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The Founder (2016)
Great ideas are nothing if you cannot realize them
I really liked this movie. The actors are great, the story is gripping and told in a way that never lets you go.
At the end I'm divided in feeling sorry for the brothers and acknowledging the a of Ray Kroc.
The world needed these three people to come together to give us the fast food industry of today. The brothers invented a truly unique system and way of thinking, down to the quality control that seemed to be missing back then. And then we needed a guy who wanted to take this to the next level and to the world.
I'm not sure at the end if the movie is trying to paint Mr. Kroc as the ruthless asshole ... I wished there to be some kind of acknowledgement of Mr. Kroc that his success was based on a brand new system and that he was somehow grateful for this. I think I need to read some biographies to find out the details.
But this film was incredibly fun to watch and rarely do I hand out 10 stars ... but this one got it.
The Nice Guys (2016)
Bad!
I don't review a lot, and all of my reviews mention that I am easily impressed. I like movies like Last Action Hero or similar that tanked with critics.
But this one ... this one I gave up on. I can't explain it, it was just bad to watch. You get thrown into a situation, people form bonds instantly, minors are suddenly super detectives and undercover agents ... this movie gives you so many set variables that you feel like you don't need to see anything evolve. I had no connection to anyone, I could not find any humor in it, despite it throwing it in my face. The whole time I thought "what am I watching here??"
I am patient and I am easily pleased, but this movie made me walk out.
The Last Ship (2014)
Don't hate! It's pretty darn good.
I gave it a 10. It's not the best show I've watched, by far. But I find it very refreshing. Ignoring the uber-patriotic crew and the sometimes cheesy dialog and cookie-cutter bravado, the show starts with an interesting setup and follows it through some obstacles. Despite the moments where you have to roll your eyes and say "yeah, they just had to do that" you will find it enjoyable. Mainly because it is a new take on a topic that is all the rage right now. The current real-life Ebola epidemic makes it all the more contemporary. So give it a go. You'll like it. It engages you, it makes you think of a future where this is happening. You'll find yourself wondering, what it is like to be both trapped and in a safe zone on a ship with the ability to defend yourself against adversaries.
RoboCop (2014)
Worthy Remake
27 years ago, Paul Verhoeven created a movie that would forever be one of my favorite movies ever. I was too young back then but watched it a few years after it came out. The sequels were not satisfying, so I was afraid this would end up in the lower IMDb charts. But man was it fun to watch. You have to distance yourself a little from the original and not expect a scene for scene revamp. I think they captured the essence that is RoboCop. They even managed to sneak in a little of that Verhoeven-esque TV-moderation commentary without falling on their noses like countless others before. Kinnaman (never heard of him) is superb, Keaton is great, and Gary Oldman is ... Gary Oldman. There are numerous nods to the original (I was hoping to hear a squealing ED-209) to make us smile. I'm hoping there will be an R-rated Director's cut. But despite being PG-13, it rocks. Go see it!
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
I am so sorry, but this was a bad movie!
Call me cliché, but most films that take place in ex-eastern-block locations are there on budgetary constraints and this directly reflects on the quality of the movie itself. Not that you need money to make a good movie. But when you have a Hollywood Star in cheap locations, you can guess where the money went.
Die Hard is special. It's always been special and has a certain "regular joe in an unregular situation" vibe to it. 1 and 2 were great, 3 was maybe the best of them all, and even 4 was able to capture my interest. I liked that Justin Long and somehow was able to buy the trailer-and- fighterjet scene.
But this one just goes overboard. Maybe I'm senile, but where does his son come in? There was no lead-up to this one, and you just put Bruce Willis in a foreign country, tell the audience "this is a new guy, he's his son" and GO! Wreak Havoc.
It was unbelievable, it was not authentic, it missed (in my eyes) the Die Hard soul and it was not fun to watch. The whole package was lacking.
Worst Bruce Willis movie I've ever watched.
6 Bullets (2012)
B-Movie
6.2 Stars? Must be good, right? Unfortunately, the movie is totally below average. It has bad, cliché acting and the usual "cheap plot in a foreign country with no English-speaking actor anywhere in sight" feel to it.
We all know Jean-Claude, and we love him and keep going to his movies. I find he aged well and is up to the job, but somebody made a mistake when they suggested he star in this film. At no time do you get into the movie, you never identify with anyone, it's all stereotypical and overdone and basically a waste of your time.
Glad I didn't see it in the movies, but I hope Jean-Claude doesn't go the way of Wesley Snipes and keeps doing these sad attempts at meaningful movies.
The Grey (2011)
Awful. What a shame, Mr. Neeson
Painted and done up to be a thoughtful movie with some kind of a message, it's just a bad, bad mix of "Call of the wild" and "Alive".
A bunch of people survive a plane crash in Alaska and get eaten by wolves.
First of all, you didn't get to know the characters. Sure, they tried, letting you know of childhood memories and loving wives and oh so much that they did wrong in the past ... but you just didn't care. It was just lame and your brain ignored all this which resulted in you not feeling sorry for any of these folks when they died.
And then there are the wolves. Or should I say Wolv-o-sauruses or whatever mutant/prehistoric idea they had when they told the animators to create these beasts. I don't know if you know this, but dogs are descendants of wolves. THink Husky, Malamut, German Shepherd ... that's what wolves are like, only wilder. They're not giants, they're not super-intelligent and feast on yummy human flesh. These beasts were a joke. I think there was one scene where a wolf was lowering its head to bite into a standing man's shoulder ... they were, on occasion, big as a horse. Once killed and skewered and roasted over a fire they shrink to coyote size.
And then there are the scare-you-sh*tless scenes just to make you jump in your seat. Cheap trick which makes this film look even cheaper.
I have no idea why Liam Neeson took on this role. Or rather, I wonder why he's been in rather bad-to-mediocre films these last few times. This one does him no good, you feel a bit sorry for him for stooping down to such a low level.
I'm usually very easy to please so when I say it's bad, it's really bad!
Mr. Neeson has a fantastic voice, though!
Rescue Dawn (2006)
Astonishing!
First off: I gave this a 9.
Christian Bale in the role of an American bomber pilot with a German background gets shot down over Laos, gets captures, endures captivity and finally escapes.
This film is front to back amazing. You have the adventure, the excitement, the suspense and the action along with superb actors who were so dedicated to their roles that they lost insane amounts of body weight to get that true long-time POW look.
What really tops this movie off for me is the end. It's not cheezy americathegreatestnationontheplanet "propaganda", but an honest "Welcome Back, Dieter" affair. The way Christian Bale shows his emotions, the way his buddies welcome him back, I dare anyone to keep a dry eye. After watching the movie you can really appreciate what goes on in someone's mind when rescue comes. Heart warming. Must see movie.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
Bad ... but good! Just plain fun.
There are a lot of negative comments here on IMDb, and I think most negative comments are unjust. It's a fantasy movie. Deal with it. It is not supposed to be realistic. It sort of reminds me of Adventure films of the past that awed us. Now we laugh at giant bees and silly stories of Jules Verne.
I actually liked it quite a bit. Nice way to tie in Jules Verne and his other books, this is a pleasurable movie for anyone who just wants to be entertained. It's worth your money, it'll entertain you, and you'll flinch a few times too. Some of the acting, the dialogue or storytelling is a bit awkward and overdone. Then again this is what you get from a film of this caliber.
Don't knock it, you'll have fun.
The Nanny Diaries (2007)
A comedy that actually makes you sad most of the time.
Not sure what I think of this. We have a young girl, fresh out of school, bound to make it in the world take on a Nanny job. She has anthropological motives, she narrates, and basically studies a certain lifestyle that's supposed to be common to New York.
Now, I like the way the movie was made like a diary. I like the way they displayed things like in a museum (I forgot the name of those envirosomethings behind glass) and how Annie approached the entire situation almost scientifically. I like the actors, the acting, even though the kid was not convincing. He was a bit wooden, but he was only 6 or 7 years old so it's no disaster.
What really got me thinking is the reason why someone wanted to make a film like this. Is this really the way it is? Dads in important jobs spend no time at home, wives have no education and no jobs and still need Nannies? How screwed up do these children end up to be? I had the urge to punch every single one of those prissy child-producers (not calling them mothers) in that Parent something group. In a way it was a good film, because the characters really looked the part and you really wanted to beat them.
Anyhow, Scarlett is a fine actress and this is a fine film. Think about it, and try to be a good parent.
Trust (2010)
How do you say "awesome" to a movie with such a perverted theme?
Honestly, I got up a number of times to cuddle with my kid ... it's just tragic to watch.
Here we have a fun kid in a loving family, I guess her grades are fine, too. Along comes a man who chats up this girl and poses as a teen, then as a twen, then meets her and seduces her to have sex with him.
What's so great about this film is how it shows us the mindset kids at that age have. How important small things can be, how much they want to be loved, accepted, looked up to by others. We have a bright young girl who's so keen on what some anonymous person in another city thinks of her it makes you cry. Who gives a rat's ass? But obviously, this is what the whole world of high school kids revolves around and we all went through it and tend to forget.
If anything this film taught me to think back. Think back to when I was young, how much things mattered to me. I hope I'll keep this in mind with my son and not ignore meaningless issues that might mean the world to him.
Kudos to all the actors involved. Young Liana Liberato is a star, and the scene when it finally dawns on her what happened is heart wrenching. I've loved Clive Owen ever since he made Madonna pee herself (BMW films) and here he's not his usual cool but someone you identify with.
This film is a must-see, but you have to be in the right mood to watch it. It's a sensible subject, and if you're not in the mindset, put it away and watch it when you feel like you can tackle a thinker. And feel free to give in to your emotions.
Bellflower (2011)
Looks good, but boy is it weird
I had high hopes for this one. Pretty good ratings and a neat plot summary.
Long story short: I didn't finish it.
It starts out rather slow, but pleasantly so. You get used to the visuals (that I thought were a little overdone - like those instamatic iPhone pics that people think are artsy) and appreciate them, mostly, and you get a feel for the characters. You start to like the two dudes, their quirkiness and maybe even start to relate to them a bit, if you are/were quirky in your youth.
Up until the point where the main dude gets cheated on by his girlfriend. That's when things fall apart. Or at least they did for me, since I had to fast-forward the screaming girl parts (couldn't stand it) and I got lost in what was real and what not. Suddenly the movie jumps around the time-line, main dude goes mental, then he doesn't ... I didn't understand it and I didn't try to, in the end.
If this is a first for the director, it was very well done. I actually think the acting was pretty good, too, except some scenes seemed a little improvised (like the girl-fight scene, too much use of one single word and it seemed like this was the first take) and wooden. The visual style was neat, too, in a way. Like I said, overdone but not bad for the plot.
But as for the finale, I would have probably appreciated a linear storyline a lot more than this knotted up thing.
4 out of 10. Had a lot of potential, couldn't deliver it all, but OK all in all, even if I didn't finish it.
Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
Very, very good film
It's about a group of marines who basically save the world. We've heard that before :)
This film is very intense. It's basically one long, long fight with barely any pauses. Not the "let's run and shoot, then do some philosophizing, then let's shoot some more". These guys are in deep sh*t and they need to get out, and an overwhelming enemy won't let them catch their breath.
The visuals are stunning and give you a horribly good idea, what war is all about. Lots of exploding things, neat yet plausible weaponry on the alien side.
The acting is okay, and you don't really get any A-level superstars, but that doesn't make this movie any less fun to watch.
So my summary: give it a try, you'll like it. I hope there's a sequel, because I want to know more about these aliens!
Takers (2010)
Awesome!
I really liked "Lucky Number Slevin", so I thought I'd go watch this movie too. The bad reviews here troubled me some, but in the end it was well worth it.
The film has a great visual style and is well paced. There is only one subplot that I can think of that we could do without (that drug addict sister) but the rest was well done. The authors were well cast, their acting was good, and I think they played well together. It seemed like they had fun.
The action sequences were nice to look at, the robberies spectacular, lots of stuff gets blown up.
I suggest you watch this movie, you won't be disappointed. Some of you may look for more X and others will find it lacking in Y, but you can't say that this film is bad, that the actors are horrible or that the director doesn't know what he's doing.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and give it a 9, because it is up there with my personal favorites.
Faster (2010)
Not what I expected
I was anxious to see the movie due to the relatively good reviews I skimmed over on IMDb. 70s style revenge flic ... the Rock ... Billy Bob ... must be good, right? Wrong. It's slow paced with stupid dialogs, bad acting by all except for Billy Bob Thornton and almost a waste of your time. "The Rock" just drives around (in an awesome car), shoots people and looks menacing - or tries to. I constantly had to remind myself that his movie was not like "Be Cool". "The Rock" is actually not such a bad guy since he calls his victim's son to tell him his dad loves him (??), and then they try to cram in some childhood trauma to explain ... whatever.
What makes it worth renting on blu-ray are the really nice photography and the not-so bad story (that gets rather predictable after about two thirds of the movie). It's not at the top, but pretty high up there on my worst-movies-of-all-times list.
Predator 2 (1990)
Great continuation of the predator universe, horrible acting
I really like the predator creature. It repulses and impresses me at the same time. This movie is a great way to see more of that incredible being, yet the rest of the cast is so incredibly bad that most of the time you feel like you're watching a d-movie. Enter Danny Glover and you know that this is Hollywood, but even his appearances make you roll your eyes most of the time. The dialog is crap, it's like you take macho-lines from other movies and just mix it all together to get this movie. Interestingly, most of the characters had some kind of an accent. A nod to Arnie, maybe?
You need to see this film if you like the predator, or want to fill the missing link between Predator 1 and the newer AvP movies.
But it's far from eye candy!
Stay (2005)
Smooth, weird, interesting, fantastic!
I just finished watching this movie the second time (first time was months ago) and again it gives me a sort of happy/sad feeling for the rest of the evening.
This film is great. It's definitely a brain-teaser, it's visually very pleasing, and if you actually watch it properly it is quite simple to understand. The only mistake you will make is your trying to understand it while it's running. It unveils itself at the end. And if you don't get it, you were paying too much attention to the little details. They're fun to watch the second time around, but first-time watchers need to just sit back take it in, then understand it at the end.
SPOILER (maybe) ... It's actually not complicated. The end sequence on the bridge explains it all. There is no more interpreting necessary. The only thing that i criticize is Ewan McGregor's "Flashback" or "FlashForward" when he asks Naomi Watts if she wants to grab a cup of coffee. This is Hollywood trying to do something corny ... it's totally unnecessary. For me it would have been perfectly fine to imagine the two of them actually getting together after this incident, the irony being that Ryan Rosling pretty much predicted it in his half-coma. Trying to make it seem more important than it is, is just dumb.
The Detonator (2006)
worst movie i have seen in a long time
to start off, i'm easily pleased. i'm in no way a real critic, and movies that authentic critics, friends, family, and newspapers may find awful may even be fun for me to watch.
not this one however.
i got it since it was the newest wesley snipes movie in my DVD-store. i like snipes, but this was a let-down.
bad story, bad actors, continuity-glitches, crappy sound, depressing locations, a pseudo- cool snipes, i really had to force myself to finish the movie.
they even left some markings in the shots where a car was supposed to come to a stop.
and i'm not talking about "small production company/young director/low budget" kind of bad, where you may ignore some mistakes because you feel sympathy.
a wanna-be block buster action movie that disappoints like no other in a long time.
Edison (2005)
definitely worth watching!
i rented this on DVD, and i comment on it only now because i heard that this movie never made it into the theaters. what a shame. morgan freeman and kevin spacey are great actors, we all know that. but i was amazed at the performance of justin timberlake.
with pop stars turned actors, you very often notice them not really coming across as genuine. you notice it's a play they're in, and this really damages a movie. because after a few minutes, you are submersed in the plot, and along comes a bad actor that reminds you that this is only "for show", every time he's in the picture.
i really enjoyed this movie, the plot was solid, well thought-through and the actors were great.
this should have been in the movie theaters.