The Critics Speak

Cold Mountain

Critic: Steph Lewis
On a scale of 0 to Awesome, I rate this: Gotta See It
Released: December 25, 2003
Director: Anthony Minghella
MPAA RATING: R, violence and sexuality

Before I begin, I just need to say the following: Jude Law is about as hot as they get. Nicole Kidman doesn't quite pull of the youthful characters anymore, although she is still charming. Renee Zellweger would be great if she stopped doing that puffy-cheek-lip-pout thing that she does IN EVERY SINGLE MOVIE SHE'S IN.

This movie gave me a new perspective on war, especially ones fought the old fashioned way. I forget that there are places and times where people actually wanted/needed a war in order to feel better/stronger about life. I can't imagine all the young boys around me gathering around exclaiming, "WE GOT OUR WAR!" I think now it's more of a, "Hmmm...well, if I have to go...I guess," kind of thing. In Cold Mountain, we see the trauma and agony of families divided, newly-appointed sheriffs overstepping thier bounds, loves lost, the injured pushed back into a losing battle, and the small kindnesses that help along the way.

This movie addresses the many kinds of relationships that can be effected during war (Civil War). Nicole Kidman plays the role of Ada Monroe, a preacher's dauther, who goes with her father to Cold Mountain, North Carolina. Here, she falls in love with Inman (Jude Law), a GORGEOUS, kind man. Inman goes off to the war, and Monroe waits in Cold Mountain for his return. She develops a friendship with Ruby (Renee Zellweger), a tough woman who teaches Monroe how to survive. Inman deserts the war after a couple of nasty injuries, and struggles to make his way back home without getting killed for leaving his post. We see each character make their journey through these difficult times as they struggle to hold on to hope.

The part I enjoyed most about this movie is that it stayed with me for several days after I saw it. I kept reconsidering possibilities of what could have been, looking at the choices made, pondering the pain of the Civil War, and even looking at who I am and what I would become in times that are trying. The characters were great...I especially enjoyed some of the smaller appearances by Natalie Portman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Suplee, and Jack White.

Overall, this movie is beautiful, has GREAT characters (and lots of them!), and a solid storyline. It was missing a certain something...a sort of cohesiveness that would have made me give it a higher rating. My only real beef with it is the Zellweger pout-face thing and the fact that it felt a little too "Hollywood Storyteller" for me with some of the voice-over narration and drawn out scenes.

Spiderman 2

Critic: Steph Lewis
On a scale of 0 to Awesome, I rate this: Fun
Released: June 30, 2004
Director: Sam Raimi
MPAA RATING: PG-13, for stylized action violence

I wasn't planning on seeing this one, but I saw Neal's review of it and thought, "Wow. It must be really good!"

This is the best Marvel Comics remake next to X-Men. If I judged movies based on cool characters and special effects, this one would be awesome. Doc Oc is the sweetest villan I've seen. That dude scales walls and grabs stuff and is really quite freaky! And of course, Tobey McGuire is the most adorable thing to put on a skin-tight costume.

The movie is set up regular comic book style. Peter Parker (McGuire) wants to be with his girl M.J. (Kirsten Dunst), but is suffering from his "curse" of being Spiderman. He wants to be with her, he wants to do well in school...but he can't manage those two things and all of the Spiderman stuff! His late-night crime fighting leaves him tired and listless, disorganized, and broke.

I'm so glad they cast McGuire as Spiderman. He pulls off this dorky, yet strangely sexy, guy quite well! My favorite part about him is that he is real. He's not this, "Look at how awesome I am!" kind of superhero. He sees that having superpowers has super-drawbacks. And, he presents the real side of his character with subtlety and sensitivity.

Most of the other actors (Kirsten Dunst & James Franco especially) just don't have the same depth of character as McGuire, which weakens the movie. If a movie is only as good as it's weakest actor, than I rate this movie a Kirsten Dunst.

But, seriously, that Doc Oc is so cool!

The Stepford Wives

Critic: Steph Lewis
On a scale of 0 to Awesome, I rate this: "CREATIVE" or "UNIQUE"
Released: June 11, 2004
Director: Frank Oz
MPAA RATING: PG-13, for sexual content, thematic material and language

Nicole Kidman stars as Joanna, a biddy woman who expects her husband (Matthew Broderick) to "snap to" and love her for her success, even though she puts her job before her family and her children. The song "Wind Beneath My Wings" comes to mind for her relationship to her family. After she gets fired from her super-big-wig job, she moves with her husband to a perfect little town called Stepford. Walter enjoys being part of this perfect world, especially of being accepted by the mens club and by being thought of (for once) as the head of his household. Joanna, however, finds Stepford to be very odd...since all the women seem to act like perfect robots! The movie plot unfolds as we wonder if Joanna will get sucked into this perfect-robo-woman or if she will escape.

I expected more from the director, Frank Oz. After What About Bob? and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, you expect a movie that at least has a solid plot. This movie, on the other hand, bit. It was so full of plot contradictions that I had to wonder what educational level the writers/directors/producers had. "These women aren't robots! Their minds are just programmed!" Yeah, well explain to me why the one starts having sparks & robotic malfunction and another one is an ATM machine. Or explain to me why there is that creepy robot with no eyes lying on the table...looking strangely like it's meant for someone. Hmmm...Let's pick one -- are they robots or not robots ???-- and STICK TO IT!!! Is that too much to ask!?! Geesh!!!

The movie was actually tolerable until it hit those plot holes...then I kept on remembering that I was watching a movie, kept looking at my watch...just waiting for the pain to end.

There are some fun parts. Nicole Kidman plays a great Joanna, Matthew Broderick is as adorable as ever, Bette Midler & Glenn Close are always a blast to watch (especially Close in this character role). And, of course, you have to love Christopher Walken. If it wasn't for this star-studded cast that really hangs the crappy script together, this movie would be crap for crap.

Mystic River

Critic: Steph Lewis
On a scale of 0 to Awesome, I rate this: Solid & Thoughtful
Released: October 8, 2003 (LIMITED)
Director: Clint Eastwood
MPAA RATING: R, language and violence

This movie was AWESOME. This cast is solid with some phenomenal acting by Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Marcia Gay Harden. No surprises that Penn won the Oscar for best actor & Robbins wons best supporting actor. They totally deserved it.

The movie tells the story of Jimmy (Sean Penn), Dave (Tim Robbins), and Sean (Kevin Bacon), who shared a disturbing violent incident when they were children. They all live in the same town where they grew up, but have never been able to move on from that trauma. Then, Jimmy's 19-year-old daughter gets murdered, which throws Jimmy and others in town into complete sadness and anger. Sean is a detective and is working on the case. Jimmy tells him that he better hurry up and find the killer or he's going to do it himself. The results are haunting and gut-wrenching.

The story line is thoughtfully made, but what really makes this movie great is the phenomenal depth in each of these characters. Penn's character evolves trememdously throughout and is able to pull off incredible sincerity with his character. Robbins' character is full of contradictions...we love him and want him to be well, yet find him very suspect. The interaction between the two is what good acting is all about. Even if you're not big on murder mysteries, you need to check out this acting.

Clint Eastwood has proven himself as a great director. I've seen some movies where the actors are capable of much, but are given such crappy character direction that their characters remain flat (a la Natalie Portman in Star Wars Episodes 1 & 2). Plus, the actor relies so heavily on the shots & editing...it really comes down to the director's ability to showcase his actors talents. This movie shows the tremendous respect & trust between Eastwood and his cast -- both were able to shine.

Spiderman 2

Critic: Neal T. Redman
On a scale of 0 to Awesome, I rate this: Solid and Thoughtful
Released: June 30, 2004
Director: Sam Raimi
MPAA RATING: PG-13, for stylized action violence

Spidey and Sam Raimi are back, and they have delivered. The first movie was well done, but it was still... lacking something. I'm not sure if it was the usual doldrums of having to introduce new characters in a comic universe, or what, but it wasn't quite all there.

In the second film, Raimi doesn't deviate from his approach in the first film, he just does it better. The movie really fires on all cylinders throughout with excellent pacing, mixing up character development, action, pathos, and humor with excellent timing. A fine example of this can be seen early on in the film, where a serious scene between two characters is followed by a much more lighthearted elevator scene.

Raimi really has capitalized on Spiderman in this movie. For many comic book readers, he's their favorite because he's so human. His powers hurt him more than help him, and it's not all a bed of roses. Both the first and second film are able to capture the thrill and fun of Spiderman's powers (you can really see how much fun swinging through New York would be), but also their negative aspects as well.

Kirsten Dunst still leaves a little to be desired (but more as an actress in The Importance of Being Earnest), but is still able to pull off her part, and the rest of the cast does an excellent job, giving the movie a balanced sense of seriousness and fun.

Never too serious, never too lighthearted, Spiderman 2 sets the bar for all superhero movies. Too bad it came out too late for Halle Berry and Catwoman to follow its lead.