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Reviews
Queen & Slim (2019)
Queen and Slim is a masterpiece
Queen & Slim is Fantastic. Don't miss it if you like gripping topical drama about #BLM and #PoliceBrutality issues. Violent but edge of your seat drama.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
I hated this director, sound track and ambiguous plot.
Spoilers, and harsh commments. Very slow paced but purposely made overly complex so that it requires constant attention to often vague disjointed and nuanced details. Many wasted scenes of old men sitting and scowling but without any action and with no development of the characters. Thrilling scenes of spies shuffling papers. Worse yet, no one ever lays out the key plot points or timeline so you constantly ask yourself WTF is going on? Why this and Whaaat? When, where and why did that happen, or did it???? Oldman often does not react or explain much, rather he just stays strangely still, looking pensive and emotionless, looking into space, even when he seems to be in grave danger, or is sending his helpers out on deadly missions. And then the pace picks up as the film ends with quick cuts to puzzling scenes. Like the one about the top MI5 spymaster who gets taken by Smiley to a country field and a plane mysteriously lands and he breaks down begging not to go. Uh, where? Why? And the final ludicrous killing of the mole outside a "safe house" in the woods by Esterhase for obscure reasons. Gay lovers? Mercy? Thanks for getting him released? The Russians? Who knows (maybe its in he book). I hated the direction, not to speak of the bad sound track and weird songs (Mr.Wu?).
35 rhums (2008)
one of the dullest films I've ever seen.
A long, pretentious and boring mess, ending in a mushy inexplicable scene set up only to get the title worked into the film. It goes nowhere... mostly because it hardly has a plot, it is just enigmatic observations.
Denis's strives for realism and humanism; but the only rare viewer can possibly identify with the film due to its purposely vague non-plot. Or to its characters who are just living their mundane lives. This film uses a manipulative narrative structure and its characters are mostly connected by lifeless staring or slight movements. The character development is nothing more than an hour and a half of watching them perform the most trivial and mundane of tasks. Nothing much happens. And the scenes in which nothing much happens drag on endlessly. This slice of life film was far less enjoyable than a slice of soggy pizza.
Lorenzo's Oil (1992)
Many years have passed, and there is still no cure for ALD
Many years have passed, and there is still no cure for ALD. That is the final judgment for this movie
all hype.
Hollywood gives a free pass to this type of crap that raises parents hopes but is false science. It's very easy for Hollywood to lambaste the medical community for ignoring an " orphan disease". In fact, there has been an enormous amount of work on ALD, but no definitive solutions. In fact, recently the family has withdrawn from their own charitable research organization.
It is a bad movie, but worse it exemplifies the popular bias against real science in favor of pseudo-science.
Minority Report (2002)
Better than AI, but not much.
The acting and effects are terrific, but the plot threads are a bit too tangled and unrealistic.
At least 6 times I wondered "why did he do that" ? Even giving Spielberg a well deserved margin of error I think that SciFi may not be his bag.
We Were Soldiers (2002)
SUPERB! Braveheart with an M-16.
Mel is fantastic. The finest war movie ever made! The gore and non-stop violence are obviously appropriate to the story, so why the complaints? It was also unbelievably moving. When the telegrams came home I heard many sobs and saw men in tears. A simple story told as well as is humanly possible. And a strong anti-war message as well.
Good Advice (2001)
Beautiful people, and not much more.
I don't know who to blame, the timid writers or the clueless director. It seemed to be one of those movies where so much was paid to the stars (Angie, Charlie, Denise, Rosanna and Jon) that there wasn't enough left to really make a movie. This could have been very entertaining, but there was a veil of timidity, even cowardice, that hung over each scene. Since it got an R rating anyway why was the ubiquitous bubble bath scene shot with a 70-year-old woman and not Angie Harmon? Why does Sheen sleepwalk through potentially hot relationships WITH TWO OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND SEXY ACTRESSES in the world? If they were only looking for laughs why not cast Whoopi Goldberg and Judy Tenuta instead? This was so predictable I was surprised to find that the director wasn't a five year old. What a waste, not just for the viewers but for the actors as well.
Serendipity (2001)
Coincidence or miracle?
In a kinder and gentler earlier time the coincidences flung in our face by Serendipity would have been called miracles. Not just one or two but seemingly dozens. Joan of Arc would have been proud.
Cusack is as lovelorn a puppy as Hollywood can create (step aside Cage!). Beckinsale artfully manages to stay about one inch from crossing over the line from romantic to idiotic.
A pleasant, if predictable, diversion.
Tillsammans (2000)
SUPERB
Every moment of this gem is believable. How rare for a recent film to take mundane human activities and create searing images. We all know these folks, and we have been there ourselves. I have a whole new view of what Swedes are all about! Deserves much wider distribution and critical acclaim.
The Invisible Circus (2001)
Depressing, pointless, meandering exercise.
A depressing, pointless, meandering exercise in tracing a sisters dementia.
Even though the entire movie is dedicated to a herky-jerky review of her life, there is no real sense of why Cameron Diaz chooses to do the ultimate act, nor her sisters reaction.
Beautiful women and scenery, decent acting, but painful to watch or enjoy.