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akuma109
Reviews
Avatar (2009)
Could have been great...
Avatar was well filmed, had groundbreaking special effects, a great cast, and a great soundtrack (although Horner still made parts of this sound a little too much like 'Titanic'). Unfortunately, this film was almost ruined by its political overtones and predictability. The amount of references to politics (i.e. "shock and awe" and "your either with us or against us") transformed what could have been greatness into a predictable bunch of Bush bashing, with a predictable ending. Also, the predictability factor seemed even higher with the blatant copying of the forest battle in "Return of the Jedi" and perhaps a little from the "Dragon Riders of Pern" novels. Yes, it's still worth seeing, but it's just too blatant of a political soapbox and too predictable to be great. Too bad, but still fun.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
A great film despite minor technical errors!
Well, no spoilers here. Usually, I'd complain about a film with as many technical errors as in this film. Lets face it, 1970-80's 'Spruance' class destroyers and 'Knox' class frigates were seen getting bombed in the harbor and carriers had angled flight decks not seen until well after WWII. Even the use of the Missouri was an anachronism since it wasn't commissioned until 1944, but the film was great. It played out not only the brutality of the attack, but also displayed Japan's ambivalence towards initiating the strike, our own side's lack of preparedness, and the efforts of a few to warn of the impending attack. Finally, it displayed our preceding generation's ethic and bravery. Though a few ships may have been out of place, the historical significance of the event wasn't lost. Not to mention there were nice action scenes and a love story. Now, if you want to see what would have happened had those 1980's destroyers been there go watch "The Final Countdown"...
Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)
A great film... really a neo-classic.
In my rather uneducated opinion... this film has it all. First off, the film has a murder-mystery that is suspenseful and well thought out. Secondly, the film is one of the most romantic (without being overly so) that I've seen in a while. Next, the photography is stunning and artistic from beginning to end. Finally, it gives us look into an under emphasized element of American history. I won't say much more as that would spoil your seeing this great film!
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Suddenly VERY Ironic...
A good film. A humorous and dashing Bond. The ever-lovely Bond girls. Great special effects. The humor was a little to disgusting from time to time is my only complaint (i.e. Christmas only ... once a year.). The film is, though suddenly much more ironic (and sad) as Q spoke of leaving in the film, and died in real life, MI6 got bombed in the film, and did in real life (not to mention some tragic goings on with some real Russian submarines).
Screen One: Hostile Waters (1997)
Suddenly... a lot more relevant in 2000.
Not a bad film. The acting depicted the heroism and desperation that, as far as anyone (not in the submarine or military intelligence community) can know, really occurred. Based upon the truth (or at least what is generally known). After the 'Kursk' incident, this film seems a lot better and probably more realistic than other submarine movies... with the exception of 'Das Boot'. May not be 'edge of your seat' excitement, but certainly more real than "U-571".
Species (1995)
Could it get any worse?
While this film started with an interesting idea, it rapidly degenerated. It failed to be very scary, and mainly seemed to look for new ways to get the lead actress naked, not something good in a horror movie. Further, this film failed to take advantage of the wonderful resources they had in H. R. Giger's art and design cooperation. One of the all time worst, in my opinion.
Event Horizon (1997)
Not that bad...
Many people seem to really dislike this movie. I have now watched it several times and think it's really a pretty good film, for several reasons. First, the special effects were excellent (no one argues here). Secondly, the actors (gender neutral term here, folks) were excellent (Fishburne, Neil, and Quinlan are all big names). Next, this film went beyond many sci-fi flicks in that there was not the simplicity of a nice ugly creature to shoot at. Next, it was rich in symbolism (e.g. the ship being in the shape of a giant crucifix). In addition, the sound-track combined the modern sounds of 'Orbital' with symphonic sounds which is a nice mix. Also, parts of the film, though very graphic at parts, made very great impressions by what they did NOT show you (letting you use your brain and imagination, which many newer films don't). Finally, the ending was not a standard horror ending, but one that took a little intestinal fortitude (aka. Guts) to use (I won't say more about why I liked the end as it would spoil it). In conclusion, give this film a fair chance when you go to see it.