Movies

The Hot Chick

Watched “The Hot Chick” on DVD. I didn’t go to the movies when it was there because of a really misleading theatrical trailer. It really didn’t do the film any justice. I am glad I finally rented it.

At first, the story. There are two movies which came out some time after “The Hot Chick” (2002), but each of which has taken half of the story from it. “Freaky Friday” (2003) used the part with body exchanging according to some magic spell. Also there are bits about relations in the family. “Mean Girls” (2004) on the other hand, used all the stuff about a bunch of hot chicks in the school or college or whatever. I mean of course none of this are new ideas anyway, but I could feel the strong connection this time. By the way, out of all three movies “The Hot Chick” is by far the best.

Secondly, acting. Many cheap and simple movies can be really boosted by good acting. I mean the should be at least something a movie should offer. Well, it does in this case. Rob Schneider did an amazing job here. His part itself wasn’t that great. It is obvious that he is “overqualified” for this job. Oh, and he is moving up the rating table of my favourite comics pretty fast. I think I’ll be watching more of his movies in the near future.

Thirdly, humor. Men and women live together from day to day. Many things are getting blurred and forgotten by the routine. But it is good to stop sometimes and see that we are actually different. Many things that women do and that men don’t even notice will look really strange and weird coming from a man. The opposite is true also. Basing a film on such differences is basically a guaranteed success. I like this type of humor, but it is not that fresh. Probably that’s just me. Maybe that is because Olga and I do similar comparisons pretty often. Those who don’t will love the film.

Anyway, the film is good. It provides entertainment and might even suggest a thing or two to a growing teenager. 6 out of 10.

Queens Logic

I just watched really nice film, although very underrated at IMDB – “Queens Logic“. It’s one of those films which have a little bit of everything and do carry a point.

There were plenty of familiar faces – Kevin Bacon, John Malkovich, Jamie Lee Curtis and others. I also almost broke my head trying to guess where from do I know Linda Fiorentino. I knew that I have seen her recently, I knew that she was in one of my favourite movies, and I could remember a few phrases she said, but nothing that could pin point the film. And than I heard in my head: “And how am I supposed to stop an angel? Even two of them? Shoot them? Hahaha…”. And there she was – Bethany in “Dogma“!

But I digress. The film is really really nice. A good story with many characters, all of which were properly developed. Excellent music and fantastic photography. It also has this realistic feeling to it. Everything could have been based on a true story, and if it wasn’t, there might be one anyway.

My personal rating for it 8 out of 10, but I would give it 9 at IMDB just to boost it up a little.

Cheaper by the Dozen

Watched “Cheaper by the Dozen“. It is a nice family movie, but I wish it would have benn done more like a comedy. There is a lot of humor, but it could have been so much more, especially with such actors as Steve Martin and Ashton Kutcher who can really deliver comedy.

The story was pretty straight forward, except for few minor details, like 12 kids in the family. Some places were overedited or underdone – there was a feeling of unnatural. Lots of kid stunts like inhouse hockey and stuff like that. I wish there were more of this too. Also the amount and combination of comedy and drama left me kind of puzzled. The mix was just odd.

In all the other regards it is a pretty average film. Barely 6 out of 10.

Dot the I

Either because they are so few, or because only the best one come out, European films are almost guaranteed to amaze me. “Dot the I” is no exception. Unknown, unadvertised, with unknown cast yet totally beautiful and impressive.

Excellent photography, great variety and use of cameras, light, costumes and decorations were really good. On top of that a lot of great acting. And on top of that a really interesting plot. Plot is the hardest to make surprising, still they managed. Lots and lots of changing of pace and genres, but smoothly done. Film provides an excellent mix of comedy, romance, drama, action and crime. It is very easy to watch, yet it is refreshing and thought provoking.

Strongly recommended. I’ll watch a few more times probably. 10 out of 10.

Windtalkers

Finally I watched “Windtalkers” on DVD. Once I have missed it in the cinema due to a poor and boring theatrical trailer, I wanted to rent in on DVD, but never had the nerve to take it, preferring other films.

This movie turned out to be different from what I expected. It was good in those areas which I was expecting to suck, and bad in those that I was expecting to shine.

There were plenty of war scenes and they were almost properly done. Lots of gun fire, explosions, and battle action and of these were at a loss without any strategy. It gets boring to watch a bunch of guys firing a bunch of guns and running all over the place. There was no clear distinction between allies and enemies. There was no clear distinction of a plan. Targets weren’t clearly marked for the audience. All the attention was given to soldiers, their ammunition and the scenery of the battle field. Airplanes and ships were mentioned briefly, each with their own impressive shots. But again, no attention to what and where they were doing in connection to the battle field.

There was some good acting, but not by Nicolas Cage. In fact, everyone else did better than him. His character appeared very shallow and faceless. One of Cage’s worst roles that I have seen.

Plenty of good photography and sound effects. I haven’t noticed any music except for that played by the characters, so I if it was there it must have been very good and natural. Plenty of good photography. Oh, I’ve mentioned it already, but it was really good.

Overall, I’ll give this movie a firm 6 out of 10.