Friday, December 17, 2004

A Semi-Unfortunate Event

So, "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." I'm not quite sure what to say about this movie. The sets were amazing. The story and script were good. The cast was great. (Although, Jim Carrey's performance was a bit too "over-the-top." Then again, I suspected going in that it probably would be. It is Jim Carrey after all. Subtle is not something he does.) Still, there was something missing. I don't know what it was. I'm having trouble pinpointing it. It was sort of like watching a Tim Burton movie that wasn't a Tim Burton movie. This film wanted to be a Tim Burton movie and probably would have been better if it had been. It just wasn't sinister enough. It had it's disturbing moments but they weren't quite disturbing enough. I guess that's what my issue is. The movie almost gets where it wants to go, but then rather than taking the plunge off the cliff into the abyss it just teeters there on the brink, teasing you with what could have been. Sometimes you need to take the plunge. It's sex without an orgasm. It still feels good, but in the end, if you don't get that toe-curling finale, you just end up disappointed; unfulfilled. That was what this movie needed. A climax. An edge. A fullfillment of it's potential. And it didn't have it. It's still not a bad movie. It's worth watching. Meryl Streep in particular was outstanding and it was visually a stunning film. It just wasn't quite fucked up enough for my tastes. Maybe put it in your NetFlix queue or something...

"We all have different desires and needs, but if we don't discover what we want from ourselves and what we stand for, we will live passively and unfulfilled." -- Bill Watterson

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