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chewbar7
Reviews
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Over-Hyped Action Fest.
I'll start with the plus points...The action scenes in this film are up there with the be stand the special effects can't be called bad. Sadly that's where the good bits end. This film is terrible. The acting isn't great [the one-liners are laughable], the plot is poor and the script[!], awful! I don't think there's anyone out there who understood what was said by the Oracle and the Architect or why they said it. The Bullet Time sequence with Trinity looks horrible and why, oh why, was it shown 3 times?! [answers on a postcard please]. As was Trinity's motorcycle fight [again, answers on a postcard]. The whole Neo being able to fly idea is just stupid and the whole rave/orgy scene in Zion is the pinnacle of patheticness. Speaking of patheticness, at the end when Neo removes the bullet from trinity, that could possibly be one of most appauling scenes in cinema history...Right up there with the whole dodgy French guy scene.
The amount of anticipation that preceeded this film, and the amount of expectation that fans of the first film held, was increased cleverly by Joel Silver and co. because I think this film must have relied the hype to gain it's box office takings, as it definitly falls well short of what i call "entertainment". So overall, a much hyped successful failure - as hordes of people went to see it and so it generated lots of money making it a success for the production company, but i don't think that the majority of viewers will be rushing to buy the DVD. Oh, and i'm just going to add that Revolutions looks poor too.
Ned Kelly (2003)
Good, but could have been so much better...
[!!THIS PIECE CONTAINS SPOILERS!!] I went into this film, not knowing too much about the Kelly legend so wasn't too bothered about historical inaccuracies. However, i knew that Naomi Watts' character wasn't real and the review i read gave me the impression that the romance between her and ledger would dominate the story. I was most pleased to find out otherwise and infact i thought she was a clever inclusion, especially when she turned him away when he asked for her to tell the truth concerning his whereabouts. Everyone produced excellent performances [despite some dodgy accents], and i feel it was the script and direction that let the film down. I felt that some things weren't explained as fully and clearly as they should have been and there were way too many shots of scenery and wildlife with a voiceover. Also, the relationships within the gang weren't portrayed strongly enough. Ned bearly acknowledged Steve Hart's [Barantini] presence, there was minimal contact between Ned and his brother, Dan [Kinlan] and Joe Byrne [Bloom] i don't think spoke to either Hart or Dan Kelly. Towards the end,the film had lost steam and had lost the connection between characters and the audience. I just really care if they lived or died. Although, having said that, when Hart and Dan Kelly were shown in the burning building deciding on suicide, i was very moved and did feel sorry for them. Overall, i'd give the film 3/5, but it had the potential to be 6/5.
X2 (2003)
Damn Good.
I'll be honest with you, i went into this movie without much expectation as i didn't think much of the first film. However, after seeing the trailers for it my hopes rose slightly and then when i eventually saw it, i was amazed. This film actually turned out to be one of the most indulging motion pictures i've seen in a while. Hugh Jackman, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming and Ian McKellen were all excellent, the action scenes were impressive and plentiful and character development was very well incorporated into the script. All round a very good film, i've given it a 9 and i think i'll have to watch the first one again soon.
Deathwatch (2002)
Simply Awful.
What the hell was this film trying to be? The first thing we see, the caption stating "The Western Front, 1917" isn't exactly the most specific thing in the world now is it, but i could live with that. However, what i couldn't understand is how the group came to be lost in the first place. Before we see them wandering through the mist, Hugo Speer's character is tangled in barbed wire, unable to move. No explaination is given as to how he escapes that barbed wire. Also, HOW IN GOD'S NAME DO YOU GET LOST FROM A WW1 BATTLE FIELD?!?!?!?!?!?!?! The only credit i can give this film is some decent acting [not from Jamie Bell, however] and a very original scene where the injured man has his legs eaten by rats. The worst thing about the film has got to be the ending, though. From when Jamie Bell fell into the caves or whatever the hell they were everything was just awful. And the evil German guy who was actually the personification of evil or something suddenly speaking English and letting Bell walk of into the mist? That was just terrible. All i can say is that i hope Jamie Bell died somewhere in the wilderness due to his lack of EVERYTHING he would need to survive!
The Bunker (2001)
Confused.
This film is awful, simple as. It has no plot at all really and it looks as if the director got confused half way through as half of the actions made no sense at all. And also, if anybody knows, what in the name of god was the point in the old dude telling that story about the priest that "lived" 1000 years ago or whatever it was. When he said it i thought: "Ahh, well that means that the priest will be behind all the murders". But no, instead it had nothing to do with anything just like alot of other stuff in the film.
Daredevil (2003)
Awful
Yet another example of crap comic book adaptions and this is the worst of the lot. The acting from Affleck is laughable and his voice over and the beginning is even worse. Jennifer Garner's performance was midly more bearable but still poor, whilst Michael Clarke Duncan - except not being able to smoke a cigar properly - and Colin Farrell were brief relief from the poor performances. And when i say "brief" i mean "brief". Their screentime is minimal which was also disappointing. To me, the director seemed to be more bothered about adapting the story from the comic book correctly rather than concentrating on ANYTHING else. For anyone who hasn't seen this film, DON'T!
Dog Soldiers (2002)
pretty good for what it is.
For a cheap, British horror film i thought it was pretty good. I didn't have many expectations before i saw it, but afterwards i was left quite pleased. I must admit Dog Soldiers isn't going to win any awards, but it's well worth a watch.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
decent film.
I think that the film took quite a while for the jokes to start, with the first 30 minutes [ish] focussing on setting the scenen for the rest of the film. Having said that, however, there are some hilarious moments. Overall a pretty good watch. One major thing i did disagree with though is when Jeff Bridges said "I hate the f***ing Eagles" - the eagles rule. Also, why did Steve Buscemi [Donny] have to die?
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Pretty Damn Good.
This has got to be one of the best war films of all time. Doing justice to actual events of Omaha beach by accurately representing the landings of June 6th was the thing that clinched my liking of the film - despite it being the opening 20 minutes. So very many films stray from the truth in order to make the film more exciting and the visual effects more pronounced, which isn't a big problem to me, as long as it's tasteful. Further developments in the film also increased how much i enjoyed the film. Well filmed action sequences littered with plot development really keep the film going, however, after the first 2 or 3 times some of the characters can become dull [Pvt. Melish for example]. Typically good acting from Tom Hanks is complimented by good performances from Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies and even Vin Diesel - in his best role to date. Overall a very good film, but don't over watch it.
Daredevil (2003)
Awful
Yet another example of crap comic book adaptions and this is the worst of the lot. The acting from Affleck is laughable and his voice over and the beginning is even worse. Jennifer Garner's performance was midly more bearable but still poor, whilst Michael Clarke Duncan - except not being able to smoke a cigar properly - and Colin Farrell were brief relief from the poor performances. And when i say "brief" i mean "brief". Their screentime is minimal which was also disappointing. To me, the director seemed to be more bothered about adapting the story from the comic book correctly rather than concentrating on ANYTHING else. For anyone who hasn't seen this film, DON'T!
Crocodile 2: Death Swamp (2002)
Awful
This has got to be one of the worst films i've ever seen in in my entire life. It was absolutely diabolical. Crappy acting [at best] and a terrible script - This film only deserved a 1/10, although i was left laughing at the deaths which convinced me to push it up to a 2/10.
Equilibrium (2002)
Excellent
I'll be honest, after seeing the trailer i thought " looks ok, probably go and see that one." And let me tell you, after seeing it i was amazed at the quality of this film and saw it again the day after. I was impressed by the way that the film was put together, with the director knowing the right times to include an action sequence in order to keep the audience entertained and yet in doing so he didn't lose touch with the story. The acting was excellent, with relatively unexperienced actors [Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs etc] i thought that perhaps the challenge of showing no emotion would be too difficult - i was wrong. Except for maybe a few too many smiles from Diggs, emotion hardly crept into their performances. Also, along witht the direction and acting, the visual effects and fight correography were both immacualte. Definitley one to watch more than once.
Black Hawk Down (2001)
one of my favourites.
I must say that Ridley Scott has done a fantastic job on this film. Along with casting, the special effects, storyline and editing were all excellent. I also have to confess that when i first saw this movie in the cinema i really did think it was very gloryfied and Americanised, but nowadays when i watch it again [and after watching the DVD special features] i realise that it isn't. It is just filmmaking at it's best.