Guns, Germs, and Steel
By Jared Diamond
You don't really need me to say that this is a good book. After all, it won the Pulitzer Prize. It is an excellent read, though. Diamond takes on a very profound question--that is, why were some civilizations able to advance so much more rapidly than others?--and is able to provide a very simple, satisfying answer. The best part is that the book is very easy to read; just about anyone should be able to understand Diamond's argument. In fact, the only reason that it took me so long to finish this book is that I was heavily distracted by video games. In any case, I highly recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in history or anthropology.
Started: 4/12/2005 | Finished: 6/7/2005
Howl's Moving Castle
This is the third Miyazaki film I've seen and I think I liked it even better than Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. It may have something to do with the mythology of the story being a little more accessible to me in its Western-ness. (That's Western as in the opposite of Eastern, not as in cowboys and six-shooters.) Whatever the reason, I really enjoyed this one. Miyazaki has such a great sense of the fable, and is a master of creating a feeling of epic in his films. Something about his movies grabs me on a very visceral level. The only problem is that I tend to leave his films a bit confused. I can never quite put my finger on just what affects me. With Howl's Moving Castle, I got the feeling that there was a lot of background from the novel that was left out. No matter, I'll just have to put the book in my reading queue. My last thought is that I think at some point I'd like to see a subtitled version. A lot of times English-speaking voice actors tend to overdo anime, and this one was no different. Christian Bale, especially was over the top, although Emily Mortimer and Jean Simmons had their moments, and Billy Crystal was surprisingly good.
Viewed: 6/14/2005 | Released: 6/9/2005 | Score: A
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
If you're not in the mood for an action flick, it would probably be best to avoid this one. After all, that's all it really is: an action movie with a reasonably clever premise. The film takes normal marital friction and amplifies it to the point of comic ridiculousness. Most couples keep little details from each other, but in this one it's that they're both assassins. Every couple fights, but in this one they fight with guns. Juliette got a little bored, but I thought that it was pretty well paced. I suppose if you're not into long fight scenes, though, it could get quite stale in places. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie managed decent chemistry, although I always find Jolie a little too cold and a little too into herself. I'd say she did better than average in this one, though; you could tell she was trying. Juliette pointed out--and I agreed-- that Brad Pitt had excellent timing.
Viewed: 6/11/2005 | Released: 6/9/2005 | Score: B
Cinderella Man
As it turned out, Juliette and I had very different opinions about this one. Coming out of the film, we gave each other our impressions as we always do. I said that I thought that the first five minutes were kind of boring, and that I thought Renée Zellweger was miscast. She was quite surprised, because she thought this was one of Zellweger's best performances. However, despite our differences on the chemistry between the two leads, we both agreed that it was a good story and that Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti did excellent work as Jim Braddock and Joe Gould.
Viewed: 6/4/2005 | Released: 5/22/2005 | Score: B
Madagascar
You know it's not a good sign when you're at a children's movie and even the kids in the audience are hardly laughing. There were a few bright spots--the lemur king, voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen of Da Ali G Show, was pretty funny--but overall the film was boring and unoriginal. I really wish that filmmakers would realize that it takes more than a few big names and one-liners to make a good animated movie. For that matter, I wish they'd figure out that just because an actor is famous does not mean that he or she will be good as a voice actor. But, since Madagascar opened at number 2--only bested by Revenge of the Sith in its second week--I doubt the studio execs will be learning this lesson any time soon.
Viewed: 5/29/2005 | Released: 5/26/2005 | Score: D
Revenge of the Sith
Kevin Smith was right--this is the Star Wars prequel we've been waiting for. OK, so some of the dialogue--especially the parts involving Padme and Anakin's relationship--is pretty wooden. But, come on now, you aren't looking for a great love story in this movie. You're here to see Anakin become Darth Vader, and you won't be disappointed. Hayden Christenson got a lot of criticism for being too whiney in Attack of the Clones, but his portrayal of Anakin's fall is excellent. Of course, the real stars of this one are Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor. McDiarmid pushes the villain angle to its limits in every direction and never goes over the top. And as for McGregor, well, I don't mind telling you that the last scene between Obi-Wan and Anakin brought tears to my eyes. I don't know if I can honestly say that this is my favorite Star Wars movie--the original trilogy was just such a big part of my childhood--but I can say that Revenge of the Sith is, without doubt, the most powerful, intense, and moving film of the entire series.
Viewed: 5/20/2005 | Released: 5/18/2005 | Score: A
Kingdom of Heaven
I didn't think there'd ever be an Orlando Bloom performance that didn't make me cringe every time he opened his mouth, but I guess I was wrong. While he was by no means spectacular in this movie, it was definitely a huge step up for him in terms of acting. As for the film itself, Kingdom of Heaven is long on setting, if a little short on plot. The audience is treated to a visually beautiful movie full of panoramic scenes of city and desert. Not much really happens, though--in fact, Juliette fell asleep. Even if there wasn't much to the story, though, I still liked it. Ultimately, Kingdom of Heaven can be viewed in two ways. On the one hand, it's about a transition from one world to another--out with the old and in with the new--and I've always found those points in history to be intensely intriguing. Jeremy Irons, in particular, does a great job of portraying a man caught up in that change. On the other hand, it's a story of personal redemption--Balion goes to the Holy Land to atone for his sins and find peace from the pain of his life--and while a better actor than Bloom could have done more with this part of the story, it still worked out well enough for me.
Viewed: 5/12/2005 | Released: 5/5/2005 | Score: B
A Lot Like Love
I had been mildly interested in seeing this one, but Juliette really wanted to, so of course we saw it. It was pretty good. Juliette compared it to When Harry Met Sally, and in some ways it is similar. Both movies follow the development of a relationship between a man and a woman over a number of years, giving us scenes that are separated in time by months or years. The main difference is that Harry and Sally are platonic friends for much of their film, while Emily and Oliver--the main characters of A Lot Like Love--are hardly more than acquaintances. I think if you like the one, though, you'll like the other. Amanda Peet and Ashton Kutcher had very good chemistry, which was really what made the movie so cute. Kutcher, especially, was notable for pretty much completely leaving behind the type of antics he became known for in That 70's Show and Dude, Where's My Car? (both of which, incidentally, I think are quite funny) for a more subtle, realistic, touching performance. The supporting cast was also pretty good, and it was fun to see Kal Penn as Kutcher's business partner.
Viewed: 4/30/2005 | Released: 4/21/2005 | Score: B
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The film version of Douglas Adams' classic stood up pretty well to the novel, but as I left the theater I realized that the movie didn't really add anything to the Hitchhiker's Guide experience for me. Sometimes a movie adaptation really draws me in--the Harry Potter films, for example. But even though I thought Martin Freeman and Mos Def were very good as Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect, and even though I thought the film did a pretty good job of capturing the lighthearted spirit of the book, it didn't do much for me. Part of it may have been that the nature of film doesn't allow for quite as much digression as print does--and Adams' tangents were really the best part of his writing--but it may just be that I don't care as much about the books as I did when I first read them. Fun movie, though, so don't let my reaction stop you from seeing it.
Viewed: 4/29/2005 | Released: 4/28/2005 | Score: B
Kung Fu Hustle
If you like kung fu movies, you'll like Kung Fu Hustle. Stephen Chow, the director and star, understands the genre very well; well enough to make a movie that is conscious of all of the ways that they are ridiculous. Kung Fu Hustle walks a fine line between being a full-on spoof and a solid member of the genre, and succeeds brilliantly. The funny parts made me laugh harder than any movie in years, and yet it was also not without serious moments. Go see it.
Viewed: 4/26/2005 | Released: 4/21/2005 | Score: A