yellowporpoise Reviews

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Wonderful movie

[9/10 · 15 November 2012]

During the first 20 minutes of the movie, I had no idea if this evening would end with a big disappointment. I have seen the different threads of the story developing and needed time to get used to it. But I am glad, that I did trust the directors, that they would know where this journey would lead. After the screening, no one was willing to get up. They all waited till the end of the closing credits. It was a weird but great movie experience. As far as I thought about this movie yet, everything made sense. Not on the first glimpse, but on the second or third. It is a well elaborated story and it is amazing, that all those story-threads, time lines and so on, fitted together. Some directors are over-challenged with two separate story lines. At the end: I did not like the part with the devil. It reminded me of "Faust" and could have been illustrated in a different way. Over all a great movie, that will be watched again by myself.

Btw. In Germany six year old could have watch this movie, if accompanied by their parents. This is not appropriate, because of the blood and brain splattered on the wall and the cutting of throats, the sex scenes.

Pina (2011)

Wtf?? What was that?

[10/10 · 24 May 2011]

Let me start by saying, that this movie has no story. And it is not a documentary, as I would define it. So what is this movie? I have no idea! I am not into modern dance, but I was impressed and exited at the same time while watching the actors dance (or act? or create? or??).

There are four longer dance parts and plenty of small pieces, small interviews and only a tiny part with Pina Bausch. The locations for the scenes where great. The 3d effect was great, the stage seems real, and the dancers were just amazing. I felt sorry as I discovered how limited language is. This dance told more about the emotions than any words could.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Great movie

[9/10 · 8 March 2011]

This movie was as "kickass" should have been. It did not take itself to serious and that might be the reason why it worked. Before I've watched this movie, I did not have any expectation. "Teenage comedy? Why not?" And I was surprised in a positive way. The story was straight forward, without a single weak moment. The script of this movie must be a mess, but it worked. On one hand you could nearly always follow the story, on the other hand there was always enough movement to keep you close to the characters. The effects are well done, the lines are funny, you have a love story, characters to like. What can you expect more? The comic elements were used throughout the movie, but that is fine. And it is not about the age. I am 42 and enjoyed it. Kickass has been my disappointment in 2010, this has been my surprise 2010.

Gulliver's Travels (2010)

Waste of time

[2/10 · 26 February 2011]

We've been to this movie today and it is a bad movie. My son (6) did not understand most of the "jokes" and my nine year old daughter said that this movie was ridiculous. So for whom was this movie made? For me as an adult it was way to cheesy, especially the end. Why do people write stuff like this and why do people invest money in such a terrible script? Waste of my money and waste of my time. Do not watch it. Beside the bad script, the acting was bad and the special effects reminded me of movies from the 80s. The only good thing about it was the music. So two stars for...? I have no idea. I am really disappointed. When my kids don't want to talk about the movie afterward, that is a bad sign.

The Departed (2006)

Won 4 Oscars? Why?

[3/10 · 23 September 2010]

I just have seen "Departed" and I am pretty annoyed. That is for different reasons and I know, that many people think different about this movie. Just my humble opinion. *I could not believe the story.They knew everything about Bill Costigan (De Caprio), about his relatives, his past, about his psyche, they nearly investigated every fart he ever did. But they knew nothing about Sullivan, although his entire past is linked to the bad guy Costello? Why did Costello believed Costigan? Why was Costigan so violent toward the people in the shop? To make his disguise/cover work? *How could anyone suggest Wahlberg as the best supporting actor of the year? For what? Forcursing? All this cursing did not help to create tension or to bring the movie forward, it is just ridiculous. *I do not like the ending of the movie. They are making up a useless twist to make the story look more intelligent as it is. Is a movie more sophisticated when you kill the good guy?

There are some good scenes in the movie, but it did not work for me. Just my opinion, but most Scorcese movies are depressive, violent and left you behind with a melancholy emotion.

Definitely not worth 4 Oscars.

Inception (2010)

A great movie in the lame movie year 2010

[10/10 · 29 July 2010]

This movie left me amazed and in a great mood. So often in the last years I have walked into the cinema and hoped for entertainment and so often I was disappointed. Movies like this will happen every 5-10 years. Matrix and Avatar were one of those movies. They are creating something new and raising a new standard. The industry needs those movies and the movie fans need those movies. I hated Di Caprio till yesterday evening. I think that his acting in inception was very good. The soundtrack, the special effects, the script, everything worked together and created a very special movie. The clever script, and the emotional story of his wife, the action scenes...just the perfect movie.

I can not understand that some people will only give one star. This movie was nothing special? Well the soundtrack and special effects might deserve at least 5 stars. This movie is not on the same level as "Howard the duck" or "Catwoman". Those movies were one star movies, but definitely not "Inception". It is not a fair review to do so.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Over-hyped mixture of everything

[5/10 · 22 April 2010]

Let me start by saying: Do not believe the hype! It is not a bad movie, but definitely not an 8.5 movie and I hope I can explain my concerns.

First: This movie has not a consistent way of storytelling. You have parts that look like a teenage comedy and two minutes later the music changes and the look of the movie changes and suddenly you have a dark and heavy atmosphere. This change did not look artistic to me. It rather looked, like someone messed up different genres because he had no idea what this movie should look like. Teenagers are not allowed in this film and most adults will be bored by the teenage life of the lead actor. It is neither fish nor meat, it is inconsistent.

Second: To me the development of the characters was messed up too. It took 35 minutes to describe kick ass (although you knew after 5 minutes what this character is supposed to be), but it took only two minutes to describe hitgirl.

Third: The soundtrack is a reason why this movie is so messed up. In some scenes you had a real film score (when big daddy killed the people in the warehouse), that created an intense atmosphere, in other scenes you had some "party music" that was just inappropriate. Hitgirl just lost her father and two minutes later we have "partytime" again? To me the soundtrack did not help to make it a good movie.

Fourth: I love violent movies. I loved 300, I loved inglorious basterds and so on. I am not a wuss. A well done killing of evil gangsters is always welcome. But in this movie the violence did not help the movie to become something solid. Why putting the guy in the microwave? For what reason? Just to see him explode? Why killing the guy in the car compactor? Just for seeing him explode too? The big problem is again the inconsistence of the entire movie. If it would have been just a comedy, than fine. Would it have been just a dark movie like "Dark knight", than fine. But this strange clutter of genres destroys it and leaves the viewer helpless. Should I laugh, because the other people are laughing, although the scene is not funny? Should I feel something deep when big daddy dies? In some moments I thought, that I felt "emotionaly raped" in some strange way. Someone forces me to laugh about something that is just not appropriate to laugh about.

I could write much more (script, acting, cut...), but the result is: This movie does not know what it should be. The movie was OK, but my life would be a little bit better without having seen it.

Gangs of New York (2002)

Disturbing atmosphere meets love story, meets revenge story

[7/10 · 14 April 2010]

This movie is definitely well done. The acting is great, the script is good, the scenery amazing, the music perfect. But I have to admit, that I did not like the depressive ending. Martin Scorcese is a master in creating a disturbing atmosphere, as he proofed in "Cape Fear" and "Shutter Island". Especially the last twenty minutes of this movie, he shoveled so much anger and violence (the riots in the streets) in my face, that I thought about leaving the cinema. The end of the story is realistic, but depressive and if there is a moral to this story, than it is not a nice one. As others already mentioned: Daniel Day-Lewis was great, great, great. He created a believable character with all his ups and downs. Full of love, full of anger, full of pride, full of blackness. He had not a single weak moment. He was there every moment and I can not understand, that he did not win the Oscar for this performance. I am not a fan of Di Caprio and I can not understand, what Scorcese likes about him, but this time he was quiet good. But I am convinced, that others actors would have done a better job. Liam Neeson again just a small role, but far better than his last acting in "Clash of the titans". I hated the character of the mayor, so he must have been played good. To me, the role of Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz) was not necessary for this movie. It would have worked without her.

Again, very well done movie with great acting. With another ending it would have been a 10.

The Matrix (1999)

Groundbreaking

[10/10 · 11 April 2010]

Now, after 11 years, this movie is still one of my favorites. This is the reason for this late review. When I went into this movie I had no expectations. I knew nothing about the story, I did not see a trailer. So I sat in the cinema and this movie blew my mind. A great story, unbelievable special effects, perfect use of slow motion. I left the cinema in pure excitement and went two days later again with a friend who experienced the same. A week later I went with my wife and even she thought that this movie is a masterpiece. In 1999 this movie was groundbreaking and will remain as a milestone in cinematography. The second and third part could not meet the expectations, but that is not a problem, because this movie is perfect in itself.

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Funny? Action? Characters?

[4/10 · 10 April 2010]

I know, that many many people invested years into this movie. It took millions of dollars and a lot of time and effort. I am sorry to say, that this film was disappointing. A few funny scenes, sometimes a nice scenery and plenty of opportunities for action, but in the end this movie was a waste of time and money. Most of the special effects were second class and I am glad that I did not invest in the 3D Version. The script was not able to create enough tension to keep me close to the story and again, there was no character I could identify with. I did not care if the hero was successful or not, I was not afraid of Hades or Medusa. Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes are great actors, but they had no chance to look good in this story. Zeus with his curled beard and this twinkling armor was ridiculous and Hades was a lame enemy. The story itself was full of logical gaps and could not rivet my attention.

4 Stars for the investment of time and effort, that I appreciate, but not really a movie the world needed.

Shutter Island (2010)

Great frightening atmosphere

[9/10 · 6 April 2010]

This movie is amazing. When I watched it, I could feel the terror of schizophrenia, I could smell it, nearly touch it. The atmosphere was so close, just amazing. The pictures were great and you wanted Teddy Daniels to be successful with his investigation. The first couple of minutes I thought that Teddy Daniels was to young and the music was annoying, but the story was so great, that I got sucked into it and stayed there for the rest of the movie. At any moment of the movie I was insecure whom I should trust. Paranoia was everywhere. Every character was well designed and the actors did a great job. You could believe those characters, even if you did not like them. Go and watch this movie. It deserves a place in the top 50.

Alice in Wonderland (I) (2010)

What should I do with this movie? Expensive nothingness

[3/10 · 4 April 2010]

I left the movie theater and was confused. I did not know what to think or feel about this movie. It is not because I was amazed or "kicked" by it, it just left confusion and strange emotions. I went with my 9 year old daughter and after 108 minutes of a fantasy story, we both did not know what to say about this movie. When we have left "Avatar" we spoke about it for an hour, when we have left "Evan almighty" we still giggled about the funny scenes. "Alice in wonderland" left nothing to be exited about, to laugh about or to think about, so we spoke about music and the upcoming birthday, we have treated the last 108 minutes as if they never happened. Definitely not a good sign. This was a nice looking (and expensive) 3D evening, that gave me and my daughter nothing. No character I could love, no character I could really hate, just a big nothingness. Disappointing.

Fido (2006)

A new genre?

[8/10 · 2 April 2010]

The first thing to mention is, that I have never heard about the genre of this movie. Is it a comedy? A Zombie-movie? A father-son story? A love story? To me this kind of story was new...first thumb up. The acting of all the actors was well done. Especially Carrie-Anne Moss and Dylan Baker were great. He played a frightened, insecure man, who tries to be a "good" man without emotions, but the "real" emotions were there in every gesture and every word. The Zombie, his little friend and the heart of the house, Carrie-Anne Moss showed emotions with their eyes, with little gestures, that were readable and believable. Great job, next thumb up. The atmosphere of this 50's clean suburb was well done and believable, the cars, the houses, the hair cut, the interior, great job on this too. The story itself is funny and emotional without being silly or cheesy.

Maybe not a "cult movie", but very well done, with fine acting and a characters you can understand and follow. A couple of thumbs up.

Domino (2005)

Gave up after 40 minutes

[3/10 · 2 April 2010]

Some people used the Word "mess" to describe this movie and I think this word is appropriate. The story is weird and unbelievable. If this would have been a comedy version of the action genre .... fine, but this movie does not pretend to be a comedy. Instead it pretends to be modern and like a long music video on MTV. The way the pictures were edited made me sick. Weird colors, weird flashes and weird movement of the camera. The people in the movie behaved in an unbelievable way. Keira Knightley stands in the middle of a gang war, surrounded by ten men, all heavily armed and suggests a lap dance in order to solve the conflict????? I love Mickey Rourke and I think that Keira Knightley is a good actress, but this movie could not win my attention or my heart. I could not discover the story inside of this mess and after 40 minutes I gave up watching and went to bed....a good decision.

Blades of Glory (2007)

Bad story, bad script, bad acting, bad...

[2/10 · 28 March 2010]

This movie is boring and it is one of those movies the world does not need. The humor appeals to six year old kids, but the "sex-talk" appeals to adults. In the end it is neither a children movie nor an adult comedy. The story is ridiculous, the jokes are lame, no real character in the entire movie. It feels like a bad 80's comedy. This movie is not inspiring or funny or does it tell any interesting story. It is a waste of time and money and I can not understand that people invested in this script. My kids (9 + 11) disliked this movie because of the sex talk and I disliked the movie for the above reasons. Do not waste lifetime for this movie.

Case 39 (2009)

Great entertainment...case closed

[9/10 · 27 March 2010]

When I watch a movie my main scale is: Did this movie entertain me? And "Case 39" definitely did. I am not really a fan of creepy movies, but I thought that the cast was good, so gave it a chance and I am glad that I did it. The script is well done, although it is not to difficult to imagine what will happen next. Yes you can predict stuff that happens, but I did not. I was involved in the story, was curious and could just enjoy the creepy atmosphere and the development of the two main characters, Lilli and Emily. The dialogs were fine, the acting believable. It is well crafted and for me, as I have mentioned before, great entertainment and I have enjoyed every minute. Well done, that is how movies should be done.

30 Days of Night (2007)

Fun to watch, but nothing special

[5/10 · 12 March 2010]

To watch this movie was fun, but it is not a movie that I would describe as "great" or would want to watch again. It is thrilling at a couple of moments, but there could have been more tension. Maybe the scriptwriter had no idea how? Again, it is not a bad movie. It's fine for a nice evening. The negative thing is, that the entire stuff could have happened in one or two nights /days. At no moment I had the impression, that this took 30 nights /days. The script lacks reality at this point and at many others. The next point probably depends on the version I have watched, but at the end he killed the vampire boss and the other vampires just disappeared. Why? Where? To infect himself with vampire blood was silly. This point does not make any sense and I hate the end. We all know, that this story is fictional, so why try to give it a "realistic" ending? We have no idea, why she had left her friend. We hear nothing about the fact that the outside world probably tried for 30 days to get in touch with the town. When you look at the logic of the script, than this movie is bad. When you just enjoy it and do not try to the brightest movie ever, than this movie can be fun.

Avatar (2009)

Great experience

[10/10 · 16 December 2009]

I have seen the movie in 3D last night and I am really really exited. This movie was fun to watch and I enjoyed nearly every minute (161 min). The storyline is not as bad as some people say. The visual effects are ground breaking and you will flow with the 3D effects, the colors, the atmosphere. When I left the theater, I was unable to put my opinion in words, it was just awesome. The last time I was blown away by a movie like this was 1999 with "The matrix". Just convince yourself and ignore the complaining critics. Watch it in 3D, otherwise you will miss a lot. In the times of huge flat screen TV's, cinema is back with an experience you can not copy at home. THIS is the right answer to illegal copies. The storyline is simple, but it works great. Just do not expect a deep philosophical statement and enjoy the experience. Definitely 10 out of 10. The best movie 2009 and a lot of entertainment.

Saw (2004)

Not worth watching

[1/10 · 8 November 2009]

The basic story idea is cruel and idiotic. A psychopath forces people to kill others or themselves, to become more thankful regarding their lives (do not think about it to long, it does not make sense...). It probably sounds promising for a horror movie, but even than: The basic story idea became a terrible movie. The acting is bad and the dialogs are really dumb. The script is full of loopholes and many many things do not make any sense. The worst is the end: The psychopath spent eight hours playing "dead man" between his victims and they never noticed him breathing? Crap! Why did he caught Adam at all and what chance got Adam to survive this cruel game? What chance got the victim of the drug addict and how could it help someone in a psychological way to kill a human being? Beside the loopholes, the dialogs and the bad acting (poor Danny Glover), beside the idiotic end and the useless and helpless detectives, beside the fact, that the victims are discussing with the killer instead of killing him immediately, and beside many other things, this movie might be good movie.

Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

Great 30 minutes

[5/10 · 30 April 2009]

This movie is a dance between boredom and genius, between philosophy and triviality. The first thirty minutes of this movie are great. I love the opening scene and the scene when Joe quits his job. The pictures during the first thirty minutes are a piece of art (like a hopper painting), the soundtrack fits perfect and the actors are doing a great job. The dinner with his colleague is also well done. The rest of the movie is OK, but nothing special. It started with the promise of a great movie and ended as a weak romance with a ridiculous ending. If there would be just the first thirty minutes, this movie would have deserved 10/10.