Commentaries - August 2008

We have changed… on the outside – 08/21/08

As you may have already noticed (well, I you haven’t then you must me blind), GG’s Movie Reviews has changed its time to Star Reviews. I have done this for several reasons: the name is shorter, we have also changed the name of the Star Wars website, so there was no use in keeping the “GG” in the title, and I pretty much wanted to disassociate the film criticism part of my website from Star Wars. I’m sorry for not giving an advance warning or something, but I’m pretty sure this name won’t affect you at all, will it? Content will be the same, website design is the same, and I will remain here, as always, providing with high-quality movie reviews. To watch film is what I love to do, so I don’t plan to quit this “job” in quite some time.

OK, so yeah, the site name has changed… now get over it, because I want to talk about something different: The Clone Wars. As you may have already know, I wasn’t able to watch the film last week, BUT I’m watching it tomorrow, so my review should be available tomorrow night. I’m kind of nervous because I’m watching it with my girlfriend (who isn’t a big Star Wars fan to be exact), and I just don’t want the movie to suck. I guess it won’t… at least not as much as most critics are saying it does. On the other hand, I’m also watching a horribly-received movie on Sunday – The X-Files I Want to Believe. I don’t remember much about the first film and I don’t know much about the TV show, so if you want to read a fresh perspective of the movie from a non-fan, check out the site on Sunday night.

So yeah, that’s pretty much it. I don’t want to write that much because I’ve already written for the Star Wars part of the site. I’ll keep posting in here, as usual, and I’ll keep writing reviews, so if you love films, this new Star Reviews is for you. I hope, loyal readers, that you will keep returning to the site, and that you will keeping enjoying the reviews. Take care!

Sebastián Zavala

Victory of the Dark Side – 08/15/08

This is the weekend of Clone Wars, Tropic Thunder and Vicky Cristina Barcelona… for those who live in the United States. The Ben Stiller movie and the Woody Allen film haven’t been released in here yet (actually, I haven’t seen any posters or trailers for any of those movies in local cinemas, so I have no idea when I’ll be able to watch them), but the Clone Wars flick was released here today. The problem was, it was supposed to be released yesterday, (and I was supposed to see it yesterday) but there was a problem with the delivery of film cans or something… so I ended up watching Made of Honor with my girlfriend. I won’t be able to see Clone Wars today, so I guess I’ll do it on Saturday or Sunday and post my review on the same day.

And yes, I do want to watch the Clone Wars. The thing is, I’m getting a little afraid. Believe it or not, I still have a little faith on the Star Wars franchise and George Lucas, but the film is being received very poorly by both critics and audiences. Normal people (aka not critics) who have seen the film don’t seem to like it, and professional reviewers have been giving pretty bad reviews to the film. As of today, Clone Wars has a tomatometer score of 19% in Rotten Tomatoes, (I mean, even The Phantom Menace was “fresh”!) which is worse than the likes of Hancock or The X-Files: I Want to Believe. (Well, at least it seems to be better than The Mummy 3, although I’m not sure how exactly that’s a good thing.) My point is that I’m getting scared because I’m a Star Wars fan, I want to like the film, and because this could mean the TV series could also suck. Also because I’ve already ordered the soundtrack CD through amazon.com, and some critics don’t even seem to like the friggin’ music. I’ve always liked Star Wars, but if the film ends up disappointing me, I would be very sad.

Regarding this week’s reviews: I reviewed Inside Man because it is one of my favorite films of recent years, and I ended up watching Made of Honor because my girlfriend wanted to, and because the Clone Wars release was postponed until today. The film itself is not bad; actually, it is suitably enjoyable as a by-the-numbers romantic comedy, but its fatal flaw is that it contains virtually no comedic material. Considering it’s supposed to be a romantic comedy, the movie should have been much funnier. Still, I’m pretty sure teenage girls and women in general have/will enjoy it.

So yeah, that’s it, I guess. I still have about six or so DVDs to watch (Citizen Kane, The Great Debaters, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, to name a few), but I haven’t had the time to do so. And since my MOCK exams start next week (if you don’t know what a MOCK exam is in the context of the IB programme, Google it), I don’t think I’ll be able to watch them any time soon. I’ll try, though. Oh, and regarding Stranger in Peril, we’re just about to finish principal photography, and the editing of about 70% of the movie is complete. I’ve also released the first trailer, so if you have any interest on my work, you should watch it. I’m really excited… things are actually working beautifully!

Sebastián “GG” Zavala

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