richsh Reviews

Guy Ritchie's the Covenant (I) (2023)

The story of two covenants

[10/10 · 13 May 2023]

This is a phenomenal movie that I could not turn my eyes away from. I was either on the edge of my seat, angry, tearing up, or cheering for an outcome. But for me, the movie did not just end at the credits, because I could not stop thinking about it. Writing this review is my form of catharsis.

Covenant delivers an emotional truth that didn't fully hit me until the end. But when it did, it hit me hard. I felt a flood of emotions come over me for all the people like Ahmed that the US Government abandoned in Afghanistan after promising them visas if they would help our soldiers.

So, while the film focuses on a true covenant between two men of high integrity and honor, this movie is also a huge reminder of the broken covenant between the US Government and all the interpreters who put their lives on the line for us. After we abandoned Afghanistan, the interpreters we left behind had targets on their backs.

This movie puts on face on them. I can give his film no less than a 10 rating.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022)

Profound in it's simplicity

[8/10 · 26 February 2023]

I watched this movie with my 5 year old twins (a boy and girl). The following day, I discovered that my grand daughter had pulled concepts from the film, and was telling them to my wife who had no clue where she got them from, or what she was telling her about.

But after I told my wife about this film, she decided to watch it for herself, and after she did, she connected all the dots. She immediately realized that this film had a very positive effect on our grandchildren.

I recognize that there will be some who will find this film preachy, and to many adults I suppose it is. But 'realize who the intended audience really is'. Instead of viewing this film with the eyes of an adult, try to imagine that you're 5 years old again.

The Courier (2020)

Outstanding film making without any contemporary wokeness

[9/10 · 12 September 2021]

It's been a while seen I've seen a movie made recently, that I could honestly say that I enjoyed thoroughly. But this is one I did.

Mr. Jones (2019)

Mr. Jones is to the Holodomor, as Schindler's List was to the Holocaust

[10/10 · 11 July 2021]

I had no idea before watching 'Mr. Jones', how profound an effect it would have on me. If you know little about how the Stalin regime starved millions of people in Ukraine, this film is a must see.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975)

This was not the comedy I was expecting

[6/10 · 12 June 2019]

I love Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft, but I was expecting a completely different movie based on some of the reviews here, who thought it was a great comedy.

From my perspective, this movie felt more like a drama than a comedy, and while it did have a few jokes in it, they were typically jokes made at the expense of a man suffering a nervous breakdown. I was really looking forward to seeing this film, but at about 50 minutes, I turned it off. Maybe it got better, but it wasn't for me.

In The Out of Towners, Jack Lemmon's misadventures were comedic because he was a fish out of water in The Big Apple. However, in The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Lemmon's character is depressing, because he's a fish drowning in his own pond.

Skyline (2010)

Better than I thought it would be

[6/10 · 22 December 2010]

This is fun popcorn movie. And surprisingly, quite entertaining. Don't expect something very deep. Leave your critical thinking cap at home. Yes, the characters are shallow and not developed well, but they don't really need to be for this movie to be fun. The special effects were quite cool and the story moves along like Cloverfield, but without the jerky hand held camera.

I don't think the current rating this movie has on IMDb is fair. I think it is a couple points too low. It was definitely better than the current IMDb rating (which was 4.6 at the time of this writing). I would watch it again.

War of the Worlds (2005)

An edge of your seat, roller coaster of a movie!

[7/10 · 4 July 2005]

I just came back from seeing a late show of War of the Worlds. What a movie! This film takes what we loved about the "B" sci-fi's of the 50's and brings the genre into the 21st century in a suspenseful and gripping way.

This film does not pretend to have any "big message". It's simply the story of an incredibly powerful alien invasion as seen through the eyes of one family. It's a story of survival. It's a story of how you might expect humans to react under such intense pressures. And the film is visually stunning.

If you're considering seeing this movie, you should. I recommend you ignore the negative reviews. I suspect many of those so called "reviews" were written by people with an agenda. To those IMDb members who gave this film a vote of "1", I find it sad that you would attempt to denigrate a film of such quality and put it into a category that is shared by films like "Manos' the Hands of Fate". Your vote only demonstrates that you truly are not really criticizing the film, but instead are trying to make a statement of your possible dislike for Tom Cruise or Steven Spielberg. Having said that, if all of the "1" votes were removed, this film would probably be at an 8.0 or greater. And that would be more representative of it's true overall rating.

And to those IMDb members who complained about the little girl's screaming, what other kind of reaction should she have had? And to those members who complained that there didn't seem to be sufficient character development or that characters were not as "likeable" as they would have liked them to be, they don't need to be.

On a side note, I think Tom Cruise has publicly acted like a jerk as of late. But it's important to keep things in their proper perspective. He's just an actor. And if he didn't get his big "break" years ago, he'd be someone that you might see coming up to your table in a restaurant and announcing, "hi, I'm Tom and I'll be your server tonight". But simply because I think Tom has gone completely off the deep end in his personal life doesn't mean that I can't look at this film objectively.

This simply, is a roller coaster of a film. If you're up a for a good ride, take your seat and make sure that your fastened in! 10/10

I Heart Huckabees (2004)

Suckabees

[1/10 · 5 March 2005]

Thank god we were able to simply turn off the DVD player. I am amazed how this film got such high marks. It is pretentious, obnoxious, ridiculous and most importantly, BORING. Save your 1 hour and 45 minutes to do something more productive with your life instead of wasting it on this hogwash. After about 30 minutes, my wife and I realized it was not getting any better. And we really were really hoping it would. What I can't figure out is how someone of the caliber of Dustin Hoffman would sign onto to such a pathetic movie. The characters seemed to be out of a cartoon. But actually, most cartoons are better. Did I mention that I thought this movie sucked?

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

If only half of F-911 is true, Bush should be impeached

[6/10 · 11 July 2004]

Moore does an incredible job at developing a convincing case against President Bush. While the extreme right keeps pointing to some errors in it (and yes, I read the Christopher Hitchens' essay), it is not enough to derail the overall message of this movie.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, go. And if you can, take a Republican friend with you.

I can only hope that when this gets its video release in October before the election, all of those that didn't want to spend movie theater prices will be willing to watch it when it's only $3. God help us if Bush gets re-elected.

Dave (1993)

Put simply: a wonderful movie!

[10/10 · 28 December 2002]

I loved this movie. It's just that simple. I've seen it several times and the charm never wears off. Yes, it is a 'feel good movie', but is that so wrong?

As I read some of the other comments about this movie on IMDB, I realize that cynicism can easily get in the way of just enjoying a movie for what it is.

Kevin Kline is terrific and so is the rest of the cast. Also, the insertion of so many real politicians and pundits playing themselves adds a nice touch. I thoroughly recommend this movie! I could give it no less than a 10.

The Sum of All Fears (2002)

An edge of your seat thriller that delivers!

[10/10 · 20 June 2002]

This is one of those movies that will make you afraid to leave the room out of fear of missing something. The film is fast paced, realistic and will give you a sense of how tremendous forces could conceivably be misguided into doing the unthinkable.

While I know that some on this board have complained that the villains didn't represent the kind of terrorists we're currently facing in the post September 11th world, I didn't think that detracted from the potential realism of the plot in the least.

I feel that Ben Affleck did a terrific job at playing Ryan and Morgan Freeman was great too. Did this movie have flaws? Probably. But did I notice them? No.

This movie was exactly what I expected and it delivered. To those that like a great action/thriller, this is it. I highly recommended it.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

A lot of "Ringers" must be voting for this movie

[3 January 2002]

I went to this movie with high expectations given how it soared to the #1 movie of all time on the IMDB rankings.

While the movie has some breathtaking visuals, the story line, dialogue and character development are really lacking. Furthermore, the movie is way to long. I found myself looking at my watch on more than one occasion.

****POSSIBLE SPOILER**** Essentially, the entire plot is like a football game where the characters are attempting to move a ring from one end of the field to another. In-between, there are fights with the bad guys, harrowing experiences and even a little romance. But that's about it. And they don't even get the ring into the end zone because that's what the next two movies are about! *****END OF SPOILER****

This movie left me empty and wondering how so many people could give it such a high score. I can only conclude that a lot of "Ringers" (can we use that label like they use "Trekkies" for Star Trek fans? The double meaning certainly fits) have probably all been giving this a "10" so that it hits the top of the charts. I predict that after the "Ringers" have expended their votes, the rest of us will have our votes counted and this movie will be ranked more objectively and appropriately.

As far as being "the best fantasy" ever made, I don't think this movie comes anywhere close to "The Wizard of Oz" which is a film that teaches as much as it entertains. While there may be several redeemable lessons to be found in LOTR, there are very few. What we're left instead with is a three hour scenic tour of Middle Earth. If you go to this movie with a lowered expectation, you might like it more.

While I would have normally rated this movie about a "7", I felt compelled to submit a vote of "1" to help remove it from current ranking of the best movie of all time. It might be good, but it's NOT THAT GOOD.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The number one movie of all time? Give me a break!

[25 December 2001]

When I saw that this movie had instantly achieved the 'number one movie of all time' ranking on the Internet Movie Database, I rushed to see it.

While the movie is beautifully made, it is NOT the best movie of all time. It's too long and is really nothing more than a group of characters going from point A to point B while having to survive attacks from various creatures along with having to deal with various environmental elements. I found nothing really compelling about the plot. I found myself glancing at my wrist watch on more than one occasion.

I believe that the near perfect score this film achieved on the IMDB was a result of all the role playing geeks who saw this movie during the opening week and gave it a "10". I'd say that it is truly more of a 7.5 - 8.0.

Dr. T & the Women (2000)

Having your teeth pulled is more pleasurable...

[1/10 · 18 August 2001]

When I rented this movie, I thought, "Gee, I wonder why I haven't heard anything about it?' And then after looking at the cast I thought, "well how could I go wrong?' Well, I realize now how I could go wrong. It's called 'renting' this piece of nonsense.

Do you remember in the Mel Brooks film "The Producers" how they INTENTIONALLY made the worst possible play they could ("Springtime for Hitler"), hoping that it would flop on opening night? Well, as I watched Dr. T and the Women, I found myself wondering if the people who made this movie were trying to do the same thing. If so, they succeeded.

I could go on and on about why it is so bad, but I'd be writing all night. I didn't bother to watch the ending. I didn't really care. Do yourself a favor...rent anything but this movie.

Frequency (2000)

An enjoyable film

[8/10 · 23 April 2000]

I went to a sneak preview of this film this evening at the urging of my 16 year old son who had seen the ads for it on TV. He told me it was about a son who discovers when using his deceased father's ham radio, he's able to talk with his father who is speaking to him from 30 years in the past. I was a bit skeptical about the premise, but I went with an open mind.

I found that I really enjoyed this movie. Generally, the biggest problems with any story line that includes any type of time travel are the issues of paradox and the 'ripple effect' which happen if you change events from the past. Even though those issues are going to be present in any time travel type of film, I felt the writers did a fairly respectable job of dealing with them in a way that didn't detract from the story.

The characters were enjoyable and the film had a sense of warmth, along with suspense. I'm glad my son suggested it.