May 4, 2008

  • Movies I've Seen Recently...


    Iron Man  (2008)  A-


    I gotta say, I was absolutely impressed with how Iron Man
    turned out as a movie. Although I'm not intimately familiar with this
    comic book hero, Iron Man's origin story was told really well. All the
    characters are great, with     Robert Downey Jr leading the way with a
    great turn as Tony Stark, as well as     Gwyneth Paltrow as his reliable assistant "Pepper" Potts. Going beyond what I expected, this has
    probably the best CGI work I've seen in a comic book movie so far.     Jon Favreau did a fantastic job directing it, perfectly balancing the
    action, drama, comedy, and overall wonder of this genesis story of how
    Tony Stark ends up as Iron Man. The story can be a little predictable and some people may complain that there isn't enough action scenes, but I thought that this was a great step in a very promising movie franchise.
    Bring on the sequel!


    Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay  (2008)  C+

    Immediately following the conclusion of the first movie; "H&K Go To White Castle," "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" unfortunately seems to be too pleased with itself by a lot of the humor that feels too much like inside jokes or retreads. The overbearing message about how "the government are dumb and stupid" also felt too much for me. Some of the randomness that this type of movie invites did work well though, although I have to say that the most memorable scene for me lasted only a few seconds (which says something about the whole movie in general). It's got to be said that John Cho and Kal Penn are still good playing the role of what are now iconic characters, and supporting casts like Neil Patrick Harris will probably warrant another installment to this movie franchise.


    The Diving Bell & The Butterfly  (2007)  A

    Sad but still inspiring, "The Diving Bell & The Butterfly" is simply a cinematic masterpiece that needs to be experienced. Based on true events of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffered a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body, director Julian Schnabel passionately and inventively tells this story mostly through the character's point of view. In fact we literally visually see the events unfold through Bauby's one working eye, and while this can feel a bit claustrophobic at first, it does help us connect with his dillemma more so than if the movie was shot more traditionally. The incredible thing about this story is that Bauby; wonderfully acted by Mathieu Amalric, while in his paralyzed state was still able to write his book, by a method involving blinking one letter at a time.

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