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Wonderland (2003)
Weird...
I saw Wonderland last night for the first time, and I am still under the impression the movie made on me.I even dreamed about it last night :-) Well, I liked the movie.I never heard about the Wonderland murders before since I'm from Serbia, but the subject itself is very interesting- I mean in real life even more than on film. That's why my first thought was that it could have been better. Don't get me wrong, I think it's good, but there are a few things that could have been done differently. Val Kilmer is a good actor,and this kind of role suits him (you have to admit that it has some resemblance with his role in "The Doors"). I think that the image of a "rebel"is made for him!Someone who is a nobody and then rises up above the ordinary people and becomes someone,but somewhere along the way he became a problematic and disturbed person who abuses alcohol and drugs,don't care a bit about the law,etc.To conclude,Val is great.The other actors are OK too, especially Lisa Kudrow and Kate Bosword. Now,the story itself and the way it is told-I think it's pretty well done,because I like that kind of directing,I like flashbacks,a little bit of mystery and of course "sex,money and murder"- those are the three things you must have to make a thriller/drama/mystery all in the same time.I like the fact that they didn't limited the movie to just one genre,that it's not written to be strictly a typical thriller.I prefer when there is a little bit of this, a little bit of that- it is that "mixture" that sometimes makes an average movie better than it actually is. Here's a proof that the movie is good- as soon as I finished watching it,I wanted to know more about John Holmes and the Wonderland murders. I really did- I wrote that I found the story itself very interesting as well as J.Holmes for whom I think was a special man,totally mad about sex and drugs-he had a very controversial life,I mean he was a porn star,he met a lot of unordinary people and saw a lot of weird and crazy stuff in his life.And him too has done a lot of bad and wacky things. One more thing I found interesting was the relationship he had with both his wife and his girlfriend. What I found even more interesting was the relationship between the wife and the girlfriend!That's totally cool!They both love him,he loves them both and the two of them love each other-everybody loves everybody!That's really not a common thing,right? The story about the murders is well done,well lead, so there is suspense and some surprises-they don't want to reveille everything they have in their sleeve at the same time.No,cause that would be boring.Instead,they give you little pieces from time to time(usually when you do not expect it),just to keep you interested,to keep your attention and save your concentration till the end.They did that very well!All of them-the actors,the director,the producers,and all the others who participated on making this movie. I recommend it to everyone who likes this kind of movies. My vote: 8/10
Citizen Verdict (2003)
Neither good nor bad...
I just finished watching the movie, so I didn't have the time to fully digest it yet. Not that it is a "heavy" film, it's just that I've watched Almodovar's Bad Education before this one and I'm still under the impression...But let's get back to The verdict. All I can say is that the movie is acceptable and it isn't a blockbuster or an Oscar movie, but you can still watch it, especially when you're bored :-) No I mean, Jerry Springer is not that bad as an actor, after all, the medias are his area. Assante is always the same- in every single movie- it's like he has been playing this one role he knows during his whole career. He always have that same expression, the same intonation...it's a little bit weird, don't you thing? Anyway, to summon it, the movie's not bad, the idea is better though. I think a much better movie could have been made based on it. It's interesting to see how TV manipulates people so easily. And it get's you to, all of us, even though we don't see it sometimes. An interesting subject, but it hasn't been analysed as well as I expected it. I give it a C for the idea and some of the acting.
Cellular (2004)
A very good, fast-moving action/thriller movie
Cellular is just the kind of movie I expected to see when I bought it. It is really fast-moving, so you don't get bored for a second. It is also easy to follow, because stories like this one have been seen many times- this is just a modification of the basic story with lots of action and just enough tension to make you keep wanting to see what will happen next. The cast is awesome! I particullarly liked Jason Statham (Lock,Stock and 2 smoking barrels, Snatch) who plays the BAD cop called Greer. Weel, that's about it. I saw a good movie (good for this genre). I mean, it's not an Oscar film, or something I would put in my movie collection, but it's OK. Like I said, exactly what I expected it to be. I suggest you watch it at home, lying on your favourite sofa, with a large amount of popcorn and some drink. After all, this is a popcorn movie, so lay back, relax and enjoy the ride!
The Terminal (2004)
Not good, even for a fairytale
I never liked Spielberg very much, and I also wasn't very interested in this movie, but since I really like Tom Hanks, I tried to give it a shot. To my surprise, the movie starts well- the idea is good, original, but after 20 minutes, you realize that the story has been quite poorly developed : you constantly see Hanks doing the same things over and over again, and that is ...well, really boring! And then there is the "fairytale syndrome" as I like to call it- usually, I find it sweet, but here, they made it so unbelievable! I mean, it's really too much! I just couldn't buy, for a second, some of the tings that were happening during the movie! But it doesn't end there: this is probably a SPOILER
- at the end, everything works out fine (as expected)...actually, almost everything- Why, if the entire movie is so sweet and non-realistic, at the end Hanks doesn't end up with Zeta-Jones? After all, he tried real hard and even had helpers (the dinner at the airport and the accidental meeting...) I really didn't understood what they were thinking while filming that part- it totally jumps off from the rest of the movie. It's like they had suddenly realized what they've done,and desperately tried to repair it, but it was too late: the movie was almost finished! Then,they agreed to just pop in this detail- that reminded me of "Chasing Amy" and some other good movies (the non-Hollywood production ones)- and try to save the whole ting. Sorry! It didn't work out, it didn't work out at all. You could watch this movie only if you really don't have anything better to do, but I suggest that you rent it- it's not worth being watched at the movies!
Twisted (2004)
Bad movie
Oh! I was expecting SO MUCH MORE from this movie! I mean, the trailer, the actors... I thought, this must be the jackpot! So, I watched it. And I was very, very disappointed. Let's start with the story: it is so predictable, the dialogs are stupid and boring. That is why this movie can not be called a thriller- there is no suspense, you know what is going to happen all the way to the end after only 20 minutes of watching! That is NOT good, not good at all. The actors: the actors are like the story. You can see that they gave their best, but it's just not good, because they don't have the right material to work with- they don't have a normal script (the actor's most important thing- a good story always comes first- at least, that's the way it should work, but it doesn't, it's all about the money nowadays). Anyway, let me get back to the movie...I've wondered off a little, but it won't happen again, promise! So, like I said/wrote, the actors are a disappointment too, although it's not entirely their fault. I mean, nobody forced them to do the movie. I really love Ashley Judd, she's a terrific actress! But if you compare her acting in this movie, and in "The Eye of the Beholder", for example, you can see that those are two totally different actings. It's the same thing with Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown,Shaft...) and Andy Garcia ( whom I totally dislike, but in this movie I felt sorry for him as much as for the other actors). What follow may be a SPOILER: Ashley's supposed to be a police inspector, who's a drunk at the same time (I kept wondering how she could manage to drink all night and then go to work and as a police officer above all?!! I mean, that's really silly! There are more silly things in this movie, much more, but I wrote only one, just so you can get my point. Watching this movie is a total waste of time (maybe even money), so I recommend you to skip it. After all, time is precious, and so is money :-)
Man on Fire (2004)
Nice work everybody !
I had to watch the movie twice. The first time I didn't like it very much, but after seeing it again, I realized why : I never paid attention to the small details that are so important, the camera was annoying and I was pretty sleepy :-) But the second time, I was prepared, so nothing could escape me, not a single detail and I can only say : Nice work everybody! Yes, it is a long movie (more than 2 hours), but it is divided in two separate parts. Creases life with Pita and Creases life without her. The acting is perfect. Denzel Washington plays 3 characters in this movie- first, he's the suicidal drunk, then he meets Pita and she awakes Creases will for life & love (or as Christopher Walken well said: "Pita taught him it was OK to live again.") and the third character is the worst- he becomes this enraged man, ready to do anything to get Pita back. But even in that part when he plays the "bad guy" you are with him, because you can feel his rage, you understand that everything he had has been taken away from him, and this time he will not turn the other cheek! A great transformation from this fabulous actor that never stops amazing me. Little Pita is played by young Dakotta Fanning and believe me, she did an excellent job- you just must love her! She looks so fragile and naive, but in the same time you can see that she is a strong and mature girl who already learned that life is not a fairytale. Walken's performance is excellent like always,so I don't have to talk much about his role- he did a great job...again. The story is a cliché, but the interesting thing is that it doesn't end as the other movies with similar plots. It goes further, doesn't stop when you expect it to, but continues to surprise you till the bitter end. That's what is so good about this movie. It's like many others, but it's still original and unique. There are some things that are not explained well, like why is Crease in such a mess? I know that he was in the army and probably killed a lot of people, even had been tortured, but so was C.Walken and he's doing just fine! The main parts are very interesting and, at times, even amusing. It's a warm story about a man who has nobody and meets a little girl who shows him that despite everything, life still has it's good sides. Quite optimistic. The only thing I didn't understand is the end. This is probably a SPOILER : if the kidnapper said I will give you a life for a life, why is he taking his brother and Crease? That's 2 lives, not one. But then I think- he was so wounded by the end of the movie that he would probably die anyway. There is one thing that most people didn't like, but I found it pretty interesting : it's the camera tricks- the blurring, choppy shots and other visual effects that have been labeled as the "MTV production" or something like that. I didn't find it annoying, on the contrary, I think it gives the movie that something that makes it different and interesting to watch. Tony Scott did an excellent job. I had no doubts about that. All in all, it's a solid 8 out of 10.
The Forgotten (2004)
I expected more...
I saw the movie and my first thought was :"Great movie!" But then I asked myself what was so great about it? I started analysing it and realized that this was a disappointment. The beginning is very interesting as well as the plot, but somewhere in the middle, it starts being pretty silly. There were various events that made no sense to me and I think that's what spoiled the movie. It's like they didn't had enough time to think of a good ending, so basically there is none. Nothing is explained, they just leave you asking yourself what was it all about. It's really a shame, cause the beginning was very promising. The acting is perfect (I love Julianne Moore- great actress), as well as the special effects and the action scenes. Never the less, I think you should watch this movie, because despite all the weird things that I've mentioned, it's pretty much OK. There are even a few scenes that are really creepy and made me pretty jumpy :-) If I had to rate it, it would be a C.More than just watchable. I have to write some more cause I don't have my 10 lines yet. Oh yeah, while I'm here, I just wanted to tell you that if you didn't have the opportunity to watch Gothika, do it as quickly as possible. It's very good!