Reviews

the passion of the Christ is cruel, blood dripping and often inaccurate - i guess using gallons of blood was so overwhelming for the make-up artists that they often were confused as to what blood stains and injuries belonged where. its the right eye, no wait its the left. or was it the right one?

watching it for the second time several years after it came out did not help at all, so I quit about one third into the film. it was just as bad as i remembered it.

admittedly its a strong story but it didn't have to be created - it was already there and everyone knows it. but for the modern audience, lets spice it up a bit, lets show as much visually shocking torture and suffering as we can squeeze in and if you think its way over the top, lets double it. and don't forget the blood. just make sure to remember where it went in the last shot.

the camera work is amazing though - 8 stars out of 10. as for the rest, its quite scary how little a budget of 30.000.000 usd buys you. needless to say it was a commercial success.

Mel says: "This is a movie about love, hope, faith and forgiveness. Jesus died for all mankind, suffered for all of us. It's time to get back to that basic message. The world has gone nuts. We could all use a little more love, faith, hope and forgiveness."

amen, pal. but does one need to bleed all over the screen to prove that love, hope, faith and forgiveness are important in our lives? who exactly has gone nuts? i am not so sure about that.

don't get me wrong, the passion of Christ is something that always gave me a lot to think even when just looking at the paintings in churches. but where i come from, you don't need to spell it all out, people don't need that to get it. the paintings leave enough room for love, hope, faith and forgiveness - this movie simply does not.

a while ago i came across some statements about parents who actually took their kids (!) to see this movie in order to make them appreciate the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us. educationally a smart move. maybe the world has gone nuts. at least a part of it. we could all use a little less cruelty in our entertainment industry.

... but you're unlikely to fall in between. in my opinion, that is usually proof that there is something to it. certainly not a movie you will feel indifferent about. all I can say is that the acting is indeed spot on and the film manages very well to portrait the characters without looking down on them. this movie is yet another proof that you don't need the big names for a good result. will it meet everyone's expectations? of course not. if you need a complex plot with lots of twists, turns and unpredictable surprises, go look elsewhere. if you expect a sad, tough story that continuously down-spirals and just when you think it can't get any worse it does, this one is not for you. it is just plain and simple about how tough daily live can be for those who are struggling to survive while being true to themselves. for me stories like this are more convincing and feel far more real than those that keep climaxing just for the sake of added drama. definitely worth watching.

... to sit through until the end. but if you are looking for substance other than the obvious, this sketch is not for you.

admittedly, the acting is quite good and the fact that it was largely improvised is quite impressive. the characters are sympathetic enough to feel sorry for. but I am seriously in doubt that the movie adds something meaningful to any human being capable of the following thoughts:

the sex life in a long lasting relationship can suffer over time - openly talking about it does not necessary improve the situation - unanimously approved "cheating" on each other is not really a way out - don"t do it.

good thing it's low budget, but I'm sorry to say: writer, director and star Katie Aselton took on two jobs too many. she is a great actress. stick to what you do best.

lets start off with something that I did like quite a bit about this movie: it is minimalistic and very low key. if this style of film making was combined with an intriguing story, it could make for a masterpiece. however, that is not the case here.the story about an apparently very successful actor who is desperately trying to find meaning in his life while he gets to spend some time with his 11 year old daughter has no substance whatsoever: tell me something thats not so obvious and cliché, please!!! portraying a successful but dull life is not really an excuse for a dull movie, not even for someone with the name Coppola. In a time where awards are piling up in every corner of the filmmaking industry lets just rely on common sense: "Coppola continues to surprise and amaze with her singular view of the world" is but one of the praises I found. I am sorry, but if we are talking about the same movie, the words "surprise", "amaze" and "singular view" are wrong by definition.

... must have been the credits. only at first I didn't even make it that far. I think I threw in the towel about half way through. The poster gives it all away: If all you want is a smoking hot heroine, scared and jumpy every now and then usually while in her underwear, this is your movie. but be prepared for cheap thrills, a painfully uninspired story and frighteningly lousy acting.

I did watch the rest of the movie later (thank god it was only a rental), just to make sure I didn't miss anything and it wouldn't have been fair to write a review based on only half of the experience. The bottom line: Odette Yustman should go back to modeling, as an actress she has nothing to offer and David S. Goyer should stick to the superhero genre.

A true waste of money and a regrettable waste of time.

I am giving a rather low rating for a movie that is, shot for a low budget of $650000 in only a few weeks, surprisingly well made. I'll try my best to explain why, without spoiling any aspect of the story:

the movie starts out strong as the main character Chance, a drug dealer released from prison after five years is trying hard to change his live for the better. what's not to like about this beginning? Chance is likable (and cute) enough, no surprise here: we want him to succeed but we almost instantly sense that chances for Chance are slim!

the more the story evolves and presents its challenges to our "hero to be", the more all the characters are evolving into rather overdone caricatures, loaded with stereotypes ...

Writer/Producer/Director/Actor Adams meant well but in the end only manages to deliver a well executed movie with an o.k. story but totally lacking convincing characters. This, however is only my personal opinion and should not keep anyone from watching the movie.

one of my closest friends is from Vietnam. at age 13, he was put on a boat by his parents and, after an odyssey of 3 months, ended up in Germany where he still lives today. compared to what real life has in store in terms of human tragedy and drama, there is simply no way a movie can portray how the Vietnam war affected peoples lives.

but it might help in trying to understand what they are dealing with after having experienced such traumatic events. and it certainly points out what the war in Vietnam has in common with all wars: everybody loses, on both sides and the damage being done lasts for decades and affects generations. this film does an excellent job drawing some attention to a story told from the perspective of the Vietnamese people.

so, to answer my own question: no we actually don't but without this movie we would be missing something of value. story, cinematography, cast and music are pretty good stuff. and thank god there are no well known actors involved, because sometimes we end up paying more attention to their performance rather than staying focused on the story. and that would really be a shame in this case.

...and I still do like that movie. so you could say I'm easily pleased. Eat Pray Love has wonderful national geographic style scenery and landscape shots. That's where most of the budget of $ 60 000 000 must have gone to. for everything else, I would ask my money back.

My wife was fast asleep 15 min into the movie. I decided to sit through it, so it wouldn't be unfair to complain about time wasted. but leaving it all behind and starting a new life some place else (the story!) is way more exciting and complex. From my own experience and under less wealthy circumstances that is.

It's not that I hated the movie, because that would require emotional investment. the whole story was simply too shallow to induce any such strong reaction.

in order not to spoil anything, I will not give away any details of the story itself.

the performance of the cast is convincing as to be expected. the movie is definitely well shot and has the ingredients to please a broad audience: talented and popular actors, a fast pace, action, brilliant animation and most importantly a storyline interesting enough to capture the viewer's attention.

there is one thing left to be desired: the main character, Cobb describes his work as a chance to create things that never existed. one would expect to see just that in the dreamworld being built by Cobbs and his team. unfortunately, the movie falls short right there.

nevertheless a movie worth watching. but Nolan can do way better.

My professor once said: always start with something positive. Let me try:

The cast is easy on the eye. And that's about the only positive thing I can come up with. Very, very poor acting. Seriously. Totally ridiculous plot. Someone said it was well shot. I would have to watch it again to find that one frame he must have been referring to. I certainly missed that one. The music... I don't remember.

I've never bothered writing reviews. Ever. This time I just felt it is my responsibility. By all means, go and see for yourself. But you have been warned – at least, try to not spend any money. Give it to charity instead and make my headline come true.

And no, I am not a wanna be actor who is just jealous. I simply love watching movies. Not this one.