I know they may be more than 25 words, but they are short!
(2003, Directed by Terry Zwigoff), Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, John Ritter, Lauren Graham, Tony Cox, Cloris Leachman, and a cute kid.
I liked this movie, but it is vulgar and not really for kids. Billy Bob goes from being an unsympathetic loser to a character you care about, and the kid is so cute and odd that you fall for him immediately. There are lots of loose and ambiguous plot lines that never get answered. Feels like there was too much film, and they had to cut out the story about Bernie Mac and his oranges. Loved the end where Santa ......well, I won't give it away.
T. Mastin 12/05
(2004, Directed by Terry George), Don Cheedle, Nick Nolte, Sophie Okonedo
This is an incredibly heavy movie that shows the surreal horror of the Tutsi and Hutu conflict in Rwanda in the 1990s, and the inability of the world to stop the massacres. One hotel manager is able to do more that the UN to save himself, his family, and the people around him. Though I usually only give 4 stars to movies I've watched more than once, I couldn't watch this one again because of the subject matter. The movie itself was excellent, with Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo, doing an excellent job of portraying a couple descending into madness beyond their control.
T. Mastin 12/05
(2004, Directed by Wes Anderson), Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Angelica Houston, Jeff Goldblum, William DaFoe.
This is a really fun movie with a very sad aspect to its plot line. Otherwise it is star studded and zany, with Bill Murray doing a dysfunctional family take-off on the Cousteau legacy. The best part is that they don't really stick with the Cousteau thing beyond style, as Zissou and his crew, along with his new found son, track a mythical? shark-like monster that ate up his long-time partner. Kind of a deadbeat dad, aging lotharious pseudo-scientist, revenge flick, with the sad part I mentioned above. This film is worth seeing just for the lay out of the ship, The Belafonte, and notice that the lab is never used! From the same director of The Royal Tannenbaums. So, if you liked that movie, you will like The Life Aquatic.
T. Mastin 1/06
