Movie #287 - Human Nature

Human Nature
2001 - Rated R - 1 hr 36 min
Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Hilary Duff, Peter Dinklage, Rosie Perez, Miranda Otto

This movie's so bizarre.  I don't know why I liked it so much the first time, or how it ended up on the shelf, but this revisit wasn't all bad.  Actually, it's kinda funny.  It's an excuse to "study" human relationships and dynamics, but it's really just a messed up love square.  Yes, a square.

So one girl's been super hairy her whole life, gets outcast by other people and ends up living in the forest, writing nature books.  She winds up with a doctor trying to teach table manners to lab mice.  Who has an assistant that worships him and speaks with a fake French accent.  When they find a man in the woods who was raised by his father to be an ape, all hell breaks loose.

Yes, it's super weird.  But it's kinda fun to watch this complicated story unfold.  And the ending is just twisted enough to be worth watching the whole movie.  I'm sure most people won't, but I like it.

Movie #207 - Flight of the Phoenix

Flight of the Phoenix
2004 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 53 min
Director: John Moore
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Miranda Otto, Giovanni Ribisi, Hugh Laurie, Tyrese Gibson, Tony Curran, Scott Michael Campbell

Look, it's Dr. House! Also, one of his patients (Scott Michael Campbell) from that episode when the cop gets sick from the pigeon poop and Foreman catches it too... remember that one? Rad.

Anyway, that's not this movie.  This movie is all right, nothing incredible.  It's a remake and since I haven't seen the original, I can speak to how well done it is, or if it improves on the first one.  Anyone seen it? Care to elaborate?

Meanwhile, Giovani Ribisi is super annoying. And he kinda talks like he's impersonating Hannibal Lecter, which is somewhat creepy but mostly just douchey.  Talk. Like. A. Normal. Person.

I don't have much to say about this cookie-cutter adventure movie.  It's your typical band of strangers pooling their resources and efforts to overcome impending death.  Fly out of the desert on a plane you just built? Yeah, no problem. It's good, thanks to some of the performances, but it's not one you absolutely must see.  It scores a solid 50 on my 0-100 Meh-o-Meter.