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Minority Report (2002)

I'm not sure why Spielberg's "Minority Report" got such a lukewarm reception, the same way I'm not sure why the first two films I reviewed on Spout are sci-fi. I do understand why some would not want to see this film: it sounds like something we've already seen, Tom Cruise is a nut job, etc. Those were my reasons anyway, but I still got dragged by my step-dad to see it. Hey, it was his treat so why wouldn't I? The great part about my reluctance was that I had abosolutely no expectations. That makes a great movie even more fun to watch. Now, I haven't seen this film in a while so I won't sum up the plot for you. Google it if you must. I will tell you what's good:

- The performances: I cannot stand Tom Cruise and Colin Farrell 95% of the time, but, for some mysterious reason, I found both to be convincing and, shockingly, charismatic. Also, Max von Sydow is the man. But you knew that (I hope).

- The action: I bet you also know that Spielberg is a fantastic storyteller (except when it comes to AI). "Minority Report" proves to be no exception. Once our man Tom Cruise is on the run, I defy you not to be on the edge of your seat.

Now the bad stuff:

- The ending: WTF??!? Come on, Spielberg. I've seen Munich, I know you can avoid the Hollywood ending. Why didn't you do that here?

So that's "Minority Report" for you, in a nutshell. Rent it. It's fun.

Posted Thursday, June 21, 2007 10:55 AM by Liffey_Lambert | with 0 comments

Mildly confusing, absolutely unforgettable

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The Matrix (1999)

I remember seeing this film in a crappy winter cottage's basement. I couldn't have more than 13 years old. The television was small, old and seemed to have some personal issues with the VCR. No matter, the film geek that I was (and still am) wanted to watch a movie. A VHS copy of "The Matrix" was lying around and I wanted to see what my guy friends had been fussing about. It took me less than 5 minutes to realize I was watching something special. This might sound surprising, considering not only my age at the time I saw the film, but also the fact that I'm a girl. Shouldn't I have been more interested in watching films like "Bring It On"? Well, yeah... but that's not the point here. My point is that "The Matrix" made science-fiction appealing to almost everyone (the exception being my mother) with strong characters (including one of the most badass female leads EVER, a title Trinity does not keep in the two rather dreadful sequels), a compelling plot and simply awesome special effects. Anyway, this is my first review on Spout and I'm feeling lazy so that's all I'm going to say.

Posted Thursday, June 21, 2007 10:39 AM by Liffey_Lambert | with 0 comments