Simon's Movie Reviews

I don’t know exactly when it all began, but aliens are now part of the world’s greatest myths, right along Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. There are plenty of reports of people seeing them, many blurry photographs, but actual proof? None. Conspiracy theorists say that’s what the government would have you believe, and Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1997 comedy “Men In Black” shows you just how a government agency would hide the aliens in plain sight. The joke is that some aliens are so bizarre they get careers in entertainment. Which makes me wonder about Charlie Sheen. Did he not say he was from Mars? I first saw “Men In Black” about a year after it had come out and my brother had already seen it on the big screen. He loved it so he figured I would like it too. So we watched while our parents were out for the night. This was back when we were living in Santiago, Chile, so the movie was in Spanish. Will Smith is still funny in Spanish, but unfortunately I had a hard time laughing. If I...

“Spider-Man 2” answers a question many cynics must have asked about superheroes: how does this guy wash his costume? It turns out he washes it at the Laundromat like everybody else and unfortunately it soils his underwear. Apparently even a superhero should know not to mix the colours with the whites.  One of the biggest hits of 2004, “Spider-Man 2” made my day during a rather mediocre summer. I had just finished my last year of high school (not a good one), I was looking for a summer job (no luck), and I was about to start my first year of college. The previous year I had moved from South America to Quebec City and the transition had been a lot less smooth than I had anticipated. I was nervous about college, finding a job, and too many other things. Well at least I didn’t have to worry about fighting a mad scientist in my spare time. “Spider-Man 2” surpassed the previous movie because in this sequel we see the hero deal with normal problems like the rest of us. When Pete...

Dive beneath the ocean with the geniuses from Pixar. “Finding Nemo” is a great movie because it has the best the studio has to offer: state-of-the-art animation, engaging characters, funny gags, strong dialogue, and a solid story. Directed by Andrew Stanton, the movie was one of the hits of 2003 and was the fifth success for Pixar after “Toy Story” in 1995. Children love this movie for the story and adults can enjoy it for the smart humour. I first saw “Finding Nemo” in theatres with my brother in 2003. It was a busy summer: my parents and I had just moved back to Quebec City after an 8 year stay in South America. When we were not busy unpacking and painting the walls of our new home, I would ask for a break to go to the movies. The movie was dubbed in French, which I hate, but it’s different with animated movies. The stories told are usually universal, and the jokes can be translated in any language. Seeing a great white shark called Bruce say “Fish are friend, not food”...