I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m in a pretty good mood. Why, you ask? Well, I’m one of the lucky folks who lives in a city showing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon this weekend. I have been eagerly awaiting this film for months, and it has finally arrived. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big fan of director Ang Lee. I’m also a huge fan of Michelle Yeoh. I was first introduced to her work a few years ago, when I saw Supercop. From start to finish, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. The story was far from brilliant, but the stunts were absolutely amazing. Michelle Yeoh actually jumps a ramp and lands her motorcycle atop a moving train. I recently heard the actress say in an interview that, prior to filming Supercop, she’d never even been on a motorcycle. And here she was landing one on top of a moving train. Wowsers! Needless to say, the idea of combining the directorial sensibilities of Ang Lee with the martial arts and acting abilities of Yeoh thrills me. I’ll share my thoughts in Tuesday’s column, and I hope that any of you who are fortunate enough to see the film this weekend will do the same. Now, on with the show...

Roughcut.com reader Woodge is starting to become somewhat of a regular here at Civilian Voices. Today, he responds to another reader’s negative review of Vertical Limit, gives us his vote for next action hero, and responds to my question about movie theater pet peeves...

"I read Civilian Voices contributor Paul Doro’s negative comments about Vertical Limit with interest. He thinks Vertical Limit is ‘one of the worst movies in a long time’ and that ‘Chris O’Donnell is the worst action hero in cinema history.’ Strong stuff and -- wait, let me check -- yep, my brain is still in my head. Whew! As far as this year’s worst movie goes, Supernova, Eye of the Beholder, Mission to Mars, and Gone in 60 Seconds far surpass any other movies in terms of awfulness. And while Chris O’Donnell doesn’t have the charisma of Mel Gibson, Hugh Jackman, or say, George Clooney, he can act circles around Schwarzenegger. And O’Donnell’s presence doesn’t elicit the snickers of derision I reserve for Sly Stallone. Perhaps Paul was just in bad mood when he saw Vertical Limit. I stand by my earlier positive assessment of that flick. "Who gets my vote as the next big action hero? I’m betting on Jet Li. But I’d also count on Michelle Yeoh to make a big impression. For runners-up, I’d pick Heath Ledger and Ben Affleck. What I’d really like is an action hero who can act. Maybe The Rock will be good. Wrestling -- WWF-style wrestling -- is acting after all, so he’s already a step ahead of Schwarzenegger. "Speaking of pet peeves for theaters, I agree that center aisles are a bad idea. I’ve noticed that the newer theaters have done away with center aisles, so that’s a step in the right direction. These excellent new theaters with stadium seating, digital sound, and huge screens have turned me into such a theater snob that I recently gave away a free pass to a screening of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- the most hotly awaited flick of the year -- because the theater it’s being shown in has a small, dirty screen, old seats, and low-tech sound. It’s one of those theaters where a big head in front of you will have you squirming to find another seat. No thanks. I’d rather pay money to see it in a theater with all the trimmings." -- Woodge

Woodge isn’t alone in his support of Vertical Limit. Corbin S., also a regular here at Civilian Voices, thinks the action-adventure flick is a-ok. He doesn’t mind recommending Proof of Life either...

"I saw both Vertical Limit and Proof of Life over the weekend and have no problem recommending either of them. "Despite Chris O’Donnell, Vertical Limit works. Even though I’d seen bits of all of them in the trailers, the action sequences are exciting and surprisingly tense. I don’t care what Richard Roeper says. (Why would I? The guy actually gave Blair Witch 2 a thumbs up.) That’s exactly what I want in this kind of film: action sequence after action sequence after action sequence. Sure, a better movie could have been made from the material, but the one that was made plays just fine. And, yes, there are a number of implausibilities (like the fact that, at the end, we cut from the rescue straight to a hospital bed, seemingly forgetting about a little thing called the descent). But with everything coming as fast and furious as it does, I’m glad they packed that nitroglycerine -- it made things a lot more fun to watch. "Proof of Life was also good -- quite good, actually. Apparently, I saw a different cut than the one David Poland saw, because the one I viewed was exciting, dramatic, and packed to the gills with verisimilitude. I was thoroughly entertained. And for the record, I think a simple (though admittedly significant) kiss between Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe works just fine and, in the context of the film, is perfectly reasonable and justifiable." -- Corbin Saleken

In Thursday’s edition of Civilian Voices, several folks shared their thoughts on the new Tomb Raider trailer. Adding his views on the topic is B. James...

"I saw the Tomb Raider trailer yesterday. I found it on dailyradar.com but if you want to see it, you can check out tombraidermovie.com and download the sucker. "As far as what the trailer shows....well, I think it’s what everyone expected. There’s a shot of Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft’s booty shorts and tank top. There are some shots of Angelina Jolie kicking some robot a**. There are a couple of shots of Angelina Jolie in a white outfit that blows in the wind, uncovering just enough to make every 13-year-old computer geek (or 30-year-old computer geek, for that matter) drool and circle the movie’s release date on his calendar. There’s a shot of Angelina Jolie making funny with some guy who will obviously be the love interest. And there are some ominous comments about the plot of the movie...something to do with mystical/magical clock...I think. "But did I mention that Angelina Jolie is in this movie? "To be sure, the sets look big and expensive, and the effects looked appropriately computerized. But the movie itself looks like a run-of-the-mill adaptation of a computer game. "The fact remains, however, that Lara Croft has a legion of fans. People are going to see this movie. Butts will be in the seats. And for those of us who don’t play computer games...well, there’s Angelina Jolie. And I’ll be damned if that’s not a good enough reason to get me into a theater on a hot summer day. "Thanks. I’m out." -- B. James

Also weighing in on the Tomb Raider trailer is Tristan F...

"Well Angelina Jolie looks the part, filling out the skimpy outfits and performing the two-gun salute well. However, the verdict is still out on whether she can pull off a British accent, as I heard very little of it during the advert. It has the same rudimentary flash and bang that all action-movie trailers have, although it continued in the annoying tradition of the Gone in 60 Seconds ad with that whole ‘stop’ shout out and rewinding of certain scenes. Main objection about it -- ‘Lara’s Party Mix.’ Very lame." -- Tristan Fidler

With an Irish perspective on Jolie’s new project, here’s Ian, who also has a few things to say about overseas release schedules and an overlooked Soderbergh flick...

"After seeing the pictures and the trailer for Tomb Raider, I have to admit that I am looking forward to the film. To my mind, Jolie is the only new actress who could convincingly play ‘tough as nails’ on screen. Hell, she was more butch than most of the guys in Gone in 60 Seconds! It has the potential to be a really cool action flick with a truly star-making central performance from Jolie. "As for the box office, Wonder Boys has not been long out over here in Ireland, and I just want to say it is a truly great, small, intimate film. Douglas is magnetic; McDormand is breathtakingly yet subtly superb; whilst Maguire and Holmes continue to give me hope for future talent. And as for Robert Downey Jr., if he were on the ‘straight and narrow,’ this would definitely be up for several supporting actor awards over the next few months. The guy is so talented. It’s such a waste. "What I would like to complain about, though, are the terrible release schedules for American films abroad. Last year, we didn’t get American Beauty, Magnolia, Three Kings, or Being John Malkovich until March! And this year, Traffic, Cast Away, Quills, and many more of the top autumn and winter films won’t come out until next February at the earliest. Hell, we are only getting Meet the Parents next week! It can be very frustrating to listen to the hype grow about films and then realize that they cannot possibly live up to the film that’s in your head, because you have heard too much about them for the past four months. "And in one more completely unrelated topic, I really want to see Soderbergh carry Best Director this year. Not only because I love Erin Brockovich and because I have been reliably informed that Traffic is incredible (and that he finally finds a role that will give Zeta-Jones some longevity) but because the best film of last year that nobody saw, Out of Sight, was an unadulterated delight from start to finish and was cruelly ignored." -- Ian

Couldn’t agree with you more, Ian. Out of Sight was a truly terrific grown-ups movie. It was smart and sophisticated, and it made me forgive George Clooney for his performance in Batman & Robin. It’s really too bad that it failed to draw bigger audiences during its release. For those of you who missed out, rent it. You won’t be disappointed.

Judging from the lengthy e-mails I received, I’m not the only with who has problems with local movie theaters. Three Civilians give their views on center aisles, stadium seating, and those irritating commercials...

"I used to live in Orlando, Florida, and there is an AMC theater in Disney’s planned community of Celebration that has an irritating design flaw. Despite its kitschy 1960s style, ‘downtown’ exterior, and its art deco, sparkly clean lobby, we rarely went there because of its poor, stadium-like auditorium design. "There is what I would call a ‘stadium hole’ right where the best seats would be. Not only that, but the entrance to the auditorium faces the same direction as the glass entrance to the lobby, so if you attend a matinee show, every time someone comes in late, there is a major light leak onto the screen. Very annoying. I suppose the only good thing about this arrangement is that said latecomers can’t really walk in front of anyone until they have chosen their row, due to the raised nature of the stadium seating area. Which brings up another point. That whole center aisle (and it’s a back-to-front center, not a down-the-middle center) means that there are virtually no seats level with center screen. What were they thinking???" -- acrisp

"I am also not fond of single-aisle auditoriums. Not because there is a single aisle, but because the screens in these auditoriums are so darn small. In 1992, I attended The Last of the Mohicans in a single-aisle auditorium that featured a screen that shrank to achieve scope status. That really p***ed me off. I could also go on about how the seats really numbed my butt, but that’s a given. The aisle seats really do work best in a double-aisle auditorium. Or, in one of my favorite local theaters, a two-and-a-half-aisle auditorium (the aisle stops halfway down the theater). And the biggest reason I dislike single-aisle auditoriums? Having to give up my seat for those who didn’t come sooner. When I was young, the local theater chains advertised ‘Come Early for Choice Seats!’ They need to go back to that. However, if they’re coming in late to avoid the commercials... "As for commercials in front of the movie, get rid of ’em. It’s bad enough that we now have advertising in the lobby for items other than movies, the concession stand, and gift certificates. A recent visit to an AMC featured not only an ad for the Dune mini-series in the lobby, but a two-minute commercial for it in front of the feature! We shouldn’t have to put up with this, just because the chains megaplexed our fine country too quickly. Since the theaters are so hard up for the money, why not sell more advertising space on their slide presentations and theater radio network? The silver screen was meant to show two things: movies and coming attractions. I can live with the slide show. I can tune out Kris Eric Stevens and/or the "(Insert Chain Name Here) Theater Radio Network." I don’t need to see commercials. "However, the Carmike Cinemas "Seasons Greetings" ads can stay. The graphics used to advertise the local businesses are hilarious. Especially the ribbon wishing for "Peace Oil Earth." -- Iconoclast Matt

"I just wanted to chime in with what I think is hurting the multiplex theaters. I have to say that I agree with Joe Greenia about the commercials. Slap an extra buck or two on the ticket and get them out of my face. I know that movie theaters are having a difficult time competing for our money with the recent boom in multiplexes, but there has got to be a better way than irritating the audience to make up the money. At least they don’t interrupt the movie with the commercials. Of course, I’m surprised that we haven’t seen a movie where Drew Barrymore kicks a few butts and then picks up a Coke can, smiles at the camera, and states ‘that was refreshing.’ "I think the biggest thing to hurt movie theaters lately has been the popularity of DVDs. I will never forget watching The Matrix for the first time on DVD and being amazed at the picture quality. The release of The Matrix was what actually inspired me to purchase a DVD player and forsake VHS forever. Now, thanks to DVD, I can not only watch movies with great picture clarity and perfect sound, but I don’t have to waste my time waiting in line or sitting through commercials at the movie theater. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think DVD will ever replace the fun of sitting in a dark theater with a group of friends and just enjoying the movie while munching on popcorn. Yet, with DVD, I can now wait to see movies that I don’t feel like paying a lot of money for (The Cell, The 6th Day) or ones that will probably never come to my local theater (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Plus, when you consider the money you spent to see the movie in the theater, you could own it on DVD with tons of bonus material thrown in. "My last thought on movie-theater woes is why don’t they get those art movies out in regular theaters more? I would gladly pay $10 and up a ticket to see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Traffic if they would bother to get it. I know from reading roughcut.com and other Internet movie sites that I am not alone in this. Is there any way that we can get the multiplexes to up the ante a little for more high-brow movies? Surely Joe Average doesn’t rule at every theater? Out of the average 12-theater chain, I think they could spare one for the people who want something a little different or thoughtful in their movies. "Thanks for the time to let me rant." -- Chris

No, Chris, thank you. Anyone else more than a little upset that they won’t be able to catch some of the smaller films because The Grinch is playing on six screens? Anyone want to submit a mini-review of this weekend’s new films -- What Women Want; Dude, Where’s My Car?; or The Emperor’s New Groove? One of our readers thought Vertical Limit was the worst film of the year. Do you second that opinion, or can you name another film that should win that award? Which film were you excited to see, but then had it fail to live up to your expectations? Send me an e-mail, won’t you?

 

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