not too bad, really really really kid-friendly, but still watchable as an adult. kind of. i dont really remember laughing out loud, but i felt my jaw slack a little here and there in child-like wonderment.

i noticed the not too subtle references to their previous movies, and it got me thinking about the pixar movies’ evolution.
toy story was the first, and was a tad complex, but finding nemo and this movie are very simple in terms of subject matter, while their later outings, incredibles and wall-e, are significantly more adult oriented. i think it has to do with the people making the movies children growing up.

finished on friday, watched the last batch of episodes all in a row. he kind of does the same thing he did on bebop, throws in these ideas he has seemingly for other shows or movies or something and just grafts it into the show he’s currently working on, i.e. the zombie episode, its just completely unprecedented. i really really liked it, but in terms of continuity it was just completely out there.
the ending was more climatic than bebop, but just as nicely open to following up if he ever so chooses. i sincerely hope he does.

i dont know why i thought this movie was going to be any different than any of the dozens of washington-based espionage movies ive seen. i guess i really like chris cooper. its a serviceable suspense, mediocre drama, laura linney seems kinda bored. ryan phillippe doesnt embarrass himself but doesnt really do anything to change my mind. chris cooper’s performance is powerful and predictable, very reminiscent of his role in american beauty.
overall, 2.83 out of 5. not spectacular by any means, but it’ll do in a suspense pinch.

i really liked this movie. this movie uses two significant ellipses that make an interesting point. the first is when she is to meet her husband, and the second is the wedding itself. in fact her future husband is never seen, and it is reflective of how unimportant that who is in this film.
there are some brilliant moments between the father and the daughter, and the aunt is quite convincing in her doting and pushy role.
it starts off extremely slow, but once you get used to the pace of this film, you recognize that it is more akin to the pace of real like rather than the rapid movie pace we’ve become used to.
this being my first post-war ozu film to watch, there are some remarkable differences, just in the amount of english surrounding the characters, and the sophistication of the dress.
again though, this is a very subtle, moving little movie, steeped in post-war japan but really about much more arcing moments, and common desires in people everywhere.

so far, what from i can tell, cowboy bebop: created for western audiences. samurai champloo: created for eastern.
which isnt to say its bad by any means, theres just so many things that fly right over my head. i have no frame of reference. i feel like i should take a course on japanese history.

again, the rotating cast ozu uses continue to charm me. i like the fact they never say anything about the kid’s eye. also, i like the passage of time in this movie marked with facial hair. i cant help but feel like im stepping back in time watching these films. ive really enjoyed them.
this is the last silent films available through netflix, now im going through his post-war stuff. just good film making.

what a fantastic little movie. there were only a couple groany kid moments, and the rest was just charming. i found myself laughing at different times than everyone else though, there’s a lot of quick little jokes, very subtle. that’s one thing i worried about, if the message itself of this movie was too subtle that kids wont get it.

trying a bit too hard? maybe. but theres still plenty of moments in this that are really really funny. and yes, it does drag a tad in places, so your face is still smiling but its getting tired and you dont want to stop smiling because you like it but its just taking a bit too long to get to another reason to smile. just very very silly, although i dont understand why it got the nc-17. brief full frontal male nudity? cunnilingus? i dunno, i was expecting much much worse when i saw that rating.

oh, loved the hoff cameo.

what a deliciously silly movie, although it should have in parentheses somewhere on the poster (for guys only). the girl is a walking pair of tits, the guys are all walking targets except for clive owen, who is a ridiculous bad ass who spews such groaner one-liners it’d make sly blush, and paul giamatti is..well..just kind of there being annoyed with the whole thing.

a superb mindless-action-blah!-blowupeverythingandmakebloodspew-all-over-all-of-it movie. two (broken) thumbs up.

so…yea. saw this in the movie store, and i thought, hmmm…ok. musical written and directed by john turturro. now, i love john turturro, but..there seems to be more of these popping up, these high art films written and directed by established actors. i understand why, if i was an intelligent actor of course i’d want to write and direct my own movie..but that doesnt mean its gonna be any good.
not that this isnt any good, its just..i dunno. style over substance, thats the problem. theres lots of interesting scenes and lines, but the underlying storyline is..i dunno, just not that good. it is interesting though, because its not really a musical..but it is. with the amount of storyline covered, its very similar to a musical. but theres not very many scenes with the actors singing directly to the camera, not as many as im accustomed to in a “normal” musical. and theyre singing over the original recording, so it somehow doesnt seem as grating as watching people who arent really singers be made to sing as part of their role.
theres some brilliant performances here, but..i dont know why. its like john turturro called all the people he knows and likes in his magic hollywood book, and just threw them in places. christopher walken is totally uncomfortable, mary-louise parker and eddie izzard are completely wasted, mandy moore seems like a weird afterthought..a very interesting cast, pretty much ignored for james gandolfini, who i just dont like that much. kate winslet was borderline super-annoying, and susan sarandon..well shes good, but pretty quiet.
this movie was trying to do waaay too many things at once, and while the humor comes across, the drama never really cuts through. plus theres a whole slew of things that get left by the wayside to focus on what happens to the husband, very male-centric. also, a tad long.

see, i say all these bad things, but really its just an interesting, funny, weird musical thing, and totally worth watching. but i will admit, i was a bit disappointed.