galileosgal Reviews

25th Hour (2002)

Incoherent

[5/10 · 17 July 2003]

This movie was pointless. The plot was incoherent. It jumped around from subplot to subplot. The subplots had no meaning. The acting was great but what did seeing Barry Pepper at work add to the main gist of the movie. Nothing. What did the scenes with Hoffman and Paquin add to the movie. Nothing. Neither had anything to do with Norton's last day. Not only did they not contribute to the movie, they were not resolved in the end.

Despite the tag line, Norton's character does nothing but walk around. He has an interesting scene in the bath room that is audacious but totally out of place in the movie. Why was that little racist diatribe necessary?

The scene transitions are not smooth. One minute he is here, the next in a flashback but you aren't sure if it is a flashback until the end. There is more character development in the supporting characters than in the lead. I never felt like I knew him, his life, how he felt (other than he is a racist who apparently hides it very well), etc. the movie never made me care.

Despite a great opening scene and wonderful acting by a wonderful cast, the movie failed to deliver anything but frustration and boredom.

Iris (I) (2001)

Great *YAWN* performances but....

[4/10 · 2 January 2003]

Jim Broadbent won an Oscar for Best Performance by a Supporting Actor for his portrayal of John Bayley, a wonderful literary critic and spouse of the late Iris Murdoch whom the movie is about. It was a well-deserved Oscar (and I'm sure his very different role in Moulin Rogue the same year had some play in it). All four of the actors (Hugh Bonneville played the Younger Bayley and Kate Winslet/Judi Dench played Iris) turned in some of the finest acting I have ever seen. Judi Dench was way more worthing of the Oscar than that horrible performance put in by Halle Berry in "Monster's Ball". Hugh Bonneville didn't get enough recognition for his fine acting IMHO.

However, despite the wonderful performances and the wonderful subject matter, I can not recommend this movie. There was no plot. Just two different stories juxtaposed together neither one delivering the goods. The movie makes Bayley look like a bumbling idiot which he is not. The movie does nothing to explain their relationship - just a little bit of when they met and then when they are old. The movie ended leaving me very dissatisfied - I didn't know any more about the great Iris Murdoch than before watching it.

Magnolia (1999)

I kept waiting for a plot

[3/10 · 27 December 2002]

This movie is highly overrated pretentious mishmash. It starts off great -I really thought it was going to be great. The characters were sort of intriguing and the acting above average. I kept waiting for some sort of plot to really tie it all up. But frogs -I sat through three hours of of drivel for frogs????

Sweet November (2001)

Cute But Nothing Special

[5/10 · 19 December 2002]

Sweet November is just another sappy "chick flick" romance. I happen to like that genre, but this one is just average. The situation is implausible, but aren't most movies? Keanu Reeves was very flat -some of the worst acting I have seen him do (not that is saying much). He should stay far away from romances and drama and stick to action/comedy.

Die Hard 2 (1990)

Lots of Action

[7/10 · 12 December 2002]

Nice followup to the original Die Hard with the same premise (Lone cop takes on army of bad guys), but then that is exactly what I expect from an action sequel. You have to suspend reality somewhat (grenade scene, gas on fire scene, etc), but it is still easy to watch and never boring.

Monster's Ball (2001)

This is an Oscar Worthy Performance???

[1/10 · 11 December 2002]

I saw this movie expecting great things. I like all the stars. However, the movie was a major disappointment -long and no plot. First of all, I was not impressed with Halle Berry's performance. She drifted in her character too much - bouncing between poor & ignorant to educated and unlucky. The big sex/nude scene was graphic but not erotic and really didn't add to the storyline.

*Spoilers* The storyline itself was totally unbelievable and lacking. What made Thornton's character change? He watched his own child kill himself without any remorse and then suddenly he is in love with a black woman who he comforts because her child is killed? Especially when he is supposed to be a big racist? And you expect me to believe that Halle Berry's character loses her job because she is late to work due to her car dying and her husband being put to death that week, so walking home in the rain her son gets killed by a hit and run driver, and she is losing her home but instead of paying her bills she hocks her rings to buy a hat for Thornton. She has no family or friends either. According to SOME other viewers here, I am not intellectual because I simply don't buy this?

The only saving grace to the movie is Heath Ledger's performance. He is on his way to becoming a true star

Extreme Prejudice (1987)

Much better than the ratings indicate

[6/10 · 10 December 2002]

I looked at the ratings here before I saw this movie, so I had low expectations going in. Maybe that is why I liked it. The premise is a little unlikely and there is often sudden jumping between scenes. However, the performances are quite good. Nick Nolte character is so hard and he never lightens up for a moment-in that Clint Eastwood type of bravado. Rip Torn is fantastic and utters one of the best one-liners I have heard in a long time "Only thing worse than a politician is a child molester". He added a bit of levity to the film. Powers Boothe is great - makes you almost like his character. William Forsythe who plays some sort of secret agent mercenary is outstanding. I had never heard of him before but first thing I did after the movie was over was log on to IMDB and look up other films with him in them. All in all, this movie might not be critically acclaimed or a sensational blockbuster but it entertaining and worth a view.

In the Bedroom (2001)

Too disjointed and leaning towards boring.

[5/10 · 7 December 2002]

Sissy Spacek and Marisa did a good jobs though I thought Tom Wilkerson was better. However, the movie suffered from bad direction. The first three quarters of the movie are too long, too dull and often pointless to the plot. The ending is okay but it is too rushed with quite a few holes and leaves too many unanswered questions. I really expected a lot from this movie after all the critical acclaims but alas I was disappointed.