litenv Reviews

Inside Man (2006)

Not bad, just not really good.

[6/10 · 10 April 2006]

Too many plot holes to be a really satisfying "perfect crime".

No spoilers here, but think about the obvious way the police can quickly tell who is a real customer in a bank. Who belongs there, and how can you tell if they belong there? And think about how much an open sewer smells and might draw attention after a week.

This is the frustrating thing about these sorts of movies-- the writers have massive gaps in the storyline, and must think that the audience is not bright enough to see right through them. There are a couple of other problems having to do with the quality of the weapons, and what the hostages and gang were wearing, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone. :)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

SPOILERS: Totally Fun but Totally Over-rated once you think about it.

[5/10 · 5 February 2004]

*SPOILERS* ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE *SPOILERS* ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE *SPOILERS* ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE

The movie script hangs on one completely implausible premise... That Keyser Soze would throw away $91 million which was left on the dock in order to achieve his true goal.

Also, no plausible explanation as to why Verbal Kint was in police custody in the first place. If he really is who we are led to think he is, wouldn't he be clever enough to not get caught? Is it some sort of game he plays with the police?

Too many holes in the script, a very sloppy story... but great fun and well acted. Just don't think about it too much.

Gods and Generals (2003)

Wait for the TV show...

[2/10 · 22 February 2003]

The Civil War like you never learned it in school... though perhaps quite a bit more accurate than the "history as told by the victors" stuff that we all got in high school. Actually, the political overtones of the movie-- especially with the ever growing Federal Government and the consequential limitations on State's rights and personal freedoms-- is the only truly thought-provoking thing about the movie.

The movie was able generally to capture "another age", when courtesy and honor prevailed in society, when men would dutifully volunteer and be willing to lay down their lives for a just cause, and when virtue and courage were respected and expected of our leaders. That said, Lt. Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's (Jeff Daniel) p.c. movement when he remonstrated with his brother Thomas (C. Thomas Howell) about using the term "darkies" for "negroes" suddenly broke the time frame and fast forwarded the audience into 1970-- with some chuckling from the racially mixed audience.

The movie could easily have been cut shorter by an hour or two -- both in the scenes that humanize the war, and the relentless battle scenes that remind us of the tragic waste of life. It was nice to see a movie with an intermission -- I hadn't seen one since I was a lad in the 60s, but more efficient use of storyline, plot development, and character development would have made this a much more stimulating movie.

"Gods and Generals" should have been made a four night TV movie, and I would imagine that, judging by the near empty theater on a Friday night, this might be one of the lowest grossing theater released movies ever. Good thing that Ted Turner had himself inserted for a speaking line (uncredited) so that he could recoup at least the SAG wage rate for his speaking part, since he'll probably lose a bit on this one.

Perhaps the DVD set will be worth acquiring, but this is not worth seeing on the big screen.