marceyness
http://www.flixster.com/user/marceyness
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| Movie: | Stand By Me, Reservoir Dogs, Shawshank Redemption, Wild at Heart, Blue Velvet, Freaks, The Dead Zone |
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| Actor: | Robert DeNiro |
| Director: | David Lynch, David Cronenberg |
| Quote: | "Why am I Mr. Pink?" |
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I am here to post movie reviews, discuss movies, rate movies. I am not here looking for a date, Flixster is not a dating service! I will not answer any of you who leave me dumb messages with your email address written in the worst broken english. I am not interested! I will not accept friendship, do not even bother. If you do, you obviously can't read then huh! DON'T POST WIDGETS! |
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Marcey's Recent Reviews
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Transsiberian
R
I really did not know much at all going into this, I had seen the trailer a while back, but couldn't really remember much, just that it had Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer and it took place on a train. Here is yet another film I think benefited from not knowing much about it. In keeping with that I will not give much away, just the basics is we have a married couple Roy and Jessie who decide to go on the Transsiberian train from Beijing to Moscow. Of course that sounds simple enough, but things soon change when they have to share their cabin with another couple Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara). Of course through in some Ben Kingsley in there, we see him at the start and I wont say any more about his character, you will just have to watch. The actual script is pretty strong, for the most part it holds interesting, for something mostly taking place on a train that is quite the task. The script actually tries to flesh out our main characters which definitely helps the film and some what helps us identify with them. The acting is pretty good too, for the most part everyone is quite strong, Emily Mortimer stuck out the most for me. Woody was his usual self, for parts when he wasn't in it he wasn't overly missed and I felt he probably should have been. Kate Mara and Eduardo Noriega were good as well, they played all the right notes. The cinematography is certainly one of the films huge strength, it looks fantastic and the locations as well fantastic. You felt like you were actually there, scenes in the snow were especially well done. I would recommend this for fans of the genre (intense, slow burn thriller, character driven), and fans of the actors.
Body of Lies
R
I got to say going in this not really knowing about it, kind of made it all the more interesting. Watching everything unravel at the start was great. It just takes you right in there and leaves you there.
Ridley Scott is perfect for this type of film, and he has such a great cast. Leonardo is such a fantastic actor and he was perfect for the role, I thought he was fantastic. Russell Crowe was good, he was better in American Gangster imo, but he was quite solid. Mark Strong was fantastic as Hani, I thought he was quite the surprise. He gave a very multi-layered performance, which made his character all the more intriguing. Actually Vince Colossimo was pretty good, what a surprise to see him.
I felt a few things were predictable in the film (the stuff with Aisha), but there were some other things I actually didn't see coming, so it was good in that respect for me. It kept me interested all the way through, which was great, it takes a different direction half way through but it did work for me. I'd recommend this one for sure, especially check it for DiCaprio, he is fantastic.
Tropic Thunder
R
I have been meaning to write this up and just forgot about it.
I actually really enjoyed this, I thought it was rather hilarious and a great piss take on Hollywood. I loved the fake trailers at the start, nothing beats the Robert Downey Jr (As Kirk Lazarus) and Tobey Maguire trailer. That was actually probably my favourite part of the film. Basically the film sees the crew of a film go into an actual war zone after a series of bizzare accidents. Ben Stiller is pretty good infront and behind the camera, not as good as Zoolander but right up there. Robert Downey Jr, took on something a lot different and he did it well, the Aussie accent could have been better. Jack Black was Jack Black, nothing new from him. Steve Coogan was great though, as was Nick Notle. The stand outs would be Matthew McConaughey and Tom Cruise. Probably the best role Cruise has done in some time actually, and it isn't what you'd usually expect from him. This wont be everyones cup of tea, but if you like Stiller and that type of humour, then this is for you.
Eagle Eye
PG-13
This film is terrible, plain and simple. It starts off promising enough, but as soon as things start to happen it just gets worse and worse and more ridiculous. It is so unbelievable on all levels, it expects its audience to be extremely stupid. I found most of the action to be pretty terrible as well. Shia LaBeouf who I think is usually pretty good, isn't that great here, not very convincing. Who knows what Michelle Monaghan was thinking she was terrible and she is usually pretty reliable. Everyone else is wasted from Michael Chiklis to Billy Bob Thornton who clearly went into this for the pay cheque. Do yourself a favour, save your time and money and watch something more plausable and enjoyable.
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I recommend you see...
The Proposition
by Janiposted 5 hours ago -
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I recommend you see...
Hell Ride
by El HombreIf you think back to the original concept for Grindhouse, Rodriguez and Tarantino were going to make their films based on the premise, "What if the drive-in/grindhouse movies had been as good as the posters made them seem?" Rodriguez lived up to the premise. He made a movie with all the CGI frills, all the gore, and all the action that were never actually in those films back in the day. Essentially, he made a Robert Rodriguez movie from a 1969 movie poster. Tarantino, however, did not make a modern Tarantino movie. He basically just made a perfect clone of the period films. Just about everything that was wrong with drive-in films was also wrong with QT's clone.
Which brings us to Hell Ride, another type of drive-in film: the biker flick. Writer/director Larry Bishop got Tarantino's "mark of approval" for this one and gave QT a producer credit ... and went about making the same mistake Tarantino made with Death Proof. He recreated a late 60s biker flick, bugs and all. Was there anything you disliked about biker flicks? Bad acting? Hell Ride has it. Incoherent plot line? Check. Long stretches of nothingness while bikers ride the open road while a rock song plays? Check. Ludicrous dialogue? Check. Gratuitous macho posturing? Check. Complete absence of character development? Check.
A classic example of what results when filmmakers and actors buy into their own egos.
posted 1 day ago -
I recommend you see...
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (Una Lucertola con la pelle di donna)
by El HombreCapturing all of the debauchery of the drug soaked late 60's into a wonderful murder mystery including some trippy dream sequences, an excellent Ennio Morricone score, a strong sense of suspense, an odd assortment of characters, a strong ending, and it even manages to throw in some Hitchcock references without letting them take over the movie.
The film also takes its sweet time establishing the outline of its central puzzle and where the various characters fit into it. Fortunately that puzzle happens to be a good, engaging mystery. Despite a relatively small ring of suspects, guessing as to "whodunit" will have to be reevaluated with each new twist in the plot.
Hey, you should really see this!
posted 1 day ago -
I recommend you see...
Bordertown
by Mark"Based on Actual Events" story concerning the plight of Mexican factory workers and the journalist who tries to write an expose about it. Gritty and surprisingly realistic. Recommended.
Hey, you should really see this! warning: this film is rated R and does contain nudity and a rape scene.
posted 1 day ago -
I recommend you see...
Max Payne
by Alexander''I don't know about Heaven, but I believe in angels.''
Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a DEA agent whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin out to avenge her sister's death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless corporation...
Mark Wahlberg: Max Payne
Let's start of by saying I really loved the Max Payne video games, in their simplistic nature of fast paced shooting accompanied by an interesting concept of Matrix styled Bullet Time shoot outs. Also a hero with so much pain and anguish, so much so he has to take pain killers to numb himself from the experience. So how does the film live up to these expectations everyone asks? Well quite frankly it does not in the slightest match any of the games. The script is appalling, for it's genre there is no action, there is no decent dialogue, there are no similarities to the game for us to latch onto apart from the superficial visual ones we gained from the trailers.
Recalling my mind back to the action sequences in question, I can only recall only two main ones of consequence. Director John Moore succeeds in giving us no wish for any sequels and a comical rendition of Robbie Williams Angels song on the Credits, just to put salt upon the wound.
The Score and music on Max Payne is poor and executed to a point where it is hardly memorable or effective, some scenes being totally void of any music that would emphasis a standard fare of happening to a higher perspective of sorts. Yet no, we are given chaotic alternative loudness of no specific genre that gives the film no soul or resonance that it sorely needs. To say the least what I expected and what I was given on teasers was mysteriously missing from the proceedings.
So Max Payne begins with a segment that is such a rip off, of the Bourne series, its untrue. Underwater and a growling excuse for narration, we are pummeled into boredom before things even begin to take flight. It starts to look up when we have a cool looking 'One Week Later' motto on a building come up, then some cool angles and shots, which happen to tell us the rooms of the Police Station, for us dumb Viewers which we assume the Director assumed. When we see Max Payne in his office, I'm scrambling my brain trying to decipher this filth...I mean how can this BE Max Payne when he resembles nothing of the games magnetism. If the story, plot and action had been the same as the game, there would be no problem. If it had some of the frantic action that drowned the first Max Payne, if it had the flaming romance and passion of Max Payne 2, then we would have a fine film in the bag, but it's worryingly void of all these, even bending the plot out of context. When we see a film that has nothing to keep us glued to the Screen we ask ourselves why? Maybe if the age restriction had been higher then the Makers would have had more reign to do more, but yet, I still doubt it.
Max Payne may look like a variety of different films, but unlike Hitman, Constantine, or Bourne Ultimatum it falls flat on it's face regarding originality and keeping its audiences interested. This film will anger fans of the game and non-fans in equal measure in all likely hood, with it's uneven threaded story that results in a jigsaw thats unfathomable.
The actual cast actually display some of the worst acting I've seen in a fair while. Mark Wahlberg emulates his The Happening choice of film, with this dud to follow.
Mark Wahlberg refused to play Rockstar's Max Payne game before performing in this film, but, in addition, I must assume that neither the director nor the screenwriter ever played this game before either. If there weren't so many shots of the background scenery that tied in with the game (although they were never fully or, in some cases, partially explored, such as the Subway, the absent dream sections, or Police Station or even Ragnarok), I would assume that no one involved in the movie had even seen cut scenes from the game. I would have assumed that they got a one paragraph synopsis on the game, with character names, and just made up their own story that barely connect to the games.
So the first problem with Max Payne is heavy handed and droning attempt to develop a two dimensional character? Why? It's not like Max Payne needs alot of development, he's a dude with a vengeance on, shut up and let it happen. Instead you're walked through all of these really bad scenes filled wit the worst dialogue put to page. It's like watching soft-core blue movies without a nut to bust. That's just the first 20 minutes. The movie continues, but first let me tell you how they open the film, because it really set the bar for the rest of really badness of it all.
We open on a man walking down a hallway towards a door cracked open and light bleeding through it? A baby is crying in the distance. The man moves closer to the door and on that door a big sign reading "Baby" is hung on it. If they're assuming that an audience is that dumb; they didn't just put a big old title on the screen, or put an interpreter up there to point and say ''Baby Come back'' I know it ties with the video game, but this is an adaptation, some changes for the sake of not raping the audience's intelligence have to be made. And, believe me, it doesn't stop there, the film is filled with some of the most heavy handed art direction, really bad sound design and some of the worst editing I've seen since Happening. It's that crud basically.
Later on in the film Max and the Mila Kunis, playing a Russian girl, supposedly to move the plot forward, but ultimately becomes a tragic and unfulfilled, unresolved and disjointed piece.
They stop into a goth tattoo parlor, where they go through a catalogue of tattoos and stop on the reoccurring one they see. They question the proprietor and at the drop of a hat, he pulls out an old book about Norwegian mythology and starts talking about Valkyrie's, the symbol and the significance of the mark/tattoo. This brief wikipedia presentation ends with such a blatant inconsistency with Mark Walberg/Max Payne asking one more question and then the shop proprietor responding with a really big and dumb "Huh?" So in one single turn he goes from Mythology and theology expert into dumb goth guy.
The movie spends so much time building to a conflict, but without any tension, just trivial scene after scene.
There were points in the movie that we were really laughing, but they really weren't supposed to be funny. Dramatic tension was the goal, but the exact opposite occurred. In particular Mila Kunis talking to Max about how much of a dark time bomb he is. The dialogue is all, poorly written that the scene becomes comedic, a piss take.
Beau Bridges(Podge) is also laughably bad.
Other miserable notes? Chris O'Donnell(Robin) is awful.
Nelly Furtado's cameo? Was one of the most laughably bad moments on the screen and the first shot of Ludicrous, was also really funny. Like ludicrously laughable.
It wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that Payne tramples the detective genre for clichés that only someone who has never seen a movie before would be surprised by. Someone dies after ripping off another character and thus pinning suspicion on him, another leaves a frantic phone message about meeting up to discuss new details in a cold case and is found murdered in that other guy's home, and it turns out that you can't really trust anyone(obviously). Again, obviously the filmmakers tried to study the works of the detective genre of old, they just didn't bother to do anything new, which means it fails.
Thorne's script is so short on explanations that it barely holds together. The movie throws drugs, hallucinations, a murder mystery, attacking birds, a devil's army, and the cover-up by a pharmaceutical company and for the most part I felt like an ass for even trying to make sense out of anything this silly. The rest of the plot can be seen coming a mile away and the dialogue said is some of the most ridiculous I've heard all year long. A character says of Payne, "He's looking for something even God wants to stay hidden." What will probably disappoint fans, however, is how few scenes of actual action are really in the movie, and how utterly devoid of excitement those few scenes are. Moore is a hack director in every sense of the word, relying on senseless, video-game style shootouts (accompanied by vile mood lighting) that don't thrill as much as glorify the violence. Is there a more overused action shot than turning to slow-motion to present a gun battle? Most of his computer visuals smack of being stolen from Francis Lawrence's far superior "Constantine," except they look messier and far too overdone to really respect. And how many times can we see digitally created snow falling on the city in the dark night? This movie is style over-drive at its worst.
And the actors don't seem to care. They seem to be approaching this movie with all the subtlety and dramatic weight of a porno. Wahlberg walks through the movie with a bored puss on his face, never digs deeper to show the character's tortured soul, and throws out lines like he could really give a crap what he's saying. I don't really blame him either cause I felt the same way. Milla Kunis (That 70's Show) is in the movie for some unexplainable reason, and she puts on her tough face in a performance that can only be described as laughable. Chris "Ludicrous" Bridges seems to be playing a detective in this movie but for the most part he just seems to be playing Chris "Ludicrous" Bridges. Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break) is a charismatic young actor who I wish could string together some decent movie roles, but that string isn't going to start here with his performance in the role of "crazy guy who likes to stare at people and sometimes look down on them from stairwells and rooftops." I have no idea what happened to Chris O'Donnell but he's taken a sharp decline since Batman and Robin. Clooney seems to have surpassed it and made up for it, as has Arnie. And Beau Bridges comes off the best here but that's like saying that a half-eaten hamburger(Podge) in a bag full of soiled nappies, is the best.
What really bothers me about movies like this is that it's all just violence and how best to package the violence in enticing, simple-minded wrapping paper. The villains are a collection of junkies, prostitutes, pimps, killers, and thugs who wallow in the gutter and the hero isn't that much better because all he wants is vengeance and blood. Both shoot their guns with as much care as if they were shooting in a video game. Both savagely beat on other people, sometimes doing it till death. Is there a difference between the two? Are we supposed to care here or just watch the bullets fly? Why is it that a movie featuring characters that are just violent and bloodthirsty can get a PG-13 but a movie that dissects the violence and ideas of vengeance like "Unforgiven" gets an R? It doesn't make sense to me and it sends out the wrong messages. I wish the MPAA would learn that.
Overall, the real problem of this project(and why I was so disgusted by it) lies in the fact that they took a deep, layered and emotional story and made it into a big, dumb, boring action movie. Well, at least to a degree. On one hand, you've got ridiculous Matrix-indulgent action sequences. I realize this was part of the game, but at least in the game they were entertaining. If this had been done years ago, maybe it would've had some sort of impact. As for the other side of the movie, it tries to capture the game's mood-setting film noir storytelling, but ends up one big bore. Few of the important details at all are revealed in the entirety of the film, leaving a sort of Lost effect stagnating the air. But who knows... maybe they intend to save that for the sequel, God help us.
Best thing about this film was that they had the Watch-men Trailer at the start beforehand, which pretty much says it all really.
''There's an army of bodies under this river, people who ran out of time, out of friends. I could feel the dead down there, reaching up to welcome me as one of their own. It was an easy mistake to make.''Deary me. Fans or non-fans should bring a pillow, and some pain killers because this is one serious mess. The Script is absolute turd, with all politeness I can muster, an abysmal adaptation of one of my fave Game Series. The shame. The Happening 2.
3/10posted 1 day ago -
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I recommend you see...
Heima (Sigur Ros: Heima)
by El HombreDuring the series of free gigs around Iceland, Sigur Ros created a concert film that doesn't quite follow the usual standards of the genre. They concentrated on the people, the places, and the amazing country around them, and the beautiful film Heima was born.
All the performances are strong, and the music haunting. Combined with the images, you find an audio/visual treat that really does act as a great opening to the band's music, or if you are a fan already, something different and very personal from the band. Iceland should be proud, not only of what the band has achieved, but also of how they portray this beautiful land.
Hey, you should really see this!
posted 2 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Alive
by El HombreVERSUS was a low-budget zombie/yakuza film meshing chaos and stylized action, Alive is a slightly bigger budget attempt at Cube-like tension and atmosphere. Unfortunately for Kitamura, while he may very well be the next John Woo when it comes to cool action, he needs a lot of work when it comes to creating tension and atmosphere out of very little.
The thing about Alive is that it's full of untapped potential. Even the film's second half, which is filled with action, still managed to find long stretches where nothing happens, and people are either just sitting or standing around chatting about their past. In the end, I suppose Kitamura boxed himself in with the intention of testing himself, trying to prove that he can direct without resorting to fisticuffs every other second.Hey, you should really see this!
posted 2 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Once
by JaniI been thinking nearly for a day, what to write about, how to describe it all. I've now listened to some songs from the soundtack and I'm obviously in love with the film and its music. The songs are mellancolic acoustic songs about losing your faith in love etc, but the story itself is one of the most beautiful, optimistic and realistic that I've seen for a while.
The two non-professional actors, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, act in a very charming and realistic way. They really do an outstanding job and outshine all the so called "A-list" Hollywood actors.
The script does not concentrate on building the backstory, everything will be explained as the story develops. The film is shot at handheld and gives you the feeling that you are present on the sets. It felt kinda strange at the beginning, because I'm not a huge fan of it, but it works in this one.
And the music... I can't describe it in any other way than pure perfection. The lyrics are like deeper, extra thoughts that are easier to explain by performing them. Glen Hansard has an exceptionally beautiful voice. He and Ms Irglova really deserved the Oscar for best song.
You can't forget the film and its music after watching it. "Once" is a true low-budget indie masterpiece about facing your romantic challenges in life, and to which all of us can easily relate to. This film, a touching and honest gem, will stay in every movie lovers heart til the end.Once you have seen "Once", you'll be coming back for more...
posted 2 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Hotaru no haka (Grave of the Fireflies)
by DerekThis is by far the most emotionally stirring altogether moving anime ever made as few films animated or otherwise have ever managed to capture humanity and the horror of war quite like this...Grave of the Fireflies is a simple and poignant masterpiece.
Hey, you should really see this anime fan or not.
posted 2 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Kaze no tani no Naushika (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)
by DerekA slightly uneven although wonderfully imaginative cautionary anime from the master of the medium Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away)...this being his second feature film first released in Japan in 1984 and later re-released to ill effect in the US as Warriors of the Wind and later more successfully by Disney via Studio Ghibli...as with similar productions the "star-studded" English dubs do a terrible disservice to the overall context and feel of the story...of course in my opinion watching any anime or foreign film for that matter in it's original cut with subtitles is always the way to go and is essentially a far more engrossing experience.
Worth a watch if you're an anime fan...
posted 2 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Paths of Glory
by EricStanley Kubrick's 1957 antiwar masterpiece starring Kirk Douglas as a French Colonel in his battle-worn regiment of World War 1. Under the threat of German artillery in the trenches of warfare, Kubrick's brilliant use of cinematography, music, lighting, etc. result in some of the most effective battle sequences ever filmed.
The camera work in the trenches is gripping, and an utter reminder of how war truly is hell, and how soldiers are thought so little of as a fault of selfish, personal ambitions and self indulgence resulting in senseless executions.
Though the film touches on themes of courage and loyalty in warfare, it's more about the historical realities of World War 1, and military leaders who orchestrate the deaths of thousands from the comforts of their luxurious headquarters.Hey, you should really see this!
posted 2 days ago -
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I recommend you see...
The Last Wave
by El HombrePeter Weir is known for some excellent Hollywood commercial films such as Witness, The Year of Living Dangerously and Master and Commander, but earlier in his career he made more challenging films in his native Australia. The Last Wave gives a perspective on law we don't find in Hollywood films.
Richard Chamberlain gives a great performance as David Burton, a lawyer hired to defend a group of aborigines accused of murder and is drawn into a nightmarish world of customs and folklore, history and the supernatural.
Hey, you should really see this!
posted 4 days ago
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