Reviews

The most important thing to learn from this movie is the value of intuition. The second most important thing is to understand that baseball is a constant that has unified our country since the end of the civil war, a time when unity seemed a very, very important thing.

An amazing documentary chronicling an amazing band. I hope that fifty years from now, this film is used as reference in a musical and even a sociological sense. Color and b+w both fit well here. The music is arresting and intense, the imagery fits the music and the pace. Anyone who likes well made documentaries should see this. Throughout the film, there are quick sketches of people in line that coincide with pieces of music. This is my favorite part. This might be hard to find, but keep an eye out for it.

This movie had incredible concepts! The chaos theory was brought into personal focus in this picture in a most intriguing fashion. The animation did not work for me, however (it seemed underdeveloped). There were other little quirks about this movie I felt didn't work, such as the magical, mysterious scream that the protagonist posesses, the sub-par dubbing, the the little melodramatic exchange between two sub-characters at a bank. This almost interupted the breakneck pace this movie contains; the pulsing electronic music arrived in the nick of time to save it. This did not deter any of the strong points of the movie from shining though: an excellent central idea brought into focus through appropriate music, excellent cinematography and choreography, good use of "common thread" images, and surprise twists. I rate this as a must see for those who tire of the tried-and-true formula. Try to find it subtitled, if possible though. The dubbing sounds like that of a cheap Japanese animation short for kids!

The thing that remained in my head as I left the theatre was the legitimizing of some of the more violent scenes. Was this necessary? In a film that relied on innuendo and subtlety, some of the visuals were not consistant and inturrupted with the flow of the movie. It also could have been edited down about fifteen minutes with no adverse effects. I still recommend this movie, however, based on the suburb acting by the entire cast. The cinematography and music were also a credit to the film.

This movie, the most hyped movie of all time, has been put under the microscope and looked at in a variety of different ways. It seems that everyone had prejudged the movie before it was even released, and then strutted about claiming that they told you that it would be that way. There was the die-hards, who were impossible to dissapoint. There were of course the disenchanted and the unimpressible, who probably would not had conceeded the movie was good no matter what. There were the people who acted as if this movie symbolized their disapproval of media hype itself, and by principle decided to dislike the film. Looking over the other comments I see the opposing viewpoints clearly. OK, the movie was overhyped, but what do you expect in 1999, the year of hype? I was four years old when the A New Hope came out, and of course, I loved it. I was four, and a science fiction epic can have its way with a boy of that age. I think many people in the 20-35 age group expected to have that same life changing event that happened to them twenty years ago this time around. That is the equivalent of going to Disney World for the first time since you were a kid and being let down: Did you expect the impact to be the same? Take the movie for what it is. OK, it isn't just any movie, but it behaved like one, with strong points and weak ones as well. First the strong points.

1. All the acting was terrific, with the exception of Jake Lloyd. Many critics complained of the stiffness of the Jedi characters. What some people saw as flat acting I believe was well acted restraint by Neeson and Mcgregor. Their characters were kung-fu monks, not the pirate Han Solo and the upstart Luke. 2. All of the sets and costumes were beautiful. Even Oscar worthy. 3. The music was terrific. John Williams outdid himself with the otherworldly choir at the end. Breathtaking! 4. The fight scenes were excellent as well, better than the ones in the Matrix because they had less special effects woven in. 5. The plot had more substance than the prior three combined. The intricate dealings of politics, the metaphysical properties of the force, the nature of bondage and the messianic innuendos sent me reeling. 6. The pod race. Ben Hur for the Space Age.

And for the weak points: 1. The flow changed speeds too often, making it seem somewhat unnatural. 2. Something did not work for me with Anakin's success at the end. It seemed more haphazard than the supernatural workings of the force. 3. Jake Lloyd is not a good actor. Period. the scenes between him and Portman awkward and seemed difficult. 4. The fact that some of the races of aliens resembled ethnic groups should not be considered offensive (I wasn't offended, and could have been). It does, however, seem like a lack of imagination.

Personally, I put this movie ahead of ROTJ, but behind the first two. It still definitely is worth watching. By the way, I was rather indifferent to Jar-Jar, as I was to the plight of R2-D2 and C3PO in all the other movies. I have a feeling history will smile on this movie as the story progresses in the future installments and we become more familiar with some of the new concepts introduced in this one. If you have decided not to go to any of them anymore, fine. That means just less of a line for me.

I caught this film on Canadian television, and I was startled by the risque content being broadcast on a non-pay station. This is a story of a growing adolescent boy in a war-torn Europe. The focus of the movie is in the complex relationships he holds with the people in his life. The controversial nature may deter the more conservative American; however, the characters are well-rounded and acted and the cinematography is superb. I have a feeling this director may be famous in his home country, there is a touch of epic brilliance in the movement of the scenes.

This movie is not for everyone. If you need constant, fast paced stimulus, this is not for you. This movie opens up slowly, very organically, and eventually experience a sublime interpetation of life itself. To watch this movie is to go to a fine art gallery, sit in front of a painting, and watch ideas on existence revealed to you in wave after wave of existential bliss. A must see for one who enjoys "thinking" or "art" film.