All
reviews written for Curt’s Corner written by Curt Burbach of
The Matrix: Revolutions:
A decent sci-fi movie that concludes the Matrix trilogy. But, there wasn’t anything memorable or compelling about it. The first two were better. Two bones for all the major special effects.
The Last Samurai:
After watching the movie, I kept think that there was something wrong with the Tom Cruise character. Then, my brother suggested to me that Tom Cruise was the wrong actor for the job. Yes, that was it. In fact, in the original book that this screenplay was adapted from, the Tom Cruise character was not the lead role (after all, HE was not the last samurai). Perhaps this is why I did not find the film to be compelling at all. The costumes were cool (nominated for an Oscar) and the battle scenes and sword fighting were fun to watch. But, that’s all. Ken Watanabe did a good job and earned his nomination for best supporting actor. The movie was average, and I therefore give it two bones out of four.
This movie also did nothing for me. Clint Eastwood was nominated for best director, as the film was loaded with big-name actors and actresses. At one point it seemed like nothing more than an exercise in good acting, while it gave each veteran actor a token opportunity to show off there stuff. Those performers that were nominated deserved their accolades, however, I didn’t think this movie deserved to be nominated for best picture. I give it three bones.
This was a pretty cool movie. I was hoping that they would get nominated for best cinematography, and they did. In fact, they won. The story comes from a series of books written over a hundred years ago. One of which was called “Master and Commander”, the other “Far Side of the World”. I thought their recreation was spectacular and the story very interesting. Yes, nominate it for best picture, but don’t select it. 3 ½ bones.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:
This was a technical masterpiece. However, I’d like to point out that none of the actors were nominated for any awards, and rightfully so. I liked the movie but I don’t think that it is best picture of the year for 2003 (as it was selected). I believe the only reason it won, is because there weren’t any other movies that were extraordinarily compelling or interesting. I’d also like to point out that it was not nominated for best cinematography, also for good reason, because half of what you saw on the screen was computer animation. This film lands somewhere between a regular movie and a fully animated feature. Could a fully animated feature film win best picture of the year? Well, we are half way there. I give 3 ½ bones for being the best fantasy film ever made.
Lost in Translation:
I have one word to describe this movie; quaint. I was not impressed by this film. Later, I learned that it took 27 days to shoot, and yeah, I can believe that. It looked as if it were a school project for some college students. I appreciate Sophia Copolla’s unique style in telling the story, but it was just quaint. Go ahead and give her the Oscar for best original screenplay, but best director is an insult to the others who exhausted great effort. This film should not have been nominated for best picture. And, I also don’t think that Bill Murray’s performance (nominated for best actor) was that good either. I thought it was a very simple role to play. Keep in mind, he’s following the instruction of his director. Two bones.
Passion of the Christ:
HOLY COW! Now, this review is purely cinematic, and not political or spiritual. HOLY COW! If you haven’t seen this movie, you should. I don’t care if you prefer not to see blood and brutality in a movie. Get over it, and go see it. Even if you aren’t a Christian, you’ll learn a few things. I believe that even if the plot were based on a fictional character, it would have still been extremely powerful. I give it four bones and look for it to be nominated for best picture. That’s not really going out on a limb, is it?
Monster:
Now I can see why Charlize Theron won
for best actress. She assumed a believable portrayal of her character in both
appearance and behavior. This was a very tragic, and yet, real story that needed
to be told, for both the victims and the only woman ever convicted and executed
in the
Nothing really special here. It’s a feel good movie loosely based on real life events. Two bones.
*** (As seen on DVD) ***
City of
Two of my favorite actors were in this one; Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. It was an interesting plot but wasn’t all that compelling. 2 ½ bones.
G
This is a prequel to the Turner
production of
Notes about the Academy Awards:
I enjoyed the show very much. Billy
Crystal hosted again and was his usual hilarious self. Robin Williams was funny
and the presentation that Will Farrell and Jack Black gave is a classic that
will be remembered for all time. All the starlets were dressed beautifully. I
like Tim Robbins as an actor, but don’t care to hear his political points of
view, so I ‘m glad he won for best supporting actor. I’m also glad that Rene
Zellwegger won for best supporting actress in
Well, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
CC