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ardemus
Reviews
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)
pretty entertaining! stop the bashing...
I watched Legally Blonde 2 with very little expectation after viewing all the negative comments here on imdb. Actually some of the spoilers within the comments probably ruined some of comedic parts.
nonetheless, i found this movie to be fairly entertaining. It's not going to be one of those deep philosophical movies that requires a lot of analysis. it's just a sweet, entertaining, and funny movie. if you go into the movie with that mindset, then you're not going to be disappointed. I hesitate to compare this with the first one... i watched the first one years ago so my memory of that has become hazy. also the first one has more character development. In any case, i found this movie quite entertaining, and would recommend it to others! Everyone has different tastes and you might be missing out on a very entertaining movie.
7/10.
The Majestic (2001)
not quite majestic, but still good
i watched this movie despite my friends' warnings... it's not the usual jim carrey movie (very little humor)... but i still enjoyed it.
the movie did seem extremely long though...but i think it was necessarily considering the plot required that... there was a lot of character development necessary in this movie.
the ending was superb, i can't imagine anything better. (although the welcome for pete at the end was a bit bizarre).
all in all, this was a "good" film. i enjoyed watching it but it's not the type i would want to see again. ever. so i give it 7/10.
Phone Booth (2002)
well done movie, despite its limitations
i can't imagine making an entire movie set in a phone booth... but schumacher did a good job making a movie that was both believable, engaging, and enjoyable. however, since this movie WAS set almost entirely in a phone booth, and has basically the same thing happening throughout the whole movie (i.e. Farrell reasoning with Sutherland)... it's not one of those movies that you would want to watch again.
i didn't really love this movie... but because of its originality, i gave it a slightly higher rating: 7/10.
this is a short 90 minute movie that is pretty exciting throughout, so i would recommend it to everyone.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
not a "good" movie, but an effective comedy, Jim Carrey can pull of anything
i loved the first Ace Ventura, and i love jim carrey, so i came into this movie with high hopes...
unfortunately, this didn't turn out to be a "good" movie, nowhere near the quality of the first one. there were many times i was just furrowing my brows, shaking my head, and going "oh my god, i can't believe Jim Carrey agreed to do that...". this movie didn't have much of a plot either... but then again, plot is not exactly a prerequisite of a slapstick comedy. AV: When Nature Calls does have some redeeming qualities however. Jim Carrey's unique style of comedy manages to pull it through. there were many parts of the movie that made me laugh out loud (it's been a while since i've seen a comedy that did that).
in short, this is definitely worth watching if you're a fan of jim carrey comedies. just try not to pay attention to the gross and ridiculous parts... and you'll be likely to enjoy it a lot!
Bubble Boy (2001)
mmmm bubbly
i went into this movie not expecting much (seeing the low rating and poor reviews...) but ended up really enjoying it. there were many funny parts and never a dull moment. although, i must admit, many parts were quite silly, but that's the point. This movie isn't some deep philosophy masterpiece, it's BUBBLE BOY, a comedy with a generic storyline (boy doesn't tell girl how he feels, girl is about to marry another man, boy goes to stop the wedding).
This was a feel good movie, with a nice happy ending. i can't believe jake gyllenhaal would take on such a role, but he did... and it turned out alright.
i recommend this to people who just want an entertaining movie... don't go into this expecting too much, and you won't be disappointed.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
marvelous... simply marvelous
i finally saw this movie 3 years after its release. it was beautiful, moving, and inspiring. the fighting scenes were perhaps a bit excessive, but marvelous nonetheless. the storyline was very interesting because it was quite complex and suspenseful throughout.
i probably would have enjoyed the movie more if i had watched it in mandarin, instead of the english dubbing. the english dubbed over voices were quite annoying and the translation often silly or awkward sounding. (actually i think michelle yeoh did her own english dubbing, and sadly her english is as poor and awkward as her mandarin). i started watching the dvd in chinese, but they used such archaic language that i had trouble understanding some parts. (using subtitles always annoying b/c the words end up coming up before they're actually spoken, so that was out of the question).
the martial arts in this movie has motivated me to devote more of my energy into practicing wushu... so for that i'm grateful. i should watch more chinese martial arts movies ... :)
in short, i really enjoyed this movie... it was a beautiful masterpiece. the only possible complaint i can imagine american viewers having is with the terrible english dubbing... i highly recommend it to everyone.
American Beauty (1999)
enjoyable but not spectacular
excellent movie. didn't quite live up to my high expectations though. i guess that's the problem with watching movies that you've heard a lot of rave reviews about. i seem to enjoy movies more when i go in not expecting much of anything.
American Beauty is definitely a "good" movie. but it didn't exactly move me or touch me to the depth of my souls as some other movies have done. all the characters were well cast. (especially plain Jane, the intense looking weirdo guy, Mena Suvari, Kevin Spacey). there was also no point in the movie when i was bored or wondering what the hell was going on. this is also a very straightforward movie where whatever happens is pretty clear ...
i recommend this movie highly. although it's not one of my personal favorites, it was enjoyable and definitely worth viewing.
Fight Club (1999)
pretty good...
Very intriguing, exciting, gripping movie. however, i didn't like the ending... too warped. they could have done something better with it.
all the characters were played well. i really liked edward norton in here. i've seen some movies with him in it, but never really noticed him before.
i'm glad i finally saw the movie... but it's not one of my favorites.
The Good Girl (2002)
very interesting movie... funny yet touching
this movie was less of a comedy than i expected. the plot was really good... except the ending! it would have been perfect if Justine just chose to go with Holden when he was waiting for her to come to the hotel by 12 noon. she even closed her eyes and looked into the future... and was saying how the unknown highway was "beautiful". but then she goes and turns in the guy that loves her! Sheesh. i guess if she chose holden, then she wouldn't be "The Good Girl" anymore. well they could have changed the name of the movie! like to Country hicks find an escape. :-P
well i guess the point was that holden was a disturbed young man (even in all his stories, the boy dies)... so it was almost expected that he ends up killing himself. and in the end Justine's baby was Holden's so in a way he lives on.
some of the scenes were so intense that it sent chills down my spine. or maybe it's just Jake's great acting. :)
Overall the movie was very good, just the right length... the "bad" ending made me give it a lower rating.
i'd recommend it to everyone. i've never liked Aniston, but she did a good job in this movie.
Sorry for all the spoilers. i usually just write about a movie after viewing it, so that i can look back on it in the future and actually remember something about the movies i've seen.
Moonlight Mile (2002)
good premise, poor execution
Somehow i did not like this movie much at all... i felt like the main characters, Joe and Bertie, weren't developed adequately. first they meet, then a few scenes over they're in love?? Jake Gyllenhaal, one of my favorite actors, is in it... so that made it less of a pain to watch. Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon are both amazing actors, but even their presence wasn't enough to redeem this movie. i don't get it. the movie had a fairly good premise, and great actors in it, but it didn't turn out to be a GOOD movie. must be the writing. i think it could have been done WAY better.
if it weren't for Gyllenhaal's presence, i would have given it a lower rating. this is one of those movies that i wish i didn't use up two hours of my life for...
sorry for the bad rating... i know there are some people who really like this movie. This is the first Jake Gyllenhaal movie that i've disliked! very disappointing for me too. =(
so basically... overall... not recommended.
Pitch Black (2000)
average sci-fi flick, could be better
i watched this movie in the midst of my finals cramming... which is probably a mistake... because about 40 minutes into the movie i was already glancing impatiently at my biology book wondering why i picked this movie as my study break... and thinking how my time could be so much better spent reading and doing problem sets.
well... the movie was pretty exciting and intense near the end. the beginning was somewhat slow... there wree some parts that were annoying... like why did they have to make Fry die at the end? it could have been a happy ending if she made it. also i didn't get why the raptors started killing each other (when their blue blood started dripping all over the place)
i think they could have developed the characters better. i didn't feel much sympathy for any of the main characters. i especailly hated that Johns guy. therefore, i don't feel much urge to watch the sequels (The Chronicles of Riddick).
if you're bored... or a fan of vin diesel, then this movie is worth watching. it's not that bad... Practical Magic, however, is the most worthless piece of crap and is the baseline by which i measure all other movies.
i give this movie 6/10.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
why the low rating?
i've been watching the bond movies in reverse order it seems... i saw die another day as my first bond movie (yes i know i started late). but i really love pierce brosnan as bond. so far i've liked all the ones i've seen. i don't know why people are all bashing this movie though. the action sequences were great (especially the chase scene with the BMW). the plot was good too. i do agree that there wasn't much chemistry between brosnan and michelle yeoh (she has a terrible accent too! couldn't they have found an asian girl who speaks english? how bout zhang ziyi??).
so other than that... i really enjoyed this movie! Die Another Day is still my fav Bond movie, maybe because it was my first? so i give TND 8/10.
eXistenZ (1999)
just so-so ... not quite what i was expecting
i expected this movie to be a deep movie about virtual reality. instead i got a movie with a rather wacked up plot. however it does have its redeeming qualities. Jude Law, who is an amazing actor, has the lead role. he does a pretty good job doing an american accent, but i'm glad we got to hear some of his natural british voice at the end. also, the plot in this movie wasn't that confusing at all. (the ending isn't necessarity a happy one... the protagonists turn out to be the bad guys). also the movie wasn't too long, a mere 90 minutes, so it doesn't feel like it's dragging on forever.
Donnie Darko (2001)
engaging but perplexing... fit for repeated viewings
this is one of those movies that after it's over, leaves you wondering what exactly happened? not that it's a bad thing. but because there were many parts that were weird and incomprehensible... i didn't like the movie THAT much... but maybe after reading more about it, i will finally understand everything. jake gyllenhaal gave a wonderful performance as the disturbed donnie darko. i didn't even realize he was the same person as the guy who did October Sky! what drastically different roles... i'm a fan now ;-) besides having a deeper meaning about the universe, this movie was quite interesting and fun to watch in general... so i recommend it to all.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
just so-so
i had heard so many people tell me this movie was great/hilarious/awesome, etc. However, i never got around to watching it in theaters or even renting it because i would have other movies that i was more interested in. well i finally downloaded the divx version and sat down to watch it one night when i was bored.
well it was a good movie overall, has a decent plot and a nice ending. however, i thought this was SUPPOSED to be a comedy, but there wasn't a single part that was funny. there were some parts that were kinda silly that were perhaps meant to be funny (the repeated windex joke and greek root of every word joke), but they were barely funny. so the fact that i watched this movie expecting it to be a comedy but getting nothing close to a comedy, made it rather disappointing.
however, this movie does have some touching moments which actually brought tears to my eyes. so i can't say it was a bad movie, just a bad comedy. also the actors weren't very engaging; i didn't feel attached to them in the least bit.
thus i give it 6/10. not that bad, but there are way better comedies (and movies in general) other there.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Great sequel!
Yes sequels usually flop but The Matrix Reloaded managed to avoid that general trend. After the end of the first Matrix i was thinking how cool it would be to see Neo kick ass now that he discovered his powers. well he did lots of that in this second installment. There was lots of explanations and discussions about the Matrix, which could make this movie seem a bit dragged out for those of you out there that don't like to use your brain. but overall i think the writers did a good job of explaining everything and making a logical plot. Of course there are still many unresolved issues at the end of this movie (unlike the sort of triumphant feeling you get after seeing the first one), but that is to be expected in the second installment of a trilogy. The special effects/fight scenes were stunning. and they didn't just have one or two cool sequences. instead there were TONS of really intricate, complicated, mindblowing scenes which must have took tons of time and effort and money to create. If you haven't seen it yet, don't even bother to read all the mixed opinions... i've heard both ends of the spectrum. i don't know why the hell anyone could possibly bash this movie. if you don't like it, then just don't watch it again. it certainly doesn't deserve a 1 rating!
screw everyone who bashes this movie for no good reason. go watch The Matrix Reloaded and decide for yourself. can't wait for Revolutions in Nov!!! :-D
Memento (2000)
ingenious
i just saw this movie and wanted to comment on it briefly so i can remember it in a future... i thought this was a very unique movie with a very intricate plot which really makes you think. it takes quite a lot of talent to pull off a movie in reverse order. i was on the edge of my seat the entire time. i still felt really confused at the end, (thank god for the imdb message boards :-P) so i had to waste yet another 3 hours just reading about it after seeing it.
great movie overall, you definitely need to watch it if you haven't already.
Practical Magic (1998)
What a godawful movie!
Yes, this movie is indeed godawful! I'm just relieved that I didn't pay to see it in theaters. Still it's a total waste of 2 hours and the 3 bucks rental money.
I usually like Sandra Bullock movies a lot... so this movie was extremely disappointing. I don't think the acting was all that terrible, so it must be the script. And the male leads were just bad. I can't believe they couldn't find some decent people to act opposite Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.
Do yourself a favor and stay far far away from this movie.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Not one of my fav movies, but Cruise makes it worthwhile
I heard good reviews of EWS so I downloaded the divx version of it. Since it was free and all I have no complaints. Some people had told me this movie had no plot, but I thought it had a deep and intricate plot!
There were many parts of the movie that were left unexplained, or they don't explicitly say what happened (don't you just hate that?)... so that's mostly why I didn't like it that much. But after reading other people's interpretations and discussions on the bbs, I got some insight on what the hell was going on. Also... the movie was long. 2 and 1/2 hours. and halfway through I was wondering when it would be over. To end on a more positive note, I like most Tom Cruise movies and he was great in this one as well. So his presence redeemed this movie somewhat and made the 2 and 1/2 hrs seem less of a drag. I definitely would not recommend renting or buying this movie to anyone UNLESS you're a Cruise or Kidman fan. If it was some other actor that I'm not a particularly big fan of, then I would definitely regret having wasted those 2.5 hours of my life.