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January 19, 2003

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

No real plot in this movie, but the sheer volume and inventiveness of profanity was kind of refreshing. It was kind of cool seeing all the cameos from the previous Kevin Smith movies, but it just didn't impress me all that much. I've heard it gets better with repeated viewings, but there are a lot of movies out there that I haven't seen yet!

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (**1/2)

January 14, 2003

Hannibal

I didn't really like the book (I think Harris was trying to be more of a writer than he really is), and I don't really like this movie. Some truly gruesome scenes. I thought Hopkins did a good job, and the guy that played Pazzi did a good job, but overall it was just too gross. I'll look at the second disc full of extras to see if they comment on why they changed the ending.

Hannibal (**1/2)

January 11, 2003

Catch Me If You Can

A very good movie, but one that I don't think will stick with me too long. Very creative title sequence, with cool tunes to accompany the interesting visuals. The look is dead-on. I'm kind of interested in seeing what the real Frank Abignale looks like, but not *that* interested.

Catch Me If You Can (***1/2)

January 08, 2003

Donnie Darko

Yes, I watched it again, this time with Christine. The movie made more sense after looking up a bunch of stuff on the internet. Now I'd definitely like to get the DVD to see the deleted scenes.

Donnie Darko (****)

January 07, 2003

Donnie Darko

I had no idea what to expect from this movie, so I was really surprised by it. Wow. I'm a big Lynch fan, so I like the "something very strange going on underneath it all" aspect. I'm still thinking about the movie, trying to wrestle with it. Some great performances. I'd definitely be interested in hearing the director's commentary on this movie.

Donnie Darko (****)

Goldmember

I thought this was really pretty good, maybe even my favorite one of the bunch. Maybe a little too loose on the set, but it's got a lot of funny moments. Lots of deleted scenes make you realize that what actually made it in the movie was pretty arbitrary.

Goldmember (***)

January 06, 2003

Kingpin

Up until Shallow Hal, my favorite Farrelly brothers movie. Yes, even more than "There's Something About Mary". I don't know what it is, but I liked this movie. Bill Murray certainly helped.

Kingpin (***)

January 04, 2003

Bottle Rocket

Wes Andresen is the king of quirk. Owen Wilson has never been better than in this role. I liked this better than Rushmore, and I haven't seen Royal Tenenbaums yet.

Bottle Rocket (***)

When We Were Kings

Good documentary on the Ali-Foreman fight in Zaire. I haven't seen "Ali" with Will Smith, but I don't really see why I would now -- this movie is almost all about Ali. There is also a lot of great live musical performances in this movie, including a great performance by B.B. King. Another very intriguing character was Don King.

When We Were Kings (***)

January 01, 2003

The Usual Suspects

Haven't watched this one in a while, so I had forgotten many of the details. DVD seems pretty good, I'd like to explore it some more. I definitely want to watch it again with the director's (Bryan Singer) commentary. Benicio Del Toro's character cracks me up. Great movie to see again.

The Usual Suspects (***1/2)

Panic Room

I had big hopes because it was directed by David Fincher, who did Fight Club, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. I liked it, but it wasn't up to Fight Club standards. I didn't recognize Jared Leto, and I enjoyed seeing Ann Magnuson, who I haven't really seen since "Anything but Love", the short-lived series with Richard Lewis, and who was the lead singer for Bongwater.

Panic Room (***)