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Reviews
Jersey Boys (2014)
Eastwood "hits" again !
I watched this biopic and was completely blown away ! There is nothing wrong with this movie. Nothing at all ! It is just... perfect. This tantalizing movie tells the story of The Four Seasons with an incredibly believable and accurate script, great photography and a superb cast.
Goes to show that 'old cowboys' not only 'never die' but also never lose their skills. It was about time that someone did a bio on Frankie Valli and his group. Only a director with a passion for music is able to pull this off. I enjoyed every minute of it and would most definitely recommend it ! This is one not to miss ! I can't rate it 10/10 because that would mean 'perfection', which doesn't exist. So I 'only' rate this with a big fat 9/10 !
Killing Season (2013)
Morality war story becomes "excuse" to show extreme violence
De Niro plays an aging Bosnian war vet who chose to live the life or a recluse. In comes Travolta who plays a tormented Bosnian vet, traveling to the us in search of De Niro to settle an old score.
What follows is a cat and mouse game between both men, with no holds barred.
The producers didn't shy away to show explicit violence, sadism and even torture.The script made it difficult to draw the line between good and evil and leaves all to the viewers own imagination.
As usual De Niro is good, but he should stick to comedy films, once he started that. Travolta is surprisingly convincing as the Bosnian vet and almost impossible to recognize him during his first scenes.
Is this a war movie ? No. A morality film ? No. Then what is it ? Well in my opinion it was an excuse to show explicit violence because that's what it's mainly about, meaning: who can inflict the most painful wounds ?
Is this a movie to recommend ? Not in my opinion, unless you kick on torture scenes. Both actors deserved a better script, although both do their best in giving a believable performance but had to face a crummy and thin script.
To put SOME humanity in the story, there is little subplot involving the baptism of De Niro's grandson, whom he never saw before, but has no intention of attending.
The end is unsatisfying and incoherent. This could have been a winner if it had a strong script.
Kaz (1978)
Kaz... one hell of a lawyer series !
This was a great series. Full marks ! Leibman is perfectly cast as the attorney with a temperament. Only one season was made, but I recall watching this on Dutch television in the 70s. Every episode stands out and Kaz is in fact a "pro deo" attorney who gets to defend people no one else want to do. O'Neal is great too as Kaz's associate and acts as Kaz's sidekick. A lot of lawyer series were made: Perry Mason, The Defenders, Petrocelli and others, but this one has an edge. The lead character is charismatic. This superb series needs to be released on DVD ! If you can catch it in a re-run, don't miss it ! They don't make 'm like that anymore... for god's sake release it on DVD.
Pirate Radio (2009)
BEST movie from the last 25 years !!!
I've been a movie buff since early childhood and must have seen about 5000 movies by now. I grew up in the 60s and 70s so I think I got my fair share of the best of the best. Yeah it was a pleasure to go to the movies when you could watch actors like Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, James Caan, Cary Grant, Marlon Brando,... Unfortunately those people and those days are no more...
I really TRY to stay alert for the new releases and it's often an ordeal having to watch them. I wanna see actors, not digital computer effects. I wanna hear am orchestral movie score, not hip hop, rock or synthesizers.
And then... all of a sudden I watched "The boat that rocks" tonight and it completely blew me away. Exactly, no of the old actors, but a great storyline, great music and lovable characters.
The offshore radio stations in the sixties simply came to life in this very believable movie. This movie has it ALL ! I had to wait about 25 years to sat that I actually enjoyed a recent movie. It makes you laugh, makes you cry, there's tension, excitement,... what can I say ? Well, this movie is a MASTERPIECE which captures the spirit of the late 60s just p e r f e c t l y.
I would recommend this film to everybody !
The Magnificent Seven (1998)
Best western TV series.... EVER !!!!!
Like many of the frequent commentators here, I too have seen thousands and thousands of movies and countless TV series. First of all I liked the original movie and secondly I hate remakes especially when they turn it into a TV series !
But THIS series is just amazing. Very well casted, the scripts are strong and solid, the photography is excellent, the action is good and these people can act.
It has nothing to do with the movie at all, except for the title and a slight hint to a character or two. There never was and never will be another western series which can top this one !
And yes, "Centennial" was outstanding, so was "How the west won", "Lonesome Dove" and "Streets of Laredo". However in my personal opinion I can easily say that this series gave me the most pleasure. Something to look forward to every week and boy did I do that !!!
WHY OH WHY.... only two series were made ?! We should DEMAND a third one !!! Why was there no third season... The final episode reveals something about the Chris character but when you hear his last words you just KNOW this has to be followed up by a third series or at least a final TV movie.
Even if you are not fond of western series, this one is truly likable and very enjoyable. I usually don't rate highly. But for this series I give it full marks not 10 but 11 out of 10 !!!
This is a definite MUST SEE !!!
Gran Torino (2008)
Eastwood TRIUMPHS !!!!
I pride myself in having seen every Clint Eastwood movie. Some were good, some were so-so, some were outstanding. I am writing this comment just after I watched "Gran Torino" and am still wondering how to describe it. A drama ? YES - Touching ? YES - Moral issue ? YES - Funny ? YES - Action ? YES - Does this movie have it all ? YES !!!
I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was it was about an aging Korean vet living in a neighborhood with Asians. A clash of cultures, prejudice and especially war memories. Eastwood's character doesn't respect Asians, in fact he hates every aspect of them as well as their culture. But he learns as he gets to know them. The friendship between Walt and the Asian boy develops as the movie progresses. I am not gonna spoil the end of this gem of a movie but I want to say this. The ending could make you feel sad, but it doesn't. Very weird but that's the magic of movie making and Eastwood proves yet again he's a pro before as well as behind the camera.
I can't recall having enjoyed a movie like this over the past 15 years. It's a delight to watch. Yes, Clint is older, but he's not ready for a retirement home, meaning he can still kick ass (and does so) !. In fact his character could be described as an old and cranky Dirty Harry but with moral standards and a touch of humanity.
Even if you're not an Eastwood fan, this is truly a great movie from start to finish. I would even go this far in saying that it surely ranks as one of the zeniths of his career. Thank you Clint. You were and are a giant !
Quantum of Solace (2008)
the worst of the worst...has absolutely nothing to do with 007
First of all, I have absolutely nothing against the actor Daniel Craig but they put them in movies that are supposed to be Bond movies, well they are not.
What you get is a human "terminator" with matrix special effects. Bond is supposed to be a spy, working for the British Secret Service. A creation by, as everybody knows, Ian Fleming. What's left of that ? If the main character's name wasn't called James Bond it wouldn't even be a 007 movie because NOTHING reminds you of 007 any more.
What made the phenomenal success of a 007 movie ? Well, that it was actually FUN and pleasant to watch. You knew what you were getting because the audience demanded it AND got it. Let's face it. What is missing to make this a James Bond movie. Well... ALL is missing:
01. "THE" (essential) gun barrel opening shot ! (not at the end)
02. Miss Moneypenny
03. Q
04. Gadgets
05. Humor
06. a great orchestral score
07. a highly catchy melodic theme song
08. a special kind of villain (played by a well known actor)
09. an original villain sidekick
10. lavish sets by designers like Ken Adam and Peter Lamont.
11. feminine 007 girls
12. the "Bond... James Bond" line
13. Bond should be referred to as "007" by M, not as Bond or even James
14. Cigarettes (Bond IS a by Fleming created smoking character) (Yes smoking is bad for your health, but so is watching this movie!)
We get NONE of that. Instead we get: sadism, brutality without any reason, uninteresting one dimensional characters, unknown actors, uninteresting women (compared to Pussy Galore, Honey Rider,...) an uninspiring soundtrack
And whoever came up with the insane "idea" to put the new Bond actor at the beginning of getting his 00 status... in the present day ?!!! He already got that in the sixties ! Where's the logic ? It's a very sad thing and a complete waste of celluloid.
Bond belongs in the 60s, in the cold war era. Michael Wilson and Cubby's daughter are doing their best in milking the cow dry by creating a so called 007 for the new millennium. Shame, shame, shame... I vividly recall the time that a Bond movie was one of THE events of the year to look forward to. The feeling is gone, because the Bond we used to know is gone. This has nothing to do with me getting older nor being a fan of previous actors.
It's just the way that Wilson and Barbara Broccoli are desperately trying to introduce a hard and cold character representing the current times, meaning that the audience of today "needs" such a 007 make-over.
Cubby and Harry must be turning in their graves (God rest their souls). Show some respect for them AND for Fleming and either put Bond back in a 1960s surrounding or bury him... for ever.
Pinocchio (1940)
One of the most scary movies to watch as a 6 year old !!!
I will never EVER forget the day that my dad took me to see this movie. All went well until the "ocean scene" was due. The animation was so lifelike that (as a 6 year old) you actually believed that the character was real and alive. A movie which can achieve that deserves the biggest compliment. BUT...The moment Pinocchio goes into the ocean my 6-year old brain said: "Now wait a minute... how can he breath under water?!" I literally held my breath and was glued to the screen. And then all of a sudden one of the most shocking experiences of my life appeared ! Indeed, Monstro the whale. I read people talking about the transformation as being one of the most scary scenes, well I watched that without any problem as I recall, but the sudden appearance of the whale has shocked me tremendously. It was so bad that my dad had to carry me out of the movie theater. I am not kidding whatsoever when I say that this scene has been haunting me for several years. Whenever a room was dark I saw that whale again ! Man oh man ! No wonder this movie got a PG rating ! I totally agree that in all Disney movies there's good and evil but this one was a bit over the top ! My dad never took me to see another movie that year.
Yet, the following year he tried it again and took me to see "Sword in the stone". All went well until (can't you guess ?)... the boy falls into the water and is suddenly confronted with this big fish. I immediately saw the whale in my mind and once again I went hysterical and had to be removed from the theater. These are true events. Mind you, I have watched The Exorcist and other shockers without blinking an eye, but even now... at 48, I will still be on my uard when a commercial for a Pinocchio DVD is on TV. I kid you not. This was the most horrifying experience of my childhood. Maybe even traumatic. Even Leonard Maltin wrote is his "Movie Guide" that the whale chase was one of the most scary scenes ever put on film. He was totally right.
Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt (2003)
A feast for the eyes :)
I'm a Belgian and grew up in the sixties. Most of the US series were shown over here (original language with subtitles) and Batman was one of the first I was keen on. Unfortunately over here it caused a "panic hysteria" amongst the mothers because Batman was considered as too violent. Geez, compare the innocence of that series to the crap kids get to see nowadays. So because of my the over-protective mothers from the 60s I only got a chance to see maybe two or three episodes ! I got so frustrated I started to collect the comics and bubblegum cards (still got them !) to compensate. I even got the View Master slides... I had an urge to see the caped crusader. All kids need some kind of hero.
Years later I finally got the chance to see the re-runs as an adolescent and I enjoyed it tremendously. The tongue-in-cheek acting would have escaped me when I would've watched it as a kid, but I understood it at the age of 17. Yeah, I've watched them all now and the occasional kind soul on the internet posts episodes because they haven't released the series on DVD (to my knowledge)
This evening I enjoyed "Return to the bat cave"... it was a delight to watch because it was full of trivia and inside-jokes. To see Adam and Burt was a delight and this TV movie is simply fantastic in every aspect. They play themselves as they played their parts in the series.
Congratulations to the people who produced this great nostalgic "feast"... I'm gonna watch it again. My advice to all Batman fans is: SEE IT !!! Rent it !!! Lend it from a friend !!! Buy it !!! I'd never expect myself to rate this as 9/10... Very well done !