Hot on the heels of Thursday's entry, it has recently come out that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake have broken up. I blame myself. |
review: panic room Last night, we went to see the new Jodie Foster movie, "Panic Room." I'm always annoyed by movie reviews that are so convoluted and film-talk that in the end, you can't even tell if the reviewer enjoyed the film or not (unless the review is in The Village Voice or similar "arty" publication, where you'll be fairly sure that they hated every movie that's not some underground Polish film about smack-addicted mimes in the streets of Warsaw). So I will start out this review by saying that the movie was good. I'm not going to recap the plot, since I'm not really good at that kind of thing, and you can find better efforts here and here. But a few points about the movie and the actors that I would like to make--and I warn you, there are plot spoilers ahead, so stop reading if you're going to get all upset about that kind of thing. Don't get too worked up about it, though, this movie isn't "The Sixth Sense" or "The Crying Game." (She's really a man!) 1.) Jodie Foster was good in the Action Mom role. She was suitably steely yet vulnerable, and part of you cheers when she starts kicking ass, even if you're not the type to cheer aloud at the movies. And let's not forget that she has good hair, cool glasses, and looks good in a tank top. 2.) The Kid (played by Kristen Stewart) was actually pretty good in the Snotty but Resourceful and Also Vulnerable Teen role. She acted like a real kid, which is saying a lot, because you know how fake and acting-schmacting kids in movies can be. As an aside, the worst is watching child actors on talk shows. They creep me out. Especially the young ones. I was watching a segment on the Rosie O'Donnell Show where she was interviewing the little seven year-old girl from that Movie "I Am Sam" (aka "Retardo Dad Loves His Daughter") and she was so strangely mannered and adult talking about her role and motivation, telling this story about how Sean Penn took her out to lunch for "bonding purposes" in this totally rehearsed, interview-ready anecdote. It was so freakish and trained-monkey, I just wanted to barf. Act like a kid, for chrissake. Say inappropriate things and crawl all over furniture and don't use such big words, because you're creeping me out. But anyway, the movie. Though I thought the mandatory kid-in-jeopardy plotline made the movie a little standard, I thought it was nice how they showed that The Kid had diabetes without ever saying that she had diabetes. All there really was to set it up was a shot of a refrigerator by the kids bed, with a quick glimpse inside of botttles of water, orange juice, and a few small, glass bottles. A worse movie would have had dialogue in the beginning to the effect of, "Well Sara, I hope no one ever breaks into our house and we end up getting locked in that impenetrable vault in my bedroom, because of your diabetes! Maybe we should consult your endocrinologist before closing on the deal to buy the property, because you know what can happen when you get hypoglycemic." 3.) Jordan Catalano was in the movie, playing the high-strung young kid who ringleads the break-in. He was very un-Catalano-like, however, with a lot of energy and humor, and I liked him a lot in the role. He is a very pretty boy. He had cornrows in the movie, perhaps to make him look tougher and add a seedy edge to his prettiness, but there was no way around it. The boy is pretty. He got the most laughs in the movie, all of them welcome, because it's nice to have something light in a suspense movie to switch up the mood once in a while. 4.) Forest Whitaker plays The Crook With A Heart Of Gold, Who Doesn't Want Anyone To Get Hurt And Is Only On The Job Because He Needs The Money For His Kids. Another standard role, but he plays it well, I think. There's not much more to say about him, really. I felt bad for him. 5.) Dwight Yoakam plays the loose cannon, in a role that reminded me of Steve Buscemi's sidekick in "Fargo." You know, the huge, insane one that kills everyone and fucks everything up. He's the Bad Bad guy (as opposed to the Funny Bad Guy and the Good Bad Guy). 6.) I think if I were in that situation, I would just ask them what specifically it was in the room that they wanted, and just let them have it. The movie is a different story. But I would much rather watch a movie about Jodie Foster outwitting criminals and smashing things with a sledgehammer than a movie about her surrendering and later crying and calling the cops. 7.) This movie reminded me a little of "Home Alone," except without the elaborate booby traps and the Old Man Neighbor With A Shovel who saves the day. I would recommend "Panic Room." It's not quite high art and it's not quite fluff, but it's cinematically interesting and appropriately suspenseful, and if you watch it in a big theater with a lot of people, you'll be in an audience that goes "oooooOOOOOH" during the suspenseful parts. It's all good fun. xo Michelle |
Saturday . March 30 . 2002 . 9:45am |
review: panic room Last night, we went to see the new Jodie Foster movie, "Panic Room." I'm always annoyed by movie reviews that are so convoluted and film-talk that in the end, you can't even tell if the reviewer enjoyed the film or not (unless the review is in The Village Voice or similar "arty" publication, where you'll be fairly sure that they hated every movie that's not some underground Polish film about smack-addicted mimes in the streets of Warsaw). So I will start out this review by saying that the movie was good. I'm not going to recap the plot, since I'm not really good at that kind of thing, and you can find better efforts here and here. But a few points about the movie and the actors that I would like to make--and I warn you, there are plot spoilers ahead, so stop reading if you're going to get all upset about that kind of thing. Don't get too worked up about it, though, this movie isn't "The Sixth Sense" or "The Crying Game." (She's really a man!) 1.) Jodie Foster was good in the Action Mom role. She was suitably steely yet vulnerable, and part of you cheers when she starts kicking ass, even if you're not the type to cheer aloud at the movies. And let's not forget that she has good hair, cool glasses, and looks good in a tank top. 2.) The Kid (played by Kristen Stewart) was actually pretty good in the Snotty but Resourceful and Also Vulnerable Teen role. She acted like a real kid, which is saying a lot, because you know how fake and acting-schmacting kids in movies can be. As an aside, the worst is watching child actors on talk shows. They creep me out. Especially the young ones. I was watching a segment on the Rosie O'Donnell Show where she was interviewing the little seven year-old girl from that Movie "I Am Sam" (aka "Retardo Dad Loves His Daughter") and she was so strangely mannered and adult talking about her role and motivation, telling this story about how Sean Penn took her out to lunch for "bonding purposes" in this totally rehearsed, interview-ready anecdote. It was so freakish and trained-monkey, I just wanted to barf. Act like a kid, for chrissake. Say inappropriate things and crawl all over furniture and don't use such big words, because you're creeping me out. But anyway, the movie. Though I thought the mandatory kid-in-jeopardy plotline made the movie a little standard, I thought it was nice how they showed that The Kid had diabetes without ever saying that she had diabetes. All there really was to set it up was a shot of a refrigerator by the kids bed, with a quick glimpse inside of botttles of water, orange juice, and a few small, glass bottles. A worse movie would have had dialogue in the beginning to the effect of, "Well Sara, I hope no one ever breaks into our house and we end up getting locked in that impenetrable vault in my bedroom, because of your diabetes! Maybe we should consult your endocrinologist before closing on the deal to buy the property, because you know what can happen when you get hypoglycemic." 3.) Jordan Catalano was in the movie, playing the high-strung young kid who ringleads the break-in. He was very un-Catalano-like, however, with a lot of energy and humor, and I liked him a lot in the role. He is a very pretty boy. He had cornrows in the movie, perhaps to make him look tougher and add a seedy edge to his prettiness, but there was no way around it. The boy is pretty. He got the most laughs in the movie, all of them welcome, because it's nice to have something light in a suspense movie to switch up the mood once in a while. 4.) Forest Whitaker plays The Crook With A Heart Of Gold, Who Doesn't Want Anyone To Get Hurt And Is Only On The Job Because He Needs The Money For His Kids. Another standard role, but he plays it well, I think. There's not much more to say about him, really. I felt bad for him. 5.) Dwight Yoakam plays the loose cannon, in a role that reminded me of Steve Buscemi's sidekick in "Fargo." You know, the huge, insane one that kills everyone and fucks everything up. He's the Bad Bad guy (as opposed to the Funny Bad Guy and the Good Bad Guy). 6.) I think if I were in that situation, I would just ask them what specifically it was in the room that they wanted, and just let them have it. The movie is a different story. But I would much rather watch a movie about Jodie Foster outwitting criminals and smashing things with a sledgehammer than a movie about her surrendering and later crying and calling the cops. 7.) This movie reminded me a little of "Home Alone," except without the elaborate booby traps and the Old Man Neighbor With A Shovel who saves the day. I would recommend "Panic Room." It's not quite high art and it's not quite fluff, but it's cinematically interesting and appropriately suspenseful, and if you watch it in a big theater with a lot of people, you'll be in an audience that goes "oooooOOOOOH" during the suspenseful parts. It's all good fun. xo Michelle |
Bikini Briefs |
Hot on the heels of Thursday's entry, it has recently come out that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake have broken up. I blame myself. |
