Wham-3 Reviews

Her (2013)

It could have been so much more

[6/10 · 31 January 2015]

Great concept but not so great on the execution. Good performances by the cast and and quality production values couldn't make up for the flaws. I really appreciated what the intentions were behind the story, but why was it told in such a lifeless way? The two big problems are the slow pace of the film and the almost total lack of any sense of humor. About 45 minutes in I was about ready to tune out. My mind started to drift as there wasn't enough substance to sustain the plot. Editing out about thirty minutes would have helped a lot. The bigger sin is the dry, lifeless presentation. Why Spike Jonze decided to make this a humorless endeavor baffles me. All the wit exhibited in his previous films was missing here. The second half had a few twists that save it from being a total loss. It seems like such a wasted opportunity to make cutting social commentary on our device obsessed culture.

The Stepford Wives (2004)

How could you go wrong with this cast?

[3/10 · 1 January 2005]

How could you miss with Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Glenn Close, and Christopher Walken to pull it off. Apparently you can miss by a mile as the Stepford Wives proves. This tongue-in-cheek remake of the 1975 thriller has nothing to recommend it. The plot, which everyone knows, revolves around the transformation of women who move to Stepford into perfect wifely automotons. This movie adds absolutely nothing to this well known storyline other than adding gay, and canine transformations into the mix. This remake does to itself what the antagonist does in the plot. Takes intelligent and thoughtful material and turns it into inane but pretty blather blather. See the original. 3 out of 10.

Blade: Trinity (2004)

Pretty Slick

[6/10 · 17 December 2004]

This movie is not for everyone, but if you liked the last 2 Blade movies Wesley Snipes has kept the tradition alive. Good villains, good supporting cast, and well paced action. The story, which revolves around resurrecting Dracula to battle Blade, holds together OK and the fight scenes are very cool. Parker Posey was surprisingly good as the evil mastermind. After seeing this, I don't think there is any role she can't pull off. While the movie rehashes the basic plot lines from the previous Blade outings (gotta find a way to subjugate the humans and defeat Blade), there are some original twists, subtle political jabs, and more humor than the last time around. 6 out of 10.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Seen the ads, you've seen the movie!

[5/10 · 31 May 2004]

I went to this movie expecting to see some state of the art special effects and not much else. But there isn't anything more to see than what you've already seen in the ads: tornadoes in LA and a 25 foot storm surge in Manhatten. Everything else is snow storms and satellite images on weather screens. The scenes last longer in the movie but it's not enough to recommend the film to anyone like me who expected to see some good effects on the big screen. The rest of the story is all tired plot lines rehashed from other disaster movies. And as for all the hype this movie is getting about the Dick Cheney look alike veep, that's a lot more interesting to talk about on Fox than to see in the film. Don't bother.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Brilliant and insightful

[10/10 · 29 March 2004]

It's good to know there are still movies made that have the screenplay as the most important element. The writers of Eternal Sunshine bring us a story that shows real insight into affairs of the heart. How we move from being passionate lovers to not being able to stand the sight of each other, and why we never seem to learn and do it over and over again; a sort of Groundhog Day of relationships. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are perfect as the ultimately doomed lovers. The story unfolds in a creative and entertaining way that makes us see that the old cliche is true: it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. 10 out of 10.

Cold Mountain (2003)

Disappointing

[6/10 · 13 January 2004]

For all its noble intentions this movie never gets off the ground. The opening battle sequences fall short of the mark and everything afterwords does as well. The usually admirable Jude Law seems to sleep walk through his role; Nicole Kidman never seems to fit the part of Ada, Donald Sutherland is miscast, and Renee Zelwinger is a stereotype. John Phillip Seymour has the only interesting, if unbelievable, role in the whole effort. 5 out of 10.

Kaaterskill Falls (2001)

Strangely mesmerizing

[6/10 · 25 October 2003]

This is not a gripping movie, but it has a believability to it that I find unique. Three quite ordinary people move through a weekend hiking in the country engaging in ordinary conversations and non-movielike dialogue. There are some cinematic techniques used seemingly to keep us more interested than we would be otherwise. It's good to hang in until the end because there are two unexpected and provocative twists that will make this movie stay with you and provide great grist for indie movie conversations. 6.5 out of 10.

Far from Heaven (2002)

Needs some subtlety

[6/10 · 7 April 2003]

I was really looking forward to seeing Far From Heaven after having read several excellent reviews. It turned out to be a big disappointment. Everybody in the movie is a cliche. Everything is spelled out in black and white (no pun intended). A little bit of subtlety would have gone a long way to making this movie more interesting. It does have its good points. Juliana Moore is beautiful and the feel of the 50's is captured nicely. Still I can't muster more than a C+.

In the Bedroom (2001)

Good but slow

[7/10 · 9 February 2003]

I enjoyed the first half of this movie a lot more than the 2nd half. From what starts off as a compelling story that keeps you guessing about where the story is taking you, it devolves into a predictable conclusion that takes way too long to get to.

Taboo (1999)

Looking for something different

[7/10 · 8 June 2002]

Lately, I seem to come across the best movies while surfing through the pay channels late at night. Gohatto is unlike any film I've ever seen. The matter-of-fact story telling style of homo-erotic Samuri warrior fantasies is unusual to say the least. The other reviews of this movie give a good idea of all the deeper meanings and symbolisms so I won't try and go into that. But I will recommend this film if you are looking for something off-beat with interesting characters and a compelling story. 7 out of 10.

Thir13en Ghosts (2001)

Better than I expected

[6/10 · 13 May 2002]

I was pleasantly suprised by the scariness this movie managed to evoke. Most horror movies don't manage to give a hard core viewer the creeps no matter how many gross special effects they employ. Ususally what you get is more of a squeamishness at the grossness of it all. The ghosts in this flick do manage to convey a sense of menace. It's too bad the living cast isn't nearly as effective, otherwise this might have been a really good ghost story. Still, the special effects are creative and the glass house is a nice touch. 6 out of 10.

Perdita Durango (1997)

Perverse - I loved it

[7/10 · 3 May 2002]

I stumbled into this film while channel surfing the other night and couldn't turn it off. There's something compelling about the performances of Javier Bardem and Rosie Perez that transform this film from what could have been a mediocre exploitation film to something well worth watching. There's a lot of original thinking here and luckily the director and editor got the mix just right to pull of a real gem. There is a mix of comedy, romance, evil, pathos and irony blended in a way to keep you off balance and always wondering what's around the next corner (what's with the fetuses?). 7 out of 10.

Frailty (2001)

Dark and depressing!

[5/10 · 13 April 2002]

I went to see this based on the fine cast and interesting sounding story line. Too bad it didn't quite live up to its potential. The cast does its part but the mood is relentlessly dark from beginning to end. There is nothing to lighten the mood even intermittenly, so the end result is a depressing feeling that became my overall impression of the film. Not recommended for dates. 5 out of 10.

American History X (1998)

Good start that fizzles out

[6/10 · 1 September 2000]

American History X grabbed my attention off the bat. It's an intriguing to look into the world of young, alienated white supremacists. However, midstream it bogs down into a cliched, sentimental and predictable story. Hopefully someone will do better justice to this topic in the future.