13 Going on 30 "It opens as a rip-off of "Big," features clichéd, painful writing, and doesn't appear to have one redeeming element to its name. But "13 Going On 30" has Jennifer Garner, and she acts the beejesus out of this film. Rescuing the picture from a perfectly deserved final resting pit of lameness, Garner keeps "13" vibrant, warm, goofy, and deeply funny, and her performance alone is the reason to sit through this unexpected film..." (full review)
Batman Begins (script) by 'Pulagatha' "Well it's been six or seven years since Batman & Robin came out. The people involved with that production have secured their place in the ninth circle of hell. "Batman Begins" is the best batman movie by far. There is great character in this film. Bruce Wayne and his life are given attention to. The scene from "The Dark Knight Reurns" where bruce falls into the Bat Cave is in there. Ra's Al Ghul character is beautifully deceptive and theatric. The characters Loeb and Flass from "Batman Year One" are there. Speaking of which the police/mafia aspect of the Batman Mythology is finally given screentime in the movie and I've always hated that about the other films. Pat Hingle played the orginal Gordon. He is a fine actor I'm sure, But he (At least for me) was never Jim Gordon. The script focuses more on Batman in a real world. How would a man become this and how would he stay sane. The Scarecrow plays a role in this, but not to the degree of Ra's. The only peeve I can conceive of is the promient appearance of bats. As if fate had chosen Bruce Wayne and just keeps trying to tell him be batman with bats popping out again and again. Where as, the idea to be Batman should be a spark from Bruce's imagination. There is nothing (and not even the slightest hint of) anything overly cheesy in this script. By the way, If Warner Brothers gets anyone else besides David Goyer to write the eventual sequels, I give up altogether on their judgement and taste as a studio"
Mean Girls by 'Pete Ignatius Reilly' "I got a chance to see MEAN GIRLS last night in Hollywood so, obviously, I jumped at the chance. I think anyone who is invited to an advanced screening of a Lorne Michaels' feature production couldn't say no. "From the man who brought you the classics THE NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY and WAYNE'S WORLD 2" has to a be a major selling point to any film. Anyway, I had a free night and the screening mentioned that Tina Fey might show up afterwards, so I went.
Luckily, the movie wasn't half bad. I mean, I'm a male in my early thirties, so I'm not exactly the target demographic for this thing; nonetheless, I think the movie appeals to a wider range than, let's say, a WHAT A GIRL WANTS or something that stars Mandy Moore, God bless her soul. I think teenage girls will eat this thing up. It sort of aspires to the level of an ELECTION or a HEATHERS (which was apparently written by the director's brother). It never quite reaches that level, partially because it is a studio film and they have to sell it and that limits the risks you can take with the comedy. I think the box office take of ELECTION, another Paramount release, probably didn't help make this one any edgier in the development process. Too bad because I liked the darker stuff in this movie and I would've enjoyed more of it.
And while the movie does benefit from Tina Fey's sharp sense of humor, it does falter a bit because of her writing as well. As a first screenplay, apparently based on a practically unfilmable nonfiction book, I give her credit for coming up with something that feels like a story. I mean, even Charlie Kaufman had trouble doing that. Still, I couldn't help but feel that the middle of the film was a bit episodic and didn't really move the story along. One of the ways I chart whether a movie really works on not is if I could go to someone afterwards and be able to retell the story to them, remembering the events from as they happened from beginning to end. In a sense, it has to do with seeing a story build, instead of floundering in the same situations. In that sense, I had a little trouble with this one.
But, then again, this isn't high art, it is just a "comedy with a heart" and I think it hits most of its marks well. I liked the cast: Lindsay Lohan has survived that child to young adult actor cuteness transition intact; Amy Poehler could read the phone book and make it funny; and this new girl who plays the dumbest of the dumb blondes, Amanda Seyfried, nails a character that we've seen too many times before -- her looks combined with her comic timing shouldn't hurt her in the future. Now that Lisa Kudrow is ending her reign as TV's ditzy blonde, maybe they can give this girl a shot.
So, as much as I hate to admit it, I liked this Lorne Michaels' production. It doesn't make up for some of the lousy SNL character movies he's produced in the past. Hopefully, we have seen the last of those and this is the type of thing he plans to be associated with from now on. It suits him well."
