It really wasn't bad. A lot of interesting concepts here. My only real criticism is with the bad guy. He's poorly fleshed out and his voice was over the top "hey i'm a villain". Also i would have liked to have at least gotten a hint about how the girls ended up with their powers that we saw demonstrated in the dream sequences. As it stands we're left (even after the end credits) having no idea how they became superheroes in the first place, because the entire film has them as just some stupid helpless teenage girls. Otherwise it was a pretty charming film. Watch it with an open mind, it's not nearly as bad as everyone pretends it is.
Reviews
18 Reviews
Dragonfly
(2002)
Insulting
3 August 2003
This film is very poor in that it expects me to believe the unbelievable. A bus crashes to the bottom of a raging river and everyone dies. Fine. This bus manages to somehow remain in this exact location (despite the raging river) for a full year. Kevin Costner's character happens upon said bus and all of a sudden it miraculously decides to let loose and tumble down the river. This is ridiculous. Further, the movie's climax is even more unbelievable than this (I won't get into it here). Too much. Also, if his damn wife wanted to contact him and was able to write things all over the place why then couldn't she write something in ENGLISH on a mirror or a paper telling him what she wanted? Because then you'd have no movie. So we are left with this idiot ghost scribing hieroglyphics to her understandibly confused husband needlessly. This movie is too stupid for words.
Bedazzled
(2000)
Quite a Stinker
14 March 2001
This film was pretty bad. By comparison, Scary Movie was better. I have no idea how they classify this film as a comedy. It was NOT FUNNY AT ALL! It is literally the first "comedy" where I actually never laughed once. I seriously considered turning it off halfway through (just as an aside, the only film I've ever actually stopped watching is Tank Girl). What seriously bothered me about this movie was that the devil was a nice, likeable person. Elizabeth Hurley, admittedly gorgeous, simply is too nice and playful. I liked her a great deal more than the guy I was supposed to like and feel sorry for, Elliot, and I doubt that's what was intended. The wishes were very predictable and some of them (Sensitive Elliot) were so annoying that I had to fast forward a bit to get through them. Avoid this one at all costs.
What Lies Beneath
(2000)
A Rousingly Good Horror Movie
31 January 2001
The reviews of this film have not been kind to it, and for the life of me I can't understand why. This is easily the scariest film I've seen in the past 10 years. The atmosphere, cinematography and score are first rate and really pull you into the film. What Lies Beneath has one of those seriously creepy premises that I'm not ashamed to admit had me peeking out from the shower curtain for a few days after I saw it. Not many movies have such an impact on me, and What Lies Beneath exceeded all of my expectations on every level. The acting and script were first rate, and as I said the cinematography here deserves an oscar. One of the best films of 2000.
Dinosaur
(2000)
A Charming, Warm Hearted Film
22 January 2001
I went into Dinosaur expecting the worst, considering the poor reviews I read. I actually ended up enjoying this film quite a bit. The plot was typical disney formula, ripped almost entirely from Tarzan, yet I found myself delighting in the on screen drama like a small child. Dinosaur is a very engaging movie that succeeds because it portrays nature in a realistic manner (no doubt responsible for the rare PG rating for a Disney animated feature), all the while managing to keep that magical charm Disney is famous for. The technology here is simply astounding as well.
X-Men
(2000)
A Flawed Film
22 January 2001
I had some serious issues with X-Men on many levels. First off, I feel that too little time was devoted to explaining the mutants and their origins and abilities. The only two people we learned about were Wolverine and Rogue. Throughout the film questions arose: Why does that guy sniff the air? What does that guy shoot from his eyes? Further, the entire effort came off as a bit forced to me. Everyone seemed bored just being there and if you're a fan of the comic, there are far too many holes to allow. Granted, only so much can be shown in a 90 minute movie, but this film begged for a bigger budget and a longer running time. Try again
The Art of War
(2000)
Very, Very Predictable
28 December 2000
Its not that I didn't like The Art of War. The action sequences were good and I am personally a fan of Wesley Snipes. The problem here is the fact that this film is so predictable that it becomes silly. Figuring out storylines and plot twists is not something I am either good at or enjoy doing, but this film leaves nothing to the imagination, and that is disappointing. I had all of the story figured halfway through, which made actually watching the action unfold boring and disappointing. Art of War is formulatic to a fault, and offered nothing new in the way of cinematic elements. If you've seen The Fugutive, Matrix and any number of dozens of other action films, you've seen this one. I was disappointed.
Frequency
(2000)
Probably the Best Time Travel Film Ever
30 November 2000
This one really surprised me. Going into Frequency, I had no idea that filmmakers today can still deal with the treacherous issue of time travel in a manner that doesn't insult my intelligence. This is a well written, well crafted story based on a premise that is theoretically possible. There were scenes where I actually had a chill run down my spine. It's not perfect (there's no clear explanation as to how the killer arrived in the hospital bed in 1969 where he was supposed to have died, and I had a serious problem with the fake NY accents from the get-go), but overall it works and it works amazingly well. Probably one of the 2 or 3 best films of 2000.
Romeo Must Die
(2000)
A Very Enjoyable Film Taken for What it is
5 August 2000
I very much enjoyed Romeo Must Die. One thing everyone has to understand is that I doubt the producers of the movie were aiming for an Academy Award when they set out to make RMD. Its an action film, and in my opinion a very good one, with a good storyline. Jet Li is a brilliant martial arts master, and he certainly doesn't disappoint here. Yes, some of the fight scenes were outrageous, but I doubt the producers were going for believable here. There are hundreds (thousands?)of poor and mediocre martial arts films that are completely believable. This is something different. This movie is here to entertain, and it does just that. I felt the acting was good to excellent, headlined by Li as Han and Aaliyah as Trish, the film's lovers. I did have minor issues, such as the excessive screen time of the sub characters relative to Jet Li, the film's star, but that could be a personal bias as I absolutely love Li. I actually liked the hard driving rap soundtrack as well, as it seemed to fit the film's style very well. Go see Romeo Must Die.
Hollow Man
(2000)
A Very Good Film That Simply Falls Apart at The End
5 August 2000
I very much wanted to like Hollow Man, and to some extent I did. Paul Verhoeven is a talented director (not counting Showgirls) but unfortunately this film is firmly entrenched in the "miss" column. This is frustrating in that he had a pretty excellent movie that simply derails during the last half hour. Kevin Bacon did an admirable job as the cocky, arrogant yet brilliant scientist who slowly over the course of the film becomes affected by his invisibility in ways he couldn't have predicted. My main problem with Hollow Man (and there were several, all within the last 30 minutes) is how utterly absurd the film becomes. Here we have a team of (assumed) incredibly brilliant scientists who huddle like frightened school children when the invisible Bacon becomes deranged and begins killing. Its as if they had no idea it was going to come to this, despite the fact that earlier Bacon sexually assaults a colleague, escapes from the lab, covers it up and lies about it, and kills a lab dog with his bare hands. A normal person, let alone an intelligent scientist, would have pulled the plug long before it got to this point. The scientists are utterly stupid toward the end of the film. They have many resources available, from infrared glasses to make him visible, to tranquilizers, that they rarely if ever used. They run around blindly bumping into one another while never really using the tools available to them. Further, the protagonist is burned with steam and engulfed in flames from a flamethrower (to the point where EVERY stitch of clothing is burned off), hit in the head with a crowbar and electrocuted, yet still manages to walk about unscathed to cause more harm. I am NOT an idiot, yet the ending of the film treats me as one. Verhoeven, as a filmmaker, should have demanded a rewrite of the script's end. A disappointing movie in that for the first 1.5 hours, this was a solid 8 (possibly a 9), and the last 30 minutes is a 1. Final review: 6. I would recommend seeing it if for nothing else the astounding special effects and a rather good performance by Kevin Bacon as a mad scientist.
The Hurricane
(1999)
This Film was Robbed
30 July 2000
Going into my viewing of The Hurricane, I didn't really know what to expect. I knew that Denzel Washington's performance would probably be stellar as usual (has this guy EVER made a poor showing in a film?), but I wondered whether the general arguments as to whether the film was based more on fact or fiction would drag it down somewhat. Well, after having now seen the film, I am left rather speechless. The Hurricane, though unnominated for Best Picture of 1999, was in all probability just that. The fact that the Academy didn't even deem it worthy of a nomination is pretty telling of the level of injustices that the performances in this film received. Denzel Washington as Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was beyond stellar. I simply can't recall more moving or compelling acting than what Washington provides here. He was clearly the Best Actor of any film in 1999, and his performance here was probably the best example I've seen in the past 5 years of the Best Actor category. Enough of the injustices at the hands of the Academy. Simply put, The Hurricane is a tremendous film. I didn't once during the 2 hours and 26 minute running time look at my watch, and I was actually moved to tears more than once. This is a powerful movie, a shining example of the terrible injustices that can befall a person due to his ethinc origin during the explosive 60's. It should be required viewing for everyone, not just for the lessons it teaches, but for the performance by Denzel Washington and the direction of Norman Jewison. A 10 in every regard.
The Limey
(1999)
Horrible
20 July 2000
This movie is pretty awful and doesn't make a great deal of sense. None of the characters were likeable and Terence Stamp actually came across to me as being fairly dim witted. What sort of sense can be made of a man who murders at least 10 people to get to the man who killed his daugher, only to let said man go once he finally catches up with him? Nonsense through and through. Stay far away...
Bringing Out the Dead
(1999)
Pretty Damned Bad
16 June 2000
This is one of those films where I actually wished I was watching paint dry rather than watching it. Boring is an understatement. I really don't know who Scorsese thinks he is, but a blaring, intrusive music soundtrack every 3 or so minutes interspersed with incredibly insipid dialog will not help his career. Cage was actually pretty good, but everything else about this film was horribly wrong. I did not want to see that dead girl throughout the movie, and the more I saw her the less I cared for her plight. I was beginning to think Scorsese was losing it, now I'm certain. He should just go away now.
The Green Mile
(1999)
A Deeply Moving Experience
16 June 2000
A deeply moving film that really makes you think about life and what it means to each of us. I sat in my chair after the movie and was burdened by the thought of what I would have done when faced with a similar fate. The 3+ hour running time didn't matter at all. The story was so gripping that even though there were a great many "slow" moments, the film never once bored me. An excellent movie experience. Should have won Best Picture of 1999.
Sleepy Hollow
(1999)
Excellent Film with Amazing Visual Flare
22 May 2000
Tim Burton once again proves that he is the master of the art of making a movie. The story, direction, casting and cinematography are top notch, making Sleepy Hollow one of the most enjoyable films I have ever seen. Johnny Depp was fantastic as Ichabod Crane. An outstanding film in every way.
The Sixth Sense
(1999)
Brilliant
23 March 2000
The Sixth Sense is a brilliant film, plain and simple. It is unique in that it relies on imagination and psychology to scare you and make you think twice about the world around you. The director did a fabulous job constructing the imagery of the film, and I genuinely did not know about the ending until it was revealed. Quite a shock! The Sixth Sense goes in my book as the single greatest psychological horror film I have ever seen. Anyone who bashes it are simply not giving it a chance or don't fully realize the complex dialog and imagery around them. Brilliant
Dances with Wolves
(1990)
Tremendous Experience
1 March 2000
This was an outstanding film. It is a true tribute to the Native Americans that we as a nation so wronged long ago. The cinematography here was breathtaking, rivaled only by Titanic in its sheer majesty. A masterpiece in every way, well deserving of its many awards, and probably should have gotten a few more as well. Greene was fantastic, as was Wind in his Hair. An awe inspiring experience.
The Matrix
(1999)
Movie of the Year
23 February 2000
All around the best film of 99. Awesome special effects, excellent writing and acting (I was VERY surprised by Reeves performance) and wonderful use of lighting, shadows and animation. The soundtrack complimented the film wonderfully. This was an excellent movie.
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