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tom_dimaggio
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Point Break (2015)
Very very disappointing
The original Point Break (1991) is one of my favorite movies. It's not perfect but the base ideals of the movie are worth looking out for and trying to apply in life which is why I loved it.
When I heard they were doing a remake of that movie I had mixed feelings. I always have those when I see a movie I liked being done over. Sadly this new version of Point Break is a disgrace !! They managed somehow to loose the core essence, the soul of the original and replace it with beautiful vistas and action scenes and a horrible plot. Acting was ..... bad.
All this movie did for me was to make me want to look at the original again.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
One of the best from this year
I don't know if it is age or I'm getting more difficult but lately it's been difficult for me to walk out of the theatre and feel satisfied.
But this movie made that possible. I had my doubts when I went in as I didn't feel like watching another "Teen" movie (I'm 38 in case you wonder). But "The Perks of being a Wallflower" just blew me away.
The movie just felt so honest, .. deep, and yet simple. The three main characters Charlie, Patrick and Sam feel real, .. but in ways I've rarely experienced in a movie. It's easy to identify with any of them as we all most likely encountered at some point in our life at least one of the issues they face.
I can only recommend this movie as it made me smile and I thought back to the movie for days, .. which doesn't happen a lot with movies.
Serbuan maut (2011)
Expect a lot of action but no story
I've read and heard so much about this movie that I thought I'd have a look at it. I love martial arts and I love action movies. I did enjoy watching The Raid: Redemption, but to be honest I was not terribly impressed.
The martial arts are beautifully choreographed and performed, there is absolutely no discussion about that. The movie is quality action from start to end.
But the story/script is non existent. There are a lot of plot holes all through the movie and the characters tend to react in a very weird way too many times in the movie.
Then again, I don't think anybody watching this one will be doing so for the story. Basically it's the ideal movie to watch if you want to be entertained without thinking too much.
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Definitely one of the best of this year
If you read the reviews you know what the movie's about, I'll rather explain what I liked about it.
It's actually a simple a story with a lot of interesting elements that made me smile at some moments, and think at others. It's certainly not the typical war movie with huge battlefields, but takes a look a some peoples behavior and it's impact on people working around them.
There are two or three scenes in the movie that are far fetched and defy reality, but that doesn't really harm the end result. The only thing that I didn't like about it is the one or the other scene that doesn't really add anything to the movie, but these were probably needed to make the movie more attractive to a certain kind of audience.
Watch the movie. It's worth your time.
Hackers (1995)
A lot of fun to watch
I'm working in IT for over 10 years now, and let's be clear: Hackers is a movie, .. there's nothing real about the "hacking" going on in the movie.
There's a few scenes that are horribly done (for today's standards) but all in all I loved the movie. The acting is OK, the soundtrack is great and it changes for the everlasting "chliché" of the IT Nerd.
It's a movie that could surprise you, especially with the amount of bad movies being released nowadays. It's funny to see Johnny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie at the beginning of their careers as well.
If you're looking for light entertainment for one evening, ...
Generation Kill (2008)
One of the most impressive Show since Band of Brothers
Generation Kill is one of the most impressive TV show I've seen. The sense of humor is very subtle and very dry. The acting is amazing most of the time. I was immersed in the story as of the first episode and "felt" like being there as a silent observer.
The character I like the most is Cpl. Ray. He has a way of describing things that make you smile. I puts a different view on this war as to what we're used to see in the news.
The show manages to tell it's story without being pro or anti war. To me it seemed to portray the war the way it is and not the way politicians or activists want us to see it.
If you're interested in the subject (even only remotely) you need to watch this Mini Series.
The Departed (2006)
Brilliant movie, excellent acting performance.
This movie was by far on the best last year.
The main cast is excellent. Nicholson and Di Caprio have more complex roles than Damon and Wahlberg. But the 4 of them fit perfectly into the movie. The acting is just wow, ... and the story is actually quite simple in it's complexity. You can very easily see yourself in any of the main roles and "feel" what you would do in his/her shoes.
The introduction was a bit on the fast side but you easily keep up after 5 minutes.
There are parts in it when things happen so fast that you're still trying to "work" out what you just saw the next thing happens that makes you forget the first one. After walking out of the cinema that evening we were all still thinking about the movie for 20 minutes without talking to each other.
The Guardian (2006)
Excellent movie..... one of last years best.
When I saw the trailer of the movie a few month back I knew that I wanted to see the movie for different personal reasons. I wasn't sure if it would live up to my expectations, but it did. And they are set very high for this kind of movie.
Most of the characters are great. The story runs mainly around Kostner and Kutcher but gives enough information about the supporting roles for them to be interesting. Not too much time spend there as it wouldn't serve the story but just enough.
Kostner and Kutcher are excellent in this movie.
The story in itself has several clichés and in some places is predictable but other than that it's a great movie that I feel makes honor to all the people working in this kind of environment.
Definitely a movie to be seen
Arthur et les Minimoys (2006)
Surprisingly nice
I went to see this movie because of my wife. She read the books some time ago and really wanted to see the movie. I am not too fond of animations.
I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the story a lot. It was really nice to see something new for a change. There are not too many clichés in it, and the little acting that is in the movie is quite good.
I was a bit disappointed by the animations. I think they could have been a bit better. But then again, as I said I am not the biggest animation fan.
Parting comments: It's a movie for the family. There should be something in it for every age.
Deja Vu (2006)
Not a bad movie, but ......
I was quite surprised I have to say. We were a group of 10 people watching the movie. And everybody had a very different point of view at the end of the movie. It ranged from crap to excellent.
Personally I liked the movie. OK you have to be in it and follow the storyline in order to keep up. It's getting pretty complicated after the first 20 minutes. If you lost it there, no need to go on.
The story is nice, a bit different that what you would expect but nice. I couldn't find too many inconsistencies in the story line going back and forth in time. It was entertaining as well.
There's two points that I didn't like about the movie. Who's the terrorist????? When he was arrested he was talking like he knew something that would be important to the story, but we never get to know if he was just talking crap or if it was based on information that the viewer didn't have "yet". And at the end on the Ferry he says: " It wasn't supposed to be like this". How can he know?? Then there's the final scene in the car where the main actor seems to remember about the past that hasn't happened yet. How's that possible? It's definitely a movie worth watching.
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Honest Movie, that doesn't try to impress but only to tell....
In the beginning the movie might be a bit confusing as there's several stories being told at the same time. But once you got used to it, it's quite easy to know where you are during the movie.
What I liked about the movie is that it doesn't try to tell that in war everything is black or white. It's more like everything is a bit of both. The 3 "touring" soldiers are the representative of three different characters. The one who's ashamed to be called a hero, the one who enjoys it even though he kind of stole it, and then the one who just lives the situation like it is. But if you look at what the did or saw done during their time in combat they are all quite the same. It just had a different impact on each of them.
I am curious to see the Japanese "version" of the movie.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
One of my Favorites
The worst thing that happened to this movie was the date it was released in theatres here in Europe.
I have to admit that when I saw this movie in the theatre it was shortly after I'd seen "Saving Private Ryan". That made me not like the movie that much as I was still under the awe (if I may call it like that) of SPR. I came out of the cinema a bit disappointed.
Several years later I bought the DVD second hand. After a few month in the shelf I watched it and I have to say it's a piece of art. The directing, the music, the pictures are wonderful (as far as one can say that about a war movie). It's the only war movie I saw that doesn't only show war but also what the soldiers were thinking, how the same situation had a very different impact on the different people. Why some of them did the things they did, heroic or horrible.
If you're in for a philosophical trip, ..... don't miss this one out.
Joyeux Noël (2005)
Magnificent Movie
Magnificent movie.
Let me start with telling you that I am a believer of human stupidity. Why people kill each other for religious beliefs, money or "power" and try to make excuses about it is just not understandable to me. This movie I have to say gave me hope.
This movie is one of the movies that you can spend days thinking about. My first thought was that it is a nice Christmas Story. But I checked and found out that it is a true story. If you expect a genuine war movie with huge battles and a lot of action you will be disappointed.
Instead what's waiting for you is a story that shows that there was a very special thing that happened during WWI, something that I thought to be impossible. It shows that there is something good in everyone. The church and politicians get a bashing again, but knowing it is true and not fiction should open even more eyes on what's really going on.
Acting is excellent, especially the first part depicting what the French Officer feels just before battle. I found the facial expressions to be very good. The actors were able to make you understand what they felt with only a look.
I have one little thing that I thought of being not very good. It's the lack of information of the lives of the three officers. We get to know "Spring" quite well, but that's about it.
Anyway this was one of the best I've seen this year.
Cinderella Man (2005)
Great Movie, ... must see
Wow, .. marvelous movie. It's about boxing, but there is so much more in it. The movie excels at showing how one can have everything in life, and then the next moment you have to do any job you're being offered to be able to get the minimum to survive.
Acting is excellent, ..... but the fights are just tremendous. It just feels as if you were in the ring with them fighting. Craig Bierko was the most impressive to me as Max Bear. Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger are great too. But I was also impressed by Paul Giamatti in his role.
This is one of the must see movies.
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
I probably was misguided by the cast and the trailer
The movie was not at all what I expected. Some might say that this might add to the disappointment. But most of the time when a movie is not what I expect I am surprised and end up loving it. This wasn't the case for "The Brothers Grimm".
During the whole movie I was waiting for the scene(s) that would give it some sense. Well I left the cinema still waiting for that. It just didn't make any sense to me at all. The characters were not convincing , the story inexistent, and some moments were very cliché. Many situations that were the center of attention at a certain point were then just left aside totally unexplained.
For me one of the worst this year