Sabich Reviews

Unbreakable (2000)

Drop the ending and you've got a pretty good film

[9 July 2001]

Don't get me wrong, I liked this movie a lot. I respect M Night Shyamalan for letting this movie unfold at its own pace, because too many directors today rush past the establishment of the characters and go straight for the "good stuff" (whatever that means). Mr. Shyamalan goes a different approach, by presenting us with an interesting premise with interesting characters, revealing only so much at a time. Seeing this movie you appreciate the attention to the subtle details, unlike most mainstream movies today. Shyamalan is very daring to make a movie with a relatively quiet, unassuming hero who doesn't beat the crap out of someone every other second.

A note about surprise endings (spoilers ahead!!!)

I like a surprise ending as much as the next guy, but for some reason this one just rubbed me the wrong way. After thinking about it for a while, I fugured out why I didn't like it. It was completely unnecessary. If you cut the ending from the film, you would still have a complete story, and I don't think anyone would complain. The surprise ending in the Sixth Sense, on the other hand, was necessary. The problem with the young boy had been solved, but you felt that the movie wasn't over, because the situation with his wife still hadn't been resolved. The surprise ending accomplished that, and gave the audience (and the hero) emotional closure, whereas the ending of Unbreakable was just tacked on the end, with no reason for existing other than to shock us.

Pearl Harbor (2001)

American history in Michael Bay's hands? Not pretty.

[6/10 · 30 May 2001]

Pearl Harbor. The mere mention of those words arouse a lot of emotions in most Americans. Patriotism, for one. Anger, maybe. And yet somehow this movie manages to trivialize the whole business. SPOILERS The name of the movie suggests that it should be a bold, sweeping view of the Japanese sneak attack on the American naval base, and its effects on America, Japan, and the world as we know it. That is not the movie that I watched. This movie concerns only the effect on a rather dull love triangle, with a few snippets of Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jon Voight acting presidential for good measure.

The movie begins with shots of two small boys, and we know that they will grow up to be Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett; we have seen the trailers, after all. And indeed they do, they grow into the hunky, mach, back slapping pilots that we see ten minutes later, all grown up. Their names are Rafe and Danny, and they are best friends. Rafe falls in love with a nurse named Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale), later is sent to Britain to fight the Nazis. He is reported dead, and that's when Danny becomes romantically involved with Evelyn. The conflict really starts to heat up when Rafe comes back, not only alive, but monumentally p***ed-off that his best buddy moved in on his girlfriend.

This love triangle business is okay, but its not really what we came to the theater for, and its not long before we are checking our watches, saying "Hey, aren't there supposed to be some explosions in this movie?" Indeed there are, and this is what Michael Bay is really good at giving us. It doesn't dissappoint, visiting familiar Bay territory: shouting, shooting, slow motion shots of men dying while the orchestra plays solemnly in the background.

My problem with the movie is this: it doesn't give us a single character that we remotely care about. Rafe and Danny are both slightly annoying, the love story with Evelyn unconvincing. I've seen better love triangles on Jerry Springer. Whoever wrote the script has a knack for writing memorably cheesy dialogue ("I've given my whole heart to Danny," Evelyn says sweetly, "but I don't think I'll ever look at another sunset without thinking of you."). When the attack finally came, it was too late for the film; the Japanese were bombing the snot out of them and I just didn't care. And the action sequence, while somewhat exciting, was a little too violence glorifying for me. When Rafe and Danny lead separate Japanese planes on a crash course for each other, that was when I held up my hands in surrender. That kind of stuff is okay for The Rock or Armageddon, but this is American History, for crying out loud! Show a little respect!

The whole time I watched the movie, I was wondering what the veterans who were sitting just behind me thought of the movie. The hot shot pilots shooting off smart-alecky lines, the flirty nurses looking alluring while jabbing syringes into peoples hindquarters...this is the greatest generation? Please. This is a joke.

The Contender (2000)

A one-sided political thriller

[8/10 · 30 April 2001]

Whether or not you enjoy this film may very well be decided on the basis of your political affiliations. It's hard for me to imagine many of my conservative friends enjoying this film; all Republicans are portrayed as villains, while the Democrats are the heroes. Leave your personal opinions about politics at the door, and you might enjoy this film for the gem that it is.

In the beginning of the film it is revealed to the audience that the vice president has died, and the country is awaiting a decision on who will replace him. The President, played by Jeff Bridges, wants to get a woman in office, so he chooses Senator Laine Hanson, played by Joan Allen.

Meanwhile, in the Republican camp, evil senator Runyon (Gary Oldman) is gathering dirt on the unsuspecting Hanson, aided by a young misguided representative played by Christian Slater. The film centers on the allegations that are being brought against Hanson, and how she chooses to deal with the allegations.

I was absolutely enthralled throughout the entire film. Suspense is maintained throughout, but there is no violence. The only assassination here is of the political sort, and we the audience are drawn into this world of committee meetings, press conferences, restaurant showdowns, and political backstabbings. Each character is played almost to perfection. I especially enjoyed Jeff Bridges as the president who pushed food on his guests, presumably out of hospitality (or was it to keep the upper hand?).

The Contender is not without its flaws. Sometimes it comes off like a Democratic propaganda peice, pushing liberal views on the separation of church and state, abortion, capital punishment, and feminism (the dedication at the end reads "For our Daughters"). The plot itself is a veiled reference to Monicagate--a pretty obvious reference, come to think of it. But come on, people, this is Hollywood! Of course they are trying to convince us of their views! If you want objectivity, watch the evening news. If you want an entertaining political thriller, then watch The Contender. But check your politics at the door.

The Insider (1999)

A masterful film that succeeds on every level

[23 April 2001]

The Insider is a movie that should be treasured. In an age dominated by mindless action flicks that rely heavily on graphic violence and special effects, The Insider manages to maintain suspense for 157 minutes with not a single shot fired, not a single punch thrown, not a single drop of blood shed. The cinematography was breathtaking, the plot engaging, every performance Oscar-worthy.

While on the surface this movie seems to be plot driven, it is really a character drama. Russell Crowe plays Jeffrey Wigand, a chemist and former tobacco employee being pulled in different directions: on the one hand his knowledge of big tobacco, on the other hand the well-being of his family. Al Pacino plays Lowell Bergman, a 60 Minutes producer who's quest for the truth and dedication to his sources is put to the ultimate test as Wigand (Crowe) comes under fire by big tobacco and as his own network abandons their morals, leaving Wigand to fend for himself.

Russell Crowe gives an excellent performance, completely deserving of the Oscar nomination and (I thought) he should have won it. Crowe is subtle, every facial expression conveys the anguish that his character is going through. And Al Pacino gives a superb performance as always, delivering some though provoking and memorable lines with flair. Michael Mann directs, and his attention to detail is impressive. All in all, the Insider is a film that you will not soon forget.

Clear and Present Danger (1994)

Very suspenseful

[23 April 2001]

While not a excellent film by a long shot, it does what it sets out to do: entertain and keep the viewer in suspense. Full of political intrigue and interesting plot developments, you will not be bored.

Harrison Ford does a good job as always as Jack Ryan, and James Earl Jones giving a solid performance in his minor role. The movie loses a little bit of its effect after you have read the book; Tom Clancy does a masterful job of weaving numerous storylines to a powerful climax in what is probably his best novel. The movie did a decent job of concentrating this complex storyline into a two-hour movie, but if you want the full effect, read the book.

Fight Club (1999)

How did this movie get in the top 250?

[5/10 · 22 April 2001]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

Looking at the subject lines of many of the reviews, I see phrases like "pure genius," "brilliant," and "a work of art." This movie is not brilliant, it is not a work of art, it is a train wreck, pure and simple! There were so many interesting ideas introduced in the beginning of this film, but somehow they fizzled along the way. The idea of a group of men trying to fill the void left by consumer society was interesting. Then, Project Mayhem, a cult-type operation where none of the members can think for themselves, which seems to contradict the theme set forward by the first hour of the movie. The movie changes from an intelligent satire to your standard action/suspense flick, with a little psychological suspense and quirky romance thrown in for good measure, Tyler Durden spouting philosophy the whole way through. This movie did have some very good cinemetography and editing, and it was very quirky and high in shock value, which seems to be enough to get most people to overlook its inherent flaws. I can only hope that a few years down the road, people will be able to see this movie for what it truly is, a movie that could have been great, but somehow blew it.

Event Horizon (1997)

excruciating to watch

[3/10 · 12 March 2001]

This movie was absolutely excruciating to watch. Some of my friends recommended this movie to me, saying that it was the scariest that they had ever seen. Well, they were wrong. The moments that should have been scary were ruined by loads of gore, making it merely yucky. Do yourself a favor and skip this movie.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

A magnificent study of human nature

[10/10 · 12 March 2001]

A Clockwork Orange chronicles the adventures of Alex, a young man obsessed with"ultraviolence" and Ludwig von Beethoven. Alex rapes, steals, and vadalizes. Alex is eventually caught and brought to jail, then subjected to brainwashing. Alex is released into the world and proclaimed rehabilitated. But is he really? Can you ever cure someone of the disease that plagues us all: human nature?

This movie is wonderfully directed by Stanley Kubrick, and is arguably his best work (equalled only by 2001: A Space Odyssey and perhaps Full Metal Jacket). Visually stunning, surreal, and disturbing, this movie is not one that you will soon forget.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Dissapointing

[11 March 2001]

Technically speaking, this film was practically flawless. The combat scenes were well shot, almost too realistic, and gave you the feeling that you were actually witnessing a real battle. Despite that fact, I simply didn't like this movie. I kept trying to convince myself to like it, but I just couldn't, and here's why: although well-made and well acted, it failed to actually draw me in emotionally and make me care about what happened to these characters. Perhaps Spielberg was a little bit too preoccupied with making the battle scenes realistic, or maybe there's just something wrong with me, I don't know. That's not to say that the film didn't have it's good points. I really enjoyed Barry Pepper as the sharpshooter who quotes Scripture while preparing to kill the enemy. But that was about it.