Tag: Action

3SMReviews: The Matrix

3SMReviews: The Matrix

My 1999 self watched the Wachowski’s The Matrix in the theater and what my 2019 self recalls about that movie is the feeling of a massive shrug. Having just re-watched the film as my 2019 self, I can say I’m not quite sure what my 1999 self was thinking* because WOW there is a lot to like about this film. It is still setting the standard for Sci-Fi visuals, Keanu Reeves’ performance isn’t nearly as wooden as I was remembering, and it has a strong female character (Carrie-Anne Moss) who is a great fighter.**

Verdict: Recommended

Cost: free from the Multnomah County library
Where watched: at home, in preparation for Filmspotting’s 9 from 99 discussion.

Consider also watching: Looper, Moon

*And really, this goes for all aspects of my 1999 self, not just pertaining to this movie. I thought it was weird I remembered not one thing about the film, so much so that I wondered if maybe I hadn’t actually watched it. But no, there it was listed in the 1999 journal. I watched it on June 23. I wrote nothing about the movie in the entry from that day.
**Though alas, she exists only for the male lead. That “I love you” scene was probably the weakest one of the movie. Also, props for a somewhat diverse cast to support that male lead.

3SMReviews: Ratatouille

3SMReviews: Ratatouille

Brad Bird’s Ratatouille is a fine example of Pixar’s prowess with plot and animation, plus no hankies are needed. It’s pretty much a sausage fest, with Janeane Garofalo the only female present, but it’s a fun Patton Oswalt performance and has a good message. My favorite part was watching the rats run in a swarm,* which was realistic enough looking that I felt a bit panicked.

Verdict: Good

Cost: Free from the Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home, in preparation for Filmspotting Madness 2019

*Herd? Pack? What is a running group of rats called?

3SMReviews: Minority Report

3SMReviews: Minority Report

In Minority Report, Steven Spielberg spins a tale of a future world where three “pre-cogs” (special humans) can predict crimes before they happen. This is a visually stimulating movie, and while it is too long, it did go in some directions I did not expect, which is a nice gift when one is watching a movie out of obligation. Tom Cruise does his Tom Cruise thing,* Tim Blake Nelson completely overplays his scenes, but there is a really great scene with Lois Smith that may have made the whole movie worth watching.

Verdict: Good

Cost: free from Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home, in preparation for Filmspotting Madness Best of the 2000s.

*I think this movie marks the point where I started activly avoiding movies with Mr.Cruise in them.

3SMReviews: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

3SMReviews: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wasn’t at the top of my watch list, but it was at the top of the boyfriend’s and so we went. And I’m so glad because this movie has the most stunning, innovative animation I’ve seen in a very long time.* The introduction of other Spider-Men/Women/Animals added a layer of fun and the voice acting was superb.**

Cost: $9.40
Where watched: Regal City Center Stadium 12 Cinemas with Matt as part of our Christmas Eve movie viewing tradition.

*Now that animation is growing ever closer to looking like film and the Uncanny Valley issue grows ever smaller, it was great to see this film play with crisp, realistic images and then also use a bunch of other things (that probably have names that I don’t know) to ground us fully in an animated world.
**Shameik Moore (so good in 2015’s Dope) was great as Miles Morales and Jake Johnson (as Peter B. Parker) was perhaps my favorite Peter Parker ever. *** I’ll leave you to discover the other voices.
***Though I have a bit of a Jake Johnson thing. Win it All, Drinking Buddies, Safety Not Guaranteed

3SMR: Children of Men

3SMR: Children of Men

Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men is a good action movie, of the regular-people type.* For me though, it suffered from me having read the book which goes deeper into the relationships than the movie does.** The movie achieves a tense vibe throughout, but I found I didn’t care about the people because I knew too little about them.***

Cost: Free from the Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home in preparation for Filmspotting’s 2019 March Madness: Best of the 2000s

*Any of the Bourne films? I couldn’t do all that stuff. I could do the action stuff in this film.
**I read the book over 20 years ago, which is a sign of a book with staying power.
***This also suffers from the White Guys in Suits problem (although in this case it was a Radical Insurgents in Black problem) in that I couldn’t tell some men apart and a key plot point flew by me.