May 2002 Archives

Just watched Coyote Ugly off cable. Wow what a forgetable movie. I guess the movie is pretty much what I expected. All in all a waste of time. Not bad, just pointless. I would only recommend it to someone who is a big fan of one of the cast members who is trying to see every movie that person has ever made. No one will be embarassed for having been in this movie unless they turned down an opportunity to be in a good movie instead.

Given the dreck Hollywood is capable of producing, on a scale from 1-100 I would rate it a 40.

Just saw Dish, The (2000) off cable. This is a delightful movie filled with quirky characters. It revolves around a radio telescope in rural Australia and the role it played in showing the world man's first steps on the moon. Sweet and funny throughout, this movie reminds you how even very obscure individuals must do their part for historic events to have the impact they did. I highly recommend it. On my scale from 1-100 I rate it 85. It might have received a higher rating if I hadn't thought of it as a one time only movie, due to its straightforward plot.

Having seen the Attack of the Clones yesterday. I wanted to state that only reviews that put their opinion into context should be trusted. As a stand alone film, it is probably not much better than any other special effects driven movie of the last 5 years. Within the context of the ongoing Star Wars Saga, I think it is clearly a step up from the Phantom Menace. Much of the dialogue is that patented Lucus style. One that I am not sure he could give away.

That is my criticism, but in the end I found all of that to be easily forgiven. I loved this movie and I can't imagine anyone who enjoys the Star Wars Saga disliking it. As result on a scale of 1-100 I give it 2 ratings. Standalone, 65 (fabulous effects, weak dialogue). Within the saga 95 (points off for dialogue, bonus points for the very attractive Natalie Portman and Yoda, see it and you will know what I mean).

After seeing it again on 5/26/2002, I highly recommend seeing it with a DLP (digital light projector) if possible.

On a related note I think this page had an interesting twist on how to look at the Star Wars Universe. Not that I agree with it. Enjoy...
The Case for the Empire

The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship Of The Ring
Kathy and I just went to see this movie again today. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I don't think that it is a great movie, but simply a very good one. I find that having read and enjoyed the book which it is based upon, I have a hard time viewing it outside of the context of the book. I thought the acting was excellent and the adaptation from the book was one of the best I have ever seen. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the book, but honestly if you are interested in this sort of thing you have seen it already.

I plan to write about my movie viewing from now on and just had to pick one to start with. My next movie will probably be something off cable. Maybe I will say more about it.