2005 - A Reflection

[ZapRowsdower]

Because of Winn-Dixie

I knew this movie was going to be a nice, uplifting family film. I had no idea just how good it was. I actually feel it's a shame they released it so early in the year, it's definitely worthy of a few Oscars.

The actors, each and every one of them, were excellent. Everyone from Jeff Daniels, to Cicely Tyson, to Dave Matthews, even to newcomer AnnaSophia Robb, everyone was perfect.

There are very few movies I can say this about, but this is a movie with heart. It's not one of those "family" movies that exploit primitive humor that only five-year-olds laugh at. It doesn't condescend to our youth, and that's what makes it so great. It's an actual, serious story.

This is a movie everyone should be able to enjoy. There are moments of high drama... tear-jerking moments, and moments that will put a smile on your face.

My theater's losing it this weekend, but if it's playing anywhere near you, go see it. It's an excellent movie.

[ZapRowsdower]

Be Cool

It seems like ages ago when I saw an advanced screening of this movie... and I still haven't seen Get Shorty yet.

Having nothing to compare it to, I felt Be Cool was a very funny movie. If the first one was better, then it has to be one of the greatest comedies of all time.

The Rock was surprisingly great in this movie. It's his best performance, hands down. Vince Vaughn was very entertaining as well.

There are a few surprises in the movie, a strong cast, and a very well-written script. PG-13 or not, this is definitely worth seeing.

[ZapRowsdower]

Man of the House

The intro sucks, but the rest of the movie is made funny by Tommy Lee Jones. Definitely not a great movie, but it's a decent one. One worth matinee price.

7/10

Son of the Mask

At ease- I have not seen this movie. But my theater did have it for an excruciatingly painful two weeks. No reason, uh, no conscience, no understanding and even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right and wrong. That movie is nothing but purely, simply EVIL. It must be burned to the ground. Two words: ritual sacrifice. The horrors of that movie are too horrid to mention here. It's best quality is a CGI baby. draw your own conclusions from that.

I should get worker's comp for putting up with this shit. The producers, writer(s), and director all need to write me a large check to pay for the emotional and psychological damage I suffered for having to watch about 20 minutes (cumulative) of this atrocity.

0/10... And I really considered adding negative numbers to my criteria.

[ZapRowsdower]

Jacket, The

The first perfect 10 of the year. An excellent thriller (it is NOT a horror movie) with excellent performances by Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley. Thus far, this is the best movie of 2005.

10/10

Diary of a Mad Black Woman

Yes, I caved. After the unreal numbers this movie attracted last week, I had to see for myself. I was surprised, it was better than I expected. It's a good drama, Kimberly Elise once again gives a great performance. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more on stage. The story itself has some flaws, including unrealistic plot devices, and "too much of a good thing" (There is a really powerful confrontation scene in the movie that they tried to repeat twice). Also a couple of cheesy lines such as "I can love you past your pain". Other than that, keep an open mind. It's watchable and entertaining.

7/10

[Phoenix]

Smitty: Did you see Cursed? I have heard pretty much all negatives, so I wasn't sure if you were boycotting it or not. I have not seen, just curious of your opinion since you see a hell of a lot more movies than I ever could!

[ZapRowsdower]

That reminds me. Thanks, Phoenix.

Cursed

Ok, it was partially a boycott. I saw bits and pieces of it, and must say it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. But in compariosn to the Scream trilogy and the Faculty, well... it's complete shite.

To me, it looks like they tried to make Scream with werewolves... CGI werewolves. Scream didn't take itself seriously, but it maintained its suspense and creepiness. It looked to me like Cursed was an outright comedy.

Never edit a movie for a PG-13 rating. No score yet, I haven't seen enough of it.

The Pacifier

I apologize to everyone who heard me say this could be a good movie. I should have known better. This was one of the most insulting movies I had ever seen. Even kids should be insulted by this. Instead of being another Kindergarten Cop, it ended up being another stupid family comedy that condescends to kids. I never ever thought I'd find myself saying this, but Vin Diesel could do better. Pauly Shore HAS done better.

2/10 - 1 point for each time I smiled.

[Heineken Skywalker]

IamTheSmitty said:

Be Cool
Having nothing to compare it to, I felt Be Cool was a very funny movie. If the first one was better, then it has to be one of the greatest comedies of all time.

The Rock was surprisingly great in this movie. It's his best performance, hands down. Vince Vaughn was very entertaining as well.

Do yourself a favor and see GET SHORTY. It's a much better written film. No, it's not one of "the greatest comedies of all time", but it is a well written & acted movie. Saw this a couple of weeks ago, and it was okay, but the plot was kind of "all over the place". I will agree that The Rock was pretty damn funny as the gay bodyguard/actor wannabe. His "audition" scene was great! But Vince Vaughn's character, the white guy who desperately wants to be black, has been done to death. He was good, but it just had that feeling of "been there, done that". I prefer Gary Oldman in TRUE ROMANCE as Drexell the pimp.
There are so many characters and so many cameos that Travolta almost seemed like a supporting character in his own movie. In the first one, he is definitely the center of the movie, here he was like a second banana to everyone else. Ooh look, there's Vince Vaughn, there's Uma Thurman, there's Cedric the Entertainer, there's The Rock, there's Andre 3000, there's Harvey Keitel, there's Danny Devito, there's Steven Tyler, etc. There were cameos in the first one too, but somehow they seemed more "natural" and not so forced.
Question: If you were a young black female R&B singer (think Beyonce) trying to get her big break, would performing a duet with Aerosmith at one of their concerts seem like the best career move? Well sure, cause female R&B singers and Aerosmith usually appeal to the same audience. Totally unrealistic.
6.5/10

[ZapRowsdower]

I've seen Get Shorty last week. To me, Be Cool was funnier, but Get Shorty was the better movie.

Hostage

More and more, critics are proving to us that they have poor taste in movies. Is Hostage an original movie? No. Is it worth your time (and money)?

Before you answer that question, ask yourself the following:

Do you enjoy watching a good action flick?
Do you like edge-of-your-seat thrillers?
Do you miss the Film Noir genre?
Did you like Die Hard?

If the answer to all four of these questions is "Yes", then Hostage is most definitely worth your time and money. Bruce Willis may be getting old, but he can still kick ass. The action sequences were awesome, and the actors were great... Particularly Bruce Willis and Ben Foster.

Ben Foster surprised me in this movie. The guy can act. If you don't know who he is, he was the kid in the Punisher (2004) who had all the piercings. In this one, he plays a total psycho, and he does it well.

The acting, the action, and Florent Siri's direction all make this one movie you should not miss. Ignore the critics (again) and go see this movie.

10/10

[ZapRowsdower]

Robots

It's no Shrek, it's not nearly as Incredible as the Incredibles, but that doesn't mean it's not good.

Robots is a very clever, funny, entertaining movie. Robin Williams steals the show as usual. Ewan McGregor, however, is a very good voice actor. Even Drew Carey couldn't kill it. It was nice to hear Mel Brooks' voice again, too. I missed that guy.

But check Robots out, it's a very good movie.

8.5/10

[ZapRowsdower]

Ring Two, The

Here are a few statements that can be said about The Ring Two:

1. It is quite possibly the biggest letdown since Van Helsing.

2. To call it inferior to the first movie would be like calling Alone in the Dark inferior to Pulp Fiction.

3. It is inconsistent with its predecessor.

4. I'd say it's a ripoff of Godsend.

5. It sucks, and the writers of this piece of shit need to be horridly disfigured like the faces of Samara's victims.

The score of this movie is elevated somewhat by Naomi Watts' performance and the Sissy Spacek scene. Other than that, this movie cannot be legitimately referred to as a "sequel", because it is merely just a "cash-in".

Fuck this movie.

3/10

[Phoenix]

Thanks for the heads up on Ring 2 Smitty...I will expect much less going in.

[Phoenix]

Minor Spoiler Below (general statement about the story):





Gotta agree w/Smitty, although I figured I would. I didn't HATE it as much as it sounds he did but this is a possession horror film. As in about someone possessed. That's all it is about. BORING.

I did like two special effects scenes in the movie but that can't make up for all the inconsistencies of the story.

[ZapRowsdower]

Upside of Anger, The

Mike Binder is an up-and-coming writer/director. This was one funny movie! Beautiful performances, especially by Kevin Costner and Joan Allen. One of the best movies of the year thus far.

10/10

[ZapRowsdower]

Newly added:

Millions

The review can be found on the Review board.

[Bartwald]

IamTheSmitty said:

Newly added:

Millions

The review can be found on the Review board.

I'm glad you liked Millions, Smitty! The reviews I've read so far were so-so and, as you may remember, I'm a fan of Boyle (yes, I even liked The Beach!).