Mourn-2 Reviews

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Are we really this jaded?

[8/10 · 6 November 2003]

I'm not sure what movie everyone is watching, but I have two questions:

1. What, exactly, were you expecting?

2. Are we really this jaded, this over-stimulated, as a Sci-Fi movie going public?

If nothing else, its a testament to just how fantastic this franchise is that people can be let down by what is, by comparison to all the other schlock out there, a fantastic Sci-Fi movie. Is it as mind-bending as the first movie? Nope. Does it answer all the questions of the second movie? Nope.

No matter what the conclusion looked like, it wouldn't meet expectations. If they took the time to wax philosophical, it would be boring and ponderous, if it was all action, it would be devoid of thought. As it was, it was a sometimes awkward marriage of the two that still resulted in a worthy conclusion that is far better than anything else we've seen in recent memory.

If anything, the Brothers are guilty of trying too hard to please their many fans, to understand and meet too many expectations. There are a lot of negative things you can say about this movie, but I challenge anyone to find a Trilogy that holds up so well, and delivers such a tight, fully realized world, philosophy and set of characters.

The critics need to get over themselves, and the viewers need to stop listening to them, set their expectations at a reasonable level, and experience what is offered rather that spend the two hours trying to reconcile it with your desires of what it "should" be.

This film is awesome, as are its two predecessors. Stop reading this and go see it and make up your own mind.

Nurse Betty (2000)

Uhhhh....

[14 April 2001]

The popularity of many movies escapes me, but at least in the case of movies like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or "Magnolia", although I don't understand the acclaim, I can at least see what it is people like about the film. However, in the case of "Nurse Betty", I just don't get it. This movie was, in a word, dull - dreadfully so. Morgan Freeman wasn't bad, Greg Kinear wasn't bad, hell, Renee Zellwegger wasn't bad. Still, the assertion that this is some sort of dark comedy "masterpiece" is just ridiculous. There is nothing new or transcendent here, nothing subtly brilliant, no great connection to something in the human spirit. Its simply another silly comedy that misses the mark, no better than "Lost and Found" or "Dude, Where's my Car?".

Lastly, for those ripping Chris Rock for the language he used in the film, I hope you realize there is something called a "script" that has "lines" on it that "actors" memorize and then deliver. If you think that Chris Rock is degrading to women, blame the script, not the actor. Do you also think that Ed Norton and Brad Pitt hate women because of their language in "Fight Club?" Get a clue, rip the insipid writing, not the messenger.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

See it twice....

[9/10 · 12 February 2001]

There are already 180+ reviews of this movie, so I wont waste your time with a lengthy treatise on the Coen Brothers' latest offering. I will say this however: I am a huge fan of all of their movies except for Raising Arizona, and I did walk out of the theater wondering if I had missed something in O Brother, Where Art Thou. Fortunately, Barton Fink and The Big Lebowski had the same effect on me, so I thought the movie over for about a week and then I saw it again. The fact is, this movie is such a flood of sights and sounds and has so much to think about and at which to laugh, there is simply no way to grasp it in one viewing.

See it once, give yourself a few days to let it sink in, then see it a second time. This movie is flat out brilliant, it just takes two viewings to realize it.

9.5/10

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

#10 All Time?!

[7/10 · 8 February 2001]

Come on, this is NOT the 10th best movie ever made. Yes, visually stunning with great cinematography. Yes, some decent, and in part even touching, acting, especially by Michelle Yeoh. Overall, yes, an entertaining movie... ...but, it has a luandry list of faults.

Chow Yun Fat never really fights in the movie, even though he's the quintessential warrior of his generation. Why is this? Because Chow Yun Fat doesn't know martial arts. Do I hate Chow Yun Fat? No, I like him a great deal. Do I think a great Kung Fu movie ought to star someone who knows Kung Fu? YES!

The plot is all over the place, the importance of the sword is built up a great deal at the beginning, and then its forgotten about until the end when its given some passing consideration before being forgotten again.

I realize that flying over the tops of trees is a legitimate style of Hong Kong action flick, but it still left me a little cold. The actual fighting was cool, but I could have done without the Mary Poppins stuff. *SPOILER ALERT* At least until the end, when the young warrior girl needed a horse to go get an antidote instead of just flying there.

The reunion of the two younger lovers was completely unrealistic. Her reaction to him made me wonder if I had missed something that happened between them before they were separated.

Sure, some of these are nitpicking and personal preference issues. But some of them are legitimate flaws. This is not a perfect movie as everyone seems to be suggesting. It may be refreshing to see a different type of cinema for we Westerners bored and over-stimulated by tripe like The Perfect Storm and The Cell, but its no excuse for overrating a good, but flawed film.

Unbreakable (2000)

Unthinkable

[1/10 · 11 December 2000]

Well, this is the 328th review on IMDB, so I'm probably not going to say anything that hasn't been said yet.

I will just say that, more than any other movie I can think of, I am absolutely shocked that this movie has a 7.7 rating and ANY positive reviews at all. In my opinion, this is indicative of the fact the movie going public no longer understands what makes a good film or even recognizes one when they see it. Unbreakable was an attempt at a two hour character study, primarily of two men. I'm guessing it was meant to be a character study because there isn't a plot or story line to speak of. This is fine, character studies can be interesting, unfortunately we are spoon fed little pieces of information in one scene, and then shown the effect of it in the very next, as if we were being spoon fed the dimensions of the characters.

For all the benefit of the doubt M. Night Shyamalan gave his audience in The Sixth Sense, he treats them like complete idiots in Unbreakable, making sure he drops a small foreshadowing to the audience before hitting them over the head with the actual event to make sure they understood. And even with this heavy handed approach, we ultimately end up with two people we don't care about swimming around in a thin story based on the incredible assumption that someone wouldn't realize that they had never been sick or injured in their entire life until it was pointed out to them.

In fact, the entire foundation of premises this movie is built upon is so fanciful and preposterous, that even a reasonable suspension of disbelief is impossible.

Lastly, the camera work, particularly the artsy shots, should LEND to the storytelling, not take away from it. Every time Shyamalan indulges in one of these sequences, he is not highlighting something important, he is reminding us we are only watching a movie. What he did so skillfully in The Sixth Sense comes across as random and forced in Unbreakable. Top this off with one of the most ridiculous scenes ever put on film in a serious movie (those who have seen it will probably know what I am talking about, those who don't heed my warning and go see it anyway, just watch for the scene with the kid and the gun), and you have a self-indulgent pile of trash unworthy of even going straight to video. I don't know if Shyamalan was rushed to get this out, or if he got Kevin Costner syndrome after the success of his first movie and decided that he could mail one in, but Unbreakable is Unthinkably bad. At the very very least, do yourself a favor and catch it for free on HBO or Showtime, or spend a buck and watch it in the dollar theatres, where it will be very soon I hope, making room for something more palatable.

The Perfect Storm (2000)

Somewhat tense in spots, some good acting, but still stupid.

[21 July 2000]

Yet another vacuous blockbuster disaster movie that thinks its weak plot and script can be held merely by good effects and quality names in the credits.

Unfortunately, this is somewhat true. This movie is going to finish with a big profit, and the fact is, effects and big names are enough for many people. If seeing really cool IML stuff as a backdrop to decent performances by Diane Lane, Mark Wahlburg and George Clooney, as well as good character work, you'll probably like this movie.

If you expect more, avoid it, because there isn't any. Its a very cliched disaster movie with a few tense moments that actually work, but that are completely overshadowed by the stupidity of the rest of the movie. Also shameless was the single black character with no lines and no story (except for being a sex freak).

If you need a summer blockbuster, try X-Men instead. This one stinks.

4 out of 10.

The Age of Innocence (1993)

Scorcese's Answer to Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon"

[2 May 2000]

In the 70's, the decade's greatest director Stanley Kubrick broke from his series of groundbreaking films to make a long period piece. That movie, "Barry Lyndon", was met with much critical acclaim, but also a litany of derision from fans and critics alike who called it too slow, too ponderous and too boring. Nearly 20 years later, the world's leading director of that time, Martin Scorcese took the same steps and met with much of the same criticism.

These two movies are not for everyone. If you want to see action and fast-paced filmmaking, you will find them boring. However, if you want to see the pinnacles of the careers of the two greatest directors of the second half of the 20th century, you will find them here.

Enough has been said about the plot and the acting in "The Age of Innocence". The bottom line is that for pure cinematic luster and beauty, the 90's offers only a single movie that can match "Barry Lyndon". Don't watch the clock, watch the film, and enjoy a departure and a triumph that proves the depth and confidence of Scorcese's skills.

Lastly, don't let anyone spoil the ending for you, and don't jump to conclusions. Think about it after you've seen the movie, savour it for a while and the understanding will come to you. This movie quite simply has the finest ending of any movie I have ever seen.

"The Age of Innocence" is the 10 that rises just above Scorcese's string of 9 1/2s. See it.

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)

Ridiculous and Anti-Intellectual

[1/10 · 28 March 2000]

Four fascists in WWII Italy abduct 16 youths and subject them to dehumanizing rape, humiliation and torture.

Many reviewers have commented that this movie is powerful and that everyone should see it because it gives you access to true feelings of disgust and guilt about man's inhumanity to man, especially during times of anarchistic, despotic, or fascist rule. If you need this movie to understand how terrible the crimes visited on people by the fascists, Nazi and otherwise, during WWII were, then Pasolini's only success is that he has demonstrated just how sick and desensitized our global society has become.

Stark brutality has its value as a tool for demonstrating the full force of certain horrible events. This tool was used effectively in other WWII films around the same subject, "Schindler's List" comes to mind. The problem with this film is that this tool has to be accompanied by real emotion and demonstration of the effect of that brutality. The only emotion (other than pure physical pain) demonstrated by the adolescents in this movie is during one scene where a young abductee cries at being reminded of the death of her mother. Aside from that, the victims walk through this movie like zombies as various disgusting acts are perpetrated upon them. There is no emotion, and frankly, the movie is an extremely boring series of repetitive acts of violence and humiliation that are reputedly designed to demonstrate the horror of unchecked power. The truth is, this is a dull expose on the acts of several bored, wealthy, powerful members of society who can no longer find stimulation in the banal trappings of every day life, just like the book it is based on.

The truth is, this movie has NOTHING to do with the horrors of fascism, it just happens that Pasolini chose a setting he knew well. There is no reason that this same exact movie could not be shot in a palace in the Middle East, a castle in Austria, a Villa in Latin America or a mansion in the USA and be just as realistic. It is nothing more than a dull comment on the depravity of the rich and bored.

Don't be drawn in by the mystery and the hushed tones that people use when they speak of this so-called "Masterpiece". And if you are a DVD owner, don't be fooled by the fact that Criterion wasted their time with this banal piece of Anti-Intellectual trash.

Holy Smoke (1999)

Aptly titled...

[13 February 2000]

This movie is aptly titled, a major smoke and mirrors job with no real meaning and no real meat. Winslet's performance isn't bad, and Keitel is decent in a completely unconvincing characterization. Its difficult to believe a man who has allegedly deprogrammed 189 previous 'clients', then suddenly ends up in Australia without his girlfriend and drops his pants for anything female, including the girl he's being paid $10K to "help". This movie could have worked, but its slow and ponderous right up until the sexual congress convenes, and then it only becomes more preposterous. I'm not sure what sort of strange demons Jane Campion has in her closet, but they aren't doing a very good job of guiding her art. Just like "The Piano", this movie completely lost me and comes off as some sort of indecipherable post-feminist statement.

The supporting cast is awful, which might not be their fault, but the fact that they are all cast as wooden, emotionally immature, alcoholic Australians. If I were from down-under, I'd be offended by the stereotypical portrayals. The end of the movie goes from rediculous to nice and tidy with a pretty bow on top...very weak. Essentially, this movie is a vehicle to get Kate Winslet naked and Harvey Kietel in a dress, so its probably not going to do too badly at the box office. But, if you want to see anything deeper than a beautiful actress nude and a decent actor cross-dressing, avoid "Holy Smoke".

Orgazmo (1997)

Hysterical

[9/10 · 13 February 2000]

This movie should provide a bevy of laughs to anyone not so hung up on their sexuality or religion as to be turned off by some pointed barbs in their direction. The real treat here is Robyn Lynne Raab...you'd have to have lived in Utah to know just how perfectly she nailed the young mormon girl awaiting her missionary. This is a genius performance that would have warranted an Oscar nod in a perfect world (no, I'm not kidding). The rest of the movie's characters are delightfully funny as well, from writer and lead Trey Parker to his South Park pal Matt Stone as an ambiguously sexual set worker, Micahel Dean Jacobs as Porn King Maxxx Orbison and Orgazmo's do-gooder sidekick Dian Bachar cast as a modern day unicorn. If you like South Park, and can take Parker and Stone's take no prisoners brand of humor, you're missing out if you've not experienced Orgazmo.

Man on the Moon (1999)

Tragically Shallow

[6/10 · 2 January 2000]

I really wanted to like this movie a lot. I'm not a huge Jim Carrey fan, but I knew beforehand the level of commitment he made to really becoming Andy Kaufman for this part. Fortunately, his performance does not disappoint. Down to Andy's voice qualities and mannerisms, Jim Carrey really succeeded in in exploring and reflecting each of Andy's strange personalities on Taxi and on the stage.

The problem with this movie is that every scene that takes place off stage is tragically shallow. There is not a drop of depth to this movie or any of its characters. The talent that is wasted in this movie is almost criminal. Courtney Love, who proved to be a great talent in Forman's "People vs. Larry Flynt" hardly has any meaningful screen time or dialogue. Paul Giamatti, one of the great character actors of recent memory is completely wasted in this film, playing a two-dimensional Bob Zmuda with only a single flash of his real acting brilliance (if you haven't seen him before, check out Private Parts or The Negotiator). Danny DeVito tries to escape the shallow script but is largely unsuccessful as well. Its not that these performances are poor, only that they have very little good material to work with.

The "Taxi" scenes were also strange with no real dialogue for any of the cast members, only multiple scenes of them watching Andy's antics with concerned or angry looks on their faces and showing their ages much too much for the scenes to seem real. There was also the conspicuous absence of Tony Danza.

In short, if you want to relive some of Andy's great comic genius, you will enjoy Jim Carrey's portrayal. If you want to see a film that really explores the off screen life of one of the 80's most misunderstood and enigmatic figures, you are going to be sorely disappointed. Milos Forman is capable of a much, much better film than this.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Kubrick's Finest Film

[10/10 · 7 December 1999]

As big a fan of Stanley Kubrick as I am, I can find something flawed in each of his films save Barry Lyndon. Where some see slow pacing and wooden characters, I see brilliant devices that Kubrick used in order to prevent the undermining of the purely sensory elements of this film. Visually, it is unparalleled to this day, even by such recent masterworks as The English Patient or other classics such as Lawrence of Arabia. The matching of the soundtrack to the action on film is so exquisite as to defy description, almost as if each frame of the the film is blended with each note of the music. The performances, while understated, are still excellent, including leads Ryan O'Neal (Whom I do not like in any other movie) and Marisa Berenson as Lady Lyndon (The courtship scene between these two is perfect). Also, some of the more minor characters are very well portrayed, such as Captain Potzdorf, Lord Bullington and the Chevalier.

This is quite simply Stanley Kubrick's finest film. Yes, it is a large investment of time. But if you choose to participate and let the film draw you in, those three hours are well spent. And while it is not a traditional action movie, if the last duel scene doesn't draw you in and captivate you, you need to check your pulse. It ranks right up there with the Dennis Hopper/Christopher Walken scene in True Romance as one of the greatest single scenes in the history of cinema. Do not let the few outspoken critics of this movie sway your opinion and cause you to miss out on the pure beauty of this film, see it.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Okay...the criticisms are valid, but its still very good.

[17 July 1999]

For those of you muddling through all the reviews of this movie, I am going to bottom-line it for you. It's better than most of the crap coming out of the major studios. It's better than about 80-90% of the films I've seen in the last few years. Yes, its hokey at some points (its impossible to believe anyone would keep filming in some of the circumstances meeting the crew later in the movie). It might be a stretch to call it brilliant, but if you try to avoid knowing TOO much about it, go sit in a dark theater and try not to over-analyze the little problems, it will scare you and it will leave you thinking about it.

Lastly, a quick commentary on the MPAA. If I've ever seen a movie that should have carried a rating (NC17) to absoluteley keep kids out of the theater...this is it. There is no specific shot or image or sound that would really even rate an R these days (except maybe for the excessive swearing). But the theme of the movie is raw and intense and horrifying, way too strong for kids. I sat next to a young girl, maybe 10 or 11 and she was visibly shaken by what she saw. The MPAA is a joke, we live in the only country in the world where Stanley Kubrick's final movie had to be edited to obscure some sex scenes to secure an R rating. Yet this film, which could be emotionally traumatizing to a child, falls through the cracks because there is nothing blatantly pornographic. Violence is much more damaging to the human mind than sex...wake up MPAA.

See the movie, leave the kids with the baby-sitter.

Species II (1998)

Quite simply the worst movie I have ever seen

[30 May 1999]

This was hands down the worst movie I've ever seen. Horribly condescending dialogue like: "Her estrogen levels are rising rapidly, its like she's in heat!", disgusting special effects only present for their gross-out potential, repugnant acting and a recycled, borrowed, contrived, paint-by-numbers storyline. Micahel Madsen and Mykelti Williamson should be ashamed of themselves for showing their faces in this turkey. If you want to watch aliens having sex, rent Mask of Zorro.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

Screenplay of the Decade

[10/10 · 7 December 1998]

The acting in the movie was nearly perfect, especially with respect to the trio of cops the film centers around. The only reason I can see for the Oscar snub was that it was difficult to choose between them. Spacey was awesome as he always is, but my choice would have been Crowe by a nose. But, what really sets this movie apart is the screenplay. The dialogue is realistic and appropriate for the time. The pacing is perfect, a rare feat for a movie significantly over two hours. And the plot is intricate, yet decipherable if the viewer pays attention. The audience is not insulted with constant explanations and pointers to the key moments, but the audience is also not confused by screenplay that loses itself in its own attempts to remain interesting and suspenseful. The story unfolds like a perfect novel. This is definitely the screenplay of the 90's, if not the film of the 90's. Handing Cameron the Oscar for his over-budgeted, self-indulgent, poorly-acted waste of a good three hours was the crime of the 90's.