Like-minded
I am very happy that for the nonce at least, Google considers this page to be similar to The Monoglot.
Archive for January 9, 2006
A Few Good Men (1992)
I realize that there are very few movie-goers who have not seen this, and now I am finally one of them uh, finally no longer one of them.
Let me just say that it was fairly dull. We know whassup from the beginning, and that Colonel Jack is behind it all, and from there we proceed linearly until the lightbulb goes on in what’s-his-Cruise’s head and HE CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH. Ugh. Demi Moore is probably at her cardboard worst in this film. Tom is doing his “I am callow, yet I will find a cause” shtick that he spent the 1990s perfecting.
Can I admit that I don’t like Jack Nicholson? Dude’s got the kevorka, I will grant, but I don’t think he’s much of an actor. I realize it’s a heretical notion.
How did Aaron Sorkin get work after this movie? I liked “Sports Night”, and “The West Wing” has its moments, but writing A Few Good Men should not get you other gigs.
And let’s not even talk about Rob Reiner. Okay, let’s. Take a look at his films before this:
So that’s two absolute classics, and four pretty darn good films. Not too shabby. After AFGM:
By my count, that’s two middling, earnest but commercial potboilers and four pieces of total poopoo. This movie completely ruined his artistic instincts, and I’m not sure I’ll willingly see anything else he directs. Shame, meathead, shame.
King Kong (2005)
I’ve heard a fair number of complaints about the length of this movie, but honestly, that didn’t bother me. I felt it zipped along appropriately, and I like three hour movies that you can say that about. It felt like a novelty to see a film set in the thirties that wasn’t in black and white. (Probably, I’ve seen a bunch of ‘em and hadn’t noticed.)
However, I wasn’t moved. Sure, I felt for the big fella, and I thought Naomi Watts was great, but there were some story and technical distractions that made it difficult to buy the story emotionally.
- For example, why did these people go to an island teeming with dinosaurs and come back with a big monkey?
- Why does the wall that the natives have built have an ape-sized door?
- Who built the stairs up to the Kong lair?
- Where did the natives go after their one big scene?
- Why was the CGI so great on the monkey closeups, and so suboptimal on the long shots and the scenes when he’s carrying Anne?
- Why did the dinosaurs in the first Jurassic Park look more realistic than these ‘uns?
The sad fact is, we’re not at CGI verisimilitude yet when it comes to people and creatures. Oh well. Let’s check back in in two years or so. In the meantime, I think I want me a re-viewing of the the original.
