Reviews

I guess I should have been tipped off that this film was not screened for critics, very wise. None the less, I wanted to see a movie so I gave it a shot. What I got was a very uninspired and ludicrous film that was just flat out boring. There was literally not one scene in this movie that made you jump or feel scared. The characters lacked any development and the script was just, well, uninspired. This looks like one of those studio leftovers that they decided to dump on the public with the tease that M. Night Shamylan had something to do with it. I would suggest "The Last Exorcist" if you were interested in a horror film with some imagination and some real scares.

The problem I had with this "movie," is that it was not much of a movie at all. It seemed like two guys decided they were going to embed and then make a movie about their experiences, whether there were any experiences to really show. We see a lot of forced shots where the soldiers really have nothing to say. It is as if they feel compelled to give the directors something, so they just start performing. I am very interested in this conflict and the men that fight it, but this documentary was inferior to stuff I have already seen on National Geographic and other news stations. In the end, it is rather dull. We are instead party to a number of young men trying to come up with something entertaining for the directors, as if their mission was secondary.

I was shocked that a movie with such a strong cast could be so incredibly awful. Everyone in this film was handcuffed by one of the worst scripts and most unimaginative directing one could imagine. It was as if Hoffman was just going through the motions here, along with everybody else. The scenes of people delighting to the pirate radio in private were laughably unrealistic. The supposed rebel DJs that worked on the boat did not posses an ounce of talent or entertainment ability, which begs the question, why would people have listened at all to this station? I'm sorry, perhaps if I never went out to watch movies or had a 4th grade intellect and maturity I would have found this horrible film entertaining, but neither of those is true and this film stunk!

Charles Bronson is the alias of an incredibly violent and angry man. Why he is this way, nobody knows, least of which himself. The film makers have no idea either, but it really does not matter. The greatness of the movie is watching the amazing performance given by the lead actor. He is incredibly engaging and incredibly disturbing. He can be engaging, but more often than not, he is incredibly angry and very prone to violence. Correction, he is pure violence, it is the thing he most desires. Of course. his actions only lead to his continuous stay in prison, but that is fine with him, he loves it there. Very surreal, very strange, very hypnotic. Lots of great music, powerful performances, ultra-violent, great film!

Sasha Baron Cohen wanted to follow his Borat movie with a new movie based on his third character, Bruno (he also has a character named Ali G). I will admit, on his TV show, I always found the Bruno skits just as funny as anything he did as Ali G or Borat, sometimes more funny. However, this movie is not nearly as creative or as funny as The Ali G Show. The plot is a mess, originally trying to follow the Borat blueprint, but eventually giving way to just endless shock gags. I was expecting Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O to show up. It seems that Cohen wanted to expose bigotry and intolerance, but he was having a hard time doing it, primarily because most of the characters seemed intent on playing off the ridiculous advances made by the Bruno character, until they reached molestation proportions. Bruno eventually has to amp up his outrageous behavior and actions until they reach a repugnant nature. I think any normal person would be repelled by Bruno's behavior, but I guess we are supposed to believe that these reactions are hateful and bigoted. Coupled with these reactions to shocking scenes there are unrelated segments with baby models and Mexican furniture, that don't seem to have any real place in the movie, just there for more gags. I will give Cohen credit for one thing, he has more courage than any man on this earth and as Bruno on the TV show, he was able to make insightful entertainment out of it. However, in this movie, not so much.

I have no problem with Hollywood movies. However, when you pretend that you are making a biopic or reenacting history, well, you need to be kind of realistic. This movie is one lie after another. It opens up right from the start with lie #1, Pretty Boy Floyd being killed by Melvin Purvis. Not only did Purvis not kill him, but Floyd would not die for several years later, well after Dillinger. Later we see Baby Face Nelson being shot and killed after the shoot-out and Little Bohemia. Uhh, nope, that is a lie as well. Nelson would die over a year later in another incident, well after Dillinger. Then Mann makes up this bogus relationship between Dillinger and Billie. Nope, did not happen that way either. I thought filmmakers had evolved into a position where they were able to make entertaining movies while sticking to the truth. Apparently Mann does not regard truth as being important. I mean, why even bother calling the movie Dillinger if you are going to lie about so many historical events, why not just make it a complete work of fiction? And the romanticizing of Dillinger was also ridiculous, the man was popular, but he was not nearly as "saintly" as Mann tries to make you believe. Dillinger had a lot of blood on his hands and many dark things in his past.

This is not your standard comedy. The main character in the movie is a bi-polar, living t home, deranged and violent individual. However, he is also very funny. Moreover, his fellow renta-c- cops are also very funny. The story is about Ronny (Rogan) trying to find his place and win the girl of his dreams. When a flasher causes the girl of his dreams to have an episode, Ronny knows what he has to do, get the pervert and win her love. But who would know that things would get so complicated? This film has kind of a "Bad Santa" quality to it, because the main characters are very flawed, even though they are the heroes of our stories. The movie does have a lot of profanity and violence, but it also has an insane charm about it. I am not a big Seth Rogan fan, but I really appreciated this film, due to a great story and great performances. Moreover, there are more than a few classic scenes here. Please don't think this is going to be anything like Paul Blartt, because you will come out of this movie in shock. GREAT FILM! Not for crybabies and sensitive Nancy Boys.

The first 2/3 of Transsiberian is a pretty interesting film. We follow two Americans as they travel from China to Moscow on a famous rail line from the cold war era. The images of life on the train transport you to an old Soviet style of life that can be downright claustrophobic. I am willing to forgive Woody Harrelson's "Aww Shucks" country performance as he gushes in every scene about how "neat" something is. Soon the couple is sharing their cabin with a mysterious Spaniard and American couple, that just ooze intrigue. Hints are dropped about corrupt police and drug dealers as we see the two couples interact. The makings for a pretty good film are firmly established. However, at about the 2/3 mark, the director decides he is just going to fall back and make a clichéd Hollywood action movie. I was rubbing my eyes in disbelief, as I thought I was viewing a different movie. We get standard chases, standard switches and the prettiest bow that has ever been tied on a present. Everything gets wrapped up neatly and happily, which is too bad and too simple. The images of Siberia are beautiful and make for a good show, it is too bad that the director could not close the show.

Akarui mirai is a film that has one theme, despair. We see a Japanese society that offers little in the way of hope, prosperity, fun or happiness. A chance for a bright future is denied to the young and has already passed up the old. Our two main characters live lives that are pointless and dull. Our protagonist momentarily feels that at least he can claim being good as arcade games as an accomplishment, but soon sees that he is not even good at that. The two soon see that even their "successful" boss, who has a wife and child, has no life worth celebrating or enjoying. Such despair will cause one of the two friends to give up on a bright future and one to make one last attempt at finding hope for that bright future, but sadly, it appears very doubtful that that bright future will come.

I almost did not watch this film. I have been burned by David Mamet in the past. In fact, I still believe that "Spartan" was the worst film ever made. But boy did he make up for it with this one. The film centers around Mike Terry, an idealist, who runs his own dojo and trains students fighting skills and souls. His wife believes Mike is addicted to poverty, but really, he is addicted to honor. Financial and ethical problems result in Mike having to do what he never has done before, fight in a competition. The action scenes are great. The international talent is wonderful. The attention to detail, first class. You will recognize many people from the world of MMA here, including Frank Trigg and Randy Couture, but the actor that plays Mike Terry is what makes the film shine, excellent job. Take it from someone that is not a Mamet shill, this film rocks!

Yep, it is another one of those Iraq and Afghanistan documentaries. I know the burnout rate is high on these, which is probably why I almost did not bother, but nothing else was showing. Man, was I happy I saw this! It has rekindled my hate for the Bush administration, which had turned to apathy over the last year. This tells the story of an Afghani taxi driver that is mistakenly picked up as a Taliban supporter, but before they find out he was innocent, he has been beaten to death by his American torturers.

This film has interviews from all of the guards that were responsible, JAG officers, FBI people, CIA agents on the ground etc. And you see that all of the blame lies with Ashcroft and the Bushies, who gave one vague order after another that they wanted confessions and they wanted them quickly, with a wink and a nod about what kind of methods to use. So you have these frustrated high school drop-outs presiding over these people thousands of miles from anywhere, and they won't confess. So, beatings and humiliations follow. And when the crap comes out, the Bush administration passes a bill that absolves all higher-ups from any responsibility and they start to bust the enlisted men and women, who were following orders. Pathetic. Of course, we also find out that over 95% of the prisoners being held, were captured by Pakistanis and Northern Alliance people, WHO were paid by the US government for each person they turned over, guilty or not guilty. And you wonder why meaningful confessions were so hard to come by. It reminds me of the scene from Full Metal Jacket, where the psycho army guy shoots the Vietnamese farmers from his helicopter. He says the ones that run are VC, the ones that don't run are well trained VC. Very tragic.

This movie reminds me of one of those numerous SNL spin off movies that tried to cash in on the unexpected success of the "Wayne's World" movies. The writing is weak, few characters are developed or bring much to the story. I found myself getting kind of bored several times during the film and often wondered if I was supposed to be laughing at certain skits. I am a big fan of John C. Reilly, always have been, but this film is lacking in high caliber talent elsewhere, most importantly in the direction, which was weak. There are some talented people in cameos, but they are simply not given enough to do. I wanted a "Talladega Nights" and I got that film with the SNL chick that played "Superstar."

I had no idea just how dark this film would be. I knew that the Coen Brothers could do dark, but nothing quite like this. But perhaps what separates this film from so many of their other great films, is how detailed and symbolic this movie is from start to finish. Every scene has a symbolic message. trust me, you will be thinking about this film for sometime after you leave the theater. Everybody saw the Bardem character in the ads, including his Prince Valiant haircut and odd weapon of choice, and were drawn to the film. Well, Bardem does not disappoint, he is incredible. Bardem's character is a principled killer with a code. Yes, he is insane, but he has rules he lives by and this is what keeps him going in an otherwise cruel and pointless world. He detests those that refuse to take life by the horns and instead settle for what is in store for them. To Bardem's character, everything is for a reason, because if it is not, what is the point. The good guys in the film are perhaps not as structured as Bardem, or are they as goal oriented. Brolin is incredible as a good ol' boy who has no idea what he has stepped into. Jones is his incredible self, playing an aging Sheriff that has hoped that God would have revealed himself to him already, but sadly, has not. He has trouble grasping the changes that he is seeing as he approaches retirement. You spend your whole life trying to create a sane and civilized society, and then you see, things are worse off than when you started. Jones has a terrific quote when he is talking to another aging Sheriff that is dumbfounded by this new generation, Jones says that "when you stop hearing Sir and Mam and the end of sentences, trouble cannot be far behind." Well, trouble is coming, and the times are changing, for the worse, and nothing gets better, and this is not a country for old men.

I was warned by more than a few critics to avoid this film. The common theme was that it was a "mess" and made no sense. Well, a lot of them said that about Donnie Darko, before they changed their tune after it became popular. Well, this is not Donnie Darko, it is much grander. Heck, it might the most grand attempt at a film ever. That being said, I was left there after the movie was over, saying, "huh?" And I suppose that would cause many people to write a negative reviews, but not me. I respect anyone that tries to create something this large, an A+ for intentions. I am not going to go much into describing the plot, because that would be pointless and I am not sure I could. The casting is interesting, with a cast mainly made up of improv comedy actors from Mad TV and SNL. The Rock is good and a good sport for really challenging himself with this role. The music is great and a could of scenes play as great music videos, including a wonderful one with Justin Timberlake, who musically, I hate. The look of the film is neat as well. If you want to escape into the world of David Lynch and wander through the insane terrain of Chuck Palahniuk, check it out. If you want a conventional Hollywood film, you won't like it.

OK, I am not a Democrat and I sure am not a Republican, I kind of see myself as a Libertarian. basically, I am not pushing an agenda in my review. Now, to the film. Was it preachy? No, not really. Any good performances? Tom Cruise was pretty good, but none outside that. Was there a political slant? Well, yeah, but not the one people think. The film is not anti-war so much as it is a call to wake up and see that most politicians are pieces of crap that count on our apathy in order to pursue their own twisted dreams. The film basically follows three different story lines as they interweave throughout the course of 90 minutes. Tom Cruise plays an aggressive neocon, pushing for war and a run at the White House. Meryl Streep plays a liberal and jaded reporter who sees this current war as Vietnam part two and feels more than a bit responsible for having allowed it to happen. Finally we have two soldiers that have put promising academic careers on hold to fight for their country. Overall, the film seemed choppy and a little pretentious. And yes, Redford does come across as an out of touch Ivory Tower liberal, preaching to people that somehow he sees as beneath him. Overall, it is not a terrible film, but it is far from great. I would give it a C+. But the film does seem rushed and not very polished. I think "In the Valley of Ellah" is vastly superior, if you are looking for a war at home movie.

If there is any justice, Oscar will go to this film for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. Haggis has created a complex work, chalked full of symbolism and despair. I know some close-minded types out there that believe in blind loyalty to the current administration will dismiss this film without ever seeing it, which is OK, because I doubt they would understand it anyway. But this brilliant film is one of the most pro-Army and patriotic films ever made. I left the theater wanting to shake the hand of every American soldier that has served in Iraq or anywhere. These are heroes putting their lives on the line for their country. The problem is that America is putting them in this unhealthy environment where the stated goal of troops is none to clear. These guys are left alone on an island in a crazy world that makes little sense to them. In the end, soldiers do what they have to do to survive, because that is what actions like Vietnam and Iraq eventually come down to, surviving. Then we bring these boys back home and expect them to just shake off their experiences over there and pick up life in America like nothing ever happened, not so easy. The mind gets wounded but the scars are not visible to the outside world. Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal of the Army lifer whose two sons have given their life for the army is incredible. One senses the pride he feels and then the agony, as he realizes that his actions have a very real and very negative effect on his youngest son. Charlize Theron is always great and this film is no different. Moreover, the young actors that play the squad coming home from Iraq give wonderful performances. But it is Jones that truly shines in his moving role and Haggis for his incredibly complex story and artful direction. I sat in my seat for ten minutes after this film ended, pondering the many subplots and symbolism that I had just viewed, not to mention the many emotions that the film leaves you with. Great film that needs to be watched. And if you see a soldier, thank him.

There was no way that this film would be as good as the classic from 1976, no way. That being said, I had rather low expectations. I mean, were they just going to remake the original but with different actors? Would they do an original take on the story? Well, they kind of stay loyal to the original with a few variations. Billy Bob Thornton is no Walter Matthau, but he gives a good effort and has some great lines. The real weakness with film is in the supporting cast, which is vastly inferior to the original. Greg Kinnear pales in comparison to Vic Morrow and is rather marginalized compared to the original. However, the real problem with this film involves the kids. Tatum O'Neil and the kids that starred in the original were very accomplished and so much more entertaining. The Bears in this film are just weak. None are very accomplished as actors and it shows, big time. Not one gives a really decent performance. Added to this is the poor edit job. I mean, we see the Bears lose every game, then, they win one game and in the next scene, a character says we are one game away from the Championship. What!? How is that possible? I guess the more I talk about this movie, the more I realize that it is vastly inferior to the original, despite the Thornton performance.

This is not a mainstream comedy, it's a Canadian thing, ehh. A lot of in-jokes and offbeat humor. If you are not familiar with the Jiminy Glick character, you will not get a lot of the humor. Watching it was like watching the old SCTV skits/movies that Short did back in the day in Toronto. I will admit, I laughed 10X harder the 2nd time I saw it, because you do pick up more stuff and lines. This plot for this movie was a favorite vehicle on SCTV back in the 1980s, mixing different movies together to make one confused and painfully funny movie. Sometimes, the plot would get so contrived that even the characters were confused, but that is the point. The David Lynch impersonation is timeless, coupled with The Shining references, Matthew and Modine, etc. and so many other story-lines. This comedy style is not for everybody, nor is Martin Short, but I love him and I LOVED THIS MOVIE! Better each time you see it.

I have read that some people find this movie insulting to the South. This movie is insulting to anyone unfortunate enough to have stumbled across it on cable TV. I mean, some people might consider it "camp," but it is more crap. Let me set it up for you, there are a bunch of sex-starved college kids that stumble on to this town in the deep South. This town has a bunch of old-school Southern types that dress in elaborate clothes and talk with outrageous accents. Well, these Southerners secretly want to kill each one of these college kids in the most violent possible ways. They ram spears up rectums, they draw and quarter, and these are some of the more tame methods of execution. Mind you, none of this is scary, the whole plot is driven by how gruesome they can murder these college kids. There are Confederate flags everywhere and we are supposed to believe that this is the type of behavior you can expect from people that live in the South. I just grow tired of idiots that rationalize this crap and pretend that it is just mindless entertainment that is not supposed to be taken seriously. This crap was derived from a warped mind and is intended for other people who have warped minds. If you are in a house and see that the person that lives there actually has a copy of this, well, I would be looking for an exit.

I have to admit, I was drawn to this movie because of the great cast and a lot of positive word of mouth. I watched the movie in a very good mood and when it was over, I said, what is the big deal? I did not laugh, I did not cry, I did not feel anything, except that I had seen this movie a dozen or more times already. It really was nothing special. Arkin's comedic performance was a rehashed role that I have seen others play. I remember a film called "Flirting With Disaster" which was kind of a road movie as well, it was better than this. "Raising Arizona" was much funnier than this. The so-called side-splitting ending with the dance to Super Freak was so tipped in commercials that you knew what was coming. Moreover, the dance just keeps going and going, it got so tedious and unfunny. I'm sorry, I don't want to be a cynic, but this film is just being played up way too much and I cannot believe that it was nominated for Best Picture, it was a weak year, but not that weak.

I was looking at the external reviews (Ebert, etc.) for this film and they were all pretty much negative. However, after reading many of them, I noticed that they all made the same point. Critics were upset that the film centers around what appears to be a senseless murder of an autistic child. Certainly, this is a disturbing image. Critics like Ebert want a traditional detective story that uncovers why the killing happened and squarely places blame on the guilty. They want blame to be cast and resolved. Well, that status-quo theme is kind of what the movie is parodying. Just like society, the critics wanted a very quick resolution so they could move on to their next tragic opera. Perhaps there is no simple question to be answered here? There is a whole lot more to what happened then what is on the surface. The film does not seek to rationalize what happens, but rather understand the why. What also steams me so much about these inane reviews is that all they look at in the way of performances is Spacey and Cheadle, who were both great (and generally are). But there are other great performances at work here other than just the two current icons of Hollywood. Gosling gives an incredible performance that really only somebody of his extreme talent could deliver. Somehow, Gosling is able to make the killer of an autistic child sympathetic. This irritates many, I am sure. However, if one watches the film, they see what Leeland's motivation is, it is wrong, but it is not evil. Malone is also on top of her game as yet another confused young character. Basically, the killing of the child in this film is not the main theme of the movie. The main theme is life itself and how people go about dealing with it, the highs and lows, and how they attempt to sometimes help others deal with their lives (which does not seem to work out very well). There is a lot of good and bad in this world and how we handle each has direct impact on how much more good and bad will take place, and sometimes a confused attempt at doing good, can lead to a whole bunch more of bad. I think this is one of the more memorable films in sometime and has an ending that is as touching as anything in recent movie history. I strongly believe people should view this film, with an open mind.

People need to stop talking about who directed this film and just talk about the film itself. People need to stop making up political agendas when disparaging this film and just talk about the actual story. I was amazed by this film, it has to be one of the greatest escapist films I have ever seen. You are literally transferred to an ancient world, made a first-hand observer. You see how people of that time lived, loved, joked, hunted, related, and died. You are taken along for their hunts, their fights and even to an Mayan temple for sacrifices in a scene that can only be described as mind-blowing! I cannot stress how well-done this film was. I felt like a kid again watching this film, because it has such an escapist feel to it. Yes, it is violent, so was the world, in particular, Mayan society at that time. Lord knows the Spanish did not improve on that, but that is not what I think Gibson is saying. Ignore the Mel-bashing and all of the other non-film related garbage and just see this movie.

I thought that this movie stayed very true to the excellent show that the D did for HBO. Sadly, that show never caught on, nor does this movie seem to be catching on. Hey, so be it. The D is obviously not for everybody. I can scream at people and tell them to go see it and enjoy it, but it is pointless. The movie is a bomb, but it is still funny as hell. Some nice cameos from some big-time talent, great music and lots of funny stuff from KG and JB. One of the bonuses about this film is that it has brought the D back together and we have gotten to see them on various TV shows, the guys work so well off of each other. I eagerly await the DVD, so I can purchase it. If you are even the slightest interested in the film, go see it. I thought it was funnier than Borat.