mobdick69 Reviews

Adaptation. (2002)

the movie is genius

[10/10 · 4 October 2004]

I wasn't going to bother commenting on this but the front page review on here is actually negative for this film! I was shocked. Adaptation has to be, easily, the most innovative and mind engulfing movie I've seen in a long time.

Just in case there are those who watching this and didn't realize what Charlie Kaufman was actually accomplishing with this, I'm going to attempt to break it down:

The movie is about the actual Screenwriter, trying to adapt a book thats unadaptable...but in the process, adapts the book by wrapping his attempts to comprehend its story, into the larger story.

Kaufman invents a twin brother who embodies slapdash, formulaic Hollywood. He's lazy, cliché'd and completely convenient inside the movie to represent what Charlie is fighting against doing himself. Donald makes Charlie's attempt to write a quality story more punctuated by showing how redundant mainstream Hollywood movies are.

I haven't read the Orchid Thief, but the arc involving Streep and Cooper is more than likely what the book is about, only in a documentary-ish kind of way. This allows kaufman in the screenplay to explore all the extraneous meanings of "adaptation" through Cooper's character's love of Orchids and plants in general.

And the last thing that I want to comment on is the ending. I remember reading reviews when it comes out that the ending completely falls apart and blah blah etc etc...when in fact the end of the movie is exactly in the same vein as the rest of the movie. Charlie struggles, and flounders in the whole movie to build and then finish the movie. Meanwhile, Donald creates, writes, and gets made his movie in that time. So when the movie finally starts to kinda hit the wall what happens? It turns into a panicked, Hollywood style ending replete with every cliché that Charlie refuses to cave in to earlier in the movie. Something that makes total sense after Charlie relents and see's the Script Writing Guru, and asks for advice from his brother. Wam Bam, the movie is done and the sour taste in a thoughtful movie goers mouth is deliberate and therefore genius. Donald Kaufman gets a screen writing credit on the movie hinting that he was the one who actually wrote the ending, and gets it dedicated to him to further blur the line between, "did this really happen??"

There are just so many great things in this movie that are slipped in, it has to be watched multiple times, it's amazing.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Is it 1980 again? Steve Spielberg makes a movie without overdone moralizing??

[29 December 2002]

This is a quality motion picture which suprises me because despite the questionable ending to Minority Report, thats 2 movies in a row that Stevie Hollywood hasn't over stuffed with sentimentality or kid-crap and therefore are good. Who knows if he can keep it up, but I imagine that he'll go out and make that Memoirs of a Geisha movie to offset the quality entertainment he's been making. Remember when the guy made Jaws, Close Encounters, Indiana Jones all in a row there? i dont cuz I wasn't born yet, but it musta been nice, because I grew up in him being all serious or having some underlying message to all his flicks. anyway...

I really liked Catch Me if You Can and I have no complaints at all about it actually. For a 2 hr 20 minute movie it moved at a lightening brisk pace, had genuinely funny moments and had a very logical and well written script that never confused me for a second.

Dicaprio plays Frank Abangale Jr., son of F.A. Sr. (Christopher "man's man" Walken) who before his 21st birthday managed to impersonate an airline pilot, doctor and lawyer and swindle his way, via forged checks , to more than 4 million dollars in loot. DiCaprio really was the only mainstream choice to play Frank Abangale in my opinion. Other than Tobey McGuire he's the only leading man with a marketable name that can play from 15 to 30 convincingly which is what the script requires him to do. And does he do it well, the kid is an actor, not that I've ever denied it, he was good in What's Eating Gilberts Grape and Basketball Diaries, but unfortunantly Titanic had to come along and make his sleepwalk performance in that what everyone remembers. (the same problem is with James Cameron, the guy made some AWESOME movies and Titanic is all he's gonna be remembered for)

Chasing DiCaprio's Abangale is Tom Hanks Carl Hanratty, one of the few FBI agents back in the 60's to deal in check forgery and have a west virginia (i presume it is, they never actually say) accent as think as his horn rimmed

glasses. Hanks does a damn good job here as well, as though there is really any chance he'd be bad, portraying Hanratty as a competant but timid agent early in the movie to an honorable and much more mature sleuth 3 or 4 years after he started following Abergale's paper trail.

The movie runs deftly from the early years of Frank Jr.s life, showing how his father also had the smooth talking gene and took his son along as he attempted to finesse his way out of problems with the IRS. The whole conflict between the father and the government being passed to the son is very cool, I was pleased when I realized how it had shaped up, it wasn't spelled out in some long winded explanation by anybody like a stupid movie would. Spielberg, while not being my favorite director anymore, has the clout and the confidence to be able to tell a story without spelling it out just so the dumber members in the audience get it. Over the course of the movie we see the toll that the cat and mouse game takes while showing that both guys are good people and not villians in any sense of the word. Being based on a true story helped give it credibility and makes one wish that they were half as suave and clever as frank was at 15 years old.

This movie is a different beast from most other Spielberg movies, its not a fantasy, or actioner, or sci fi, its just a story told very well without huge pretentions. It's just meant to entertain and show that in America a set of brains and a pair of balls will reward you in one way or another.

***3/4* (I didnt give it a perfect 4 stars becase I really don't have an urge to watch it again, but maybe over time I will)

Road to Perdition (2002)

Great movie, a little similar to American Beauty though

[8/10 · 12 July 2002]

First off, I thought the movie itself was fabulous. Its something nowadays to sit and watch a movie and see every actor on the screen (including the kid) do a remarkable acting job. To top it off, the story was top notch and kept me entertained through the whole thing. I can't complain one bit about the movie itself, it was almost surely the best movie I've seen this year and odds are will stay there until December.

Now, what bugged me? The music for one. It wasn't bad, on the contrary, the main theme was actually great, I loved it. But the background music had too many chimes and reminded me of the music from American Beauty the entire time, it was distracting. This is what kinda bugged me about Gladiator/Hannibal/Black Hawk Down as well. After Gladiator, Ridley stuck with Hans Zimmer and the music had the same tone for all three movies and it reminded me of the previous film and I was taken out of that movie a little as a result. Thats the same thing with Mendes/Newman I think. the stuck with what worked and it did, but worked better with American Beauty because it was original then.

It can't complain with Mendes using heavy rain so wonderfully in this movie like he did in AB, rain is on the posters for this one, its raining outside when Hank's is raining bullets on people. But it did come into my head while watching it and draw me a little away. But it looks some damn wonderful that I can't fault it, the guy has a gift, I won't argue when he puts it to full use.

All in all though, I thought it was great. Hanks should be nominated for an Oscar, thats a given with almost any movie he does anymore, and I think Newman and Law will both get supporting actor nods. It's a bit disappointing that both guys are going for the same prize for such different performances. Newman is all alpha male in this movie, using his personality to make his character complete in a small amount of screen time. And Law makes a disturbing character without a lot of dialogue into a truly memorable character himself.

9 outa 10

Babe (1995)

I'm a sick man, and this thing made me cry

[10/10 · 1 June 2001]

I'll admit it, "that'll do Pig, that'll do" makes me cry every damn time. I'm misting up right now for the love of god. I dont know why either, but Babe has to be one of the best movies Ive ever seen.

I have to give this movie a 10 just because this is the only movie with a happy ending that has EVER made me teary eyed. When I say Im a sick man by the way, I am, I laughed all the way through I Spit On Your Grave and and of the Faces of Death movies. Never the less, Babe is downright amazing and should have won the academy award.

Beyond the Mat (1999)

I have a Jake the Snake Wrestling Buddy

[8/10 · 27 March 2001]

and thats whats so scary and moving about this great movie. While there are 3 main stories, ranging from happy to un nerving, the Jake the Snake story is depressing. Im an old skool wrestling fan, so it was sad to see someone who I saw as a larger than life hero on TV wasting away in cheap hotel rooms smoking crack. Reliving horrors from his childhood in his mind while doing shows 50 lbs overweight and in front of 100 people just so he can get gas money and a fix.

The other stories are equally intriguing if not as emotionally resonant. If you ever wanted to know what went into a main even, Pay Per View main event, you get that and the family reaction when the guy is beaten senseless during the match. You see how likable a guy Mick Foley is and why he deserves the "foley is god" signs at every wrestling event hes at.

the last main story deals with legend Terry Funk and how he's still pounding his body at the age of 50 even though his family and doctors say he shouldnt. Funk is a prime example of the star athlete in any sport that cant leave no matter what anyone, even loved ones say.

overall, a great movie, even for non wrestling fans. I would expect though that if you know who these guys are before you see it, you will enjoy it even more. OUT

American History X (1998)

Edward Norton's greatest movie

[10/10 · 7 January 2001]

I cant believe every time I watch this movie that it didnt get a single nomination for anything. Ed Norton deserved no less than to WIN the Oscar for one of the best all around performances in movie history. His arc as a character was incredible and Norton was outstanding in every scene, he is truly the best of any actor under 40.

Frankly, the only reason I can think of for this movie not winning anything was the hoopla surrounding the directors atttempts to remove his name from this. It must have cast a negative halo around the movie. Kaye must be an idiot or a real egomaniac though, because this movie is out and out marvelous and this should be required reading in schools, just so people can see both sides of the race issue that is very much a problem with the youth of this nation.

The Way of the Gun (2000)

Underapreciated and misunderstood

[8/10 · 2 January 2001]

Way of the Gun is a movie with a few problems, uneven pacing, no overly likable characters, muddled subplots, and beautiful violence.

Starting with the last first, nowadays, any violence gets some kind of backlash today. I remember people telling me the murder in American Beauty was graphic and disgusting. What people dont seem to get is the violence is these characters, they have nothing to lose, and therefore they have no reason to pull any punches. The gun battles are wonderfully done and look very origional. In all reality, for all the shooting in the movie, its not really that graphic. Save for a few instances with the C-section and the fountain, there is nothing out of the ordinary about the carnage in Way of the Gun.

I thought that Del Toro's performance in this flick is one that will be looked back on as a truly star making performance. Benicio oozes cool in every scene, and carries immense gravitas in every scene, even holding his own with Sonny Corleone himself. However, average people dont take to un charismatic bad guys, and these guys are cool, but no Jules. As for Philippe, I managed to forget it was him for most of the last 3/4 of the movie, so thats kudos to him.

As for muddled subplots and bad pacing, they go hand in hand. Building gravity for all the characters, McQuarrie went a lil overboard with the slow shots and dramatic music. On a side note, great music, perfectly appropriate for the movie.

For these problems, I still gave the movie 9 out of 10. A marvelous story for people who can see humor in dreary situations, and can appreciate great detail put into scenes. See the car chase towards the beginning. A great movie, will hopefully see new life on DVD like Resevoir Dogs.

Nurse Betty (2000)

What a surprise

[9/10 · 2 January 2001]

I was mighty impressed with Nurse Betty all the way through. It has a great ensemble of characters, an origional plot, and an ending I shoulda seen coming but didn't and pulls at your heart strings.

If theres any one thing about this movie that got me the most it was Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock's interaction. These two are great and it warms my heart to see Rock isn't going to do crappy Big Hollywood fare like Lethal Weapon 4 for the rest of his life. Freeman is as always the man, really there shouldnt be any need to critique his work anymore. Hell, Kiss the Girls was watchable with him in it.

Renee Zellwegger does the best she can with her role, and Kinnear is good as her obession.

Sweet movie with a nice touch of gratuitous violence in it to satisfy the bloodlust of the male. 9 outa 10

Screamers (1995)

Quality Sci Fi

[7/10 · 2 January 2001]

Screamers has all the tricks for a good science fiction flick. Alien planets, evil robots, paranoia of your fellow man and fancy weapons. All this is very well done in Screamers and I happen to enjoy watching this whenever I get the chance.

Weller does a superb job with his grizzled character, and manages to hold his own in the action scenes. Most of the other characters are throw away, but their lack of development doesnt set back the plot all too much.

All in all Screamers is a very good look at man's weapons gone awry. the Screamers are just more mobile landmines of today, still around long after their purpose is long past.

Gave it 7 outa 10. for a buck, its a great deal.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

A Masterpiece For All Time

[10/10 · 2 January 2001]

What to say about the funniest movie of all time?

Its a shame they don't show this in school.

Monty Python manages to score a comic coup de'tat with their first movie. "Grail" easily puts all other comic movies before and after against a scale few can live up to. Its stupid subplots created an environment suitable for other gems like Caddyshack and There's Something About Mary.

This movie is so good, its hard to describe without simply posting the script. All you have to do is put two people who've seen this movie together and you'll hear 45 minutes of dialogue from it.

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is like religion. You'd fight and die to defend its honor.