sirguitarist Reviews

Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)

There is a reason they make movie trailers...

[10/10 · 23 January 2009]

The reason they make trailers is so moviegoers can gather at least an idea of what to expect. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" delivered exactly what I expected after seeing the trailer. The demographic here was people who like silly, action comedy with a pinch of romance on the side, perhaps a parent or parents looking for a movie to share with their tween or teenage kid. I fit that demographic. My young daughter and I laughed all the way through it - it was genuinely funny and I actually cared about the main character. Why some of the reviews on IMDb even get posted will never cease to amaze me - they aren't even reviews in some cases. The person who "reviewed" this movie by essentially blaming movies like Mall Cop to be why America has its issues is one that left me scratching my head. My advise to those that feel inclined to give ANY movie 1 star: Watch the trailer before you see a show...oh...you didn't even see it? Then don't review it! I gave it 10 stars based on the fact that it delivered what it promised.

iCarly (2007–2012)

My daughter loves this show....and okay, iDo too.

[10/10 · 11 May 2008]

There is not a lot out there that a guy my age can watch with his 11 year old daughter. Most of prime time network TV is way too adult themed to feel good about letting her watch, and many of the kid shows are just too annoying for my tastes. Along comes iCarly, a show my daughter and I have watched from the beginning. The show is definitely aimed at kids, but there are enough funny moments (often provided by Spencer, played by Jerry Trainor) to keep me interested as well. All of the four main characters (Carly, Sam, Freddy and Spencer) are likable and have good chemistry. You get the feeling that they like each other off the set as well. As the first season is coming to an end, I can only hope they'll continue making more. I recommend this for any Dad (who has a sense of humor and still knows how to be a kid once in a while) to watch with his kid(s).

Mozart and the Whale (2005)

Inspirational

[10/10 · 22 December 2005]

I have watched this movie 6 times now and I'm still drawn into it each time. The main characters, Donald and Isabelle are wonderful. Each is dealing with aspergers syndrome, but I didn't find myself focusing on that aspect of their lives. What I saw was two human beings, both of them making difficult, out of character adjustments to better love and understand the other. I've read some comments debating the authenticity of the characters and how they portray AS and autistic individuals, but the only comments that have mattered to me were those of Jerry Newport, whose story this movie was inspired by. He gives it his stamp of approval, so who is anyone to argue someone's personal story? I give this movie my highest recommendation.

Run Lola Run (1998)

Captivating...(Scream, Lola, scream!!!)

[10/10 · 30 July 2005]

As one of only 3 movies I have "bothered" to sit through with subtitles (I viewed the German language version with English subtitles - I'm glad I didn't even know of the English overdubbed version) this movie drew me right in from the beginning and never let go.

Though I doubt anyone will plow through the other 500+ reviews to get to mine, I still wish to express my love for this movie and submit it to the infinite void of cyberspace.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Besides the multiple medias (B&W, animation, hand-held cameras, etc.) that made it visually appealing, what I liked was the message. In "Sliding Doors" like fashion (btw, interestingly, these 2 films were made the same year) we get to see 3 (as opposed to 2 in 'SD') scenarios, each beginning as Lola has hung up with her boyfriend, Manni, who has lost 100,000 marks and is facing certain death from those it belongs to, and is pleading with Lola for help. Since I imagine the whole story has been given away in other reviews, I'll just get to the moral of the story.

In the first scenario, Manni makes a poor decision and Lola pays for it with her life. In the second, Lola is the one making the bad choice and Manni pays for it with his. In the final scenario, and what we are led to believe is what actually happened, (at least that's my take on it) Lola runs out of options and even prays for divine intervention. Good fortune comes to both Manni and Lola, Manni is able to deliver the lost funds, and they both end up better off than before. The message of the blessings that follow when people make the right choices was loud and clear. Easily one of the best movies I've ever seen.

My only complaint was that it was too short! (roughly 80 minutes) I give this movie 10/10 and my highest recommendation.

Elektra (2005)

It should be a prerequisite on IMDb to WATCH a movie if you're gonna review it

[9/10 · 6 July 2005]

After watching Elektra for the second time, I thought I would check the old IMDb to see what others thought. Obviously the votes are split down the middle with a near 5 out of 10 rating (as of this writing.) What frustrated me in the case of many of the negative reviews, which I am more than open to if they are objective, is the fact that some of the complaints registered about so-called unanswered questions in the story were indeed answered in the movie that I watched. Others complained about the plausibility (come on! it's fantasy!) and others complained about the lack of action sequences. All I could imagine was some of these people sitting in a theatre with a notepad, licking their chops, just dying to trash this movie and register their pseudo-cinematic-wisdom and revel in their sarcastic prose.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

An example was someone stating how the mammoth Stone character was killed by Elektra jumping on his head. In the movie I watched this impact to the head was caused by a 2 ton 40 foot tree landing on it as it fell with Elektra astride on top. Another was complaining that Elektra's mother's death was not explained, but it was during a flashback scene where the Hand was seeking to capture Elektra in the same manner they were trying to capture The Treasure (and killed her mother also.) Another complained about Garner's lack of dialogue. This character was someone wrestling with several inner demons; the death of her mother, the fact that she herself had been killed and brought back to life, being apparently rejected by Stick, whom she trusted as a mentor and represented "the only place I have to go." A person with these kind of issues is not likely to be that talkative (and if they were, it would likely be so depressing, you wish they wouldn't talk!) The fact that she was wrestling with these problems was illustrated beautifully in the many flashback scenes. There was plenty of action and FX, but there was also a story. I thought it was well balanced all around.

Some reviews seemed to trash it just for the sake of trashing it.

Granted, this is not a masterpiece by a long shot, but it was excellent for its genre; Marvel superhero/action/martial arts/FX/popcorn flick. It was thoroughly entertaining and I will likely watch it a third time and then some. I cared about the characters and hated the bad guys, like you're supposed to in a story like this.

I am not suggesting that you see this just because I liked it, but I AM suggesting that you don't pass it by because of some of the lame negative reviews here. It should be a prerequisite on IMDb to WATCH a movie if you're gonna review it.

High Fidelity (2000)

This was almost like watching my autobiography

[10/10 · 4 July 2005]

The movie has at this point been reviewed by over 500 people, so knowing that the chances of this being one of the top 5 desert island reviews of all time is as likely as Peter @#$%&*! Frampton making a comeback, I will just put in my vote and say if you have ever worked in an independent record store and worked with at least one opinionated elitist snob (I have), this movie will rock your world. Out of over 100 DVDs in my household, I have easily watched this more than any other. Great believable characters with the only possible exception of Lisa Bonet who, though I liked her in other films, seemed miscast as a singer. A unique movie with a killer cast, especially the rare U.S. film appearance of Iben Hjejle. Even non-music geeks should check this out just for her performance which made this movie one of my personal top 5. Excellent soundtrack!

Kicking & Screaming (2005)

I am in total disbelief that some people actually liked this "movie"

[1/10 · 29 May 2005]

I am generally of the "live and let live" mindset when it comes to peoples opinions on things as trivial as taste in movies, but I must admit when I logged on to find this movie (as of this writing) pulling down a nearly 6 stars rating, I just couldn't believe my eyes. I am sure the average rating will drop as more reviews show up. I can usually find SOME redeeming quality in just about any movie I choose to watch, but I couldn't find one here. Will Ferrell seems to keep getting worse and worse. I was a big fan of his in his SNL days, and to prove I am not just trashing the movie because of Ferrell, I'll go as far to say that he (with the possible exception of the late Phil Hartman) was the most talented cast member of SNL's history. The only movie of his I haven't seen is "Melinda And Melinda," but in those that I have seen, he is just the same person with a different character name. I found it interesting that many of the positive reviews here seem to be defending the movie rather than promoting it. That should serve as a bit of a warning sign in itself. One person even praised it as a "formulaic" movie. Definition of "formulaic": you've seen it done already at least 100 times, and in the case of this movie, you've seen it done better at least 100 times. Robert Duvall must have lost a bet to have willingly taken part in something so beneath him. This is NOT a family film. Kids will be bored to tears during several segments of the movie that just drag, most kids have no idea who Mike Ditka is (as was confirmed by the kids in the flick) and there is no humor "grown-up" enough for a grown-up to laugh at. I can't even remember the last time I didn't laugh even once at a comedy. This may have been the first. I expected better things when Will Ferrell left SNL, but then again, I had the same hopes for Chevy Chase. Save your money and wait for it to show up on cable if you really need to see it for yourself. If I could have scored it "zero," I would have.

Frequency (2000)

Frequency...didn't do their Elvis homework, but still a great flick.

[9/10 · 6 April 2005]

Since there have already been several hundred entries, I won't go into the story itself. I really enjoyed the movie, although obviously an unbelievable story line if you know anything about it. What I enjoyed was the heartfelt relationship between father and son, convincingly played by the actors. My only complaint was the props department didn't do their research. Most notably to me was a scene that was supposed to take place in 1969, Frank (Dennis Quaid) flips through his albums and in that shot you see the top of the album "Elvis In Concert" which was not released until 1977 (8 years later!) As a former record retailer, I spotted it right away, as I'm sure any Elvis fan likely did as well. Picky, I know, but that IS the job of a props person; to make the surroundings and settings as real to the time being portrayed as possible. That cost my "review" a star for what I thought was otherwise an excellent movie. The "unbelievable" factor didn't weigh in at all for me as, after all, it's a STORY and it's a good one.

Jersey Girl (2004)

Give Kevin a break, will ya?

[8/10 · 30 March 2005]

I rarely enter my comments about movies...opinions are just that, but some of the unkind remarks about Kevin Smith "selling out", etc. are unfair. Growing up in the sixties, I recall legions of Bob Dylan fans writing him off when he "went electric," and Beatles fans losing interest when "Revolver" was issued (where's the "yeah yeah yeah?"). Like these artists, Kevin Smith wanted to break the mold. Tough if you don't like it. Don't watch it. But don't blame Kevin Smith for growing up. How many "Jay and Silent Bob" movies do you think he could make? (Actually, as of this writing "The Passion Of The Clerks" is in production, so apparently there's at least one more...) As much as "Chasing Amy" was somewhat of a departure, there were still some of the same elements of his earlier works. As what I perceived as an homage to the fans of his earlier flicks, "Jersey Girl" contains a token appearance by Matt Damon and Jason Lee in a scene that could have been played by ANYBODY and still have been relevant. I appreciated Kevin Smith's courage to cross the line. It reminded me of the same courage I felt Brett Ratner displayed in following up "Rush Hour" with "The Family Man." Movies don't have to be "cutting edge" to be good in my opinion (oh no - the dreaded "O" word!) - but they ought to be entertaining, and "Jersey Girl" was certainly that. I liked the characters, particularly Maya (Liv Tyler) as she was not made up and dressed up like a typical leading lady, but more like an everyday person you might encounter. George Carlin (as Ollie's father) also gave a standout performance, Raquel Castro ("Gertie") wins my vote just (though not exclusively) for the look of surprise and joy she beams at her father (Ben Affleck) when he shows up (unexpectedly) on the stage during her school play. Ben Affleck is convincing in his character ("Ollie") throughout the flick, displaying a wide range of emotions. The scene with Affleck and Will Smith was priceless. Will this movie change your life? Probably not. Was it Oscar material? Nope. Was it worth seeing? You bet. Kudos to Kevin Smith for stepping outside the box.

The Village (2004)

Forget what you've read and who directed it, just give it a chance

[10/10 · 15 January 2005]

This may seem like a strange analogy, but humor me. When I was a child I was (okay, I still am) a huge fan of the Beatles. As each record came out I was constantly blown away by the progress of their ideas and music. I remember when the album "Revolver" came out, I invited some kids from my neighborhood to listen to it with me for the first time. I was the only one in the room who enjoyed it. Some of my friends disappeared before the album was over, muttering things like, "I liked 'A Hard Day's Night' better...why have they become so weird?"

I think this may be the plight of M. Night Shyamalan. Many want him to do "The Sixth Sense" over and over again, or at least something that resembles it. "The Village" is a movie that if (1) it had not been marketed the way it was and (2) did not reveal the director (yeah, I know, it could never happen), would have more likely been embraced for what it was - a remarkable movie.

Bryce Dallas Howard plays the unlikely heroine, Ivy. Unlikely because she is blind, yet shows the greatest bravery among a village of people who live in constant fear. Howard's performance blew me away. The characters, all brilliantly portrayed, display a common thread of fear and emotional restraint, and acceptance of remaining in this state. All but Lucius (played by Joaquin Phoenix, so often typecast as an unlikable character; he shattered that in this role) and Ivy, as is established as the story unfolds.

I don't want to give any more away than I have. See this movie.

I am guilty of almost not seeing is BECAUSE of the trailer, but I'm glad I did. This is one of the best, most thought-provoking movies I have seen in recent times.

Forget what you've read, and who directed it (though the direction is excellent) and give it a chance. As I once anticipated Beatles' records without expecting a repeat of past efforts, I will likewise anticipate future movies by this gifted and talented storyteller.