Wow! I agree!

[trinityvixen]

Yes, I have seen every. single. one. of these movies. It's called "I was a teenager when The Matrix came out." So, yes, I watched every movie Keanu was in at that point. Exceptions: I didn't get through My Own Private Idaho or Little Buddha. The first because I was kinda confused by the gay hooker aspect. The second because IT WAS UNWATCHABLE. I tried watching with the sound off, and I still couldn't do it. I had a friend who made me look like I wasn't obsessed with it by comparison. And that's saying something given that a guy in my math class in high school saw me at the senior dance at the end of college and introduced me to his girlfriend by mentioning how I had pictures from The Matrix contact-papered to all my binders. So while my friend enabled me, I did watch all these of my own free will.

And I completely agree with their assessment. I loved Johnny Mnemonic ages before The Matrix. I had a poster of Keanu from that movie that had some stupid phrase on it like "MEET THE ULTIMATE HARDDRIVE." (Shut up!) But yeah, I agree that it was an awful movie now, for all that I had a dozen and one quotes from it written out all over the margins of notes and shit. I used to do that a lot--write down quotes I liked from movies on paper. This led to me writting out, from memory, the entire dialogue from The Matrix. In a related story, the ONLY time I ever got in trouble at school--any school--was because I got caught typing up the dialogue from that movie on a typewriter in a restricted area of school where my friends and I liked to hang out during lunch. I then had the chutzpah to go to an assisstant principal and demand the paper back, mostly out of humiliation at the idea that he might read it.

(This may seem like nonsense, but remember that The Matrix came out around the time of the Columbine shootings, so anything that made me look like a crazy person was not a good thing to have in the hands of an administrator.)

Back to the list: I have come around on Constantine, honestly. I was vaguely disappointed in it when I saw it, having read some Hellblazer at the time. But if you get past that, it's not so bad. And you couldn't find a better devil than Peter Stormare. Well, not unless it was John Glover, but it's a different kind of "better." Peter Stormare is the kind of Satan you imagine the real Satan would be--creepy, vaguely European, leaves you feeling like you've been slimed...

The Lake House was fluff, but I think Keanu and Sandra Bullock still had great chemistry. Then again, I think Speed is one of the best action movies of all time, so I'm biased. But The Devil's Advocate was pretty good, daring at the right times, and came out long before "Al Pacino tutors some youngin'" became a separate genre of film. Dracula--the less said, the better. Chain Reaction was terrible, but it did have Rachel Weisz, who's way hotter than Keanu plus she has an accent, so that got me through the movie.

The Gift is a movie that everyone should really see because it's this nexus of improbabilities. Keanu is terrifying in it. Katie Holmes is watchable. Cate Blanchett actually seems small and mousy instead of undeniably fabulous as we all know she is in everything ever. Giovanni Ribisi was so heart-breaking. Gary Cole, Greg Kinnear, Hillary Swank--it was just a surpassingly awesome bit of acting and writing from absolutely everyone involved. I loved it. And I loved that it proved Sam Raimi is more than just "that guy," the one that does Xena and Evil Dead and Spider-Man. I love those things, some more than others, but they don't get the respect they deserve. The Gift, though, no one can argue with.

About the only thing I disagreed with was A Scanner Darkly. I didn't love it, but like Constantine, I thought better of it after a little time away. Robert Downey Jr. (as if anyone needed telling at this point_ was amazing in it. The rotoscoping made his acting choices seem even more authentically twitchy. The technique also improve upon some of Keanu's stillness. I mean, it's a running gag about how emotionless and flat he is in movies, but that's not true. He's very animated in some movies (Bill and Ted's or Speed), but when he gets it into his head that he needsd to control his acting, he just buttons up and not much gets out. A Scanner Darkly plays up every little twitch you don't see him making, normally, and it's pretty effective. Shoot me over Winona Ryder, though. Blargh.

Speaking of Bill and Ted's: MOST EXCELLENT. I grant that Bogus Journey was not as good as the first movie, but it was still really awesome in its own right. And just as quoteable! "Dude, we're in heaven, and we just mugged three people!" "I know, we better get out of here before we ruin it for everybody else."

Comments

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

You can never make fun of me again. :)

Of those I've only seen Matrix, Constantine and the Bill and Ted's. I think Johnny Mnemonic is way down my Netflix queue somewhere. I totally agree on the assessment of Speed. That's the thing with Keanu--I won't defend his acting, but man is he cool.

I know I rented The Gift at some point, when I was watching Sam Raimi's catalog, but for some reason didn't watch it. Don't remember why.

I left the theater to pee during the Grim Reaper twister scene in Bill and Ted! That was the last time I ever bought a drink for a movie. I always thought Excellent Adventure was a better and more consistent movie, but Bogus Journey has higher highs and lower lows. And led me and my friends to laugh any time anyone asked for a fork. ("Full on robot chubby!")

Forget writing out dialogue, I used to program it into my calculator.

[gryphonrose.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing Johnny Mnemonic and thinking it was awful, though it does have Dinah Meyer so that's a good thing. Never been a Matrix fan, not even at first--great visuals and good supporting actors but that was about it. I haven't seen A Scanner Darkly, though I have a copy and keep meaning to watch it. I enjoyed the Gift, definitely, and I agree that The Lake House was surprisingly sweet. Chain Reaction-Rachel Weisz--yep. Never made it through The Devil's Advocate, either. And Constantine isn't a bad film if you CHANGE THE NAME SO IT DOESN'T CLAIM IT'S BASED ON HELLBLAZER!!! The first Bill and Ted's is of course "excellent!" The second had its moments.

And yes, Speed rocks. It's also perfect casting--just like Point Break, as long as he's playing some less-than-clever jock he's fine.

[jendaby.livejournal.com]

I've seen most of these, too. Not Constantine or Scanner Darkly, but the rest... and probably most of the non-science fiction movies he's been in, too. He has never been the reason I went to see the movies he was in, though.
I think I actually first saw Keanu Reeves in Dangerous Liaisons. We watched it 5 times and ate a cheesecake (or two) and had a few bags of Doritos and a case of coke and a huge jar of pickles. probably also some pizzas (this was a three day long slumber party when I was 14). Good memories. All of my friends were cooing over how cute he was, and I was just transfixed by Uma Thurman's cleavage (she wasn't scary skinny yet). LOL.
Anyway, I am still never very impressed with his acting, but have at least enjoyed several films he was in.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

You can never make fun of me again. :)

Oh, I can, but you'll know that you're really morally superior to me. No, wait, you've seen Boa vs Python. Too bad!

I know I rented The Gift at some point, when I was watching Sam Raimi's catalog, but for some reason didn't watch it. Don't remember why.

Damn good movie. If you can, rent it again, give it a chance. I loved every part of that movie. It's one of those movies that feels, despite the drama and the supernatural aspect, really authentic. I won't say more than that, just that it feels like a real place, real people, with all their ugliness and all their beauty.

I always thought Excellent Adventure was a better and more consistent movie, but Bogus Journey has higher highs and lower lows. And led me and my friends to laugh any time anyone asked for a fork. ("Full on robot chubby!")

Heh! feiran and I constantly refer to "human prototype us-es."

Forget writing out dialogue, I used to program it into my calculator.

Forget writing out dialogue, I wrote FANFICTION on my calculator. Which I have since lost. Holy hell, I hope it doesn't still have my name on it...

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I liked Dianh Meyer a lot, once upon a time. She's a proto-Trinity, literally, given that the character she was adapted from was (basically) what Trinity was adapted from.

Give A Scanner Darkly a shot. It's slow and a little meandering, but I liked parts of it a lot. And, like I said, RDJ: always excellent.

Point Break...wow, that takes me back. Oh, the Swayze.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I saw Dangerous Liaisons, too. Let's just pretend none of that ever happened. I should never be forced to watch John Malkovich going romancing. I'm glad you had fun with it, but let's just...move on...

[habiliments.livejournal.com]

Constantine is so very underrated. I know it's not the comic, but for what it is — creepy, religious, fantasy-ish, downright strange — it's far better than people give it credit for. And I speak not just from the wispy position of having seen it when it came out; it was on TNT or something around Halloween and it was maybe even better. Plus, Tilda Swinton as an androgynous angel? Genius.

I can't even remember Chain Reaction, but I'm almost sure I saw it — except that I don't remember Rachel Weisz, so maybe I'm confusing it with one of those other awful similar movies that came out at the same time.

I have a weak spot for The Lake House.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I saw the The Devil's Advocate on a first date in high school.

Yeah, that was a mistake.

Of course, our other option was Starship Troopers, which wouldn't have been much better.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Tilda Swinton made Constantine worth every penny I spent. Because she made the angel Gabriel so inherently complex, creepy and slightly sinister that you sort of rooted for Satan. FOR PETER STORMARE WTF!?! It was just a great read on that character. She wasn't a she or a he but an it! As angels should be! The last line Gabriel has slew me--where Gabriel offers to let John shoot him, and he doesn't, and then Gabriel's like "Look at how well you're doing!" at not sliding back on a course to Hell. Loved that.

The Lake House was sweet. I confess to enjoying it for what it was. And, like I said, Keanu and Sandra Bullock had great chemistry. She was almost back in While You Were Sleeping territory when it came to her vulnerability, but it was empathetic, not pathetic.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think we've done the "my first date movie was worse than your first date movie," but I have my own contribution: my first and only date with one kid in high school was to go see End of Days. Nothing like Gabriel Byrne in a threesome with a mother/daughter pair and Satan constantly trying to rape and knock up a girl to produce the Anti-Christ to KILL ANY THOUGHTS OF ROMANCE.

[viridian.livejournal.com]

LOL. Oh, Keanu Reeves. Remember how he was the entire basis of our initial friendship? Good times.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think that actually beats Satan trying to get his kids to have incestous sex to produce the antichrist followed by Keanu Reeves killing himself graphically. But not by much.

Then again, I'm still friends with the girl, so there's a limit to how bad it could have been.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Dude, I think I still have that magazine I used to indicate I was who I was.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Hey, better than me man, so you're the real winner here.

I wonder whatever did happen to that kid? I have this vague idea that he turned into a total stoner (up from "casual user" by rumor by the time I left).

[viridian.livejournal.com]

We need to have a Keanu film marathon. Just rent every single decent movie he's ever done and watch them over a booze-filled weekend.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

So, just the two then? Kidding. I'd be game for that. Speed, both of the Bill and Ted flicks, The Matrix (whenever I can watch it without wanting to cry over the sequels)...what else?

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Gah. Now you've sparked my brain. I must look up people I dated in high school on Facebook and find out what they've been doing since. (I'm only in contact with a handful of them, versus most of the women I dated in college.)

[negativeq.livejournal.com]

I assume proto-Trinity was adapted from the classic Molly Millions (aka Sally Shears), the razorgirl of William Gibsons novels.

I am not sure where Molly appeared first - the novel Neuromancer, or the short story Johnny Mnemonic.

If you have never read Johnny Mnemonic, it is a COMPLETELY different, introspective tale. For one thing, Johnny never finds out what data is in his head. It doesn't matter.

[wellgull.livejournal.com]

Funny... I actually watched Little Buddha. All of it.

In seventh grade, I think it was... for a class that dealt with Buddhism.

Might've been ninth grade actually. But that thing is /weird./

[wellgull.livejournal.com]

The last line Gabriel has
Guess I don't need to see it NOW... :D

[wellgull.livejournal.com]

Oh, you crazy people who dated in high school.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

From what I could tell with the sound off, yes, yes it was.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

One! One date! And this is why! Given my druthers, I'd have probably ended up taking all of my dates to terrible Arnie movies. Gah.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Um, spoilers?

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am talking about Molly. I believe she was in Johnny Mnemonic first because she talks to Case about it in Neuromancer, and how he eventually ended up dead. I have read both, and I liked the short story a lot better than the novel, oddly. I think the short story didn't depend as much on trying to follow the wheres and whyfores of cyberspace, which just made for better reading.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

You know, there were probably plenty of guys who'd happily go see bad action flicks with you. (There probably still are, for that matter.)

As an amusing note: When I made the comment yesterday about finding the girls I dated in high school on Facebook, at about the same time one of them was friending me. Turns out she's happily married to another woman and working on her PHD.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think anyone willing to see the kinds of movies Arnie put out right before he jumped into politics is not someone I would want to date. Now, if they wanted to revisit the classics with me--Predator, Running Man, Terminator--that is a different story.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

Notes:

-Must have bushy eyebrows.
-Must kill people in a serial manner.
-Must like classic action movies.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Keep putting that out into the interwebs ether. It'll snag me my dream boy someday.

[droidguy1119.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, I'm the only one, but I find the third Matrix to be alright. It drags on, the whole "come on" motion when fighting is really painful to watch by that point, the final battle sucks and a lot of it is cheesy, corny, or heavy handed, but that's only like 40% of the movie. 40% a bad movie is not a 1, for me anyway. And it still has my favorite moment in the entire series, which is when Trinity gets to see the sky. But I think the main disparity between mine and others' opinions is that I liked all the Zion battle stuff. It was at least different from more by-then-repetitive kung fu.

I have yet to watch Johnny Mnemonic, but there is a Japanese cut of the film that apparently makes a whole lot more sense. Gibson says it's still not the movie he and the director set out to make, but it's a lot closer.

Constantine is fun. I wasn't a fan of The Devil's Advocate, except for Charlize Theron, who was way more committed to it than it deserved.

The Gift I enthusiastically half-agree with you. I think the actual plot is kind of terrible and predictable, but the acting and directing is really phenomenal, especially Reeves, who gives one of his best performances. The scene where he has the gun and Ribisi is trying to provoke Reeves into shooting him is awesome.

I appreciated the visuals of A Scanner Darkly but it was too dense of a movie for me to even passably follow the first time. I need to see it again, and my appreciation of it will probably grow.

And yeah, the first Bill and Ted is supremely excellent. The best thing about it is how pure the characters of Bill & Ted are. There's never the slightest bit of irony about Bill & Ted -- time traveling is most excellent, failing is bogus, and nothing else matters. The sequel feels more manufactured, but the stuff with Death is almost as good as the original. Mainly, I miss the spirit of the original; the rushed production and just the process of it all can be felt when watching it.

If you yearn for more of Bill & Ted, you should absolutely track down Freaked, a movie written by and starring Alex Winter and featuring an uncredited Keanu Reeves as Ortiz the Dog Boy (plus William Sadler as the most evil executive in film history).

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I have yet to watch Johnny Mnemonic, but there is a Japanese cut of the film that apparently makes a whole lot more sense. Gibson says it's still not the movie he and the director set out to make, but it's a lot closer.

I thought it was clear, just not great.

I wasn't a fan of The Devil's Advocate, except for Charlize Theron, who was way more committed to it than it deserved

Translation: she was willing to get nekkid.

As for the rest: I won't argue that The Gift is the most original thing ever, but I do feel that the story was "right." I can't explain it better than that. Just that that was how it had to happen. I liked the conflicts of interest, the unpleasantness of the truth being brought out against some people's wills (Keanu's character having to admit to being a wife-beater and a philanderer; Cate Blanchett having to admit that this awful person isn't the killer even though she's safer if he's locked away).

I like that idea that Bill and Ted are free of irony. There is a certain sense of innocence about them that leaves them free to their experiences. I like that.