The Clint Eastwood flic, "Blood Work," was, I thought, quite enjoyable.
I'd rate it somewhat above "Insomnia" for entertainment value.
Eastwood portrays the same general character as usual, but the story was interesting and Clint's usual character usually works for me.
Jeff Daniels has sort of a "Life's Been Good To Me So Far" role in it and he'd be my choice if there were ever a casting call to play guitarist Joe Walsh or even Jimmy Buffett.
It grieves me to report that I found "Signs" to be a BIG disappointment.
As a thriller, I'd characterize it as a meeting in a cornfield between "The Creature From The Black Lagoon" and "The Blair Witch Project."
And writer/director M. Night Shyamalan had best keep his day job, because as an actor he's no match for Alfred Hitchcock.
For me, the most remarkable thing about this movie was the pre-release campaign that buzzed up a big opening box office cash intake.
It's impressive that Shyamalan comes up with entire movies by himself, but this time I thought he ran smack dab into the Peter Principle.
So, that old sixties song "Signs" by The Five Man Electrical Band (more recently covered by Tesla) even yet remains as the best artistic effort bearing that particular title.
I was really sorry to find the movie wasn't what I'd expected, because I had looked forward to seeing it.
But, IMHO, this crop circle cropper was no more than a marketing hoax itself.
It was like "The Exorcist" set in a panic room, but with less action and a less formidible group of antagonists.
I thought "Minority Report" slowly went down the tubes much the same as "A. I." did.
It had lots of good stuff like those cool spider thingies, but it was way too long with way too much mediocre melodrama.
As a thespian, Tom Cruise is no favorite of mine, but I'll admit to being impressed when he let that single air bubble out of a single nostril as he hid underwater in a bathtub.
I read that he insisted on actually performing that singular piece of business himself and, pro that he is, nailed it in, yes, a SINGLE take.
His boyish smile is usually his best facial feature, but for this bubbly action sequence his always imposing nose filled the screen, this time to good purpose.
Steven Speilberg is a proven cinematic genius, but maybe I'd like his inspirations better on a shorter or, I'll specify, a more restraining leash.
It's like everything he comes up with (or at least most of it) makes the final cut.
Almost all of this stuff has merit, but it's so uneven and it goes on and on and on.
Sometimes Speilberg's karma is as instant as Beatle John's and other times he's as long and winding as Beatle Paul, but his recent offerings make me think how either Lennon or McCartney might have fared alone if each one had never found the other against whom to hone collaborative ideas.
I really liked "Road To Perdition."
For my money, it had good acting, a good story and some good cinematography.
Sam Mendes creates a much lesser Godfather saga with a little nod to "The Sting."
I also saw "Reign Of Fire" and enjoyed the action and the special effects.
Think of "Mad Max" meets an airborne "Godzilla" with the most amazing movie magic being how Matthew McConaughey was pumped up to mimic Arnold Swartzenegger or Jesse Ventura a la "Predator."
So, to sum up my feelings about these five flics, "Blood Work" and "Road To Perdition" each feature good acting by some of the best around with bunches of bullets flying about in the face of all morality;
"Minority Report" showcases hunk Tom Cruise in a lengthy fantasy flight taken with the unbridled imagination of noted moralist Steven Spielberg working overtime;
"Reign Of Fire" has a beefed-up bongo boy and little else on a Quixotic pilgrimage seeking to tilt with a flying dragon;
and "Signs" was either a promising film-maker's type-casting of Gibson into yet another movie where Mel struggles with faith, mortality AND morality, this time in a movie misleadingly masqueraded in its advertising campaign as a sci-fi thriller......or it flew right over my head.
I felt the Eastwood/Daniels flic and the Tom Hanks/Paul Newman/Jude Law flic were the cream of this crop.
But at matinee or rental prices, you won't go far wrong if you feel a need to check any of them out.
Gig 'em, FAST FRED '65.
Before the world wide web, village idiots usually stayed in their own village.
[This message has been edited by FAST FRED (edited 9/15/2004 1:48p).]
I'd rate it somewhat above "Insomnia" for entertainment value.
Eastwood portrays the same general character as usual, but the story was interesting and Clint's usual character usually works for me.
Jeff Daniels has sort of a "Life's Been Good To Me So Far" role in it and he'd be my choice if there were ever a casting call to play guitarist Joe Walsh or even Jimmy Buffett.
It grieves me to report that I found "Signs" to be a BIG disappointment.
As a thriller, I'd characterize it as a meeting in a cornfield between "The Creature From The Black Lagoon" and "The Blair Witch Project."
And writer/director M. Night Shyamalan had best keep his day job, because as an actor he's no match for Alfred Hitchcock.
For me, the most remarkable thing about this movie was the pre-release campaign that buzzed up a big opening box office cash intake.
It's impressive that Shyamalan comes up with entire movies by himself, but this time I thought he ran smack dab into the Peter Principle.
So, that old sixties song "Signs" by The Five Man Electrical Band (more recently covered by Tesla) even yet remains as the best artistic effort bearing that particular title.
I was really sorry to find the movie wasn't what I'd expected, because I had looked forward to seeing it.
But, IMHO, this crop circle cropper was no more than a marketing hoax itself.
It was like "The Exorcist" set in a panic room, but with less action and a less formidible group of antagonists.
I thought "Minority Report" slowly went down the tubes much the same as "A. I." did.
It had lots of good stuff like those cool spider thingies, but it was way too long with way too much mediocre melodrama.
As a thespian, Tom Cruise is no favorite of mine, but I'll admit to being impressed when he let that single air bubble out of a single nostril as he hid underwater in a bathtub.
I read that he insisted on actually performing that singular piece of business himself and, pro that he is, nailed it in, yes, a SINGLE take.
His boyish smile is usually his best facial feature, but for this bubbly action sequence his always imposing nose filled the screen, this time to good purpose.
Steven Speilberg is a proven cinematic genius, but maybe I'd like his inspirations better on a shorter or, I'll specify, a more restraining leash.
It's like everything he comes up with (or at least most of it) makes the final cut.
Almost all of this stuff has merit, but it's so uneven and it goes on and on and on.
Sometimes Speilberg's karma is as instant as Beatle John's and other times he's as long and winding as Beatle Paul, but his recent offerings make me think how either Lennon or McCartney might have fared alone if each one had never found the other against whom to hone collaborative ideas.
I really liked "Road To Perdition."
For my money, it had good acting, a good story and some good cinematography.
Sam Mendes creates a much lesser Godfather saga with a little nod to "The Sting."
I also saw "Reign Of Fire" and enjoyed the action and the special effects.
Think of "Mad Max" meets an airborne "Godzilla" with the most amazing movie magic being how Matthew McConaughey was pumped up to mimic Arnold Swartzenegger or Jesse Ventura a la "Predator."
So, to sum up my feelings about these five flics, "Blood Work" and "Road To Perdition" each feature good acting by some of the best around with bunches of bullets flying about in the face of all morality;
"Minority Report" showcases hunk Tom Cruise in a lengthy fantasy flight taken with the unbridled imagination of noted moralist Steven Spielberg working overtime;
"Reign Of Fire" has a beefed-up bongo boy and little else on a Quixotic pilgrimage seeking to tilt with a flying dragon;
and "Signs" was either a promising film-maker's type-casting of Gibson into yet another movie where Mel struggles with faith, mortality AND morality, this time in a movie misleadingly masqueraded in its advertising campaign as a sci-fi thriller......or it flew right over my head.
I felt the Eastwood/Daniels flic and the Tom Hanks/Paul Newman/Jude Law flic were the cream of this crop.
But at matinee or rental prices, you won't go far wrong if you feel a need to check any of them out.
Gig 'em, FAST FRED '65.
Before the world wide web, village idiots usually stayed in their own village.
[This message has been edited by FAST FRED (edited 9/15/2004 1:48p).]