Tag Archives: Romance

Bubble Boy (2001)

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bubble-boyI was skeptical going into “Bubble Boy,” but as I was finishing it, I must admit it won me over mainly for its eccentric tone and “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” inspired flights of fantasy and surreal. Jake Gyllenhaal (in a goofy doo that admittedly tries too hard to gauge laughs) plays Jimmy, a boy who when he was born did not have any immunities. He’s a generally lonely boy with a very overbearing mother who protects him from the outside world as he lives in his bubble watching everything go by.

He then meets Chloe as played by Marley Shelton who begins to teach him about the world and she eventually falls in love with him. But Jimmy keeps her from truly touching him, which she wants more than anything. Eventually, she meets another guy who she tells Jimmy she’s going to marry him. Jimmy knows this guy is wrong for her, but he doesn’t stop her. Now, still in love with her, Jimmy breaks free from his bubble and goes on the road to Niagara Falls to keep her from marrying. In a protective bubble he meets a whole cast of freaks, bikers, and a cult who thinks he’s a god. Will he be able to stop the girl he loves from making the biggest mistake of her life?

“Bubble Boy” is a very niche comedy with an odd sense of humor that’s more about personal limitations we set for ourselves, more than turning the illness of the bubble boy in to a caricature. The way Jimmy perceives the world is something you only see in cartoons and I found it quite funny. Though “Bubble Boy” is mainly a comedy, it has a ton of heart and tries to build a fun adventure out of the drive Jimmy has to seal hi romance with his girlfriend. I won’t argue “Bubble Boy” is a masterpiece, but it’s a fun and oddly entertaining twist on the road trip film. While it won’t make Jimmy in to the next Pee Wee Herman, it at least aspires for off the wall fun.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

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In the supposedly last installment of the Jay and Silent Bob series, we meet Jay and Silent bob, two invalids who hang outside a convenience store doing basically nothing. When a hit comic “Bluntman and Chronic” based on their exploits is being made into a Hollywood movie, they’re not going to see a cent of royalties, so they decide to go to Hollywood to stop the film from being made. This is directed by famed cult comic book writer Kevin Smith who has based practically his entire Hollywood career on these two characters alone.

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Star Wars Episode Two: Attack of the Clones (2002)

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Jedi’s, and Sith’s, and Clones, oh my! In this chapter, we meet Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and his young apprentice Anakin (Hayden Christensen) once again on a mission. There is a conspiracy in the republic; Someone is trying to kill the now Senator Amidala. They suspect a traitor within the force and they do not know who it is. Now, the republic assigns Obi-Wan and his defiant padawan Anakin to investigate. Unfortunately, Anakin and Amidala are falling in love, something that is strictly forbidden in the Jedi order. Ewan McGregor once again gives great merit to the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi by showing great humility in his role and giving Obi-Wan a warrior-esque look. Natalie Portman returns to the role of Amidala or Padme with more life to her role. Where as “Episode one” lacked life and structure, this one improves on it supremely.

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A Walk to Remember (2001)

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In a less predictable, commercial and more intelligent feature-film debut, pop-star Mandy Moore stars as Jamie Sullivan, the local preacher’s daughter and an impish reclusive bookworm who is constantly ostracized by her classmates. Shane West plays Landon Carter, the local ne’er do well (yes, I use that word, so I’m un-cool) who constantly gets into trouble with his friends. One night after nearly killing a friend, he is forced to star in the school play alongside Jamie. Soon, the two become friends and they fall deeply in love with one another despite the resistance of her father.

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The Fast and the Furious (2001)

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fast-furious-2001“The Fast and the Furious” is a fun movie. The action and fast hot rods will get any viewer pumped up with very high adrenaline action scenes that are all excellent if a little farfetched. We get to see a lot of cool stunts performed with the great looking hot rods and they never fail to deliver with the engrossing hot rod action. One technique in this movie that I did enjoy was the way whenever a hot rod would rev up, we’d zoom through its engines to see it start. It was an unconventional plot element to bring us in to the moment, but very cool.

That said, “The Fast and the Furious” is a virtual “Point Break” Xerox copy replacing surfing with racing. We know the cop is going to fall in love with the girl, we know he’s going to get close to the leader of the gang, we know he’s going to find out, and we know in the end he’s going to let the leader get away. Star Paul Walker is also pretty stiff in his turn here. There’s also Vin Diesel who despite being a bit over the top at times is at least an intriguing villain and potential anti-hero. Diesel as character Dom is the coolest character in the entire film, and he steals a lot of scenes from co-star Walker.

Michelle Rodriguez who’s grossly underused but still manages to get her few moments in to the action and fights, and there’s Jordana Brewster who garners a shockingly compelling sub-plot with Diesel as his sister and potential love interest for Walker’s character. While I wasn’t terribly surprised or kept on the edge of my seat, “The Fast and the Furious” is at least good action fodder with it unabashed silliness at the surface of every racing scene and bit of dialogue. It’s a cheesy movie, but it’s a fun cheesy movie. Though flawed, “The Fast and the Furious” is a fun, dumb, action-packed piece of B grade genre fun.

A Knight's Tale (2001)

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tumblr_lhlop8VQtN1qe5zgiMan, it really pisses me off when such a movie with such heart has tons of flaws to it. First off, the beginning of the movie threw me off so much. I mean, classic rock in medieval times? While two knights joust, we see the crowd of peasants and noblemen pounding their fists on the wooden banisters to the beat of Queens “We Will Rock you.” Am I missing something?

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Texas Rangers (2001)

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w964In yet another attempt on Hollywood’s part to re-create the incredible western genre that is rapidly dying, James Van Der Beek of “Dawson’s Creek” fame plays Lincoln Dunnison, a boy who witnessed his entire family get slaughtered by ruthless bandits, for some unknown reason. His life is spared and he now sets out to on a journey to join the famed army of the west, the “Texas Rangers”. Dylan McDermott plays the ex-leader of the famed Texas rangers who is asked to reform them because of a new threat. This bad it’s, really bad.

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