Meatfarmer Reviews

Casino Royale (1967)

Ouch!

[1/10 · 7 December 2002]

What a horrible, horrible film!!!

"Casino Royale" must truly be one of the worst films ever created. At least it must be the worst ever misuse of a great cast: Peter Sellers, David Niven, Woody Allen, Orson Welles, Deborah Kerr...

Some bad films actually become tolerable or even funny just because they are so bad. "Casino Royale" cannot even accomplish that. It is just an embarrassing failure to tell a lame, confused story about a lot of people named James Bond.

The Experiment (2001)

An escalating claustrophobic nightmare!

[11 June 2002]

This is an overwhelming film. I have not been so affected - physically - since I was run over by "Terminator 2" ten years ago.

If you have any claustrophobic tendencies or if you find it hard to endure situations of powerlessness, this film will be a total nightmare for you. But I urge you to see it anyway...

The acting is superb and the directing is moderate and intelligent. As a result, the potentially predictable story becomes very unpredictable. Its surprise effects are not sudden. You get plenty of time to realize what is about to happen (and how little you or anybody else can do about it...).

At one time, despite being almost completely absorbed by the suspense, I was able to look away from the screen and notice that I was sitting in a movie theater, at a safe distance from the experiment. Thank God!

My grade: 10 out of 10!

Irma la Douce (1963)

Naive and cynical 40 years later...

[4/10 · 11 June 2002]

Both Lemmon and MacLaine are quite good in this rather cute Billy Wilder comedy. But I still had problems enjoying it, because of the way prostitution and especially pimping (making a living out of another person's misery) is portrayed as something glamorous and okay. A poor and cynical basis of a comedy, I think.

Well, the 60's were probably more cruel and naive than the 00's, so it might very well be that I'm being unfair to this 40-year-old by being overly Politically Correct, but still... This film has not aged well in every aspect. But if that's okay with you, I'm sure you will enjoy "Irma la Douce".

My vote: 4 out of 10.

Jeong (1999)

"My heart" - sad and beautiful

[10/10 · 10 March 2002]

An old Korean woman sits down in a meadow and begins to recollect her past - how she was married off as a girl, and how she then struggled through life, against the most cruel and hopeless circumstances.

This is a tragic story, but not without humor. And above all, this is a beautiful, beautiful film. It makes you wonder why other film makers even bother...

In a perfect world, I would not have to write this. You would already know "My heart" by heart.