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spundog
Reviews
Star Trek (2009)
Chris Pine, your mouth is ajar...
I really wanted to love this movie, and after hearing many great reviews from friends and acquaintances i readied myself for a killer ride. I'll put it this way: You know how a great ride at an amusement park can be ruined by the wrong person sitting next to you? That's kind of how i feel about having Chris Pine portray James Kirk. First off, his voice has an almost cartoonish sound to it, kind of like "Shaggy" in the original Scooby Doo. Additionally, while most of the other actors go out of their way to infuse the soul of the original actor into their portrayals, Pine gives no effort whatsoever to do the same for William Shatner. The only thing he shares with Shatner is the tendency to overact. Every scene seems just a little too far over the top, whether it's for the sake of comedy or for the sake of drama. This guy seems out of his league in this role. The rest of the crew is well cast for the most part, even though Simon Pegg as "Scotty" also goes a little overboard at times. McCoy (Karl Urban) and Spock (Zac Quinto) are great, and Zoe Saldana as "Uhura" is a fox and plays an extremely sexy geek. She steals the scene whenever she's on camera. Eric Bana is a tremendous villain, and it's a testament to his acting that i didn't even realize it was him at first.
It seems to me that CG special effects have gotten to the point where I almost tune them out nowadays; the over-the-top action combined with predictable conclusions make some of these fight sequences almost tedious. I guess back in the day when they had model builders and cameramen who were struggling to get the shots, a sharper editorial sense was needed, and this was a bonus for the films in most cases. Nowadays it seems they trivialize the action by having too many things occur simultaneously, or by having things occur which are too far-fetched, and break you out of your suspension of disbelief.
Overall, it is a fun movie with lots of great action and some pretty good acting, but Chris Pine just spoiled it for me. From his voice to his mouth always hanging wide open as he searches for oxygen to feed his enormous dome (one fitting moment has Uhura referring to him as "the mouth-breather"), the ride just wasn't as fun with him overacting next to me.
Southland (2009)
strong show with uber-talented regina king.
i am impressed with this show. most of all i'm impressed with regina king. she is a standout talent in whatever role she takes on, and to say she is believable in this role is an understatement. not once do i stop believing i am actually watching a detective in the LAPD who is totally emotionally invested in her work. with her eyes she can convey more emotion than most actors can with the finest dialog Hollywood has to offer. ben mckenzie as "ben" is believable in this role. he seems to find roles that suit him well (stoic, troubled, mysterious, ready to throw down) and although he isn't quite a great actor he has great moments. michael cudlitz as his partner plays the role of the bully veteran patrolman to a T. anyone who hangs around with enough big city cops has met someone just like this guy (if not a dozen). his performance is a treat. with the heavy use of hand-held cameras and the documentary style of filming, at times it all combines to give the feel of a live-action reality show, and i can see why some onlookers were reportedly duped into thinking ben mckenzie had traded professions for real. there are some flaws in the show, and some of the story lines involving lesser characters seem contrived and unconvincing at times. but with a few adjustments and a whole lot more of miss regina king this show could find a place of its own amongst a crowded field of cop shows.
Les Misérables (1998)
very well done
i had never read the book, seen the musical, or even heard anything about this story before i watched this movie. i feel fortunate that i was able to enjoy it truly on its own merit, and the incredible storyline and all of its twists and turns were fresh and powerful to me. that being said, i found this movie very entertaining, riveting from start to end, and for the most part extremely well acted (with the possible exceptions of the young star-crossed lovers.) when the ending scene played out, i found myself swept away with the emotion of the scene and mesmerized by liam neeson's reaction. i know people must find it hard to judge this movie on its own, having known the story in its many forms, but as i said, seeing this movie in a virtual vacuum made it one of the best experiences with a movie i've had in some time. a lot of the credit (of course) goes to victor hugo for the amazing tale (however it may have been changed from the book), and the wonderful performances of the two main actors, neeson and geoffrey rush (who was nearly perfect in his role.) bravo.
Appaloosa (2008)
The Good, The Bad, and the Botox.
The pairing of Viggo and Ed Harris in this movie was wonderful, with both of these men seemingly walking straight out of the late 1800's, complete with the slow confidence of true gunslingers apparent in their acting. Watching these two stoic modern-day cowboys define their unique relationship throughout the movie is one of the joys of Appaloosa, and where director Harris does his best work. However, some of the scenes do not flow smoothly into each other, with abrupt shifts in the time line or from day to night. This makes it hard to find a comfortable pace for this movie; especially when you come to expect the story line to flow as slow and steady as the steely performances of the leading men. Renee Zellweger is miscast in this role (and in any other period piece IMHO), and one has the feeling of watching a play from the 1800s whenever she enters the screen, instead of watching a movie about the 1800s. I am constantly aware that I am watching a movie whenever she painfully delivers her lines, and some otherwise great dialog is rendered annoying and forgettable by her uncomfortable and uneven performance. Furthermore, evidently Botox was in full supply in Appaloosa, because her perpetually pinched expression is framed by a swollen face, taking her bad performance and making it almost unwatchable, and the only reason i will not add this movie to my library. I'd like to see Harris and Viggo try another western together, this time with a veteran director and a leading lady comfortable in this genre. I'd give it a 7 or 8 had "Mrs. French" not been so miscast (not to kick a dead Appaloosa or anything.)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Nice adventure movie, ruined by the over-acting of Kate Capshaw.
Even though I was a child when this movie first came out, I distinctly remember finding it annoying for some reason. When I went back to watch it again as an adult, I found it unwatchable for that same reason: Kate Capshaw. I can only wonder if the budding love affair between her and Spielberg might have been the only reason she appears in this film, let alone practically in every scene. She delivers her lines with all of the flair and timing of an over-zealous junior college drop-out. An otherwise decent movie is ruined with every attempt by Mrs. Spielberg to be funny. But I guess landing Mr. Spielberg as a husband made ruining this film a worthwhile experience for Kate Capshaw. The other two films in this trilogy were such fine movies, it makes this middle chapter all the more embarrassing.