Ahhhh.... I've got Billy Joel's "Blonde over Blue" in my ears (I just bought River of Dreams, and I've got it pumping into my head through headphones), and the spring weather is beautiful, so I am in a very good mood.
Time to blog!
Today: more movie reviews.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I loved this movie. I'm not really sure why I did--it had so many things stacked against it: Jim Carrey in the leading role, vaguely sci-fi elements, hints of romantic comedy, an R-rating--but one of my roommates has an edited version, so I decided to watch it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it--enough that I'm considering investing in a copy.
I suppose the big question raised by this movie is something like "If you knew the problems that a specific relationship would bring into your life, would you still enter that relationship?" It's an interesting question. I mean, every relationship is going to have its problems, isn't it? I guess I don't really know since I've never been in one, but I don't hope to find a problem-free relationship--I mean, what good would it be, really? What would you learn? If being in love just meant the disappearance of all of life's difficulties--I dunno, I just don't see the appeal in that. It's the working together to get through things that appeals to me. The question is, if I knew exactly how hard a relationship was going to be, would I still enter it? Answer: probably not 'cuz frankly I'm pretty spineless sometimes.
As Good as It Gets
I liked this movie too--I think. I don't have a solid enough opinion on it that I feel inclined to say much. I think that a second viewing would be very helpful. It certainly isn't your typical romantic comedy, so I frequently found myself wondering, "Where the heck is this movie going?" Now that I know how the story goes, I think that I could enjoy it better, but I don't know for sure. I will say, though, that Jack Nicholson says some of the best lines in movie history in this movie--some are just shockingly funny, others are shockingly honest, but they're all pretty much shocking. This movie--yeah, I'm gonna have to watch it again. And maybe I'll review it better after I do.
Mr. Holland's Opus
I'm not sure why I like this movie so much, but I'm not embarrassed to admit that I own it. I think it's ridiculous how nearly emotional the ending of this movie makes me, but I don't mind. It's a good movie. When I was younger (meaning "in high school," I guess), I liked it because I hoped to do something with my life that would one day cause a sea of people to applaud for me; I wanted mass love. Now, not so much, but I still love the movie.
Solaris
This movie was interesting, dang it! 'Nother sci-fi movie I didn't hate! Gar! 'sall right, though; I still have Fantasy that I can dog on. Stupid Fantasy; who likes that nonsense, anyway? (Take THAT Theric!)
Uhhh.... ANYway, Solaris was pretty good. I don't know that I'd watch it again and again, and I'm not convinced that the ending really makes a whole lot of sense, but the idea was just so interesting that I found the movie mostly forgivable.
So there you go: more movie reviews. Not in depth, but there they are.
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ReplyDeleteRiver of Dreams: I just got a copy also! How about that! $1 at Amoeba Records!
Eternal Sunshine: I've been wanting to see this movie again for a long, long time. It's a very good film. I won't comment more specifically because you were pretty dang vague yourself.
As Good As It Gets: Reb and I saw this in theaters--something else was sold out. The new James Bond movie, I think. Anyway, I was really underwhelmed, but I thought Greg Kinnear was amazing. I was sad he was the only one of the three leads not to get an Oscar--I thought he was most deserving.
Mr Holland's Opus: It's the height of uncool to say this, but I like this movie too.
Solaris: You saw the Soderbergh version, I presume? That's the only one I've seen. I barely remember it--I was pretty bored by it as I recall. So I found it mostly forgettable.
And I'm still mystified by your decided distaste for what you term "fantasy" in this post. Maybe you should give examples of this vile category of fiction because your attempts at a definition (and ability to stick with it) have been pretty, forgive me, weak. I don't think what you're railing against is quite the same thing as what you hate. Somewhere there's a disconnect.
$1?!?! Dang, I paid two....
ReplyDeleteYou should see Eternal Sunshine again. I'd like to discuss it with you sometime. Maybe I'll buy a copy before the reunion and we could--oh wait, that would NEVER work with the rest of the family. *sigh*
Actually, I saw the version of Solaris that Clooney was in.
As for fantasy: I don't know WHAT I mean any more. I guess I mean I'm not into magic and swords and dragons and stuff. Mostly, I hate Harry Potter and I lack love for LOTR.