Finding Nemo (4.2 of 5)
Pixar has not failed. Every film they release is an unoriginal story that has been told so many times before. But the highly polished final product is storytelling with a stroke of mastery. Pixar and photo-realism do not mix, and I never want them to mix them. These are cartoons for the new millennia. That being said, Nemo is a little clown fish captured by a diver/dentist while, under the watchful eye of his sole (bad pun, he is a clown fish anyway) neurotic father. The film is the journey the father takes trying to get back his son. A journey that becomes a legend to the underwater community, and it is a big community. While the father, voiced by Albert Brooks keeps the movie together, it-s Ellen DeGeneres-s amazing performance as Dory that steals the show. Always airy and funny, but a touching lost soul too. Every character was fascinating and entertaining, Easily a top ten movie for the year and top 3 of Pixar productions to boot. Deb and I just saw this film last weekend and that-s 10 weeks after it debuted-most films leave the theaters after 6.

S.W.A.T. (3.2 of 5)
Always digged they way Mark Shera whipped that repel rope around to the theme music way back before Star Wars made me all glassy eyed for sci-fi. That was one of the many instances of childhood TV that made me like the intros more than the show itself. Maybe I am built to cut trailers and intros more than anything else. Anyways-the 2003 version of S.W.A.T is basically a big budget version of FX’s-The Shield–if you love that show-you will love this movie. But there lies the problem–The Shield- is a TV show- I don-t want a TV show on the big screen. I pay the 8 bucks to take me farther, show me the bullet taking the guy down, show the cussing, and show the explosions. The written story is a good one: Make a misfit S.W.A.T. team, arrest the biggest crime lords son, offer 100 million to anyone who busts him out, drama and explosions galore. But the film is shot a little to episodically and the emotion of the situations is lost. The biggest problem for me was the restraints of the PG-13 rating they were going for. This needed to be gritty and it couldn-t be. The right people were in place: Colin was perfect, Jackson was perfect, Hell, even Josh Charles was perfect. But it all just clicked on a lower level that I wanted it to. But that-s just me-I ALWAYS want True Lies and T2. And a side note, while I understand when a trailer is made it is sometimes early in the editing phase of a film, and a shot or scene in the trailer is omitted from the final cut. This time around there were easily 4 shots and scenes cut from the trailer. When Michelle says-cause it tickles me- in the trailer-it was a deciding factor in me seeing the movie-and after watching the film-It needed it back in!

The Hulk (3 of 5)
In a new twist the Avi Arad/Stan Lee team at MARVEL decided to hire a Drama director Ang Lee for this yarn. The results are a mixed: While much more emotionally deeper than most comic book movies the action suffers in a 90% CGI environment. There are no laughs, no applause, no nothing really. The saving graces to the film are the editing and acting. The-Comic Book / 24- type scene changes were fun and made a drab pace seem more interesting. The acting was superb. The ending was anticlimactic, the effects we good-but you could tell something was a bit off. Very nice to see the Super Cobra finally make it to a film. Everything just kind of fell a bit flat-Hulk 2 should be better.

Lets start by saying I liked the first one. Well-photographed MTV / USA style with lots of Hong Kong type fights. Simple, stupid and fun.
So now comes the sequel: Bigger Faster and Uncut-snicker. McG took what he had and went bigger, More wire work, less clothes, dumber acting, bigger stunts-.results: Coooool and stupid as expected. My only real problem with the film is the realm of impossibility that is achieved in the final sequence. Meaning: while the entire movie had scenes that were impossible, mathematically they COULD work. The final chase between Cameron and Demi was IMPOSSIBLE to do-and pissed me off just like the opening sequence of GOLDENEYE when the final few seconds of the stunt was done as a special effect-dammit!-special effects in a bond stunt-what the hell!!.
Anyways-the film was on par with the CA1 on the enjoyment scale-albeit a little more pornographic in a Austin Powers kind of way. I would put either one in my DVD player just to watch the pretty bodies and colors.

Bad Boys II : 7-18- Great rookie effort by all involved on the first one. This one will be bigger and better. It-s the Travis lock of the month.
Lara Croft – Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life: 7-25 First one a bit stupid, but the foundation was soild, the visually great Jan DeBont takes a turn and it looks very good so far.
SWAT : 8-8 Very stylish and a great shoot-um-up premise
Freddy Vs. Jason: 8-15 test audiences love it, and that means something in these films.
Jeepers Creepers II: 8-29 1st one was a truly wonderful horror flick, looks like more of the same.
Once Upon a time in Mexico: 9-12 Part three of the El Mariachi/Deserado series from Robert Rodriguez. He has not let me down yet.
Underworld 9-19 Something a little different from blade, and the effects look clean.

And a little further down the road:
Kill Bill: 10-10 Teaser just makes me want more, Video store junkie making a Kung Fu flick-what can go wrong!
Return of the King: 12-17 Finally get to close the book on a history making series.
Matrix Revolutions: 11-5 ..Ditto!

Once I heard this was in the making-WITHOUT Cameron-I cringed. But my faith in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (opps-was I supposed to say that) was always solid, so I dropped my doubts and went in clean. Guess what-it was pretty good. A step down from the-Example of PERFECT Filmmaking- that was T2. But the story had merit and the characters grew and were fun to watch. I have gotten into discussions on whether the TX was an upgrade or downgrade of the T1000, and that alone told me there was something to this film. The camerawork so-so, but 10 years ago this would have been great. But with T2 and the Matrix films in the mix, visually it just seemed-well-so so. Arnold walked through this (but that-s OK) Loken didn-t bring much but boobs (that-s really OK) but Stahl and Danes brought quite a bit to the table. They grew the most and using their point of view to the movie kept it grounded. The-mine is bigger than yours- stuff was fun: bigger trucks,bigger helicopters,bigger everything. Hydrogen fuel cell destruction was kind of cool too; even paying homage to the way the first T101 bought it. And while I liked the ending-hint–It is inevitable- I wanted 10 or 20 more minutes to take it farther. So if a sequel comes cool-if not, this was by far the weakest of the three.

Ghosts of the Abyss (4 of 5) IMAX 3-D
While most IMAX films are rides more than journeys, this film has an underlying soul that explains quite a bit more than the Titanic films could. 60% percent of it is still a-Ride- taking us to the bottom of the ocean to see the sunken behemoth in 3-D. showing us new gadgets and neat graphics and spilt screen views of where we are. Cameron isn-t even in the film all that much, he lets friend and actor-Fuck You Asshole- Bill Paxton (that-s right he said it first) be his voice and eyes. As we see different things, little history lessons pop up and new heroes are created. A good, extremely well filmed journey through time. Then near the end something unexpected happens, one of the ROV units losses battery power and get stuck in the wreckage. After some meetings they try the gutsy move of using the other ROV to try and snag it. And it gets stuck too. After an hour of frustration Cameron takes the controls and gives it one last try-they are freed-yea!!!. On they way back up elated with their triumph they log the experience 6:30PM September 11,2001. When they hit the surface they are told the news, and it hits like a ton of bricks, and the moviegoers feel it too. Wonder and emotion in a 1 hour film-brilliant.

SeaBiscuit (4.7 of 5)
About as-near perfect- of all the films this year! History channel with a budget! If you don-t cheer for everyone in this film something is wrong with you! That being said: still only places behind 85-s-Phar Lap- but stays ahead of Casey-s-Shadow- show position as the best horse movie ever. A rich and methodical telling of the West Coast phenom that beat the Triple Crown winning goliath-War Admiral- in a match race during the depression. Where the film really shines is in the relationships that are created along the way. Seabiscuit is the catalyst for a true rag tag group of individuals to be national heroes. The races are well filmed but nothing too new until the final race, which has some truly amazing slow motion shots including the money shot of Seabiscuit-s front hoofs almost hitting you in the face down the home stretch. The real charm to the races for me came with the conversations between Red Pollard and George Wolff during the race. The planning, the plotting, the-have a nice ride- stuff gave me goose bumps and made the races an emotional roller coaster instead of just an tense adrenalin rush. My grandfather raised racehorses and I can remember countless trips to Agua Caliente in the late 70-s to see-Castle Run- and Second Place- dash for the line. And seeing Seabiscuit get his start there and staying in the stables south of the field brought back all the trips, and walks, and brushings from my youth. Bridges had a bit of-Tucker- in the presentation but everyone else brought some truly inspired performances to the table. A Tobey supporting actor nod may come his way. This movie is a keeper and not just because it is a great history lesson but it also to shows how to make a emotionally perfect film with out shoving down your throat. Note to my mom: bring a whole box-.you-ll be crying like clockwork on this one.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider- The Cradle of life. (2.5 of 5)
She-Bond II mixes one of the best cinematographers (but not directors): Jan De Bont, Best Body/Acting ability ratio for brunettes: Angelina Jolie, and the most locales since Cubby still pulled the strings at Pinewood studios. Add them all together and you get a film better than TR1 but worse than just about anything else. With the three Items listed above you should be able to hit this one out of the park. But the polish just wasn-t there. You don-t care about any characters, the special effects where in no way great (done better in most films 10 years ago) and it took almost an hour just to get interesting. All nipples aside, Angelina did great (and her makeup artist was top notch too) but she seemed to be begging to want a better movie. Probably the same exact thing said after Tomb Raider 1 rolled its credits.-Gun Fight in the lab- and-Beasties at the Cradle- were high points but all were item done better in other films. There is potential in the franchise but if you can-t hit the mark with talent like this or by episode 2, you are in for a world of perpetual mediocrity.

The Italian Job (3.2 of 5)
Really wanted to see this since last year when they were racing these BMW mini-s in the drainage ditch by my apartment. Deb and I originally thought it might be a commercial for the new mini, since we only saw one on the road up to that point. Once I found out it was for this movie, I was jazzed about seeing it. It was a fun but average chase flick. It still amazes me that seems so nice and pretty (Theron) can be such a horrible prima donna in real life. But anyways the highlight to this film is the running joke about Napster. The computer hacker of the film claims he invented it and it was stolen by his roommate-. what for it-Shawn Fanning-who makes a great cameo. Every time it comes up..i couldn't help but laugh more. Most of the other players were wasted, but that-s nothing new to the Transporters- Jason Statham . Camera work was good and the pacing was right on-but I was looking for something a little more thrilling-but that-s just me, I want the perfect 100 million film everytime.. Of course the fact that anti-war moron Ed Norton was in it, didn't make it any more better.

“THE” Big Chinese flick of the new century. Nominated for an Academy Award for foreign language film (lost). The film draws a lot of its interest from the Sony media blitz that was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And while the scale of the film is 10 times that of CTHD, the action and overall fascination falls short of the Ang Lee film. It tells the legend of an assassin sent to kill other assassins sent after his king, a king trying to unite china. It-s big, it-s grand, and almost none of the fights are full speed. Cool at some times, and just plain monotonous at others. Visuals seemed more important than the pace and story. It is a good legend, and was the defining moment in the unification of china and the domination of the Qin dynasty (The ones who built the wall). The one thing that pulses through both films is the overall tragic feel of all the situations…and the lack of blood. Saw this on DVD. Loaner DVD from Jimmy.

Surprisingly good story executed in a sub-par way. The story telling need some cleaning. The premise is very M. Night (SIGNS), and while the bombshell happens a bit sooner than most films, the-Hold your breath- moment never happens. Spoilers Coming so stop reading if you are going to see it——..The story plays like a ensemble version of the Bates Motel, methodical showing how each of the characters timelines intertwine. Well done on that part. Then we see people start dying, and we follow John Cusack as he tries to figure it out. But all the characters turn out to be the split personalities of a mass murder going through a special therapy. The therapy forces all the personalities to kill each other off so that, hopefully, the purest and kindest personality is the one that-s left–..kind of cool huh? Well the filmmakers hopped narrative about 10 times and made the investigations more of a mess than a timeline. So by the time the revelations happened, you really didn-t care anymore.

The best of the weekend-Hands Down, a hugely overlooked film last year. One of my top ten writer/directors David Twohy (Pitch Black, Arrival) takes a run at U571/Das Boot and turns in the best of the bunch. Wolfgang-s great Das Boot was a wonderful film, but BELOW tightens it up with some of the best tension and cinematography I have ever seen. Every shot is a work of art, and the DVD has the clearest images I have seen-period! The film is a ghost-on-a-boat movie but the background actions and situations float (he he) it into the action/horror genre as well. The CG work is top notch, and if you listen to director-s commentary you-ll see he is rather giddy about them as well. Miramax is for better-than-average Indie films not this. This is a top notch-B- for the likes of New Line or the new and improved Sony. Twohy seems to have found his signature shot: large evil displayed in the darkness with a flash of light. (PITCH BLACK’s aliens seen with a burst flame and BELOW’s devil rays). Side note to Twohy-if you put the deleted scenes back in the film-you would have gotten a 4.5-the-Hot Fish- scene was better than most that you left in.

One of those films I would have walked out of if I had paid for it. Demme has a knack of making characters quirkier than they need to be, many times leading us in the wrong direction or destroying the narrative. This movie falls under: ‘Indie with a budget’, cause the stars have to fight for lines that make sense. I did not see Charade, but I have to believe that something this jointed and messy could not have been released in 1964. Demme took one of the best cinematographers in the industry and gave him 5 shots in the whole film, everything else was hand held. And a horrible hand held at that. When the bad filmmaking takes over the story and characters, disaster is not far behind. This was a DVD rental (haven’t rent in quite a while) and my controlled home theater could not control the suck. Side Note: Certainly a red mark in the career of one of the only female composers in the industry, Rachel how can you claim such an awful score.

A few more laughs than I expected, (most politically liberal movies make me cringe) but this silly romp with its literal translations of rock-s mind, hits the mark. Super Whore training camp was pure genius. The film played more like a good Living Color skit. And Bernie Mac-s comedic violence kept the film going as it was running out of steam. On a side note the opening credits were a great idea that I am amazed has never been done before. Worth a matinee despite the worthless supporting staff, the dancing socialites got more laughs than anyone with speaking parts. Politically you knew where everyone was coming from even though they never mention parties on either side. If they had made both sides fight for the democratic nomination instead for president, it would have worked better. Rock-s direction is not too heavy handed, but doesn't offer anything new either.

Antoine Fuqua made a big bang with his first flick-Replacement Killers-, It brought in a great Asia film star, and was top notch for it-s Hong Kong style action. Next up Training Day. A good movie by most standards, but was dirty, way too dirty. The action part disappeared in lieu of a story of power and corruption. So the green light was lit for a Bruce Willis war movie, and we all hoped for a-Replacement Killers- in the jungle. Praying for a remake of the great-Dark of the Sun- (Mercenaries). What we got was Training Day in the Jungle-.DAMMIT!!!. It was straightforward and methodical journey it to a commanders soul- and did I mention slow. It had the feeling of a Tom Clancy movie-one of the so-so ones, and was less entertaining to boot. The actors did great, but the movies style was more like Apocalypse Now without the fight scenes. One battle takes place in the film-that-s right ONE. A lot of stupid thing kept happening that took me out of the movie…what the hell was Skerrit doing talking on a cell phone when jets are landing behind them, good thing he knew his lines cause he definitely couldn-t hear who was on the phone. Overall, the film offered more frustration than enjoyment. By the way, Cole Hauser, you did great, great character- we need more heroic demolitionists.