argv
Joined Nov 2001
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Get your little ones ready for the game of their lives, cuz `Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over' will tickle their little bitty funny bones. This third installment of the popular `Spy Kids' series is like its predecessors in that it's high-tech, high-energy, high-fun, and high on the pro-family moral messages. What's more, it's in 3D, which requires disposable glasses, handed out at the theater. On the downside, the Spy Kids theme seems worn out, the actors have out-grown their roles, and the strong family-values messages are disingenuous and schmaltzy. In short, the cow's been milked for all its got.
But, anyway, back to the fun.
In this new adventure, Juni and Carmen Cortez find themselves on a mission to stop the release of a virtual-reality video game, aptly titled, `Game Over'. It is purported to be the best video game ever, and lines outside toy stores are growing around the country. But, the ISS has learned that the infamous `level five' captures the mind of the player, entrapping him eternally within the game. The threat, of course, is that `The Toymaker', played by Sylvester Stallone, is really out to control the minds of our youth, and thus, our future.
It turns out that The Toymaker himself is already entrapped in the game, so the only way to stop him is to actually play it. The movie begins when Juni, eager to be an `independent PI' at the age of 10, is called back to duty to the ISS to enter the game and find his sister Carmen, who had already tried to invade it, but was suspended in level 4. Juni catches up to her with the dubious help of a few experienced beta test players, who are determined to reach the 5th level on their own.
The true essence of the film is to simply show the video game, and with the 3D glasses, the 80% of the screen time that game consumes is definitely fun and worth the ride. The funny thing is, `Spy Kids 3D' makes no attempts to hide the fact that the only reason for the film is to show game. To wit, the plot points are meaningless, even to the point where the script itself acknowledges it: Juni asks why the Toymaker is caught in the game, and the answer is a humorous hand-wave, `Oh, it just happens.' The plot and characters are hurriedly scooted along to the start of the game, which then goes on and on and on, till the end, when scores of famous cameo appearances pepper the screen, all having fun and making statements about the importance of family, and yada yada yada.
Oh, it's not that there is anything wrong with such pro-family messages. But conspicuously downplayed are the genuine circumstances and feelings that were the impetus in the first, and best, of the Spy Kids trilogy.
The 3D aspect of the film involves wearing glasses that give depth to the objects on the screen. There are two ways to do this, and unfortunately, Spy Kids 3D uses the old-fashioned way, from the 1950s, where one lens is red and the other blue. The film is shot with the two colors shifted in opposite directions, and depth is perceived by the distance of the shift. Unfortunately, this mutes colors so much, that the beautiful and surreal colors expressed in the digital photography are lost. I can only assume that this was intentional, so as to give the video game its own sense of other-worldliness, which again, was nice.
With all its wild-riding and fun, Spy Kids 3D is just a movie for kids, unlike the first of the series, which was much smarter and hence, enjoyable by adults, too. So, best to drop off the little tykes at the theater with a baby sitter, and go shopping for a while. But, don't buy anything that's red and blue plaid, or your kids just may throw up on you.
But, anyway, back to the fun.
In this new adventure, Juni and Carmen Cortez find themselves on a mission to stop the release of a virtual-reality video game, aptly titled, `Game Over'. It is purported to be the best video game ever, and lines outside toy stores are growing around the country. But, the ISS has learned that the infamous `level five' captures the mind of the player, entrapping him eternally within the game. The threat, of course, is that `The Toymaker', played by Sylvester Stallone, is really out to control the minds of our youth, and thus, our future.
It turns out that The Toymaker himself is already entrapped in the game, so the only way to stop him is to actually play it. The movie begins when Juni, eager to be an `independent PI' at the age of 10, is called back to duty to the ISS to enter the game and find his sister Carmen, who had already tried to invade it, but was suspended in level 4. Juni catches up to her with the dubious help of a few experienced beta test players, who are determined to reach the 5th level on their own.
The true essence of the film is to simply show the video game, and with the 3D glasses, the 80% of the screen time that game consumes is definitely fun and worth the ride. The funny thing is, `Spy Kids 3D' makes no attempts to hide the fact that the only reason for the film is to show game. To wit, the plot points are meaningless, even to the point where the script itself acknowledges it: Juni asks why the Toymaker is caught in the game, and the answer is a humorous hand-wave, `Oh, it just happens.' The plot and characters are hurriedly scooted along to the start of the game, which then goes on and on and on, till the end, when scores of famous cameo appearances pepper the screen, all having fun and making statements about the importance of family, and yada yada yada.
Oh, it's not that there is anything wrong with such pro-family messages. But conspicuously downplayed are the genuine circumstances and feelings that were the impetus in the first, and best, of the Spy Kids trilogy.
The 3D aspect of the film involves wearing glasses that give depth to the objects on the screen. There are two ways to do this, and unfortunately, Spy Kids 3D uses the old-fashioned way, from the 1950s, where one lens is red and the other blue. The film is shot with the two colors shifted in opposite directions, and depth is perceived by the distance of the shift. Unfortunately, this mutes colors so much, that the beautiful and surreal colors expressed in the digital photography are lost. I can only assume that this was intentional, so as to give the video game its own sense of other-worldliness, which again, was nice.
With all its wild-riding and fun, Spy Kids 3D is just a movie for kids, unlike the first of the series, which was much smarter and hence, enjoyable by adults, too. So, best to drop off the little tykes at the theater with a baby sitter, and go shopping for a while. But, don't buy anything that's red and blue plaid, or your kids just may throw up on you.
Seabiscuit, the true story of a knobby-kneed racehorse and three men down on their luck, is the latest Docu-Epic from Hollywood, beautifully filmed in California, with its signature late-afternoon golden light, close-up intimate shots of emotional facial expressions, and the freedom-like feeling anyone gets when watching a horse run freely in a pasture. It's the telling of an American dream: a depression-era drama about down-trodden misfits and an unlikely animal hero who overcome the odds. Yes, this two-hour and twenty minute cinematic masterpiece is sure to grab the public by their little heartstrings, and send them tearfully home with hankies and sniffles, proud to be a member of that great expanse of land between the oceans known as
. America.
Ahem. Ok, the more sober description goes this way: Laura Hillenbrand's wonderfully-crafted book about the race-horse, Seabiscuit, is going to be this year's mid-summer blockbuster.
It's not a terrible movie by the home stretch of the imagination, but like my early characterization, `Seabiscuit' is a huge glorification of a documentary intended only to show the best side of an otherwise ratty bunch of well-meaning characters. Jeff Bridges leads the pack as Charles Howard, the flamboyant bicycle repairman-turned-millionaire, who purchases Seabiscuit at the behest of his recently hired trainer, Tom Smith, played by Chris Cooper. Smith, a sort of horse whisperer who was known for his quiet nature and his ability to get along with horses better than people, meets Red Pollard, the infamous jockey, played by Tobey McGuire, who reportedly lost 25 pounds to fill the part. Seabiscuit and the three men, all down and out underdogs with their independent and wretched pasts, all helped revive each other through Seabiscuit, and give the American people a reason to hope during the Great Depression.
The movie is another retelling of a timeless theme that always wins with audiences: good-guy losers beating the odds. When you mix a sure-fire premise with gorgeous cinematography, you can't lose. And this movie won't lose either. But that doesn't mean the movie is as good as the reviews or the box office will claim it is. The main problem with the film is that it tries to serve two masters. That is, it's both a documentary and a dramatic Hollywood big-screen Epic. The movie's `documentary' aspect leaves a lot of things out, and ends on a great, wonderful, victorious event, despite the real story ending quite differently. Consequently, the film's `drama' suffers, because it leaves out the deeper and more disturbing character flaws and relationships that truly fleshed out the characters. The film does manage to stir emotions about a profoundly difficult era with historian-narrated commentary and photos, but the context doesn't translate well to how the characters think or behave. In short, the movie's parts are all great, but they don't tie together well-enough to deserve the praise the movie is receiving.
All in all, Seabiscuit is a really good-looking film, with great lighting, epic-like proportions, terrific acting,, but there is nothing really interesting about the film except for the story itself, which is better told by Hillenbrand's book.
Ahem. Ok, the more sober description goes this way: Laura Hillenbrand's wonderfully-crafted book about the race-horse, Seabiscuit, is going to be this year's mid-summer blockbuster.
It's not a terrible movie by the home stretch of the imagination, but like my early characterization, `Seabiscuit' is a huge glorification of a documentary intended only to show the best side of an otherwise ratty bunch of well-meaning characters. Jeff Bridges leads the pack as Charles Howard, the flamboyant bicycle repairman-turned-millionaire, who purchases Seabiscuit at the behest of his recently hired trainer, Tom Smith, played by Chris Cooper. Smith, a sort of horse whisperer who was known for his quiet nature and his ability to get along with horses better than people, meets Red Pollard, the infamous jockey, played by Tobey McGuire, who reportedly lost 25 pounds to fill the part. Seabiscuit and the three men, all down and out underdogs with their independent and wretched pasts, all helped revive each other through Seabiscuit, and give the American people a reason to hope during the Great Depression.
The movie is another retelling of a timeless theme that always wins with audiences: good-guy losers beating the odds. When you mix a sure-fire premise with gorgeous cinematography, you can't lose. And this movie won't lose either. But that doesn't mean the movie is as good as the reviews or the box office will claim it is. The main problem with the film is that it tries to serve two masters. That is, it's both a documentary and a dramatic Hollywood big-screen Epic. The movie's `documentary' aspect leaves a lot of things out, and ends on a great, wonderful, victorious event, despite the real story ending quite differently. Consequently, the film's `drama' suffers, because it leaves out the deeper and more disturbing character flaws and relationships that truly fleshed out the characters. The film does manage to stir emotions about a profoundly difficult era with historian-narrated commentary and photos, but the context doesn't translate well to how the characters think or behave. In short, the movie's parts are all great, but they don't tie together well-enough to deserve the praise the movie is receiving.
All in all, Seabiscuit is a really good-looking film, with great lighting, epic-like proportions, terrific acting,, but there is nothing really interesting about the film except for the story itself, which is better told by Hillenbrand's book.
Ahoy Maties! Grab your swords and board the dreaded pirate ship, the Black Pearl, and sail back in time to when you were a kid at Disneyland, going through the boat ride, `Pirates of the Caribbean.' Whatever your imagination could have conjured up, it couldn't possibly compare to the wonderment, fun and childhood excitement that the live-action film delivers today. This is, in many ways, the perfect film, because it not only does exactly what it intends, but it does so without a hint of corniness, overdone computer graphics, sappy dialog, or boring plot line.
Sure, the movie is just for fun, and you can enjoy it for what it is if you go into the theater with the same sense of fun that you'd have going into the ride at Disney parks. In fact, just about every scene from the robotic namesake ride (that's over 30 years old) is featured conspicuously in the film, causing giggles of nostalgia from the audience.
The plot is classic fairy tale formula for a Swashbucklin' Pirate story that involves pirates, fair maidens, a hero to save her, royalty, and an intricate intertwining of relationships that make things oh so juicy. Here, Johnny Depp leads the pack as Jack Sparrow, a lone pirate on the Caribbean Sea, looking for his lost ship, the Black Pearl. It'd been commandeered years earlier by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) who'd lead a mutiny against him. For Sparrow to get his ship back, he must commandeer one of his own, so he picks one from the Royal British Navy. But first, he must cross swords with a young sword maker, Will Turner, played by Orlando Bloom.
In the meantime, Barbossa has his own agenda: to break a curse set upon the crew after they stole ancient Aztec gold artifacts. To do this, they must return the gold, plus spill the blood from a descendant of the original captain of the Black Pearl that pirated the loot in the first place. Through misidentification, they capture Elizabeth Swann, played by Keira Knightley, who is subsequently kidnapped. In this scene, Geoffrey Rush delivers a brilliant monologue about his plight as a cursed pirate.
At this point, Turner and Sparrow set out as partners to find the Black Pearl: Turner wants to save the girl, and Sparrow wants to get his ship back. Over the course of the film, as secrets are revealed and events unfold, the tension and action builds to a rewarding and pleasingly climactic ending.
Essentially, the movie has it all: cartoony sword-fighting, skeletons drinking rum, dream-like scenery that captures the spirit of the dark, imaginary world of pirates swinging between ships, ladies having to walk the plank, and valiant heroes saving them. With the youthful target audience in mind, a more cynical viewer looking for a more intense or less `comedic' tone might be disappointed; similarly, an overly protective parent might be concerned for their youngsters' fear factor at some special effects, but these are all phantom concerns. `Pirates of the Caribbean' as a great mid-summer hit that's sure to please the whole family.
Sure, the movie is just for fun, and you can enjoy it for what it is if you go into the theater with the same sense of fun that you'd have going into the ride at Disney parks. In fact, just about every scene from the robotic namesake ride (that's over 30 years old) is featured conspicuously in the film, causing giggles of nostalgia from the audience.
The plot is classic fairy tale formula for a Swashbucklin' Pirate story that involves pirates, fair maidens, a hero to save her, royalty, and an intricate intertwining of relationships that make things oh so juicy. Here, Johnny Depp leads the pack as Jack Sparrow, a lone pirate on the Caribbean Sea, looking for his lost ship, the Black Pearl. It'd been commandeered years earlier by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) who'd lead a mutiny against him. For Sparrow to get his ship back, he must commandeer one of his own, so he picks one from the Royal British Navy. But first, he must cross swords with a young sword maker, Will Turner, played by Orlando Bloom.
In the meantime, Barbossa has his own agenda: to break a curse set upon the crew after they stole ancient Aztec gold artifacts. To do this, they must return the gold, plus spill the blood from a descendant of the original captain of the Black Pearl that pirated the loot in the first place. Through misidentification, they capture Elizabeth Swann, played by Keira Knightley, who is subsequently kidnapped. In this scene, Geoffrey Rush delivers a brilliant monologue about his plight as a cursed pirate.
At this point, Turner and Sparrow set out as partners to find the Black Pearl: Turner wants to save the girl, and Sparrow wants to get his ship back. Over the course of the film, as secrets are revealed and events unfold, the tension and action builds to a rewarding and pleasingly climactic ending.
Essentially, the movie has it all: cartoony sword-fighting, skeletons drinking rum, dream-like scenery that captures the spirit of the dark, imaginary world of pirates swinging between ships, ladies having to walk the plank, and valiant heroes saving them. With the youthful target audience in mind, a more cynical viewer looking for a more intense or less `comedic' tone might be disappointed; similarly, an overly protective parent might be concerned for their youngsters' fear factor at some special effects, but these are all phantom concerns. `Pirates of the Caribbean' as a great mid-summer hit that's sure to please the whole family.