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JeffreyDJ
Reviews
Lola rennt (1998)
Engrossing and a lot of fun.
I've seen this film numerous times, and its just as much fun every single time. I saw one review comment that he would have been impressed if it were a student film and compared it to the far less entertaining film 'GO'. I wonder if he saw the same film I saw? Characters can be developed through actions and reactions, not always spoken word. That means you don't need 3 hours of dialogue to develop a character, in this case Lola. The story and setup is simple, but is told well and in an entertaining fashion. Be prepared to watch it multiple times to catch the smallest details.
The Master of Disguise (2002)
Not a very good film.
I took my two children to see this film at the drive-in after they had been inundated with the commercials for a few weeks on the Cartoon Network and Nickelodean. They loved the scenes involving the Turtle Man that we have all seen in the broadcast previews.
Unfortunately, this scene as played in the actual film has moments in the trailer that are not in the movie. These happen to be the moments they found the most amusing. This was disappointment number one for them.
Disappointment two was that the film wasn't that good -- and they barely laughed throughout it. I myself felt lucky the film seemed to only last for about an hour. Then the credits seemed to roll on for almost as long as the actual film showcasing outtakes and additional scenes. It was rather obvious from watching these outtakes and additional tidbits that entire scenes and sequences where removed from the film. Lucky for us they were excised, unluckily they were left in the credits.
The saving grace for the entire night was that this was a double feature with Stuart Little 2, which they did enjoy quite a bit.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
A step in the right direction
This movie isn't nearly as bad as the mainstream critics have said it is. Nor is it as good as some others may lead you to believe. This isn't the Empire Strikes Back. It also isn't The Phantom Menace.
With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this film, and only winced at one or two lines. The action was amazing in some scenes, and the love story a trifle. Overall, well worth seeing and fun way to spend an afternoon.
Jason X (2001)
Makes the worst mistake a horror film can make.
This movie fails on so many levels. For those interested in 'kills' -- the ones here are fairly bland and bloodless. With the exception of one death early on in the movie, which was somewhat original, many aren't even seen on screen.
The real mistake this movies makes as a horror film is that it is neither scary or funny. There is no tension and the jump moments are oddly missing. Rather it turns out bland, boring and lifeless, much like Jason himself. Perhaps his age is starting to show, because even as the new "improved" Jason he has the same old MO.
There are a few interesting moments. The female android was amusing at times, Lexa Doig is cute, and Jason in a VR 80's Camp Crystal Lake scene *is* rather funny. But 8 minutes of film just don't make up for the lack of entertainment the other 70 minutes+ do not deliver. I was bored beyond belief for long stretches of this movie.
Return to Never Land (2002)
A harmless children's movie.
This movie is not up to normal Disney standards in either the musical or animation department. As a whole, however, it isn't that bad. There are a few very charming moments involving both Jane, Peter and the lost boys. Also, it was nice to see Jane follow in the tradition of other Disney heroines and have a strong character.
Also, The brief last scene involving Peter and a grown-up Wendy was touching in a way that it's live action counterpart Hook never was.
Overall, if you have kids, it's a fun mindlessly entertaining afternoon at the movie theater. Not nearly as good as the original, but still fun.
Crossroads (2002)
Please, no more.
A horrible movie. I use the word movie loosely. To sum up the problems as such: Not for once did I believe Britney as a study nerd. Also, all of the scenes that would require her to actually act or show emotional range are strangely cut out. We are treated to the emotional moments AFTERMATH instead -- they talk about the pain they felt, but you never see it. Perhaps this was to spare the audience the pain of seeing Britney flex her acting chops.
Also strange for the pop princesses movie debut is the inclusion of teenage pregnancy, date rape, teenage sex, and underage drinking. None of these topics are addressed in a mature way, but rather dealt with either off-screen or glossed over within a few minutes time. It was worse than the classic "After School Specials" many of us grew up with. Nevertheless, I will never, ever again be dragged to a film she is in in my lifetime. Thank god I was at least spared from Glitter.
Lifebreath (1997)
A exercise in badly written dialog and plot twists.
Doesn't really contain any spoliers, but read at your own risk:
This movie is an exercise in futility. It had a wonderful premise: Wife needs transplant, Husband will do anything to make sure she gets it.
However, the execution of the script was poor. There are numerous unneeded scenes of sex with A LOT of flesh (but no nudity -- go figure). The dialog was trite and not believable. There are characters that appear briefly to move the story along with no explanation of who they are.
And the ending. No spoiler, but you could see it coming RIGHT at you -- and unfortunately it couldn't be dodged. The last 2 minutes of the film are painfully inane and hard to watch.