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bretticus25
Reviews
Must Love Dogs (2005)
Do NOT rent this movie!
When we decided to rent this movie, we saw the trailer, and thought that because Diane Lane and John Cusack were actors in some great films, that this must be great. The trailer was pretty good. After the first 10 minutes, my wife says "Wow, this is kinda slow", and that was just the beginning.
The movie turned out to be terrible. The characters were so unrealistic. Their interactions lacked chemistry, and the "wit" was actually awkward, and in my opinion, an embarrassing embellishment on the filmography of either of these main characters.
If this movie has done anything, it has officially turned Diane Lane into a stereotyped role of a divorced woman who has to either find herself or someone else to make her happy. I think that when I was watching this, it was playing out in such a predictable fashion, that it was almost nauseating. Save your money, and DO NOT rent this one.
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
I will never look at a cross the same way...
This movie left me speechless. I like to consider myself humane, and the brutality of the movie was too much for me to take emotionally. That being said, Jesus was executed by the hands of the brutal Romans, and like it or not, that was what history has verified the crucifixion process to be like. The flogging was certainly horrifying. One must wonder what made the Roman soldiers so gleeful about leaving such a bloodbath around the flogging post.
I have read many comments on this film here before and after I saw the movie. Taking Mel Gibson out of the picture, and besides the Satan and demon portrayals, you basically have a gospel account of what really happened. It is not doubted that there was a man named Jesus who died by crucifixion. I think that what this movie really does well, and should be done with all faiths, is to portray the the fundamental part of the faith. I have heard many people who are turned off to Christianity by the evangelicals, the imposters, hypocrisy, Southern-Gospel feel, "churchy" overtones, condemnation, guilt, etc. etc. This film takes all of that out of the equation. The viewer is set into history, with the language of the time being spoken. The viewer sees this man, Jesus, condemned by his own people and the Roman judicial system for no really good reason. I think that every person who views this film must come to a fundamental question of faith, and that is "Is this the Son of God". This reduction of the Christian faith is necessary for humanity. It allows me to look at Jesus and say "Thank you.. You are my saviour", or it allows me to look at Christ and say "This was touching, but no thanks. I don't accept your death as a sacrifice for my life." Like it or not, the beauty of it all is that there are no distractions that we see today to get in the way of that fundamental decision that all of us in humanity must make...
Kudos to Mel Gibson, shunned by many for his efforts, and misunderstood by many. Perhaps he is a tad eccentric, but the fruits of his efforts have really reaffirmed my faith in the loving Christ that I have.
I trust that all offended people, faiths, athiests, etc. will give us a similar film that will help humanity find that which touches their souls.
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Better IMHO than the ratings...
I thought that this was a great movie. I am into the weird genre, and this one really sparks the frontal lobe. It is a trait of the deep thinkers in humanity to find those distinct crossroads of choices in our lives and contemplate them. Contemplating alternate paths of our lives is very interesting to me. This movie examines that concept, and does it well. In the end, I was found realizing that the main character (Ashton) truly loved her (Smart) by the ultimate choice that he made. This is a great "must-see" for you who enjoy the weird and strange.
Magnolia (1999)
Weird, but something for everyone...
Tom Cruise, you are one second rate actor, but not in this movie! This movie portrays Tom Cruise in what I consider to be his best role ever. He actually has me going. The over-dramatic style that he has in his other movies finally pays off as he plays an egotistical womanizer who teaches other scummy men in his ways. Sure, it drew a response from my wife, but that is a quality of good acting. In my opinion, he made this movie. The frogs, I can take or leave. I thought that it was cheezy-artsy, but if you want to see a good performance from Cruise, take a look at this movie.
Vanilla Sky (2001)
This movie doesn't live up to the trailers....
I hate to say this, but this could have been a good movie. All great movies that shock in the end give some sort of hint throughout the movie that allows the viewer to formulate a hypothesis as to what is happening. Not this movie. It starts out great, then tragedy strikes, then the movie descends into chaos, and then an explanation of the chaos. I actually thought that Tom Cruise's character was going crazy. This is a viable and sound explanation, for there are many people that go crazy and hallucinate. I thought that it was a true portrait of insanity. I could have lived with that explanation. However, the ending was far worse. I won't spoil it for you, but if you want to save some money, ask someone, and you'll see what I am talking about. Don't see this film. You will thank me later.
Hannibal (2001)
A well orchestrated dark movie
This movie was really good at the disturbing. I think that you will like it if you are one that likes movies that play on the senses. For instance, the opera/classical music during the predatory scenes were really powerful. Make sure that you listen to Hannibal as Clarise wakes up from her drugged up stupor and walks down the stairs. That FREAKED me out. Very Dhamer-like. Very crazy.
Pay It Forward (2000)
Great actors, disappointing movie
I felt that the acting in this movie was simply awesome. You can't beat that trio when it comes to this type of movie. That being said, I must say that by the end of the movie, the plot simply sickened me. Without giving out the end of the film, we see the boy's idea developing on one front, and the romance between his mother and the teacher develop on the other front. This is the kicker. In the end, tragedy strikes, and that leaves the mom and teacher devastated. In my opinion, in the real world, no relationship could stand that kind of devastation, especially that early in the development of a relationship. But, I suppose that there are some that will see past this and say that this is one of the best they have seen. If you want to see it, see it for the acting.
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
I didn't like this movie
While I can appreciate the artistic motives for this movie, I must say that while I was watching the previews before Blair Witch Project in the theaters, I was intrigued. They made it seem really neat, like I was gonna get to see ghosts and such. However, this was nothing like this movie truly was. In fact, it really didn't go anywhere, and that's OK, but the marketing eluded me, and that made the whole thing an ordeal. I didn't finish it, and thank God I rented it instead of wasting my money on this film. Don't rent it if you are expecting something with real meaning. If voyeuristic films that portray real life titillate you, then rent it. 2.
Bicentennial Man (1999)
I thought it was too long
First of all, I must say that it was WAY too long. I kept hoping and praying that there wouldn't be another "X years later" to come up at the bottom of the screen. For some reason, that movie made me feel like I was in the theater for 4 or 5 hours. No kidding. Second, don't go and see it. You will regret it. I feel that in a lot of ways, it was a marketing gimmick. We were eluded with the commercials and trailers. It was nothing like that. It wasn't funny. It was a weak drama. Finally, I imagine that there are a population of people who would like this movie. Those who liked that movie with Nicholas Cage as the angel who wanted to become human will LOVE this movie. I hated both of them, and they are very much the same. I can't sit through another one of this type of movie!!!! But, if you don't want to take my advice, go see it, and remember one thing. You heard the warning here.
Big Daddy (1999)
This movie was terrible
I wasted my money seeing this one. I was repulsed by the attempt to incorporate some kind of attempt to pull at my heart strings while at the same time only providing funny parts that I could have viewed from the trailer. I can't believe I lasted through this one. I will never see an Adam Sandler movie again, that is for sure. By the way, I thought that it was tasteless to make the kid use God's name in vain. He might grow up to regret doing something like that.
Apt Pupil (1998)
A decent rent.
I just finished viewing this movie, and I have to say that I was kinda disappointed. It was just a "blah" version of a great Stephen King story. My biggest problem was the resolution of the entire plot. In the end, although I can't go into plot specifics, of course, I would have handled the entire situation in a different way, if I was the kid. That disappointed me the most. It is decent, but definitely not memorable.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Funny, in parts...
This movie definitely had me laughing, but only in places. For the most part, it was borderline stupid, but again, it was VERY funny in some places. It is worth renting, but if anyone sees this, don't go and pay a bunch to see it.
Better Off Dead... (1985)
If you would believe this stranger, you would watch it.
Well, this is simply a great movie. It is hilarious. I think that this is one of my favorites. I saw it many moons ago, but it was great. You know, they really knew how to do comedy back in the 80s, and this is one of the reasons why. I don't understand why movies just aren't as funny as they used to be. So, if you are looking for something crazy and at the same time memorable and funny, rent this movie. You won't be let down. I won't go into the plot at all, cause if you haven't seen it I don't want to ruin it for you :)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Disappointed, but understanding...
I expected a LOT more out of this movie, and I think that Lucas had better get something going with this, or the next one might not be as profitable. It was more of a kid's movie, and the creature with the floppy ears that stayed with the Jedi throughout the movie was annoying more than anything. The plot tying in the trilogy lasted about 5 minutes in all, and I expected more of this. If you haven't seen this movie, and expect it to be like Star Wars, then you will be disappointed. The drama just isn't there. Too much uncalled-for humor that wasn't in the first film is in Phantom Menace.
In a nutshell, it wasn't a waste of my time, was a decent film, with EXCELLENT effects, but thank God I wasn't caught standing in the long lines waiting for a ticket!
Red Dawn (1984)
Propaganda
I viewed this movie a long time ago, and it scared me to death. I thought that it was possible that our country could be attacked. But, as I grew older, I realized that a country would have to be absolutely crazy to attack the US. I found it unbelievable that communists would waste their time on a small town, without obviously going for the military installations. What harm is a small town going to do anyway? However, it was exciting at that, so I gave it an 8. Pretty wild. But, I think that if we were under attack, it would be more than a bunch of teenagers. We would all take up arms and make it impossible for anyone to degrade or defile this country. Therefore, I recommend this movie to anyone that wants to see how paranoia effects the world, and probably causes a lot of crazy stuff to happen today. But, good flick.
Stand by Me (1986)
A Great Coming-of-Age Movie
This movie was very good. It represented, in an eerie way, the way life was for all of us. It painted a picture of the real world in such a neat way. Using childhood was quite an effective way to portray that hope can always be found despite the circumstances. It allowed the viewer to see that no matter where one is in life, we are all in the same boat together, and sometimes during the hard times in life, that is when the best of friends can be found. I recommend this movie. It is very memorable.
Goodfellas (1990)
One of my personal favorites...
This movie, to me, is what mafia life was all about. It didn't over-dramatize anything. The language, the ruthlessness, the lack of trust; this was a great film. I especially liked the aspect of how that the main character was taken from being a young boy through his life into the present. I liked the aspect of how that they were close knit. To me, it was kinda like a little anthropology study of a strange type of community.
I would recommend this movie to anyone that is interested in what life in the mafia is truly like. It may seem graphic, but that is what makes it good. There is no sugarcoating. On the other hand, they don't dramatize it to the point of losing its luster either. It is a 10.
Graveyard Shift (1990)
Bad. Very Bad!!!!!
This movie absolutely is one of the worst movies that I have ever seen. In fact, I looked it up on this site just to warn anyone about renting it. It is boring, cold, and there is no reason why this thing should have ever been made. In fact, I saw this movie when it was released in 1990/91, saw it when it was released, and left. One of the few movies I ever walked out of. By the way, if I can remember this movie from that long ago, then take my word, you will hate it. Look at the other comments!