Be Still, Cody
January 5, 2005
Just selected a Top Three for 2004 on the mighty Movie Manifest. It was a tough call. Ended up with The Incredibles, I, Robot, and Hero. The Incredibles was a lock. The other two just barely fought off the likes of Kill Bill II and Shaun of the Dead. The CGI robot guy in I, Robot is secretly what put 'em on the list. I couldn't get enough of that damn thing. In retrospect, I suppose the story and acting and all was pretty standard stuff, but whooo lordy, them robots were cool. The hand-to-hand robot-on-robot combat must be acknowledged. Hero's only fault was the overt wire-work. Beyond that you had story, soundtrack, action, ninjas, and cinematography all working in concert to form a five lion Voltron of film awesomeness.
The year shaped up like so:
We managed to pack a few in right before the New Year:
Alexander
Ponderous. Farrell is a bit over the top. No shortage of lame dialogue. On the positive, that Vangelis soundtrack was easy on the ears, and the battle scenes were generally solid. The Chain Scale (in her unwavering love for large-scale combat) hands it a Category Four, which is entirely too generous.
Blade III
Sub-standard fare, not that one goes to a Blade movie expecting Masterpiece Theater - though you should at least get some decent Kung Fu Theater... And how about that iPod ad in the middle of the movie?
Flight of the Phoenix
Managed to surpass low expectations. The plane crash scene delivered some wicked bass - possibly the most rumble I've ever felt in a theater.
Ocean's Twelve
A little too clever for its own good. Also short the Vegas element, which worked so well in 11.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Full of child "actors", which is rarely a good thing. The whole deal felt a bit forced. Great soundtrack though.
The Aviator
About 1 hour 45 minutes of good stuff spread out over three hours. Unfortunately, the movie ends just as Hughes and his marbles are going their separate ways.
Meet the Fockers
Better than expected, I reckon. Never cared much for Meet the Parents. It's painful to see how far DeNiro has fallen.
LotR: Return King Ext. (DVD)
50 extra minutes injected into one of the greatest movies ever put to film.
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
The impressive Wes Anderson track record continues unblemished. Not as solid a flick as Rushmore - more on par with The Royal Tenenbaums. Can't wait for the DVD.
"I'm going to hunt down the shark, or whatever it is, and, hopefully, kill it. I'm not sure how. Maybe dynamite."
Sideways
Darling of the critics. It's a talkie, bursting with conversations and emotions and high-brow repartee. Some tight dialogue though - there are moments where the medium (film) is almost transparent. No explosions, no ninjas, no monster trucks = no Chains on the Scale. No surprise.
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