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Reviews
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Pretentious paint by numbers thriller !!!!
I cant believe that Ron Howard who directed the excellent thriller "Backdraft" was a part of this perfectly flawed movie. All the actors terribly miscast and the make-up of the albino priest is rather fake.
I did'not read the book but the film making is beyond saving, I am also sick and tired of glossy visuals and quite cuts that give the audience an insight to the characters.Most of the lines are delivered in the most wooden manner possible. It simply doesn't work. This sort of movie should be made with idea that adults will watch the same way we watched The Fugative,Three Days of the Condor or The Interpreter.
Your better off watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Collateral Damage (2002)
THE DAMAGE IS NOT THAT BAD.
Arnold Arnold,poor chap once he was the biggest thing to hit the big screen with action but today he's struggling to please even his hard core fans.I need not remind you how badly the 6th day turned out I mean the worst execution I have seen from a Director!The End Of Days was not that great either.So it seems that it's about time he made a comeback but this movie isn't the answer either,you see the problem here is Arnold is too soft and the action seems relatively mild compared with True Lies(SUPERB) and Total Recall(very violent).
The movie is directed by Andrew Davis who is better known for The Fugative and Under Siege.I liked the message in this movie where terrorists are actually smarter than we think and the final plot twists but Arnold unfortunately doesn't get to do soo much and this makes the movie rather empty.The Big Dude does not act like he knows everything and that is good shows he's heading in the direction of veteran action stars like Connery and Eastwood where they talk less and give more presence.
I did not like the supporting cast very much either and maybe it again had something to do with the fact that they were not allowed to talk and the leading terrorist is not effective and he looks really bad.
The action scenes are superb and they are cut very well to fit the story so whenever you see the action the film does not let you down.I wish if it was more violent and moved a bit faster.
I do disagree with most reviews who say that this film is typical Arnie movie it's a lot better and I think the big guy will do much better with Terminator 3 and True Lies 2.
Just the Ticket (1998)
SOLID PIECE OF WORK!
I saw this movie on cable a a couple of days ago and loved it.I guess the only reason why I never bothered to watch this was that an early movie review on BBC was not very positive.I also did not like the poster so everytime I saw a pic of this movie I got fed up!
Well enough is enough.This is a very nice movie with all the right cliches.It gets your attension and fills you up just when you thought it was all over.
Garcia plays a ticket scalper who tries to find the ONE job that he can do to retire and be with the girl he loves plyed by Mcdowell.But fate has other plans for him as he realises as there is no such thing as last job and people don't wait all day for you to finish.
It is more or less about life and what sohuld matter to you. I highly recomend you to watch this movie.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
A PROMISING FUTURE FOR THE FRANCHISE.
Jurassic Park 3 holds more excitement than the first two movies simply for the fact that we see more dinosaurs and the Vertigo esque camera movements adopted by Dir J Jhonston works like a charm.
I did not like the story very much unlike the first and thought that they should have spent more time on character devolopments and less running,remember in the first Sam Neil scared us with his ability to tell what dinosaurs are capable of and not how they ate the lawyer.In this film this is the point whre the film fails to impress as the Dir depends too much on the Dino's without any dialogue.
The film is photographed in a very gloomy atmosphere and the camera work is quite impressive and I can see another JP film on the horizon.
The story revolves around a couple (played by Leoni and Macy) with the aid of Dr Grant tries to rescue their son and escape the island before they are eaten alive.I don't like explaining the plot but all I can say is that this film reminded me of Goldeneye as there is a lot of action and is directed in a very stylish and slick manner.It lacks solid characters and more importantly bit of gore/violence.
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
THE FRONT ACTION FILM OF THE YEAR!
Yes I am not kidding but this is the only solid action movie to come out this summer which did not feature Mummy's or Dinosaurs or even lame computer hackers named after gaming fish!
Can you recall the time when we saw actors like Connery and Cage battling to save San Francisco?Or the time that Bruce Willis had to violently kill three people in an elevator in Die Hard with a Vengance and the comic pairing of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in a no holds bar action flick called Bad Boys????Well it seems that those films were in the past and today we have to rely on heavy special effects and PG-rated action movies to satisfy our appetites(Blame it on the Mummy and Armageddon).
Well at least this film is a step above from the rest of what was offered this year and basically if it reminds you of Top Gun and Star Wars at the same time I really don't care because this film was a real crowd pleaser for me.
Owen Wilson plays Burnett a gung-ho pilot (do you know any other) who must survive and save his country from an international incident.I do not like discussing the plot but all I can tell you is that I enjoyed this film and it is filmed with every style of MTV film making you can imagine so that the audience can recodnise the young Wilson in his first solo action flick.It worked well for me,so don't fuss about how it should have had this and that cos you know you can't really do much to change the film now except just watch it so just watch it!
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
THE COOL AND THE GANG!
I have to start this review by saying that I had never seen the original nor do I have any intention to watch it because of Frank (the egotistic) Sinatra.I did however enjoy the new film in the same spirit and fun of The Thomas Crown Affair(the one with Pierce Brosnan).
First off is the cast which is lead by Clooney and Pitt who now seem to enjoy the cool and sexy reputation that of Connery and Redford.I like their combination and it seemed to work well,also are the hilarious casting of Elliot Gould and Don Cheadle who plays a casino owner and pyrotechnician.The rest of the high profile cast which includes Roberts,Garcia and the ever enjoyable Riener lead the way to a good old fashion heist flick.
When I mean old fashion I mean the camera work that you see in the movie which will obviously draw your attension to sixties Bond movies and Bullit.I kind of liked that feeling where the camera goes out of focus\and blurs and then moves on to the next scene like a dream sequence.I also enjoyed the fact that they did not make Vegas look like some gawdy,bright red and yellow show girls everywhere you look kind of image.It is quite similar to the look of Indecent Proposal.
The film virtually centres arround Vegas where Danny Ocean and his buddy Rusty plans to steal $150 million from a Vegas casino during Boxing night.It's all pretty straight forward and you got to hand it to the Director who gives you everything strait up with no twists leaving the actors to do thier respective parts.Don't expect an 'Entrapment' or 'Thomas Crown Affair' ending to this film because that is not what they are aiming at.
My only regret in this movie was the soundtrack and I wish that it would have been handed over to pro's like Burt Bacharach or John Barry.The reason for this is that I could almost hear a really smooth pop/jazz track whenever they show the gang at work.David Holmes is a good composer but the old guys would have done it better.
Steven Soderbergh score's 10 points for this movie because he makes his actors deliver performances and does not worry too much about plot twists and that in itself came to me a big surprise.
The Tailor of Panama (2001)
DIRTY ROTTEN SPIES.......
The film is about two overly ambitious men who try their level best to create a political unrest between the governments of Panama and the U.S.Their ultimate motivation to do this amounts to nothing more than money.The funny bit is one while one perverted Spy the other is tale spinning Tailor who can only along with each other with blackmail and greed.
Well it's been a while since John Boorman made a high profile film and more importantly a light comedy.The film does not take itself too seriously and you know that from the the opening scene in London but that does not hurt the relationship between the characters aswell since they are both playing two big loosers'.
I could not understand why this film did not receive any publicity because the subject matter can be quite close to home...as in you know there are hidden conspiracies in any government whenever they decide to go to war and the idea of military sanctions are far too common to mention.
The film unlike beyond Rangoon or Deliverance(a must see) is not very gritty leaving the plot dry towards the end it almost seems predictable.Jaime Lee Curtis gives the usual strong female lead keeping us glued to the screen with her ......ahem great body!Yes she also helps the film by increasing the tension and bringing out the best in Pierce Brosnan as a nasty British spy who's only interest seems to be to profit from creating tension with situations so he can can either cheat or bed them.His character has the greatest potential to be every bit the nasty Englishman he wants to be,note his idea's of having a relationships with women(very very Austin Powers and less Bond).Geoffrey Rush tries to make the best out of character but he's left with nothing new to give out to the audience than a spineless man.I mean you could have given the guy more lines so he won't come out sounding like a guy who's suffering from midlife crisis.
If Boorman made this film a bit more gritty/crude I am sure this would have been the next Wag the Dog!!!!!Don't get me wrong though it is a fun film but a bit cheesy maybe......but fun and it is soo nice to see Pierce Brosnan heading in positive direction in his career rather than wasting it like the rest of the Bonds(I don't mean Connery).
What Lies Beneath (2000)
A TOP LOOSER MOVIE
I was waiting the whole year to see this movie and only to realise it's not even worth the thought.Robert Zemickis tries a Hitchcok approach to this film and fails miserably.Half the time you see the lead actors doing nothing,just looking.The most annoying thing yet about this film is the trailer which does give away half the story.It looks as if though the writers penned the script after watching an episode on Discovery's Medical Detectives. The few scary moments added to the movie work but that's all you get two scenes of terror.I wonder if Ford's agent is conspiring against the sure crowd pleaser.I was soo dissapointed in this movie.I'd rather watch the The Omen or The Sixth Sense than this film.
I know Ford can do much better than this!
Road Trip (2000)
MUCH BETTER THAN AMERICAN PIE!!!!!!!!
I was laughing my head off when I saw this movie it was soo much of fun and gross.The plot involves a group of college buddies taking a trip and to save a relationship.What happens from there onwards are a series of funny incidents.This film has a touch of the 80's with nudity and gross out characters which makes the film very watchable.
The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
A WHOLESOME COMEDY!!!!
Fun for the whole family.This is a feel good movie with a twist.Mathew Perry is really funny in this movie and makes up for all the mistakes and stupid acting by Kevin Pollack and Bruce Willis(he is overdoing it here).Natasha Henstringe is a pleasure to watch and the story involving hitmen and divorcing and adultry is hilarious and is soo much fun to watch.
Gladiator (2000)
A TRUE RIDLEY SCOTT MOVIE
Ridley Scott who is in my opinion one of the greatest movie directors in Hollywood history is back in form mixing style and substance very cleverly to deliver a movie that will catch your heart and your imagination.It is quite similar to Braveheart actually since the story does involve a fallen soldier seeking justice.
Scott who did not have a very goodtime in the nineties except for Thelma and Loiuse is in top form here and showing everybody what is talents are whether it is action drama or beautiful sets.Jaquain De Phoinex gives a very convincing and admirable Performance as the spoilt Prince.Costumes are beautiful and I will be very suprised if it does not get an Oscar nomination.
Isn't She Great (2000)
ISN'T THAT GREAT!
I saw this movie a while ago and thought it was nice and sweet and nothing exceptional however the music by Burt Bacharach and Hal David along with Dionne Warwicke is Magical.I think the soundtrack is unbelievably astounding.Nathan Lane for some reason is not very convincing to me but I am sure it will be one of those movies that will be really popular on Cable.
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
DO YOU REMEMBER TEAMWORK IN MISSION IMPOSSIBLE!!!!
The movie is very eye-catching like the first but more Tomorrow Never Dies than The World is not enough,which does help the movie allot.There are some pretty nifty scenes involving skydiving and car chases but at the end of it is looks just like an ordinary action film where the lead actor calls the shots and the rest are just there to make him look good.
In the sixties when they did the TV series it was all about Team Work and nothing else.I liked this movie better than the original but I wish there were more dialogue than just a boy and a girl in Love and being overly mushy,the biggest problem I saw was Thandie Newton who seems a terrible miscast and sounds just like Catherine Zeta Jones.
American Beauty (1999)
A BEAUTIFUL MOVIE!
Sarcastic and sadistic this movie probably deals with everything from sexuality to redundantcy.I think that this is one of the best movies of the year.Certainly deserves any award that comes along but I have bad feeling that it might be forgotten in the Oscar race next year.Still that is no reason why you should not watch this movie.
Kevin Spacey is simply irresistable.The movie deals with a middle aged man reaching the point of extreme frustration with his and decides to turn it around when he develops a crush for his teenage daughter's best friend.Quipped with some of the best one-liner's since As good as it gets this film delivers the goods on time.
Watch it!
Heaven's Burning (1997)
I like !
A very funny and extremely sadistic movie,usually not my type though a road movie I mean.I don't like Crowe either.The movie is fun from the start and the plot gets intresting with a clash of Samurai meets thief with a heart.
Watch this movie...it is really funny!
The 13th Warrior (1999)
A bit slow but engaging!
Two years in the making and $100 million plus budget this movie does have alot to live upto but often fails...For onething the movie is shot in the most gloomiest manner making it virtualy impossible to consontrate.Bandera's has very little to do in this movie and so does everyone else as the story takes place in the lamest possible way.
The idea is very intruiging and the battle scenes are impressive but they are not very long and they lack the necessary tension needed to keep the story moving in a positive direction.Director John Mctiernan must have had a time doing this movie.
The story is about a group of Viking's sent to rescue a village plauged by a mysterious group of warriors of unknown human origin.They attack the village in the night and leave no trails of their wounded.
Bandera's playing an Arabian Prince in this movie is the rookie warrior who sets sail on the journey .
It could have been alot better than this if they paid more attension to plot than detail.
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
An Affair of Heist Proportions!
I liked this movie,it was fun and entertaining at the same time!Unlike it's predecessor Entrapment this movie does not deal with alot of action,instead it has a really nice Affair between the two leads Brosnan(Thomas Crown) and Russo(Banning).
A neat opening sequence full of suspense and Brosnan plays Crown with his Eyes Wide Shut..(aham) because he fits the role like a glove and Russo gets a rare chance to show-off her really sexy side especially during the Dance sequence with her netted evening gown.Hot!
The film involves a Billionnare businessman(Crown) bored with life who in turn steals a 100 million dollar painting (A Monet) and finds out the greatest challenge is yet to be faced....a relationship.Enter Rene Russo who plays a insurance investigator Catherine Banning set out to find the thief.
A nice soundtrack with some really cool photography and the perfect ward drobe.Directed by John Mctiernan(Die Hard With A Vengence and Predator) keeps the film engaging on all aspects and delivers one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen in a long time.Good for Brosnan as well who also happens to be the Producer of this film.
The Astronaut's Wife (1999)
SEEK A DIVORCE FROM THIS MOVIE IMMEDIATELY!
A terrible waste of time and money.There is nothing interesting about the characters in the movie nor is there anything scarrey about them.I mean seriously Johnny Depp seems to as clueless as we are about the story and Chalize Theron is completely wasted!
The only thing remotely engaging about this film is the Production Design.That is it folks...a very cheap rip-off of Rosmery's Baby meets Species meets really bad imagination equals The Astronauts Wife.
Entrapment (1999)
A very cool and stylish thriller.
You don't get to see much films like this anymore.Connery gives a very refined and believable performance as gentleman thief who is under investigation by Zeta-Jones.The characters in this film are not many but they are carefully written to warm the hearts of audiences of all ages whether it is love or adventure you're looking for Entrapment has it all and more.
The story begins with a remarkable bunjee jump in New York and then the film takes you to England and Malaysia.Connery's character "Mac' is pursued by insurance investigator Catherine Zeta-Jones who plays "Gin',but as the story moves we discover that there are more twists and turns to this movie than your average thriller.Basically the movie centers around Petrons Towers in Malaysia,this is where the loot is for a billion dollar robbery.Photographed beautifully and with an equally engaging music score,the full credit however is in the hands of Jon Amiel who previously directed the totally miscast Copycat handles the film brilliantly by focusing on the story rather than the action.
What I really enjoyed about this film is that it is very Hitchcock type story telling where the characters take the center piece and the rest is just wallpaper.