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Reviews
Open Water (2003)
Awesome! A Sundance festival hit that really delivers!
Being a scuba diver myself I was most eager and curious to see this movie and would first like to say that it is hands down the most realistic and accurate film about scuba diving I have ever seen. It's also a very engaging and tense thriller. I am familiar with the true story I believe this is based on, and can tell you, from what I have read about the incident, this movie is extremely accurate. As a diver I can tell you that when floating on the open ocean you are very much at the
mercy of the currents, and whatever else mother nature wishes to throw at you, and sink or swim, there's virtually nothing you can do about it. Every detail of this film is right on the nose, including the faulty headcount that sets things in motion, believe me I have seen it happen! Shooting on digital video, that has a rough look, was a stroke of genius and adds greatly to the sense of immediacy and extreme realism. This film would have been way less effective if done the usual glossy, expensive Hollywood way. Same goes for using the two unknown
actors, who are excellent, and all those real sharks! It's like watching a video diary of a nightmare vacation. I found it to be a very original, gutsy, well crafted thriller. Believe the hype!
Touching the Void (2003)
A very suspenseful documentary.
I found this film, the story of two mountain climbers, to be a powerful tale about the strength of the human spirit and one man's will to survive. It is remarkably suspenseful for a documentary, more so than most narrative films. The story is told and narrated by the two men that lived through it so there is never any
doubt about the outcome, which makes the fact it is so suspenseful all the more amazing. What makes it so gripping is how these two guys, (especially Joe),
are able to overcome one seemingly impossible obstacle after another. My only criticism, and it's a very small one, is that the film peaks about two thirds through, those with a short attention span may find the final third getting a little repetitive. The photography is amazing and you can't help but to wonder how on earth
they got some of these shots, surely under conditions nearly as difficult as those faced by the two leads. The story is illustrated through reenactments, the two climbers that play Simon and Joe are never called upon to do any real acting
but do a very serviceable job of keeping the viewer engaged. Overall a very
powerful documentary.
School of Rock (2003)
It's the Jack Black show, and a rock'n good family flick.
This film is the ultimate Jack Black role, it was obviously tailored for him and it's impossible to imagine anyone else playing this part, or the film existing without him. I for one can take him or leave him in most films, but here he is able to utilize all his talents and push the envelope just enough... but is thankfully reined back before becoming insufferably obnoxious. The director does a
terrific job of taking what easily could have been a very sappy, syrupy, formula film, and give it some edge, and make it fresh and fun. A wonderful celebration of the spirit of rock-n-roll and the need to stick it to authority that all adolescents, perhaps everybody, feels one time or another. It's a piece of fluff but a well made one with heart and something to say. And the kid's are amazing!
The Station Agent (2003)
A huge disappointment!
After all the hype i finally caught this one on DVD eagerly awaiting something special. What I got was more like an After School Special. This film was beyond boring with extremely one note characters that did things that made no sense. Why for instance does this guy Joe have a food stand in the middle of nowhere? Where does he get the money to support it and himself? Why is everyone
drawn to Peter Dinklage's character, he's a total self absorbed bore? How is it these three people keep running into each other, it's like six people live in the entire town. People praise Dinklage's character because at long last it's a three dimensional role for a dwarf, on the contrary, he's as one dimensional as they come, all he does is watch trains and sulk. I feel this actor is deserving of something a whole lot better. This film was a huge disappointment.
21 Grams (2003)
Heartbreaking, original, one of the best films of last year!
I finally caught this film on dvd and was very moved by it. It has a
fractured structure, like the pieces of a great puzzle, that slowly
come together to form a heartbreaking story. It's far from the feel
good film of the year, nor is it a Hollywood tear jerker, just a real
smart film that explores the connections between us all and the
pain that humans sometimes must endure regardless of their
social status. The acting is first rate, in my book they are three of
the best actors working in film today and here they are all at the top
of their game. This would be one of the most original films i had
seen in years if not for "Amores Perros", the directors first film
which shares a similar structure and themes. i loved them both.
Gangs of New York (2002)
Almost great.
Well in my mind Scorsese is just about the greatest living American director still working on a regular basis. This film had many elements of greatness but ultimately I had my share of problems, the biggest having to do with how this epic got made in the first place. No way, no how was a picture this size going to get financed without a big star or two at the center, and it is that star that was my biggest problem with the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio does a perfectly fine job but his performance is hardly inspired, he did the best job he could but we was not the best person for the job. I found him to be one note and boring. Too bad Collin Farrel was not the hot star then that he is now, I think he would have been far more interesting. Daniel Day-Lewis on the other hand was absolutely awe inspiring. Man can this guy act, never would I have thought a year ago that I would shake in my boots at the mention of his name, but his Bill the butcher is seriously intimidating. The rest of the cast is first rate, especially old faithfuls like John Reilly and Brendan Gleeson. The production is huge, the sets amazing though because there were so few sets, I'd say the bulk of the action took place in three locations, the movie felt oddly claustrophobic. Maybe after a second look I will feel differently as is so often the case when viewing the work of a master like Scosese, but for now I felt the film was lacking
8 Mile (2002)
What a let down from Curtis Hanson.
I'm a big fan of Curtis Hanson so I was really disappointed with this ho-hum, been there done that formulaic film. It was very well directed, shot, acted, but why bother, it had nothing new to say. The only wrinkle that was remotely intriguing was the rap battles, but even these offered little in the way of suspense, the entire film was so predictable. You easily could have cut from the opening sequence to the end battle and it would have ultimately of had the same impact only without wasting two hours of my life. Eminem does a fine job of playing himself, he pretty much reacts in every scene the same way regardless of what is going on. The film goes to great, and very boring lengths to show what a great guy he is. This movie was fine but had nothing new to say about life on the streets that I have not already seen in dozens of other films.
Chicago (2002)
It's not "Singing In The Rain", but it's still a hell of a movie.
Well I finally saw the film that everyone says is going to clean up at Oscar time, and with events in the world being what they are, I'd say a good musical would pretty much be a shoe in, and this IS a good musical. I was a big fan of the broadway show and was excited to hear they were planning on turning it into a movie, though that was four or five years ago. Now that it has at last arrived the first thing that jumps out is that it really has been reinvented, the Bob Fosse trademark bowler hat, gloves... are no more, but it is, in true Fosse fashion, very sexy, and smart, and entertaining. Interestingly enough, when I think of great musicals, I think of great DANCERS, and long camera takes that let them really show their stuff, obviously Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly's Singing In The Rain is the mother of all these. This film cast really good ACTORS that managed to do some decent dancing, helped along by none stop editing. Richard Gere is certainly no Gene Kelly... So this movie was less about showing off great dance talent and more about, well just being a damn good movie. Certainly characters were far better fleshed out, and there was plenty of technical razzel dazzel that infused the whole thing with a wonderful energy, and it never hurts to surround the leads with countless hot looking babes. So much for the old formula. Though if you are looking for the whole package, the very best in singing, dancing and powerhouse acting, rent Fosse's "ALL THAT JAZZ"!
Idi i smotri (1985)
A masterpiece, perhaps the greatest war film i have ever seen.
I just caught this film on tape, where did it come from? -I had never heard of it before and yet it may very well be the greatest war film i have ever seen. It starts out more or less like a small art house picture and by the end it is epic. Surely Steven Spielberg must have studied this one before making Schindler's List for it's portrayal of the systematic, town by town liquidation, of jews, gypsies, woman, children... in bellarusse during WWII, and it is absolutely devastating. Spielberg's film feels like hollywood hokum by comparison, and i really liked Schindler's List, or rather, i thought it was a great and powerful movie. but there are so many unforgettable images in this movie, images that will forever haunt me, from the opening scene where young boys pry rifles from dead soldier's cold fingers, to the roving eyeball of a dying cow. Make no mistake, this is a difficult film to watch, but should be required screening for all.