Reviews

Move the story and don't just give me every little event in people's lives, please! Jeez, I could look out my window and watch people on the street if I wanted to witness every meaningless moment. The end was good and the daughter was hot.

This is an excellent tragedy, clearly based on Shakespeare's magnificent plot to King Lear. In this case, the love of the youngest son rather than daughter is doubted by the father and this fatal blindness to genuine love over flattery lead to a bloody civil war that Kurosawa depicts with stunning realism. The subplots of betrayal by the eldest brother's wife also rings true and creates even more of a feeling of the hopelessness of human relations in the midst of a power struggle.

This is one of the greatest epics I've seen. Expansive settings, brilliant costumes, determined performances, beautiful cinematography, and incredible fights! It is what you go to movies for: a moving, inspired story about characters fighting for life. It should have won best picture and for some reason, did not even win best foreign film.

This movie blew. No, let me clarify: it BLEW! Could you hear me? Do not see this movie unless you want to know what a horrible, horrible film looks and feels like. There was no discernible fear generated at any point for me during this "film." The acting was hammy. I did not care on bit for any of these characters, especially the main character, who's the biggest pansy in the history of leading men. It was neither funny, nor clever. I actually yearned for Jason to come to the rescue and start slashing people to bits, just so there would be something to be afraid of for a moment. Please, please, do not make movies like this. And who was that director that said this was a great film?

You could cut a solid fifth of this film onto the floor and still have the same story, but much, much tighter. In this case the buildup to the actual event was way to hyped and long (see Superbowl hype) and turned out to be rather anti-climatic. Go see Bad Boys 2 if you want an adrenaline rush and laughs.

I was one of the biggest detractors of this film when I initially found out it was nominated for an academy award back in 1995. A talking pig? You gotta be kiddin' me! Then, months after Braveheart walked with the award, I finally saw the infamous "Babe." Wow! Was I ever wrong. This movie not only deserved the nomination, but was a close, close second out of the five nominees in my book (Braveheart rightfully won, but I would have had no trouble had Babe won). I love this film because it has a sweet lining, yet tells a deep story about resolve, goodness, and the struggles of life in a very large sense. It makes you think, but more importantly, it makes you WANT to think about how all our lives are interconnected and what can be done by each seemingly insignificant individual to make the world a better place. That's saying a lot, when a guy who loves stuff like True Romance digs on a piggy movie. If you haven't seen this, buy it immediately.

Yeah, baby. I dug this movie from start to finish and I wanted to hate it. I thought Affleck was miscast and so was Farrel, but the former passed and the latter was excellent. A very pleasant surprise for someone who is a fan of this character and the unique "view" he brings to comics.

Amazingly, the effects did not overpower the story and characters. Marvel seems to be on the right track ever since they release X-Men. Keep up the good work and we'll stay true believers.

This movie had more curves than Rita Hayworth, but not so many to make it unsightly. The perfect blend of complicated plot and intricate characterization, I loved it from opening scene to the ending where Campbell Scott sends his would-be lover to her "room". Steve Martin is enlightening as the crooked eccentric and Ben Gazzara is as always wonderful and commanding. See this movie.

This movie deserves notoriety for only two things: the cinematography and the costumes. The quality of the shots and the fact that it's done in one continuous shot and the actors don't seem especially nervous about screwing up bodes well. Otherwise, it was dull and boring high-brow crap. I had mucho trouble staying awake. I'm not Russian, but I saw very little story and essentially felt like I was watching a affluent version of Dance Party USA, MTV Beach Party, or Soul Train with the cameraman talking to one of the attendees.

Please, please remember that historical relevance does not by itself make a story interesting! If you like costumes, then don't miss this one, but if you're interested in an engaging story and not just beautiful photography and people, then save yourself two hours.

Bullitt is an interesting film about the struggle of one detective in a world of corruption and disintegrating feeling, to maintain some semblance of a normal life. He wears pajamas to bed and has a sweet girl who wants him to open up--something he seems to have lost along the way. McQueen, one of the coolest cats around, pretty much holds the mood of the film squarely in the center of his round face. He creates a sense of desperation for integrity that he constantly worries about losing. The film draws out in places, particularly the airport chase, which takes much too long, but is actually very realistic. We are also left wondering whether he will recover from his "no man is an island" syndrome. It does not look hopeful.