Who needs the "golden mean"? Averaging extremes will give approximately the same answer, right?
Witness, therefore, the first edition of "Marie's Econo-Reviews." Every movie from last semester crammed into ONE ENTRY! Three sentences or less, OR YOUR MONEY BACK! No historiographical or sociological ramblings, GUARANTEED! Never read a four-part review of a worthless movie ::cough:: EVER AGAIN!
Donnie Darko
If anybody figured out this movie without googling it, they are either insane or a genius. Probably both.
Equilibrium
It has inspired elements (like Preston's hand skimming the banister -- watch the movie if only for this). It also has plenty of stupid elements (like the quasi-Nazi flag. And most of the acting).
Fiddler on the Roof
I'm starting to see why it's one of my mom's favorite movies.
First Knight
The main thing that sticks in my mind is the insane set design and tone. It's as if they couldn't decide whether to make it feel historical of fairy-tale-like. The other memorable thing: late night conversations on Arthur vs. Lancelot.
Gladiator
One of the most gruesome opening sequences I've ever seen. A good movie, but also a quite depressing one...the double-crosses in the middle, especially.
The Jacket
Slightly more comprehensible than Darko. But not very. Maybe it's better that they never explained how or why he could time-travel.
King Kong
Jackson realized that it was basically a brainless action movie, and decided to make it the most actiony action movie ever. With every element he could cram in: dinosaurs, zombies, bugs, machine guns, explosions, storms, tanks, car chases, airplanes, a beautiful woman, and a HUGE GORILLA. Still, the acting was very good...and with three hours of screen time, he couldn't completely avoid referencing a couple demi-profound themes.
Lola Runs/Run Lola Run
I liked it, even though I don't quite understand what the director was trying to say. The "flash-forward" photos were particularly cool, and I liked the fact that he was evidently making some point about God and prayer at the end. (Probably negative...but a point nonetheless :)).
Narnia
It is not a great movie, but it is a very good one. And they didn't ruin Aslan.
Never Been Kissed
I am told that this movie is a "chick flick." Such a label (if my sources are to be believed) excuses it from the requirements of a plausible plot and convincing characterization. So be it -- but remind me never to watch one of those again.
Phone Booth
Beware 128 gazillion uses of "f***." Plus some rather sketchily clad women. That said -- great characterization, great acting, and one of the better movies I watched during exam week.
The Red Violin
Ahem: once the 1800s concert violinist comes on the scene, BEWARE THE SKETCH! Excellent movie, nonetheless. It was an ingenious way of connecting several quite unrelated stories, and I liked the fact that it was filmed in 3+ languages.
And some TV series for good measure. These may be more than three sentences.
Alias -- 6 episodes
SD6: "Here's your mission!"
CIA: Here's your counter-mission!
Sidney: "Oh no -- something went terribly wrong! I must change into sexy and seductive attire!"
Dad or Sidney: "Well -- it didn't go perfectly. But we pretty much got what we needed, learned a bit about Rambaldi (or this season's equivalent overarching plot mystery), and had a touching moment of father-daughter bonding time."
Um...yes. It was fun the first two or three times around. But after that, I rather lost interest.
Firefly -- all episodes
Just about any sci-fi movie with action/adventure elements earns the label "space western." Instead of getting mad at the pigeonhole...why not just shrug and go all out? I thought Whedon's concept was hilariously and ironically ingenious. Sure...you ended up with a stupid plot or two, but overall it was a rollicking good time.
Lost -- 4 episodes
This has potential. I'm not sure where it's going, but with the insane mishmash of a "lost on a desert island" story, preternatural happenings, and science gone wrong, it keeps you watching. It's got excellent acting. Plus, unlike Alias ::cough::, every episode is quite distinct.
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2 comments:
Yeah, I can't see what my parents see in Alias. I gave this season another chance. Later on in the show, instead of all the mission/counter mission garbage, we just have "Sloan is good" "Ha! Gotcha, he's bad." "No! He reformed." etc etc ad infinitum.
I've not seen Lost but have had it highly recommended by many people. Jason had me working on this number problem from it for hours, but I forget wether I even finished it or not...
Oh, and I have my copy of Serenity on DVD. Bug me when you want to watch it if I'm not busily setting up a group of people to watch it...
Oh, and the "golden mean" is important for certain aesthetic purposes. In particular, a "good" looking rectangle will be of roughly golden mean proportions. It's also got some important features in mathematics which I can't effectively render here.
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