The only really interesting thing about Minority Report was the basic
premise itself. It was as cliched as The Matrix - if you think a Norman
Rockwell-style ending for the poor old empaths is more cheesy than the
Matrix I am suprised. The Matrix is certainly flawed but its cinematically
interesting - Minority Report was dull, dreary and if I have to see Tom
Cruise pretend to 'ugly' again (Vanilla Sky's weak attempts - No! Don't hurt
the star's face!) only to have his jaw line and squinting eyes ever more
pronounced...
Minority Report genuinely thinks its art. Spielberg really thinks he is a
man with clever things to say (he's not dumb, he can make films very well).
There is a gut-wrenchingly trite bit on the AI DVD where he talks about our
responsibility to robots as if he were making a speech at the UN - its
hilarious. Ah well.
Surely the very fact that Memento plays games with editing, knowledge and
the time before the Now is more interestingly for the way it is portrayed
cinematically, than the straightforward cop film that Minority Report really
is.
-----Original Message-----
From: Film-Philosophy Salon [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Jeremy Robinson
Sent: 29 March 2003 17:28
To: Matt Crowder
Subject: Re: FILM-PHILOSOPHY Digest - 28 Mar 2003 to 29 Mar 2003 -
Special issue (#2003-92)
From Jeremy Robinson
Why 'The Matrix' has created so much discussion is as overdone as 'Blade
Runner'. What a bore. 'Total Recall' and 'Minority Report' are far superior
on every level to either movie. 'The Matrix' was only useful in allowing
Yuen
Wo-Ping to develop his action choreography up to the level of 'Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon', a staggering movie. Reeves, Weaving and Fishburne in
'The Matrix' are so clunky, so ungraceful! And 'The Matrix' climaxes with
the
silliest, most cliched ending: Carrie-ANne Moss bringing Keanu back from the
dead by uttering the three magic words. Yeah, like that's gonna happen! And
this is a 'cool' movie?
Ditto 'Memento': why all the fuss? There's isn't time to waste on stuff like
'The Matrix' or 'Memento'. There was nothing at stake in 'Memento', and it
was
shoddily put together, with only Guy Pearce as eye candy to pass the time
(and
'Memento' has dreary Carrie-Anne Moss again).
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