Change Your Image
kellyap7
Reviews
Secret Window (2004)
Cheap night at best
I was a bit surprised (by the end of the movie), that Depp had decided to perform in this film. While he clearly chose an interesting role, in a story with a few twists, the overall movie is quite mediocre. From the very outset, I was disappointed that the score sounded a bit too much like Carpenter's (?) cult classic "The Fog". At other points, the music was overly dramatic, to the point of really leading the viewer, and giving away that something was about tho happen. Anyway, the problems go deeper than the score. Generally, its well-acted, but the story just seems very un-original, like a mixed bag of old, cliche bits, all tacked together into a movie. Go on a cheap night, or better yet, rent it when there's not much else to watch.
Spartan (2004)
Entertaining
In spite of what some others might be saying, this IS a decent movie. Robotic acting? How about the actor is just playing the character - there was nothing robotic about it. Confusing plot? I found it refreshing, especially since you weren't spoon-fed the important plot elements like the rest of the Hollywood drivel out there. I went in with low expectations, and was rewarded with a few entertaining hours - exactly what I paid for. The action kept me entertained for the bulk of the movie, although some of the trailers give away a bit too much information. Character development was a bit weak, but this isn't really the intended genre either. If you want character development, watch something else, if you want a thriller, you'll be entertained. This is pretty much standard fare, but I can easily recommend it on a "cheap night".
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Left me wanting more...
Overall a good movie, but I won't be buying a copy for my DVD collection. To be very brief, I'll just touch on a few things. 1) It covers a brief period of time, roughly a day in Jesus' life. As such, there is a lot of history and post-'mortem' which is left uncovered in the movie... Afterwards, I felt like I'd seen *part* of a movie, or read a single chapter of a book (gee, how punny...perhaps I should have typed 'Book'). 2) The events depicted are fairly uniform, mostly depicting deplorable acts of violence and / or torture. As such, the actors are mainly limited to displays of horror, grimace, and cries of pain. The emotive "range" required of their acting is largely uncomplicated. 3) The movie is quite violent, and I had to look away a few times. Just the same, I think it is probably a fair representation of what would have happened in that setting and time period. 4) Even my untrained eye noticed a pile of cinematography glitches... Probably minor to most, but it bothers me when the camera pans back to a character and all of a sudden the cup which was in his hand is gone. 5) In the end, Mel was brilliant (inadvertently?) to contribute to this movie. He puts on a very respectably directed film, which has an incredible "controversy factor". As a result, it gets tons of press, and tons of people attending. Big dollars. But in the end, we just see another interpretation of a part of the Bible - and this one is fairly vanilla-flavoured. All in all, worth cheap night, simply for the cinematography.
Bad Boys II (2003)
I enjoyed it...but my conscience tells me I shouldn't have.
This is really a tough movie to review... Technically (as in technologically), the movie is outstanding. The special effects are top-notch - a good step or two beyond what you usually see in movies these days. If much CGI was used, I couldn't tell. The plot was entertaining enough, and the movie was a bit long, but I never felt like it was dragging. There are some VERY funny parts...
However, the problem with this movie lies in its darker sides...and there are a number. This is definitely not a movie for kids, or really anyone under 18. In fact, the movie should be rated NC-17, or at least something to make it obvious that it pushes the "rated R" envelope for violence. Some might argue that I just have a weak stomach. First year anatomy required us to open a person's chest, and then dissect everything in it - no queasiness here. This movie has a number of problems. (possible spoilers below)
1) The way corpses are treated in the film is very degrading. Driving a truck over a corpse is defiling it - and certainly not something laughable. Each one of those corpses was a person - someone's recently deceased brother or sister, and having them strewn across the highway is just not funny.
2) The depiction of the violence, while amazingly realistic, is a bit "over the top". I really don't need to see the splatter and chunks fly off the back of a guys head (gunshot to face) into someone else's face.
3) The worst part of this movie is that the characters (police, no less!) don't seem to care about the consequences of their actions. The repeated gun battles and car chases are more than enough proof... At one point, a speedboat flies off a trailer, and the back of it plows through the windshield of an oncoming car. Having worked in an emergency room, I can not begin to describe what this would do to the occupants of the car. Instead of showing some hint of regret or remorse, our protagonists give us a simple "WHOA", and are seen enjoying a Bar-B-Que joking around just a short while later. This is not an isolated incident, and literally hundreds of innocents would have been killed if these scenes actually took place.
Hulk (2003)
Not even a good rental
Garbage. After 1.5 hours, I thought it was over...I *hoped* it was over. Anyway, it then dragged on for another miserable hour. Even the special effects don't redeem this one. Comic-book fans will be disappointed, others will likely leave early.
X2 (2003)
Flashy with no substance.
Acting is OK, but the script is cliche and terrible. It will have you groaning at several points in the film because of what's said. Special effects are undoubtedly first rate, but the whole effect will leave you wanting (badly) for something better.
Wasabi (2001)
Entertaining - european feel.
I was surprised by the low average vote - I found this film thoroughly entertaining (watched it in the original french) right from the beginning. It has a european feel to the film and directing, something I seen before in Busson's films. The acting is reasonable, although occasionally predictable. If you go in expecting to be blown away, you'll be disappointed. If you just want a fairly light action comedy, this will keep you entertained.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Solid action flick
Entertaining from start to finish... Nothing real deep, but a good watch. A bit of a new role for Damon, but he pulls it off well. I wouldn't be surprised if he did a few more like this. I bought it on DVD (prev viewed) for about $14 and figure I got my money's worth.
Nikita (1990)
a classic
The original french version, arguably better than the American (read: Hollywood) version. Certainly the acting seemed more genuine, and the plot held more depth as a result. Overall, an interesting movie which I haven't seen in far too long. Worth owning if you're so inclined.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
disturbing
Difficult to rate this film, given its age. In its day (its now 2003), this film would have been terrifying. This movie is a bit old and unimprssive as far as special effects go (i.e. it'll look terrible on your 16:9 flatscreen with DTS-ES on your $20,000 home theater). But if you try it late one night in a hotel somewhere on a little V with one speaker - its perfectly scary.
A Man Apart (2003)
Good "cheap night" flick
In spite of other's comments to the contrary, the movie is really not that bad! I had few expectations walking in, and was pleasantly surprised... It has better depth and character development than most other films of its genre (and with similar plot-line). Finally, I'm no big fan of Vin Diesel, but I think his acting was quite convincing. I certainly think he pulls off the dramatic subtexts of his character MUCH better than Stallone, 'Arnold', or Bruce Willis EVER would.
Because of the dramatic component, I enjoyed the first half of the movie more than the latter half. The latter half could have been played by just about any beefcake in acting today. The first half would not have been credible by MOST beefcakes - but Vin does it well, I think. Overall - quite enjoyable, if you go with fairly low expectations.
Patton (1970)
Passage of time has lulled this film's luster
I'm not sure why this movie won so many awards - especially Best Picture. Overall, not bad to watch, but you'll be twisting my arm to get me to watch it again. Not your typical war movie - mostly centers around the title's namesake. Overall, nice to see once, but won't change my life.
Tears of the Sun (2003)
Cheap-night flick at best
Nice to see Bruce on the big screen again. He does act admirably in this movie (though his dialogue is...uh...*brief*), but the movie is quite thin on plot. Not much really redeeming about the flick as a whole - but at least they didn't start flag waving at the end (as many films from a certain country do...). Finally, it seemed to "belittle" unnecessarily the people of Nigeria and Cameroon - simplifying their plight to the level of good guys vs bad guys.
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Not so good for kids
Start of the movie really concerned me... Shows one child punching another *in the face* in the first few minutes. Then a rather realistic portrayal of some type of "broken home" family... I'm not sure how much of this movie I'd want my kids watching.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
theatrical vs extended - both are good, but...
This film will have you "holding it". Unfortunately, the IMDB rating scheme doesn't allow you to rate the extended and theatrical versions separately. While I would rate the theatrical an 8/10, the extended version is a 9/10...mainly because it included some extra footage which "smoothes" out the film. In the theatrical version, the 3 hour movie can barely get all the requisite plot occurences jammed together. The extra 30 minutes in the extended version allows for some 'extraneous dialogue', making for a more enjoyable (and believable) experience.
Analyze That (2002)
Crapola
What tripe! Rent this only for your kids - and then tell them that its an example of forced humour, poor acting and contrived scenes. Overall, an example in how NOT to entertain an audience. Ugh. Save your money.