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t_deleon
Reviews
21 (2008)
M.I.T. students learn that it is easier to make money and make friends in Vegas, rather than bothering about degrees
What a snooze.... the technical aspects were quite good but if one is were to be honest, this is nothing but another big Hollywood film geared up to polish a turd. As for plot, character, etc.: who cares? Spacey almost has enough gusto to distract us from the fact that his character is utterly improbable and ridiculous -- almost. "Nice guy" Ben is corrupted so fast and then uncorrupted just as fast that it's amazing we don't have whiplash. All the other "characters" are empty. The main girl was (sexy) and Boswroth did what she could -- but she was a plot element, not a character. The nerdy friends made no sense: did the filmmakers spend any time at M.I.T.? And the dialog! Except for the initial classroom exchange between the professor and the student (a game show analogy), which was somewhat credible banter, most everything else was "dialog of the obvious: " I did bad, I did the wrong thing, sorry...." But the most offensive thing is that it all comes down to being an advertisement for the casinos "You Can't Always Get What You Want" may play on the soundtrack, but the message is that you ~can~ always get what you want: the girl, the scholarship...: just go to Vegas ; but if that's the case, why waste money on going to see the film: watch any free TV show about Vegas and/or playing poker, or wait for the DVD if nothing else is exciting for that week.
Josh (2006)
A retarded high schooler becomes the target of bullies
"Josh" is the representative film of Ryerson University of Canada, competing for the prestigious CILECT 2006 Prize -- a competition of film schools world wide. Of the over 50 films in the compilation I watched, this - unfortunately - is one of the worst! It's not the consistently vulgar language that sinks this short film; it's the *** SPOILER WARNING*** "ironic" treatment of the object of the bullies' wrath as deserving of such abuse. That the movie ultimately wholeheartedly endorses the viewpoint of the bullies rather than that of their uncomprehending (and surely hardly understanding of his own actions) target is sick. Perhaps the film makers were trying to make an ironic comment on the theme, but if so, it is sadly lost in the execution...
Efter brylluppet (2006)
A Danish humanitarian running an Indian orphanage returns to Denmark to secure a donation that would sustain operations for the next five years
Watching "After the Wedding" has been one of the most painful film experiences of late. I bought the DVD the week it was released in Denmark, and because of overwhelming favorable reviews, I was curious to see even though I have been leery of Susanne Bier's work, as I found "Open hearts" to be preposterous, and "Brothers" although well acted and shot an over the top melodrama brimming with too many loose story threads.
But compare to the films cited above, "After the Wedding" is nothing but an irritating, empty conceit. The story is so ridiculous, so corny, and so idiotic that watching that film is bordering on being a victim of a Chinese water torture
Yes, it's beautifully shot, good acting but the story is so bad, and so unconvincing that any American soap opera shines in comparison.
Once again we see that Andres Thomas Jensen does not know how to write dramatic stories. He is at his best at black humor ("Mifune's Last song; "In China they eat dogs" "Adam's Apple" "The green butcher", etc.) My Advice STAY AWAY from this film.
Missing in America (2005)
Good intentions, bad melodrama
While Missing in America is brimming with "good intentions", i.e. the tale of wounded Vietnam vets, it suffers from horrible and pedestrian script and heavy handed directing. Sure, Danny Glover is wonderful, and David Strathairn stellar in the small appearance, and Zoe Weizenbaum engaging, and Lind Hamilton still good .. but the story is so "hokey" that in many instances we are overcome by uncontrollable guffaws...
Too bad, because it could have been an endearing story, but it's amateur city...the worst of the lot is when - out of nowhere - Linda Hamilton shows up at Donny Glover's doorstep and happens to see him take a "sponge bath" and then she is aroused by his manhood -- and then Glover shows up at her general store and launches a tirade of double-entendre about - mistakenly - action... that are, frankly embarrassing...
The writers should have been retired to greener pastures...
Ergo -- 3 at best...
It's All About Love (2003)
It's all about (mis) understanding love.
It's All About Love is a preposterous film. Many other users have already commented on the horrible and absurd script, and on the "disappointment" in Vinterberg's latest work, so there is no point on elaborating. What we should note, however, is the HUBRIS of the scriptwriters: they seem to have forgotten the lesson and moral of Greek tragedies - read them again, and maybe you'll find some humility...
Til højre ved den gule hund (2003)
A heart-warming original story of fathers and sons.
I saw "Turn Right by the Yellow God" twice. Once as a sneak preview at the Copenhagen International Film Festival and last week in the movie theatre. I plainly love this film. The story is unique and original - and most of all free of the banalities that one might expect from a story about fathers and sons, estrangement and (misdirected)human pride.
Briefly, the story concerns Philip, a successful architect (Peter Gantzler, whom we fondly remember from "Italian for Beginners") who is estranged from his father with whom he had no communication with for 25 years. He is further estranged from his wife who is at an ashram in India and has a strained relationship with his 18 year old son, David. Upon learning of his father's death, Philip is overcome by strange compulsion to attend the funeral away from Copenhagen. During the funeral Philip runs into Karl (the magnificent Jesper Klein) who claims to have known Philip's father well. Realizing the futility of the long estrangement Philip, on a whim, invites Karl to come to Copenhagen and be his guest for some time, hoping that in the process he'd learn something about his father. From there the story takes many twists and turns as David returns to the house, one of Karl's old flames (Judy Gringer) arrives as well, and the household plunges into a veritable chaos.
`Turn Right by the Yellow Dog' is not free of faults. I did not particularly like the score, and Judy Gringer's role should have been expanded on. But despite the omission, `Yellow Dog' is one of those rare films that actually touches and comments very wisely on the family and human conditions without being trite. I was touched and moved, and can't wait to own the DVD when it is released.
Elsker dig for evigt (2002)
Pretentious and Ridiculous. Yawn, enough of "Danish Social Realism"
An all around disappointing film. Director Susanne Bier once again demonstrates that she is a shallow and pretentious film-maker. This latest entry from the Dogme "movement" is a re-hash of "breaking the Waves", but far worse. A young couple's life is shattered when Joachim (Nikolai Kass) is ran over by Marie (Paprika Steen,) a mother of three, and incredibly(!) a wife of a doctor at the National Hospital in Copenhagen. Joachim then becomes paralyzed from the neck down, becomes very bitter and rejects his loving girlfriend Cecille (Sonja Richter. Meanwhile Marie, very upset over the accident, sends her doctor-husband Niels (Mads Mikkelsen) to talk to Cecille to offer an apology and comfort.
And incredibly (again!) Niels falls for Cecille and leaves Marie and the three kids. And so on...
A ridiculous melodrama, unbelievable on all levels. Annoying and terrible Dogme filming.