Everybody loved Hero, Zhang's last movie, because it was a great movie. I may be wrong about this, but Hero was Zhang's first martial arts and its success likely inspired him to try it again. Well, I think he made a mistake.

Before I rip into the film, the cinematography was breathtaking. Every scene was exquisitely composed, especially the early scene in the brothel and a number of the forest shots. The costumes were also well done. This film was undeniably beautiful.

Unfortunately, the film also had one of the worst scripts I've come across in a while. Flying Daggers was essentially a bad soap opera. There were love triangles and inane dialogue and an absurd amount of plot twists. "I'm not your mother, I'm your sister! Fooled you, I'm your coworker from the software company...or am I?!?" That's not a direct quote, but I wouldn't have been surprised to hear it.

For me, that overshadowed everything Zhang did right. Everyone speaks very highly of his early films, especially Red Sorghum, so I was surprised by this film. If you can look past the storyline and focus on just the imagery, you'll be fine. Keep in mind that the movie is a full two hours.

I recommend you rent this movie, so you can save some dough and then decide on your own if you want to sit through the whole thing.

Over Thanksgiving, I was promised to my two little cousins for one Saturday afternoon and that time was to be spent watching a movie. We chose Spongebob and I'm glad because I doubt I could have shelled out $10 to see that on my own in the city.

I really liked the movie. I don't watch the show on a regular basis, but I think it's a lot of fun. I think Spongebob is a great character because despite being very juvenille, his heart is always in the right place. This way, kids can laugh alongside Spongebob while still rooting for him to do the right thing. Oh, and he's hilarious.

The major fault of the movie is that it doesn't take the show to the next level -- it's just a 90 minute version of the television show. The truth is, that's not bad at all. Spongebob still has a ton of laugh-out-loud points, most revolving around his Goofy Goober obsession (I loooved the song) and Spongebob's general silliness (at one point he refers to himself as Nutjob McSpazzalot).

People need to get over their need to seem adult. If you want to have fun and be silly, then go see this movie. In hindsight, I would have been proud to go on my own (even though I'd probably end up pretending the kid next to me was my nephew or something).

This movie was beautiful but boring. Kerry Conran, the director, focused too much on creating a 1940s feel and not nearly enough time on the plot and dialogue. I felt almost no attachment to the characters. Additionally, it felt like they were playing bad versions of old characters in movies (Gwenyth Paltrow tried desperately to be Hildy from His Girl Friday). There just wasn't enough nuance.

The spectacular visuals are what made this movie tolerable. If you love love love CGI, then you should see this movie (almost every scene was shot on a blue screen). Otherwise, skip it or wait to rent it. It's definitely not worth $10.

I hate Metallica. I never really liked their music and the Napster fiasco was a huge turn-off. Still, Some Kind of Monster has managed to give them a human quality that you hadn't seen before. Whether this was calculated or not I don't know, but it was definitely effective.

The documentary made me wonder if I had always given them a bad rap, or if they have toned down in their age. It seemed to be more of the latter, as they are getting older and being forced to deal with adult issues (families, relationships, etc.) that were not an issue in their wild-stallion days. It was hilarious to watch them, the most popular heavy metal band in the world, go through therapy together. And I couldn't believe how wimpy Dave Mustaine is.

This movie also works for the die-hard fans as it gives a frame of reference for their newest album, St. Anger. It's easy to see where the songs originated and what inspired them. This aspect alone makes the movie worthwhile.

I highly recommend this film. Possibly my favorite rock documentary. Then again, I haven't seen quite enough of them.

RIYL: I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

You should see this film. Despite its shortcomings, which I'll get to momentarily, Michael Moore brings to light facts about Bush and his administration that everyone should know. So, make a point to see this movie.

That aside, I was not terribly impressed with this film. Although it was passionate and well researched, the only cohesive element is Moore's disdain for Bush, which was not enough. The film would have worked better as three or four news magazine pieces. I couldn't describe any aspect of this film as boring, but it seemed to jump from one argument to the other without any clear connection. This is why I though that this was not Moore's best effort and it was sub-par as far as a documentary-ish film goes.

Even though the mechanics of the movie were flawed, I was intrigued by Moore's message. His op-ed style documentaries are fun to watch and are a perfect balance to the right-wing crazies (Limbaugh, O'Reilly, etc.). We need someone around to trumpet the beliefs of the left.

The truth is, I can recommend this movie because Moore does a good enough job of showing Bush's flaws and this film should convince people that he needs to be ousted in November.

Good reviews from...
kottke
nedward

Jesus. This movie is crazy.

I'm not sure what to say and I'm not sure if I liked the director's style and I'm not sure if I could understand everything, but I was totally immersed in the film and will not forget it. This is why it got a high rating.

This is a film that makes you rub your eyes when it's over, wait for someone to remind you it's over, and then proclaim, "Awesome." My only complaint is the ending. I don't think it fit with the tone of film and made it a bit too preachy.

This review is mostly over, but I'm bringing something new into my movie reviews. In a nod to CMJ New Music Monthly, I shall now bring you R.I.Y.L. (Recommended If You Like...).

R.I.Y.L. craziness, manga/anime, sexy corporate espionage, Chloé Sevigny

It's almost unfair to review this film without considering the first one. In fact, I don't think they can be separated at all. Each volume provide elements of the story that would be virtually meaningless if you haven't seen that film's counterpart. That being said, I loved the second part of this film.

The pace is significantly slower than the first installment, but that doesn't mean it's boring. In fact, I think I was more on the edge of my seat this time around. The acting by Uma Thurman is great and I really loved Daryl Hannah's character. She was a lot of fun.

I don't have much else to say. I think this is one of the better films made in the last century. Aside from an amazing score and beautiful cinematography, Quentin has a knack for knowing how to combine art, coolness and action into a movie and this may be his crowning achievement. Go out and see this one.

Once again, I am impressed by Charlie Kaufman (who is 45 by the way, who knew?). He has found a few subjects -- memory, time and space -- that are incredibly interesting and fit his writing style perfectly. His newest adventure is wonderful and Jim Carrey is able to give an appropriately subdued performance. I really like it when he brings it down a notch or fifty.

I would highly recommend this for fans of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation or the time/space continuum.

This was an excellent film. This is especially true because -- and I never say this -- it is based on a true story. Typically I dislike that people are so swayed by works based on true stories, but when you include people who were actually involved and footage from actual events, it makes a difference.

The only complaint I really have about this film is that the narrative style is somewhat derivative of Guy Ritchie's and the cutaways have a very music-video feel to them. Otherwise, the film is great. The cinematography is top notch and I loved the different characters. You can definitely feel that they are based on real people and not the creation of a four-man writing team.

It's important for everyone to see this as it tells of the horrors that have gone on for decades in areas of Rio de Janeiro. My mind has trouble processing the fact that 11 year-olds are shooting each other over coccaine.