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ddubbert
Reviews
Atlal (2006)
Agonizing and Painful
I saw this movie as part of the Tribeca Film Festival, and could not believe that it had been given an entry. This movie is grindingly slow, disconnected, and boring. The movie centers around a certain Dr. Khalil, who we are informed at the beginning of the movie, has just been through a relatively severe illness and fever. We later find out that this all developed shortly after he was attacked. At the same time, the movie is interspersed with scenes showing police discovering the bodies of victims who had died by a human bite to the throat. In addition, scenes of a woman tap-dancing against an all-black background are included - to the best of my knowledge and understanding of the movie, this has nothing to do with anything. Slowly Khalil is shown to be interested in the victims, and we begin to suspect that his own attack may have been similar. I can't really go much further into the plot without risking giving away a spoiler, but suffice it to say that the doctor seems to be approaching a crisis of conscience, which spins him out of control of his own life. For some reason, the director seems to have believed that interminable shots of the doctor wandering the streets, sitting in his apartment, or sitting at his desk in the hospital will in some way enlighten us. They don't. If you must see this movie, be sure to drink plenty of coffee so that you won't rudely fall asleep. It might also be helpful to bring an iPod if you find that you need something extra to pull your attention off of the dreck on the screen.
Kicking & Screaming (2005)
Horrible, even for a Will Ferrell Fan
This is the worst movie that I've seen in years. Everybody keeps talking about what a barrel of laughs it is, but I just didn't see it. Will Farrell isn't funny, he's a whining brat that you just want to smack around. He cries all the time, can't really coach, and receives no respect from his team. Frankly, I was rooting for his dad's team to win. Yes, it is a movie aimed more at kids, but I would have expected Ferrell to be funny nonetheless. It isn't as if his humor is raunchy and needed to be toned down. I admit, it could be that I've just gotten tired of him, but my girlfriend and I went to see this, and from 15 minutes in, both of us just couldn't wait for it to be over. Don't be deceived, this movie has nothing going for it.