Wanted (2008) - 3.5/5

Wanted (2008)

NEXT: "Du rififi chez les hommes" (1955)

Pretty good. The "reality" wasn't quite on. The action was cool, but since I didn't think they set it up quite right it felt a bit forced and weak.

SPOILERS
The loom? Seriously? Hmmm...

Haiku Summary
Regular guy is
son of super assassin.
Who's dad? He killed him.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) - 3.5/5

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

NEXT: "Wanted" (2008)

Better than Episode I if for no other reason than there's much less Jar-Jar. Though he does affect the story in a big way when the Emperor tricks him into putting forth the motion in the Senate to give him more power.

I've always felt that Anakin is pretty much a big baby: "it's not fair!" I know the point is that he's driven by his emotions, but come on! How can anyone that childish train for anything let alone to be a Jedi. Also, how cd any former queen of a planet fall in love w/ that?

Haiku Summary
Big baby wants girl.
Mom dies so he kills them all.
It must be true love.

Hellboy (2004) - 3/5

Hellboy (2004)

This movie was fine. There were some good aspects and some weaker ones. The characters were pretty good, but it was just a little too campy. The action was fine, but never really believable b/c I felt like I was watching a video game to a degree.

NEXT: "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" (2002)

Haiku Summary
Good verses evil.
Hellboy wants girl, but it'll
never work. Big fits.

The Emperor's New Groove (2000) - 3.5/5

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

Next: "Hellboy" (2004

Funny and clever w/ some good humor that's funny to kids and adults. I wdn't say it stands out in any one area, but it's just a fun little movie.

Haiku Summary
Emperor fires
adviser. She turns him into
llama. He gets nice.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) - 3.5/5

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Next: The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

A bit of a disappointment and probably more so the more times I see it. Jar-Jar is just annoying as are most of the alien life-forms. I've never really liked the make-up job of Darth Maul - looks like a guy in make-up.

There's some cool things, but not enough.

Haiku Summary
Trade blockade, Jedi
take Queen. Boy, pod race, midi-
clorians? Jar-Jar!

The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) - 3/5

The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

NEXT: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

A fun little movie w/ "cute" criminals. I'm not sure if it was intentionally "cute" or just b/c of the times it was made, but they're so naive and such.

Great quote in the movie...

"Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these - it might have been" is a taken from 'Maud Muller', a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier

Haiku Summary
Two straight guys figure
out how to steal gold. Mistake,
chases, they are caught.

WALL-E (2008) - 4.5/5

WALL-E (2008)

Next: The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

Another great animation film! I'd say this is even better than "Kung Fu Panda" and that was great. No only did this movie have pretty much all the same strengths as "Panda" (action, camera work, animation, characters, etc.), but it had a few things extra...

It varied the styles of animation w/o feeling "wrong." It threaded aspects of the story so well that I just marveled. It expressed emotion in the characters very well... and they're robots! And it did all this w/ almost NO dialog!

I love Pixar shorts for telling stories w/ no dialog and this movie does just about the same thing!

SPOILERS

On Earth, the animation is more life-like and very well done, but on the ship, the people are more cartoony. I felt this contrast flowed well which is hard to imagine. Also, they even have a real human in a couple clips (Fred Willard) which also didn't seem too harshly real. Well played, Pixar. Well played.

Haiku Summary
Wall-E is lonely.
Eva comes and finds a plant.
Fight for ships return.

Kung Fu Panda (2008) - 4.5/5

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Next: "Wall-E" (2008)

This was great. The action was well done and the camera work made it natural to see exactly what was happening (unlike so many live action movies where it's just a blur). All around, I think the camera work was great.

The story is well done and the characters are well developed. The humor is good and not insulting or too adult and the animation is amazing.

It's all around great.

Haiku Summary
Panda is dragon
warrior? Others don't like.
Scroll is blank. Ska-doosh!

Be Kind Rewind (2008) - 3/5

Be Kind Rewind (2008)

NEXT: "Kung Fu Panda" (2008)

Cute and funny, but nothing great. It mostly suffers from a lack of direction. It seems the base of the plot changes every 30 minutes. It's all really just a platform to make these short re-makes of films and that's really all I wanted to see anyway. They were pretty funny and very inventive and creative.

Haiku Summary
Magnatized guy, blank
tapes. Remake movies. Make cash?
Save store? What's the plot?

Atonement (2007) - 4/5

Atonement (2007)

Next: "Be Kind Rewind" (2008)

Beautifully shot like an epic, I really liked this movie except for a couple things. Great acting, sets, camera work, pretty much everything. Awesome, complex story too.

SPOILERS
I loved the switching times and points of view they used as a device to tell the story from different perspectives. I felt a little cheated by the "wrong note" - it was so obvious that was going to happen and felt a bit amateurish. Also, the idea that based on a little girls statement about seeing someone in the dark outside, this guy wd go straight to prison. Again, it just felt a bit weak. Also, where was the atonement? I felt Briony "got away" with it. So she wrote about them in love in her book? Big deal. I don't mind them dying and not being together, but reveal that to the viewer in another way. I didn't like being taken so far into the future (present time) and ripped from that reality. So she's sick and dying, that's still not atonement. So it was GREAT except for the last 15 minutes.

One scene really sticks in my head. Early on we see Briony witness the fountain scene. We don't know what happened (like her) and wonder. Then we see it how it really happened and are away of the breaking vase, the sexual tension, etc.

Much later, and w/o much fanfare, we see the scene of Briony jumping in the water and Robbie saving her. I cdn't help but relate the two scenes. More importantly, I cdn't help but wonder how Briony saw the fountain scene... maybe she saw her sister jump in and Robbie NOT save her. Maybe she saw her sister try her same trick and Briony is jealous. Maybe she saw Robbie NOT get mad at Cecelia and even the clear connection those two had at that time... the connection Briony herself didn't have w/Robbie though she wanted it. Good stuff.

Haiku Summary
Girl lies about crime.
Guy goes to jail and war. Love
lost. Where's atonement?

Eastern Promises (2007) - 4/5

Eastern Promises (2007)

Next: "Atonement" (2007)

Great acting and original story. Intense at a lot of times w/quite a dark tone.

SPOILERS:
I have to take issue a bit w/ the premise, but that can be said for a lot of movies. It just seems that she really asked for trouble just going to some Russian restaurant and letting the clearly creepy old guy translate the diary. I wd think the police or Russian consulate or something wd have been better. I'm sure they cd have gotten to the same place in the story w/ good writing.

Unfortunately also, I kinda figured out that Viggo's character was undercover. I didn't really hurt the story though.

Haiku Summary
Preg girl dies. Baby
and diary. Rusians with
undercover guy.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) - 4.5/5

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Next: "Eastern Promises" (2007)

Great adventure. Long segments of non-stop action that really set the standard IMO. It's meant to be a throw back to the B adventure movies of yesteryear and I think it's that done well.

Haiku Summary
Grail search takes Jones on
search for dad. Dad shot. Grail found.
You've chosen wisely.

Wall Street (1987) - 4/5

Wall Street (1987)

Next: "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989)

Great movie. Great acting. It's a powerful morality tale about how far someone will go in their naive, "innocence" mixed w/ greed and money-lust.

Making friends w/ a snake just means your friend is a snake.

UPDATE: 6.24.08
I keep thinking about this movie - so great. I love how Buddy takes on Gordon's mannerisms and phrases ("Talk at ya, babe.", "That's a dog w/ fleas.", etc.). And I think there's a lot of depth to a lot of scenes like when he and Darien make "the dinner" and he says something like "It's perfect. Let's not eat it. Let's just look at it." He's so into the idea of everything. He wants to be "successful" and be "in that world" so bad that when he gets a moment there, he doesn't want to leave... and face himself.

Haiku Summary:
Local boy makes good
w/ inside info from dad.
Double cross. Greed good?

Horton Hears a Who! (2008) - 4/5

Horton Hears a Who! (2008)

NEXT: "Wall Street" (1986)

UPDATED: 6.19.08 - saw it again at the $1 movies.

Very funny (at least the first half) and good story and animation. I thought it was good, creative and fun.

SPOILERS
I thought the kangaroo character was unnecessarily negative and judgmental while not adding a lot to the character makeup of the movie. They seemed to be calling out conservatives (based on the homeschooling reference) and it was just underhanded and judgmental on their part. The biggest bummer about that was that I didn't think it was necessary.

UPDATE: 6.19.08 - Again, I think they were trying to slam conservatives and probably religious conservatives w/ the kangaroo role, but maybe I'm looking for it (or just used to it). However, w/ the kangaroo saying "if you can't see it, heart it or feel it, it isn't real" they can't really be attacking those of faith. So maybe they're slamming atheists a bit??? Anyway, I'm not sure it was necessary, but I'm not familiar w/ the book so who knows if it was accurate anyway.

Haiku Summary
Horton hears a who
on a speck and saves it. Great
dentist scene. Funny.

Next: "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (2007)

Escape from New York (1981) - 3.5/5

Escape from New York (1981)

NEXT: "Horton Hears a Who" (2008)

I mean, what can I say: greatness. I can't explain it and if you need me to, you wdn't understand.

Haiku Summary
Prez crashes in New
York prison. Snake goes in. Saves
the prez. "Call me Snake."

Michael Clayton (2007) - 4/5

Michael Clayton (2007)

NEXT: "Escape from New York" (1981)

Great drama w/ great, well-defined characters. The story was compelling and intense. Many layers, but they took their time and let them grow naturally w/o getting confusing.

Haiku Summary
Big corp, product kills.
Lawyer w/ truth goes nuts. Strips.
Hidden phone, she's caught.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - 4.5/5

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Next:

Holds up well with time: fun, adventure, humor and great action.

Haiku Summary:
Nazis want the Ark.
Indy wants to stop them. Big
action. Faces melt.

Piglet's Big Movie (2003) - 3/5

Piglet's Big Movie (2003)

Next: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981)

Simple, cute, non-offensive, sweet kids movie. Simple ideas and concepts combined w/ good friendships and wanting to help such.

Haiku Summary:
Piglet overlooked.
Hurt, wanders. Friends miss him. They
look, find and value.

Transformers (2007) - 4/5

Transformers (2007)

Next: "Piglet's Big Movie" (2003)

Very fun. Great CGI though the transformations were a bit unnecessarily complicated. No biggie.

It was cool, fun action that didn't take itself too seriously.

Haiku Summary:
Robots against bad
robots for big power. Kid
has key. With cool cars!

Semi-Pro (2008) - 2/5

Semi-Pro (2008)

Next: "Transformers" (2007)

A bad "Animal House" or "Old School" w/o the cast. Some funny parts, but overall not worth it.

It very much tried too hard to have more plots and such.

Haiku Summary:
B'ball team wants to
go pro. One chance. Win lots. I'd
like to forget it.