Reviews

Terrible plot, awful dialog, appallingly bad acting, wooden script... I loved every minute of it!

I know it's fashionable to talk about being into things that are "so bad they're good", but I believe The Day After Tomorrow actually lives up to this premise quite well - and I mean that as praise! It's terribly hackneyed stuff, but it's almost like the movie is aware of how bad it is, and deliberately plays on that. So instead, it actually becomes pretty interesting seeing where the hell it's going to turn next. My favorite part: the irrelevancy of the ravenous wolves was a masterstroke. Totally random, but such fun. Also, the fact that the folks in Europe (Ian Holm and his crew) kind of just... well, disappeared - died maybe? Who knows? It wasn't explained, or did I miss something? The dude in the library saving the Guttenburg Bible... priceless. Rent this mindless entertainment because you know what? It's complete and utter FUN.

No doubt about it, Winged Migration is a stunning achievement technically, and I had high hopes for it. And yes, it's quite mesmerising to see the birds close up and in flight... some shots are truly breathtaking. However, the new age music that plays throughout is horribly grating and spoils the atmosphere somewhat, and the narration is weak and doesn't offer any information. If they intended this movie to be a learning device, they should've made more effort with the narration. If, however, they wanted this to be purely a 'visual feast', perhaps they should've left the narration out altogether. A lack of passion and some sloppy editing spoil what could've been a spectacular film, as well as the movie's overt political agenda showing trapped birds in the Amazon, hunters shooting ducks, some great big threshing machine powering along... screw that! I didn't learn too much about migration from the film, even though the title suggests this.

I still keep What Time is it There? in my DVD collection because I find it to be a wonderful sleep aid. For a film of two hours it feels more like three days, and I have never been able to watch the entire thing all the way through. But when I do decide to give it another viewing, I find myself slowly drifting off again and again - so it's the perfect tranquilizer.

I must say, I love some slow-moving films, and I don't mind a bit of art-house cinema here and there, but unfortunately What Time is it There? is not even engrossing enough to keep the viewer vaguely interested, unless you like watching some guy wee in a bottle.

So I want to start by saying that I like skateboarding and skateboard culture, but I was hugely disappointed by Dogtown & Z-Boys.

The film is so self-indulgent, it gets dull pretty quick. There's little objectivity here, and most of the time we're witnessing those involved patting themselves on the back, and it's pretty boring.

No denying, these Dogtown kids had a huge influence on skateboard culture, and were both hugely talented and highly important figures, but frankly, this movie feels like it was made by them and for them. I can imagine that those without an interest in skateboarding culture would really find this a horribly unimaginative and uninspiring piece of filmmaking. I'm interested in it, yet I felt the same way too.

The cut and paste "we don't care" punk rock style of editing is another annoying factor we've witnessed a million times before in lame MTV videos, so that doesn't help proceedings. Nor do I want to see some guy saying that a skater "had the hardest life in the world" just because he was a talented boarder who took too many drugs and got in trouble. That isn't a hard life. Try being a kid in a third-world slum who doesn't even have running water or a roof above his head... that's a hard life.

So Dogtown & Z-Boys lacks perspective. It's a worthy subject that should've been handled better and in a more objective manner. It feels like everyone involved is way too self-congratulatory, and that's a shame because these important cultural figures instead come across as little arrogant brats who never really grew up... and I know for a fact that they're way more interesting characters than that.

Snatch has a convoluted and preposterous plot. It's also full of dreadful London gangster stereotypes. But this isn't going to be a negative review. In fact, Snatch is a hugely enjoyable film. It's very dynamic, and a marked improvement on Ritchie's previous Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, which certainly had its moments too. Snatch is full of memorable lines and great humor. The editing and direction keeps the film moving at a cracking pace, and there's always something happening so it never drags. It possesses a great soundtrack, and excellent performances from an eclectic selection of colorful characters: Alan Ford's 'Brick Top' has to be one of the most despicable yet highly amusing gangster characters ever to grace the silver screen. Worth noting too is the excellent presentation and content of the Region 1 DVD release. Just remember to beware of 'ze Germans', and don't expect too much substance, but enjoy the style and great escapism that Snatch offers.

Kevin Smith has only made one good movie, and that was Clerks. In fact, Clerks was fantastic, and he's never matched it. Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back has only one or two funny moments in it, and these are delivered by the other stars who make cameos in the film... so go figure. As a parody, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back doesn't work because most of the parodies fall completely flat, or else are horribly self-indulgent. Chris Rock delivers the funniest line in the film when he says he thought up the idea of Sesame Street first and he called it NWP - Niggas with Puppets. Now THAT was funny, but little else in the movie is, sadly. Definitely a turkey, and I tried to enjoy it because I think Kevin Smith has talent. Too bad he didn't pull it off with Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, but hey, he can probably make a dick joke about that comment anyway.

Admittedly, I was a little skeptical that this long and fairly slow-moving movie would be able to hold my attention throughout its 173 minute running time - how wrong I was to be skeptical! Yi Yi is a thoroughly captivating film that I enjoyed immensely, and I completely enjoyed every moment of it. The director's technique of filming a lot through windows and at wide angles gives it an almost voyeuristic feel, but this doesn't alienate the viewer, instead it gives the feeling you're watching real lives unfold, a kind of privileged 'fly on the wall' style, and the 'slice-of-life' term often used to describe Yi Yi is appropriate. The film manages to balance humor, sensitivity, and emotion. It's beautifully shot, sensitively directed, and incredibly well acted by all involved. It sounds like a cliche to say it, but it is one of those movies that has everything: cute kids, family dysfunction, reminisces of decisions made in the past, regret, love, hope, and beauty. It's an uplifting piece of filmmaking but also tinged with sadness, very human, and utterly absorbing.

Dreadful piece of film-making that plods along at a snail's pace and ends up going nowhere. John Malkovich's over-acting is laughable as he struts around shouting commands with his faux German accent, and Eddie Izzard once again proves how he gets away with being Eddie Izzard in every film he tries to act in, instead of the character he's supposed to be playing. Willem Dafoe is an impressive actor, but the material here is too weak to save him, what with the film's tiresome script and sloppy editing that ensures boredom sets in before you're even half way through.

I never caught this on TV, but I bought the DVDs, and am very happy I did! What a great show. In turns funny, touching, intelligent, entertaining... this show covered all the bases.

The chemistry between the characters is just phenomenal, one or two episodes in, things really start warming up and you find yourself completely hooked.

Great writing on TV doesn't come along that often, but Sports Night (except for the occasional smart-ass moment) proves to be as well-written as anything I've ever seen... it's amazing what they managed to squeeze in in these 20 minute episodes.

And don't worry if you're not a sports fan - you don't have to be to enjoy this show.

The DVD box set is unbelievably plain - 42 episodes and that's it - no booklet, no supplements, no commentary. But fortunately, the material itself is so good, I can forgive Buena Vista for this. Also, the laugh track is a little infuriating to begin with, but it gets toned down in later Season 1 episodes, and removed altogether later in Season 2.

There's very few movies based on novels out there that are as well as adapted as One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Even though Ken Kesey's novel is an incredible tour-de-force, the movie version is just as excellent, albeit in a different way. Though the book takes a different approach (it's written from Chief Broden's perspective), and has a few more interesting twists and turns, the movie version is still amazing, and it works brilliantly. The acting by every single actor in this film is near-on perfect - the performaces are all extremely well realized. The direction adds to the incredible atmosphere, and the story works very well too. There's moments of pure emotion in the movie - whether they be humor or sadness - and the whole thing is gripping, entertaining, shocking, and, well, just plain wonderful.

It's worth getting hold of the recently-released 2 DVD set. As well as a great widescreen transfer, the documentary about the making of the film is a wonderful insight into the process, and what the actors had to go through to bring the movie to life. There's also a selection of very interesting deleted scenes that add another dimension to the movie, and will be very apparent to readers of the novel. Definitely on my top ten list, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of the finest examples of filmmaking out there.

Probably one of the darkest and most disturbing movies I've ever seen, but I still come back to it now and again and re-watch it on DVD. Certainly one for mature audiences, the shock-value is pretty incredible, but it makes the whole thing seem brutally honest. Yet through all this, there's a great deal of humor too - you can't help but laugh - and it's more a "oh my god, did he really just say that?" kind of laughter, which is refreshing sometimes. It's rare for movies these days to disturb and enchant in equal measures, but Happiness with its great characters and their complex problems, superb musical score, and hard-hitting approach to some of life's darker issues, does it very well. How something this bleak can be so entertaining is a mystery - that could be why the movie is so great. How it manages to achieve both rave reviews and feelings of utter contempt from some viewers is, to me, just another sign of its brilliance. In a world where sometimes it seems that blandness is a virtue, I'm glad that there's movies like Happiness to provoke a response in people,

A great performance from Nigel Hawthorne makes this movie very enjoyable. His portrayal of the 'Mad King' is in turns entertaining, poignant, sharp, and commanding. The rest of the cast back him up well. The conversion from stage play to screen works well here... the production design is excellent, and the direction is dynamic enough to ensure that the movie never drags. Best of all though is Alan Bennett's script which is full of wonderfully comic and intelligent soundbites. This is a sumptuous period drama which is never too intense, but at the same time never too pithy, and it makes for very pleasant viewing. The film never takes itself too seriously or gets bogged down - after all, what other 18th century costume drama can boast such lengthy discourse regarding the constitution of a British monarch's fetid stools?

I think this movie works pretty damn well for something shot in 13 days on 16mm film for $8000.

It's raw and gritty, and fairly rough around the edges, but the plot is well-conceived, there's some fairly witty dialogue, and it rattles along at a fair old pace. For all its technical imperfections, it all comes together quite nicely.

The only thing that bugged me was the scene with the two leading guys in the very red bar bathed in blue light coming up with their plan to upstage the criminals - the dialogue here was so reminiscent of David Mamet (especially Glengarry Glen Ross) it felt like a direct rip off.

Other than that, this was a pleasant surprise on the whole, not 100% original, nor a masterpiece, it still makes for a pretty entertaining piece of filmmaking.

I'm not quite sure what the film-makers were trying to demonstrate in Startup.com. That's not to say that the movie is unworthy, it's just that it fails to live up to expectations, and seems like a missed opportunity.

If they were trying to show that venture capitalists gave out money to any pipsqueak dot.com that asked, then yes, that's true, but didn't we all know that already? I thought that's how VCs work anyway? Don't they just give out millions to hundreds and hundreds of new companies, knowing that, at the end of the day, it only takes one of these to make it big, and the VCs will make a fortune?

The film-makers did demonstrate well that in such start-ups personal relationships can suffer. They're also very aware of how to make a watchable documentary that displays a good dose of humor and emotion and human feelings. However, I'm just not sure they knew the Internet industry and the business well enough. We get no real idea of what govworks.com was setting out to achieve and how it would make money. We're not made aware enough of how the structure was put in place... yes we see it's flawed, but we don't really find out why.

There was an opportunity here to show not only the real emotional/human side to such ventures, but also the failure of the company and its business... it would've been nice to have gained an insight into its collapse, how its business plan was flawed, what contributed to its downfall - all we really see is that, well, it just wasn't good enough. A little more insight into this side of the govworks.com story would've made for a far more powerful film.

Still, Startup.com is watchable enough, it just fails to provide the audience with anything they didn't know already. By skirting over some real issues, the film-makers come across as a little naive and not 100% sure of their subject area. Granted, the insight into the CEO's personalities, idiosyncrasies, and personal relationships did work well, and if this is all the film-makers were trying to achieve, then they did an ok job.

I think the fact that this movie seems to have received reactions ranging from outright praise through to total contempt will probably save it from languishing in a sea of mediocrity.

Sadly, it is a little mediocre compared to two of his previous efforts - 'Welcome to the Dollhouse' and 'Happiness' - both of which had a few more endearing qualities.

Not that this a terrible film by any means. The first story is prepared to tackle a controversial subject, and it does it honestly and takes no prisoners. I found that to be good filmmaking, even though I found it a little laborious at times dialogue-wise.

Perhaps the second longer story is a little more punchy, but frankly it doesn't work as well. There's some great performances and some wonderfully dark humor to sustain the piece, but on the whole it seems a little flat. It has its moments - Solondz's characters are satirical figures after all, there's a few digs at other 'suburban malaise' movies, and there's a message here for sure... just quite what that message is, I'm not sure. The first story certainly had a bang to it, the second kind of fades out with a whimper.

Nevertheless, Solondz is still streets ahead of many directors out there. Controversial, at times, yes, but there are others who have been as controversial for sure. Comedic, definitely - I think perhaps Solondz could be a master of the blackest type of comedy ever.

Too bad then that 'Storytelling' doesn't quite hit it off completely. It's still compelling for sure, and it's brutally honest, it seems like it could be an 'important' movie, but it's no masterpiece.

One of Scorsese's least-known films, but most people who see it seem to love it, and are always pleasantly surprised at just how damn good it is.

The best thing about the movie is that Rupert Pupkin (brilliantly played by De Niro) is a completely funny character, but for completely the wrong reasons. This could be the film's genius. We laugh at his idiocy, his persistence, his stupid clothes... but the problem is his actual act, and his jokes, STINK. It's a great twist. It's also just a little painful and scary too. Not scary in a blood splattered over the walls kind of scary, but frightening in its reality and its astuteness. There's a complexity to this movie that is too often lacking in many Hollywood movies, but Scorsese doesn't lay the complexity on too thick nor does it come over as too clever for its own good... the characters may be cocky or obnoxious, but the filmmaking never is.

And to answer lulu_153's question - I think the guy in the restaurant alone is meant to be there... he's simply listening in to the conversation Pupkin is having with Rita and laughing at his idiocy. It's beautifully observed because it's what people do.

I'd recommend King of Comedy very highly. It has the kind of title that if you came across it while browsing in a video store, you might ignore it... but forget the title, forget the PG certification. See this and you'll find something sharper, funnier, and more entertaining than a lot of stuff out there.

i can't believe this movie has been out only a few weeks and already it's at number one in the IMDb list? are people nuts? lord of the rings is better than citizen kane?

what a load of dross. overlong, monotonous, a vacuous special-effects bonanza with no soul and no substance.

ever imagine a video game where you pop the CD-ROM into your machine/console, and then it just plays for 3 long, long hours, and you can't do anything to influence or direct the action? this movie is like that.

a "visual feast" it may be - too bad i felt bulimic after watching it.

For a start you've got a premiss for a movie that pretty much gives the whole story away before you've even sat down to watch - you know this guy is going to get trapped on a desert island and you know he'll escape (this being Hollywood). So where's the surprise? Where's the hook?

Secondly, you realize this is a weak idea for a movie, pretty soon after Tom Hanks washes up onto the island. See, the beauty of a novel like 'Robinson Crusoe' is that it has the ability to express one man's loneliness on an island through the power of provoking images in your mind as you read. Of course film can't do that, at least not mainstream Hollywood film, so it's left to the director to patronize the audience because he believes we couldn't possibly cope with watching one man never talking, so he makes him talk to a soccer ball. Unbelievably, the director convinces us this is rational by displaying this as some kind of coping with loneliness and the onset of madness.

Another sign of its weakness is the incredibly bad fact that about three quarters of the way through there's a fade-out and the hugely weak concept of a "FOUR YEARS LATER" caption appears on screen, and suddenly we're transported to a long curly-haired bearded Hanks who somehow has survived all this time with no account of how.

Worst of all, this movie is disgusting in terms of the intense amount of product placement for FedEx, where their logo is shown in pretty much every shot. Is it a movie or merely a commercial? It doesn't even attempt to do this in a tongue-in-cheek way.

Also, the moment where Tom Hanks struts around banging his chest and shouting "I have made fire!" is possibly one of the most unintentionally horribly comic things I've ever seen.

'Cast Away' does score a few points in the fact that it's well shot, the plane crash is great, and it kept me watching, but it's a little too long, and frankly a pretty weak idea with a horrendous amount of product placement.

This is another of those Seventies classics. It's sharp, scathing, and brilliantly made, it's also amazing how much of what was portrayed has come true. The movie is full of memorable lines and excellent dialogue... yes, perhaps people don't really speak like that to one another in life, but there's a brutal honesty and harshness about the script that is kind of refreshing. This is a movie that really cuts through the bullsh*t in terms of its writing and direction, yet at the same time demonstrates the incredible amount of bullsh*t there is in the world of network television. It also contains a lot of humor, but it's black and dark, and oh so real...

Very funny, exquisitely acted, and beautifully filmed. It also has its moments of poignancy. It is intelligent filmmaking that works on a number of different levels. It's also one of the only movies I've come out of from the theater this year, not feeling the need to analyze and dissect... it's as if everything in the film works so well and completely, it totally satisfied and entertained, providing me with an almost-perfect movie-going experience... and that doesn't happen very often. Go see it.

This probably takes the crown for best show on TV now that

Seinfeld is over (though we still have the re-runs of that at least).

Because it's on HBO, its wonderfully sharp dialogue is allowed to

remain intact, and there's no infuriating canned laughter track.

Larry David is the real George Costanza, always getting in trouble

unintentionally, but with that same level of selfishness and

obstinacy that made Seinfeld so funny. Each episode is

wonderfully well crafted, shot almost in a documentary-style, and

in a world of blatant commercialism and hype, Curb Your

Enthusiasm stands out as 'must see' TV.

2001 hasn't struck me as being the best year for movies, but I'm

glad this Coen Brothers masterpiece has come along to change it,

and make it all worthwhile. The Man Who Wasn't There is nothing

short of brilliant filmmaking. The cinematography is exquisite - the

attention to detail, the lighting - all so well filmed, all very film noir

and stylized - but in a good way. The performances are great too,

especially Billy Bob Thornton's laconic Ed Crane (perhaps an

Oscar nominee?) and the wonderfully charismatic lawyer Freddy

Riedenschneider played by Tony Shalhoub. The story whisks

along nicely, always intriguing, always diced with black humor, and

the whole movie had me totally encapsulated throughout.



Being a big fan of the Coen Brothers, I wasn't quite sure what to

expect, especially after the wonderfully filmed, but essentially

empty feeling I was left with after O Brother Where Art Thou? But

The Man Who Wasn't There has merged the Coens's talent for

great storytelling, excellent direction and cinematography, plus

those touches of humor and quirkiness that make them such

great filmmakers.

Strange how this gets a release in the UK before the USA. Perhaps that's the point - the film starts at the end and finishes at the beginning, so why not the release dates? Memento is a clever, and compelling film that keeps you guessing throughout, still full of tension and intrigue, despite its peculiar structure, it manages to maintain your interest, but could perhaps be a little clever for its own good for some viewers. But if cerebral movies are your thing, then it's well worth checking out, plus the photography and direction is excellent, and Guy Pierce proves once again what a convincing actor he can be. What makes Memento stand out though is that it doesn't appear to take itself too seriously and get bogged down - it maintains a good sense of black humor throughout - and though it's quite hard on the brain cells, and you may wonder how it's all feasible, the very idea behind it is interesting enough to make the film work very well.

It's films like The Umbrellas of Cherbourg that are examples of how beautiful cinema can be. The love story here is one for the romantics - I still find it moving even after numerous viewings. The direction is stunning, it's wonderfully filmed, colorful, and very dynamic. It's a film that can help you escape from the misery of the world and absorb yourself in. Sung from the beginning to the end, it may not have the best vocal talent in the world on display, but being such an ambitious project, it's easy to get swept in. Whatever your views are on French cinema, or musicals, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is capable of dismissing them with its romance and color.

So let it be written - so let it be done! This is an all-time classic, which probably deserves more attention that it has got. Yes, it's hammy sometimes, cheezy too, but always good value, the special effects are excellent for its age, and the whole thing has EPIC written all over it. Charlton Heston gives an excellent performance as Moses, Edward G Robinson is suitably nefarious as Dathan, and there's great performances all round from Anne Baxter and Yul Brynner. The expression "total cinema" always comes to mind, and it stands up perfectly to repeated viewings... especially around Passover.