A GANG OF MOVIE REVIEWERS

BY DAN MILLER
(originally posted January 12, 2006)

I like movies, but rarely do they keep my attention from start to finish.

I wish I could simply relax, suspend disbelief, and lose myself in the story.... but that seldom happens.
While I'm pondering some inconsistency in the plot, or questioning the need for yet another car chase, I often miss a key element in the story.
Of course, it all becomes perfectly clear when the movie ends..... that's when Karen explains it to me.

I'm always hoping to find a perfect, life-changing movie.
A lot of critics, including Roger Ebert, say "Citizen Kane" is a near perfect movie.
Sorry, but I've watched it maybe three times and it always leaves me thinking, "did I miss something?" I'm glad when it's over.

As an experiment, I thought it might be interesting to get reactions from some folks I trust, after they've watched a movie that none of us had heard anything about.

And the opportunity presented itself.
At the TV station, we received an advance copy of the new Tommy Lee Jones movie, "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" for review.
It's a movie that still hasn't made it to theaters in Nashville.
And none of us knew anything about it.... all we knew was it's the directing debut for Tommy Lee Jones.

"The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" is a unique story.
I've not seen anything quite like it.
It's an old time western, set in the present, without Gene Autry.
One of the main characters is a dead body.
The last time that happened was "A Weekend At Bernie's" (now there was a classic!).

The gang of reviewers included Terry Bulger and his wife Julie.... Demetria Kalodimos and her fiance Verlon Thompson.... my wife Karen, and me.

Now, Terry Bulger and I often agree on movies, and I felt secure -- given the nature of this movie -- that he and I would like it a lot, while our wives would probably not care for it at all.

Well, you never know.
On a scale of 1 to 10, Terry gave it a 4-and-a-half....
Julie Bulger gave it a 5-and-a-half.
She liked it better than Terry!
Terry said it really just didn't work for him.
But I'm pretty sure he slept through parts of it.

My wife Karen said she loved it, because it was beautifully shot -- even though it was violent, bizarre and intense.
And though it was weird and improbable, she said it kept her attention.
(Which might explain why we're a couple!)

Karen said she's certain she liked it better than I did.
Don't get me wrong, I liked it a lot.... especially after Karen explained the parts I slept through.

Demetria -- being a documentary film producer -- had a lot to say about it.
She said she liked it because she sees a bigger message in the story.
She said it's about the power of perception.... not jumping to conclusions.... about crime and punishment...
She said it transcends the whole cowboy story....
She said it made her think....
That's when I left the room.

Verlon liked it best of any of us. He absolutely loved it.
Of course, you must remember, Verlon is not only a splendid musician, he's a real life cowboy from Oklahoma.
I suspect when he saw the main characters riding horses, sleeping in bed rolls, eating beans cooked over an open fire under the stars, he was an easy "thumbs up".

The bottom line to this experiment is.......... well, there is no bottom line.

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