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Reviews
Man of the Year (2002)
Truly fascinating and wonderful film
I saw this film recently at the Santa Monica Film Festival because I knew one of the producers. I had no idea what to expect going in and found myself truly enthralled and blown away by the accomplishments of this film. Fast, funny, brilliant, twisted, bizarre, touching, intelligent--everything you hope to find in today's indie scene but rarely do. And when you add in the technical facts--improvised dialogue, 20 cameras, one night shoot--it stands as a great representation of what can be accomplished when creative people refuse to hear the word "impossible."
Spider-Man (2002)
Are there two versions of Spider-Man?
Have there been two different versions of Spider-Man released? Apparently, there's one out there that is fun, exciting, witty, brilliant, fantastic, perfect, and unforgettable. Man, I wish I'd seen that version, because the one I saw was filled with cringe-inducing dialogue, some great actors forced into some frightfully over-the-top acting, a villain that looked like a Power Rangers nemesis, and at least one fight scene wherein the violence seemed inappropriate for the target audience.
(***POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT***) God bless Willem Dafoe. I think if Sam Raimi would have approached me with some of these scenes I would laughed in his face. After surviving the ridiculous scene where he fights with himself in the mirror, I thought I could relax. But, oh no, next we have witness him crawl across the floor, writhing in torment while The Green Goblin mask taunts him while hanging on the back of a chair. And what was the scene on the roof between The Green Goblin and Spider-Man? Did I actually witness The Green Goblin lean against a wall during the conversation and "thump" Spider-Man on the head with his finger? Also, (and before I say this, keep in mind I'm a fan of Fight Club) I felt the final battle crossed the line as far as violence considering it's a movie geared toward young people. I shouldn't be surprised given Sam Raimi's horror history, but I guess I expected (and wanted) the fight scenes to be a bit more cartoonish or, at least, not so brutal. Just seemed unnecessary. Finally, MJ's speech to Peter at the graveyard at the end was simply awful. Like reading a card that even Hallmark threw out because it was so schmaltzy. I'm a huge Kirsten Dunst fan but all I could think was "Please, shut up!"
Perhaps the secret to enjoying a movie anymore is really low expectations. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't twisting in my seat, hawking spitballs at the screen and wishing I'd gone to a root canal instead. I just wasn't blown away like I expected to be. The visuals of Spider-Man sailing through skies in Manhattan and the inspired casting of Tobey Maguire were truly impressive. But that's just pretty pictures. That's not a movie.
Again, I wish I'd seen the same movie as all these people that thought it was so brilliant. Instead, I saw the one that was okay but, really, honestly, kind of sucked.