penandpaper52's Reviews

Love Happens (2009)

5/10

7 February 2010

The movie was entertaining at times, though the story was below average. In other words, if your girlfriend wants to see it, well, it's tolerable.

What jumps out at you is that this isn't really a love story. There's no love in it. There's a bit of like. No love, really. The movie is actually about loss and coping with the death of a loved one. The "love story" is less than secondary, and is practically incidental. If you get through the first 3/4 of the film, the part that is at least worthy of an average grade, you'll be upset by the end. It's largely tacked on and includes scenes that you figure were written in for the sake of having random Hollywood moments. The one I have in mind is where the character (and no this is far from a key plot point) releases a parrot "back into the wild." As an audience, we are evidently supposed to ignore the fact that a domesticated parrot is being released into the wild of Seattle. There are sooo many things wrong with that notion.

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Avatar (2009)

6/10

Okay... torn between great cinema and a great movie

20 December 2009

This is no doubt a great piece of cinema. The visuals are gorgeous and the effects are incredible and on a whole, this is by far worth the admission price.

That being said, the plot is thin and the characters are thinner. The foreshadowing is often shoved in your face and there is little exploration into what could have been wonderfully unique characters. Essentially, the plot is the Last Samurai on a distant planet. The characters are stuck somewhere between honoring Native American culture and insulting it.

If this were just some run of the mill Hollywood flick, those things would be easy to overlook--or at least forgivable. In a movie that was over a decade in the making, costing more than almost any other film, and introducing such glorious cinema, it's just a real shame that everything to do with the script was so carelessly put together.

Again, see it. If these things don't bother you, you are very lucky and will end up having one of the best cinematic experiences of your life. If they do bother you, you'll nonetheless love the ride. But don't believe the reviews that don't see past the imagery. There's more to film than that.

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Triage (2009)

6/10

Great story, poorly done...

12 September 2009

Firstly, let me just say that the TIFF audience did seem to like it and they responded well to it. There were quite a few moments of light humour that were enjoyed and the Q&A session revealed that a lot of people truly were touched by the movie.

Next, let me say that the story was quite powerful. The character played by Farrel was developed and real. It would be hard not to be emotionally effected by this film, and it would be hard not to leave with something to think about.

Unfortunately, a great story and a great character don't make for a great movie. While many of the scenes were spectacular and a lot of the dialogue worked quite well, on a whole the film didn't do its story justice. It actually felt, much of the time, as if I were watching the subplot of another film. In fact, if you've watched enough war films you'll probably find that this movie WAS the subplot to many of those films. That alone doesn't equal a bad film, but it does make it more challenging for the film to hold its own. That didn't happen. Farrel's character--due to his acting as well as the writer/director's desire to explore that type of character--was fine through and through, but the characters around him all tended to speak their lines solely for the purposes of advancing Farrel's character, or to push out a philosophy of war. To illustrate this, just pay attention to the scene in which we're introduced to the grandfather, Christopher Lee's character. That scene introduces a whole back story and turbulent relationship that has nothing to do with anything... it was just pinned on the story awkwardly so as to justify a powerful speech in which he defended his questionable actions in a long-ago war. Well, that's pretty much what the rest of the story felt like. And the payoff wasn't great. It ended mostly how you expect it will end, and gives a message we've heard from a thousand other films.

So, again, if I had the option, I'd give this story a 9/10. The execution of the story remains a 6.

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Passchendaele (2008)

6/10

So truly upset by this movie

30 November 2008

Warning: Spoilers

Six was generous. It's a 6 simply because it was a hugely ambitious project from a country, my country, that usually considers a movie investment to be flying in Americans.

Paul Gross has always struck me as somewhat of a walking contradiction. I recall an interview with him once discussing why he left Hollywood, because he hated the way things were done there. Instead, he works in his home country where he seems--from the outside at least--to operate as if he were the Hollywood studio. Does he have an ego problem? I'm not sure because I don't know him. BUT, most everything he's touched seems to reek of ego. This film takes it to the extreme. Instead of creating a film about a historic event, a battle that Canada won against odds, he created an extremely cliché love story. He made a movie about how his character fell in love and eventually won a battle--not how the army won, but how his character kept his cool and stayed the voice of reason. The plot is driven by a protagonist who is so two dimensional you can practically hear him say "I don't like you, because otherwise there wouldn't be a plot." As for my Hollywood reference, it's painted over this film. It's the epic war story with the epic love in between. Only, they forgot the war was the story. In turn, what they wound up with was Pearl Harbor--the film, not the event. As for his ego, everything about the project displays one--real or not. The ambition behind it (not that I'd complain about that), the writing (predictable plot points, obvious motivation) the lead character, a man who's only visible, overt sign of having a flaw, of ever making a bad decision, came when he killed an enemy two minutes into the film (given the context, wrong as it truly would have been, I'd hardly call it a flaw), and to top it off, this is the kicker, the film ends with Paul Gross as Jesus. I don't want to throw in spoilers here, in case you decide to suffer through this, but really, his self love, or inability to flaw his own characters, got so big that it really and truly ends with his character portraying a scene that FEELS like it came straight out of the bible, complete with sunlight beaming down through the once rainy clouds.

If you are Canadian, and you are interested in film, this is no worse than Hollywood garbage--again, Pearl Harbor--and it probably won't kill you to watch. And as such, it may even be worth while to witness Canada's first attempt at grandiose cinema. But, while I HATE when the media and critics attack these kinds of projects due to their nature (Canada's first big film = let's rip it to shreds) I'm actually upset that they didn't actually do it with this one. Not that they should have done it unfairly, but most critics seemed to have given it far too much credit.

Show ambition again Canada, but give it to Cronenberg, Egoyan, or anyone else with a track record for interpreting and projecting a good story.

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Pay It Forward (2000)

5/10

Great idea... horribly told story...

25 November 2008

The biggest problem with this story is the beginning and the end.

It starts off showing by demonstrating the results (so far) of one boy's efforts to change the world. What happens? A man with a good career and no umbrella is rescued from the rain by a man with a better career and a car. He's given the car! Not offered a ride. Just given a car. Where does this leave a thinking audience? It leaves us trying to rationalize how this string of good deeds has wound up at something so petty and simplex; it leaves us wondering why THIS is the deed chosen to show us the gravity of his efforts. Then the end, which I won't discuss in spoiler terms, is contrived and pretty much tacked on. It's tacked on because there is little-to-no narrative build up to it, and it doesn't actually offer anything in terms of relevant commentary on the rest of the story. It's put there so we find it ironic or tragic, yet, in reality and in narrative, it's simply one of those random things that happen. If a good deed, or one of his good-deed-dominoes, had led to that ending, then tragic it would have been.

So, five stars is for good intentions and lack of effort.

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Stop-Loss (2008)

5/10

Sadly one sided...

25 February 2008

Caught this at the Canadian premier... Phillippe was there answering questions with the director and I was looking forward to something a lot more powerful than what I saw. The issue that it brought to light was definitely relevant, thought provoking, and powerful all on its own. The film, however, offered nothing new in the way of characters--meaning, we've seen this type of character in many other films, and they were often handled much better--and the story didn't really keep me entranced. Why? Because, the main issue, stop loss, was handled in a very one sided manner. The Q&A suggested that the director--and some in the audience--thought the issue really was played out in an open ended way, but really, it was just a bunch of policy bashing. Frankly, I agree with the films point of view, I just feel it loses all of it's meaning in how it was presented. Perhaps the cliché nature of so much of the confrontations hurt it for me as well. I didn't care about the life the characters were to leave behind, etc, etc...

Saying all of this, the performances were good for the parts. Some of the dialogue was exceptional (some... it had its moments) and the scenes that actually took place in the war were astounding.

On a last thought, the director made a point of explaining that a lot of the inspiration came from the fact that many soldiers these days video and photograph every aspect of their lives, and edit them together with music and share them with the world--cameras mounted on their cars, guns, etc---and so much of the war footage was displayed this way. Frankly, I was upset more of the film didn't take its inpiration from the same styling.

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Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

4/10

i don't get it...

12 August 2007

I just don't get it. I enjoy campy movies a lot of the time but this one... I just don't get it. Maybe if I saw it back in the 80's it would have been different but I saw this for the first time last night--my friend loves it--and I can't see how anyone (the Times reporter quoted on the box seemed to think this was the greatest action movie ever)can think it's more than... more than... I don't even know. The comedy, what little I noticed, was delivered and directed poorly--the time was off so often. The plot development and character development was pathetic. I've never heard so many characters suddenly stop and spend a minute to rant to the ignorant hero about what was going on. (On second, I have to go downstairs and fight the evil demon who was just released from hell by my next door neighbor who says evil chants every night from a black book he found while walking along a dark alley many years ago that was being guarded by 2 ninjas who were trained by an ancient master who happens to be coming after my head.) Now, sometimes that can be funny or at least amusing. And, obviously a lot of people must think that, in this case, it is... but it seemed so accidental. So much like they didn't notice they were making a bad movie. So.... I just don't get what everyone sees in this!!!!!

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Mission: Impossible III (2006)

6/10

It was fun and definitely worth watching but...

11 November 2006

The thing about Mi3 is that it's a lot of fun and it's easy to watch. The explosions and fights are all in context and the action seems to flow. The problems lie in what are relatively unique flaws. Firstly though, i was happy that this one involved a bit more team work. Not a lot. But some. It was very clear that Ethan Hunt was not a lone ranger this time through and that is more in line with the mission impossible spirit. Still, this series--right from the start--has gone out of its way to defeat the purpose of the series. Basically, the mission impossibles have become James Bond with absolutely no differences whereas the original series was built on a team of people with their own unique skills. As for this movie as an "artform" -- for lack of a better word -- it was lacking. Somehow they managed to write a script with several side plots while forgetting to have an actual plot. This works well in that the action can be ongoing. Since there is never an actual plot to develop there is nothing slowing the fight scenes down. Unfortunately this leaves the viewer with nothing to look back on. As soon as the movie was over I reflected on it and there was nothing to think about. Like a good roller coaster ride, I know I had fun, but there is just no substance to take with me when I go on my way. It's a shame because with all the money and history behind this franchise, it has the potential to be so much more.

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The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)

9/10

Perfect Woody

24 October 2006

This isn't an artistic film and it isn't an academy award film but it is woody allen comedy at its finest. Of all of the films he's made in the recent decades this one is most reminiscent of the Woody Allen standup that first brought this genius to the world's attention. With every one of his movies there is a reason to love it. Sometimes that reason may not work for you, and so it goes. But if what you love is classic comedy delivered with great timing and character you cannot beat this film. Unlike so many modern Hollywood comedies--and even unlike so many Allen comedies for that matter--this one delivers the jokes regularly, tastefully and within a tightly packaged story. It's far fetched, sure. It wraps up in a predictable way? Of course! But it moves along nicely, never steps outside of its own defined boundaries and the characters are clever and true. To show his true genius and artistic merit look to Match Point, and Sweet and Lowdown, but for sheer entertainment and enjoyment value, add this to your collection as the best Woody has offered us in at least ten years.

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Sabrina (1995)

8/10

Surprised its rating isn't higher...

8 February 2006

Slower moving than most tales we're used to in the last decades but all of the bumps along the way are more than worth while. The characters are wonderfully well drawn and superbly played. Little details that come out in Harrison Ford's character are so nicely thought out. Watching it a second time and then a third--as the years go by--let you see every last thing his character is thinking. Then there are two stories. The first of Sabrina going to Paris and winning over David. Then Linus keeping her away. Both are full of intrigue and I find that first you fall in love with Sabrina and soon you fall in love with Linus. It's well worth the time to watch it and would make an exceptional date movie. It would make wonderful conversation for afterwards.

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Hostel (2005)

1/10

softcore porn followed by inhumane acts...

4 January 2006

I understand the appeal of horror movies but can't understand people who view them as quality film. This isn't a movie about a story and a plot and characters with motivations. This is spectacle. There is nothing inherently wrong with spectacle but I sure wish it were viewed for what it is. Critics attack these movies because they think they're movies. So the reviews will be pretty shoddy. I watched it against my will and found it to be just that. While I enjoy spectacles from time to time, a lot of great ones of crossed the screen, I just can't sit back and enjoy a show where the only purpose is to show you how realistic we can make this gross stuff look. And again, I enjoy porn on occasion. What the heck, right? But... Hostel pretty much takes us through 40 minutes of soft core sex scenes for no real reason at all. It's filler. It's to make it look like there's more to the movie then dismemberment. Ugh.... I'm done now. And yes I realize this comment is pretty useless for the mostpart but i wanted the opportunity to vent. Save your money and watch gross stuff on TV for free.

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Corpse Bride (2005)

7/10

The Best Parts Weren't There...

24 October 2005

Warning: Spoilers

I enjoyed this movie for the entertainment it was and therefore gave it a relatively high rating. Beyond mere entertainment, however, this movie just can't stack up to the expectations that go along with a Burton film, let alone a film from anyone who spent so long laboring on such a project. Little issues I have with the film are its errors in consistency, so to speak. When in the land of the dead Victor and his Bride are unable to get back to the surface and have to seek out the elder for a solution. Now, aside from the magic of love, this leaves unexplained how she managed to chase victor through the town after he put the ring on her finger. Now, my biggest complaint is that I feel the best part of the story was virtually left out. When telling the story of the Corpse Bride in song, and how she came to be, I was taken back by the beautiful possibilities this could have presented. As soon as the song was done I found myself asking why we didn't get to WATCH that part of the story instead of just hearing about it. I couldn't help but thing that her story was far more intriguing--as fairy tails go--then Victor's and I was left wishing that HIS story was left as the side plot. Most anything else I have to say, praises included, have already been said. Though I will leave with one last comment which I admit is entirely subjective on my part. I liked the songs, but didn't love the songs. I feel the movie, even as it was, would have been more fun for me had it been a non-musical.

OH Lord Burton, please forgive my blasphemy.

PHIL

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Breaking All the Rules (1988 TV Movie)

7/10

I remember this from when I was a kid

5 August 2005

First off, I give this a 7/10 based on a really old memory. Honestly, I'd like to give it more but it's been so long since I've seen it that my memory is likely flawed. So, the seven is based on the fact that it was good enough for me to remember all this time.

The story is awesome, and the fact that it's true is even better. It begins with a guy who's furious that he had to buy a new game of scrabble just because he lost a piece. "I hate that whenever you lose one little thing you have to buy a whole new game," (very very paraphrased). It follows the friends as they struggle through near poverty (living off recycled beer bottles and practically giving up on their regular jobs) so they can follow through with their idea of a game of somewhat greater purity. They set a goal of creating 5000 questions and seek out investors to help make the game a reality. Unfortunately people are more interested in buying the game then buying stock. It's great to watch who they hustled the system to break into a business that was clearly closed off to outsiders. They went from nothing to being millionaires. Or, as the leader of the pack said to a stunned group of party goers "we're not millionaires;" he pauses. "We are MULTI millionaires." If you can find it, watch it. It's lite and enjoyable. Let me know where you got your copy. I'd like to watch it again.

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Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

9/10

Truly great addition

19 May 2005

First of all, hats of to George for redeeming himself. Sowly but surely. Episode one was garbage, Two was enjoyable and three was truly a great addition to the legend. My only real complaint is, as in most of the Star Wars, the dialogue is often horrible. It saddens me that with all the money spent on these films he couldn't get himself a script supervisor with intelligence enough to know that "I can't watch anymore" and "Oh Anikan, oh," are good ways to interrupt the flow. That said, unlike the other two prequels we actually learn a few things in this one, including answers to some questions raised by "non disappearing Jedi" from episode 1. Watching everything unfold towards the end of this film was like getting closure on wounds brought forth in childhood. Add to that the incredible style it was done in and I'm willing to call it a masterpiece. I'm confident that my future Star Warsathons will begin with this movie from now on. 1 and 2 will be a rarity though. But this definitely deserves presence.

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Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

3/10

What are people seeing in this film?

7 May 2005

There were nice scenes. There were some nice characters. Unfortunately there was a weak plot, predictable situations and an overly forced narrative. The villain of the film was incredibly two dimensional and was placed there only so the massive production would have tension, but again this hardly worked out. It reminded me of those "look at me I'm a bad guy" stares and lines we got all the way through Titanic. Oh well. I think it's hardly worth the admission fee. Instead, go see Gladiator or Ben Hur or some other movie that pulled off the era with some class. Then again, if you all want to see it... I guess that's "God's will." Need extra line Need extra line Need extra line

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