randyhndrsn Reviews

Star Trek (2009)

A reboot done right?

[8/10 · 23 November 2009]

The new star trek was a major surprise, with fantastic pacing, acting and special effects, this turned out to be the first real blockbuster of 09.

In a mediocre summer that 09 was, this film stood out by being inspired and never too stupid or too clever, the basic tone is something like a star wars film.

That was the way to go, the story focuses on the origins of the star trek characters from the original series, and the cast is fantastic with Chris Pine being my favorite.

Not always perfect, but it actually does get better with multiple viewings and you can look over the plot flaws in the film, you end up loving the flaws.

I promise if you ride along with this baby than you will have one great time, worth even owning and watching a lot, I am excited for this cast and crew to take me into a new franchise.

500 Days of Summer (2009)

Being dumped sucks.

[8/10 · 6 October 2009]

I suppose we have all wanted love or have been lonely many times In our lives, but the truth Is that we must play these up and downs games with life.

I watched 500 days of summer after a pretty major breakup, and I can tell you that It helped, this movie makes us think about all the right and wrong things we do.

Relationships aren't always meant to last, and perhaps some of us start to take things too seriously, but never have I seen a movie that captures a guy so well.

Not a man or some Hollywood Image, but the lead Character Tom Is the person you know you are, the one who wants to die when his love goes against him again.

Wonderful chemistry between the two leads and dialog push this movie to high levels, It may not be perfect because It tries a little to hard to be original.

The editing and the pacing Is off, but you really don't care by the end because everything made so much sense, this Is a hard film to watch because It feels like life.

Life can be a painful thing, but 500 days of summer helps you remember that It's beautiful sometimes and thinking straight always helps.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Pretty bad and the director sucks.

[5/10 · 22 April 2009]

This 4th film in the X-Men franchise should of been pretty good, the mistakes with the 3rd film are understandable considering the change of directors and writers.But the studio had a chance to take a fresh stab at it with a new crew for Wolverine's movie, the problem is that fox got a bad director and writers on this movie and the final product is nothing less of awful.The film has a cast that isn't really great but none of the actors are bad actors, Hugh Jackman has been fine as the main character before and the supporting players are all decent enough actors for a summer blockbuster but the problem isn't really the acting.But the writing of the characters and what the actors have to do with them, the cheesy moments and bad dialog that they have to say must of been hard for the actors and there is few really good scenes in the movie.

The movie pretty much fails with it's opening and ending, the only decent thing about the film is Sabertooth and perhaps getting to see some other characters.But the really fault with this film isn't exactly the story itself or the producers, but I want to put the blame on director Gavin Hood who has pretty much no experience to make a high level blockbuster.It was a risk by the studio to hire him and sometimes that works, and it isn't like because he made this bad movie that he is going to make nothing but bad movies.David Fincher made alien 3, then went on to make nothing but good movies after that terrible film, perhaps Gavin just wasn't given enough to work with on Wolverine.

The movie is poorly shot, edited and paced, the tone is wrong and it just isn't a very well made film from a technical or artistic standpoint but it also fails at being fun.A movie dosen't have to be well made to be enjoyable, it could have good special effects and action scenes to keep you enjoying the film and make it worth the time and money.Wolverine happens to be boring and terrible as a action film, every time something good is happening it ends up being pretty lame and the fights themselves are not very memorable or special.

Remember the liberty island fights in x-men?Or the great night crawler whitehouse scene in x2?Nothing like that here, just a lot of cheap looking images and bad direction, save your money and time and just don't see this movie.

Wolverine, I wish I could give you the claw middle finger.

Waltz with Bashir (2008)

Perhaps the best film of 08.

[10/10 · 26 January 2009]

Waltz with bashir is something that is hard to forget, while the images grab you first it is the wonderful story and direction here that keeps things at a high level.While the flashback scenes are much better then the real time stuff, there is really no flaw to this film for 90 minutes and that is really saying something in today's film world where perfection is low.I wouldn't say this movie is the best of the year by far, but it could be argued and the movie has some of the most wonderful scenes I have seen in any film including a waltz with gunfire that is oh so memorable.Or the iconic image of men in the ocean looking to the sky, the soundtrack is wonderful with music from Bach and you really feel like there was good writers, directors and producers on this whole thing that made it moving, original and something to really spend some time watching.

Léon: The Professional (1994)

A very romantic and violent film.

[9/10 · 31 January 2008]

This film has a great sorta love story between a young girl and a man in his 40's, jean reno is a great actor and really find the exact perfect role in Leon.Natalie portman is as good as kid actors can get in this movie, and the film is directed very well with some nice shots and angles.The story isn't too complicated but a cool one, and the movie has some big action scenes that I think really standout as far as action films go.The professional is a film about someone who never has known much about love or feelings for someone else, and someone who knows how to give love but dosen't get it from others and deserves it so much.I really love the french style look of this film, it isn't perfect sometimes but it is mostly a fine film and a lot of people love it, for the style of the film and the real charm it has in some scenes.

Ordinary People (1980)

One of the most enjoyable and pure films ever made.

[9/10 · 25 January 2008]

I find films like this very enjoyable, the ones that deal with death and people trying to go on with living and having more problems as they go along.This film is so true and real, the story is excellent and the cast is great with some very good directing by Redford and just the overall feel of this movie is something amazing.It's a feeling that only a few films have captured, five easy pieces being one and the feeling is something of a entertainment while you are seeing tragedy.Kinda like a john Irving book, where there is such horrible things going on and people having to deal with them and yet you find yourself very happy and that is because the film or the book is done so good that no matter what happens it will be great.This is also do to the characters in ordinary people, who are just ordinary people that have the problems we all have and feel the emptiness we all do sometimes.When a writer or director can capture that it's great, and ordinary people is one of the best examples at how that is executed almost perfect.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

This is a perfect movie.

[10/10 · 23 January 2008]

I saw this in the theater and didn't know what it would be like, I had seen the TV spots and became very interested in the film for the comedy shown on TV.But little did I know this was a masterpiece, I liked Rushmore a lot but this movie is a classic that someone like Scorsese or Kubrick might of made at a time, but this movie has it's own style and is very original.This is everything I want from a movie, the story is like a john Irving book and the look is like a great painting that really captures moments and places.Wes Anderson shows genius in this film, he is underrated and if anyone dosen't like this movie then they just don't know what good is.The cast is all great, the screenplay is hilarious and serious but the drama works and the directing by Wes is Oscar worthy in my eyes.This is a movie that I didn't want to end, I wanted it to be 3 hours and just keep going because Wes found a style and it's perfect.Credit also Owen Wilson who wrote the screenplay with Wes, the film has so much talent everywhere that it reminds you of great films that had perfection everywhere like the godfather or Hannah and her sisters.Watch this movie and watch it again, it's a movie that can be watched many times and seems like it's a great book but it turns out it isn't based off a book but a original story and that is amazing.When you feel like you are watching a great book, this is a great movie and I think everyone in film schools should watch it to see what true art is.

Cloverfield (2008)

No it dosen't suck.

[8/10 · 18 January 2008]

I remember hearing about the trailer of the movie and everyone was asking questions, so I found out all I could and over time became another nerd wanting to to know.Well the movie is called cloverfield and I'd say it's a winner, a lot of the early reviews I read were mixed but I think the movie was very good at what it wanted to do.It was very intense for some scenes and visually nice, the story is simple yet very effective at times and a lot of stuff is a little hard to enjoy because it's just a bunch of stupid 20 something's talking.But once the monster attacks, it gets good and stays good for the rest of the movie and the I wasn't really disappointed or blown away.It is a theater experience and a event everyone should go see, I was in a packed theater and that made it even better and when the film ended I felt very satisfied and the movie stays with you.Just go see it and have a good time, this movie is a pretty good time and it isn't too long or boring and keeps your happy most of the runtime.

I'm Not There (2007)

This movie is good but in a weird way.

[8/10 · 3 January 2008]

I recently watched I'm not there and this movie isn't done in a way that really makes sense sometimes or flows, but after the first 10 minutes you really understand what is happening.This movie has differen't stories from differen't characters that come in and differen't times, and they all have something to do with bob Dylan's life.I thought the movie was gonna show one story at a time, but they show one for like 5 minutes then another one and comeback to it later and sometimes only show a clip for it for a few seconds.This is done in a very art-house style and is for fans of the genre, it isn't abstract crap like some movies but actually has some great scenes that are visually wonderful.Some scenes play like Fellini's 81/2 and this movie feels like a foreign film a lot of the time but the characters speak English.This movie is far from perfect for my taste and I am not a huge Dylan fan but I respect him a lot, the movie pretty much does a good job at pulling you into it and you go for a ride.It's well made and the acting is good all around, don't watch the movie if you don't like art type films or movies that focus on characters and out of place scenes that are put there for a visual purpose.It's a cool flick and I think a lot of people can respect it, it's nice to see something original and not in some movie formula like a lot of Hollywood blockbusters we get these days.

Across the Universe (2007)

I don't know how someone couldn't like it.

[8/10 · 30 October 2007]

I saw the trailer to this film and got really excited but then the film got mixed reviews and I was worried, but this movie is one of the best of 07 and one of the best musicals I have ever seen.If you love the Beatles or the 60's this movie is for you, the story is actually good and the acting is also much better then one would think from such unknown actors but they all do good.I went with 2 other people and one was my father who grew up in that time and the movie made him remember some stuff, and the music works because the Beatles represent that time and period of the world.This film looks good and sounds good, I hate when the Beatles are sung by other people but somehow this film didn't bother me.I also was surprised how I got into the love story of the film, don't let anyone tell you it was disappointing or bad because you need to make that choice yourself.Also do not wait for the DVD, this is a theater experience and if you see it on a DVD you will miss the joy of seeing this on the big screen.Go see this movie, tell others to see it and make sure to just set back and get into everything that is going on and you will have a great time.

Casino Royale (2006)

Bond is serious, and it is a good thing to see.

[9/10 · 29 November 2006]

I really liked casino royale, the one thing that really was good about it was how James bond came off like a real spy or assassin.Instead of just some ladies man with a gun, I am a huge fan of the 007 series but this one had something about it.The action was just good, and Craig makes a very good bond for the new generation who doesn't wanna see the movie bond.The only thing that kinda needed some work, was the story that I found a little weak at some points and while watching the movie I thought about this.But after it was over, I thought about the whole movie and everything I had just seen, then I came to the conclusion of it being a very solid movie.Even some minor weak points couldn't destroy that, this film had style and it was just a pretty cool movie to watch.I'd advise people to see it in the theater, and I even think it is worth owning because I feel it is like a movie that gets even better with multiple viewings.All in all, casino royale had a great new style for a bond movie to be made and this makes me really wanting a sequel with Daniel Craig as bond again.

Superman Returns (2006)

I enjoyed this a lot.

[8/10 · 2 July 2006]

I am a huge fan of the first two superman movies, and I was very excited to see superman returns at the theater last night.And I loved it, I was very entertained with it and enjoyed the superman scenes so much.And even the normal scenes were very well done, I wanna see it again already and the great thing is.That Brandon pulled off being superman, not as good as reeve but he still fit the part perfect with his look and acting.The story is pretty simple, but the whole special effects of it all and the flying scenes are just so amazing to watch with how real they look.And this scene where superman is hovering above the earth listening for sounds of trouble was amazing, and John Williams original music score is still there.And it still goes great with the movie, even Marlon Brando is still there with his voice clips from the originals.I hope to see a sequel and really am glad this was made, A lot of people tell me they didn't like it and I have to disagree with those people.

I couldn't give it a 10, because the story needed a lot of work and sure it should be simple because it is superman after all.But the lex Luther scenes needed work, cuz they weren't good enough to go with the superman scenes.And I think it needed more action scenes for sure, like superman saving people and all that special effects we wanna see.One problem I had, was the whole Lois having a son thing and finding out it was Superman's was kinda pointless.Superman needs to not have a son, that kinda screwed up the series a little and they should of left the whole son idea out.It was a pointless idea, and I hated it and that is the main reason I didn't give this a 10.

Still very solid, and I think everyone should go see this movie and support it for the hope of future superman movies.Because there is no superhero story quite as incredible as superman's and to see him fly is still good in theater's today.Go see superman return's, and I don't think the kid being superman is really a twist or anything.

Superman returns is new and fresh, go check this one out and I think it is by far the best film iv'e seen for 06 so far this year.Go live the dream again, and see superman returns.

Amadeus (1984)

If you heard it's great, Then that is true,

[10/10 · 25 June 2006]

I watched Amadeus last night and it blew me away, it was 160 minutes of pure excellent acting and just such a fun movie.I was not sure if I was gonna like it, but i loved every second of Amadeus.The movie had a job done by both main actors, and the music was just a pure excellent pleasure.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a great composer, and this movie shows his talents very well even though his character is not very smart.You can see the drive for music in his life, and the final scenes of the movie where they are writing the end to Wolfgang's song of death was just amazing.And the lines said about the voice of god, and the parties and operas were just pure brilliant and pure fun.What a awesome movie to watch, I can not believe some people find this boring or stupid.A great Motion Picture, that is exactly what this movie is and all it will ever be.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

One of the best movies I have ever seen.

[10/10 · 6 April 2006]

This movie is absolutely great, the beginning was terrific and it just stayed good through the entire 2 hours of the movie.And id like to say that Al Pacino's Performance, was one of the best acting jobs that i have ever seen in a movie.He put passion into the character, and made you fell sympathy for him even though he was robbing a bank.The directing was fantastic, and how Sidney Lumet did the filming in a actual new york building made it like you were actually there.Excellent true story that was adapted to this movie, and when I think of suspense or bank robbery movies.I think of dog day afternoon, anyone who does not like this movie just does not know what there talking about.One of my favorite movies, and I will never forget the acting Pacino did in dog day afternoon.

Fight Club (1999)

What a cool movie.

[10/10 · 17 March 2006]

Fight club is awesome, and it is one of the coolest movies i have ever seen in my life and the reasons are.Awesome acting, cool scenes, wonderful twists, the narration is great and the effects are nice to.I did not know the movie was gonna be the way it was, it had so much to it and was just such a cool movie that i watched it 2 times in 2 days and i wanna watch it again.This is my kinda movie, the only reason i do not give it a 10 is because it was not perfect, it needed more story then it had.And even though i like long movies, i think they did not have enough in this movie to make it as long as it was but it starts out great.The end is one of the best ends to a movie that i have ever seen, brad Pitt's part is well known but i preferred Edward Norton's acting in this movie.I have a certain taste of movies, and this movie was exactly what i want to see and is close to a perfect 10, but i just could not say it was perfect.I say this movie is worth buying, and most definitely worth watching more then once, so i say check out fight club.

Jarhead (2005)

I liked it a lot.

[8/10 · 13 March 2006]

This movie was better then i thought it was gonna be, i loved the shots and some of the scenes were just well done and had very good acting.I think this movie deserved a couple Oscar nominations, but it seemed like the academy does not agree with me.I wanted to see jar head for awhile, and i finally got it on DVD, me and my friend were watching it and laughing for awhile because of this movies comedy.But it has a lot of serious parts, at least it gets serious they more you get into the film and time goes kinda slow.But it did not seem long, it was my kinda movie that i enjoy watching, i kinda knew id like it before i even started the DVD.I would buy jar head because i think i could watch this a lot more times, it is worth renting and i think you should go out and get it when you can.Jake did a good job like he usually does, and the movie satisfied me and that is all a movie should really do for you. so jar head was not a great movie, but it was a pretty good movie that i am glad they made for me to watch.This movie kinda reminded me of full metal jacket, but it wasn't as good and you can probably find better war movies.I don't care, i liked jar head a lot and that is i really need to appreciate a film.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

I was so happy when i saw it.

[8/10 · 27 February 2006]

I am a huge fan of his films, and when i first saw that this was coming out i wanted to see it so bad.And today i actually got to see it at the theater, and was so excited about seeing a good anime at the theater.The movie is great but what made it great was the theater experience, i really enjoyed the movie though.I put it in one of the better anime's films i have seen in a long time, the movie could of had more action but it did a great job with a good old story.It being sweet and a well done was nice, i loved the parts that had action and had things happen with a lot of magic.The animation was awesome, sometimes i thought it was real and then i saw the characters and remembered it was anime.This is worth seeing and probably Worth owning, i will never forget seeing it at the theater and the movie will always be with me.

City of God (2002)

This movie rocks

[10/10 · 27 January 2006]

City of god is one of the best movies ever, it is so awesome with great violence a very awesome style and very good writing.aia just finished watching it, and it was so cool.It is a movie that you can not get off your mind because of how great it was, it just absolutely rocks so much.I think most people period will love this movie, it is got the violence, the story and great characters.It is a all around classic in my mind and blew me away, i am not a fan of subtitled movies.But i had no trouble reading the subtitles in this movie, i think this movie will only be good subtitled.Not if you can understand it, the reading helped make the movie's style even better to perfection.Just plain cool and very well done, city of god rocks.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

It is great and a classic.

[10/10 · 24 January 2006]

I love Ferris Buller's Day Off, the movie is very funny and very well written with a great job by the actors.The movie is basically just cool and that is the entire movie, Matthew Broderick is awesome and plays a very cool guy in this movie.The other characters are also very good and i like the writing, it is a good idea about him just taking the day off.This has been one of my favorite movies ever since i was a little kid, and i still love to watch it now and it really never get's old.You should watch this movie, a lot of people have seen it but if you have not you are missing out.Ferris Bueller is a classic, watch it laugh, enjoy and this film will become a classic to you.It is a cult film in it's own way, because it is just like the only film like this and i think it will always be that way.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Awesome movie.

[9/10 · 23 January 2006]

I have always been a fan of Saturday night live, and when i use to watch this movie as a kid with my parents i loved it.Many years later, i still love this movie and think it is one of the coolest films ever made.I like how this movie has good music and well written comedy, with some awesome comedy acting by two of the best comics of all time.I like how the movie isn't a short 95 comedy or anything, they keep it going for awhile and it is very nice.I think most people will enjoy this movie, and you really like it if you are a snl fan and enjoy that kinda comedy.The Blues Brothers is a classic 26 years later, what a great movie and all i can say is that it is awesome.

Vanilla Sky (2001)

I really like it.

[8/10 · 21 January 2006]

Vanilla Sky is a very odd but very cool movie, i like everything about it and i love the great special effects that it has in some parts.The film is a awesome idea, but they director and writers just seem to screw it up.It had so much potential to be great, but they made it have a lot of scenes that were not needed at all.I like a lot of things about the style of the film, i am all about colors of things and images that we see in a movie.Vanilla Sky does a good job with those thing that are kinda retro and original, i liked this movie and had been looking forward to watching it for awhile.The Mexican version of this film, that this movie is a remake of does a great job, and i wish they could of done it more like that.They made this movie too long for what it had to offer us, now i still like vanilla sky a lot and what it has is very good.You have to like a certain kind of film to like this.

Shadows and Fog (1991)

A underrated Allen film.

[8/10 · 21 January 2006]

I think this is a great Woody Allen movie, and it has one of the best casts he has ever had in any of his movies.It is short and enjoyable with some very cool comedy, and i just love how he made it black and white.The movie starts off very good and stay's strong for most of the movie, but it kinda had some parts that were not needed, Shadows and Fog could of been a 75 min film.I still like it a lot and think it is very funny and very well done, it has Woody Allen being funny as usual with cast members that i was amazed to see.Like Jodie Foster and John Cusack, these people being in it made the movie really good because they all played there characters perfect.I do not think other people could have played these roles as good, Shadows and Fog is a classic film i think and it's score of a 6.4 is a too low.It should have at least a 7.4, i like Woody and i like this movie very much.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

My favorite Woody Allen film.

[10/10 · 21 January 2006]

I think this is Woody Allen's best movie, and it is one of my favorite movies of all time.Hannah and Her Sisters is a great written movie with great acting, i love the story of the movie and Woody Allen takes his movie skills to full potential.He has the drama and the comedy, then he has new york and his excellent music, with some actors we have seen before from his other films.I had been a big fan of Woody Allen for a long time, but i really respected him when i saw this movie and now i am a huge Woody Allen fan.This films is for all kinds of people who are looking to watch a very well done movie, Allen does this film just about perfect.From the beginning it is like a great directed and written movie, and at the end you feel satisfied and know you just saw a true master at work.This is a great movie, and i think it is Woody Allen's finest work.

Love and Death (1975)

This movie is great.

[10/10 · 21 January 2006]

This is one of Woody Allen's funniest movies, it made me laugh the entire time and i just loved it.This is back when Woody Allen did more stupid type movie, instead of the drama ones that a lot of us know.But his movies like this are just great to watch, his comic genius really shows in this movie.I think just about anyone can laugh at this movie and enjoy it, his films blow me away and love and death is one of my favorites.Woody Allen is a true genius and his movies are nothing but pure genius, i love this movie so much and always like to watch it when i need a laugh.This movie is also very cool, it has some of the coolest stuff i have seen in a comedy and that helps the movie become nothing less of a classic.

Annie Hall (1977)

Woody Allen is a genius.

[10/10 · 21 January 2006]

Woody Allen is one of the greatest film maker's of all time, his movies are written perfect and he does comedy perfect.This is not my favorite Woody Allen movie, but i do like it a lot and i love how he does this movie.It is drama with comedy, and scenes in new york and the same music in all his movies, Woody Allen dosen't like to change.But i think he has something perfect, i wouldn't change it either and one thing good about Annie hall is woody.Him acting the way he does and talking to the camera is perfect, this man makes the movie with Dian Keaton doing a great job as well.Her roles in a lot of his movies are always excellent, this was Woody Allen's first big Oscar winning movie and is still considered his best work.If you like Woody Allen, then this film is just for you and i think it is a good couple movie that you can watch with a wife and girlfriend.The great Woody does it again with Annie Hall.