Chessack

Well, for the first time ever, I went to an opening-day showing of a Star Wars movie. The crowd was into it from the beginning, as I have not head a crowd into a movie since Empire Strikes Back. When the opening titles came up, everyone cheered. And there were many more cheers to be had, especially during he climax, where the audience roared its approval more than once. When the end credits came up there was a final ovation as people got up to leave.

This was perhaps the best of the 5 movies so far, but it is hard for me to say after only one sitting. There is so much going on in every scene that it will take at least 2 or 3 viewings to catch it all. I am certain I missed little tidbits here and there. But of course I was able to follow the movie just fine and enjoyed it thoroughly. The scenery and effects are breath-taking. Once again a Lucas movie sets the standard as the greatest effects achievement to date -- which will stand probably until 3 years from now, when he beats himself yet again.

Many people, particularly critics, have complained about the acting and dialog. I do not understand the problem. I thought Hayden Christiansen in particular was an outstanding Anakin. In one scene in particular, where he recounts some very un-Jedi-like behavior to a stunned Amidala, he shows definite signs of the future -- the fall to Darkness and his transmogrification into the evil Lord Darth Vader. Oh, he's not there yet -- but you can see he's well on his way down that road, and perhaps so far that even if Obi-wan realized it, he wouldn't have been able to stop him.

The other actors turned in fine performances in my opinion. The dialog was a bit stilted at times, but in what Star Wars movie, including the "classic" three, was this not the case? I am not sure why people who know and love these other movies, have found fault with the very same items in this movie, that appear not to bother them in the others.

The story is good in this movie, perhaps the most intriguing of all. You will see, as things unfold, the seeds being laid for many things. You will find out why many of the things that existed in Episode 4 (Star Wars) but not in Episode 1 (Phantom Menace) came to be. After Episode 1 it seemed odd that in so short a time we could have Star Destroyers, Stormtroopers, Bounty Hunters, and Dark Sith Lords. In this current installment, some of that is explained, some is hinted and foreshadowed.

In all I found many of the scenes excellent, and of course the lightsaber battles are wonderful as always. I am still not sure if the "primary" saber battle in this movie or in Episode 1 (with Darth Maul) is the best... I think I will have to view it several more times to be sure. But it is very close, and it is exciting and fun to watch. The crowd cheered multiple times at this part, too.

I have only good to say about this movie. Not one thing was bad about it. It had a great balance of action and drama, fast scenes and slow, excitement and tense personal interaction. It was visually stunning. The sound was great. The sound track was, as always, magnificent. In all, this movie is a proud addition to the greatest series of movies ever made.

Great job, George. Hats off to the entire cast and crew. I can't wait till Episode 3.

My score: 10/10

America's Sweethearts was probably the funniest movie of 2001, along with being one of the best of the year. It was so funny that my jaws ached from smiling and my sides hurt from laughing by the time it was over. The humor was relentless... every scene was funny, and all the actors turned in good comedic performances. Julia Roberts, the real star of the film, did a magnificent job of playing her part. She delivered so many lines with such perfect timing and inflection that it was a thing of beauty. I would not be surprised if her performance in this film is shown to aspiring young actors and actresses, to show them just what great acting really is. I have seen Julia in other (better) films, but I have never seen her turn in a better performance. I really believed she was "KiKi", the under-rated sister of glamorous movie star Gwen Harrison (played wonderfully by Catherine Zeta-Jones).

The directing and supporting acting in this film were outstanding, and the script was clever, witty, and full of laughs. This one is a keeper (I already own the DVD, and it's just barely into 2002).

My score: 8/10

Monsters Inc. follows in the footsteps of its predecessors in being an extremely charming movie that is fun for the whole family. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to both children and adults. Pixar has had many great hits in the past, the most shining examples being the Toy Story movies. Monsters Inc. is clearly designed to be similar to those movies, and to appeal to the same crowd that they did -- and for the most part, it succeeds.

The performances (vocal) by Billy Crystal and John Goodman are excellent, as one would expect. There are a few other recognizable voices that make cameos as well (can you figure out who plays the Abominable Snow man? It took me a few minutes). The animation is, of course, first rate (if you get a chance, perhaps on a second viewing, which this movie is worth, pay attention to the way Mike's one eye shows so much expression, and to how the fur movies on Sully with the breeze).

This movie isn't quite as good as Toy Story, though. Where it lags behind its predecessors is that the story is a bit, well... obvious, once you get the feel for it, and it is slightly slow in the beginning. The ending is exciting, however, and that makes up for the slow start. The one real disappointment (if you can call it that, since it is minor) is that the movie doesn't have very many interesting supporting characters. Boo, Sully, and Mike are the main stars, but other than one or two slimy villain-types, there really aren't many other interesting characters in the movie. And that's a shame, since the monster world certainly could have given us plenty of nifty personalities.

That said, Monsters Inc. was fun, and gives the viewer much to laugh at, and maybe even a thing or two to sniffle at along the way. Boo, the little human girl, was absolutely precious -- I wanted to take her home with me. I recommend this one to children of all ages -- especially those of us over the hill.

My score: 8/10