Capsule Reviews - January 2002

"The Majestic"
1
An overly long, overly sentimental story of an amnesiac who tries to discover who he may or may not be, but turns silly at the end.

"Vanilla Sky"
1.5
A man who has everything begins to lose his mind, or does he? A movie that isn’t always what it seems to be and just isn’t that good, sorry to say.

"A Beautiful Mind"
2
A certified genius develops paranoid schizophrenia. It glossed over some parts I would have like to have seen, but was fairly interesting nonetheless.

[2009: It was OK, but did not deserve to be the Best Picture (tm) for that year.]

"The Royal Tenenbaums"
2
A comedy about the world’s most dysfunctional family. Gene Hackman is, as always, wonderful.

[2009: Almost always. I gave him a pass on "Behind Enemy Lines" and he was pretty bad in "Crimson Tide." With the ensemble cast here, I wonder why I singled out Hackman for praise.]

"Kate and Leopold"
2
A time travel romantic comedy that is much better than one might expect.

"In the Bedroom"
2.5
A story of how a couple copes after tragedy strikes. Great performances, but a weak ending.

"Joe Somebody"
1
The story of a little guy standing up for himself that we’ve seen in dozens of movies. "Joe Somebody" is notable for having been filmed in Plymouth, with exterior shots at the eBenX and Gage buildings. I didn’t see the Onvoy buildings in any scenes, but I recognized a lot of the backgrounds.

[2009: I saw a scene being filmed in June 2001, contributing to my personal connection to the movie. I own a copy and watch it once in a while. It's still fun to spot Twin Cities landmarks and it's holding up pretty well in general. The 10-year-old daughter was played by Hayden Panettiere, who inspired me to criticize "I Love You, Beth Cooper" recently.

The buildings I mentioned are at 505 Hwy 169 N and 10000 Hwy 55 W.]