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nonyz
Reviews
The Beach (2000)
What a letdown!
3 words - Biggest Letdown Ever!
After seeing the beautiful trailers and listening to "Pure Shores" by All Saints I was so geared up to see this movie! And for the first 30 minutes I still had hope, that this might just turn out to be a movie close to my heart. After that nothing spectacular seemed to happen and then in the last 40 minutes the movie got sooooo screwed up it was hard to believe. It's like the writers said "Oh what the hell, we aren't making anything really good so let's just really make it suck, that might work!!" Leonardo is portrayed an as unethical sleazebag bummed-out liar, one gets the feeling that this actor can get only as good as his director - too bad there was no James Cameron to make him shine this time. Ledoyen barely has 12 lines to her credit and is so under-used we really can't pass judgement on her. The other performances are all very average. We don't really get to know any characters really well either. The only character who gets you to care about him is Etienne, played very well by Guillaume Canet, who too was by the way, under-used. Add some really unpleasant scenes of fresh shark chewed legs and stale gangrenous legs and you have something that you don't exactly want to encounter in your hunt for paradise. The dialog is simply juvenile and pathetic. It tries in a half-hearted and copy-cat way to be cool but fails MISERABLY! The location is question is undoubtably beautiful, the huge waterfall takes your breath away and so does the moonlit beach. One thing that put me off was that this beach was totally enclosed by huge rocky hills giving it a somewhat claustro feel. It was more a lake than a sea. An an eerie lake of death judging by it's man-eating inhabitants. Maybe they could shoot the next Jaws here. . . seriously! There are 2 kinds of people who'll want to see this movie, those interested in the concept of a sea-paradise and those crazed by Leo. I know the former will be let down. As for the latter, well it depends how crazed they are!
Before Sunrise (1995)
Amazingly involving
This movie is about a short but strong relationship between 2 strangers. The location is unique and spectacular. The actors are amazing, both Hawke and Delpy are absolutely believable. The writing is sooooo damn natural and realistic you forget it's a movie - instead YOU will have a relationship with either Hawke or Delpy (depending on how you're inclined).
This movie is a MUST for all hopeless romantics! Although most of it is just these 2 conversing among themselves, that for me was the BEST aspect of this movie. Movies like these show us once again (as many of us have forgotten) the raw power of a beautiful film. By the end you will have been through the relationship yourself and feel the same mixed feelings of contentment, sadness, exhaustion and whatever else the actors are supposed to be feeling. RENT THIS ONE NOW!!! TRUST ME, YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT!
Scam (1993)
Warm like Jamaican Rum
It's strange how the least known movies sometimes end up amongst the best you've seen. This movie has all the elements of a standard modern day thriller, guns, techno, baddies, cash, etc, and yet it stands out from your average Hollywood also-ran. I would credit this to two very charismatic people. Christopher Walken has a cool confidence and Lorraine Bracco is one of the warmest and sexiest women I've ever seen on screen. Another major reason why this film stands out is coz the setting shifts to Jamaica after the beginning. The Jamaican resort is so beautiful you'll wish you were there sitting by the pool at night, with a Run'n'Coke. . . .I know I did. I'm very glad I saw this movie - it was just too nice to miss!
Point Break (1991)
TRANCE OUT!
This is simply one of THE BEST movies I have ever seen. Keanu Reeves does a great job as an undercover FBI agent, hanging out at some really scenic California beaches, looking out for a gang of bank robbers who also happen to be surfers. Reeves is great and yet outclassed by Patrick Swayze who plays the philosopher/leader/guru of his gang of surfers. The beautiful beaches and the camaraderie amongst the surfers combined with their super-cool lifestyles made me wanna be there and be a part of them. Gary Busey too has a fairly decent part to play and is at his growling, macho best. I personally don't freak for Lori Petty but her role suited her and she's done a great job. Although there's a lot of stuff going on, for me the movie was about Swayze's philosophy - that freedom is penultimate, and you don't need to live by anybody's rules when you can make your own. I cannot praise this movie enough. Not everybody is destined to see something this great. . . it's gotta be written in your Karma!