| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Dog - R |
The acting was very solid throughout, especially from a manic Ben Foster. And yes, even Mr. Timberlake more than held his own. (Finally his upper-class-white-kid speaking-like-he's-from-the-streets, dog, affectation comes in handy.) The story just didn't give the actors enough to do. They meander from party to party, only intermittently remembering they're supposed to be gangstas. Which is what I think the whole point is supposed to be: their actual lives vs. the music video ideal of how they think they should be living. This is by far the most interesting aspect of the film, but it's sacrificed in order to move things along to its abrupt end. It's not a terrible movie, just a wasted opportunity to do something more. |
June 11, 2007 | N/A | |||
| Apocalypto - R |
It was a good looking film, with moments of tension and excitement. But it was just... empty. It didn't make me care about the characters or their situation. And it didn't have anything to say about Mayan civilization or the world in general. It was just a one-note action movie dressed up with subtitles to hide its shallowness. |
June 9, 2007 | N/A | |||
| The Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai) - Unrated |
The greatest film ever made. Period. Even clocking in at just under 4 hours, it is perfectly paced. There isn't a single minute that feels extraneous. The cinematography adds an epic beauty and even the sound is mixed in a way to create tension and drama. The acting is equal parts subdued and explosive. Toshiro Mifune is a force of nature at his best here, turning on a dime from harmless clown to sulking wannabe to merciless warrior. Humor and sadness. Victory and defeat. War and peace. Life and death. "The Seven Samurai" embodies it all, unsurpassed as the highest achievement in film history. |
June 9, 2007 | N/A | |||
| Epic Movie - PG-13 |
What a sad, unfunny mess of a "parody." Do these writers even understand what a spoof is supposed to do? It should mock the aspects these films have in common or have turned into a cliche, making us see the humor in what these other movies take seriously. How is someone who looks like Paris Hilton saying "I'm hot," then immediately being crushed to death a parody? Why is that even supposed to be funny? (That's the entire scene, by the way. There is no further payoff or punchline.) In fact, in just over 90 minutes, I counted more than 30 instances where the joke was nothing more than physical violence. More than 30 lazy, boring punchlines that were nothing more than someone being hit in the face, kicked in the crotch or tackled to the ground. Remember the most popular show in the dumbed-down future of "Idiocracy?" It's just a guy getting hit in the groin over and over again. Yeah. It's where we're headed. Although I must admit, Crispin Glover as Willy Wonka is just... right. |
June 9, 2007 | N/A | |||
| Volver - R |
A very solid film about the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. All the quirky plot threads nearly made it lose believability halfway through, but it ended up tying together nicely. I've never had any opinion on Penelope Cruz one way or the other, but this role really charmed me. |
June 9, 2007 | N/A | |||
| Fight Club - R |
Saying that this is the most important film of my generation feels like I'm overstating it a bit. But I can't think of anything that more perfectly captures who we are as a society at the turn of the new century like "Fight Club" does. Shocking violence, naked abs and a switcheroo twist ending distract lazy viewers from the movie's real message. Or it's just a hard pill to swallow in our self-improvement-obsessed culture, where every self-help guru and ad agency does its best to make you feel incomplete so it can sell you something to fill what's missing. "Fight Club" spits in their face and says "never be complete. Stop being perfect. Let's evolve, let the chips fall where they may." And I say amen. |
June 9, 2007 | N/A | |||
| Planet of the Apes - PG |
The best sci-fi has always been allegorical, using fantasy to say something about our society. And make no mistake, this is the best sci-fi ever put on film. Completely timeless, its take on politics, religion, technology, class structure and human rights are as poignant today as they were in 1968. Add that depth to the terrific makeup and costumes, Charlton Heston at his grizzled, misanthropic best, some of the most quotable lines ever written and a Rod Serling twist... and you get one of my favorite movies of all time. |
June 9, 2007 | N/A |
82 ratings
82 reviews
