Archive for December, 2002

About Schmidt

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted December 20, 2002 at 3:34 pm

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Rating:Rated R for some language and brief nudity.(not good nudity!)
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates
Directed By:Alexander Payne

Final Grade:

When I first saw the trailer for About Schmidt, I was a little uncertain about how good of a film it was going to be. I’m not sure why, but I was. It had nothing to do with not being a Jack Nicholson fan, and it had nothing to do with the subject matter. But for some strange reason, I did not know if I wanted to see it or not. Well it turns out the more I read about it and the more I watched the trailer the more I started to fall “in love” with the movie so to speak. As the end of the year approached and the film had not reached Ames, I was fairly disappointed, and so finally I headed off to a small theater in the middle of Des Moines Iowa to check out the latest Nicholson installment with high hopes.

Jack Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt a man in his sixties who is facing that “what does it all mean” crisis. He recently retired form his job and witnessed his position being taken over by a “younger generation” and begins to question if his life really had any meaning at all. But when his wife unexpectedly passes away Warren has to learn how to get on with his life. The death of his wife leads Warren to begin a journey across the country to visit his soon to be married daughter. But he soon learns he is not the perfect parent he once thought he was, and that he may not have been the man he always thought he was…

About Schmidt was a great film. Nicholson is a joy to watch at work, and even in his old age he still proves that he can act with the best of them. His performance is heart-felt and emotional, and after a while you begin to forget that you are watching jack Nicholson, and begin to focus more on his character: Warren Schmidt. To me, that’s a sign of a great acting job. Through Schmidt’s emotional voice-overs to his everyday actions we get a wonderful insight into the story of a broken man and how he reviews his life in his soul-searching.

Now I know I know, it probably doesn’t sound like anything too exciting, and you are right. In fact it is kind of dull at moments. But Nicholson keeps you wondering, and so the film carries itself fairly smoothly. However it is the emotional level this film carries that makes it such a great film to watch and enjoy. Add all that up with a few subtle “Midwest USA” jokes, and a wise crack about Drake University (which happens to be the school my girlfriend attends) About Schmidt makes my list of must see movies for this time of the year. As I look back at About Schmidt I really feel the ending is a “graceful cop-out” to a movie that had potential to be even more, but in the end it’s a joy to watch simply based on acting alone.

Hopefully About Schmidt will make it’s way to Ames in the near future, but if not head to Des Moines and give it a shot. The next few months are “down months for movies, so go check out the “good stuff” while there is still time. And if you don’t make it to the theaters to check it out, then make sure you put it on your rental list.

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Filed under: Drama, Movies

Two Weeks Notice

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted at 6:45 am

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Rating:Rated PG-13 for some sex-related humor
Starring:Hugh Grant, Sandra Bullock
Directed By:Marc Lawrence

Final Grade:

When I was growing up, and living my pathetic life with no girlfriend (this has all changed now that I have met Libby) I used always think love worked in mysterious ways, kind of like it does in every typical Hollywood Romantic Comedy. I always expected myself to fall in love with the one person I thought I hated, the person who drove me absolutely insane, so insane that I hated them. Then one day I realized in Hollywood it works that way, but in the real world it doesn’t. Those girls that I hated, it didn’t drive me to loving them, It just drove me to still hating them…

Two Weeks Notice is a tale of two people, Lucy Kelson (Sandra Bullock) and George Wade (Hugh Grant). Lucy is a young lawyer who stands up for what she believes in and for whe she thinks is right. George on the other hand, is your typical power hungry, self centered, young and handsome rich guy who Lucy is always fighting against in court battles. But when George decides to give Lucy a chance to be his attorney, Lucy accepts with a little hesitation. But when the job becomes to overbearing for Lucy, she puts in her two weeks notice, and George must convince her to stay, or lose the girl he is slowly falling in love with.

We’ve seen this scenario a hundred, thousand, billion, trillion times. You aren’t going to get anything new out of this one. It simply is one of those happy feel-good light hearted romantic comedies. Hugh Grant must have really had to work hard to play the part of a self-centered rich guy with a British accent (after all we have NEVER seen that role from him before…NOTE SARCASM!). Grant is great in the role, but then again why shouldn’t he be? He’s been playing that role for years, and years and years… For some reason though Hugh Grant draws people to the box offices, including at times…well yes even me. As for Sandra Bullock, she is just going through the motions on in this one. Sandra is a beauty to watch on the screen ( I believe she is on The Mike’s list of Hollywood Hotties) and even if she just stood in front of the camera without talking, a lot of people could just watch in awe. But Hollywood doesn’t seem to like the idea, so they make her talk instead. Such a shame, since this overplayed overdone movie makes her look like she is joining the rest of the world of actresses who have done yet another…boring clichéd romantic comedy.

Now don’t get me wrong, Two Weeks Notice has it’s funny parts. I laughed, I cried…I cried again. (Well Maybe I didn’t cry, but I did laugh a few times). Hugh Grant’s acting as an arrogant rich guy can always be fun filled and you may learn a few smart remarks or two, but all in all you just aren’t going to get much out of watching Two Weeks Notice. If you have seen Notting Hill then you’ve almost seen Two Weeks Notice. Just Replace actresses, put a really ugly tie on Hugh Grant, and kazzam! You have Two Weeks Notice in a nutshell without ever seeing it…or at least sort of.

So is Two Weeks Notice worth your money? Probably not. If you feel like wasting $6 to take your girlfriend to one of those chick flicks that is something she will enjoy 20 times more than you will, then jump in line. But with it coming out on the same week at Lord of the Rings The Two Towers you would have to be crazy to be in the Two Weeks Notice line instead. Two Weeks Notice isn’t bad, don’t get me wrong, its just that this overdone romantic comedy has bad timing, and well will be remembered as…just there.

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Filed under: Movies, Romance

Lord of the Rings: The 2 Towers

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted December 18, 2002 at 10:30 pm

A Film Review By Mr. Big Time Mike

Rating: Rated PG-13 for lots of swordplay, arrowplay, axeplay, some evilness, and two dead rabbits
Starring:Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Andy Serkis, and Christopher Lee
Directed By:Peter Jackson

Final Grade:

Well, Well, Well. Look what we have here. The Mike gets to review something that might stay in town more than a week! I’m Big Time now!

That being said, I bring you The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the second in this series of film adaptations from J.R.R. Tolkien’s famed trilogy. Director Peter Jackson wastes no time dropping us smack in the middle of the plot started in last year’s The Fellowship of the Ring, and the ride we are in for is a good one.

The story of The Two Towers is broken up into many differing sections, and the film skips often from setting to setting and character to character. The most screentime is given to the trio of warriors; Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli. The three stumble along, searching for the lost hobbits from the end of the first film, Merry and Pippin, running into battles with the dreaded orcs unleashed by the evil Saruon and his minion, Saruman (played by the incomparable Christopher Lee).

Meanwhile, our ring-bearer, Frodo Baggins and his companion Sam continue their quest to destroy the ring, but are soon joined by the dastardly (or is he?) Gollum, whom once possessed the ring and wants back “his precious”. Elsewhere, Merry and Pippin escape the orcs that had captured them, and are introduced to the Ents, a race of walking, talking trees. The particular Ent they meet is instructed to care for them by the White Wizard of the Woods, which we soon find to be Gandalf, having survived his perils from the first film and having gained power to go from being Gandalf the Grey to being Gandalf the White.

But trouble soon comes, as Aragon and company meet up with Gandalf, and journey to the kingdom of Rohan, a kingdom whose king has been possessed by Saruman, and is assisted by a servant named Grima Wormtounge (played by Brad Dourif, most famous for being the voice of Chucky in the Child’s Play films).

The battle between good and evil is soon set, as Saruman sends forth an army of evil against the people of Rohan, intent on destroying humanity. The race of elves also faces this pressure, and is preparing to run and hide, as we learn from Aragon’s encounters with Arwen, his elf lover.

I can’t go too much further into the plot of this film, but I can tell you that the plot of this film flows much more smoothly than the plot of the first film. Knowing the characters’ backgrounds and motives leaves us plenty of room to understand what is happening, and allows much more time for action.

And action is what we get. The film is packed with attacks, surprises, battles, and everything else an action fan could dream of. Those that criticized the first film for being too slow moving will be happier with this one for its heightened activity level. At the same time, there is much more comedy in this film than the first, with dwarf lord Gimli providing a large amount of comic relief.

The new characters introduced in this chapter also add a dimension to the film. The character of Gollum steals every scene “they” are involved in (“they” makes sense…just believe me), and plays an important role in the movement of the story. The inhabitants of Rohan, most notably the King (played by Bernard Hill) and his daughter Eowen (Miranda Otto) add more human characters to watch, while the character of Grima (Dourif) is almost inhuman.

Performances are great throughout the film. Viggo Mortensen as Aragon gives us the true hero we need to cheer for, a role that was not fully tapped in the first film. Sean Astin (RUDY! RUDY! RUDY!) steals many scenes as Sam, and Andy Serkis’ voice part as Gollum is excellent. On the more villainous side, it’s an extreme delight to see Christopher Lee on screen and the pairing of him with Brad Dourif (though Dourif is much more effective in his early scenes) is great to see.

I know I’m blowing this film’s horn very loudly thus far, but there are many problems too. The tone that the first film had seems lost, and like many second installments in trilogies this one really feels like a filler. It’s hard to say that this film will stand up well on its own. Sometimes the comic relief is too blatant, leaving us wondering if the obvious jokes were thrown in at the last minute for those who thought the first film was too serious.

These concerns are all washed away with the last hour of the film, where the battles that are fought set the screen ablaze. The battle between Saruman’s army and the humans is of epic proportions, and the nonstop action is as good as any battle ever put on film. Each set of characters is dealt with properly at the end, and the third installment is set up beautifully.

In short, The Two Towers is a grand film experience, and will entertain you for all of its three hour running time. Is it as good as the first film was? Probably not, but it is more action-packed and should be a good view for any and all this Christmas season.

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Filed under: Action, Drama, Movies

Waking up in Reno

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted December 14, 2002 at 5:17 pm

A Film Review By Michael Haley

Rating:R for strong language, sexual situations, and moronic behavior.
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Patrick Swayze, Cherlize Theron, Natasha Richardson, Penelope Cruz (unbilled, and I can’t blame her).
Directed By:Jordan Brady

Final Grade: <

Believe it or not, this film is monumental. Director Jordan Brady has achieved something that many other directors surely must have tried when directing pure shit, but have been unable to accomplish. There have been some good attempts…McHale’s Navy, Charlie’s Angels, Serving Sara…all noble efforts, but Brady has achieved a goal that leaves the directors of those other films hanging their heads in uttermost shame. That’s right…Brady has put together a film that is worse than Gone Fishin’. Hell, this film is so bad that it makes Gone Fishin’ look like Magnolia in comparison.

This film stars three good actors and Patrick Swayze, whom all decide one day to head out to Reno to see a monster truck show. There are two married couples here, Theron and Swayze on one end, Thornton and Richardson on the other, and they all believe that seeing a monster truck show is their big dream (which shows how pathetic their little dreams are). Theron is trying to have a baby, and Richardson doesn’t think Billy Bob loves her anymore. Well, along the way they discover a lot about themselves, such as one of them is having an affair with the other, that another doesn’t really love the other so much, and so on. Enough of the plot, cause I don’t want to think about it, and I don’t believe this movie will be in Ames any longer than three weeks so I’m not going to waste any more of my time summarizing it.

These characters are common, everyday folk. You could easily see these people wasting their lives in front of the television while waiting for Jerry Springer to confirm their R.S.V.P., hanging around the gas station getting high off gas fumes, and so forth. However, these four people are also dead on portrayals of the most moronic pieces of crap that waste our valuable food, water and energy. When Billy Bob downs a 72-ounce steak at a restaurant, we don’t feel happy that he finished it nor sad that he gets sick afterwards, we just lament that we live in a society where people as stupid as him are allowed the privilege to eat food. At no point did any of these characters do anything that could be considered remotely intelligent, say anything worth listening to, or act like human beings that possess a ninth grade education. These are the guys who would be identified as worthless losers in high school, and for once, the bully would be right. The movie makes the critical mistake of thinking that making these characters colorful automatically makes them funny, whereas their “southern colorfulness” only further distances themselves from the audience. We don’t care for one second about any of their ridiculous predicaments, because they react in such an overblown ludicrous manner that it simply boggles the mind.

And hoo boy! The crazy situations these guys get themselves into…when one character gets pregnant and finds that her husband can’t have children, and it turns out someone else might be the father…hilariousness ensues! The actor portraying the semen-less husband is moronic beyond belief in this scene, to the point where I was seriously considering running up to the projection room and destroying the film so no other poor soul would have the misfortune of wondering in this movie by mistake (who would honestly pay money for this?) The ending is ludicrous beyond all belief and simply must seen to be believed…I will not reveal how these characters solve their infidelity dilemmas, I’ll just say that how their reasoning simply defies any sort of logic and isn’t funny, it’s seriously retarded, in the true sense of the word. The actors are for the most part very strong performers (and in the case of Billy Bob, a strong director as well) so why they would pick this material is utterly beyond me.

The only positive moments of the film, a (potentially) strong soundtrack and the always lovely Penelope Cruz, are utterly wasted here as well. Some wonderful songs, such as These Boots are Made For Walkin’¸ Knock Three Times (If You Want Me), and other wonderful toons are remixed “country style.” Anyone who knows me knows that although I don’t believe in heaven and hell, I do believe there is a devil and it’s name is Country Music, and the inclusion of these bastardized songs is not only an insult, but a royal pain in the ass to listen to. And when Theron and Richardson start dancing to them on television…ooh, the torture was almost too much to bear. And then quite possibly the only highlight of the film, Penelope Cruz as a sarcastic and semi-intelligent hooker, is wasted too. She is thrown away quickly with extremely little screen times, and when Theron referred to her as a “skank” I literally went ballistic in the theatre (you do not disrespect Penelope! Ever!! That goes for you too, Jason!)

Than again, maybe this film does serve a purpose. I can easily see Waking Up in Reno in a humanities class someday to show us how truly low we as society can sink to be entertained. That is the only use I can imagine for this film, because to call this dreck entertaining is a funnier joke than any of the “humor” of the film. It’s truly disheartening when a film as wonderful as Spirited Away or even Storytelling has to fight kicking and screaming for a screen at the big Cineplex’s, whereas the booker sees Waking Up in Reno and thinks, “This laugh-a-second comedy will appeal to our white trash demographic nicely…better send it to Movies 12 in Ames.” This film is not only an embarrassment, but a torture to watch…I martyred myself watching all of it so YOU wouldn’t have to, and I’ll appreciate your thanks by e-mailing me telling me what an awesome guy I am.
Waking Up in Reno is one of the worst, if not the worst movie of the year, no question about it. Even Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever at least had…wait a minute, that movie didn’t have anything to recommend about it, either. This is one of those films that even though I didn’t pay for it, I still wanted my money back after watching it. Waking Up in Reno is a lot like being trapped on vacation with the four most annoying people in the country, although thankfully the movie lets you go home after ninety minutes, although you should have just stayed home in the first place.

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Filed under: Comedy, Movies

Maid in Manhattan

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted December 13, 2002 at 5:38 pm

A Film Review By Michael Haley (aka Ha-Lo)

Rating:PG-13 for implied sexuality and maybe cuss words, I can’t remember
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fieenes, Bebe Neuwerth, Stanley Tucci, the guy that played Malcolm’s teacher on Macolm in the Middle
Directed By:Wayne Wong

Final Grade:

I’ve been told I’m cynical. I’ve been told I’m too hard on movies. I’ve been told to just “sit back and enjoy something for once.” Finally, I’ve been told I really don’t even like movies. Only the last statement is a filthy lie, although the rest are as true as it gets…why am I going on about needlessly about myself instead of reviewing the movie? Well, that’s merely to set up my next series of statements…Maid In Manhattan is a chick flick. MIM stars Jennifer Lopez in a false role that’s been done numerous times. Michael is bitter, and doesn’t like movies like this. Maid in Manhatten really sucked. Now this may shock you, but once again, only the last statement is false…although this film represents nothing but recycled situations, a predictable plot and so on, I’m giving it high praise. This may seem more like a movie The Mike would like (than again, he also likes anything with two legs) but rest assured, this is terrific entertainment.

J.Lo stars as Marissa, one of the maids cleaning up after the rich and famous at a four star hotel in New York. She has one of those adorable little boys that screenwriters love, who’s she’s trying to raise on a low income. She soon sees an opportunity for a better life for herself and her child when management sees her as a candidate for promotion. Things are looking bright when she chances upon an expensive outfit in a guest room, and seeing as it needs to be cleaned anyway, her friend urges her to try it on. Who should see her in this outfit but Senator Christopher Marshall (Fiennes) a would be Senator campaigning in New York. Her son, she, he, and his dog named Boo (just a guess) hit it off well. Thing is, he thinks she’s high society because of the dress she’s wearing, and because this is a movie, she can’t tell him tell him the truth right away. Will there be a happy ending for this Cinderella romance?

This film was a pleasant surprise…I was expecting dog food and got prime rib instead. The song used in the opening of the film reminded me of the trailer for The Royal Tenaumbaums, and in doing so, made me think, “Hm. Me like Royal Tenaumbaums, me like the song, me already like the movie!” Wait a minute…that sounds more like the Mike’s way of grading a movie, although it rings true for me as well. The actors and actresses here are terrific across the board, especially the two leads and the boy. Jennifer Lopez sheds her superstar image and plays her role with passion and conviction (I still don’t buy her in the role of a maid, but she gets as close to plausibility as is possible with her image) and Ralph Fiennes is a great romantic man. He doesn’t seem very likely after his turn in Red Dragon, but don’t worry girls…he’s debonair and charming, and not in the slightest creepy. Guys, Lopez doesn’t play a ditzy and shallow chick but an intelligent, free thinking woman who also happens to be easy on the eyes.

The one thing I really appreciated most of the movie is that while the plot is recycled (it’s been done ever since Cinderella) the characters actually feel like people that we know and trust, and can invest our emotions in. The little boy isn’t merely there to say, “Hey mom! Mr. Charming likes you!! Please make him my daddy!!!” and has a mind of his own. I liked how he was interested in everything 70’s like Nixon, music, and etc, but his conversations with Ralph Fiennes portrayed as an intelligent individual who actually knows what’s going on in the world around him. He and Fiennes bounce incredibly well off of each other in these scenes, and gives the film an extra bit of charm (guys, your girlfriends will say about the kid “Oh, he’s so cute!!!”) Lopez doesn’t blindly listen to everything Mr. Charming has to say, and confronts him head on the issues he’s campaigning for but knows little about, such as when he discusses his plans for the Bronx, and she asks him the hard questions that she experienced first hand growing up there. I liked how Fiennes actually gave a damn about her and her boy…not just because he wanted to jump in bed with her like most stupid romance movies, but because he was tired of always being agreed with, never being challenged. Their relationship in the film doesn’t serve just as usual romance, but as a way for the characters to explore the others’ lives, ideas, dreams, and so on. I wished that there was more to the relationship after the big conflict of the film instead of resolving it and cueing the credits, but so it goes.

I did have some issues with the film of course (this is a Michael Haley review, after all) and one is that I wish the plot wouldn’t have followed everything by the numbers and played things safe. These are great characters in the movie; I truly was absorbed into their lives, so why make it so obvious as to what’s going to happen next? If you’ve seen any romance film in the past, than the overall template is the same. Some surprises would have been nice, or failing that, at least make the plot seem original (the movie does try in this respect, but just falls short). Why does every romance movie have to follow through the same routines? Beats me, but they always do.

Nitpicking aside, this is a surprisingly pleasant film I really admired. I realize that many guys might disagree with me because this is “a chick flick” and therefore might not like it as much as I have. I just have one thing to say to those guys: “Hate it if you will, I don’t care. However, if you know what’s good for you, than TAKE YOUR DATE AND/OR GIRLFRIEND TO THIS MOVIE. She won’t regret it, and if you play your cards right, you won’t either.”

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Filed under: Movies, Romance
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