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timothy-s
Reviews
Training Day (2001)
amazed
I'm amazed to see so many comments here, based purely on moral opinions and disliking of street language. Maybe those commentators should ask themselves why they see a movie? Just to hear words that no one in the real world is speaking? First look at the performances, which are great, not only by Denzel, but by Ethan Hawke too. Movies are not made to be judged morally, they should be judged on their artistic qualities. And the films' qualities are evident: good acting, unexpected plot turns and impressive camera-work, half the movie being filmed from inside the black Monte Carlo. It bears thriller and action components, which are both believable and do not stand in the way. It's enough to convince me.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo (1998)
beautiful women with passionate eyes
"Le Comte de Monte Cristo" is a mini TV-series but contains nevertheless 8 hours of very carefully describing of the journey of nemesis that is made by Edmond Dantes. This character, played by Gerard Depardieu has experienced the worst that can happen to a human being. Imprisonment in solitude for a crime he didn't commit. After he is back he works his way up in society playing various characters, manipulating everyone. The actors are great, very beautiful women with passionate eyes and nice accents (especially Ornella Muti, who plays grown up Mercedes Igualada, the great love of Dantes' life). Depardieu is sometimes ridiculous, especially when he plays Lord Wilmore, wearing an even bigger nose than he already possesses himself. But the picturing of the story is so intense, that such little mistakes can be easily neglected. One sees the inner fight that takes place in the huge body of the Comte. Must he go on with his exercise of nemesis, while he knows that he only becomes unhappier by carrying it out. Le Comte de Monte Cristo is never sentimental, though sometimes a little frivolous, but that connects perfectly with the novel of Alexandre Dumas, who's story is almost perfectly followed. And completion is guaranteed by a mighty music score and enough hilarious moments with Dantes' servant Bertuccio.
Runaway Jury (2003)
Even the marvelous cast looks bored
I'm a great fan of John Grisham and till now, I liked the film versions of his books too, The Rainmaker in particular. And with the extraordinary cast of Runaway Jury I had great expectations. Well, the cast was indeed the only good thing about this movie. But why didn't the actors succeed in making a good movie, then? It's very simple. Grisham's novel is certainly not his best one. It's quite predictable and fails to keep your attention till the end. In stead of enhancing these things in the script they were worsened. After fifteen minutes you know exactly what's going to happen. In fact, Runaway Jury is half an hour to long. It looks like the actors share this opinion, because sometimes they look bored (or was that my imagination?).
What's left then? Well, the Director has succeeded in creation the Grisham-Ambiance. But because he tries to do it the same way as Sidney Pollack and Francis Ford Coppola did in The Firm and The Rainmaker, Runaway Jury seems superfluous. So I gave a 5.
Dandelion (2004)
A different American movie about sad people
I saw this movie at the Rotterdam-FilmFestival in Februari. It was a stormy dark day, a kind of weather which is also predominant in Dandelion.
The Director was present and after the movie he told us a little bit about why he made the movie. He wanted to show in what circumstances the teenagers in the Midwest grow-up, how sad there existence can be.
I didn't fully agree with him, because I think you can also extract positive things from Dandelion, for instance that teenagers can be happy with each other, even when there parents are very unhappy. But the final conclusion is indeed that the unhappiness of parents rests heavily on their children and passes inevitably on to them.
I was pleasantly surprised by the actors' wonderful playing and I hope I will see more of them. It's a pity that so few 'alternative' American movies reach Europe. So, to encourage Directors of these kinds of movies to go on like this, I gave a 9, instead of an 8.