We finally went to see Adaptation (2002) last night. Though I’m still not feeling particularly articulate after seeing five films in four days, I will say it’s probably the best film I’ve seen this year. I just smiled and giggled my way through it, constantly amused and surprised. And Nicolas Cage, once at the top of my list of favourite actors (mostly for Raising Arizona (1987), mind you), has climbed back up the list after an astounding plummet. There will be awards given to this film, though I’m surprised so few people seem to have seen it so far. Get thee to a multiplex!
Also, exchanged Christmas gifts with my friend Brent tonight. I gave him The Simpsons — The Complete Second Season, and he gave me…the same thing. I lived with Brent so long we just think the same way. We did this last Christmas too, I think.
Tagged as:
DVD,
Theatrical Release
We’ve seen four films in the past couple of days. I’m unable to form any coherent criticisms right now but here they are, listed in order of enjoyment (my own idiosyncratic rating out of 10 is in brackets):
Tagged as:
Theatrical Release
Brooke and I went to see Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) this afternoon, and although I enjoyed it immensely, there were a couple of things I didn’t like. First of all, I resented the fact that Gimli the dwarf has been reduced to comic relief. I didn’t mind the occasional joke at his expense in the first film, but in this segment he’s been stripped of all dignity. Conversely, it seems like the filmmakers felt the need to make Legolas the elf a bit more macho, giving him some of the film’s more outrageous stunts. I found this shift in emphasis sort of cheapened the characters I’d grown to love in the first installment. My only other criticisms would have to do with the more episodic nature of the story, cutting between three different plot lines, but I know that director Peter Jackson did the best he could. My friend Brent, who’s read the books numerous times, was dismayed to find that there are many more deviations from the text in this film as well, though he hasn’t outlined them for me yet. All in all, I didn’t find it as satisfying as the first film, but it still has me excited about the finale. I just have to wait another 12 months!
Tagged as:
fantasy,
Theatrical Release,
tolkien
I just spent the past 20 minutes helping Eugene Levy and his wife shop for a computer for his son. Nice people. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him in Waiting For Guffman (1996), but I hate looking like a fanboy.
