Monday, June 28, 2004
So those movies? I saw them.
First off, let me just cast this opinion into the wind: "Dodgeball" is a piece of crap. I wasn't planning on seeing it, but yesterday I somehow found myself in a theater watching a rather unfunny movie unfold before my eyes. There are a few good one-liners, but the rest of the film is just what I had dreaded it would be: Ben Stiller rehashing the same character he's played in his last 673 movies and not being funny. It's a waste of time, don't see it.
If you want comedy, though, Anchorman is it! The movie is brainless, naturally, but endlessly entertaining. Will Ferrell has a likable quality about him that Ben Stiller, in my opinion, has never ever possessed. You live to see him ham it up and in this film he certainly does. Several gut-busting laughs. There are moments in Anchorman that will floor you. The characters, however, are all very one-note. But the pacing is handled so that you don't get sick of any of them.
Fahrenheit 9/11, sadly, is just plain not as funny as Anchorman. Seriously, though, as disheartening a film as any, this is one of those rare "important" films. That last sentence is sarcasm free, mind you. Whether or not you're a fan of the intrusive Michael Moore or you're a supporter of our monkey president, Fahrenheit 9/11 merits your attention. It's eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and -- quite honestly -- affirms many conspiracy theories that have been floating around since September 12, 2001. To those who view this film solely as an attack on Bush, yeah, you're mostly right. That's not to say, however, that this attack is not COMPLETELY VALID. It's really not until the film delves into Iraq that Moore even begins tugging on any heart strings (although, with this subject matter, it'd be hard for anyone to try avoid being manipulative). The Bush material is pretty cut and dry. The only time where I sensed any irresponsibility on Moore's part was during a sequence in which some Army rangers storm an Iraqi household and arrest a male college student while the rest of his family cried that the boy had done nothing wrong. All the while, the rangers kept repeating that they had acquired their "target." It's not like the military is just going roll in on a whim. They were following a lead. That one nagging bit aside, people have to realize that Moore is presenting an argument 'cause, you know, its a documentary film. We're not talking about the Travel Channel or National Geographic. The point of being a documentarian is to present a case or opinion and back it up with facts. You have to take a side. Hell, journalists aren't even unbiased! The facts are there, as well as several intuitive leaps in logic; conclusions that most anyone would come to given the information. I left the theater feeling fairly drained. It's a harsh reality knowing that this man, this profoundly dumb man who can not adlib a response to save his life (red flag #1, people), is the leader of the free world.
Fahrenheit 9/11 is not by any means a film that you can watch over and over again. It's very much like "Requiem for a Dream" or "Monster" in that respect. It's well made, but will drain your will to live. However, Moore's effort separates itself from the other two examples in as much as I consider it to be a landmark film. By "landmark," I don't mean the same vein as Citizen Kane which revolutionized camera work and storytelling, but rather that this is a significant cultural event. It's a film that will stir conversation amongst voters which is something that this country is fairly void of. We're so used to just accepting what's put in front of us, we never bother to delve further. You can go the rest of your life without seeing "Requiem..." or "Monster" or even "Citizen Kane," for that matter, and you wouldn't be any worse off. If you don't see "Fahrenheit 9/11," though, you really are missing out on a number of things. Man, this write-up reads like I just gave the film oral. Not my intent. Just saying that it is an important movie.
A testament to the public's desire for the truth: Fahrenheit 9/11 grossed $23 million this past weekend, fininshing #1 at the box office and becoming -- in three days -- the highest grossing documentary of all time.
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If you want comedy, though, Anchorman is it! The movie is brainless, naturally, but endlessly entertaining. Will Ferrell has a likable quality about him that Ben Stiller, in my opinion, has never ever possessed. You live to see him ham it up and in this film he certainly does. Several gut-busting laughs. There are moments in Anchorman that will floor you. The characters, however, are all very one-note. But the pacing is handled so that you don't get sick of any of them.
Fahrenheit 9/11, sadly, is just plain not as funny as Anchorman. Seriously, though, as disheartening a film as any, this is one of those rare "important" films. That last sentence is sarcasm free, mind you. Whether or not you're a fan of the intrusive Michael Moore or you're a supporter of our monkey president, Fahrenheit 9/11 merits your attention. It's eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and -- quite honestly -- affirms many conspiracy theories that have been floating around since September 12, 2001. To those who view this film solely as an attack on Bush, yeah, you're mostly right. That's not to say, however, that this attack is not COMPLETELY VALID. It's really not until the film delves into Iraq that Moore even begins tugging on any heart strings (although, with this subject matter, it'd be hard for anyone to try avoid being manipulative). The Bush material is pretty cut and dry. The only time where I sensed any irresponsibility on Moore's part was during a sequence in which some Army rangers storm an Iraqi household and arrest a male college student while the rest of his family cried that the boy had done nothing wrong. All the while, the rangers kept repeating that they had acquired their "target." It's not like the military is just going roll in on a whim. They were following a lead. That one nagging bit aside, people have to realize that Moore is presenting an argument 'cause, you know, its a documentary film. We're not talking about the Travel Channel or National Geographic. The point of being a documentarian is to present a case or opinion and back it up with facts. You have to take a side. Hell, journalists aren't even unbiased! The facts are there, as well as several intuitive leaps in logic; conclusions that most anyone would come to given the information. I left the theater feeling fairly drained. It's a harsh reality knowing that this man, this profoundly dumb man who can not adlib a response to save his life (red flag #1, people), is the leader of the free world.
Fahrenheit 9/11 is not by any means a film that you can watch over and over again. It's very much like "Requiem for a Dream" or "Monster" in that respect. It's well made, but will drain your will to live. However, Moore's effort separates itself from the other two examples in as much as I consider it to be a landmark film. By "landmark," I don't mean the same vein as Citizen Kane which revolutionized camera work and storytelling, but rather that this is a significant cultural event. It's a film that will stir conversation amongst voters which is something that this country is fairly void of. We're so used to just accepting what's put in front of us, we never bother to delve further. You can go the rest of your life without seeing "Requiem..." or "Monster" or even "Citizen Kane," for that matter, and you wouldn't be any worse off. If you don't see "Fahrenheit 9/11," though, you really are missing out on a number of things. Man, this write-up reads like I just gave the film oral. Not my intent. Just saying that it is an important movie.
A testament to the public's desire for the truth: Fahrenheit 9/11 grossed $23 million this past weekend, fininshing #1 at the box office and becoming -- in three days -- the highest grossing documentary of all time.
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