Meet Joe

Meet Joe Black [HD DVD]
$19.98
This is the first review I have written, although I watch a number of movies. This movie looks like it was contrived by a bunch of Hollywood types who have the depth of a puddle on the sidewalk, trying to create a "deep" introspective movie. It fails miserably.

Anthony Hopkins plays an East Coast business giant, and frankly, plays it very well. But Brad Pitt? He is supposed to be passed off as an "advisor" to Hopkins, but with the frosted hair and wooden performance, he winds up looking and acting like a stoned surfer dude who someone dressed up in a suit. I've seen several of Pitt's comedic performances, and they were very, very funny (I thought he was a genius in Burn After Reading, because he DID play a stoned surfer dude type character-actually a personal trainer, but what's the difference? But I digress.). But in this movie Pitt is just plain awful.

Aside from Pitt, the whole Plot seemed contrived, and none of the characters are especially likeable. And 3 hours? Geez-90 minutes would have done it for me.

Finally, another reviewer raised a criticism which was not readily apparent to me, but after thinking about it, he/she is right on point. The movie does seem to revel in the fact that Hopkins character is very wealthy, and that "rich" people are much more special than the rest of the population. There are buckets of dialog about how this senator, and that governor, are attending the birthday party. Then Hopkins' birthday speech is a completely self absorbed homily to himself-if not overtly, then at least implicitly. Even before Hopkins discovers the reason for Joe Black's appearance, he acts disinterested (to the point of being annoyed) about his daughter's excessive plans for the party. No traces of humility here-even in the face of death.

If you are a 13 year old girl, you might like this movie. otherwise, don't waste 3 hours of your life, like I did. You have been warned.

Meet Joe Black
$2.99
This is the first review I have written, although I watch a number of movies. This movie looks like it was contrived by a bunch of Hollywood types who have the depth of a puddle on the sidewalk, trying to create a "deep" introspective movie. It fails miserably.

Anthony Hopkins plays an East Coast business giant, and frankly, plays it very well. But Brad Pitt? He is supposed to be passed off as an "advisor" to Hopkins, but with the frosted hair and wooden performance, he winds up looking and acting like a stoned surfer dude who someone dressed up in a suit. I've seen several of Pitt's comedic performances, and they were very, very funny (I thought he was a genius in Burn After Reading, because he DID play a stoned surfer dude type character-actually a personal trainer, but what's the difference? But I digress.). But in this movie Pitt is just plain awful.

Aside from Pitt, the whole Plot seemed contrived, and none of the characters are especially likeable. And 3 hours? Geez-90 minutes would have done it for me.

Finally, another reviewer raised a criticism which was not readily apparent to me, but after thinking about it, he/she is right on point. The movie does seem to revel in the fact that Hopkins character is very wealthy, and that "rich" people are much more special than the rest of the population. There are buckets of dialog about how this senator, and that governor, are attending the birthday party. Then Hopkins' birthday speech is a completely self absorbed homily to himself-if not overtly, then at least implicitly. Even before Hopkins discovers the reason for Joe Black's appearance, he acts disinterested (to the point of being annoyed) about his daughter's excessive plans for the party. No traces of humility here-even in the face of death.

If you are a 13 year old girl, you might like this movie. otherwise, don't waste 3 hours of your life, like I did. You have been warned.

Meet Joe! (Blue's Clues)
$7.99
So, Steve's brother, Joe, is now hosting "Blue's Clues." This large board book with large photos allows Joe to introduce himself to small fans of the show. He talks about his favorite things: his shirt, the color of orange, his new handy-dandy notebook, and being with the young viewers. It's a great book for the young ones who might be wondering where Steve went and who this new friend of Blue is.

Meet Joe Black: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
$13.98
Digitally mastered using HDCD recording, this is one of the finest soundtracks I've heard. The music ranges from the tranquil and reflective to comical and fun. There are several tracks that have a very strong emotional component to them. Thomas Newman scored this one well with music that stands very well on its own away from the movie. This soundtrack is entirely instrumental, mixing a blend of big orchestral with more subtle pieces of strings and piano. I tend to be a fan when someone has invested a great deal of effort in mastering a recording and the use of HDCD here reflects the producers desire to create an audiophile level recording.