Jean-Pierre Jeunet directs this fantastic foreign film. It stars Amélie's Audrey Tautou in another remarkable performance. The movie is set in the aftermath of World War I in France. Mathilde (Tautou) is left without her fiance Manech(Gaspard Ulliel) who never returns from the war. It is a mystery, love story and historical fiction piece all in one.
The performances of all the actors in this film show great depth. The entire cast seem to fit each character perfectly. The script(written by Sébastien Japrisot(novel), Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Guillaume Laurant ) is simply wonderful. Every detail has a purpose, and every moment of the film moves the story forward.
The only down part for most Americans is that the film is entirely in French...so you have to read the subtitles unless you speak French. While this does detract a little from the action at times...it is such a good movie you won't mind.
This is definitely one of the 5 best movies of 2004.
10 of 10
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Colts Lose.... Big Changes are needed
Peyton Manning had an incredible season. The Indianapolis Colts had yet another of the same....win a lot during the season lose to the Patriots in the playoffs.
What went wrong this time? Did Manning have a bad day? Not really. Aside from his receivers who suddenly couldn't catch on 3rd down, it was a decent outing. The defense was really good for the first half, and really awful in the second. The 3rd quarter Patriots drive which consumed 9:35 of clock killed the Colts' Season. How do we fix it?
I recommend getting a middle linebacker. ANY middle linebacker will work. What is that? They have Rob Morris? Rob Morris doesn't count. He doesn't exist on most plays. I could go to just about any high school in the country and find a middle linebacker who gets blocked on every single play and pushed completely out of the play. Heck, I could even go out there and get blocked! The idea is to actually avoid being blocked, and to make tackles. Preferrably as close to the line as possible. Rob Morris is worse than bad...he doesn't exist. The Colts NEED a Middle Linebacker. They also could use a couple cornerbacks over the height of 5'5" tall.
The next thing they need? A Defensive tackle. Playing with 4 Defensive Ends and calling 2 of them tackles....doesn't make it so. Defensive tackles are like immovable mountains of stone. They should be big 350+ lbs. of pure girth to clog up the middle and make the other team run to the outside.
How do they pay for these players under the salary cap? Edgerrin James is simply not keepable unless he wants to sign for less cash. He won't...so he is gone. That will free up 15 million under the cap... cut Mike Vanderjagt and free up another 2.8 million and a roster spot to add some depth since the new kicker you sign should be able to kickoff AND kick field goals.
With 17 million under the cap, maybe they could purchase some defense! They only need a little....and the Lombardi Trophy comes to Indianapolis in 2006!
What went wrong this time? Did Manning have a bad day? Not really. Aside from his receivers who suddenly couldn't catch on 3rd down, it was a decent outing. The defense was really good for the first half, and really awful in the second. The 3rd quarter Patriots drive which consumed 9:35 of clock killed the Colts' Season. How do we fix it?
I recommend getting a middle linebacker. ANY middle linebacker will work. What is that? They have Rob Morris? Rob Morris doesn't count. He doesn't exist on most plays. I could go to just about any high school in the country and find a middle linebacker who gets blocked on every single play and pushed completely out of the play. Heck, I could even go out there and get blocked! The idea is to actually avoid being blocked, and to make tackles. Preferrably as close to the line as possible. Rob Morris is worse than bad...he doesn't exist. The Colts NEED a Middle Linebacker. They also could use a couple cornerbacks over the height of 5'5" tall.
The next thing they need? A Defensive tackle. Playing with 4 Defensive Ends and calling 2 of them tackles....doesn't make it so. Defensive tackles are like immovable mountains of stone. They should be big 350+ lbs. of pure girth to clog up the middle and make the other team run to the outside.
How do they pay for these players under the salary cap? Edgerrin James is simply not keepable unless he wants to sign for less cash. He won't...so he is gone. That will free up 15 million under the cap... cut Mike Vanderjagt and free up another 2.8 million and a roster spot to add some depth since the new kicker you sign should be able to kickoff AND kick field goals.
With 17 million under the cap, maybe they could purchase some defense! They only need a little....and the Lombardi Trophy comes to Indianapolis in 2006!
Monday, January 03, 2005
A Few Movie Reviews......
After a Christmas time hiatus from all things internet, I am now back and refreshed. Since I saw a few movies over that time, I thought I would post a few reviews.
The Polar Express
An interesting film from Robert Zemeckis. I am still wondering why this couldn't have been made into a live action movie. The animation while wonderful, seemed completely unnecessary. Tom Hanks is a great actor and to make him come through a computer generated animation process is simply a waste of his great talent.
I did enjoy the film for the most part and it does have very nice feel, however I would have loved to see it as a realistically created live action feature.
6 of 10
Christmas with the Kranks
This movie is funny at times, but fails to reach its full potential due to many plot flaws which exist due to the fact that the adapted screen play strays from the great story on which it is based called "Skipping Christmas". As an aside...Why did they change the name? Skipping Christmas is a great name and a John Grisham bestseller....but Ben Affleck put out a movie called "Surviving Christmas" and the marketing people decided to avoid any confusion with a Ben Affleck movie. Not that I can blame them, but is "Christmas with the Kranks" the best they could muster?
Anyway, I was annoyed with the handling of some of the characters and their motivations. Their motives seem to get lost in the movie version and the characters seem to lack depth.
As for the comic aspect, some of it is funny...most of it is cliche'.
4 of 10
Lemony Snickett's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Jim Carrey is absolutely a genius of comedic timing. This movie, like the books, contains a very dark form of comedy. Jim Carrey pulls off the part of the villian (Count Olaf) with a flourish. Everytime he enters the frame, he is electric. You cannot miss a moment. The rest of the acting was also very good and this movie is a very entertaining retreat.
The books are quite off beat, as is this perfect adaptation. I hope people notice Jim Carrey come Oscar time for his excellent performance.
8 of 10
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
When I left the theatre, I liked this movie more than I do now. Although my like of it was very low even then. I guess I just have really high expectations from Bill Murray. Everytime he is in a film, I find myself wishing it was Groundhog Day, Stripes, Scrooged, Meatballs, or Caddyshack.....in other words funny. Bill Murray is funny in parts of this movie, but mostly his comic skills are wasted in a very melancholy mood movie. Wes Anderson has shown some skill with this type of film in the past, but does every film he makes need to be a mood piece about people stuck in mid-life crisis?
Watch this movie to see how the cronically depressed live and see comedy through a thin haze of melancholy.
3 of 10
Spanglish
I like this film. Excellent performances from Paz Vega, Adam Sandler, Cloris Leachman and Tea Leoni. The script is good and alive. While this movie covers some of the same ground as The Life Aquatic, it doesn't dwell in hopelessness. The movie actually ends with a realistic amount of hope.
7 of 10.
From the DVD rack...
2 Fast 2 Furious
I don't know why I skipped this one in the theatre. I actually liked it more than the first one. Lots of action and a smooth flowing plot. Very well put together. Paul Walker is just likeable. Although depth is lacking in these films, fun is always there. Lots of fun.
8 of 10
Dodgeball: A true underdog story
I loved this movie in the theatre, and after watching on DVD 3 times. It has already entered classic status. There is no telling how many times I will end up watching this masterpiece. To quote a line from the movie... it is bigger than "the World Cup, World Series and World War 2 COMBINED!"
Vince Vaughn is SO funny, Stephen Root is SO funny...Even Ben Stiller cracks me up as the slimeball White Goodman...(I love it when he says... "I am just White.... W-H-I-T (Pause for 10 seconds) Uh.. E )
If you haven't seen this....see it soon. It is a laugh out loud riot. Full of lines which will enter the lexicon and never leave.
10 of 10
That's enough for now.... I will be more BLOG present in 2005. It is my new year's resolution!
The Polar Express
An interesting film from Robert Zemeckis. I am still wondering why this couldn't have been made into a live action movie. The animation while wonderful, seemed completely unnecessary. Tom Hanks is a great actor and to make him come through a computer generated animation process is simply a waste of his great talent.
I did enjoy the film for the most part and it does have very nice feel, however I would have loved to see it as a realistically created live action feature.
6 of 10
Christmas with the Kranks
This movie is funny at times, but fails to reach its full potential due to many plot flaws which exist due to the fact that the adapted screen play strays from the great story on which it is based called "Skipping Christmas". As an aside...Why did they change the name? Skipping Christmas is a great name and a John Grisham bestseller....but Ben Affleck put out a movie called "Surviving Christmas" and the marketing people decided to avoid any confusion with a Ben Affleck movie. Not that I can blame them, but is "Christmas with the Kranks" the best they could muster?
Anyway, I was annoyed with the handling of some of the characters and their motivations. Their motives seem to get lost in the movie version and the characters seem to lack depth.
As for the comic aspect, some of it is funny...most of it is cliche'.
4 of 10
Lemony Snickett's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Jim Carrey is absolutely a genius of comedic timing. This movie, like the books, contains a very dark form of comedy. Jim Carrey pulls off the part of the villian (Count Olaf) with a flourish. Everytime he enters the frame, he is electric. You cannot miss a moment. The rest of the acting was also very good and this movie is a very entertaining retreat.
The books are quite off beat, as is this perfect adaptation. I hope people notice Jim Carrey come Oscar time for his excellent performance.
8 of 10
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
When I left the theatre, I liked this movie more than I do now. Although my like of it was very low even then. I guess I just have really high expectations from Bill Murray. Everytime he is in a film, I find myself wishing it was Groundhog Day, Stripes, Scrooged, Meatballs, or Caddyshack.....in other words funny. Bill Murray is funny in parts of this movie, but mostly his comic skills are wasted in a very melancholy mood movie. Wes Anderson has shown some skill with this type of film in the past, but does every film he makes need to be a mood piece about people stuck in mid-life crisis?
Watch this movie to see how the cronically depressed live and see comedy through a thin haze of melancholy.
3 of 10
Spanglish
I like this film. Excellent performances from Paz Vega, Adam Sandler, Cloris Leachman and Tea Leoni. The script is good and alive. While this movie covers some of the same ground as The Life Aquatic, it doesn't dwell in hopelessness. The movie actually ends with a realistic amount of hope.
7 of 10.
From the DVD rack...
2 Fast 2 Furious
I don't know why I skipped this one in the theatre. I actually liked it more than the first one. Lots of action and a smooth flowing plot. Very well put together. Paul Walker is just likeable. Although depth is lacking in these films, fun is always there. Lots of fun.
8 of 10
Dodgeball: A true underdog story
I loved this movie in the theatre, and after watching on DVD 3 times. It has already entered classic status. There is no telling how many times I will end up watching this masterpiece. To quote a line from the movie... it is bigger than "the World Cup, World Series and World War 2 COMBINED!"
Vince Vaughn is SO funny, Stephen Root is SO funny...Even Ben Stiller cracks me up as the slimeball White Goodman...(I love it when he says... "I am just White.... W-H-I-T (Pause for 10 seconds) Uh.. E )
If you haven't seen this....see it soon. It is a laugh out loud riot. Full of lines which will enter the lexicon and never leave.
10 of 10
That's enough for now.... I will be more BLOG present in 2005. It is my new year's resolution!
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