15 April 2002

Weekend Movie Reviews

Had a busy weekend catching the latest on the silver screen:

Human Nature: 3 Stars. This quirky comedy from the writer of Being John Malkovich is not for everyone, especially those who are repulsed by (temporary) excessive female body hair.

Ice Age: 3 Stars. I was a little late seeing this cute animated comedy, but it was worth the delay. The brief interludes with a squirrellike creature were worth the price of admission alone.

Frailty: 2.5 Stars. Bill Paxton's acting suffered considerably as a result of his commendable performance behind the camera. This thriller with the requisite twists at the end (one predictable, the other two surprises) was diminished by the curse of unintended comedy. Laughter was heard throughout the theater every time Paxton uttered the word "demon."

Changing Lanes: 2 Stars. The two guys in this film consistently choose the most complex, herculean efforts to get even with one another after a morning fender bender screws up both of their lives. But they both are better people for it 12 hours later.

The Sweetest Thing: 0.5 Stars. Worst film of the year thus far. The There's Something About Mary-style humor with girls instead of guys fails miserably, despite the charisma of Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate, who seems to be undergoing a long-delayed career resurgence. This film won't help.

03 April 2002

Quiet Day

Save for the dumbass college student riots on the news last night, all I did was catch up on watching Six Feet Under, which has now surpassed The Sopranos as my favorite show. Blessedly, there was an entire episode without Claire's dipshit boyfriend, who's so annoying that even his Hyundai commercials make me want to throw a shoe at the TV.

02 April 2002

Quick Movie Review

Panic Room: 3 Stars. Decent thriller by uber-dark and suspenseful director David Fincher (of Seven, Fight Club, and Alien 3). Weak plot and somewhat lame climax (I imagine several scenarios were shown to test-audiences) are saved by great performances by Jodie Foster and Forrest Whittaker. Goes from 2.5 to 3 Stars thanks to amazing opening credits.