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Moonlight Mile (2002)
Geez, wasn't In the Bedroom bad enough??
This wasn't as bad, but still along those lines. Slow and most of the scenes are pointless which do nothing to further the story. The only plus was seeing how cute Ellen Pompeo was. What a waste of time and waste of a talented cast.
Minority Report (2002)
A few steps short of perfect, but a good movie
First off, everyone should stop mentioning Blade Runner, cause other than Phillip K. Dick's name, there is nothing similar about these two films. Blade Runner is the most overrated and worthless piece of trash. I can't believe some people rip AI for being "boring" and "sappy" yet praise BR let alone stomach it. Simply put: The FX were great for its time, Harrison and Sean Young were HUGE miscasts along with a stupid script.
Having said that, I will review Minority Report as this is its page. *SPOILERS AHEAD*
I really enjoyed this movie until the ending....well, the second ending. I understand Spielberg was a huge fan and friend of Kubrick, but someone should tell him his storytelling is by far superior to the late Kubrick. Furthermore, he imitated the WORST quality of Kubrick: dragging on the ending 30 minutes longer than necessary.
From begining to end, the film has a firm grasp of your attention. Though we know what scene we will come to at the end (due to the premonition of the precogs), when we arrive, there's a climactic surprise waiting. Now for me, this is where the movie PEAKS. After Tom Cruise makes his decision, the movie should start to wrap it up, and come to a close. Instead, there's a gratuitous plot twist where the guy isn't who he says he is, and Cruise goes on another wild goose chase for 30 minutes to find out his friend and mentor had set him up. Now even if LA Confidential and a handful of other films hadn't already used this exact twist, it would still be unnecessary for this film. It would be so much sweeter had the man actually been the murderer, and the pre-cogs premonition itself is what led Tom Cruise to this scenario where he would be given the opportunity to find closure with his dark past, and the choice on how he would do it.
A very good movie, which coulda been great had the writers known that a little less woulda been so much more to the story.
8.5/10
Twists of Terror (1997)
Nothing much here folks
An anthology of three different horror stories, this movie is basically a poor man's version (or just plain poor version) of the Creepshow, or Tales from the Crypt, or Twilight Zone. The only "twist" that made this worth watching was an erotic sex scene with Francoise Robertson in the third story.
My First Mister (2001)
Hokey Crap
Someone earlier said "minimal schmaltz". I completely disagree. Schmaltz is ALL this movie was. The story is very slow and boring. And yes, I understand this is a drama about the coming of age teenager and adult, but something about the characters has pull the audience in. And this poorly written script gave us NOTHING. This was trying to be Ghost World, which in itself was below average. So think about this: how would you rate a crappy version of an already below average movie?
Conclusion: Another Indy movie people are afraid to dislike.
Blade Runner (1982)
OVER HYPED!
This by no means was a great movie. Movies like this and Taxi Driver, I just don't understand how people can rate it in the top 100 of ALL TIME.
Yes, the visual effects were great even by today's standards. But visuals alone don't make a movie. Otherwise the new Planet of the Apes should be mentioned in the top 100 too. Furthermore, I thought Ford was a total miscast (though not as much as Hoffman woulda been).
I kinda got the feeling this movie couldn't decide if it wanted to be a philosophical drama, but then an action movie at times. It ultimately failed on both fronts.
If you wanna see a philisophical, non-action Sci-Fi, IMO Gattaca did much better.
Like others have mentioned here, this woulda been much better as a short. Not a 2 hour picture. And as for all the different "versions", I don't even care anymore.
Check this one out if you will, just don't anticipate anything spectacular about it.
Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993)
Lots of bodies at rest
Boring! This is another perfect example why you don't transfer plays into films. And if you're going to even try, you don't let the playwright do the screenplay. Lots of rest, little motion. Throw this one in the junk pile of plays with Hurlyburly.
Ghost World (2001)
not bad, but 8.7??? C'mon people!!
I saw the previews of this awhile back, and I thought it would be an ok movie. Then everyone started saying how great it was so I decided not to wait for video. It's not bad. I would give it a 6 or 7, but everyone here is giving it a 10!!! Please!!! It was funny but not outrageously funny or even laugh out loud funny. It had all the moments where you just say to yourself "heh, that was cute". When a guy says "Do you serve beer?", and she responds, "After this movie, trust me, you're gonna want ten.", what the hell is so hilarious about that??? It seems like ANYONE and EVERYONE will embrace and love a "slice of life" movie no matter how poorly it may be delivered. Just for its content, they will love it (See The Anniversary Party and Memento). The same way after Tarantino made it, everyone would love ANY attempt at a noir-comedy film. Nobody wants to admit these may be a little subpar. This was a little better than most but certainly not deserving an 8.7. If you wanna see better i suggest Happiness, Welcome to the Dollhouse, or The Celebration (aka Festen).
Memento (2000)
Overrated, but still Good.
All in all, this was a good movie. It used TWO gimmicks that have already been used. The first: Starting at the end of a story to find out what happened in the beginning, was used in a Seinfeld episode (and much more effectively may I add). The second: The hero's inability to create new memories, due to short term memory loss, which was used by Dana Carvey in Clean Slate. Having said that, I think, like several movies which have had a gimmick to their story or format, that Nolan took the easy way out at the end, knowing people would overlook it due to it's gimmick. Like the Goofs section pointed out, Leonard wouldn't be able to remember he had the condition of memory loss. Even in Clean Slate, the story made a point to remind the main character he had this "condition" every time he woke up. And that wasn't written nearly as good as this. An obvious oversight by the writer/director. Also (I think another user comment mentioned this and I'm surprised more people haven't), Leonard has tatoos on his body BEFORE his wife dies. Including the one that tells him his wife is dead! I dunno if this was intended, but if it was, it goes unexplained.
Ever since the Usual Suspects waxed The Third Man, filmmakers have had this thing with hiding one's "identity". Well, honestly, for me the only time I was fooled was in the Usual Suspects. I saw it coming in Fight Club and The Sixth Sense (though in this film it didn't ruin a thing for me), and I saw it coming in Memento. I gotta say, the two "bad" or "not as good versions" of these films are Fight Club and Memento, while the better ones are the Usual Suspects and Sixth Sense, and here's why:
The Usual Suspects and the Sixth Sense gave a CONCRETE, CUT AND DRY answer at the end. An answer that allows the audience to say "Ohh, well THAT explains EVERYTHING."
In Fight Club and Memento, while their stories were every bit as riveting as the former two, the payoff wasn't at big at the end. They gave kinda cheap answers that leave viewers asking "What about this? What about that? And what about that other time?" which in fact are subsequently answered by the characters one by one, but some of them are kinda half-assed, dubious, and just plain too easy that anyone coulda thought of them as explanations. Ultimately this leaves some viewers disappointed, often saying "THAT was it? I coulda came up with that!" (Though in Fight Club, this could've been amended had they ended the film the same way they end the novel).
Note to filmmakers: When you have a gimmick, it becomes a RULE for that screenplay. OBEY IT! At anytime should you so much as BEND it, IT becomes another time the audience will say, "Well how do you explain THAT!?". If you don't always have the answers, THINK ABOUT IT. Don't just settle for the easy ones, compromising and detracting from what could be an otherwise great script. E.g. The Sixth Sense. Gimmick: Bruce is DEAD. He can't talk or touch ANYONE except the boy. At no time (until the closing and closure of the film) did Shyalaman break that rule. Hence: A MASTERPIECE!
As for this film, I thought it was VERY well written and conceived until the end when all is revealed. The Revelation as it turns out, is disappointing. I would give it an 8 out of 10. HOWEVER, it's ranked #14 of all-time on this database. I don't think it's anywhere near being one of the top 50 of all time. So seeing that people have rated it so high, I'm giving it a 1 to compensate for people's lack of good judgement.
Cast Away (2000)
Cast Power is more like it
Contrived, overly pompous, predictable, and uncompelling is the best way to describe this overrated film. If you saw the previews for this film, there was really no need to see the movie. In the previews they showed:
A) Tom Hanks as a Fed Ex delivery guy who's girlfriend is Helen Hunt. B) Tom Hanks getting on a plane. C) The plane crashing. D) Hanks stranded on an island, so long he eventually grows a beard. E) Hanks saying he'd "rather take his chances out there than die here", as he floats away on a raft. F) Hanks making it back home. G) Hunt running out after him in the rain.
There were no surprises! And it's just so unmoving. He gets off the island and inside you're saying to yourself "ok, so what?". The moment after i saw the previews i knew it was gonna suck, but everyone was gonna love it and get all these award nominations just cause it was Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Rob Zemeckis. Notice the commercials pitched it with "Zemeckis and Hanks team up for the first time since Forrest Gump!" I'd heard the initial concept was Tom Hanks' idea too. That doesn't surprise me. The last time Hanks had an idea for a movie it came out as That Thing You Do!. A word of advice for Tom Hanks: Stick to what you're good at. That's ACTING. Leave the writing to the writers. Not that they got a good one at that for this film. The scenes with the ball and where he starts a fire were just so pompous and overly dramatic. God, i can just see them in the developement process for this film: "Hey! let's give him a bad tooth in the beginning, so that way we can have him knock it out with an ice skate later!". How freakin' contrived! The whole time i felt like i was watching a Kevin Costner movie. Self-righteous and absorbed. Basically this was a crap movie that was successful due to star power. Do yourselves a favor and CAST this one AWAY.
200 Cigarettes (1999)
BORING!
Did this movie have a point? I'm running into more and more of these movies lately where it's just a bunch of people having an average conversation with nothing interesting to say. How are movies like this allowed to get made? - better yet, how is these movies get so many stars to be in them??? The only highlight of this film was Janeane Garofolo and the nostalgic soundtrack. Don't waste your time with one. I don't see what all the hype was about.
Sydney (1996)
WHAT???
Ok, after seeing Boogie Nights (which i thought was good, but overrated) and Magnolia (a great film), I decided to check what else PTA had done. Seeing that the users of this sight liked it, i decided to check it out. ....AWFUL! Of the 36 reviews given on this sight, i've seen only 3 or 4 honest and sensible ones. I shoulda noticed that all the rave reviews came from people who were already in love with PTA for Boogie Nights and Magnolia, and never failed to mention those movies in reviewing this one. This movie has a great start, then just takes an hour to drop the ball - by which time the movie's almost over and I just didn't care anymore because i'd spent the last 60 minutes watching contrived filler. Perhaps PTA forgot one of the first lessons in film school is 3 act structure. If you don't abide by it, you have a lopsided movie (unless your name is Quentin Tarantino). Glad to see PTA figured it out in time for Magnolia. And as for this film (As Leonard Maltin shoulda put it) - BOMB.
Gone Fishin' (1997)
go fishing instead of watching this film
All i have to say is Danny Glover and Joe Pesci must've been bored and/or broke when they made this horrible movie. if i had a 3 year-old kid who had nothing better to watch one day, i still wouldn't submit the poor tyke to this waste of human energy.
Cool Runnings (1993)
"Cool" shouldn't be used with this movie
This movie was awful. just flat out lame. i didn't wanna see it when it came out in theatres (thank god i didn't waste my money), and i ended up seeing it on video with a friend that had it. i was around 13 when i saw it and i still thought it was lame then. not funny, not "cool".
Love Stinks (1999)
ahh Love Stinks........but not as bad as this movie.
good god, in the famous words of "Love Story" , "Where do I Begin!?!?!?". to call this movie atrocious would be an understatement. it was basically "War of the Roses" if that had been a horrible movie. "War of the Roses" was good cause it was satiric. The characters did stupid things in seriousness which made it funny. This movie however tried waaaaaay too hard to be funny and it isn't. i only went to see it cause i got a last minute invitation to the screening with friend, so i thought "y not?" i think french stewart is hilarious on 3rd Rock. but in this role, he stinks as bad as the film, and the good looks of bridgitte and tyra can't even save it. the only highlight had nothing to do with the movie. a local radio station was promoting the soundtrack, so before the screening we met the dj's. i take solace in the fact i didn't pay to see this. moreover, someone should've payed ME for watching it all the way through. i wouldn't be surprised if someone filed a lawsuit in the name of mental trauma or chrono theft. what i am surprised about is the overall rating is almost a 6. i gave this movie a big fat ONE, and would've gave it a -10 if i could, to compensate peoples bad judgement.
The 13th Warrior (1999)
A VERY weak version of Braveheart
Are you people kidding me!?!?!?!? i didn't pay to see this movie and i STILL thought it was bad!! i was amazed to see its average at 6.7!!! i thought giving it a 6 would be generous!! this movie is all in all WEAK. the love story went nowhere (i've been more affectionate with just friends), the intro of y antonio is exiled should be elaborated....crikey! let me catch my breath. ok, the kings son has no place in this story. they make it seem like he's gonna be this problem (they went as far makin a fight scene where one of the warriors kills one of his men) but he has no place in the story after the intial arguments!! geez, if they needed to take up screen time they could've told more about the love interest, or maybe antonio's motivation for the mission. i mean really, some witch says "the last warrior has to be a foreigner" so antonio goes along with an "oh well, i guess thats me" attitude. what does he care to save a village he has absolutely no affiliation with (or even heard of)!?!?!? he was picked out of the hat and we're supposed to beleive he's fighting with as much passion as william wallace does for his country??? and thats another thing, in the begining we're told he's this preppy, manicurist pretty boy who doesn't know how to fight. there's a scene where he's trying to sharpen wood with his sword and he can't even take a swing without falling over. but then a few min later when he polishes his sword into an arabian crescent blade, he becomes jet li's master with a weapon!! *takes a drink of water* Not to mention the weak showdowns of this flick. One warrior kills the mother witch (who fights with a 3 inch bone in her hand) in like 20 sec., and amid a battle scene, the same warrior simply knocks the leader off his horse and stabs him, and thats it!!! how unclimactic!!!!!! man, i for one have very low standards, so u know when i say a movie is bad, it very bad. anyone who says this one is good, already had posters of antonio all over their ceiling.