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Thursday, February 16, 2006
Movie Reviews
If you have some time to spare and brain cells to kill, you can be like me and view a bunch of not-so-hot movies. During the past week, I watched Cradle 2 the Grave, The Legend of Zorro, and Proof.
5 hours of movies.. about 4 1/2 hours wasted
Cradle 2 the Grave
Synopsis: DMX plays a thief who has stolen "black diamonds" that are sought after by both a group of deadly criminals as well as Jet Li's character.
This movie totally reminds me of "Exit Wounds," which stars Steven Seagal and is directed by the same guy. Tom Arnold and Anthony Anderson are entertaining and provide good comic relief. The action scenes are decent, especially if you like watching Jet Li kick the butts of multiple fighters at the same time. Interestingly, the main villain is played by the guy who hosts Iron Chef America. Just another way that food and fighting are related besides the cafeteria concept of "food fights."
Rating: * * *
Bottom line: Fans of Romeo Must Die and Exit Wounds will enjoy this deja vu experience. Others probably won't.
The Legend of Zorro
Synopsis: On the verge of California's admission into the Union, Antonio Banderas is back as Zorro with the help of wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and their son to foil a plot against the U.S.
Humor should be funny, but this movie's attempt at it was not successful. It had the flavor of Disney-like cheesiness, but poorly placed and ineffectively delivered. The swashbuckling action scenes were consistent with past movies and, consequently, fairly unimpressive. I had trouble even finishing the movie due to sleepiness and boredom.
Rating: * *
Bottom line: It's always difficult for a sequel to beat the original. This one doesn't even come close.
Proof
Synopsis: Gwyneth Paltrow plays the daughter of a renowned mathematical genius who has lost his mind.
The movie itself wasn't particularly good or bad, but I didn't enjoy it much. A large part of the movie is depicted through flashbacks, which makes it seem a bit disjointed. Anthony Hopkins is a quality actor and does a good job of portraying the father/professor who Gwyneth Paltrow has to take care of. I struggled with viewing the struggles of Gwyneth's character trying to prove she was not crazy like her father.
Rating: * *
Bottom line: If you think the glory of math reknown is cool, watch and learn (and experience for yourself) the "crazy" price that must be paid for such acclaim.
1:29 PM Albert
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..a life in DUO
