Movie Viewage For May

7.5.00: None yet for May, but I did see "Keeping The Faith" on the thirtieth of April, which I think counts for May, sort of.

8.5.00: saw "U-571" yesterday. Overall I'd say I liked it - anything to do with underwater effects and the ocean in general is usually alright with me. (There were no sharks, but given the torpedoes and depth charges and macho gung-ho American navy men, I'm not surprised - they are intelligent animals, after all.) As with most American war movies, there was the typical "the enemy are all evil, crazy, and probably possessed by Satan, and we Americans will save the whole world" kind of slant, but that sort of national bias is a given. If the Germans had made "U-571", it would probably have been about how they were just doing their work as men in the navy, and how the Americans just want to kill everybody, big macho folk that they are. To sum up the movie, a little dialogue:

sammy: So, did you like the movie?

Nathan: Yeah, but there was something missing... I can't quite put my finger on it.

sammy: Character development?

Nathan: That'd be it.

8.5.00: Tonight we saw "Erin Brockovich" - what a brilliant film! I was originally going to wait until it was on video, but I'm glad I saw it now. It's funny and sassy as well as being wonderfully acted and directed. I've never really been a big fan of Julia Roberts, but she was great as Erin. (My mother told me that the real Erin Brockovich said this of the movie: "The skirts were longer and the language cleaner", or words to that effect. You'll know why that's funny if you see it!)

It's heartwarming, but not corny; the personal tone to the scenes between Erin and her boss, the people she fights for, her children, and her sometimes-boyfriend is what gives the movie its strength. It seems cliche to present a story where "the little people" rise above those with supposed power and "proper" education and whatnot, but in this case it isn't: it's just inspiring.

If you haven't seen it, go! If you have seen it and you hated it, tell me why?

14.5.00: This evening we watched "Gladiator", and it engaged me for the whole time I was in the theater. I found the acting superb (a particular scene involving Russel Crowe's character, Maximus, and his wife and child, had me in tears) and the action riveting. During fight-to-the-death scenes I was covering my hands with my eyes and cringing in my seat, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it - the way they filmed these portions was filled with movement and portrayed in a breathtakingly gory way, which held my attention captive. Some might say that it's just a typical, testosterone-driven, sword-weilding, beefcake epic, but the way the plot and the action were threaded together impressed me somewhat.

Oh, alright. Russel Crowe was a big drawcard to the movie. But I looked past that! Honest!

15.5.00: Yes, the trailer for "Center Stage" made it look like just another teenybopper WB-network-ish aimed-at-the-Britney-set kind of crap movie, but it wasn't. The fact that I'm going to see it again (and you know my taste in film is good - don't you? Don't you?!) should attest that. I went expecting a horribly cheesy movie (as was Nathan, who was slightly emasculated by being in the theatre, but took it in stride), but despite simple plot devices, a somewhat cliche storyline (just because it's slightly cliche doesn't mean it's bad!) and some predictable dialogue (I swear, I recited at least two lines along with the characters speaking them and I'd never seen those parts in the trailer), it ends up being the sort of thing you think about later and recall, "Yeah, that movie rocked!" Well, okay, that's just me.

To sort-of emulate Whitney, a plot haiku (well, a haiku style poem, whatever!):

Girl dancer goes to
big-shot ballet school and learns
all about hard work

whilst learning about
hard love and is dumped by an
egomaniac

She learns to be her
own person and stands on her
own two en pointe feet

Cast principle in
the end of year workshop by
the guy who dumped her,

Girl dancer steals the
whole show in a breathtaking
performance - oh my!

(Funky-ass music
provided by Brit-dance group
Jamiroquai - yeaaaahhhh)