reviews: April 2004 Archives

I appreciated the irony of the multiplex showing The Passion of the Christ and Hellboy in adjacent theaters. I'm not sure if it was the movie itself that was guilty of it, or if the original comic book was to blame, but the Hellboy concept is largely plagiarized from Men In Black. Replace 'J' and 'K' with 'Red' and 'Blue' and you have virtually the same story -- even the demons appear to come from outer space. Having said that, this *is* a fun movie. Ron Perlman was born to play this role (and I'm sure the sequel is already in the works), and turns in a memorable performance, borrowing his blue-collar shtick from the frazzled scientists in Ghostbusters. Go see this movie.

It's a cute movie. Sappy, even. If you're in the mood for that sort of thing. Perhaps if I were a bigger fan of Jennifer Garner, I might have liked it more, as she does an above average acting job in it. It does have a great 80s soundtrack, if nothing else, with one memorable scene recalling those halcyon days of yesteryear when Michael Jackson was still a black man and the choreography from Thriller was amazingly cool.

Excellent movie, although it seemed to drag in a few places. The content is somewhat controversial, with many critics accusing Disney of rewriting history. In particular, the capture and execution of Davy Crockett is somewhat dubious, being based on alleged eye-witness accounts that were subsequently proven to be forgeries. The story is compelling, but its pace does not fit the typical Hollywood formula, and the audience is left feeling somewhat dissatisfied by Houston's victory over Santa Anna, after witnessing the brutal defeat at the Alamo. It is a well-made movie and well-acted, if somewhat historically inaccurate.

Were it not for the eventual cameo by Jason Lee and Matt Damon, one could easily forget that one was watching a Kevin Smith movie. This is a warm and funny film about the relationship between a young girl and her widowed father. Has Smith gone Hollywood? Has he gone mainstream? I have to say I was more than a little disappointed that the obligatory cameo by "Jay and Silent Bob" was missing from this one (perhaps it's a deleted scene on the DVD?). Ben Affleck actually acts in this one, George Carlin is brilliant, and the supporting cast is excellent (especially Stephen Root -- fire your agent, Stephen, you're not working as often as you should be). So what if it's a chick flick? Go see this movie.