Bladewalker Some day, probably soon, we’ll become overtly offended — evolved — when special effects are used to paper over multidimensional weaknesses. Some day, probably far off, we’ll refuse to watch mugging celebrities in the place of actors. Some day, there will be more to stories than this. With due respect, though this movie has… Continue reading I Robot (2004)
Tag: f2004
Films released in 2004
9 Songs (2004)
Rock and Roll When I saw Scorsese’s “Last Waltz”, I thought that I would never again see a concert film as true. And I haven’t, until now. The Band were the last popular musicians to tell stories, have nearly all those stories be in the third person and tell them without irony. To do this… Continue reading 9 Songs (2004)
Alexander (2004)
The Borrowed Cyrus and Darius knitted together the largest empire known before or since. Their method was innovative, to allow local control preserving the culture and gods. What they added was infrastructure: roads, a universal set of laws (the first case law) weights and monetary system. The system was perhaps the least corrupt of any… Continue reading Alexander (2004)
The Forgotten (2004)
Two Faces Readers of my other comments on Julianne Moore know that I credit her with being one of the few actresses that can do “folded” acting. That’s where the actor presents us with two characters, one usually _in_ the story and another that engages in a separate, often contradictory conversation with the viewer, with… Continue reading The Forgotten (2004)
Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
Flying Eye This movie was great fun and all the fun was in the eye. If you know the original, it justified itself as a character development project: people thrust into an isolated, life and death situation — various challenges to overcome, various group dynamics to confront. It was about what used to called drama.… Continue reading Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Still Not Found Never have I been so disappointed. This movie is right up my alley: I’m studying so-called “folded” films. A fine example is when you have a movie that has a play inside it and the reality of the two blur, like with “French Lieutenant’s Woman.” This has another layer, the “neverland” which… Continue reading Finding Neverland (2004)
The Incredibles (2004)
Pixar is Invincible All movies are about other movies. Most simply quote them, and most of these are bad. Some are very clever quoters, like Tarantino. But still mere quoters. A few weeks ago, I saw “Van Helsing” which impressed the daylights out of me. It was all about transmutation at many levels including transmuting… Continue reading The Incredibles (2004)
Cube Zero (2004)
Watchers I was one of the enthusiasts of the original. It seemed a clever solution to one of filmdoms most persistent challenges: how to stage drama. Noir is our most basic cinematic model. The core of noir is a universe where capricious fate toys with human destiny in cruel and arbitrary ways. “Cube” cleverly merged… Continue reading Cube Zero (2004)
2046 (2004)
Gloved Hand If Welles, Tarkovsky and Kurosawa are the three past masters. Greenaway, Medem and Kar-Wai are the three greatest living filmmakers. All three weave incredibly deep and personal stories which bleed into the act of their creating the film. Each create striking images that resonate deeply, far beyond mere metaphor or exposition. Each worry… Continue reading 2046 (2004)
Anatomy of Hell (2004)
The Grace of Stupidity, the Beauty of Blood Some of us are more nimble than others at being and some of us hide it well, but it is the human condition to be stupid. We all are and that’s that. The best we can hope for is to find those that do it gracefully. Make… Continue reading Anatomy of Hell (2004)