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byro0502
Reviews
The Reaping (2007)
More like Hilary "Skank"
I was not that impressed. I don't know why I had high hopes for this movie, I guess that I thought it had a chance of being one of the rare decent scary movies, one like Seven, or the Ring. Or maybe I thought it wouldn't really be a scary movie and it would be a dark suspense film similar to Constantine. But it was neither. It had many stereotypical scary movie aspects, and a plot that had potential, but wasn't developed into a very new and creative way.
But on the positive side of things, you pay to watch Hilary Swank prance around for an hour and a half. Maybe there's better, but she's fine with me. And like all other scary movies, if you're not scared during the scary parts then you're laughing through them. This is why scary movies are a win-win situation.
P.S. Hilary is not a skank. She's actually very good. I just put that in the headline to provoke you to read this comment. Did it work?
Amazing Grace (2006)
It's nice to see a well done PG movie
Like I said: it's great to see a PG movie that is not aimed at 10 year-olds. The movie was inspiring, touching, and surprisingly not filled with opinions from either wing.
The movie doesn't need to be violent to touch the audience's hearts, after all we have been taught about slavery and how terrible and brutal it really was. This point doesn't need to be driven home in this particular movie like Schindler's List did for the Holocaust. Descriptions are powerful enough in this film, and we are left to only hear about the terrible tragedies just as the naive and sheltered British parliament were forced to do.
But the story isn't necessarily about the issue of slavery. It's about perseverance and faith. Yeah, that's right, I said faith. There's a well done movie that incorporates faith in a very realistic and admirable way.
I didn't want to see the movie. I just tagged along. I didn't care to see another touching Hollywood movie meant to make me ask myself what's wrong with the world, but when it was over, I was touched. I was impressed. And I was entertained. Not bad.
The Prestige (2006)
Nolan Raises the Bar
Christopher Nolan is incredible at creating suspense. This movie is all about secrets; secrets between friends, secrets between enemies, and secrets from the audience. As Nolan seems to like to do in his movies, he does a great job of keeping the audience out of the loop and always a step behind. When good directors make a few good movies, it's easy to slip along the way. Each new movie they make is another chance for them to fail, and people start to anticipate these failures because they hold each new film to a higher standard than the previous one. He hasn't disappointed me yet.
The acting is well done. I don't think anyone would expect a poor performance from Michael Cane, Christain Slater, or Scarlett Johanson, and they definitely didn't achieve anything less than expected. Hugh Jackman proves to be a talented actor in an artistic film, not just a high budget Hollywood production.
V for Vendetta (2005)
Unexpected, but good
I was excited to see this movie since I saw the first preview for it many months ago. After finally seeing the film, I must admit that it wasn't what I had expected. All the trailers depict the film as an action film, or at least something similar to The Matrix in that respect. When comparing this film to The Matrix, it differs drastically in that area with only 2 or 3 "action scenes" in the entire film. But what the Wachowskis did bring to V for Vendetta was their unparalleled use of words, symbols, allegories, and metaphors. This movie is (just like The Matrix Trilogy) one that will bring new feelings and ideas to the viewer every time they watch it again.
Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving are amazing. You couldn't find a better pair. Weaving brings his incredible talent for passionate monologues and Portman is everything that you could want in an actress.
Great film for those who saw The Matrix, understood the plot, saw the metaphors and philosophy, and didn't just classify it as a "groundbreaking action flick."