superratty-tmy
Joined Jun 2005
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Reviews18
superratty-tmy's rating
If anything, watch this film for an impressive finale.
If the Oscar for visual effects is rated based on the overall effectiveness in contributing to the visual context of a film, then weirdly enough, this movie would get my vote. I hardly noticed any CGI, and constantly asked myself, "hey this bit here has to be CGI, but hmm it doesn't look so." 8/10 Oh, the movie's about a not too futuristic Earth. 2027 or something like that. All the women have become infertile and the world is dying a slow death. The world is a chaotic place with immigrants running from place to place. Terrorists from outside and within fight with government troops day and night and evenings and afternoons.
Then we have Clive Owen, and a pregnant girl.
What to do? Ta da.
If the Oscar for visual effects is rated based on the overall effectiveness in contributing to the visual context of a film, then weirdly enough, this movie would get my vote. I hardly noticed any CGI, and constantly asked myself, "hey this bit here has to be CGI, but hmm it doesn't look so." 8/10 Oh, the movie's about a not too futuristic Earth. 2027 or something like that. All the women have become infertile and the world is dying a slow death. The world is a chaotic place with immigrants running from place to place. Terrorists from outside and within fight with government troops day and night and evenings and afternoons.
Then we have Clive Owen, and a pregnant girl.
What to do? Ta da.
Lady in the Water Written and Directed by M Night Shyamalan Starring Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, and all the tenants of that apartment.
Now, maybe this will eventually become one of those guilty pleasures, since many many critics have dismantled this movie as senseless, boring, pointless, and many other things. Truth be told, almost all the M Night Shyamalan movies are guilty pleasures of sorts for me. People generally cringe when I say I enjoy Signs or Unbreakable, or even The Village. Well, I watched Lady in the Water and midway through the movie I said to my friend beside me, "You know, I'm actually really enjoying this."
Basically it's about this girl, Story (Howard), who dropped from the wherever she came from, the Blue World, to seek some guy out... some guy who'll change the world. Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) finds her living in the swimming pool of the apartments that he manages and protects us and helps her in her quest. So that's the story. 100% of it revolves around the apartment block, its tenants, and the swimming pool. The story takes on a fairy tale twist. Basically Heep and the other tenants are like characters from fairy tales, aiding the protagonist in her quest to return home, while fending off the evil monsters in the grass.
Giamatti pulls off his stuttering/non-stuttering role well, and Bryce Dallas Howard interchanges between being inspiring and careful very accurately. Shyamalan, instead of taking on his usual cameo performance, actually has a rather prominent role in the film. Most of the supporting cast are unique and interesting. The story doesn't entirely make sense, but hey, it's a fairy tale. Fairy tales never make sense anyway. Casting logic aside, the ride is a truly fun one, taking twist after twist, turn after turn, bump after bump, and growl after growl.
One of the rare positive for a Shyamalan film is the superb photography. Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village all had okay cinematography, but Lady in the Water is a carefully filmed masterpiece. The colors were both pale and stark at the same time. The butterflies fluttering with significance, Story telling of her quest while water from the shower keeps her safe... the mood was well set by clever visuals. Then when the credits rolled in I saw that Christopher Doyle was the DOP. Ah, no wonder. Doyle was the DOP for a few of Wong Kar Wai and Zhang Yi Mou's more successful films, and well, now he's done it again.
And James Newton Howard again presents a magnificent piece of composition that never rises to gargantuan proportions, but complements the pace of the film. Whatever seams the film had (and there were a few), the music distracts the viewers from it.
So it would seem that I have nothing bad to say about this film. Well. Here you go
Rating: B+
Now, maybe this will eventually become one of those guilty pleasures, since many many critics have dismantled this movie as senseless, boring, pointless, and many other things. Truth be told, almost all the M Night Shyamalan movies are guilty pleasures of sorts for me. People generally cringe when I say I enjoy Signs or Unbreakable, or even The Village. Well, I watched Lady in the Water and midway through the movie I said to my friend beside me, "You know, I'm actually really enjoying this."
Basically it's about this girl, Story (Howard), who dropped from the wherever she came from, the Blue World, to seek some guy out... some guy who'll change the world. Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) finds her living in the swimming pool of the apartments that he manages and protects us and helps her in her quest. So that's the story. 100% of it revolves around the apartment block, its tenants, and the swimming pool. The story takes on a fairy tale twist. Basically Heep and the other tenants are like characters from fairy tales, aiding the protagonist in her quest to return home, while fending off the evil monsters in the grass.
Giamatti pulls off his stuttering/non-stuttering role well, and Bryce Dallas Howard interchanges between being inspiring and careful very accurately. Shyamalan, instead of taking on his usual cameo performance, actually has a rather prominent role in the film. Most of the supporting cast are unique and interesting. The story doesn't entirely make sense, but hey, it's a fairy tale. Fairy tales never make sense anyway. Casting logic aside, the ride is a truly fun one, taking twist after twist, turn after turn, bump after bump, and growl after growl.
One of the rare positive for a Shyamalan film is the superb photography. Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village all had okay cinematography, but Lady in the Water is a carefully filmed masterpiece. The colors were both pale and stark at the same time. The butterflies fluttering with significance, Story telling of her quest while water from the shower keeps her safe... the mood was well set by clever visuals. Then when the credits rolled in I saw that Christopher Doyle was the DOP. Ah, no wonder. Doyle was the DOP for a few of Wong Kar Wai and Zhang Yi Mou's more successful films, and well, now he's done it again.
And James Newton Howard again presents a magnificent piece of composition that never rises to gargantuan proportions, but complements the pace of the film. Whatever seams the film had (and there were a few), the music distracts the viewers from it.
So it would seem that I have nothing bad to say about this film. Well. Here you go
Rating: B+
The Lake House Directed by Alejandro Agresti Written by David Auburn Starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Christopher Plummer
There's no such thing as a perfect movie. Sometimes I love the designs (Big Fish), sometimes I love the CGI (Star Wars), sometimes I love the music (Superman Returns), the performances (Mystic River), the script (Pulp Fiction), the action (The Rock), one particular scene (Psycho), oddities (2046) or just a good idea (Howl's Moving Castle).
The Lake House probably gripped my attention with it's clever concept about a woman in the future communicating with a guy in the past, and how little oddities occur due to the time difference. Like if Alex Wyler decides to plant a tree in the year 2004, it'll just pop out of nowhere in the year 2006 because two years has passed. Stuff like that. Great basis for a story. I was ready to be absorbed into one heck of a romance movie. (I was half expecting Big Fish, sorry)
Then I saw Keanu Reeves. And more Keanu Reeves. And Keanu Reeves. And whatever potential the movie had just... vaporized. I don't mind slow movies, but I mind slow movies when the actors don't warm the screen up. Sandra Bullock didn't help much either. A bit better, but not much. The two of them bored me so much even when interesting plot twists occur I felt bored.
Sigh. I even feel bored writing this review. Ending now.
D
There's no such thing as a perfect movie. Sometimes I love the designs (Big Fish), sometimes I love the CGI (Star Wars), sometimes I love the music (Superman Returns), the performances (Mystic River), the script (Pulp Fiction), the action (The Rock), one particular scene (Psycho), oddities (2046) or just a good idea (Howl's Moving Castle).
The Lake House probably gripped my attention with it's clever concept about a woman in the future communicating with a guy in the past, and how little oddities occur due to the time difference. Like if Alex Wyler decides to plant a tree in the year 2004, it'll just pop out of nowhere in the year 2006 because two years has passed. Stuff like that. Great basis for a story. I was ready to be absorbed into one heck of a romance movie. (I was half expecting Big Fish, sorry)
Then I saw Keanu Reeves. And more Keanu Reeves. And Keanu Reeves. And whatever potential the movie had just... vaporized. I don't mind slow movies, but I mind slow movies when the actors don't warm the screen up. Sandra Bullock didn't help much either. A bit better, but not much. The two of them bored me so much even when interesting plot twists occur I felt bored.
Sigh. I even feel bored writing this review. Ending now.
D