There was a couple of weeks ago when I saw "Assault on Precinct 13," which was not the fun actioner I was hoping it'd be. After seeing that movie, I went through my wallet and looked through all of the movie tickets that I have saved ever since I saw "8 Mile" on opening weekend. THIS weekend, I have added two new titles to my wallet collection.
On Friday, the opening night of "Hitch," I saw Will Smith play a very charming date doctor who makes men's wildest dreams come true in a matter of three dates. The hardest part, you would think, is getting a date in the first place. But in this movie, it's surviving the three dates. The objective made by the end of the three dates is the start to a long, healthy relationship. Now, this is even hard for the well known Hitch character, as we learn in the climax of the movie.
Now, stealing his every scene in his first big movie, Kevin James comes to the big screen. His character is full of quirks and is a shy guy, but works for a company which works for a very important client who goes by the name of Allegra. But with coaching from his new hired friend, Kevin James' character manages to sweep Allegra off her feet...by standing up for her in front of his boss...by yelling at the boss in front of her and quitting his job in the process.
Now for some reason Allegra, a known celebrity-type, comes to Kevin James' character, "Nobody ever talks to me like that." He feels awful, but the whole audience knows she's in the middle of a thank-you. His nervousness is hilarious, and his character is so brilliantly played. That's right, I said it, Kevin James is brilliant. Hey, you're not surprised. But his "King of Queens" character never seems so smart, but so hilarious. I believe that comedians are the smartest (or can be) actors out there.
There's Robin Williams, although I'm sorry to say has taken his career to hell lately, is really a smart guy. He can make you cry so hard and laugh even harder. That's a good actor, but taking so many serious roles, playing very dark characters, doesn't get you my $5.50 to see what you can do. But I have seen Robin's last three movies not including his new mind-copying film that I didn't hear about until he was on Leno.
But back to "Hitch," it is a charming movie with a lot of fun, and gives you little pointers on how to impress the ladies. I'm sure there were some guys out there saying "Wow, I'm really learnin shit!"
But you guy, seriously, it is not that easy to get a girl. That was the film's biggest, if only problem. Of course it was a normal chick flicky kind of movie, with the chase scene in the end where Will runs after the girl (I won't say what happens). But his charm is his character, and Hitch is someone every man wishes he was. The ability to be as comfortable as he acted and said he was, and comfortable around the women he likes, is an amazing gift. That's what I like in a movie, to take me on a little ride and show me what any guy could be. But there's not too much you can learn from this. There is a dancing lesson scene, which is really awesome.
But I actually liked the "cue-tip" that Kevin James showed us. I thought this movie was good, entertaining, but it had all of those chick flick elements...a fight, a little depressing scene to get over stuff, and a chase scene where Will has to get his girl back and Kevin James has to get his celebrity back. This movie had good acting, too, it's gotta be one of the best jobs Will Smith has done, next to "Enemy of the State."
I give the movie a B, marking it down for it's unbelievability. The re-watching value of the film also marks it down, I mean, sometimes when you know what's gonna happen, and you know how the jokes/gags are gonna go, you don't need to see it too much. But see it, it's good for a laugh and worth a good date night.
~~
I don't like many of Robert DeNiro's movies, and haven't seen him in a role I really liked. The first time I saw "Meet the Parents," I didn't enjoy it, I didn't appreciate the humor in it, and I don't even think I was paying attention, but it took me a second viewing to appreciate anything in it. But "Meet the Parents" had a good role for Robert DeNiro, he was likable (and dislikable at the same time). But that was probably my favorite DeNiro movie, although I also liked "The Untouchables," but we're not counting that as a DeNiro movie.
You're expecting me to talk about "Meet the Fockers," a movie I...did not like. But since I didn't like it, I'm not gonna talk about that. I won't even recommend it.
I'm gonna talk about one of my favorite young actresses of today. Dakota Fanning, the cute little girl from "I am Sam" and the cute and funny little girl from "Man on Fire" has great potential. She is going to be a well known actress for the rest of her life, but I'm afraid she has yet to find her ideal role that will be loved by parents and children. "The Cat in the Hat" was just not her movie.
In "Hide and Seek," she plays a very creepy little girl who has this look on her face that just, well, creeps you out. I don't know if she practices her looks in a mirror, but she is quite an intelligent little something. She plays the daughter of Robert DeNiro in "Hide and Seek," which starts out with the death of her mother in a bathtub. DeNiro has a recurring dream of a party that you will find out the meaning of in the end.
When I'm watching a scary movie, I want to say "Oh man, that would be creepy." I want to jump, I want to laugh at myself for peeing my pants, I love to be scared. But I'm afraid I've just grown up and am either unable to be frightened, or movies these days just aren't full of their tricky stuff that would scare more than a child.
The dreams should have been full of really cool visions that would creep you out, memorable visions that would frighten you, but their only memorable because they are recurring. Then, what really creeps you out, is when DeNiro wakes up...at the same time he finishes one of these dreams.
In the beginning when he woke up, he found his wife dead in the bathtub of bloody water. His daughter Emily, played by Dakota, suffers the thought of losing her mother and seeing her mommy in the bathtub, dead.
The family moves out to a home, a very nice house that is enormous and very beautiful, but it is just DeNiro and Ms. Fanning. Out here, we learn of "Charlie," who Dakota's character talks about to her father. Charlie, to DeNiro, is an imaginary friend. There are several other characters, the police officer, the neighbor's who have lost a daughter, a creepy guy who sold them the house and brought keys [to some rooms in the house] at around 3:00am, right after DeNiro woke up from one of his scary dreams. These dreams are only scary because they are loud. There is also Famke Janssen, a really smart actress that needs to be in better movies, she has so much potential and can be really pretty. Famke is the doctor of Dakota, a character we really like.
The movie had only one scene, one moment, that frightened me, and it was one of those moments that happens in every scary movie where you think the guy is dead, and then his hand grabs you or something. But it had a lot of scenes that crept you out. I mean, if this were really happening, you would be crept out waking up at the same time many nights and seeing a door with light all around it. Then you walk through the door into a bathroom where your child has written nasty things on the walls.
Then your child denies it.
So, DeNiro has a child who he thinks blames him for his wife's death and is now communicating with "Charlie" more than with him. The movie has some frightening moments, I saw it with Kelly, who was very scared through the whole thing. Through the whole thing, for me, I was just thinking "Talk to your daughter," figure out why she has this imaginary friend.
In the end, certain things happen that lead you to believe there may actually be a killer out there who has been talking to Dakota's character. You can't help but guess who it could be. That's another really cool thing about this movie, there were suspects who you were afraid of. Everybody was creepy in the movie.
But it was the ending that didn't make sense, it wasn't put together right, and should have been re-written...even though it was a cool ending. But it went to fast, I was like "What does that mean?" I had a lot of questions and they weren't answered. It's one of those movies where you can make up your own answers and that'll have to do. But it was a cool ending.
I'm going to give this movie a B, also, on a scary movie scale. Maybe less, like a B-. But it was entertaining, and if the ending was planned out more, it would have been even better. There was a definite motive for the badguy, I'll say that. I just don't know how this was possible, and I don't think it could have happened. Again, unbelievability.
See this movie if you want, the end may ruin it for you. I recommend it because it's fun, but maybe a little depressing. The scenery is forresty, and the story, even the ending, is a little depressing. DeNiro is good, my respect for him grew, and Dakota Fanning is creepy, maybe not too cute in this role, but she's needed in this film. Good acting by everybody, including Elisabeth Shue, who is just a fun actress, even in "Hollow Man," a movie I will recommend for those who haven't seen it.
~~Spoiler Alert!~~
DeNiro fights off his neighbor, who showed up magically behind him after DeNiro ran out of his house and after whoever the villain could have been. DeNiro is a good Dad in this film, and that's why the ending is so unbelievable. After running away from the neighbor, and into the house, which he locked, you are sure that the neighbor is the killer...the killer of DeNiro's new girl friend that he met and got to know rather quickly.
The dreams DeNiro wakes up from so many nights are of a party...where he sees his wife cheating on him. He gets into a revengefull mode and suffocates his wife on their bed and then plants her body in the bathtub, slitting her wrists somehow, even though slitting the wrists wouldn't do anything if the person was already dead. "Charlie," is, in fact, DeNiro, which makes it a cool ending, Robert DeNiro is the badguy! He's a really good badguy, and you're afraid of him. But the way all of this comes out is by DeNiro walking into a room of the house, and everything is as it was when they first moved in. So that would mean DeNiro was imagining everything he's been doing, yet met a woman, and took care of his daughter, and all without actually moving in to the house.
And the neighbor who you thought was the badguy was, in fact, just looking around the house, being the creep that he was in both of his scenes, worrying about what was going on in the house. The neighbor was there to help. Or whatever.
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