Penoyer1 Reviews

People I Know (2002)

Pacino tour de force

[8/10 · 1 August 2004]

Roger Ebert recommended this film on his show this morning so I rushed out (because I had nothing better planned) and rented it. He didn't steer me wrong!

Pacino gives a great performance as a tired, lower-level cog in the celebrity industry who is having a very hectic 24 hours. Along the way he meets with people who love him, loath him, despise him, ignore him and everything in between. The ending is a little unsatisfying and doesn't really make a lot of sense, but otherwise this film works on every level. Giving Pacino an accent was a stroke of genius as it sets him apart from the Big Apple types with whom he is interacting.

This is the little man who finds himself in the center of much larger events (a time honored movie cliche) and Pacino doesn't miss a lick. He really is one of the very best actors (as opposed to stars) of our time.

Not perfect but highly recommended.

Suddenly (1954)

Sinatra shines!

[8/10 · 7 July 2004]

I found this at an "everything $1.00 store" and bought it just because Sinatra was in it. What a find!! The film is really slow and poorly acted until Sinatra shows up about 20 minutes in but then becomes MUCH better. This is written right after Brando died and all the obituaries said he changed acting with his facial expressions and emotions right out there for the world to see, but it seems to me Old Blue Eyes deserves some of the same credit. In 1954 when this was made, everybody was reading their lines and standing very straight but in this film Sinatra breaks those rules and shows us into the mind and heart of a man badly damaged by his war experiences.

If you get a chance to see this by all means do it!

Timeline (2003)

Teenager movie

[4/10 · 23 May 2004]

This was only based on the Micheal Crichton novel in the loosest possible sense of the word.

This could have been a pretty good but far-fetched sci-fi film if they had given any thought to the story in the novel, but the only resemblence is the time-travel element. Character development is completely ignored in favor of beheadings and explosions.

I'm guessing Crichton had very, very limited involvement in the development of this film. Do yourself a favor and read the novel rather than support this poorly made movie.

Grade: D

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Not as good as promised

[7/10 · 3 May 2004]

While this was an enjoyable movie, it was not nearly as good as the buildup and reviews promised. Really a pretty standard tale of the god-like leader providing inspiration for his followers through difficult times (think every wagon train movie ever made). What does set it apart is the cinematography and the expert use of models and miniatures, which do give the picture a beautiful look.

All the stuff about the ship's surgeon trying to be Darwin could have been left out and the story would not have suffered. In fact, it was a little bit cheesy.

Overall, well worth seeing but a little bit of a disappointment.

21 Grams (2003)

Well worth the effort

[8/10 · 11 April 2004]

I had to endure the first 30 minutes or so before this movie made any sense, but after that it really hooked me.

This is not a movie to rent if you want an easy watch, but if you're in the mood to intensely watch an intense study of people's interactions and figure it out bit by bit this is well the time.

One negative is the lovemaking scene between Penn and Watts. It is very clear what their relationship is without this scene which sort of breaks up what is otherwise a tightly structured story. Clearly thrown in simply for the sake of the nudity, which is not a bad thing but always irritates me in what is otherwise a well made film.

Cabin Fever (2002)

Don't Waste your Time or Money

[3/10 · 15 February 2004]

Dull, Dull, Dull.

The only thing that keeps this from being a "1" is a little teen movie skin, but there wasn't even enough of that! Do yourself a favor and rent any other scary movie.

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

Not perfect but better than expected

[9/10 · 15 February 2004]

This alternate reality movie (a la "Groundhog Day" and "It's a Wonderful Life") caught me right from the beginning, surprising me with the quality of the acting and and the occasional comedic touch which is where Ashton Kutcher really shines. Yes, there was never an acceptable explanation of how he moves from one alternative to another but THIS IS A MOVIE so not everything has to be realistic. The ending, which could easily have been some "feel good, everything works out for everybody" thing, was just right which left me leaving the theater saying "They could have turned this into a date movie but instead gave us something to think about." I'm glad they did!

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

No plot but good for what it is

[7/10 · 10 January 2004]

This is a pure "kids in peril from an unstoppable monster" type movie in the tradition of Halloween but with much less gore (good) and much less skin (bad). Overall, a pretty good Saturday matinee type scary movie but don't go here looking for a classic.

The Lost Boys (1987)

excellent comedy-horror

[9/10 · 10 January 2004]

Recently divorced mom moves the family to vampire-infested beach town and complications arise. This movie never takes itself too seriously which along with a superb cast and tongue in cheek acting makes it really good for what it is. Highly recommended.

A Soldier's Sweetheart (1998 TV Movie)

Deeper story than you would think

[7/10 · 8 November 2003]

This starts out with the feel of kind of a dumb love story (the guy imports his girl from America into Vietnam and she becomes the little sister of the whole squad). But it then becomes about her reaction to the experience of being around war and death and takes some really unexpected turns. Excellent acting by all of the main characters and an ending that leaves you sort of wandering what just happened. A very satisfying movie experience.

Very Bad Things (1998)

Maybe the darkest comedy I've ever seen

[7/10 · 29 June 2003]

I found myself watching this and thinking "What a disturbing piece of crap" then in the next minute laughing out loud. Very schizophrenic! I also kept thinking that Cameron Diaz had the first role of her career where her character was such a bitch that I couldn't overlook the character and lust after her anyway. Don't want to give a spoiler here, but the final shot of her character is just perfect justice (for her anyway). Overall, well worth watching but not really a "date" movie.

Femme Fatale (2002)

Not great but good try

[6/10 · 27 June 2003]

A director of this caliber should have done better. Nice idea but the devices used in this film were far too obvious. One saving grace of the film is that the female lead is truely smoking hot and does a nice job of acting the role, but the mechanics of putting the movie together felt too much like a film school project (clearly an "A" but still a project). Overall, worthwhile but a little disappointing given the potential here.

Rocky (1976)

One of the all-time best, but the sequels suck

[10/10 · 22 June 2003]

For my money, this is one of the best movies of all time. It has everything: Ordinary Joe thrust into a heroic situation, love story, lead character has realistic self-doubt, a hero who is not purely heroic (thumb-breaker for a loan shark), an ending that's not completely unrealistic, I could go on and on. The boxing scenes, while not exactly true to life, deliver to the extent you can feel the body shots. If you haven't seen this movie, first of all I'm amazed and secondly, run don't walk to the video store! There are very few 10's but this is one of them.

Equilibrium (2002)

Don't waste two hours of life watching this!!

[2/10 · 8 June 2003]

Very, very slow! The fact that all the characters have their emotions deadened by a drug shows in the flat acting. Picks up a little bit toward the end, but by then expectations had been so lowered that anything would have seemed exciting. The Matrix-like gunfights were so derivative it was embarrassing. Seriously, even if the rental is free, don't waste it on this.

Auto Focus (2002)

A love story with sex, but not between the lovers

[8/10 · 23 March 2003]

Auto-focus is a film not about the sex addiction it appears to be about at first glance. It is more about the sexless (at least between the two of them) love affair between Crane and Carpenter, the video guru who leads Crane into the emerging world of home-made porn. This is a fairly deep character study of desires both repressed and reveled in, and all the permutations in between. The idea that these two could have so many adventures together but not "with" each other (as Carpenter so obviously wanted) is sad and gives the viewer something to think about once the movie ends. That, in my book, is the definition of a worthwhile film.