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Reviews
Interstellar (2014)
Worse than meh
I was really looking forward to this movie, loving the genre. Unfortunately it was severely underwhelming. It starts out extremely slow. You are introduced to the family and the conditions on earth. This goes on for way too long with lots of tangential uninteresting side- stories. Finally... a very far-fetched scenario occurs where this "hero" is asked to embark on this adventure. Without going into the details there are so many ridiculous coincidences and interactions that it's immerse yourself in it. In addition it's BORING and way too long. Can't tell you how much I wanted to like this film... but a major disappointment.
Unthinkable (2010)
Good action and thought provoking but a bit underwhelming
I'm not sure I understand why bleeding-hearts always feel that they need to feel passion for serial or mass-murders. Protect their rights at all cost... torture never gives you answers. These are all meaningless clichés. This movie primarily wrestles with those issues; can we do what we need to do to an individual in order to prevent a mass murder from happening. The answer should always be yes. While this movie was action pact and gripping, the moral dilemma that brody was having was over the top just didn't make sense to me. I also thought the ending could have been better.
This is not a movie I'd ever watch again but it was interesting enough that I don't feel the money spent was a waste. Samuel Jackson was great as usual... not much humor however or real surprises.
2016: Obama's America (2012)
Excellent well ariticulated film
This was one of the best documentaries I've ever seen... a must see. Don't let anyone tell you differently. It was fair, factually and incredibly illuminating. I went to see this with my girl friend, a Vietnamese immigrant that came to the Us after as the Vietnamese conflict ended. We both were captivated by the film and learnt new things about the forces that influenced Obama growing up. As an independent voter I highly recommend this film to all people who want to learn more about the president and why the country is where it is. It was not negative a propaganda film against Obama as many of the people favourable to him have been touting on this board, but a factual account of events and his thinking. If you want to get an idea of what the years 2012-2016 will bring us if he is re-elected then watch this film. This film deserves an Oscar in the documentary category... unbelievable.
Drive Angry (2011)
Good action flick
Just what I was in the mood for. Vengeance, good special effects and great action. Not deep or realistic by any means, but it was effective in making it easy to suspend belief. In the vein of Rodriguez and Tarentino, closer to Rodriguez for it's gore. Well worth the $3.99 paid to download it from Amazon. In some respects similar to Ghostrider. Not a big fan of Cage and he's made some lousy movies, but this was one of his better ones. I've generally liked William Fichtner as an actor e.g. Black Hawk Down, Armagadon. I thought he was a little weak here as the "Accountant" but passable. Cage was decent. Amber Heard, who I never heard of was okay. Wouldn't be looking for a sequel anytime soon but it was definitely entertaining.
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Don't bother, this is trash
I had read many of the comments in this forum stating this was funny but I have to say I was very disappointed.
Why John Cusock decided to be in this is beyond me. I've generally liked his roles.
My girlfriend and I spent most of our time cringing. Discussing it afterwords with her we found out we both wanted to leave early. Here are the reasons.
Lots of clichés. Bad gross jokes that weren't funny. A bad plot, and completely unbelievable story.
I wasn't expecting much of a plot (which I got) but I didn't expect the humor to be so primitive and non-funny. Don't waste your money.
Stay home and rent SpaceBalls again.
How sad for Chevy Chase who way back used to be funny to see him in this.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Great Movie
A very memorable movie, both funny and a great revenge flick. I'm a big Tarantino fan and was happy to see he's still putting out great stuff. For those that say it was too long, I feel the opposite. Didn't want it to end. The acting was first rate all around. In particular Melanie Laurent's role. The emotions she portrayed as the victim and then the avenger were incredible. Christopher Waltz as the Nazi SS colonel was superb. Best role I ever saw Brad Pitt in hands down. For those of German descent I could see how it could offend, but you need to keep some perspective. Look what kind of stereotypes blacks and native Americans have had to put up with and they didn't even do any of the disgusting things the Nazis did. Some very funny moments all through the film. At the end, at the theater I attended in Provo, Utah, the audience burst out into applause. The movie does have some gory scenes in it, so be forewarned. Oh, Til Schwieger (german soldier that joined the bastards)was incredible. Particularly in the bar scene.
Defiance (2008)
Don't miss this film.
This movie lived up to my expectations fully. The acting was magnificent and I've never been a Daniel Craig fan, just never thought he made a good James Bond. As Tuvia Bielski though he's incredible. The vengeance scenes were perfect and the conflict between brothers was very real. The best actor by far was Liev Schrieber and I agree with others he should get the Oscar for best supporting actor. The fact that this was a true story is just amazing and gives you some context on why Israelis have a survival angst. They were hunted to be exterminated by the Germans and their collaborators and turned the tables. Great Film! You owe it to yourself to see it.
Miller's Crossing (1990)
mediocre
Not sure what others saw in this film. I barely could got through the movie. The character dialog was not realistic and in some cases made you cringe. The Italian and Jewish characters where pure stereotypical rubbish as were most of the Irish. The story made no sense, particularly all the trust everyone had in Tom Reagan. There was no chemistry between the girl and Reagan... the whole relationship made no sense. Oh, and the girl was singularly unattractive. What a waste of great actors too. I'd have expected Turturro and Steve Buscani (who only had a brief appearance, to be way more picky in the character's they played then the pathetic Bernie and Mink. Albert Finney was pretty descent as Leo (Irish Mob boss) and was the one saving grace. In essence to me the story and characters weren't really believable.
Arranged (2007)
Pleasant Surprise
I downloaded this from netflix wondering if it was any good. Wow is all I can say. The chemistry between the girls is incredible. It was a very believable relationship and the tribulations both go through seemed very genuine. This is a very uplifting film on many levels e.g. the relationships with the school children, the families, the suitors. I have to say that the Orthodox Jewish girl was an incredible actress, emoting intelligence and beauty. The Orthodox Muslim girl also came off as radiating happiness and intelligence. I would hope that this film gets more publicity and sets off a spark of amity between Jews and Muslims.
Strays (1997)
Very good honest movie
This movie rang very true to me. Excellent dialog for the most part. There were some funny parts as well, but mostly it was an honest portrayal of a similar kind of life I used to live. This is as good as anything Spike Lee has done on a similar low budget and your hat as to go off to Vin Diesel for the effort. The only small negative, as others have mentioned, was some of the confrontational language was a bit exaggerated and unnecessary. One really great scene was Vin Diesel singing "If I only had a heart" from the Wizard of Oz... that just plain worked. The interracial friendships were heartening and rang true.
Rain in the Mountains (2007)
Piece of crap
My wife and I really had high hopes for this film, but it was a major disappointment. It was a Native American version of Mr. Magoo. A pathetic father who fails at everything he tries e.g. fishing, hunting, in an obvious way he subjects his family to his wild fantasies. His "visions" are not only ridiculous but in the process he lies to his son numerous times about various obvious things. Words cannot express how bad this film is. The children and wife are very real which makes the film even sadder. I don't get the humor... unless you like laughing at other people making a fool of themselves. I don't get how this could have come up for awards. Save your bucks, it's not worth the rental.
Juno (2007)
Excellent film
I'm not much into "chic" flicks... and if it wasn't for my 18 year old daughter I wouldn't have gone to this one. That being said I was very pleasantly surprised. Great story, and not really predictable, great acting and video. Ellen Page playing the main character Juno, did a superb job as the "troubled" teen, very funny, sharp and real. A surprise was the step mother played by Allison Janney who really pulled off the but hard but supportive step mother. The cinematography was also first rate. Particular how the Juno morphs into a cartoon character in the opening/credits. Oh.. the music was first rate and the ending was feel good.
The Last Legion (2007)
Yeech
I was hoping for a Gladiator type movie... what a piece of crap.
Do not waste your time/money with this movie... it had : 1 - A bad story that made no sense 2 - An incredibly boring dialog 3 - Completely non-believable story 4 - Historically inaccurate 5 - Horrible inappropriate music 6 - Bad fight scenes 7 - No characters you could relate to 8 - Cheesy costumes and cinematic effects 9 - Miscasting 10 - The "lovers" had no chemistry
I only wish I could give this a 0 out of 10 and gotten my $3.00 DVD rental money back. Trust me, 1 1/2 hours on the pot tackling diarrhea is preferable to watching this movie.
Rescue Dawn (2006)
mediocre
Was really looking forward to this movie as I've been a big Christian Bale fan. As others have said, this has been done before and much better... nothing new here. The acting was bad all around, the sound was difficult to understand and there was no character development. On top of that the story was plainly unfaithful to real life. Making the two Americans seem weak or crazy while Dieter is made into the hero. This contradicts the facts and you wonder if Herzog's motivation was some weird German fantasy. In fact Dieter was not really the leader at all which makes this really disgraceful. See http://www.rescuedawnthetruth.com/. Even ignoring this disturbing fact, the movie was a great disappointment.
Death Proof (2007)
Ranks with Pulp fiction as one of his best
I can't believe how many people here gave this movie a bad review. The movie had incredible dialog, great acting, was funny had incredible music and came off as very real. In fact I've seen the film twice now and will probably see it again. There are two parts to the movie. The first taking place in Texas, where we meet the girls heading for a bar. Enter Kurt Russell as the older Stunt Man Mike, in one of the best roles I've seen him in. His interactions with the much younger girls is really incredible and honest... won't go into anymore on this as I don't want to spoil it. The second part is really incredible... here he picks the wrong bunch of woman to mess with. It's also where the best conversation takes place...very humorous and real. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
Shooter (2007)
Great flick
Always been a big fan of Stephen Hunter and this movie did not disappoint. The film moved with great action and visuals throughout. This is the first film I actually liked Mark Wahlberg in, and though I didn't think there was any chemistry between him and Kate Mara, it was superfluous to the movie itself. Don't wait for the DVD, the big screen added quite a bit to the visuals. I will say that if I had the option of picking the actor for Bobby Lee Swagger it would have been Tom Beringer. That being said Wahlberg was very believable as a ex-special forces guy. It is obvious he worked out quite a bit in the gym for the role. Danny Glover gets better and better as an actor. He plays the cynical government man to the tee. Somewhat unbelievable that a supposed Congressional Medal of Honor winner would be so sleazy but... whatever.