Ali (2002, DVD)

One of the funny things about living in a very small town, is that the only theater can be packed if the movie you want to see is a long anticipated one. Thinking that Ali was going to be one of those, we arrived at the theater about 30 minutes early....we sure didn't need to. My hubby and I were alone in the theater until about 5 minutes before show time...and then we were joined by six other people. That was it, 8 people watching what promised to be a blockbuster movie. Sadly, it wasn't! The Facts Will Smith as Ali was believable, but I kept seeing the Fresh Prince of Bel Air in my head. I..

O.K. I will admit it. I hate boxing. I think as a sport it is plebian and you might as well be watching the Romans fighting the lions in the coliseum in Rome. Think about it, two men go in a ring and fight each other till one of them either drops dead or is unconscious? I did enjoy the movie Rocky though and when the chance to watch a DVD of Ali came my way I thought with all its nominations I would give it a whirl. I wish this thing had been knocked out in the first round. This movie is such a lemon. The Directors Folly Michael Mann is the director and filmmaker of the movie and produced a...

What were your expectations? The key to the movie Ali is what you knew, or what you thought you knew going in. Another key is what you thought of Ali. Growing up Muhammad Ali was one of my heroes. He was brash, he was invincible, he did not conform, and he refused to fight in that horrible, godless, corporate driven war, he didn t believe in a northern European-blue eyed-blond haired Jesus. What could be more delightful to the child of hippies and minstrels? The thing that surprised me about the film was that it didn t have all that much new information than what might have been previously...

After directing the phenomenal movie The Insider, filmmaker Michael Mann found himself the new "A-list" director. (He had previously directed other critical faves including The Last of the Mohicans and Heat.) With his newfound credibility (and bankability), he could have chosen any number of options for his next project. Unfortunately, Mann has seemingly decided to become a cross between Oliver Stone and Tony Scott, as his Ali is nothing more than a mish-mash of grating visuals, irritating musical sequences and a performance from Will Smith that begins as a novelty and ends as a parody. This..