|
The Bucket List
Okay, we all know how this goes. Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman find out they're dying and they go and do all the crap they wanted to do but never got around to while they still have a chance. It's sappy and stupid and seems almost calculated to get all the middle-aged housewives misty-eyed.
The characters are bone stock. Morgan Freeman plays the self-educated mechanic who knows everything about everything, and Jack has the role of the egocentric billionaire mogul playboy. Sean Hayes supports them as Jack's long-suffering assistant.
Clearly, I didn't expect much out of this film. It's all so very formulaic, you see.
Yet somehow it does manage to be more than the sum of it's parts. The Bucket List features some truly breathtaking set pieces, and I'm sure that helps it along, and it also includes some interesting philosophical nuggets to ponder over. It is a bit sappy, but in the telling it doesn't feel so calculated. Surprisingly, this seems to be largely Nicholson's doing; I've always considered Freeman the better actor and this role is pretty much custom-built for him, but old Johnny manages to give his character just that right little tinge of regret in order to really bring him to life.
The Bucket List isn't likely to change anyone's life, but it's certainly a much better film than I expected and worth watching.
7.5/10
Star Wars : The Clone Wars
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is, according to George Lucas, intended to be a lead-in to the new television series of the same name. If the film is any indication, the television series will last one season and we'll all bid it good riddance when it's gone.
Ironically, I think the film might've worked on the small screen. The plot, although rather lackluster, might've filled out a miniseries, and the equally shoddy animation would likely have held up a bit better. As a major film release, however, it ends up feeling just a bit lacking. The new characters feel like they've been forced into a narrative where they're not necessary, the plot lacks any real dramatic tension, the animation is slipshod. I made a bit of game out of counting the continuity errors, but quickly bored of it because they are many and obvious.
I want what the editors were on.
The entire film feels like a Saturday morning cartoon. I don't mean the good kind either; I'm talking about the Rocket Robin Hood timeslot-fillers that even the kids don't really enjoy.
The one place where the film holds it's own is in the action sequences. Particularly, the lightsaber duels are strangely quite fluid and well done, and the stylistic animation seems to complement them quite well. They still end up feeling out of place, though, because the film they're surrounded by is so terrible in comparison. It feels a bit like encountering a Rembrandt in a frame made out of scrap lumber and bits of trash.
Readers of my blog will know there's a new lady in my life. This lady was gracious enough to decide that since I chose to take her to see this film, I should have the benefit of being allowed a make-up date. Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't just decide to stop speaking with me entirely.
3.5/10
__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said
- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
|