Reviews

Finally rewatching this, and it's worse than I remember even 15 minutes in. Episode 8 had it's problems for sure, but at least it was trying to do something interesting and new. Episode 9 just gives up on that and tries to appeal to fan service (EP 7 already did enough of that) without paying anything off and being completely idiotic in the process. The emperor?! FFS.

JJ Abrams couldn't finish a plot in a way that makes sense if his life depended on it. Pretty good at setting up intrigue, but obviously has no clue where he's going with anything. Sequels still overall better than the prequels, but what a low bar that is.

The first half of this movie I was kind of bored and wondered why I had heard so many good things. It just seemed like a lot of talking heads going over the same things I already knew: the build up to the Iraq war was a lie, the military industrial complex is too powerful, we're a violent nation, etc.

Then at the end it started to really get my emotions. The storyline that started it off was the New York cop who put the name of his son who was killed in 9/11 on a bomb finding out that Iraq wasn't connected with Al Qaeda. I don't think even the best actors could have duplicated that feeling of betrayal that he exhibited. The movie just gets more powerful from there.

Even having heard most of this film's information before, it turned out to be an extremely worthwhile and well made movie. It reminded me how easy it is to forget about a love of and desire for peace when so many powerful forces are urging war. The movie even does something that I didn't think it would really try to do in the beginning, something that I thought it would leave as just a rhetorical question - try to explain why we fight.

It's a shame more people won't get to see this film. I find that documentaries such as this are increasingly becoming much more entertaining than the rehashed plots that Hollywood dishes out. The themes that even some of the best mainstream movies explore very well are that much more poignant and interesting when they're presented in real life. What's more, the plots in real life are often stranger and more fanciful. The relationship between Mark Bittner and this group of misplaced San Francisco parrots is amazingly deep and will touch your heart. Mark recognizes many of these birds by name and knows their personalities more thoroughly than most people know their friends. It's a wonderful piece of luck for all of us that a documentary film maker took the time to explore the life of a man and flock of animals that most people would never give a second thought. All the way through you care for the animals and Mark, and the ending is wonderful for mark and the film maker in a way that seems like it had to be dreamed up for Hollywood.

This semi-fictional movie about the writer of Peter Pan, James Matthew Barrie, truly surprised me. I knew nothing about it going in, something that I'm usually glad of, and thought I was in for another rendition of "Hook" with Johnny Depp instead of Robin Williams. I was confused as to who the characters were and why I should care about them for the first half hour, but as the relationships began to take form I was completely sucked in. Although none of the ideas were amazingly profound (growing up too fast, belief transforming reality, the importance of imagination), the presentation of them was magical. Even though throughout the whole movie they prepare you for what happens at the end, I found myself crying, something I almost never do at movies. I kept waiting for the fairly basic plot to become sappy and overdone, but it never really does, even with all the child actors. Johnny Depp is wonderful as usual and I find that I'm liking Kate Winslet more in every movie I see her in. I thought this movie was made more for children, but I think most of the subtlety of emotion in this movie will be lost on children, while adults may find themselves understanding their childhood a little better.

Noam Chomsky is that dry, factual, intellectual that you probably fell asleep listening to in your college classes. However, if you even begin to listen to what he is saying, you'll suddenly become angry, scared or saddened and be drawn to listen further. Unless you're thoroughly familiar with US foreign actions for the last 20 years you'll wonder how he can possibly be telling the truth half the time. However with his constant encouragement to check sources and research exactly what he's saying he'd have to be absolutely crazy to be lying about what he's saying. The US hypocrisy toward terrorism becomes obvious and you are simply left wondering why the media isn't reporting it... Now you'll have to go watch another Chomsky film called Manufacturing Consent to understand why the media are so complacent in this hypocrisy. The media has only gotten worse since that film was made (1992), so may want to check out Orwell Rolls in His Grave for a more recent treatise of the media's faults. If only half the people knew half the information Chomsky could impart to them in half an hour, the outrage would force a great positive change in the world.

I've only begun watching documentary films like this recently due in large part to the success of Michael Moore's films. This film is right up there with Moore's films in quality, in thought provoking content, and in sad truth. This is the kind of film that it terrifies me to see but I'm glad that I saw it. I remember when I read 1984 in high school and I thought it was great that there was literature like that so that the kind of events that take place in 1984 could never happen in real life. Orwell would be rolling in his grave because those kind of events are happening now, and this movie makes is frighteningly, frighteningly obvious. I don't care if you consider yourself Repbulican, Democrat or Independent, if you have any care for truth watch this film. The news will never look the same again.

This is what movies are truly made for. This is movie making as an art form. This movie deeply conveys more human insight than I thought possible in something so short and simple as a film. It deals with sin, love, friendship, fear, greed, persistence, frailty, hope, courage, cruelty and a whole array of other human traits, and it deals with all of them in an amazingly complex and full manner. This is a prime example of a creation that allows us to understand another's soul. It does this through words, sounds, facial expressions, in short, everything that a movie can offer us in condensed form that we often don't pay attention to in life. We have to pay attention here. We can't look away. If you can come out of this movie without finding something out about yourself you haven't really experienced it, perhaps you've just watched it. I give very few movies a 10, because nothing man made can ever really be perfect, but some things come close. This is one.

This is my kind of comedy. Well thought out, dark, situational comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously. The characters are hilarious too. Everything about this movie is enjoyable, so long as you're willing to pay attention. I still like this better than snatch because of the characters here. The characters are a bit more believable here than in Snatch while still getting themselves into the strangest and funniest situations that all coincide or perhaps collide in the end.

I expected this to be interesting, but never did I expect it to be this masterpiece. A movie I expected to appeal mostly to children was easily in my top 10 list. There were scenes where I couldn't stop laughing. There were scenes where you the tension built and resolved in the most satisfying manner. The musical interlude telling the story of Jesse was a little out of place, but very poignant nonetheless. I had to rewatch this movie twice the very day I saw it I was so impressed. The animation technology is gorgeous as well, but the writing for this movie hit the spot like no other. SEE IT!

This movie was hilarious, entertaining and thought provoking. Warren Beatty rapping is a sight to see. The final message is a little cheesy but a good one. If anyone out there thinks they've seen a more entertaining movie about politics, let me know. Very, very highly recommended.

Probably one of the better musical and dance movies ever. If only stars like Gene Kelly existed today, with that much talent. The best dance number of the movie however would have to be Make 'Em Laugh. It's hilarious and impressive. This is from a time when physical comedy was an art and this number showed it at its best. The only part of the movie that I didn't enjoy was the Broadway musical number that was imagined up. Otherwise, superbly done.

I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed this movie. I don't usually like comic book movies even if the special effects are amazing (which they definitely were in this one). This movie kept me entertained and interested almost the whole way through. The story line wasn't amazingly intricate but it was plenty there for a movie of this type. Not too much unnecessary violence but plenty of opportunity for the X-Men to display their powers in entertaining ways. I hear there's going to be a sequel and honestly can't wait.

The Dark Crystal is simply the coolest fantasy world I've seen created in a movie. Everything about this movie is magical and leaves you wanting more. The amount of work that went into a simple puppet facial expression will never cease to amaze me. The story isn't quite as good as it could have been with the characters it had, but all things considered it's easily forgivable. Not a single human appears in this movie, giving it even more of a feeling of being a world that only a wonderful imagination could create. Highly recommended.

This film is intense to watch! From the very beginning straight through the end there's almost no time to sit back and relax. The tension is made palpable and you almost don't have time to worry whether anything is realistic. The scenery is gorgeous and the actors all do a fairly good job. However, there's a couple things this movie could have done without and been better for it: the nitro obviously. Adding that was great for some cool special effects explosions, but after those explosions I didn't know whether to say "That was cool" and laugh like Bevis and Butthead or to cringe in movie critic and amateur climber horror. Other things that detracted include some of the off the wall climbing techniques that went on. Overall if you go into this movie without expecting realism and just look for some great tension and action, you won't be disappointed.

It was a nice afternoon movie, with it's heartwarming moments and cute characters. The costume and set design was amazing really. It was just missing something of the magic that the simple illustrations and wonderful poetry of Dr. Seuss brought out. Jim Carey is a master of physical control and exhibits it in this movie. Perhaps I'm too judgemental just because it's based off Dr. Suess, but I just think there's something missing from the overall effect of the movie, and I can't put my finger on it. I'd recommend this movie for a one time Christmas watch, but not much more.

A very interesting movie that tickles both a piece of your heart and of your brain. Interesting views on morality and the bible. Quite slow at parts though. Not as entertaining as thought provoking, IMHO. Excellent, even if somewhat static acting by Thornton.

Sorry to those who liked this, but I saw almost nothing that warranted all the praise I've heard for this movie. I expected much more. It was at times good for a chuckle, but it really didn't do much for me. I didn't care all that much for the characters. Some of them were very underdeveloped and boring. There were few surprises. The plot was straightforward and the end did nothing to change that. I thought this to be a waste of time and I usually like British comedy. Entertaining to a degree but I wouldn't give this movie more than a 5.

Like most near my age, 20 something, I thought this film would be cheesy and outdated. I really didn't expect what I saw here. This film really made one think about a lot issues including war, religion, racism, and knowledge. The end even makes sense of some of the things that seem ridiculously unexplainable in the course of the film, like why the apes speak English. Just when I thought the film was merely interesting, the ending really brought it into it's own. Highly recommended to science fiction fans and thoughtful movie goers alike. I've even got to give the film credit for pretty good ape makeup.

This movie covers the themes of birth and death and the decisions and self made rules that shape life in between. It's fairly easy to watch despite these very heavy themes. Very soon you care enough for the characters that you're drawn in and can't easily let go. Some little things about the movie didn't seem to fit right to me, but overall it was very well done.

I usually don't read others comments before I review a movie, but for this one I did. Mixed feelings by others. Some enjoyed it, some absolutely hated it. Both were right to do so. I liked it. It definitely wasn't a "great" movie. I think your reaction to this movie really depends on what you expect going in. It's billed as a comedy, but really it's not very funny so don't expect too much laughter. It is, however, mildly amusing and heart warming. Most importantly, it's clean enough to be an entertaining family movie. Don't expect a deep thought provoker, or a hysterical side splitter, but just watch it. I believe someone else described it as "predictable fluff", which is true but that doesn't have to be a bad thing all the time. It's a nice movie so don't end up hating it because you expected too much.

I kept looking for something good to say about this huge disappointment after leaving the theater. Immediately had to scratch plot, characters and originality. Let's see, the special effects were... Well okay, they were cheesy, overdone and nauseating. How many amateur slow motion martial arts moves do we need to see Tom Cruise make? I at least thought the girl was hot, but my friend disagreed with me there. Then again, he liked the movie too.

Normally I adore Hitchcock, but this film... Maybe it was scary when it was released, but today the only thing to notice are the horrible special effects and ridiculous story line. This Apocalyptic film was not in the least suspenseful, just hard to stay awake through. And the ending? Whatever feeling it was supposed to leave me with, I'm sure it wasn't supposed to be disgust. The movie's theme and the character's interaction was slightly thought provoking, but not enough to make it well done. Interesting idea, but I'd have to say it's one of Hitchcock's most obvious failures. Especially when viewed in modern context. The only thing worse is that they made a Birds II !

I'm not worthy to review this film. However, I need to write some sort of glowing praise of this masterpiece though just to satisfy myself. Wow! What a movie. Fast paced, very tight, well written story, superb acting by all. Russel Crowe seemed to play a typical role, but very well. Kevin Spacey is always excellent. I'm sure Kim Basinger's acting was marvelous as well but I was so distracted by how gorgeous she was I could hardly pay attention. The plot ranks up there, probably above The Usual Suspects. I think the twist at the end of Usual Suspects was better, but everything in LA Confidential is brilliant. The characters are all so well developed. My only complaint is that Guy Pearce's character seemed too easily accepted after his ratting out other officers. Not downplay Guy Pearce's performance which was also quite good. I can't believe I hadn't heard more about this movie before. This movie is to film and the 1950's LA scene what The Great Gatsby was to literature and the 1920's Jazz Age, but much more entertaining than the Great Gatsby.

All the unknowns in this movie set it up to be an excellent occult mystery but disappoints with almost no resolution. I won't even pretend that I understood what happens in this movie, but I don't care to do the research to find out. I'm hoping for the movie's sake that there were many symbols and themes I missed because of my limited knowledge of satanic lore, but have neither the interest nor the stomach for research into the Prince of Darkness. Other than the ending, I really did enjoy this movie though. Perhaps with a better understanding of the movie's subject content I could be more content with the ending (no pun intended), but then again, perhaps more knowledge of the subject would never leave me satisfied.