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AKIRA (1988) (***)
(First Reviewed 3/12/03)
This film has long been considered the best anime film of all-time. That’s not really saying too much about anime… I liked the idea of humans tapping into the potential of mind… However, the story that the film constructs around that idea is convoluted… Plus I’m not sure who’s supposed to be the main character. Kaneda is a dorky leader and seems more interested in getting the pretty revolutionary girl, Kei, than saving his friend or finding out what all the mystery is about… At its core it has a great idea and the visual originality is astonishing, but outside of its grand message at the end it’s a pretty thin story.

* Upon Further Review: (***1/2)
So it’s been five years since I first saw what many consider the quintessential anime feature. While I still must disagree with those that hail it as a masterpiece, I must admit that a second viewing did open it up, muting the effects of my earlier criticism to some degree.

The plot certainly seemed less convoluted after a second viewing, especially when it came to the supporting stories. This helped bring out the grand theme of the corrupting nature of supreme technological power more fully. From the biker gangs that use supped up bikes to slash each other to the uncontrollable mental power of Tetsuo, the film questions the ability of humans to “play Gods” as it may. The criticism of American nuclear action against Japan is obvious, but there are hints of Japan’s own aggression toward its neighbors as well.

On a smaller level, Kaneda still comes off as a dorky leader who seems more interested in girls. However, I bought his maturing at the end more. He sees how his childhood friend Tetsuo has lashed out at the world for the poor way he has been treated, which makes the juvenile Kaneda wake up to his own bullying and immature behavior. It just takes his best friend to turn into a giant uncontrollable blob of flesh and technology for him to grow up.

The animation still holds up amazingly well even after twenty years. One can see how the slow motion action influenced THE MATRIX films. The ambiguous ending of THE MATRIX is a direct homage to this film for sure. While I don’t think the film says much more about the abuse of power than many other films have done, to call the story thin might not be completely accurate. By no means is it as deep as the rabid fans proclaim, but once you can piece the various threads together there is a grand message. Like FRANKENSTEIN before it, AKIRA addresses the idea that humans might be destined to be undone by their own advances.

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SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS (1941) (***)
(First Reviewed 9/18/01)
Considered by many as a comedy classic, I found it a bit dated. Film buffs might just want to check it out because of its place in history and others might just want to watch it for Veronica Lake. This slapstick film follows a movie director who is tired of making comedies and wants to make a social message film (which were very popular in the 1930s when this film was made). Due to his privileged life, he decides to head out into the world with 10 cents in his pocket to find trouble. However, the studio determines he’s too valuable and sends a busload of people out after him to make sure that he doesn’t get himself killed. His adventures often lead back to Hollywood and at the moment when he decides to give up is when he really learns about hardship. It is considered the film that justifies the existence of slapstick in general; making the point that laughter is all that some people have. If you like films with witty banter and people falling down a lot then this is a film for you.

* Upon Further Review: (****)
SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS was one of the first films that I reviewed back when Rick’s Flicks Picks was only an e-mail newsletter. Above is the complete review as I originally wrote it. As I’ve gone back and posted many of my old reviews, I’ve expanded on them and refined them when my opinion hasn’t changed. However, I decided to post my original review of this film as is because it shows two things 1) my evolution as review writer and 2) my evolution as movie lover.

My under-whelmed first impression of SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS tainted my view of Preston Sturges work moving forward. But something happened my second time around with this film; it opened up. I was captured by Sturges deft sense of irony. The haphazard plot is innovative and adds to the overall tone of the film in ways that eluded me upon first watching it. Many times I go back and give films that didn’t strike me the first time a second chance and they just reconfirm all the things I didn’t like about them in the first place. But on a rare and wonderful occasion a film bursts off the screen like I am watching a completely different production.

Joel McCrea as John Sullivan, the director working for meaning in his work, and Veronica Lake as known as The Girl, who wants to get into the movie business, have a nice rapport that makes us want them to live happily ever after. Lake’s nameless character is a bit demeaning, but it’s an obvious stab at the execs need for a little bit of sex in the picture. As the privileged Sullivan tries to discover what it is like to be poor, his continued failed attempts always led back to the lap of luxury. The joyous satirical irony of this idea that a rich man pretending to be poor will never really know what it is like because he always has a golden net waiting to catch him is ingenious. Plus, the way Sullivan really discovers hardship is brilliant in its layered implications. Again, that wonderful irony. Looking back at my original review, it seems that I looked at the film’s surface and wasn’t able to penetrate to the nuance.

I think what struck me as dated was the editing style, which wasn’t as quick to the punch as we are use to today. This makes some of the pratfalls seem stilted. But this time I didn’t see them as pointless. While maybe not as sly as the ones in THE LADY EVE, the slapstick is always directed toward the rich, often throwing their privileges back in their faces. I said, “It is considered the film that justifies the existence of slapstick in general; making the point that laughter is all that some people have,” in my original review. This time around I felt it. I felt the sympathy of the characters toward the less fortunate, which bleed through from its creator Sturges, the first screenwriter to make it as a director in Hollywood. It’s like I’ve seen the light and have been converted from a Sturges denier to a convert.

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SCREAM 2 (**1/2)
(First Reviewed: 6/15/04)
Like the original SCREAM film, the characters know the rules of horror flicks — even the rules of horror sequels. Higher body count and more gore. This “rule” typically ruins other horror sequels and succeeds in doing the same with SCREAM 2…

You might be able to guess the killer(s), but you’ll never guess why. The film does have some intelligence. I liked the classroom debate about films influencing behavior, the talk about sequel clichés and the identity of the killer was pretty ingenious, especially the killers’ line explaining their motivation.

As well, the movie within the movie was kind of funny, especially Tori Spelling and Luke Wilson’s part. What SCREAM 2 really lacks is real scares. Though SCREAM sometimes relied on the loud sound effects and someone jumping into frame, at times, SCREAM 2 relies on it for all its scares. No scene in the film even comes close to the brilliantly constructed scare fest that starts off the first flick…

The overall film is really hit or miss. Some parts are good, but those scenes are surrounded by a lot of average stuff. I recommend this to horror and/or SCREAM fans only.

* Upon Further Review: (***)
I still agree for the most part with what I said in my original review, however after seeing the film a second time I had far less problems with its flaws and enjoyed its good parts even more. First and foremost the film is smart, especially about horror film franchises. I credit this quality to screenwriter Kevin Williamson, whose self-referential style is funny and intelligent.

Though this film isn’t as tense or suspenseful as the original, it does have its moments — enough moments to recommend the film. The opening sequence at the movie premiere played a lot better the second time I saw it. I also really liked some of the new characters that were added.

My enjoyment of this film was only heightened after seeing SCREAM 3, which is total crap. That film just highlighted everything that is great about the first two films in the series, because they are all missing from the third film. Reviewing films is not a perfect science and opinions can surely change. Sometimes it takes a bad movie to make you appreciated a flawed, but good film much, much more.

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HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE (***1/2)
(First Reviewed: 11/26/01)
One of the most important things about making a great fantasy/sci-fi film is the creation of the world. That’s why HARRY POTTER is so great… The characters are rich and not cliché, which is the most surprising thing about the film. J.K. Rowling knows kids and developed all of them with different strokes… I could spend pages writing about the wonder of various scenes… I can’t wait to re-visit this world and these characters in subsequent adventures.

* Upon further review: (****)
My original review stands pretty much as it did originally. However, I really do feel the HARRY POTTER films are turning out as masterpieces of children’s entertainment. Like THE WIZARD OF OZ, you can watch them as an adult and not even think once that you’re watching a film targeted to kids. That’s saying a lot. For all the films I’ve seen, it’s one of the ten best films of 2001.

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HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (***1/2)
(First Reviewed: 12/23/01)
I liked CHAMBER OF SECRETS quite a bit, even though it didn’t blow me away like the first one did. This may be due to the fact that the plot structure is basically the same… The real delight of the film is the added details that have expanded the wonderfully immense world that was created in the first installment. I loved the plot element about mud-bloods… Another highlight is the new characters…

* Upon further review: (****)
I think the real reason I only gave this film 3 1/2 stars was because it didn’t seem as original as THE SORCERER’S STONE. But I think I had that reaction because I had already been introduced to the film’s universe. After watching this back-to-back with the first film, it really stands up against it. I really can’t say that I like one any more than the other. But this is a film that really stands up well to repeated viewings. I’m really looking forward to next June for the third installment.

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