cashimor Reviews

Flashback (1990)

Good plot, good actors, but suffers from uneven timing and music.

[5/10 · 26 June 2006]

This movie has a number of great actors, and a plot that is quite interesting, with lot of opportunities for development. Unfortunately almost every sequence in the movie has to be interrupted by a camera view of a moving vehicle of some kind, together with loud popular music that distracts from what is going on. The film never manages to convince the viewer of the reality that is facing any of the characters, and just pretends like these things can happen without repercussions. There are a few fun moments, which are enough to get you to the end of the movie, but it is likely you're better of watching something else.

Sky High (2005)

Overused plot, overused jokes

[4/10 · 15 August 2005]

A few months ago I read a review on the Internet Movie Database that complained about the large amount of fake reviews that are posted by people that saw the "preview" which are always positive. At the time I thought that was an odd notion, and dismissed it, until I read the reviews of this movie. They all, invariably, contained the following elements: * Pleasantly surprised There is very little surprising about this movie. If you go to see it, you should know what to expect. The trailer gives away a lot of the plot, and the movie follows a standard pattern.

* Kurt Russell

> Personally I don't care about actors, as long as they act. In this case, the acting is adequate, but certainly not stealing the show.

* Lot of laughs

> True, there is some laughing, though you can see most jokes coming from a distance.

* Good plot twists

> Please... Maybe if this movie was shown 50 years ago.

* Nice message for youngsters/Good for children

> The way I see the message, there might be some aspects that one should be wary of. Of course, children can handle a lot, and this movie won't harm them, but to say it is positive might be stretching it.

Maid in Manhattan (2002)

With some major changes, this movie would've been good

[4/10 · 1 September 2003]

If you have seen any sample of "romantic" Hollywood films, you've seen

this movie. It is therefore not recommended that you watch it, unless

you are going to write a movie script for another Hollywood movie. If

you do, consider shortening the movie to about half its length, and use

the remaining time to expand the last minute of the movie (before the

credits, of course). This, by the way, in no means implies that that

last minute is any better than the preceding many, but that they could

have been.

The Foreigner (2003)

Not at all interesting

[1/10 · 4 August 2003]

I found installing a new outlet in the wall more satisfying than watching this movie. I actually like movies in which things are unclear, but in this movie it was just a connection of violent episodes that didn't seem to have any relevance.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

Didn't quite work for me

[5/10 · 8 March 2003]

I saw this movie for the first time... Previous times eluded me, for

some reason. I thought it would be very funny, but (and this is

probably me) I was slightly disappointed. Yes, there were sufficient

funny moments in this movie, but I was sad at the waste of money in

various locations in the movie, and the way both people were treated by

almost every representative of some company. I kept wishing things

would go differently, and they didn't...

Do or Die (2003 TV Movie)

A dark view of the future with a rather simple solution

[5/10 · 23 February 2003]

The number of deaths in this movie make it rather sad to watch, but it fits the atmosphere well. It is a bit sad, however, that all the entities in the movie (the police, the company, the punks) are all "reduced" to a single person representing them, which makes everything too easy. This movie would've worked better as a series.

Code Name Phoenix (2000 TV Movie)

A nice view of the future with interesting complications

[6/10 · 23 February 2003]

Of course, this movie could be a great start of a series on television. It is fun to see all the hidden jokes about the past in it, and despite some of the technology being rather unlikely, it is crisply put together. Another delightful aspect is that very few people die: the US Marshalls use bullets that cause people to fall asleep rather than die, which reduces the amount of deaths rather drastically.

Another thing that is interesting is the thing that the heroes of the movie are trying to prevent, which is the opposite of what you might expect. But I don't want to spoil your fun, so if you want to know more about that part, you should probably watch the movie.

The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

Quite good start and middle part, a bit slower towards the end

[7/10 · 17 November 2002]

This movie has a fun opening, that immediately caught my attention. The

various twists that it continued with were funny and interesting. The

movie tends to turn the way you normally look at things (as portrayed

by the main character) upside down, which is enjoyable. However, after

the middle part of the movie things become too clear, making the rest

of the movie slightly less enjoyable. It is still a good movie to

watch, though.

The Mummy Returns (2001)

Doesn't it remind you of Star Wars?

[6/10 · 4 October 2002]

Now I have seen the Mummy, the Scorpion King and the Mummy Returns, I am beginning to feel that together they might become like Star Wars, but then without the big hype around it. The storylines begin to look similar, the quality degrades as time passes, and there are too many computer graphics.

Of course, the computer graphics in these movies are notably worse than those in Star Wars, and some of the action sequences last too long to remain interesting, but the remarks were notably wittier.

I think it might be wiser to just watch any Indiana Jones movie than the Mummy Returns, though.

No Problem 2 (2002)

A funny and clever movie, with an interesting ending

[6/10 · 9 September 2002]

Maybe I have been watching too many hindi movies, but the ending of this movie wasn't what I expected, which always makes for bonus points, in my opinion. Even though I understood neither language in the movie (and Iwas glad that even the English was subtitled in English) I still could see the humour in some of the linguistic confusions.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Black/white story with graphics that need more maturity

[6/10 · 21 May 2002]

I'm not sure if this is true, but I believe that Mr. Lucas said at some point that he hadn't done movies 1-3 first because of the fact that the technological advances in film making weren't yet at the level that he needed to make these movies.

Given that statement, and after seeing this movie, I have the feeling he should have waited a few years, still. Yes, the graphics are state of the art and much better than what we saw before. However, if you look at scenes, you will notice that each time only a certain set of colors is used, rather than the whole spectrum (which you would see in a normal movie, recorded on film rather than digitally). I'm not an expert on computer graphics, but I have the feeling that the color was removed from the recorded images, to allow the computer generated graphics to blend in better: without removing colors and enhancing the other colors, the computer generated parts would stand out too much. I had the same feeling while watching "The Lord of the Rings - The fellowship".

There are more similarities with "The Lord of the Rings". They both end at an odd moment (as they are both movies that have a planned sequel). They both are based on the 3D video game culture that exists nowadays (in fact, both movies might have been much more effective as a video game). They both make a clear distinction between "good" and "evil", with only rare attempts at creating a character that is in between (Boromir/Anakin), but not without giving the audience ample notice of this "anomaly".

I'm not saying it is a bad movie, but if you want to be awed by the graphics, it might be wiser to consider "Ice Age" or "Shrek". As for a better story line, I won't make suggestions for that, but there are plenty of movies in this database that have more depth. If you just want to see how the Star Wars hexology comes together, you should watch this movie, however.

Spy Kids (2001)

Enjoyable and fun movie, with an unfortunate morale

[7/10 · 5 April 2001]

I had a great time watching this movie and it was all I expected it to be. Most other comments will probably already indicate how this movie entertains both children and grown ups, so I will just add the only sad aspect I recognized, which is that sometimes the morale can be noticed, which clearly reduces its effect. As I am always putting great importance on the ending of a movie, this one was a particular let down. I enjoyed myself nonetheless.

Columbo: A Bird in the Hand (1992) Season 10, Episode 6

An episode in which things happen, but in which Columbo isn't his old self

[7/10 · 20 February 2001]

This isn't a Columbo that you would normally expect, and he isn't

entirely in form with regards to the evidence, but it is quite

entertaining anyway, as many things happen during the episode, and the investigation leads into many fun trails. Also, our leading criminal has quite a character...

Columbo: No Time to Die (1992) Season 10, Episode 5

Different than most other Columbos.

[8/10 · 10 February 2001]

This episode is certainly different than all the other Columbos, though some of the details are still there, the setup is completely different. That makes this Columbo unique, and interesting to watch, even though at times you might wish for the old Columbo. I liked it a lot, but then, I like almost any Columbo.

Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot (1991) Season 10, Episode 4

Good second series episode, solid as ever

[7/10 · 4 February 2001]

Again Columbo performs brilliantly, with all the usual details. But also the plot is quite good, with the killer acting more wise than usual. Some of the evidence is excellent and there is a wonderful side role for an Italian woman, which is subtitled.

Blind Justice (1994 TV Movie)

Pleasantly surprising, dark atmosphere

[7/10 · 5 August 2000]

This movie has a dark atmosphere, which attracted me in the beginning. There are some flashbacks that I feel slow the thing down too much, but otherwise the story is quite solid. I had not expected this movie, and was pleasantly surprised.

Age of Treason (1993 TV Movie)

Enjoyable, relaxing, fun

[7/10 · 15 January 2000]

I liked this movie, things occur rapidly, but never without cause. Even most of the "good" characters are complex, with different motives. Maybe this is a movie where the bad characters might need more work. The only unfortunate aspect of this movie are the references to our present culture. More things that fit into this "Age" would be appropriate.

Narrow Margin (1990)

Interesting sub-aspects to the plot, as well as tension

[7/10 · 13 July 1999]

This movie held me in more suspense than I had anticipated, and therefore I greatly enjoyed watching it. The plot has a few hooks in it, that make it a bit overdone, but also unexpected and fun in certain cases.

Map of the Human Heart (1992)

Great motives, excellent script

[8/10 · 16 May 1999]

I saw this movie when it was released in 1993 in London, where it played in only one small cinema. Already the experience of finding this cinema was great joy, but the movie was even better. I liked all the links in the script, the song that is the movie, the mirrors and the fact that everything is inevitable (`fate').

The Jewel of the Nile (1985)

A bit too slow to be a real successful action movie

[6/10 · 21 April 1999]

I'm afraid I never read a romance novel, and there might be some links regarding this that I've missed. However, this movie is certainly too slow for a real action movie. However, some scenes are wonderful, and I like the fact that the Arabic is pretty authentic.

In the Line of Fire (1993)

Good plot, good dialogues

[6/10 · 11 April 1999]

I liked this movie because of the telephone conversations that are really intriguing, and the hints that are slowly left and uncovered. Unfortunately there is also a weak love affair interfering with most of the action and progress. Had this been left out, the movie would've been even better.

Columbo: Columbo Goes to College (1990) Season 10, Episode 1

Weak opponents dim Columbo's strengths

[8/10 · 28 March 1999]

After all these years of solving crimes, you would've expected criminals to know that they can't afford making mistakes with him, especially not with regards to talking much. This time

Columbo goes to college, and actually explains his entire technique, but for some reason the murderer still doesn't pay enough attention. However, this still creates wonderful scenes and delightful dialogues.

Columbo: Short Fuse (1972) Season 1, Episode 6

Great script and ending, sometimes a bit predictable

[7/10 · 14 March 1999]

I always enjoy watching Columbo, and this one was quite believable, with some rather real characters. I especially liked the ending...

Roja (1992)

Very touching movie with great scenery and good characters

[10/10 · 8 March 1999]

For once it is reasonably clear why the heroine falls in love with the hero, and also the motivation of the hero, even if it is unlikely, is well presented. This was one of the few movies that actually made me cry, and its images of Kashmir are beautiful.

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Excellent movie, which keeps the attention and excitement

[8/10 · 8 March 1999]

For some reason this movie keeps getting my attention, making me forget everything that is around me and just enjoying all the plans and subplans that are developed, that make the story quite intriguing. The characters are well-defined, and occasionally quite touching.