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What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? (2004)
I had friends in college who would have enjoyed seeing this high.
This preachy film is 5% dumbed-down science and 95% pop psychiatry and philosophy. A lot of the statements presented as science are actually pop philosophy, and some of the "experts" on quantum physics know just enough to misinterpret it. They kept repeating some of the quotes; I don't know if they didn't have enough film for a whole movie or if they think the audience is really dumb and needs endless repetition to get the point. Even when I agreed with some of the opinions about religion, I was irritated by the claims that their opinions were proved by science. The animation, wedding scene and loud music could make this a enjoyable watch for our stoned friends, who might also think the pop philosophy is really deep.
Gabriel Over the White House (1933)
love song for fascism
According to this movie, the US could solve its problems (then in the Great Depression after the market crash in '29) by making the president a dictator. Guided by the advice of the Angel Gabriel, the president made dictator avoids the red tape from due process and the balance of powers. For example, he can get rid of gangsters by trying them for execution in police courts (without being too fussy about requiring evidence for things the police ``know'' to be true). The quaint set of populist policies advocated is naive and crosses modern liberal/conservative lines. In the movie, the only alternative is having things run by Congress and a Cabinet that are self-interested, corrupt, and beholden to corrupt bosses. Pure political fertilizer, just like a modern campaign.
Chicago (2002)
B musical on speed
Dance is the thing: the mediocre plot, one-dimensional characters, insipid music, and weak acting are all calculated to stay out of the way of the frenetic Bob Fosse-style dance numbers. I felt like I had seen the dance numbers before in All That Jazz (1979), and I did not have any urge to see them again. Personally, I had more fun with Roxie Hart (1942), another campy B musical based on the same story. The earlier musical has more silliness and less of an ugly hard cynical edge. The earlier musical also had more heart. Ginger Rogers' Roxie Hart was sexy and vulnerable and seemed like a real person in spite of a weak story and script. By contrast, all the characters in Chicago (2002) are cartoon characters.
Whale Rider (2002)
an enjoyable piece of fluff
The plot and message of this movie would have been daring fifty years ago but are not controversial today. The overt sentimentality and predictability of the film are compensated by a very neat construction and good performances by Keisha Castle-Hughes and Rawiri Paratene. More depth and less saccharin would have been better, but the movie is still enjoyable if you are in the mood for seeing something light. If possible, see the film without seeing the trailer first, since the trailer gives away 96% of the movie.
Naqoyqatsi (2002)
the worst film i have seen in a long time
The stop-action photography and other effects are mostly cheezy, and the rest have been around forever (e.g. from the time of 2001: A Space Odyssey). If you have kept up with news and history, you have already seen the images in a more interesting format. If you have studied any economics, history, politics, or international relations, this film will not help you to make any new connections. Save your time and money and skip this turkey.
Respiro (2002)
pretentious and disappointing
A lack of character development proves fatal for this movie. Valeria Golino's character Grazia starts out looking like a bipolar personality but quickly degenerates into a caricature and seems unreal. The other characters are thin, probably the writer's fault not the actors'. The only exception is Filippo Pucillo as the younger son Filippo: his energy and bravado are funny and convincing.
I suppose the children's petty cruelty is supposed to contribute to an atmosphere of bleakness and emphasize the pervasive primal spirits in the town, but for me, the gratuitous cruelty is redundant and contributes to the overall boredom of the film. Some scenes were amusing but not necessarily intended that way, for example, when the mistreated dogs turn out to be fat and healthy and look like they are ready to show. The pretty cast and setting make for an appealing trailer but cannot carry the whole movie.