Serenity (2005)
VERDICT:
8/10 Andrew Daniels
Wow. Turns out those Joss Whedon fanboys were onto something.
Serenity is about a merry band of space cowboys who rescue one of their old psychic crew mates from the control of a tyrannical government who’s using her as a guinea pig and while avoiding capture themselves, manage to unravel the mystery behind why their pal was captured in the first place and the dirty secrets The Man has been hiding from its intergalactic citizens.
The neat thing about Serenity is that it’s the swan song for the short-lived TV show Firefly that features the same cast, crew and story line as in this here movie. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of the show because it was only on for one season, but after being widely followed after its cancellation by a growing population of sci-fi junkies who know a thing or two about quality when they see it, the underground masses rose up and rabbled to Hollywood for a fitting end to their beloved series and, amazingly enough, it paid off.
At least I think that’s how it goes, pretty cool story though. Now if only they’d give us a fitting end to Seinfeld instead of that shitty clip show episode.
But whether you’ve got a shrine to the box set of Firefly hanging over your TV or if all this nerd jargon is breaking news, this is just a damn good movie, sci-fi or otherwise.
Now, I’ve never been into Angel or Buffy and I’m pretty sure I never will be, but Joss Whedon deserves all the nerd love he’s gotten for this one. As good as the entire cast is, so much of what makes this movie work not only as a continuation but as something new and whole in its own right goes back to his script and the world he’s created. In short, there’s few things cooler than bounty hunters/smugglers in space (Han Solo, Boba Fett, Cowboy Bebop, I’m sure there’s others but those are three choice examples), but that fact aside, all of Whedon’s flesh-out, unique and memorable characters with all their whip-sharp dialogue and endless one-liners are really what bring it all together.
The fight scenes go from decent (River’s stuff seemed kinda stiff) to pretty kickass (everything with Mal), the special effects are pretty solid, the pacing is so on point, but it’s hard to miss good writing when it just won’t quit for two full hours and immediately connects you to a world you’re completely unfamiliar with. It’s rare you see a cast of six or seven people who all play a significant role, who are all easy to connect with and all have very different personas that play off one another beautifully, and I’ll be the first to admit that I really wasn’t expecting to find that in this movie. Then again, that’s probably why I won’t shut up about it.
But nonetheless, the one guy in the bunch really worth watching is Nathan Fillion as Mal, the captain of the space ship. It’s too bad that Fillion’s not more of a household name, because the dude’s a total badass and he’s a got a chin that could cut through granite. Mal’s an awesome protagonist because he sticks to his guns in more ways than one, he doesn’t take shit from anyone, ever, and Fillion makes it look pretty effortless. After all, the coolest cowboys always the ones who make it look effortless.
Not to take away from the rest of the cast because I wasn’t kidding about every last one of them being a great addition to the mix, but Nathan Fillion’s the man, simple as that.
Serenity and Firefly are two things that my friends have been hounding me to watch for far too long now, and after finally getting around to seeing how it ends, I’m chomping at the bit to see how it all began. This is just a fun, funny and refreshingly dark sci-fi Western that doesn’t let up and creates a totally wild story that’s appealing to both noobs and Dungeon Masters alike, and that can’t be an easy thing to do. It’s sitting pretty at a high 8 right now, but I can easily see myself giving this a 9 after being properly educated in the ways of Whedon.
Not surprised in the least that so many folks opted to take this on a desert island with ’em, Wilson and I would watch this sucker like crazy.
And the coolest movie robot is…
THE T-1000!
Dude wasn’t much for words, but that whole liquid metal thing sure goes a long way, so does a cameo in Wayne’s World. Pleasantly surprised by all the WALL-E votes though, WALL-E never gets the respect he deserves.
Good voting, folks. Crazy how many times The Terminator ends up winning these polls, I think this makes it a bazer’s dozen.
RESULTS:
– WALL-E: 9 votes (androids with a sense of humor go a long way, too)
– C-3PO: 2 votes (what a geek)
– R2-D2: 5 votes
– Bishop: 2 votes (that knife trick was pretty cool)
– T-800: 6 votes
– T-1000: 10 votes
– HAL 9000: 5 votes
– Johnny 5: 2 votes
– Evil Bill & Ted: 2 votes (Station!)
– Other: 1 vote for “Anything but WALL-E” (ouch) and 1 vote for “Aiden R.” (they’re on to me…)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
VERDICT:
5/10 Machine Heads
This is why I need to stop watching movie trailers.
Iron Man 2 picks up where we left off with Tony Stark soaking up the spotlight and continuing to “privatize world peace” while the US Military hounds him to hand over his ass-kicking technology so that they can use it for their own devices. To make matters worse, the very gizmos that are keeping Tony alive are also slowly killing him, so he’s gotta figure that out right quick, and there’s a Russian thug on the loose with a one-track mind to kill Tony with his own dominatrix version of the Iron Man suit.
It pretty much goes without saying that this movie had a big act to follow coming off of the ultimate thrill ride that was the first Iron Man back in ’08, and for a while there, I thought things were looking up. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I was sold the second I saw that Mickey Rourke was on board and the inclusion of War Machine didn’t hurt matters either. So months go by, the day of reckoning finally arrives, I buy my ticket, I wait on an unbelievably long line, the movie eventually ends, and I realize that I had already seen this movie.
See, this is one of those unfortunate situations where the producers just went ape in the advertising department and in their efforts to make The Dark Knight look like The Back-Up Plan, they apparently felt it necessary to have every commercial, trailer, viral video, etc. showcase every single action scene in the movie just to make sure everyone on Earth was totally effing pumped for May 7th to roll around. The problem with that is no matter how awesome those few action scenes are, and there really are only a few of them, it sucks to not have anything new waiting for you.
Makes me wish I was Amish.
The other problem is that when one of the few action scenes I haven’t seen before eventually does turn up, it’s either over before it starts or it’s not even that cool to begin with, which is probably why it didn’t make it into the trailers. So part of the blame goes to the ad campaign, but the long and short of why this is an inferior sequel is that there’s nowhere near enough action to balance out all the talking going on.
Granted, Tony Stark is a guy who could keep you entertained ’til your face turned blue and Robert Downey, Jr. is still a perfect fit for the role since he’s more or less just playing himself, but when I walked into Iron Man 2, I was expecting a two hours of non-stop, badass fun that would fly by in the blink of an eye, and I definitely didn’t get that. The story’s pretty uninteresting, it tends to borrow a lot of the same plot elements from the first movie, like Tony’s ticker wearing out, and there’s never a sense of urgency that makes the audience go, “How in the eff is he gonna get out of this one?” Iron Man’s always got things under control in this one and, honestly, where’s the fun in that?
But it was cool to see John Favreau get to kick some ass for once.
And as far as the rest of ’em are concerned, Mickey Rourke is good as Whiplash, but he’s underused, Sam Rockwell’s decent as Tony’s rival weapons manufacturer, Justin Hammer, even if he does seem kind of unnecessary, and Don Cheadle’s fine as War Machine. The one thing I don’t get is why Scarlett Johannson is even in this movie, like having Black Widow around added anything to the story, like anyone even cares about Black Widow to begin with. Should have gotten rid of her and given Sam Jackson a bigger part as Nick Fury. I mean, come on, he’s the coolest guy on the banner.
Another case of too many characters at one time. Would have been better if it were just Iron Man & War Machine vs. Whiplash with Sam Jackson yelling “Does he look like a bitch!” in the background the whole time. Box office gold, I tell ya’!
Look, Iron Man 2 started out as an 8 and I was this close to giving it a 6 by the end, but the more I think about it the more I’m having trouble coming up with things I actually liked about it. As a means to flesh out Tony Stark, it works and he continues to be an endlessly fun guy to have at forefront of things, but as a showcase for Iron Man, it doesn’t really go anywhere. It also drives me crazy how this whole freakin’ movie feels like one big teaser for The Avengers instead of a lead-in to Iron Man 3, and I could honestly care less about The Avengers right now since it’s probably not gonna come out for another two years or so anyway.
Ugh, serenity now.
Iron Man 2‘s not so much a bad movie, it just pales in comparison to the first one. At least could have throw some Black Sabbath in the mix.
15 Music Facts
Heya folks,
Well looky here, we got ourselves another meme goin’ round! Thanks to Dan the man for tagging me and thank the lord that this one isn’t about movies for once. Not that movies aren’t the bees knees or anything, but it’s nice to switch things up every once in a while, right?
Right!
Anywho, let’s get to it, shall we?
1. Open up your iTunes, music player, spin the CD, whatever, hit shuffle and tell us what is the first song to play…
Beastie Boys – “Fight for Your Right”. Good start.
2. Name your top 5 favorite bands/musicians of all time
In no particular order: Creedence, Bob Marley, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Death From Above 1979.
3. What was your first CD to own? (8 track, Record, CD, MP3 for the newbies)
Warren Zevon – A Quiet Normal Life: The Best of Warren Zevon. I think that’s pretty badass. Also got my first Discman with it. Double badass.
4. Of all the bands/artists in your cd/record collection, which one do you own the most albums by?
White Stripes, Creedence, Zeppelin, Radiohead. Got a lot of stuff from those guys.
5. What was the last song you listened to?
Portishead – “Sour Times”, off their live album at Roseland Ballroom in NY. Live version is light years beyond the original recording. Awesome, awesome band. What I would give to see them live.
6. What song would you say sums you up?
Bob Marley – “Three Little Birds”.
7. What’s your favorite local band or band that originated from your hometown?
Maybe The Strokes. First NY band that comes to mind, but their first two albums really are out of sight.
8. What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to?
Going for a Top 3 with this one…
#3: Foo Fighters & Weezer @ DCU Arena in Worcester, MA in ’05.
#2: Nine Inch Nails @ the Mullins Center at UMASS in ’06.
#1: Rage Against the Machine @ Randall’s Island, NY in ’07. That was one crazy show.
9. What musician would you like to hang out with for a day?
Jack White.
10. What was the greatest decade for music?
If the early ’90s was an option, that would be a contender, but I’m gonna have to go with the ’60s. Too bad the ’70s had disco.
11. What is your favorite movie soundtrack?
Almost Famous.
12. What’s the most awful CD/record/etc. you’ve ever bought?
Wow, that’s tough. I remember going to Newbury Comics back in High School and after a long back-and-forth decided to buy Deftones – Deftones over The White Stripes – Elephant. That was stupid.
Best album of the past decade.
13. What’s your favorite band t-shirt or poster?
Senior year of college, I borrowed my girlfriend’s father’s vintage poster of Neil Young with a big bushy beard for the album Harvest and hung it up in my room for all to worship, but I can’t find a picture of it anywhere on the internets so you’ll just have to believe me that it was in fact totally awesome. Would love to have this DFA 1979 shirt though.
14. Rolling Stones or The Beatles?
Beatles, but the Stones are immortal. Not a debate I like having, bickering over these two is a lose-lose siteration. Learned that the hard way.
15. What is the one song you would most like played at your funeral? Your birthday? While on a romantic date?
Funeral: LCD Soundsystem – “All My Friends”
Birthday: Andrew W.K. – “Party Hard”
Romantic Date: Al Green – “Let’s Stay Together”
I’d like to hang out with Andrew, too.
And that’s about it. I’m all for this non-movie meme stuff, folks, so keep it comin’. Always game to spread the love for DFA 1979.
So, the next cool cat who gets tagged is none other than the Hatter himself over at The Dark of the Matinee. Absolutely love picking up on the song references in his post & podcast titles, think he’d have some choice picks to throw into the mix.
Hop to it, homey!
Get Him to the Greek (2010)
It’s not often that the spin-off ends up being wildly funnier than the movie it’s based off of, but, hey, stranger things have happened.
Get Him to the Greek is about a nice-guy music journalist who’s given an assignment by his boss to fly to England and escort British rocker Aldous Snow – an individual who makes Liam Gallagher look like Justin Bieber – back to L.A. for a 10-year anniversary concert in the hopes that it will make the boss rich and breathe new life into Snow’s waning career. The only catch is that our rock star of the hour has hit rock bottom and his number one priority is to get smashed with his new journalist friend rather than make any sort of attempt to get his life in order, thus making the simple task of getting him from point A to point B an insanely difficult one that no mere errand boy should ever be subjected to.
For those of you out there who’ve seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the name Aldous Snow might ring a bell and, you guessed it, that’s because this is indeed a loose spin-off of the aforementioned official date movie of 2008. Well, the only real things they have in common is Aldous and an amusing reference to him knocking boots with Sarah Marshall, but it’s a spin-off nonetheless.
But spin-off or not, Get Him to the Greek is an experience far from the movie it was born out of. It’s gets a bit sweet by the end, but up until that point, this baby is crude, crass and it doesn’t let up whatsoever. With that being said, my girlfriend didn’t exactly laugh her ass off like I did, but then again, I really laughed my ass off.
The plot here is pretty straightforward: Aldous and Aaron are given a deadline to be at a certain location, Aldous and Aaron get hopped up on absinthe or herion or a superblunt called “Jeffrey”, Aldous and Aaron barely make it there on time, rinse, wash, repeat. Simple, yes, but very effective. The reason it works is because it keeps the plot moving along and it keeps creating one totally nutso situation after another while leaving little to no room for downtime or unnecessary, drawn-out dialogues. The point is that it’s just really refreshing to see a consistent comedy that doesn’t stop being funny from start to finish and that’s somethingSarah Marshall definitely could have taken a queue from.
That’s actually a queue a lot of comedies nowadays could afford to take a queue from. Someone send out a memo already.
So the script is right on and the same goes for all the dialogue and one-liners, but a lot of the credit here goes to the cast.
Just as Russell Brand established himself as comedy gold when he first jumped onto the scene as Aldous Snow, nothing’s changed and he’s only gotten funnier with time. The dude just plays the role naturally, and judging from every picture I’ve seen of him outside of a movie set, it seems like he’s playing Aldous Snow every day of his life. Maybe it’s just a fashion statement, I don’t know, I’m not British, all I know is that it’s working. But considering how completely strange his hosting gig at the MTV VMA Awards was a couple years ago, it’s great to see him back in his element doing what he does best.
And Jonah Hill’s great as our music journalist and die-hard Aldous Snow fan, Aaron. Man, I’m loving that Hill hasn’t fallen into the stereotype that he’s funny because he’s a smidge overweight, because I’m still tired of hearing people say that about Chris Farley and I know a good sense of humor when I see it. The guy was hilarious in Superbad, he’s hilarious here and he just needs to get more leading roles and he’ll be all set.
But the real surprise of the show is effing P. Diddy of all people as Aaron’s boss, Sergio. What Tom Cruise did for Tropic Thunder, that’s what Diddy does here and every time he’s on-screen he had me and the rest of the crowd howling. It’s awesome to see guys like him lighten up and just have fun because I don’t think anyone out there knew that Diddy was so damn funny.
So even though Get Him to the Greek might be a bit more geared towards the guys in the crowd with all its crude humor and rampant swearing, it’s been a good long while since I’ve laughed so hard for so long in a theater, or in general. It might not have the charm or heart or the Dracula song from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but I’d see this again in a heartbeat and I’d be surprised to find a funnier movie come out in 2010.
That’s right, I went there.
Primer (2004)
VERDICT:
8/10 Nerd Alerts
One of the best time travel movies out there.
Primer is about two engineers who set out to build some funky gadget to compete with the company they work for and accidentally wind up building a time machine instead. So they start small and test it on a weeble, then their curiosity gets the better of them and they get right to using it on themselves.
And that’s when things get nuts.
The first time I saw this back when it first came out, I was not ready for it. This is one of those movies you need to listen to because just sitting back and watching it is gonna land you at a complete and utter loss by the thirty-minute mark. I really wish someone had given me that memo because that’s exactly what happened during my first foray into this cinematic brain aneurysm and rarely have I ever felt so hopelessly stupid after watching a movie. As a result, I’ve been kind of intimidated to watch it again ever since for fear my brain still wasn’t up to snuff, but after reading Kai’s recent write-up of it as one more movie I didn’t know I needed to see, I finally sat my ass down, chugged some gingko, Q-tipped my ears and hoped with all my might that I wasn’t setting myself up for further embarrassment.
77 minutes later, and I am so effing glad I gave this another shot.
See, time travel is no easy subject to tackle. It usually works best when you just keep it simple – a la Back to the Future – where there’s just enough cause-and-effect mumbo jumbo to make it fun and cool without having to get hung up on all those damn loopholes that tend to pop up. But then you have stuff like Lost or The Terminator that just go ape with time travel and loopholes, and then you’re stuck in a conversation about how John Connor could have sent Kyle Reese back to save his mom if Reese was already dead, and that’s just no good.
Let that one settle for a minute.
Usually I tend to favor DeLoreans over “constants” in this regard, but Primer is the first time I’ve seen a movie do a total nosedive into time travel theory and come out on top by the end without becoming a victim of its own devices. And that, dear readers, is one hell of a feat.
From a visual standpoint, it’s super sleek despite being filmed on a $7,000 budget (which is awesome), and the acting’s fine, but the reason this movie works whatsoever is due to Shane Carruth’s brilliant script. I wouldn’t be surprised if Carruth turned out to be a Terminator himself because this here is a guy who knows the subject front to back and is just gung-ho from head to toe about making this baby exciting, logical and wildly different from anything anyone’s ever seen before. Chances are it’s gonna confuse the hell out of you, but for a talking heads movie about two guys screwing around with a homemade time machine, it is absolutely wild and it’ll only make you want to see it again.
Loopholes? Fuck loopholes! Shane’s all over that noise.
Primer‘s plot line might get a little odd by the end and it’s still incredibly hard to follow exactly what’s going on during the final Act, but I loved how much this movie made me rack my brain and I can’t help but marvel at the straight up accomplishment of a script Carruth wrote. It feels really good to be able to sit through such a challenging, heady movie like this and actually be able to understand – or at least think I understand – what’s going on along the way. It might not be everyone’s thing, but it’s a short movie, it deserves to be seen more than once even if it does do nothing but frustrate you the first time and it is one hell of a conversation starter, especially for all us nerds in the house.
If you’re looking for light entertainment, this is definitely not it, but if you’re jonesing for something totally new that’ll have those brain cells churning for days as you hunt down anyone else who’s seen it so you can get a second opinion on what went down, this is definitely it.
Cut The Crap turns 1!
Yup, it’s officially been one year, 306 reviews and 41 weekly polls since I started this site out of mind-numbing boredom and I gotta say, it’s easily been the most semi-productive thing I’ve done with my English degree over the past two years. So thanks to all you cool folks out there who indulge in this unhealthy obsession of mine and keep me keepin’ on, you’ve all helped to make this one totally awesome year.
Aaaaayyyyyy!
And Happy Cince de Mayo! Get out there and throw back some guac and margaritas, dammit!
Chungking Express (1994)
VERDICT:
7/10 Unlikely Rebounds
One incredibly unique character study, even if it only applies to two thirds of the movie itself.
The thing is, Chungking Express is actually two movies in one. The first half-hour is about a love-sick cop whose girlfriend of five years breaks up with him out of the blue, so he goes to a bar and decides to fall in love with the first woman that walks in the door…who just happens to be a cocaine smuggler. The second part of the movie is about another love-sick, though less pathetic, cop – whose girlfriend also breaks up with him out of the blue – and the quirky gal who takes it upon herself to change his life for the better without him even knowing it.
With the exception of the setting, the broken hearts and the whole cop connection, these really are two entirely separate stories that for all intents and purposes have nothing to do with one another. Can’t say I’ve ever seen a movie like this that creates two different plot lines and doesn’t have them come together at the eleventh hour a la Crash or something, but creating movies that I can’t say I’ve ever seen before seems to be a running theme with Wong Kar-Wai’s movies, and I like that.
The strange thing is that, compared to In the Mood for Love – the only other Kar-Wai movie I’ve seen – even though this feels like a Kar-Wai effort, it looks nothing like a Kar-Wai effort. See, In the Mood for Love is one meticulous, finely crafted movie that looks as sleek and subtle as its script reads, but Chungking Express is something else entirely, not that that’s a bad thing. Granted, there’s a six year gap between when the movies were made, but Kar-Wai is all about the shaky cams and staggered frame rate here and it creates this feeling like you’re being dropped right into the lives of his characters instead of like someone walking through an art gallery.
I guess the reason I’m bringing this up in the first place is that, just like so many other elements of this movie, it’s unexpected and it’s different but it feels very right. I don’t know if this movie would have had the same effect on me if it had been filmed like In the Mood for Love, and maybe I just need to see more of the guy’s movies, but I tip my hat to Kar-Wai all the same for being able to switch up his style like this and managing to make it work so well. Apparently the dude’s no joke.
But the things that really drive this movie aren’t so much the visuals and the camerawork, but rather the characters and their stories.
The first story about the cop who falls for the coke lord is interesting enough, but it unfortunately ends up being pretty forgettable in comparison to the second story where the real heart of the movie kicks in. So maybe the characters and story don’t really drive that first part, but they definitely do in the second.
The stars of this story are Tony Leung – apparently a Kar-Wai regular – as lonely cop 663 who’s crying on the inside back at home but plays it cool while walking the beat around the streets Hong Kong, and Faye Wong as Faye, the odd girl who can see right through him and works at the deli 663 eats at each day. 663’s persona is the more straightforward of the two in that he’s the guy with the love pangs and the only thing going on with him is that he’s trying to nurse some emotional wounds and doing his, and that’s what makes Faye stand out.
Faye steals the show because she’s the dreamer of the movie, the one whose motives are genuine even though they’re not exactly crystal and it’s hard not to see her appeal in a city filled with folks who are too hung up on some old flame to take hold of the life in front of them. She’s funky, she’s quirky and she’s never upfront about anything, but that’s why she’s great and the huge amount of soul she adds to picture is just what this movie needed. But Tony Leung’s still damn good, he’s just a cool mother effer.
My gut instinct with Chungking Express was to give it a 7 because it didn’t really grab me until the second story booted up, and even then it took a bit to get going, but it’s also one of those movies that I just can’t stop thinking about and I’m not really sure why. A lot of it I think goes back to Faye, whether it’s Faye cleaning 663’s apartment to the tune of Faye Wong covering “Dreams” by The Cranberries, Faye making sandwiches while blaring “California Dreamin'” by The Mamas and the Papas, or Faye just being Faye, but it’s a movie I really want to see a second time because it left me with a lot to think about, stuff that didn’t really hit me until later on and that doesn’t happen all too often.
Still not sure why that first story’s in there, but it’s nevertheless a really interesting and subtle movie about getting over it, moving on and appreciating all the people and things that are staring you square in the face.
Well done, Wong. I need to see more of your stuff.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
VERDICT:
8/10 Bad Apples
Not too shabby for a first go at screenwriting.
Good Will Hunting is about a 20-year-old orphan from the rough end of Boston with a big brain and an even bigger rap sheet who gets the book thrown at him after punching a cop (smooth) and is given an ultimatum by a math professor at MIT where the kid works as a janitor: go to jail or work on math problems and go see a shrink. Surprise, surprise, the kid picks option B but fights the psychiatry gig tooth and nail until he’s introduced to the professor’s old college roommate who refuses to give up on him no matter how much the kid pushes his most sensitive of buttons.
This is one of those movies that I thought was out of sight the first time I saw it way back when, but that was also before I really started listening to movies instead of just marveling at the whole “How do you like them apples?” scene and declaring it as being most awesome from that point forward. Didn’t take much to throw me for a loop back then, but after recently revisiting this one the other day, it’s still pretty darn good even if certain aspects haven’t aged as well as others.
Now, here’s the thing with Ben & Matt’s script: it’s well-written, it’s got a solid premise and it has a ton of great character development, but for every choice one-liner or subtle insight, there’s always a long, drawn-out, unrealistic monologue from one of the characters waiting right around the corner. For instance, Will getting into a textbook-reciting battle of wits at the Hahvahd bar, the shrink at the park going over every single real-life example of how Will doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about, Will reciting the Constitution verbatim to the prosecution while defending himself in court, yada, yada, yada.
Not to say that these parts aren’t good, but it just gets to be grating after a while. I’m of the mindset that less is more when it comes to dialogue and that you can usually say things far more effectively in a few choice or without saying anything at all. It eventually gets to the point where I was waiting for someone to pull out the Wrap It Up Box and move onto the next scene about whether certain individuals do or do not like apples. If it were shorter and sweeter, it could have been a 9, but verbal diarrhea and all, these two crazy kids still put together one swell story for the cast to work with.
It’s also another glaring reason why Robin Williams should stick to serious roles, as if the whole Oscar win wasn’t a tip-off to being with. He’s the clear dramatic heavyweight here as Will’s shrink, Sean Maguire, and he totally drives it home as usual. And Matt Damon with his quasi-mushroom cut is alright as Will, but like I said, too much ranting and raving. Stellan Skarsgard ain’t bad either as Will’s math professor at MIT and the same goes for Ben Affleck as Will’s best friend, Chuckie. Ben seriously needs to take more roles like these, the dude can be pretty cool when he’s just being himself.
Unfortunately, listening to Minnie Driver and her evil male clown laugh is like nails on a chalkboard and it doesn’t do any favors for her already irritating performance. Seriously, I would run for the effing hills if my girlfriend started laughing like that. Yikes.
But this movie does feature a stellar soundtrack riddled with Elliott Smith tunes that perfectly complement Gus Van Sant’s directing style along with all the visuals of Boston in leaf season. I’m a huge Smith fan to begin with, but either way, this serves as a great introduction if you’ve never heard him before.
Freakin’ Celine Dion stealing Elliott’s Oscar. I’ll take “Miss Misery” over that lovey dovey shit any day.
So Good Will Hunting could have used some toning down here and there, but the one thing I keep coming back to when I think about why I like this movie is that the characters really are incredibly fleshed out and watching them gradually unravel as they play off each other’s insecurities makes for some great viewing over the course of two hours. Might have been better the first time around, but whatever, it’s still a mighty good debut that’s topped off with a great supporting performance and a mighty good ending to boot.
And any movie that gives me a chance to post the best clip from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a-okay in my book.
And the coolest guy on the banner is…
SAMUEL L. JACKSON!
After nabbing 6 overnight votes, I was quite surprised when I woke up this morning to see how quickly the tides had turned for my man Paul Newman. Then again, Paul never got eaten by a shark mid-motivational speech. Biggest mistake of his career…
But who am I kidding, these guys are badass supremes. Not just anyone makes it to the banner of a website called Cut The Crap Movie Reviews.
Good voting, folks. This was a tough one.
RESULTS:
– Sam: 21 votes (megaphone-for-a-voice-box badass)
– Kurt: 5 votes (Pork Chop badass)
– Paul: 18 votes (humanitarian badass)
– Steve: 8 votes (stuntman badass)
– Clint: 15 votes (badass badass)
“Mmmm, mmmmmm, bitch!“
Cut The Crap Movie Reviews 
