This fractal is called Yin Yang. I picked it because it was a two-colored fractal, representing positive and negative energy. It's a bit like today's blog where I review two movies . . .
I promised you movie reviews in this blog and I think it’s high time you got some.
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Robyn and I haven’t seen a movie since New Year’s Day (it was Dreamgirls and we enjoyed it thoroughly but we won't be reviewing it here): we have gone to the theater twice in the past two weeks. First we went to see The Bridge To Tarabithia on Presidents Day: from the previews I’d seen I went in expecting some sort of high fantasy cross between Narnia and Lord of the Rings. Imaginer my surprise when what I saw was a touching story about relationships--two outcast kids finding friendship while dealing with school, parents and teachers. Yes, there were fantastic elements in the movie but they were secondary to the larger plot and didn’t have a major impact on the story as a whole.
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Robyn and I haven’t seen a movie since New Year’s Day (it was Dreamgirls and we enjoyed it thoroughly but we won't be reviewing it here): we have gone to the theater twice in the past two weeks. First we went to see The Bridge To Tarabithia on Presidents Day: from the previews I’d seen I went in expecting some sort of high fantasy cross between Narnia and Lord of the Rings. Imaginer my surprise when what I saw was a touching story about relationships--two outcast kids finding friendship while dealing with school, parents and teachers. Yes, there were fantastic elements in the movie but they were secondary to the larger plot and didn’t have a major impact on the story as a whole.
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This movie, based on a “popular” children’s book (which I'd never heard of) by Katherine Paterson, is the story of Jessie Arrons Jr. (played to sullen perfection by Josh Hutchensen), a talented artist and athlete dealing with a turbulent home life and difficulty at school meets new girl Leslie Burked (Anna Sophia Robb of Because of Wynne Dixie) who is equally athletic, and a gifted writer with a fertile imagination. The two become from an unlikely friendship as they imagine the fantastic realm of Terabithia into existence. Robert Patrick (Flags of our Fathers) has the schizophrenic (not really) role of Jesse Aarons Sr. who has trouble relating to his only son. Zooey Deschannel (about the only standout in Failure to Launch) plays the role of a hippie-chick Music Teacher who tries to encourage her students creativity who ends up inadvertently brings tragedy. The plot as a whole doesn’t take any unexpected turns but most of the characters will surprise you in unexpected if reasonable ways.. Be warned: the movie takes a surprising turn near the end that may well have you in tears.
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The production values are high throughout and the movie is a pleasure to watch all the way through for the craft alone. The movie has broad appeal that crosses generational and genre lines. I wouldn’t recommend it for children under about ten (because of the serious issues) but older children and parents would enjoy it.
The production values are high throughout and the movie is a pleasure to watch all the way through for the craft alone. The movie has broad appeal that crosses generational and genre lines. I wouldn’t recommend it for children under about ten (because of the serious issues) but older children and parents would enjoy it.
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FINAL GRADE: B+
FINAL GRADE: B+
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The Bridge to Terabithia was obliterated at the box office in its first two weeks by Ghost Rider. Seldom have I seen worse reviews for a movie that did so well at the box office so I was curious to see what it was that was drawing people into the theaters. Sadly, the critics were right in this case.
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Ghost Rider is a muddled second-rate mess-of-a-movie based on a second rate comic book character. The plot has more holes than a hunk of Swiss Cheese and each and every one is large enough to jump a motorcycle through. (All too many times I was jerked out of the movie by a “huh?” moment though in fairness I should say that Robyn didn‘t recognize any of these moments until I pointed them out to her on the way home. Maybe I'm just too much of a critic . . .) The scares aren’t frightening and the special effects, while pretty, are nothing special.
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Ghost Rider is a muddled second-rate mess-of-a-movie based on a second rate comic book character. The plot has more holes than a hunk of Swiss Cheese and each and every one is large enough to jump a motorcycle through. (All too many times I was jerked out of the movie by a “huh?” moment though in fairness I should say that Robyn didn‘t recognize any of these moments until I pointed them out to her on the way home. Maybe I'm just too much of a critic . . .) The scares aren’t frightening and the special effects, while pretty, are nothing special.
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Nicholas Cage (of National Treasure fame) channels Elvis on Prozac is protagonist Johnny Blaze who sells his soul to the Devil (played like a black leather-clad CPA by Peter Fonda). Sam Eliot (can you believe he used to be a hunk?) plays desiccated cowboy Carter Slade (who has a strange connection to the Ghost Rider): he does the best he can with the clichéd claptrap he has to work with (but, like the rest of the movie, fails to rise above the mediocre.) Wes Bentley (the video-obsessed kid from American Beauty) plays Satan spawn (literally) Blackheart. (You know Blackeart was the chubby Goth kid who used to get beat up by the Jocks on a regular basis when he was in High School) He comes across about as scary as a spinach salad. The rest of the cast are forgotten even as you’re watching them on screen.
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Ghost Rider really isn’t a bad movie--but it’s really not good: I find it hard to believe that it is racking up the dollars it’s bringing in. Comic book fans (at least the ones who are none to discriminating) might like it but horror fans won’t care for it. Teenage and young adult males would probably enjoy the movie but most of the rest of the world should stay away.
Ghost Rider really isn’t a bad movie--but it’s really not good: I find it hard to believe that it is racking up the dollars it’s bringing in. Comic book fans (at least the ones who are none to discriminating) might like it but horror fans won’t care for it. Teenage and young adult males would probably enjoy the movie but most of the rest of the world should stay away.
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FINAL GRADE: D+
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