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Reviews
A Star Is Born (1976)
Pretty dreadful
I love Kris Kristofferson. He is one of the great songwriters ever, and I really enjoy his work. Except this disjointed mess of a movie. Across the board, the acting was horrible. Babs was atrocious and looked at out of touch in this role. Spare yourself the pain.
Michael Moore Hates America (2004)
Definitely a satire...
I understand that this is purely a satire. I also understand that the movies that Moore makes need to be viewed in that same manner. Mike Wilson points that out throughout the film. I think this movie had more to do with the fact that Moore is really a satirist than a documentary film maker. I firmly believed that before seeing this movie (and feel the same after watching MMHA). MMHA is in no way a great documentary, far from it. But it's much more "real" than Moore films. I liked the fact that Wilson realizes part way through filming that he in fact was becoming Moore by doing the same things Moore did in his films. Don't be fooled, however - this movie is not a piece that champions the right or bashes the left. It simply points out that both extremes are the problem in this country.
My wish after seeing this film is to have Michael Moore actually meet Mike Wilson and do that interview, and have it televised. While I understand that it's likely that Moore will use it as an opportunity to blast Wilson and yell at the top of his lungs (as he did at the University of MN), it would go a long way to prove Wilson's point.
One sad commentary that this film reinforces is that people will believe the "truth" they want to believe, whether there is any validity to that "truth" or not. And it would be sad to see the real message of the film get overlooked by people looking to validate their own "truths" with this satire. As with anything in this world, do your own "due diligence" and find your own facts. Don't be swayed by message board warriors, reporters, or talk show hosts telling you what to think. Watch this movie and make your own decision.
Helter Skelter (2004)
Jeremy Davies was amazing
Jeremy Davies did an amazing job playing Charlie Manson in this remake of the early 70's version by the same title. He was much more believable than Steve Railsback in the same role. I was quite surprised by both the brutality of the remake (considering it played on national TV) and by the fact they felt it necessary to remake this particular movie after only 30 years. I went into this kind of dreading it, since I really did like the original alot. This was well worth the watch, if for no other reason than to see Davies play Charles Manson. Truly a great performance, one that SHOULD net him much critical acclaim. I wish it had been made for the big screen. The only major issue I had with this was I felt they should have dealt a bit more with the trial towards the end, and the fact finding mission that Bugliosi went on was quite rushed. The original was still better, but check it out when it hits DVD.
The Journey (2001)
unlike anything I have ever seen before
This movie is absolutely amazing. I have never been effected by a movie like I was after viewing this. I laughed, I cried, I thought long and hard about myself and where I was going in my life. There is such a strong message in this, I recommend this to everyone I talk to. But to attempt to describe it to anyone diminishes the film. It means something different to everyone and it is truly something you need to see. And luckily, it is now available on DVD, so everyone will be able to enjoy this film as much as I have. Demand that your local retailer or video store get this in stock! You will not regret the time you spend with Eric on his journey, nor will you will regret the time you spend after watching it thinking about your own journey in your life and exactly where you want to go. I cannot wait to see what Eric does next.
The Scorpion King (2002)
Not terrible, but certainly not great either.
I'll stick to the middle of the road on this one. I saw the sneak preview last night, and went in expecting VERY little. I got just a tad more than that. It isn't going to win awards. It's pretty clear by the storyline the writers didn't put too much time into writing it. The formula has been used a million times, and will likely be used a million times more - A good enough bad guy sees the light and decides to take on the evil bad guy. There is a funny sidekick, a beautiful woman, a bad guy that ends up being good, and a traitor (who looks and sounds surprisingly like Tom Cruise).
Scorpion King REEKS of the Conan movies. And it was about as good as the Conan movies. The Rock wasn't too bad, his acting was a tad bit better than I anticipated. The action was enough to keep me awake, & the one liners were flowing throughout the movie. The crowd seemed into the movie, although alot of comments leaving the theater were about the same as my wife's "not good at all". I've given it a 5, but I may be a tad generous on that one. It will be good enough to bank some BIG box office numbers, with a steep decline in the 2nd and 3rd weeks. Should finish at roughly 80-100M. If the Millions....and millions of rock's fans show up, that is. Go into it expecting very little, turn off your brain for 90 minutes, and bring along with you your "suspension of disbelief" and you'll be just fine. Hey, it's better than "the Musketeer"...
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
It was everything I imagined.
From the Shire to Rivendell, Galadriel to Gandalf, this movie truly nailed every image I had in my head while reading the book. There is nothing I can say that is negative about this movie. In terms of a book to movie adaptation, this is the closest to perfection there ever has been. I just don't have the words to describe the effect this had on me. Truly amazing. The casting was perfect, as if these people were born to play the characters. I am in awe, and will count the days until I can go see this again, as well as when I can go see The Two Towers.
The Musketeer (2001)
The pain, the agony, the movie: The Musketeer.
Why this film was made I'll never understand. This was quite possibly one of the worst I've seen in recent years. Yes, the "interesting" cast and the hype of the action scenes were the main reasons I went to see the preview, but good lord I could have never imagined it would be that bad. I think Tim Roth is one of the most talented actors out there, but even he couldn't save this. The dialogue was putrid, the movie played like a made for TV movie, and those action scenes which were hyped so much played like something out of a cartoon, only Daffy and Bugs would have made them more interesting. I subscribe to the "suspension of disbelief" theory when going to movies, and I REALLY tried to stick with it during this movie, but I just couldn't. Maybe it was because the action made no sense, and it was BORING to boot. It seemed as if they staged all of these elaborate action sequences to take away from the fact that the writing and story were SO unbelievably bad. I don't think this film knew what it wanted to be. It was part period piece, part sword-fighting, part love story. Oh the agony of watching that "love story" develop. Ugh. At points in this film, the crowd was dropping belly laughs and it wasn't because of the lines being cute and funny. The interaction with the characters was SO bad, this movie seemed to me like a spoof on period pieces more than anything else. The scenes directly following the queen being forced to write a letter by the evil Tim Roth, well, let's just say my kids could have come up with better dialogue. Do yourself a favor, rent Swashbuckler, rent the original 3 Musketeers and 4 Musketeers, heck rent Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (you'll hear more of an accent from Kevin Costner than you will from Mina Suvari) if you must, but avoid this movie like it is the plague. You'll thank me for it.