Reviews

This comment is for any love-lorn lady who happens to read it; watch this movie with your favourite fella and tell him its the most romantic thing you've ever seen (but only if you mean it) and he'll be yours forever and a day. This movie shows the kind of relationship every man has dreamed about having since his first hard-on.

I really get p***ed off at movie critics sometimes. This is one of those times. I have insomnia, see what's on TV, check the rating (1 star out of 4) and almost pass it by, but decide to watch it for the camp value.

Why did critics hate this? Why do they in general hate movies like this? The film immediately reminded me of "The Harder They Come", "Pusher" (Nicolas Winding Refn's fantastic Danish film), "Laws of Gravity", "Kids", "Clerks", "Mean Streets", "Zebrahead", "The Killing of A Chinese Bookie", "Boogie Nights", "Rome, Open City" and "The Bicycle Thief". Why does it seem that film critics love neo-realism if its 'white', but usually hate it otherwise.

If you're a fan of these kinds of movies, give this one a chance. Unfortunately, with the unfavorable judgment from up on high that this film received, I doubt anyone will read these words. Darn critics. I don't usually insinuate things like this, but I have to wonder if a racial aspect is at play here, that maybe xenophobia deflected a lot of critics from giving this one a chance. Oh well, I loved it in any case.

It puzzles me that this movie didn't seem to even make a ripple on the pond of the film viewing public. I thought it was just as ground-breaking, universally accessible, and hilarious as black comedies from Todd Solondz or Wes & Owen Wilson that dealt with similar material (maybe the viewpoint threw people?). It also has a fantastic soundtrack and score, I can't recommend it enough.

First off, I'm not going to say this film was terrible and anyone who disagrees with me is an idiot. We all have our own idiosyncrasies that colour how we view art and I respect other's views enough to know that nothing is categorical terrible (or brilliant) for every member of the audience.

But, for me...I think Fight Club had something to say, but to me it didn't seem very original or subtle. Among other themes in other films, I've seen the two identities thing done much better in David Lynch's Lost Highway and feel American Psycho did the male alienation in corporate America thing in a subtler (and funnier) way. Fight Club seemed so straightforward and obvious that I felt like the director was 'dumbing it down' for me, almost insulting my intelligence...I don't know, maybe it's just my taste.

I'm glad so many people did get so much out of it though, that is one of the most important criteria for a film to have to be considered great, so I guess this is a great film.

An engaging character study of a compulsively deceitful (and possibly high-functioning autistic?) con-man who oscillates between plans to murder a man and assume his identity (whose deceit is much more subtle i.e. charm), and falling madly in love and growing old with self-same potential victim/doppelgangee. It's the quintessential 'why-isn't-it-already-a-classic' boy meets boy, boy kills boy, boy becomes boy story; a truly original and charming film.

It seemed to me that everything from Alice's revelation to Bill to the point where he woke her up after seeing the mask on the pillow was all an elaborate dream Bill had brought on by stronger than average pot and perhaps a partial psychotic break that dealt with his insecurities; the fact that he could not sleep with any of the women he encountered underscored this as well as Alice's dialogue in the final scene.

It reminded me of the touch of uncertainty Kubrick left with the audience at the end of 'The Shining', whether Jack had imagined it all or whether the ghosts were real.

I thought this was an amazing film that anyone who has had to deal with jealousy in a relationship can relate to.

Though obviously not for everyone (ahem, dense...cough), this movie continued the themes of Hard Eight and Boogie Nights. The awful things we do to our children. The awful things we do to ourselves. The inevitable alienation many experience living in a society that *just might* have become ridiculously and needlessly complex and sterile. Drug abuse not as a disease but a symptom of an overburdened people trying to cope in the environment we've created. This movie points out the chains that you should have seen before.

I am not a baseball fan; before I watched this series on PBS, I had never watched an entire game before. I'm still not much of a fan, but next to the World At War, this is hands-down the best documentary series I've ever watched!