The ultimate question one has to ask with this film is, was Riddick popular enough to base a franchise around? A cool character from an obscure forgettable science fiction film? The only memorable character whom many people refer to as “That cool guy from Pitch Black”? Did they do testing to see if people would respond to Riddick? Not likely, but my more realistic idea is that Diesel needed a hit so he went with his career making character as Stallone and Schwarzenneger are doing to re-claim their popularity.
Monthly Archives: June 2005
Garfield: The Movie (2004)
I’m a Garfield fan. Yes sir, I love that orange fat cat. The comic books were pure innocent humor for adults and kids, and the animated series is classic, so I was expecting a lot of fun with the live action movie despite my surprise. In its own unusual way, “Garfield: The Movie” can be fun; it’s a guilty pleasure and has a lot of the usual innocent fun and Garfield is Garfield here. From the lasagna addiction, the laziness, his teddy bear Pooky, and his snide attitude and smug persona that makes him the fat cat I knew. And voicing him really well is the always talented Bill Murray, who sounds like he’s having a lot of fun doing Garfield. He’s a great successor to Lorenzo Music, who was the definitive voice of Garfield.
Jersey Girl (2004)
I’m not a fan of Kevin Smith’s movies. And with Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Lopez is featured on the first segment of the movie, not to mention the basic problems with the hype concerning this film, as I went into it, I have to say I was very surprised by what I saw in the end. Though Smith does goes more mainstream with a film that is allegedly based on his life with his kids (If my life was this corny, I’d have blown my brains out long ago), “Jersey Girl” doesn’t set precedent for originality, nor does it really win us over with its sickening sweetness that works against the story rather than for it.
Manic (2003)
“Manic” definitely won’t be for everyone, that’s for sure. There have been a lot of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” rip-offs for literally decades and this grim version is basically no exception, except it’s not as dynamic in its delivery. It’s more low-key, and conventional in its filming method, but still ends up becoming a damn good movie, and with a cast like Zoey Deschanel and Don Cheadle, it has to be real hard to botch this. Thankfully, director Jordan Melamed doesn’t really screw it up despite its flaws.