy Spall as Nick the Rat) are excellent. A number of references to such classics as The Great Escape and Raiders of the Lost Ark are also very amusing.

Mon, August 6, 2001

2001: A Space Odyssey

There is no denying that this is a fantastic looking film. Most of the scenes shot in vintage Kubrick fashion are truly majestic and fit well with the grand classical music in the background; the special effects look amazing after over 30 years, and are comparable to, or better than most CGI stuff we see these days. However, it was a disappointment overall. The part that deals with HAL and Dave was absolutely fascinating, but other parts were too slow and bizarre. Also, the lack of dialogues was more than a little frustrating -- there were too many scenes with nothing but heavy breathing (or less) for a good 10-15 minute periods. People can say all they want about the symbolism and the visual achievements, but I think this is just another overly pretentious piece of work.

Thurs, August 2, 2001

Farewell My Concubine

This is a fascinating story of two Chinese opera singers and their roller coaster of a friendship -- the ups and downs of their relationship are brilliantly paralleled with the turbulent events of the modern Chinese history such as the World War II, the communist rule and the cultural revolution. However, the real focal point of the movie is the tragic story of Cheng Dieyi who is "raised" as a transvestite/homosexual in order to play the female role in the opera Farewell My Concubine. Erstwhile teen heartthrob Leslie Cheung and the younger actor who plays him as a teenager are so convincing as the effeminate Dieyi/Douzi, and the part where he struggles with the lines "by nature I'm a girl, not a boy" is extremely moving and heartbreaking. It's also a beautiful movie just to look at with its vibrant award-winning cinematography, spectacular costumes and makeup, and of course, the ever breathtaking Gong Li. The events in the movies as well as the transitions between them are a bit abrupt and arbitrary at times though, and I was often confused about what was going on.

Wed, August 1, 2001

Topsy-Turvy

Normally, I don't like musicals and I don't like period pieces, but Topsy-Turvy is a such a terrific looking and beautifully detailed movie. The gorgeous Oscar winning costumes and makeup look very authentic, and Mike Leigh doesn't leave out a single detail about the making of The Mikado. I found it a little too detailed at times though. All the individual scenes work extremely well, but when joined together they seem a bit slow and long. Also, the musical numbers (performed by the actors themselves) are fun but is it really necessary to show every single one of them from start-to-finish? Fade-outs anyone?

Still, I really enjoyed this movie. The acting is superb (especially Jim Broadbent as Gilbert) and it's a well-made film in every aspect. I just think it could've used more aggressive editing. Also, I wish more screen time was given to Timothy Spall. He absolutely steals the show whenever he's on screen, but we don't get to see enough of him.

July 2001 (and a bit of June)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Eat Drink Man Woman

Secrets & Lies

The Insider

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Babe: Pig in the City

Nurse Betty

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover

Breaking the Waves

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Romper Stomper