Reviews

There's not much that I can say about this brilliant movie. It is the type of movie that gets overlooked during its release in a crowded season, but 10 years later is hailed as a masterpiece that only got better with age. Only one other movie, "The Fountain", I predict will be bestowed with that honor.

You probably know the plot, and have heard about the incredible cinematography and "one-shot" action sequences. They are amazing and miles better than any so-called "action movie" released recently that has an average cut rate of .6 seconds. The lack of cuts make the action sequences intensely realistic and just have an underlying urgency of making it to safety; something that heartless Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer movies do not have.

The script, acting, directing, music set design, sound, overall tone of the movie and pretty much everything else are top notch. When I think of the movie, I hear the beautiful vocals in the haunting score, every actor's brilliant performance (especially Michael Caine's outstanding supporting turn), the level of detail just bursting in every scene, and many other things I won't say due to spoilers. Just be prepared to bring tissues and to feel drained after watching a rare motion picture that invigorates, angers, saddens, makes you laugh and feel tense. I hope I've done a decent job expressing my love for this underrated masterpiece, as simple words do not.

Déjà vu" first got my attention by the trailer. It had everything a trailer should have – a cool, recognizable lead; some sort of gimmick; great music; a little taste of the story, yet not too much so that you can't figure it out; and some glimpses of great action sequences. "Déjà vu" stars Denzel Washington as an ATF agent, Doug Carlin, who is called to a crime scene where a ferry has just been blown up, most likely due to foul play. Doug seems vaguely familiar with the place, a recurring theme in the movie, hence the title. A body of one of the burned victims turns up, yet not only does Doug sense something familiar about her, the body had been washed up before the bombing.

Doug then goes to her apartment, and then things start getting weird. I'll let you discover the weird elements and clues yourself. Just know that the subsequent scenes involve time travel, a crazy ex-Army guy, a car chase where one car is 4 1/2 days ahead of the other one, and a lame ending, that, when you put everything together, makes little logical sense.

While I was not thrilled with all the plot holes, everything else is very well done – the car chase I previously mentioned is actually pretty tense and actually believable. Denzel Washington gives another very good performance and director Tony Scott knows how to manage his stylistic camera moves and action scenes.

If you're looking for a fun movie that challenges you just a little bit, here it is. It is tense, exciting, action-packed, and somewhat clever – although the script is not as clever as it wants to be, it still delivers most of what the awesome trailer promises.

"The Fountain" is by far the most beautiful, original, daring piece of work to come along in decades. By now, you know it stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz as two lovers who span a timeline of over 1,000 years. It is very difficult to describe plot beyond this, but know that it is as close to pure art can be to a movie.

I saw this after a great Thanksgiving, and had little to no idea of what to expect, and absolutely no idea of what a profound effect this movie would have on me. It made me think about themes of death, love and reincarnation. The movie is filled with great mysticism, tons of thought-provoking elements, and beautiful, Buddha-inspired scenes. The Itvisuals are just stunning. The use of chemical reactions for the backgrounds, especially in the future scenes, are just beyond describing.

It is a very sad movie. The loneliness of Jackman, stuck in this space bubble with a dying tree, is heart-wrenching. The acting is pretty much flawless because it is so convincing. It is not supposed to be a plot to be dissected, rather a movie about the themes I previously mentioned. Just go along for the ride.

The score is incredibly moving. Hours after seeing the movie, I listened to the score, and surprised myself by crying. I can count the number of movies I've cried at on one hand, let alone crying at a movie HOURS after I've seen it. The movie simply would not be the same without Clint Mansell's brilliant score.

I really can't describe the story any more. This movie (not surprisingly) didn't make a lot of money, mostly because Americans are too lazy to be challenged and to actually think about a movie and try something different. There are 1000s more adjectives to describe this movie, but it can be summed in 3 words - GO SEE IT.

I decided to check this movie out after Ebert's 4 star rave review, and the cult status this movie has received (and was also intrigued by the sexy-looking Ultimate Edition), so I decided to rent it. I was VERY surprised at how different it was than I expected it to be - I expected a ton of violence and not much in the way of writing or acting. The first time I saw it, I wasn't blown away, just kind of like whatever.

When I watched it for the second time, however, I really started to notice how well it's made, in addition to liking it more. Every shot is bursting with background detail, a great amount of attention on the production design (the theme of a certain color in a scene was restrained, yet perfectly balanced). The actors really gave it all, especially the 2 male leads who really blew me away. The music is a varied mix of beautiful classical music and some pretty cool techno. The screenplay is brilliant; the characters are developed very well, extremely complex, and the plot is not only ingenious, but the payoff and twists are 1000x better than any Shamaylan movie.

Simply put, from a technical point of view, it's one of the best movies ever. From a critic's point of view, it is a very well-done movie that goes a little overboard in sex and violence, and is just a little strange.