Movies

Dancer In The Dark

Director Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves) delivers a provocative mix of drama and musical theater in this acclaimed movie that won both the Palme d'Or for Best Picture and the Best Female Performance award (for lead actress Björk) at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

Recording star Björk is "miraculous" (The New York Times) as Selma, a factory worker in rural America and single mother who is losing her eyesight from a hereditary disease. Determined to protect her 10-year-old son from the same fate, Selma is saving her money to get him an operation.

In the evenings, Selma escapes into a world where "nothing dreadful ever happens," rehearsing for a production of The Sound of Music with her best friend, Kathy (Catherine Deneuve). But when a neighbor (David Morse) betrays her trust, Selma's life spirals out of control. The lines between reality and fantasy blur, and Selma begins to believe that her life has actually become a Hollywood musical -- as she inexorably heads toward the film's unforgettable finale.

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Slick Las Vegas illusionist Buddy "Aces" Israel isn't playing nice. Turns out, he's telling mob secrets to the FBI. After a $1 million contract is put on him, Aces tries to pull his greatest disappearing act before a rogues' gallery of ex-cons, hit men and smokin' hot assassins tries to rub him out in this edgy action comedy that takes no prisoners.

Believe it or not, this movie was actually relatively entertaining. Even when some pretty small parts are involved, I am always interested in seeing a movie with a cast like this. Let me list a few people who made appearances in Smokin' Aces: Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Common, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keys, "that girl from Hustle & Flow," Jason Bateman and Matthew Fox.

The movie was completely ridiculous. Ryan Reynolds started to go a little overboard at the end, but other than that the movie does not take itself seriously at all. If you try to take this movie seriously, you will be grossly disappointed. Smokin' Aces combined just about every possible stereotype into a murder-for-hire movie, but did it to be satirical and did not come across as cliché. It was so ridiculous, in fact, that I considered it almost on par with a Quentin Tarantino flick.

Call me crazy, but I liked Smokin' Aces...for what it was. I was looking for an off-the-wall, shoot-'em-up, action movie and that is exactly what I got. I was even impressed with the creativity behind the story (though the end was somewhat of a let down).

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Debi: So, is there a Mrs. Mysterio? Martin Q. Blank: No, but I do have a very nice cat. Debi: Not the same. Martin Q. Blank: Well, you don't know my cat, it's very demanding. Debi: It? You don't know if it's a boy or girl? Martin Q. Blank: I respect its privacy.

Set in a not-too-distant future where America has lost its "war" on drugs, Fred, an undercover cop, is one of many people hooked on the popular drug, Substance D, which causes its users to develop split personalities. Fred is obsessed with taking down Bob, a notorious drug dealer, but due to his Substance D addiction, he does not know that he is also Bob. Based on a classic novel by Philip K. Dick. Starring Keanu Reeves ("Constantine," "The Matrix" trilogy), Academy Award-nominee and Golden Globe-winner Winona Ryder ("Girl, Interupted," "Mr. Deeds"), Academy Award and Emmy-nominee and Golden Globe-winner Robert Downey Jr. ("Good Night, And Good Luck" "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang"), and Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominee and Emmy-winner Woody Harrelson ("North Country," "The People vs. Larry Flynt"). Directed by Academy Award-nominee Richard Linklater ("Before Sunset," "Dazed and Confused"). Filmed in live-action, and then animated using the same critically acclaimed process that Linklater used in his previous film, "Waking Life."

Keanu Reeves is Bruce...no wait, he's Bob...or is he Fred? Well whatever his name was, here is a movie in which his much-maligned acting ability was able to shine. Have him play a confused, drug-addicted, undercover agent and he is rock solid.

Robert Downey, Jr. is one of the most enjoyable actors to watch these days. His personality was worked expertly into his character. He was certainly the highlight of the film.

This may not be the highest praise, but Woody Harrelson was incredibly believable as the burnt out friend who crashes at your place and brings nothing to the table. He was hysterical; it was great.

This was one of the most intelligently written movies I have ever seen. From the overall plot line to the dialogue, I am still impressed by it. I give credit to both Richard Linklater for his screenplay and direction and Philip K. Dick for birthing the story in the first place.

Richard Linklater's use of the animation overlay on the live-action was so effective in this story about drugs set in the future. But please do not think this is a movie about drugs...set in the future. This is a story about one man's struggle within himself. The inner reflection by Reeve's character, as it developed and delved ever deeper, was very entertaining.

I put off watching A Scanner Darkly for a long time, hesitant. I feel silly for having done so. I really really enjoyed this movie.

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V: Would you... dance with me? Evey Hammond: Now? On the eve of your revolution? V: A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having!

| Dreamworks SKG | Pixar |

1. A Bug's Life

2. Shrek 2

3. Toy Story 2

4. Finding Nemo

5. Monsters Inc.

(Honorable Mention: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit)

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Fly: Hey, waiter, I'm in my soup.

Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life. With the help of Professor Jules Hibbert (Dustin Hoffman), Harold discovers he's the main character in a novel-in-progress and that the voice belongs to Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), an eccentric author famous for killing her main characters in creative ways. Harold must quickly track down Eiffel and stop her before she conjures up a way to finish him off.

Will Ferrell is Harold Crick, an auditor for the IRS whose life could hardly be more routine and mundane. As he adheres strictly to that routine he begins to hear a woman's voice. She does not tell him what to do, but rather she offers a detached, third-party narration as he goes about his day. With the help of a professor of literature, who is deemed to be more helpful than his psychiatrist, Harold is able to solve the mystery of the voice's origin. But what he finds may not be what he wants to hear.

I was skeptical -- at the very least -- of Will Ferrell's involvement in this movie. While not altogether a "serious" movie, I still felt that this role might be too much for him. As it turns out, I was wrong. I was worried that he would try too hard to shun his class-clown nature to be more adaptable to a wide range of film. He was very likeable in this role, but I would not say that he was great. I just don't think the part was that strong, but he did well enough in it.

Emma Thompson was excellent in her neurosis as she was deconstructed by her writer's block.

Maggie Gyllenhaal has been a tough nut to crack for me. In the few performances of hers that I have seen, she has seemingly played the same character over and over. I felt she brought that same character to Stranger Than Fiction, but it just fit better here than in other movies. Because of that, or whatever else, Maggie was at her most charming in Stranger Than Fiction.

With all of these performances from a cast of notable names, the highlight was Dustin Hoffman. Looking back at the film's credits I guess I can't be too surprised that Hoffman stole the show, but I guess I hadn't expected it. He was funny, intelligent, mysterious, compassionate, quirky...he was all over the place. And he was great.

There was an arguably unnecessary visual effect used for most of the movie. To really hammer home how Harold Crick's mechanical and mathematical mind worked, the movie continuously featured on-screen effects to show protracted angles, measurements and percentages. The movie probably didn't need these effects, but I loved them. They were an added emphasis on the attention to detail which I appreciate so much.

I am not sure if it was in any way related to my expecting so little from this movie, but I really loved Stranger Than Fiction. The story was incredibly creative and everyone who contributed, both cast and crew, made it an enjoyable movie to watch. I have already been recommending this movie to others and now I recommend it to you.

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