James Kirk

Rating: 8/10

Explosions! Acrobatics! Crazy missions! It’s pure summertime fun. I liked M:I 3 - it was definitely better than the last installment, most certainly because John Woo wasn’t involved. The plot worked fairly well, although it wasn’t as satisfying as the first Mission: Impossible. Love him or hate him, Cruise did what he does best, play a relentless, unstoppable force. Whatever he lacks in characterization, he makes up for in energy. We never doubt that Ethan Hunt will find a way. While he may be invulnerable, the introduction of a girlfriend into the equation gave a sense of vulnerability to Hunt’s situation, made the film work emotionally.

The way Philip Seymour Hoffman’s villain dies is underwhelming, and some of the plot turns were fairly obvious, but the movie met my expectations. It’s not going to win any Oscars, but it was never meant to, right?

Rating: 7/10

Due to my general laziness at the moment, I’m going to make this brief.

King Kong was sort of a let-down for me. I was bored. First of all, the story of an ape falling in love with a woman just wasn’t compelling enough for me. Second, while there were some great visual effects in the film, it wasn’t the visual spectacle that I was anticipating. Maybe it was the general unevenness of the effects. Third, as many have said by now, the entire film could’ve taken an hour and a half, and would have been the better for it. It was just too drawn-out.

I’m not saying I didn’t like King Kong, I’m just saying it didn’t meet my expectations. There are a lot of admittedly great things about the movie. I enjoyed the setup at the beginning of the movie - the characterizations of Ann Darrow and Carl Denham were well-written and interesting. For the first hour of the movie, it felt sort of like an Indiana Jones adventure, like a dangerous romp, and it was fun. But when the dinosaurs showed up, it just seemed too outlandish. Yes, that’s how the original was, too, but it just didn’t work for me. I also appreciated how well Weta Digital pulled off the Andy Serkis-driven Kong - it truly looked convincing in practically every shot. The facial expression was amazing. To sum up my opinion, I think King Kong is worth watching, it just shouldn’t be in anyone’s top 10 list for 2005.

Rating: 6/10

Directed by
Peter Jackson

Genres
Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Thriller

Cast
Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis, Evan Parke, Jamie Bell, Lobo Chan, John Sumner, Craig Hall, Kyle Chandler, Mark Hadlow, Geraldine Brophy, David Denis

I liked this movie, but there was just something keeping me from *loving* it. Biopics in general always have a “made for TV” feel to them, at least for me. There’s always the overwrought emotional bottoming-out scenes that seem to always distort reality. In this movie, Joaquin Phoenix descends into a glazed-over, numbed-out bitterness toward the world, and I didn’t find myself very moved by it. I guess it didn’t seem as if he deserved redemption. Which leads to another gripe - toward the end, why did June decide to stay with an irresponsible, self-centered drug abuser? Phoenix’s portrayal of Cash had absolutely no redeeming characteristics, in my mind, so what, really, is that saying about June’s judgement? What is that saying to the population at large? To me, it seems to encourage the idea that one should stay in a relationship with a dysfunctional partner, that everything will turn out okay in the end. Maybe I’m too much of a pessimist about these sorts of things.

I really did like the music, however - Phoenix was utterly incredible at covering Cash’s songs. It was great, too, to gain some insight into the history of The Man in Black. I especially liked seeing how the concert at Folsom Prison came to be. In all, it was a good movie, but it pales in comparison to the legend.

Directed by
James Mangold

Genres
Biography, Drama, Music

Cast
Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts, Dan John Miller, Larry Bagby, Shelby Lynne, Tyler Hilton, Waylon Payne, Shooter Jennings, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Dan Beene, Clay Steakley, Johnathan Rice

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was great fun! I saw this movie twice, and actually liked it better the second time. While yes, the compositing of the digital characters was uneven, and some components didn’t really work (like Santa bringing a sword and a bow & arrows), it kept a good sense of enchantment and made the viewer want to suspend disbelief. I’d recommend this movie to anyone who liked Lord of the Rings, and even to some who didn’t. It’s simpler, less epic, but it’s a children’s movie after all.

Rating: 8/10

Directed by
Andrew Adamson

Genres
Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Cast
Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Kiran Shah, James Cosmo, Judy McIntosh, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Patrick Kake, Shane Rangi, Brandon Cook, Cassie Cook

This installment of the Potter franchise was really fun! These movies represent, in my opinion, everything good about the big-budget Hollywood machine. Great music, great set design, effects that serve the story, and good pacing.

The Goblet of Fire seemed like a teen movie with magic (literally and figuratively, I suppose). The love interests and level of teenage awkwardness were new in this episode, and it made me feel like, as I follow the series, I’m watching these kids grow up. It adds some depth to a story that could settle for flat, mindless action.

Now, for a few things that bugged me. A ghost (Moaning Myrtle) going underwater and checking out Harry’s package seems a little too mature for a kid-safe movie. Also, the death scene didn’t have the level of gravitas that it ought to. At least it seems Mike Newell tried, but it ended up being just a speed bump on the way to more action. I think we should’ve seen the primary characters fixate on it a little more.

Rating: 8/10

Directed by
Mike Newell

Genres
Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller

Cast
Eric Sykes, Timothy Spall, David Tennant, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Mark Williams, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Bonnie Wright, Jeff Rawle, Robert Pattinson, Jason Isaacs, Tom Felton, Stanislav Ianevski

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was great fun. The claymation/stop motion animation was brilliant, and watching it had the effect of making me feel like a kid again. With the ornate model sets and actual physical characters, it felt to me like toys come to life. I can only imagine how fun it must’ve been for Nick Park and the Ardman guys to create these silly characters and little buildings and toylike props. Their enthusiasm really shines through, and the product is a work of cheery exuberance.

I suppose, beneath all the fun, there were some deeper messages sprinkled throughout the film. As Wallace charges ahead with using his technology to alter the bunny rabbits, we seem to receive a word of caution about mucking about with nature, and hastily applying our technology without thinking about the repercussions. The film also came out pretty strong in promoting a humane attitude toward animals. You could even make a case that it condemned hunting. Of course, this is in a fantasy world where bunnies are semi-sentient, but I think it would still make a strong impression on children in the audience. And I’d say that, by and large, that’s a good thing.

I really enjoyed the bunnies throughout the movie. They were too cute.

Rating: 7/10

Directed by
Steve Box, Nick Park

Genres
Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family

Cast
Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Kay, Nicholas Smith, Liz Smith, John Thomson, Mark Gatiss, Vincent Ebrahim, Geraldine McEwan, Edward Kelsey, Dicken Ashworth, Robert Horvath, Pete Atkin, Noni Lewis

I think I was the last guy to hear about Timothy Treadwell. Practically everyone that I mentioned this movie to had heard of the half-crazed activist who went to live among grizzly bears and eventually ended up being eaten by one. I guess I missed the 60 Minutes feature or the news stories. Luckily, though, I was able to hear about this great documentary.

Grizzly Man succeeds on multiple levels. First, it is a fascinating study of a truly unique individual. Second, it is a spellbinding nature film, with great shots of bears, foxes, and the Alaskan wilderness. And third, it succeeds on a philosophical level, urging viewers to consider questions about Man’s existence and his relationship to nature. It is this third dimension that proved the most satisfying for me.

Watching Treadwell’s manic conversations with his camera and his reckless encounters with grizzlies, I kept thinking “Why does he do what he does, and how does it relate to the things we all do?” It was obvious to me that Treadwell used his bear chasing as a tentpole to hold up his sense of identity. In fact, at one point in the movie, he confesses to the camera, “Before, I had no life. Now I’ve got a life.” Most people would classify Timothy Treadwell as a little crazy. How many of us, though, pursue just as trivial and delusional aims as Treadwell? And we think we “have a life.” Is pursuing anything, any human endeavor, an exercise in futility? It brought to mind the Book of Ecclesiastes - “‘Meaningless, meaningless,’ says the teacher. ‘Everything is meaningless.’” Indeed, where Treadwell saw himself as protecting the grizzlies, they would succeed in killing each other, and while he thought himself relating to the bears, the film’s narrator only saw the bears’ bored, vacant stares. Who, though, is pursuing less meaning in life: the man running around Alaska enraptured by bears, or the man who slaves all week at a job he hates and spends his weekend watching sports? As a Christian, I believe that a man’s life is only as meaningful as the extent that he brings glory to God. In his own way, I think Timothy Treadwell did make God’s glory known, if even unintentionally.

There’s so much that I want to say about this film. I’ll just say, though, that you ought to see this wonderful documentary.

Rating: 9/10

Directed by
Werner Herzog

Genres
Documentary

Cast
Franc G. Fallico, Amie Huguenard, Timothy Treadwell

This movie was good, high-quality summertime fun, but Spielberg has done better. Jurassic Park was better. E.T. was better. This has the same kind of “Spielbergian” feel to it, but felt a little too forced, I think. I dunno - maybe it’s just the implausability of it. I mean, it seems like these aliens use fairly inefficient methods considering how advanced they must be. Plus, just a little more advance study of our planet would’ve avoided their eventual defeat. I mean sheesh, how ignorant can an alien species be?

Although the movie was centered more around the father-daughter relationship between Ray (Tom Cruise) and Rachel (Dakota Fanning), I found the relationship between Ray and his rebellious son Robbie (Justin Chatwin, not that you’ve heard of him) to be more compelling. Come to think of it, maybe Spielberg did mean for that one to give more of the “emotional payoff”. Anyway, the family stuff may seem a bit contrived, but it worked for the film.

Rating: 7/10

Directed by
Steven Spielberg

Genres
Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Cast
Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins, Rick Gonzalez, Yul Vazquez, Lenny Venito, Lisa Ann Walter, Gene Barry, David Alan Basche, Michael Brownlee, Camillia Sanes, Marlon Young, John Eddins, Peter Gerety

Holy Batman movie, Christopher Nolan! Batman Begins is exactly the kind of re-inventing that the Batman franchise needed. It’s dark, creepy, psychological, and cool! This Batman ranks up there with Tim Burton’s original, although Christopher Nolan takes a different approach. Actually, I think the whole comic book movie genre has changed significantly since 1989, so this is a good thing. It seems in all the good recent comic movie franchises (Spider-man, X-Men, Hulk - err, maybe not that last one), the heroes must deal with identity issues and personal struggles much more than you saw, say, ten years ago. Characterization has taken more of a center stage. Is this because we’re becoming a more therapeutic, Dr-Phil-Dr-Laura-Oprah-Winfrey culture? Or do moviegoers just want more depth and character development? Anyway, in this film, Bruce Wayne’s development is involving and seems to truly add to the mythos of the Batman character. Batman had become flat and boring, like James Bond, and this film did much to give him new life.

I liked how Batman Begins doesn’t rely overly on digital effects. It’s gritty and visceral, which made me get sucked in like I’m guessing The Fantastic Four won’t. It’s a good thing that Christopher Nolan doesn’t like to be lazy on-set and “take care of it in post” - it shows. I’d say that Batman Begins is the blockbuster movie of the summer. Don’t miss it!

Rating: 9/10

Directed by
Christopher Nolan

Genres
Action, Adventure, Mystery, Thriller

Cast
Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, Mark Boone Junior, Linus Roache, Morgan Freeman, Larry Holden, Gerard Murphy, Colin McFarlane