WATER'S EDGE (2003) - Oct. 29, 2005
A basically entertaining but somewhat mediocre thriller about a couple who move to a small town and quickly find themselves in trouble. There wasn't anything particularly bad about it, though it did get a bit cheesy and predictable towards the end. Nathan Fillion was good playing a very un-Mal-like character, but aside from that this was a pretty forgettable movie. **1/2
Short reviews of all the movies I see, rated out of four. Reviews containing spoilers are marked with an (S).
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Land of the Dead
LAND OF THE DEAD (2005) - Oct. 21, 2005
An enjoyable zombie film about a group of survivors in a world that seems to be almost entirely overrun with zombies. The film is essentially just one sequence of zombie mayhem after another, but it's well-done and enjoyable throughout. ***
An enjoyable zombie film about a group of survivors in a world that seems to be almost entirely overrun with zombies. The film is essentially just one sequence of zombie mayhem after another, but it's well-done and enjoyable throughout. ***
High Tension
HIGH TENSION (2003) - Oct. 21, 2005
This was an above-average slasher movie, and I was really enjoying it -- right up until the last ten minutes or so. Then there was a twist ending that was so ridiculous and so ludicrous that it actually made me want to reconsider my opinion of the movie. The ending initially seems to make no sense at all, and only gets worse the more you think about it. Worst twist since Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes. It left a really bad taste in my mouth and sullied an otherwise effective slasher film. ***
This was an above-average slasher movie, and I was really enjoying it -- right up until the last ten minutes or so. Then there was a twist ending that was so ridiculous and so ludicrous that it actually made me want to reconsider my opinion of the movie. The ending initially seems to make no sense at all, and only gets worse the more you think about it. Worst twist since Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes. It left a really bad taste in my mouth and sullied an otherwise effective slasher film. ***
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Doom
DOOM (2005) - Oct. 19, 2005
Now this was just a bad movie. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. Even by videogame movie standards this was bad, and that's saying something. It was just boring, and unpleasant and bland. There weren't any even remotely decent characters. I don't think there was a single line of dialogue in the entire movie that felt real, and wasn't expository to some degree. It was terrible. The entire movie was dark, probably to hide the mediocre special effects and shoddy sets, all of which looked fake. It was barely gory at all. Even the much lauded first-person sequence was pretty crappy, basically amounting to something akin to a badly done fun-house ride at a carnival. I hate this movie because it gives videogames a bad name, even though I've rarely (if ever) played any games this bad, and this inept. 1/2*
Now this was just a bad movie. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. Even by videogame movie standards this was bad, and that's saying something. It was just boring, and unpleasant and bland. There weren't any even remotely decent characters. I don't think there was a single line of dialogue in the entire movie that felt real, and wasn't expository to some degree. It was terrible. The entire movie was dark, probably to hide the mediocre special effects and shoddy sets, all of which looked fake. It was barely gory at all. Even the much lauded first-person sequence was pretty crappy, basically amounting to something akin to a badly done fun-house ride at a carnival. I hate this movie because it gives videogames a bad name, even though I've rarely (if ever) played any games this bad, and this inept. 1/2*
Elizabethtown
ELIZABETHTOWN (2005) - Oct. 19, 2005
That was odd. It was odd because it was well made and well acted (even Orlando Bloom was pretty good) and yet... I didn't like it. I'm not sure why. It seemed like I should have liked it. The direction was good, it seemed to be well written, and I liked all of the characters. But I didn't enjoy it for some reason. I was bored. And I don't know why. It just seemed lifeless somehow; like it was lacking something that I just can't quite put my finger on. Certainly, it had its moments. It started out pretty well. And the funeral scene towards the end was pretty good, and actually had me forgetting how bored I was during the rest of the movie. But after that it seemed like the movie should have ended, and it didn't (it went on for another long fifteen minutes or so). It's weird, because I'm finding myself thinking about the movie quite a bit with fond memories, despite the fact that I was quite bored while watching it. I feel like I should watch it again, if only to figure out what exactly I don't like about it. **
That was odd. It was odd because it was well made and well acted (even Orlando Bloom was pretty good) and yet... I didn't like it. I'm not sure why. It seemed like I should have liked it. The direction was good, it seemed to be well written, and I liked all of the characters. But I didn't enjoy it for some reason. I was bored. And I don't know why. It just seemed lifeless somehow; like it was lacking something that I just can't quite put my finger on. Certainly, it had its moments. It started out pretty well. And the funeral scene towards the end was pretty good, and actually had me forgetting how bored I was during the rest of the movie. But after that it seemed like the movie should have ended, and it didn't (it went on for another long fifteen minutes or so). It's weird, because I'm finding myself thinking about the movie quite a bit with fond memories, despite the fact that I was quite bored while watching it. I feel like I should watch it again, if only to figure out what exactly I don't like about it. **
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Enter the Dragon
ENTER THE DRAGON (1973) - Oct. 15, 2005
Well, that wasn't very good. The "plot" involved three guys going to an island to take down some bad guy holding a fighting competition of some sort. I don't know. This being a kung-fu movie, things like plot and characters and... being good... (and this movie had none of these things) aren't really necessary if the action is good. But for the first hour and a half or so there was almost no action -- there were LONG sequences in which absolutely nothing happens, and then when some action finally comes to break up the monotony it only lasts a minute or two (and it's not even that great). Finally right at the end there's actually some good action with Bruce Lee taking on dozens of the bad guy's henchmen, but really, it's too late by then. And then there's the really long confrontation with the bad guy that takes place in a room full of mirrors that just comes off as an inferior rip-off of the same scene from the Lady from Shanghai. I really don't understand why this movie is regarded as a classic; it pretty much sucks. *1/2
Well, that wasn't very good. The "plot" involved three guys going to an island to take down some bad guy holding a fighting competition of some sort. I don't know. This being a kung-fu movie, things like plot and characters and... being good... (and this movie had none of these things) aren't really necessary if the action is good. But for the first hour and a half or so there was almost no action -- there were LONG sequences in which absolutely nothing happens, and then when some action finally comes to break up the monotony it only lasts a minute or two (and it's not even that great). Finally right at the end there's actually some good action with Bruce Lee taking on dozens of the bad guy's henchmen, but really, it's too late by then. And then there's the really long confrontation with the bad guy that takes place in a room full of mirrors that just comes off as an inferior rip-off of the same scene from the Lady from Shanghai. I really don't understand why this movie is regarded as a classic; it pretty much sucks. *1/2
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Kung Fu Hustle
KUNG FU HUSTLE (2004) - Oct. 6, 2005
An odd movie about a small village who find themselves at odds with a local gang. Or something. I don't know, there wasn't much by way of plot in this movie; it was mostly just a series of over-the-top fight scenes. I mostly enjoyed the fight scenes -- they were entertaining in a really cartoony kind of way, though they did get a bit silly towards the end. ***
An odd movie about a small village who find themselves at odds with a local gang. Or something. I don't know, there wasn't much by way of plot in this movie; it was mostly just a series of over-the-top fight scenes. I mostly enjoyed the fight scenes -- they were entertaining in a really cartoony kind of way, though they did get a bit silly towards the end. ***
Saturday, October 01, 2005
A History of Violence
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005) - Oct. 1, 2005
Viggo Mortensen gives an excellent performance in this film about a man from a small town who gets some unwanted attention when he kills a couple of robbers in self defense. It was really well made and well acted (Mortensen gives what is probably the best performance of his career). Plus it was surprisingly violent (though I guess not too surprising considering it was directed by David Cronenberg). ***1/2
Viggo Mortensen gives an excellent performance in this film about a man from a small town who gets some unwanted attention when he kills a couple of robbers in self defense. It was really well made and well acted (Mortensen gives what is probably the best performance of his career). Plus it was surprisingly violent (though I guess not too surprising considering it was directed by David Cronenberg). ***1/2
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