planetdan.net movies

Saturday, April 17, 2004 :::

Kill Bill Vol. 2

Rating:

Why I saw it: Duh.

What I think about it: It was suprising what a change in tone this was from the first volume, which was more insane with the over-the-top kung-fu. This movie was slower, more subdued, and grittier, with lots more character development and some actual emotion. The few action sequences they had were nicely done, though, and I loved the training with Pai Mei sequences. They are both great movies, if totally different in feel, and the combination of the two when you think of them as a whole is really impressive. My only complaint was that it started out a little slow.

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::: posted by dan at 3:50 PM :: #

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 :::

Dawn of the Dead

Rating:

Why I saw it: Because I liked the original and this new remake had gotten some pretty good reviews. Plus, B Stacy B and I like horror movies.

What I think about it: It fell prey to the typical horror movie cliches, especially in terms of character-types and development, but in general the movie was very well made and sometimes quite relentless. The movie did drag in the middle a bit, and I could've done without the morbid curiosity of the pregnant zombie sequences, but it opened with a bang and had enough scares to sustain my interest throughout the entire movie. Another added bonus is that it didn't try to make any dramatic social commentary (unlike the inferior zombie flick 28 Days Later); instead it focused on straight scares and frenetic bloodletting. The acting was sufficient, the directing was energetic, and I left the movie with that wierd sensation that the world had maybe actually ended while I was sitting in the theater, which is a good sign in terms of effective escapism in my opinion. In the end, it's really nothing more than a horror/monster movie, but it's definitely better than most monster movies I've seen recently.

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::: posted by dan at 12:13 PM :: #

Monday, April 05, 2004 :::

Spellbound

Rating:

Why I saw it: I'd heard good things, and my friend B-Stacy-B wanted to discuss it.

What I think about it: Studying a dictionary for 12 hours a day to prove to the world that you are the best 12-year-old speller in the country seems a little pointless and unproductive to me, but by the end of the movie I was rooting for some of them. I have no idea why. Because it still seems pointless. Even more entertaining were the childrens' parents, who ranged from overbearing freaks to fighteningly naive suburban moms (like the woman who insists that it is uproarious to make Bee puns throughout the entire movie – "Beeeee happy!"). It was incredibly entertaining for a documentary about spelling bees. Plus you can play along and try to spell the words yourself. For the record, I got most of them wrong.

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::: posted by dan at 2:29 PM :: #