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Reviews
Aliens (1986)
I am in the minority, I guess
Upon re-watching this film with a friend I was sorely disappointed in how different this film was from what I remembered. I first saw this film as a child and thought it was terrifying and now I just think it's...terrifying in a completely different way. I find the majority of the characters surrounding Ripley bland. James Cameron, for whatever reason, decided that it would be a great idea to add a child into the mix that Ripley could feel motherly to. I think he assumed this would make women connect more to the film somehow, by saying women are at their best defending children, or something? Yeah, no.
I think the child was just an annoying, cheap distraction attempting to pull at the heart strings, which for me just became a hindrance to Ripley's character rather than advancing her. I get that Ripley's daughter dies because it is the future, but Cameron did not NEED to try to convince us she was oh so motherly by giving us Newt. Hick's is not only so bland, but he is oddly one of the few male characters out there that's sole purpose in a movie is to be a romantic interest for a female protagonist. Newt and Hicks are just there to create this paper family dynamic with Ripley. I don't know the last time I rolled my eyes so much.
As for the rest of the characters? All of the marines are nearly the same, save gender difference and the somewhat entertaining and sometimes annoying whiner of the group "MAN!", who is differentiated only by his cowardice and catchphrase. Some may say to change my mind... "But it's an action film, not a horror film...it's a different tone..." As an action film, I believe it is a poor one. There was a lot of off screen fire and when the aliens were shown it either didn't look menacing or there was just a lot of flashing lights where you could hardly see them.
The soldier gear was clunky and illogical... predicting that sometime in the future, rather than going smaller in technology we would strap clunky cameras to helmets and large obnoxious looking flashlights to the shoulder rather than make them discreetly smaller or more convenient. Neither of those pieces of technology would be convenient for a scientist OR a soldier, one swipe of an alien claw would knock those cameras and flashlights out.
Oh and let's talk about the ending for a moment which is supposed to be a callback to Alien where a suited up Ripley knocks that pesky alien off into space through an airlock. Wait, wait, wait...back up for a second. In Alien, she suits herself up, but in Aliens, she not only doesn't consider how this would effect Bishop and little Newt, but she OPENS AN AIRLOCK INTO SPACE WITHOUT A SUIT. SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFOCATED OR SUCKED OUT...or more than likely BOTH. It doesn't make sense as "awesome" as it looks. It is actually QUITE stupid, but yay, the alien is dead and SHE doesn't get sucked out and BISHOP doesn't get sucked out and NEWT doesn't get sucked out...and ...that doesn't make sense.
Any redeeming moments were few and far between for me, but those moments simply move this film from one star to two. Yes it was the film that introduced the Alien Queen, but this "iconic moment" wasn't enough for me to enjoy the film as a whole. I consider this film one of the most overrated films out there undeserving of it's overall rating. So of course, at the end tralala, "family dynamic" survives along with the android and... blegh. I really did not like this film. Somewhere along the way in my life I must have confused this film with another that caused me to put it on some idealized nostalgia pedestal...
The best part of the entire film, which makes me giggle is "They mostly come at night, mostly..." I am just going to leave this review with that...
Alien³ (1992)
A highly misunderstood film
Recently I decided to watch the Alien films with my room mate in chronological story order (Prometheus first and not including the Predator franchise). I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this film as much as I did Alien and Prometheus. It is different, it is dark and it represents loss so bitterly well.
The most controversial parts of this film are actually what I liked about them. I didn't care very much for the characters they kill off at the beginning of the film and for me Ripley's reaction to the loss of them held so much more emotional weight, so much more impact than their characters ever could provide for me alive in Aliens.
As for the death of Ripley? I really liked how it was set up. Before this happens, human Bishop tries to convince Ripley that her chance to live was to come with them; She could go home and "make babies" (because, yes Bishop...that is how women define themselves). Ripley's response with an Alien Queen baby inside of her that threatens the very life of the universe is essentially...
'Screw you, I'm jumping.' In those last moments the alien bursts out of her while she holds it in her hands in an almost strangling position into the hot lava like substance. Ripley sacrificed herself to save humanity. She felt there was no way for her to survive anyhow, so why not take that parasite of an Alien down with her? It's not just an alien inside of her...it's a Queen.
(I know that so many have a problem with HOW she gets impregnated, because it's so loosely explained...yes I can agree with that point, it's a flaw.) Also, I really loved Clemens, because... well... Charles Dance. Brilliant Actor. The characters were well developed and deep. For me, this film was suspenseful and the darkness of it gives this film character. Perhaps some day more people will look back on this movie and give it another chance.
Not every movie can end happy, some just tear your heart out.
After Earth (2013)
Poor Execution
I'll try to keep this brief. To summarize, Cypher is a horrible father who barely, barely learns how to be a father in the end. His whole "fearless" deal somehow made him devoid of the majority of all other emotions as well, while his son Kitai was just the opposite. Whiny, stupid...and how he had good test scores in school for the possibility of becoming Ranger, is beyond me.
This movie had a lot of set ups with lazy explanations. They tried to summarize it at the beginning, but with Jayden Smith's narrating, it's so hard to understand it. Jayden's acting is a sad thing, it is so hard to understand him at times and when he does try to show emotions, it comes off as whiny and his character is just a horrible brat. Will Smith was disappointing, too. I would say this is the worst acting I have seen from Will Smith. At Will's best, I have always found him full of lots of heart, but the character he plays is one of a poorly executed, cold father.
These characters don't really change, Earth's science doesn't make sense (the world freezing over at night with no destruction of trees or any plants) and why EVERYTHING wants to kill anything human is beyond me. Also, why are their ships high class on the outside, but made of honeycombs, tissue paper, pillows and cardboard on the inside? Why did the aliens that hated them make an alien that can only see them by smelling their fear? How does it get around if there are no humans around? Also, why does suddenly not being afraid make the fear pheromone dissipate so quickly? All of these things are glossed over, character development doesn't make any sense... it's just, awful. The idea and lovely Earth shots gives it a point higher, but that's it.
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Expresses true pain in hypocrisy
This tale is gripping, tantalizing and intriguing. However, it is very sad. Essentially the main characters work against what their gut, what their heart tells them to. In the end they choose blending in with the crowd to live bland, fake lives. They live in hypocrisy out of fear of what others will think. You watch in hopes they will do themselves a favor, but they never do. Behind the scenes they desire to live in truth, but they never do, which leaves for a miserable and empty ending that favors "duty" above all else. It is extremely painful to watch all the opportunities that Newland could have taken to get out of the lie he was living... that he either misses or attempts to take too late. He is engaged, he can get out of it, because he is miserable and loves someone else... but he denies it.
He gets married and has many an opportunity early on to admit to himself before it's too late that he's made a mistake. When you get to a point when you wish your wife would catch a death of cold and die, you know things are going wrong. Then ... May gets pregnant. At risk of being a jerk, he gives up on the idea of letting May go. He loves his children, grows to love and miss May, but in the end he knows still that his life is blending in and based on lies.
He has one final opportunity after May has passed on (even encouraged by his son) to UNDER HONEST CIRCUMSTANCES see if she would give him a chance, but he would rather remember how she was than see how she is and give himself a chance at honest happiness. How would I describe it overall? Heartbreaking.
Broken Flowers (2005)
Broken Promises
Promised to be a comedy, there is very little in this film worth laughing at. There was humor and it was certainly offbeat, but this movie tries too hard. The entire film is a purgatory for Bill Murray and those who could not enjoy this film. Winston portrays himself as a more interesting character then the main character, which ruins the strength of the film. I don't mean "because the main character was a womanizer", but because his character is lacking anything outside of emptiness and his past.
You can find villains interesting. You can find slimy characters interesting, but even as a womanizer he wasn't very interesting. This movie attempts to take you through his empty emotions to feel them in an attempt to say "Hey, you feel what he's feeling right? It's art". There is too much silence without expression. I must concur with the comparison to Lost in Translation. There is a lot of silence in that film with a lot of expression. There is past expressed, but there is present expressed. They express in and out of silence. Silent moments are breath taking.
Silent moments in this film were empty, depressing and lonely, which would be fine if it could be paired with beautiful imagery or a deeper message. It would be fine if the main character could be cared about. The whole problem is being left to feel empty, but in a way that's not profound or inspiring. Not in a way that makes you ponder, but in a way that makes you feel drained. If there was a message to this film it is much too subtle to be enjoyed. I give this movie 5/10 stars for it's potential, for it's lovely scene where Bill Murray gives lunch to a kid he thinks is his son. The lovely scene where he expresses a philosophical moment to him and the scene where he thinks he has found the mother of the letter, the woman who swears in his face and gets him beat up for coming to see her.
For the most part, time feels wasted, the journey pointless.
It is one thing to have an open ended ending and it is another to take you on a journey that pretty much relies on a resolution to be satisfactory and then leave things unsettled.
Black Swan (2010)
Prepare for your skin to crawl
This movie takes you to surreal and psychological places you don't expect. If you are uncomfortable with very personal scenes, I don't recommend this film, because it's very personal. Natalie Portman plays an astonishing role as an innocent, nervous and caged girl. Her mother coddles her and wants her to stay innocent and young. Things get interesting, things spin out of control as she struggles to keep a balance of the themes we know of as black and white. The directing stays true to Aronofsky's traditionally indie looking films. This movie was inspirational and causes one to deeply self reflect.
Ballet has taken a new dimension, a new view. Winona Rider and Mila Kunis are excellent supporting actresses.
Juno (2007)
Somewhat cute, but nauseatingly unrealistic.
What I had a problem with: *The made up slang was grating at times.
*The awkward scene where her mother squawked at the ultrasound assistant. The dialogue was forced.
*We are supposed to believe that smart Juno had planned unprotected sex. Essentially the first time she has sex she gets pregnant.
*We are supposed to believe that smart Juno decides willy nilly that she's going to have an abortion without much thought and that she willy nilly decided NOT to have one because she found out at some point early on fetuses have fingernails. A little funny, though, it potentially gives a false impression of how the majority of women that go through this make their decision.
*There is only one innocent protester that speaks English as a second language protesting outside of an abortion clinic. Really? There are a lot of protesters that protest this and they aren't all so innocent. At this point of the movie I began to wonder if this movie was on the edge of a severely unrealistic bias based on a fantasy world.
*She finds an adoptive couple IMMEDIATELY through some ads and they are "perfect" for the baby. At least, one of them is. There is no realism in showing a luck scenario.
*People "stare at her at school" at the absolute worst and "talk behind her back". We don't see this. We don't see struggle.
*She even has an easy birth. At most there's an argument between her and the father and the "issue" is focused on the awkward adoptive father scenario.
Both sides of a scenario would be preferable instead of some obvious "see, it's not that hard to have a baby" propaganda. It would have been amazing to see both sides...the ridicule girls get when they choose to be pregnant as well as the ridicule they face if they choose to have an abortion. Alas, it is difficult to make light of this topic. Unfortunately, by making light of a scenario like this it gives an unrealistic example on pregnancy, especially "teen" pregnancy, where childbirth and child-birthing choices are much more difficult.
What I liked: The ending. That was absolutely cute. I also loved that the woman who received her baby was truly the one who deserved it. I love how strong she was. That definitely warmed me up inside. The ending was heartwarming. We saw SOME semblance hardship in her (Juno) giving up the baby, she cried and felt a little bad. However, again, some struggle would be nice. She recovered a bit too quickly.
Inception (2010)
Worth owning, worth watching over and over
If you are into concentrating, thinking and being dazzled, this movie is worth checking out. It certainly has dreams, imagination, making cliché's non-cliché... brilliance and radiance. Mind-bending action and creativity. Action, art, intellectuals and surrealistic fans are likely to enjoy it. It is intellectually stimulating and the type of film you are sure to watch again to see what you missed, enjoying it from a different angle.
It pulls you, entrances you and you are left holding your breath, studying the tiny details, the big picture and the things that hold them together. The vibrant colors, the slow motion, the alternation between dreams, reality, several realms dancing along while you guess, theorize, philosophize. It is a deep thinker's dream come true.
The Skeleton Key (2005)
Entertaining, but predictable
The Skeleton Key has an enjoyably dark way of being directed as well as some decent acting, nothing super special, but nothing particularly bad, although it could have done without the stereotypical "Nooo" moment heard by millions for the umpteenth time. The movie is eerie, it has some creepy imagery, but nothing disturbing enough to scare the desensitized. It is a pretty dark film with mystery.
The villains were a bit too easy to spot as well as the idea that the man being taken care of wasn't sick by happenstance. It's worth watching once, maybe. Is it forgettable? Maybe, maybe not. It is a movie that can easily be viewed neutrally, left on in the background for atmosphere.
The Gin Game (2003)
A good movie with an abrupt ending
This is a beautiful movie that brilliantly shows how opposites attract. It depicts human nature so well and two opposites that clearly love each other's company and it shows how much they need each other even though they have such difficulty getting along. It is well done and a marvelous slice of life film. It tugs on your emotions. A very raw example of what it's like to grow old.
I enjoyed it exceedingly though, to the point where the ending left me feeling a bit disappointing, because all the marvelous build up felt very unresolved. It was saddening, because it's as though it represents tension never getting resolved. It is very realistic I have to admit, because in real life you can't always get a happy ending. I will admit to the disappointment being on my part and merely a preference and that I would rate it higher if not for the abrupt ending that doesn't satisfy.
Pi (1998)
Pi is a very "to taste" film. It has to be your type of film. It's my type of film.
Complex, twists and turns. Chaos and order. Pi is a film that is filled with nonsense and sense. Edge of your seat madness and curiosity. A tortured genius feeling used by the world around him because he can understand complexities, meaning in numbers. A cross between numerology and mathematics. Two groups of people wanting to use him for their own greed. Different kinds of greed. He is left tortured by his own work and you watch it slowly destroy him from the inside out.
The payment for genius is your sanity.
A beautiful piece of art and mathematics rolled into one. Thinking about this film makes me love it more and more. The surreal with the real mixed. The darkness, the light and the journey you take along with the main character.
Blade Runner (1982)
Dark, sensational and intriguing.
This is a piece of dark artwork. Gorgeous in quirky and strange ways. Odd. Beautiful. It is filled with curiosity and exploration. It explores the theme of slavery and hiding from an interesting angle. The villain is very dark, very intense, which really adds to the film. What really adds to the film is how the villain isn't really entirely evil, but rather insane. His character is deepened and he isn't left two dimensional. I was expecting more action in this, but got art and that's okay. I love art.
I wished for more, though. It made me thirst for more of the story. Did they make it?
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Very underrated. I consider this the best one!
I think this is the most underrated, under-appreciated of The Matrix films, I really do. It has the most plot out of all the movies. I think the reason it's rated as low as it is, is because people watched The Matrix and loved the ground breaking action more than the plot. People want to see Neo fighting in The Matrix stopping bullets. Thing is is we get a super fight scene between him and Agent Smith. The main Agent Smith. I thought that was epic! Neo makes an ultimate sacrifice. It's heart wrenching for me. I understand that many people don't care about the machine fights as much, but it's supposed to be a war that needs a conclusion. A massive war that human beings are fighting for freedom. It's not all about The Matrix, it's about them freeing themselves from it. Freeing themselves from The Matrix, the prison, that which represents their slavery to the machines.
Watchmen (2009)
I wish I could rate this higher, but...
Now I really really enjoyed this film, but a few things pulled me back from rating it higher. The excessive gore. They have VERY EFFECTIVE action scenes, what do they need all the gore for? Do we really need to SEE some guy's arms get sawed off? Really unnecessary in my opinion. What about cheek skin getting bitten off? Way, way too much.
I love the character development, it was so excellent and well done. I have never read the comics, so they did a marvelous job at allowing me to understand the characters a bit more with the amount of time they had. This film was very artistic, the music score was thoroughly enjoyable and the action scenes (the non-gore ones) were excellent. The plot was effective as well. It's just the unnecessary gore that really lowered my score.
I don't like so much gore in my action flicks, I tend to expect that more so in horror films. I've seen less gore in some horror films than this had.
Flightplan (2005)
Somewhat enjoyable but stretching it a bit...
The movie is nice and intense, but the extent that the villain goes to set the whole thing up is a bit...unbelievable. The set up is quite enjoyable, I mean, the scenes are marvelous and well directed, but the explanation is somewhat weak. If you go through and think about the possibilities of how well a plan like that would work out...it just seems so...wow how can his plan work out so well that people believe she never entered? All that hacking and then relying on her daughter to stay completely out of sight? Or was that improvisation? Either way the plan was a bit weak for someone relying on a ransom to work out. Also, the villain does end up a bit weak at the end. His plans seem to go so well, but his character starts to sink to lower dimensions later in the film. He did a good job at fooling me and seeming complex, but later is character felt a bit more flat and just plain "villain" with no depth.
Professione: reporter (1975)
Unbearably boring
I stopped about 30 minutes in (and was later told by my family - they saw the whole thing - that I was right to do so, it wasn't worth it). This film meanders along, with gaps between dialogue, no music and a slow plot. It was boring and didn't grab my attention. The plot was potentially interesting, but they didn't do anything with it to make it particularly gripping.
It made me drowsy, it made me sleepy and I couldn't wait to leave. When the first half hour is that weak, it doesn't make the rest of the movie look very promising. Overall, I think this movie is overrated and felt like it was unfinished from what I saw. Obviously, I didn't finish the movie, but in terms of production, it felt unfinished. It felt like a raw copy before release. Without music and/or some more gripping dialogue it feels empty.
Lost (2004)
I guess I'm proud to be a part of the cult following...
The ending of Lost COULD have been stronger, but I liked it. The reflection of the eye from the beginning opening to closing at the ending is an astonishing idea. A bit heart wrenching, because wow... the characters that die you don't expect to. The side flash universe explanation was a bit cheesy, but I can accept it. I love the choice they make to bond Ben and Hurley together, that was really nice, really enjoyable and really sweet. I love that in the end Kate offers to help Claire through her motherhood journey, really heartwarming.
I'd also like to address the "Where was Nadia?" for the ending. Would it really be appropriate for Sayid to be doubled up with both Shannon and Nadia? Also, as much as Nadia was Sayid's love of his life, he didn't feel like deserved her and Shannon represented a point of change in his life. I think it goes along with why they can't put together Kate with both Jack and Sawyer and Juliet with both Jack and Sawyer... a bit of a complex issue.
I think overall, if you want to know whether you really like this series you'd have to ask yourself this question...
Which do you find more important? The mysterious surrounding the characters or the characters themselves? Perhaps a bit of both? Because this ending of Lost supports fulfilling what happens to the characters a bit more to the answers (it takes you along with the characters and we tend to find out what the characters find out), which is understanding why those who want the answers more so would be disappointed.
I think, overall THAT is what determines how much you will like it...that and whether or not you simply like the explanations. There are answers and partial answers, but not everything is answered. Personally I'm glad they didn't give the spiritual and psychical things a scientific explanation. I have to go to the example many have used and that's the explanation for the force being in people's DNA. I personally am glad we didn't get that sort of 'lets ruin the magic' explanation.
For those who want to see some of the questions they do answer, I'd highly recommend Lostpedia under "Features" - "Mysterious Happenings". It's a very good source.
Fargo (1996)
It could have been more
I will start out and say that I don't like that at the beginning you get this impression that the story is true (I didn't get the privilege of knowing otherwise before watching it) only to find out that, well it's fiction stringed together from a few events, but fiction made from inspiration, nevertheless. I admit that boiled me a bit. I think they could have gone about it a different way other than being so misleading, but I'm sure if they re-did this film they might agree they could have done that better.
Now, about the film. I feel knowing that it's not more non-fiction that it ruins it a bit. I was left gullible before knowing that thinking "Wow, this is so unbelievable that this happened...wow...really?" So, when I look back at it knowing that's not true, well I feel like the gore is now unnecessary. If it happened it adds astonishment that such a crime was committed, but... if it's somewhat improved from events the astonishment of that is gone. You're left with some excessive gore.
The acting was marvelous, but it meandered a bit in the beginning. A bit overrated, but not a bad film.
The Game (1997)
Very enjoyable and underrated
I loved this movie! This dark artistic film takes you on a ride with the character in a psychological game where the main character finds out more about himself. I let the movie take me wherever it wanted to go and I was thoroughly pleased. If you love psychology, you might like this film. The performances are astonishing. Characters aren't what you expect them to be, which is just what I love! Perhaps there could be touch up in a few areas, but I can't think of any at the moment.
Very artistic and astonishing. I love the suspense. I was left in awe of the twists and the turns. I love the complexity. I love the subtlety. Perhaps you should watch it and see for yourself? I would highly recommend it. Worth your time for sure.
Equilibrium (2002)
Astonishing plot, good action
I don't think that the action in this film is better than The Matrix, but I think the plot is better than The Matrix. The plot is deeper, more connective and easier to relate to. I love the little things about this movie and the overall message of how important emotions are to us as human beings. Beautiful, gorgeous. The only complaints I would have is a bit anti-climax near the end. They build you up to wanting to see the fight between him (John Preston, Christian Bale) and the man that wants his job (Brandt, Taye Diggs), but John Preston defeats Brandt in one blow.
I think their training fight was much more entertaining, it showed a bit more equal footing. I think just in general a little more equal footing would have been nice. I didn't have to see a fight between him and "Father", since he's a political head he CAN be pathetic and that wouldn't matter, I cared more about him fighting Brandt. Also, the revolution fighting the soldiers should have shown a bit more loss on both sides. I know they wanted to give you a "feel good" feeling of them winning, but a little more reality I think would be best, even if a few of them got hit, you could still show that they are clearly winning.
You need to show that winning is not easy and loss is often on both sides. Even if someone wins they often times lose a little to get there. It's sad, but that also stirs reality and emotion. Overall, it's beautiful, though it could use a bit more climax. I especially love Sean Bean's job as Partridge. The beautiful scene when he reads poetry in a church before he dies. Gorgeously done and definitely my favorite scene, the practice fighting between Preston and Brandt being my second favorite scene.
Some of my other favorite scenes would probably be the hand touch scene, the Preston gets caught protecting a puppy scene and I love that he repeats Patridge's line "A price I pay gladly" before shooting Father. The scene could have been done a BIT better, but the idea and concept is certainly marvelous. A very enjoyable film.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
It deserves its rank as #8
I love the psychological ride that I took watching this movie. I laughed, I cried and I could feel the anger for Nurse Ratched throughout the entire film. It is so hard to take her condescending attitude. It is so sad what they used to do to people in psyche wards! This film truly shows that. An astonishing masterpiece. I loved it. Every minute of it. I love how McmMurphy caused chaos, but in a good way. He brought them happiness.
Nurse Ratched resented how he could have more control over them, because they liked him and that was certainly intriguing to see. The ending is sad, truly sad, but life cannot be all full of happy endings. Not everyone has a happy ending. At least one cuckoo gets out. One of my favorite movies for sure.