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.
Star Wars, Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
I am a hardcore “Star Wars” fan, I love the lore, the amazing mythology and It’s taken hours before I could summon the emotions I took from this last installment in the “Star Wars” franchise and somehow manifest it in to words, and surely this last “Star Wars” movie was an emotional experience for me. When I stepped in to the theaters and watched the theme blast from the speakers I felt a swell of emotion build up in my chest–maybe it was gas, who knows?–but regardless, this was quite possibly the biggest experience I’ve had in theaters in years. I liked the “Star Wars” prequels, I thought they were okay, but they still just did not add up to the original trilogy and Lucas did a poor job of displaying Anakin Skywalker’s descent in to the dark side.
B. Monkey (1998)
I’m a sucker for rebellious non-traditional older hot chicks. Star Asia Argento has appeal both as a heroine and as a tragic figure in this film, B. Monkey, a jewel thief who can get in anywhere, and she’s a fascinating character. She’s like a wildcat who domesticates herself because she declares that she doesn’t like the life of a criminal anymore, and she goes whole hog once she decides to go straight, but much like any situation, it’s hard to tame a wild animal. Argento manages to convey both the hardcore lust for life criminal, and the tragic vulnerable woman whose just anxious to find a way out of her previous life, and the story shows that no matter what, some people just can’t change themselves and their nature no matter how hard they try to. Asia presents the unbridled rage and laissez faire attitude needed for the character and she’s very believable… and did I mention hot?
The Mother (2003)
“The Mother” is another one of those many profound films about reaching the peak of your life and suddenly having nothing to look forward to. The two characters we see at the beginning, May and Toots are a couple who basically are not really sure what to do with themselves. We’re not told, nor is it spelled out for us, but the first ten minutes we see them, it’s pretty clear. And it becomes sadly clear that life has pretty much moved on without them, especially their children who greet them with less than emotional sentiment when they pay them a visit which Toots is against. “The Mother” breaks free from the formula of what I mentioned, but is still in the tradition of great films like “Harry and Tonto.” It’s pretty clear they’ve lost their place in their own family, but when May’s husband suddenly dies from a very expected heart attack, suddenly she finds she all on her own.
Godsend (2004)
“Godsend” starts off well enough. It begins with a concept so controversial that used to be the fodder for science fiction but now has become a startling reality: cloning. It’s an issue that has become the topic of heated debate for the modern age and this film has the ability and chance to comment on such a topic. “Godsend” starts off just right, but it quickly becomes a really awful film with such a ridiculous concept, it’s doesn’t even achieve the status of being laughably bad. It’s god-awful, as the joke goes. Every character is so dumb, and every aspect so derivative, that it’s just a mess from beginning to end.