Jack the Giant Slayer

jack-the-giant-slayerI really thought this was going to suck… and it mostly did. But, there were enough good things to make it at least watchable.

But, just once, I’d like to see a big action/special-effects movie end with a battle of wits & not brawn. This movie almost did it with the whole crown thing, but still we had to have a big battle with giants smashing stuff up.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

It all makes sense now. All is right with everything. Am I a moron because I actually got choked-up at the end of this movie? Or, was it really that good? or was I just sorry to see the franchise come to a close? This movie was so well-done, it made the two other prequels better… it made the whole series better, and actually complete. Despite all that, I still think it could have been better… the directing could have been better, and the whole action scene at the start was a chaotic mess. Plus, I wish they’d spent even more time with the Emporer convincing Annakin the dark side wasn’t evil, just misunderstood… and that good and evil just depended on what side you were on. I also wish when Annakin figured out the emporer was the Sith lord, that the emporer would have asked Annakin, “So, what crime have I committed for which you’ll turn me in? Is it a crime to follow one’s calling?”. Anyway, it was a good movie.

 

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

First, I should say that no matter how critical I might sound in the coming sentences, I enjoyed this movie & felt I got my money’s worth. (Now for the criticism) Clones could have been so much better. The movie had a very “rushed” feel to it. Even the slow parts were cut way too fast. There wasn’t any time for the viewer to feel the emotions of the characters (or try to figure out the complicated plot – who’s bad & who’s good?). This “rushed feel” messed up what could have been some really good scenes too. The “Annakin & his Mom scene” happened way too quickly with an inadequete setup, and that was supposed to be a pivitol character-changing scene. Another scene which bugged me was near the beginning, when Annakin goes from praising Obi-Wan to cursing him way too quickly. It would have been better if he’d said nice things but been muted about it, like he didn’t really mean any of it. The love story fares a little better, but even it is rushed. Also, there are few “mood setting” scenes – like in the original, remember the shot of Luke & the twin sunset with some forlorn music? – that scene said a lot even though there weren’t any words. Many things in clones are over-spoken, when they could have been better said with images. Instead, the images are just eye-candy (very good eye-candy, but candy nonetheless). Also, the score seemed to be completely absent during the action sequences – compare the flying-through-the-asteroid-field sequence in “Clones” with the similar sequence in “Empire”. Still, like I said earlier, the movie did look neat & I plan to view it again in order to see what I missed – there was so much happening on the screen that I couldn’t process it all in one sitting.

 

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Ok,I actually liked this movie. It was entertaining, fun, and visually spectacular. It did a good job of transporting me to “another place”. The jar-jar binks character didn’t even really bother me too much (although I think it would have been a much better movie without him, or if he was done differently). As my friend said, the pod race and the light-saber fight at the end were worth the admission price all on their own. I think people are generally wanting too much from these movies – comparing them to the first couple. That’s not really fair… they need to stand on their own. (I still can’t believe that I got into an argument with someone who sincerely believed that Darth Vader was NOT Luke’s father, Annakin. He went away thinking I was an idiot… all I could do was shake my head… what is WRONG with people?)

 

The Pillow Book

Peter Greenaway makes really cool movies. ‘Movie’ really doesn’t describe them well though, they’re more like ‘paintings which move’. I predict that 500 years from now, when movies are nothing more than a historical novelty, Peter Greenaway’s movies will have a cult following. I haven’t seen all his movies… just the more recent ones. “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover” was probably his most well known. “Prospero’s Books” was the most ‘out there’, and “Drowning by Numbers” was just fun to watch. I can’t really do justice to any of these movies with words. If you must know, “The Pillow Book” is about… um… calligraphy, and one woman’s obsession with it. If you are expecting a normal movie, you’ll probably be disappointed. if you have an open mind, you’ll really dig all of these movies.