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Reviews
The Dark Hours (2005)
Excellent
I just saw this film at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival and was very surprised by it. It starts out as a cold psychological thriller, then turns into a very tense thriller and then becomes something... well, you just have to experience it, I guess.
I must admit, just as I had with Pi, I don't get all the plots turns and twists. But, just as with Pi, it doesn't matter. As a whole the film is very satisfying and enters some dark, new grounds. Plus its combination of visceral gore and psychological terror works very, very effectively.
As you probably have noticed by now, I'm not telling anything about the story. Just take the ride. It's worth it.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
great fun
I liked Revolutions a lot better than Reloaded. Reloaded was either too long scenes with so much dialogue it became boring, or it was so much actions that was really expensive, state-of-the-art boring.
But Reloaded is like Star Wars. It rambles along with a good pace and really packs a punch. The ending is original (I thought) and something you can think about on the way out of the cinema.
I felt it didn't deliver on it philosophical promise it made in Reloaded but maybe I'll discover more of that in a second viewing.
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Even Worse Than "Curse of Michael Myers"
Even though Halloween jump started the slasher genre, it has gone way off track after the 1st sequel, Halloween II, which was pretty good.
Halloween H20 was a huge letdown because it didn't deliver what it promised, but was still fairly enjoyable.
But Halloween Resurrection is sooo bad. The story doesn't make any sense, is never believable and is therefore never, ever, even once scary. Plus Busta Rhymes may be a skilled rapper but he gives a performance so lousy it's almost embarrasing to watch.
If you're a fan of Michael Myers, you owe to him to pass this one.
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
Not good
If you have never heard before about a war in Bosnia, and have no idea what was going on there, this movie might have some suprises for you.
If you did know some of what was going on, you'll see this movie for what it is. Rambo with a philosopher in the lead. This film is predictable, dumb, sentimental and -most of all- boring to death. Except maybe for the scene where their shot down.
If you want to see a good film about the Bosnian war, check out NO MAN'S LAND instead (winner of the Oscar for best Foreign Film!).
Apt Pupil (1998)
A truly great and chilling film...
This movie was all that I expected DONNIE DARKO to be. I just catched this on TV last night and was blown away by it. It's not a movie about WO II, but it's about the dark side of man. How can I well brought up, smart high school kid turn into a monster, and how can a monstrous Nazi mass murderer become sympathetic.
Well executed, chillingly acted, brilliant editing... This movie is by far one of the best I have seen.
S1m0ne (2002)
Bad Timing & Boring
This movie was not a lot fun to watch, for two reasons.
Al Pacino plays a director who uses a CGI actress in his film. For some reason, he feels he has to cover it up and may never tell anyone. Why? Why must it be kept a secret? Why would he be seen as a bad director if his actress was a CGI even though everybody thought her performance was great? Why?
It's never answered in the movie. And it while I was watching this movie and
Pacino was getting deeper and deeper in trouble, I was just thinking "just come clean already, you wimp"...
Second, one of the most important things in comedy is timing. Even a bad joke can become funny when the timing is right. Great comics like John Cleese and
Rowan Atkinson are masters at timing. That's what makes them so great. In this film timing is out the window. Jokes are obvious from the beginning of the scene, yet the scene's themselves go and on. After a while you start to think that there may come a twist, like in SCREAM, but nothing... It's just the same old cliche all over again.
Even worse, characters in these scene's get atrociously bad written monologues and even a truly great actor like Al Pacino is falling flat on his face. Very painful indeed, and more embarrassing than funny.
In the end, this film bored me to death. I really can't remember any other movie that didn't bore me as much as this one. Not even Scary Movie 2.
Yes, that's right, I said Scary Movie 2.
Beyond the Mat (1999)
Beyond Great...
I watched pro wrestling a lot when I was a kid. We hardly get to see it here in Europe. I always liked the complete over the top bizareness of it.
And it's all here in this fabulous documentary. It profiles a lot of wrestler. A big part is about Terry Funk, who is called a legendary wrestler but here in Europe I never heard of him.
We do get Jake 'the Snake' Roberts who has a heart wrenching enqounter with
his daughter. We get 'Mankind' who was the only wrestler that could still scare me with his appearance, who turns out the most wonderfull dad ever. But
through all this we see the kitsch, the show and the broken dreams.
I highly recommend this documentary to everyone!
Ringu (1998)
A bit overrated...
Yes, this film is creepy to watch but I was expecting a bit more after
reading all of the positive comments hear. There were two
problems I had with this movie. First of all, the characters accept
the supernatural part of the movie too quickly. One of the reasons
a movie becomes scary because the characters can no longer
turn their back on the horror. Here, they don't question it enough.
They just accept it.
Secondly, the whole story at the core of it all, isn't all that scary or
great.
While watching the movie, you'll be creeped, most definetly. But
when it's all over, there's something like, "that was it?"
When you liked this movie, I highly recommend David Cronenberg's VIDEODROME. While not as scary to watch, it will
not leave your mind soon after you've seen it. RINGU left it before
the credits ended.
Cast Away (2000)
Take The Time For It...
Cast Away is one of the better movies Hollywood released in the
last couple of years. However, reading some of the comments
posted here by other people, it looks like not everyone here "got it".
This movie, in the most part, is aboult desolation and what it does
to a person. So in order to appreciate this story, take the time to
watch it. Sit down and relax, unplug the phone and other
irritations...
A lot of people have said how good of an actor Tom Hanks was in
this piece, and he really was. Others have said how good Bob
Zemeckis's direction was, and it is. But what stands out for me so
much is Bill Broyles script. It is very clever and wraps up all
storylines neatly without getting to preachy. A very, very sound and
quality script that unfortunatly cannot be appreciated by everone.
*SPOILERS* PS- Some asked earlier what the point was of the package
delivered in Russia. It's from the woman Tom Hanks delivers the
final package to.
And why does Tom Hanks keep one package closed. Because it
becomes his goal in life. To deliver that package. Not because the
package is so important, but to motivate him to "keep breathing"
just as Wilson is substitute for his concious and gut.
Loser (2000)
Fun but doesn't deliver what it promises
I checked out this page before deciding to order this film on
pay-per-view. What I was hoping for was a romantic student
comedy. And it was that. It was never hilarious but the story had an
interesting build. When it starts out you think it's a complete
comedy, as we have Dan Aykroyd as Jason Bigg's father and
Jason Biggs in other `hilarious' mishaps, which don't promise
much.
But when the story gets underway of the two trying to get to know
each other better, it's getting really good. The writing of the
characters is very true to life, which is a rarerity these days.
Unfortunaly, the film looses tracks. The girl passes out during a
party and the guy takes her to a hospital and cares for her. And we
are waiting for the moment when she wakes up that he has to tell
her what happened. Dramatic moment! Gimme, gimme, gimme!
But no, what happens is she wakes up, apologizes for using his
bed then asks how long she was asleep. He says since Friday.
She says, well okay I have no memory of what happened but what
did they say at the hospital? Duh, am I missing some dramatic
plot development here?
Film never catches it's track back and I think is mostly interesting
for film students (as myself) for Heckerling tried a lot of interesting
things, instead of watching this film for fun and realizing
Heckerling this time didn't pull it off.
A 6 out of 10.
U-571 (2000)
Tense
The story is pretty straightforward subthrills. That means lots of
sweaty faces looking at depth-meters slowly going in the red zone.
The movie pulls this of very nicely and is pretty exciting. But that's
all it has to over. The characters are underdeveloped, not much
dramatic tension other than the risk they take while on the job and
therefore not very satisfying when it ends.
Still a recomendation, though.
The Discovery of Heaven (2001)
Colder then I expected....
The whole movie, although beautifully executed, left me as a viewer out in the cold. The pace in the movie is so quickly that it is difficult to become involved with this movie's characters and story. For the entire duration I felt like someone watching a movie, which is the last emotion I want to feel when watching a movie. On the other hand, it didn't bore me either. I haven't read the original book so the story was surprising and exciting as it slowly unfolded. The script is very good but some parts are so hastily done. There are hardly any scene's that allow the viewer to just catch his breath. And as the story progresses all the characters do is find out something new, then saying out loud they don't believe it. I mean, I never knew there were so many different ways of saying `No, Quinten, don't go.' Also, a lot of times the action and movements were so stylized it became annoying. The ending struck me as odd, since it didn't feel like the story was concluded but just went into a new phase. But even though I might sound negative, I am very much impressed with the overall ambition and complexity and really felt I was watching something special... if just not on all levels. One final note, beware for the big ending which feature some of the worst CGI effects in cinema history.
Road Trip (2000)
Fun...
Of all the recent teenage comedies, ROAD TRIP is the first one I've
seen. I did see SCARY MOVIE but didn't like it.
Road Trip was good though. The story moved at a nice little pace
and it never became too bizarre. However, during the course of the
film things just don't make sense anymore. In one scene, this guy
tries to buy marihuana from a hotel clerk because he doesn't have
anything anymore. In the next, he is smoking marihuana with an
old guy.
Tom Green is pretty funny, but his crazy antics aren't as funny
around professional actors, as they are around unsuspecting
bystanders.
Still, a nice rent and a good laugh.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
doesn't get going
I was hoping this would be a non-stop thrill fest. To my suprise the
movie was a lot of plot. A lot of conversations, explanations to a
story that isn't really engrossing to begin with.
Action sequences are nice. Angelina Jolie is nice. Some nice
comedic touches but as a whole, it's just dragging on.
I've never played a lot of Tomb Raider so maybe I'm missing some
inside jokes but the best computer-game movie is still Paul
Anderson's MORTAL KOMBAT.
How the West Was Won (1962)
Good, epic film...
When I sat down to watch this movie on TCM, I was actually
expecting a western, but this movie was a very nice view at
American History. And what amazed me was that it had more guts
with this then many of the movies now. Not much glorification, but
a senseless war. Also the demonizing way the railway was built is
not spared within this epic film.
The one problem I had was that it is really several different stories
tied together that don't have a lot of matching points other than
some of the actors return to reprise their roles, but they look so
much alike that it's sometimes difficult to see who's who now
under the old-age make-up.
But a worthy watch nontheless.
7 out of 10.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Better Then I Expected
I was hearing a lot of negativity about this movie. The build up
would be dull, the scenes involving the Japanese embarrassing
and the actual bombing too short.
When I finally saw the movie with my girl, I was still thrilled. I've
always liked Bruckheimer/Bay's eye-candy and knowing that when
the script was in the hands of Randall Wallace, there couldn't be
too much of a problem there.
And there wasn't.
I've had a fun time. I didn't think the beginning was too slow
because it gave a lot of information about the time and really
established the characters. The acting (especially Alec Baldwin's)
was better then I expected as well. Of course Alec's a stiff, he's an
officer!!!!
I didn't cry during the movie. It didn't affect me that much. Some
fighting shots actually resembled jeans commercials which was
annoying but the overall movie is satisfying and fun.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Brilliant
I just watched the film on DVD. I didn't really want to buy it, I already
have so many horror DVD's, it's such an old film. And rewatching it
again, there's really not a real plot or meaning to the film.
But somehow, it such pure cinematic genius. Anyone interested in
cinema, should check this one out. Texas Chain Saw Massacre is
like cinema's primal scream.
This movie is absolutely relentless in it's attempt to scare and
disgust you, and finally drive you out of your mind. I don't care how
many Screams you've seen, this one will scare you. It's amazing
that a film this old, with a relative slow pace, doopy seventies
costumes and what not, still packs such a punch even today.
Reindeer Games (2000)
Not That Suprising
Being very impressed with Kruger's script for ARLINGTON ROAD I
was hoping to get something smart with this movie. That it wasn't.
It was still very enjoyable but unlike ROAD that was so involving
because the tone of it was so real, this is a funny movie from the
beginning with Ben Afleck wisecracking all over the place.
The acting is good, casting great, writing clever, camerawork
expensive, editing cool but never was I really surprised, never was
there a plot twist I didn't think of before it happened. And the final
ending is the same as SCREAM 3, a writer's trick and not a logical
conclusion.
All in all, a good thriller with some original touches, but not
something to really remember.
Save the Last Dance (2001)
Much better than I expected...
I went to see this movie mostly because my girlfriend loved the
trailer. I wanted to see 'Traffic' but it was her time to pick the movie.
Anyway, I actually found myself enjoying this movie. First of all, the
acting was really good. I didn't really expect this. Also the
black&white thing wasn't a heavy thing in the beginning in the
movie. Further on it became an issue but it wasn't a movie about
racism, as much as it is a movie to follow your heart.
There's a good flow through in his movie. I wasn't bored and had
some happy memories of Flashdance I loved when I was 8.
Don't watch this movie when you are all serious, don't expect too
much depth, but enjoy it for what it is, and it may just be worth your
while.
Traffic (2000)
A Great Movie, and Modern Classic!
One of the best films I have seen last year. What made this movie
so great it is so beautifully crafted in every department. The acting
is great. Camerawork is stunning and the colors are beautiful. But
the best of the whole damn thing is the screenplay.
It takes the issue of drugs and drug-trafficking and highlights every
part of it. From the lonely, rich teenage girl, to the corrupt Tijuana
police officer to the top U.S. judge trying to grasp the size of the
problem.
Some friend told me it gets to preachy and "happy" near the end. I
disagree, if there wasn't something of a message attached at the
very end it would have been a very nihilistic experience. The final
message of the movie was that it isn't so much the drug trade that
is the problem, the problem is people getting hooked.
The Gift (2000)
Characters better than the plot
I have watched a lot of horror movies in my days, but this has been
the first time I actually got more engrossed with the charachters
than the plot.
This is a superbly written and acted film. Even Keanu Reeves
made me forgive him BRAM STOKER's DRACULA with his powerfull performance.
However, the supernatural plot hooked me early on but never
scared me. The final ending was a pretty lousy but still enjoyable
fold-up, but never the less is superbly made film.
Screen One: Hostile Waters (1997)
Started off nice
I catched this movie on TV when it had already been started. I did know the story about what happened in 1986 and was intrigued. The beginning is exciting when the boats collide, and there is some decent CGI there. However, as the movie progressed all the American actors like Martin Sheen dissapear. On the Russian ship alone the climax just isn't cinematic enough. All in all a very intresting story too simplisticly told.
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Eye candy
A surprising amount of great actors in this flick. Leonardo
DiCaprio, Russel Crowe, Keith David, Sharon Stone but the main
man is without a doubt Gene Hackman.
When the film was first released, all the critics complained that he
was doing the same thing as in Unforgiven. Well, a main
difference is with Unforgiven and Quick and the Dead is that where
Unforgiven strives for realism and social drama, Quick is waaay
over the top.
And the brilliance of Hackman's performance is that in this world
that couldn't possibly be, with characters that have as much depth
as a pizza, he makes it all real and shine.
Add to that Sam Raimi's dazzling visuals, his best since Evil Dead
II, and you got a GREAT flick, even if it does go on too long.
Recommended.
Braindead (1992)
A genuine classic.
When this movie came out I was fifteen and at that point it was one
of the greatest film I had ever seen.
The best thing about the movie is the pace. It never gives in, it just
goes on and on, giving you something you just can't believe and
then top it with something that actually does top it.
The acting is decent, with Uncle Les as my favourite, although the
kung fu priest (`I kick butt for the lord') will never leave my mind.
The special effects are a crude, disgusting and state-of-the-art.
The camerawork is very riveting, even is the lighting is sometimes
overdone. Music's a bit of a letdown, though...
Unbreakable (2000)
Boring and disappointing
I really loved the Sixth Sense so my expectations were high when I went to see this film. I also knew that it had gotten a high grade on IMDb but I was bitterly disappointed.
The second scene in the movie where Bruce Willis is riding on the train the camera eerily peeks from behind one chair to Willis, or to his co-passanger. This scene is tense like the Sixth Sense was.
But, unlike Sixth Sense there is no threat or doom lurking within this movie. It just goes on and on while Willis is refusing to accept his destiny. Scenes are overlong, the dialogue becomes pretentious and all the fun and excitement quickly disappears.
***SPOILER ALERT/ DON'T READ ON UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE***
The final ending makes the character of Samuel L. Jackson so much more interesting, I clearly don't understand while the entire focus on the film wasn't on him.
All in all, a bitter disappointment after an excellent SIXTH SENSE.