Shaun of the Dead

Film Title: Shaun of the Dead
Year: 2004
MPAA Rating: R
Length: 99 minutes
Film Genre: Comedy / Horror
Director: Edgar Wright
Producer: Tim Bevin, et. al.
Writers: Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright
Players:
Simon Pegg as Shaun
Nick Frost as Ed
Kate Ashfield as Liz
Plot: An outbreak of the walking dead disease has struck Britain. A five-star posse holds up trying to survive the milieu. Brilliant comedy ensues.
Acting: It’s British humor. The acting has to be bad. Actually, it is quite good, though the great majority of the cast is a horde of groaning, bloody masses of dead flesh.
Cinematography: Much of the camera work adds to the already funny screenplay.
Visual: Perfect mimicry of classic zombie movies. Scene change montages are funny.
Audio: Good. A fast-paced soundtrack compliments the action of the movie.
When I watched it last: Two days prior to review
What to watch for: Hilarious British antics, the awesome duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
What to watch out for: Language, copious amounts of alcohol, comedic gore
IMDB Rating: 8.0 out of 10
Roger Ebert Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; “a send-up of zombie movies, but in an unexpected way: Instead of focusing on the Undead and trying to get the laughs there, it treats the living characters as sitcom regulars whose conflicts and arguments keep getting interrupted by annoying flesh-eaters.”
The Cinema Standard Overall Score: 8.2 out of 10; Along with Hot Fuzz (Pegg and Frost's latest), Shaun of the Dead is one of the funniest comedies to come out in the past 5 years.
--Reviewed by Brady

Movie in a Minute: The Polar Express

Robert Zemeckis' Polar Express is a fun-filled adventure to...where else, the North Pole. Tom Hanks plays the main character, a boy who has doubts about Santa Claus and Christmas magic. Hanks also plays the conductor, a stern man who - according to himself - "has never been late". To top it all off, Hanks also voices four other characters in the film. Digital motion capture was used for the entire film, and while from-scratch animation is more desirable (according to this article's writer), the film looks pretty good overall. This children's-classic-to-movie hit will take you on a round trip journey to the North Pole, where magic abounds and all one is asked to do is...believe.
The Cinema Standard "Movie in a Minute" Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Riding Giants

Laird Hamilton being towed into a wave

Film Title: Riding Giants
Year: 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 105 minutes
Film Genre: Documentary / Sport
Director: Stacy Peralta
Producer: Paul Crowder
Writers: Stacy Peralta and Sam George
Players:
Surfers:
Jeff Clark
Darrick Doerner
Laird Hamilton
Dave Kalama
Greg Noll
Plot: A look into the origins and history of surfing.
Acting: No real acting. Riding Giants features conversations with many world famous surfers. This film is the telling of their stories, of their surfing exploits and details how surfing evolved and became what it is today.
Cinematography Interviews accompained by surfing footage.
Visual: Some of the footage is just sick. When you see Laird Hamilton drop on a 60+ wave you will have to pick your jaw up off the floor.
Audio: Good soundtrack featuring old beach music and modern alternative.
When I watched it last: 10 minutes ago
What to watch for: Many comedic moments, crazy waves, spectacular wipeouts and amazing stories.
What to watch out for: Some language
IMDB Rating: 7.6 out of 10
Roger Ebert Rating: 3 and 1/2 stars
The Cinema Standard Overall Score: 8.5 out of 10. I got into surfing this past summer and fell in love. This movie tells a captivating story with great footage of gnarly waves and nasty wipeouts. Whether you are into surfing or not this documentary is entertaining and full of interesting and colorful stories.
--Reviewed by Jason

Hero; Ying Xiong

Film Title: Hero; Ying Xiong
Year: 2004 (USA release)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 99 minutes
Film Genre(s): Foreign, Martial Arts, Action, Drama, Adventure, Fantasy, History, Art
Director(s): Yimou Zhang
Producer(s): Yimou Zhang, Weiping Zhang, Shoufang Dou
Writer(s): Feng Li, Bin Wang, Yimou Zhang
Players:
Jet Li as Nameless
Tony Leung Chiu Wai as Broken Sword
Maggie Cheung as Flying Snow
Ziyi Zhang as Moon
Daoming Chen as King of Qin
Donnie Yen as Sky
Plot: A town prefect claims to have killed the three most dangerous assassins in the land of Qin. As a reward for his courage and bravery, the king of Qin allows the man to come close to the throne and drink with the king to tell the stories, but the king suspects that the prefect is a liar. It’s the tale of an unsung warrior becoming a national hero…in true Chinese mythical style.
Acting: The cast of this film is a veritable walk of fame as far - as Chinese actors are concerned. One could not ask for better performances of the players. Even if the story does not suit a person’s taste, the cast deserves lauds. Emotive and stirring performances pull one right into the action.
Cinematography: One would be hard-pressed to find a more awe-inspiring vision of China, or any part of the world for that matter. Rivaling New Zealand in The Lord of the Rings, the landscapes of the film are incredibly beautiful.
Visual: A-ma-zing! Few films can compare chromatically to the oversaturated palette of this movie. Color permeates the film making it seem surreal and dream-like, above and beyond reality, much like the choreography. “[T]he sets, costumes and special effects are of astonishing beauty” (rogerebert.suntimes.com). As with other Chinese fantasy-fables, physics is not even considered. Fight scenes make use of cables and digital effects. The characters whimsically float about, hang upside down and move with speed and fluidity that blurs time.
Audio: This movie is an audiophile’s dream. The music is wonderful. The best example of the film’s sound quality is in a fight scene between Nameless and Sky. Raindrops falling from eaves can be heard all around. The sounds of the fight envelope you in the action, making it seem as though you are right in the middle of the swordplay. An old man sits and plays a Guzheng (a popular, ancient Chinese, stringed musical instrument which is still played today). The music parodies the fight and at the climax of the scene the old man is playing so violently fast that he breaks all of the strings. That cacophony is the perfect peak point to the scene.
What to watch for: Jet Li’s best; Awesome choreography; Vivid color and imagery.
What to watch out for: A couple of places where the wire work was not fluid.
When I watched it last: One night prior to review
IMDB User Rating: 8.1 out of 10 stars; #153 on the top 250 movies of all time as voted by users.
Roger Ebert Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; "[B]eautiful and beguiling, a martial arts extravaganza..." "[A] visual poem of extraordinary beauty."
The Cinema Standard Overall Score: 8.2 out of 10; A must-see! One of the great Chinese martial arts movies.
- - Reveiwed by JB

Million Dollar Baby

Film Title: Million Dollar Baby
Year: 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 132 minutes
Film Genre(s): Drama, elements of Comedy
Director(s): Clint Eastwood
Producer(s): Clint Eastwood, Paul Haggis, Robert Lorenz, Gary Lucchesi
Writer(s): F.X. Toole (story); Paul Haggis (screenplay)
Players:
Clint Eastwood as Frankie Dunn
Hillary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald
Morgan Freeman as Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris
Plot: A too-cautious trainer who doesn't train girls, picks up an aged boxer-wanna-be Maggie as his student. A story of cowardice and courage, winning and losing, triumph and tragedy...and some of the action happens in a boxing ring too.
Acting: WOW! The three main players are amazing. Clint Eastwood delivers one of his best performances ever - and that's saying a lot. Hillary Swank's dramatization of the epitomous trailer-park-trash, waitress-in-a-small-diner, wishing-to-be-something-more character is spot on. Morgan Freeman's role is secondary to the plot, but it brings so much to the film. This movie only strengthens my belief that he is one of the greatest actors alive.
Cinematography: A true joy to watch because of great camera work. There are several scenes that are absolutely driven by the camera. It's those moments without dialogue that define a well-shot movie. After Dunn (Eastwood) accepts Fitzgerald (Swank) as his protege, the camera goes to a side shot of the two centered around the speed bag.
Visual: It's sometimes difficult to actually pick out the actors bacause it's so dark. At first, I thought this was a poor job, but then I noticed the content of those scenes. Light bulb! (pun intended) These techs are incredible, weaving characters in and out of view using only light strafing, which helps the conversations and mood of the film. The illumination of the entire movie is wonderfully done. Near the end (without spoiling the story), the use of lighting to create an almost black and white effect really mirrors the mood of the movie. All the other visual effects - from costume and make-up, to sets and props was on par with any other Clint Eastwood produced movie.
Audio: Clint Eastwood did most of the movies musical score (all but threee songs). Music is not empahsized very much in the film, but is tastefully complimentary to the action. The score "always does what is required and never distracts" (rogerebert.suntimes.com). The end of the film is nearly devoid of music.
What to watch for: Clint Eastwood - director, producer, music and acting for the film...and he does a great job with all of his roles. He's got the Midas touch. "Million Dollar Baby is Eastwood's 25th film as a director, and his best" (rogerebert.suntimes.com).
What to watch out for: A little language.
When I watched it last: One night prior to review.
IMDB User Rating: 8.4 out of 10
Roger Ebert Rating: 4 out of 4 stars;
"[A] masterpiece, pure and simple, deep and true."
"This is the best film of the year (2004)."
"Movies are so often made of effects and sensation these days. This one is made of three people and how their actions grow out of who they are and why."
The Cinema Standard Overall Score: 8.6 out of 10; Buy it, Watch it, Discuss it; This belongs in your movie collection.
- - Reveiwed by JB

The Terminal

Film Title: The Terminal
Year: 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 128 minutes
Film Genre(s): Drama, elements of comedy and romance
Director(s): Steven Spielberg
Producer(s): Jason Hoffs, Andrew Niccol, Patricia Whitcher
Writer(s): Andrew Niccol and Sacha Gervasi (story); Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson (screenplay)
Players:
Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski
Catherine Zeta Jones as Amelia Warren
Stanley Tucci as Frank Dixom
Chi McBride as Mulroy
Diego Luna as Enrique Cruz
Barry Shabaka Henley as Thurman
Kumar Pallana as Gupta Rajan
Zoe Saldana as Officer Torres
and cameo by Richard Gere
Plot: When war breaks out in his country of Krakozhia, Viktor Navorski is forced to live in an airport terminal at JFK as his visa and passport are "unnacceptable". It's the story of a promise kept, a compassionate heart and a fight for love...in an airport.
Acting: Strangely enough Tom hanks does a phenomenal job as an Eastern European. Cold-hearted Frank Dixon is portrayed by the perfect actor, Stanley Tucci - it seems he was born for this role. Dixon is determined to live by the rules of the airport and no amount of pathos will win him over to a cause. Laughable (in a positive light) performances include Chi McBride, Enrique Luna and most definetely Kumar Pallana. Henley's portrayal of the kind-hearted Thurman is the necessary foil to the almost (but not quite) emotionless Airport Manager Frank Dixon.
Cinematography: The camera is used well as an instrument of mood. The terminal is often filed in chaos, with quick movements and wide pans. The hustle and bustle are brought to seeming stillness when needed by perfect character framing. My favorite camera shot has a giant 747 rolling down the runway framing one side of the shot and tiny Gupta running toward it (to get the plane to stop) framing the other side. Brilliant! In one of the last scenes, Viktor rides off in a cab beside the terminal with the reflection of the New York skyline in the window.
Visual: "Not one viewer in 100 will guess this is not a real airline terminal." Hard to believe, I know. "Here the terminal with all of its levels, with its escalators and retail shops and food courts and security lines and passenger gates, actually exists" (rogerebert.suntimes.com). The sets are done well with several instances of both wonderful and very poor lighting. There is a reflection off of a fountain at one point which makes the scene difficult to watch.
Audio: The score is almost completely "airport music", if and when there is any music. Almost all of the movie dialogue is recorded over background talking, so it is a tribute to the techs who made those sound effects secondary but evident.
What to watch for: The peanut can. Gupta's character is quite funny in the defense of "his floor" and the wet floor hijinks. A very good performance by Tom Hanks. Two of the most beautiful actresses in all of Hollywood grace this film: Catherine Zeta Jones and Zoe Saldana.
What to watch out for: Allusions to Napoleon between Viktor and Amelia become almost silly after the third or fourth reference (I realize that the writers & producers are attempting to mirror the story of Viktor and Amelia, but I think it's just too much).
When I watched it last: One night prior to review
IMDB User Rating: 7.1 out of 10
Roger Ebert Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 4 - "The Terminal doesn't have a plot; it tells a story. We want to know what will happen next, and we care."
The Cinema Standard Overall Score: 7.0 out of 10 - definitely worth a rental, maybe worth a buy
- - Reveiwed by JB