2005 Movies

[yalumesse]

author_by_night  has been doing a fun thing where they list all the big blockbuster movies of a given year and thoughts on it in retrospect. My replies have gotten a bit too long so I thought, why not post it here?

So here's the major movies from that I've seen and my thoughts on them. Feel free to share your thoughts on any of these movies too, or thoughts on my thoughts.

Star Wars Revenge of the Sith: At the time I hated it because I was too young to really like anything that didn't have a blameless protagonist whose failures were entirely the fault of external sources. Now I just dislike it because there were major common sense logic holes in the writing that have nothing to do with a tragic protagonist making bad choices.

Batman Begins: Liked it at the time, as it seemed to make a reasonably realistic way for someone to end up dressing like a bat, but I went off it pretty quickly.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Couldn't stand it; the Gene Wilder version is just so much better.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: I was already unimpressed by the Potter movies at this point and was taking issue with every adaptational change, but I still think it wasn't done great. I particularly hate the choice (director's? actor's?) for Dumbledore to shout and run at Harry like a madman when asking whether he put his name in the goblet. I mean... why?

Serenity: I actually saw this before the Firefly episodes; a friend thought it would be a better/quicker way to see if I liked it, and I did, and then devoured the episodes. I still love it, as long as I don't think too hard about the creator.

Chronicles of Narnia: Hm. I found it too simple and childish at the time, then learned of the religious layers and backed off entirely, then went back later found RthStewart's fanfic that expanded on it and made it all make a lot more relatable to me, so I always picture the visuals from this movie, but I haven't rewatched it in ages.

Walk the Line: Saw this years later, not really my kind of movie. I'm glad they got actors who could really sing.

Corpse Bride: I don't know when I first saw this but I always enjoyed it. I love singing along with it.

Pride and Prejudice: Apparently it's sacreligious to say it, but I like this version way better than the 90 miniseries. Except for that 10-minute piano-backed morning mist walk before the second proposal, that was way too long. But that aside I always enjoy rewatching it. ...But I did learn later that the costumes are 1790s, not 1820s, apparently because that was when Austen first wrote it, as opposed to when it was finally published, which is an interesting choice but not one I'm opposed to.


Haven't seen:
- RENT
- Wedding Crashers
- Million Dollar Baby
- King Kong
- War of the Worlds
- Madagascar
- Hitch
- Brokeback Mountain (though it's still on my to-watch list)
- Flightplan
- Last Days
- In Her Shoes
- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Comments

Serenity spoilers in this comment

[author_by_night]

In case anyone reading this hasn't seen Serenity, I spoil it pretty badly here.


Serenity: I actually saw this before the Firefly episodes; a friend thought it would be a better/quicker way to see if I liked it, and I did, and then devoured the episodes.

Pretty much same. I was actually a little disappointed because I really had wanted to watch the show itself, but I was overruled. Though they were also shocked I didn't have a stronger response to Wash's death, and... I get why. He has such a huge role on the show, but without that context, it didn't hit as hard as I think it would have otherwise. Same with Shepherd Book.

Joss Whedon... yeah. Can't think too much about him. I will say that even before the really bad stuff we know now, I watched a few interviews with him and he came across as extremely smarmy.

Dumbledore to shout and run at Harry like a madman when asking whether he put his name in the goblet. I mean... why?

Yeah. To be fair, I did take it as him knowing this was bad (as opposed to not believing Harry or whatever), but at the same time, in the books DD is always measured and calm. He'll face Voldie all "hey Tom, what's up?" (At least, from what I remember. It's been years since I re-read the books.) So OMGWTFBBQ* Dumbledore doesn't really sync with who he is in canon.


*There's a blast from the past.

I think a lot of people like the 2005 version. :) I didn't realize the costumes were 1790s? The hair seems very modern to me, based on my understanding. And Caroline wears a dress that seems very modern at one point. But it could also be my own misconceptions, I'm not a fashion historian.

Like I said in my post, I do like the movie Mrs. Bennett much better. The series treated her like a cartoon. She's flawed, but she's also trying to save her daughters from destitution, as she outright states. If Mr. Bennett had died, the sisters and mother would have had hope that family might take them in. So yes, she's pushy and has no concept of boundaries, but she's also scared. I think the movie understands that better than the series.

Re: Serenity spoilers in this comment

[yalumesse]

Firefly: In retrospect I wish m friend had shown me the first few scenes of the movie, but not the end, because I didn't feel must at Wash's and Book's death, and then when watching the episodes I knew what was coming.

Pride and Prejudice: I'm not an expert in historical costumes but I do watch some YouTubers, I think this was the video where I heard that, but haven't rewatched it, so might be wrong.

Mrs Bennett is an interesting character like that, and yeah, I didn't like how the miniseries treated her. But I didn't like how the miniseries treated most characters that weren't Elizabeth or Darcy. The movie didn't have nearly much time with any of them, but I felt like they were less caricatured. But then, I only saw the miniseries once, so maybe I'd like it better on second watch.

[delphi]

I'm sure I must have seen Goblet of Fire, because I have it in my head that it was the last of the movies I ended up seeing - but I feel like the very end is the only part I can vaguely picture, which is strange because I was still pretty properly in the fandom at the time. It made an almost impressive lack of an impression on me.

(Also, honestly, I prefer the 2005 P&P to the miniseries too.)

[yalumesse]

That kind of lack of memory probably says a lot about a movie :( Now that you say it, I remember a lot less of that movie than I thought. Do you remember more of movies 1-3?

[delphi]

I definitely remember 1-3 better, especially 1 and 3.

Moody was one of my favourite characters, so I feel like I should at least remember his scenes from Gof - but I can really only recollect Cedric's death with any clarity, and the visiting students' arrival. Although now that I see that the movie came out in November rather than over summer or winter break, I'm second-guessing myself. I'm not sure I would have left campus just to see it, although it's possible I actually rented it that next summer.

[yalumesse]

Cedric's death was designed to be the most memorable, it was a story about how everything before that didn't matter, so I guess it succeeded there, but... meh.

There's very few movies that I remember where I first saw them. I think the only ones I recall cinema vs at home are the ones that were really great or really bad. I guess it doesn't matter so much this long after?

[delphi]

Ha, fair - I don't usually remember where I saw a movie either, but I lived on campus during my undergrad years and it was a half-hour by bus to the nearest movie theatre that showed new releases. So, seeing that Goblet of Fire came during the school term, rather than on a break when I would have been home, briefly got me wondering if I actually saw it at all.

[yalumesse]

Fair enough - that's quite a trip!