Now Very Bad…

Tag: 2004

  • Mean Girls (2004)

    Mean Girls (2004)

    #140RVW

    Wiseman adapts her own book with Fey’s help. Very funny & covertly important film. Conversation starter is among best high school movies…

    Mean Girls

    What’s more:

    The script for this hugely quotable movie was written by Tina Fey, who based it on the non-fiction self-help book “Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence” by Rosalind Wiseman. It’s not an adaptation, exactly, but is filled with disturbingly accurate portrayals of some of the harsh realities of modern teen girls. Should probably be required viewing for middle school students.

    Mean Girls

    The film is deceptive; it works perfectly as a straight comedy and as a teen movie, and that pleasing exterior lets Fey and director Mark Waters really drive home some great insights in a way that will hopefully open some eyes and give teens a shorthand reference for talking about these issues.

    Mean Girls

    The acting is excellent across the board, from the “teens” through to the adults. This is the film everyone points to when they say, “What a shame about Lindsay Lohan” – hopefully she is able to return to this level of work. The rest of The Plastics are perfectly cast, as are almost all of the roles. I especially enjoyed Neil Flynn as Cady’s dad, although Rajiv Surendra steals every scene he’s in as Kevin Gnapoor, star Mathlete…

    Mean Girls

    Finally, if you want to spend an entertaining hour, just look up Mean Girls gif’s online. I find this one spell-binding:

    That's So Fetch

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: A (11 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Representation Test

     

    Main Cast Lindsay Lohan Cady Heron, Jonathan Bennett Aaron Samuels, Rachel McAdams Regina George, Tina Fey Ms. Norbury
    Rating PG-13
    Release Date Fri 30 Apr 2004 UTC
    Director Mark Waters
    Genres Comedy
    Plot Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina George.
    Poster Mean Girls
    Runtime 97
    Tagline Welcome to Girl World.
    Writers Rosalind Wiseman (book), Tina Fey (screenplay)
    Year 2004
  • #140RVW: Spider-Man 2 (2004)

    #140RVW: Spider-Man 2 (2004)

    Brilliant sequel; among finest comic movies. Comic source material great start – good script. Train scene top of genre. Ock design inspired.

    Spider-Man 2

    Poster:

    Trailer:

  • #140RVW: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

    #140RVW: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

    Cuarón takes series from kids movies to well-rounded films by wisely choosing the story he wanted to focus on instead of slavish adherence.

    Harry Potter 3

    Poster:

     

    Trailer:

  • #140RVW: I, Robot (2004)

    #140RVW: I, Robot (2004)

    Proyas fashions streamlined & smart (if VERY loose) version of Asimov classic. Will Smith sci-fi becoming cottage industry with cause…

    I, Robot

     

     

  • National Treasure (2004)

    National Treasure (2004)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Completely ridiculous but fun anyway. Wonder how much better it would have been with actual actors. Sean Bean must have felt very lonely…

    National Treasure

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of National Treasure:

    (#140RVW published 6/30/2013; full review published July 4, 2014)

    This film had a number of things going against it when it was announced: neither Jerry Bruckheimer nor Walt Disney Pictures are known for subtlety, Nicolas Cage, Tomb Raider-feel, Nicolas Cage…

    National Treasure

    In a way, I think this movie probably got a bump for the same reason that Independence Day did;  sure, it might be warmed over Indiana Jones, but they’re not making any more of those. (And just as in the case of Star Wars surrogate Independence Day, we would soon be proven wrong…)

    National Treasure

    The premise is a good one. That is, it’s a good conceit for a movie; as an actual idea it’s patently absurd. But it has elements to make for a franchise: a wealth of history that can be borrowed and mined for stories, details & settings. I’m stunned that they’ve only made one sequel so far. (Although I understand they’re working on another.)

    National Treasure

    Benjamin Gates (Nicolas Cage) is a history buff and one might say professional descendant, coming from a long line of treasure hunters. The family possesses a written clue given to one of the Gates’s by the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1832. This clue will supposedly lead to the world’s largest and greatest treasure, the product of centuries of collections of the world’s great artifacts. The treasure has passed through many hands through the years before stopping in the New World (the United States) and being hidden by the country’s founding fathers. But Ben is getting further in the quest to find the treasure than any of his forbears, and with the help of fellow treasure hunter Ian Howe (Sean Bean), computer whiz kid Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) and National Archivist Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) he may be able to validate his family’s long quest.

    National Treasure

    The plot is super silly, but you can see the appeal. You can essentially go anywhere with this story, and you’ll never run out of historical narrative to borrow from. It’s really ingenious.

    As a film, it works pretty well, certainly better than I expected. It might have been an idea to cast better actors and tone down the over-the-top approach, but it works great as an afternoon movie on cable, which is surely how most people watch it. It’s a fun adventure with lots of humor – a good deal provided by Bartha’s character Riley, who’s a lot of fun.

    National Treasure

    National Treasure is everything you could want in mindless summer fun. It’s engaging and breezy, with lots of practical effects that don’t date the movie at all. It was made 10 years ago, but honestly could have come out 20 years ago or 10 years from now and be pretty much the same picture. Such is the appeal of basing your film on history…

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Fail

    The Representation Test Score: C (5 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    National Treasure Representation Test

    [schema type=”movie” name=”National Treasure” description=”A historian races to find the legendary Templar Treasure before a team of mercenaries.” director=”Jon Turteltaub” actor_1=”Nicolas Cage” actor_2=”Diane Kruger” actor_3=”Justin Bartha” actor_4=”Sean Bean” actor_5=”Jon Voight”]

    Main Cast Nicolas Cage Benjamin Franklin Gates, Diane Kruger Abigail Chase, Justin Bartha Riley Poole, Sean Bean Ian Howe
    Rating PG
    Release Date Fri 19 Nov 2004 UTC
    Director Jon Turteltaub
    Genres Action, Adventure, Mystery, Thriller
    Plot A historian races to find the legendary Templar Treasure before a team of mercenaries.
    Poster National Treasure
    Runtime 131
    Tagline The greatest adventure history has ever revealed.
    Writers Jim Kouf (screenplay) and, Cormac Wibberley (screenplay) …
    Year 2004