dentrex Reviews

Midsommar (2019)

A well acted, beautifully shot pile of trash

[4/10 · 2 February 2020]

I think critics were so impressed with Aster's masterpiece Hereditary that they tried, and succeded in talking this movie up to the point that you were expecting something fabulous here. You were, i expect, disappointed.

Lush and beautifully shot, it falls on its face after the prologue sequences, but not after tempting you with good dialogue and well constructed interior shots. At which point this film slides down the toilet.

You can see from the sets and costumery that major weirdness is at hand, and the strange attitude of Pelle towards the whole thing reinforces that. But i wanted to join in and p*ss on the ancestral tree when i saw there was no expositon. I felt as if the incest kid was writing the script, splashing paint on paper as Astor translated it into scenes.

Somehow the critics found meaning in this movie; why i dont know. I hope astor's next film is better and more watchable. Skip this one!

Gravity (2013)

Floating Home

[7/10 · 12 December 2019]

Right out of the gate, let me say that there's really not much you can do with a story like this.

Script? Unless you want your audience to ignore the zillion dollar effects, don't worry too much about it. Stranded in space? Find a way to get home, however you can. It's supposed to be one of the "great" film premises and it always works.

It works here. Bullock and Clooney do just what's needed, and Bullock's character takes center stage for most of the film. It was definitely worth watching, and yes a lot of it was definitely suspension of disbelief, but what is a film like this without those nick-of-the-moment scenes where disaster is averted.

Bullock's desperation to get home definitely drives these moments nicely. The whole struggle of moving around properly with zero gravity is displayed nicely too. Clooney's devil-may-care fighter pilot attitude works well here.

Twelve Years a Slave won best picture that year and this film is no competition for that masterpiece. The effects and cinematography were so superb that it really took the project to the top. It held my interest even if I had to wait through the slow parts.

This film is not as bad as some say, and not spectacular either as some others say. Worth seeing for sure.

Hereditary (2018)

Best horror film to come along in some time

[10/10 · 23 May 2019]

The buzz/hype machine was up to 11 on this film... "scariest thing I ever seen" etc. Not wanting to risk my hard won cash, I held off on the theater release. I bit the bullet and gave it a whirl at home. I was not disappointed. Everyone turns in a stellar performance. Milly Shapiro didn't have much to do except say weird stuff, act as a slightly mentally disabled kid, and make that absolutely annoying sound. And she does it masterfully.

The tense atmosphere of a fractured family just blends so well with the horror dynamic. And the directing? Exquisite. The camera movements were so precise as to be almost unnoticable, a la Coen Brothers. The scene trasitions were perfect, and the cinematography spot on.

The writing excels too. The story does drag a bit but that is definitely part of the agaonizing suspense generated by the story and the characters. Charlie's death takes you by surprise, and as the whole mess further unravels you are drawn into the darkness and dysfuntionality. Fear, blame, guilt, arrogance and regret, the director just goes there, and then overwhelms you with the evil and twisted denouement. Special effects are used tastefully and masterfully; the scene where the mother floats past behind her son's back is truly unsettling. The lighting is very subtle as well and is used to maximal overall effect.

A monumental horror film. I couldn't write anything further without repeating myself; please see it if your a horror film fan, just a great scary movie fantastically accomplished.

The Founder (2016)

I give it 9 out of 10 Multimixers

[9/10 · 7 September 2018]

I knew the backstory way before the film came out. I have in fact delved into the whole history of fast food on my own, so when this film appeared on my radar I just had to have a look.

I wasn't disappointed. Keaton, Offerman and everyone really do a fantastic job. The script is ten stars, not for historical accuracy but for great screenwriting.

The direction? Meh. I didn't care for some of the camera movement and TV-style jump cutting and 'shakycam' but the material didn't leave too much creative leeeway.

The exposition of the relationship between the hapless brothers McDonald and Kroc is very well done. See, the problem was exactly what Keaton's character said - that the brothers were very stubborn and sort of naive. Having literally started a nationwide expansion, the brothers did not realize that some small flexibility in physical design and other minor details had to be factored in. The whole 'powdered milk shake' story was made up. In fact, that did not happen until after the sale and eventually McD's went back to regular ice cream because it tasted like a powdered milkshake. I'm lovin' it! But this license is more than forgivable as it is futher exposition of the differences between the parties.

If you head over to youtube you'll see that this movie sparked a lot of discussion about business tactics, stubborness in negotiation and a whole lot of Ray Kroc bios. The "handshake deal", as anyone in law or business knows, is as good as the paper it's written on. As in, not. So you don't really feel bad for the brothers when that goes down. You don't feel bad for Kroc either. He saw the genius of the system and service that the brothers had worked out, and as he says in the film, "I knew I had to have it. And now I do!"

Please see this film, as it's very interesting and engaging even if you don't know the story already.

Interstellar (2014)

A Frozen Cloud of Horse Poopy

[1/10 · 26 August 2018]

Dear God, what is this? I could not believe what I was seeing after all the positive reviews. I watched on Amazon video, and thank goodness for that because I would have demanded my money back at a theater.

This 'film' is a naked excercise in making an IMAX film for the sake of screwing the public out of more money to... watch it on IMAX. I tell you, having experienced the format live, once you get past the "gee whiz factor" of a ginormous screen in your face, it's just a movie. And to further insult my sensibilities it's likely the last IMAX movie to actually use the large format physical film. I'll bet that cost a fortune for three hours of inanity.

I thought Nolan was a great director before this. He likely still is but this material is way out of his reach. We don't have any of the 'great' directors anymore in my opinion, but he's one of the very good ones. But when I heard organ music cues at certain points in this movie, I cringed at the Kubrick-ian references. Kubrick would have walked out of this 3 hour morass.

The plot holes are akin to a piece of swiss cheese. Good acting is absolutely wasted with trite dialogue and scenery-chewing to the point of choking. Long speeches about love... and other stuff that was supposed to sound monumental and mind-blowing. Ugh. I kept thinking that Michael Caine's character's last lines as he died would be "...at least I don't have to look at that awful script anymore". And as events in the film transpired, I was constantly saying "Wait...what? Huh? How did the - I mean, where... which?" And of course there's the "mysterious ending" that will keep amateur you-tubers in business for years explaining.

As far as scientific accuracy, first let me say that I had a whole year of college physics, and have a dear friend who actaully had a master's degree in that subject and had studied quantum mechanics and relativity, and I do I have a conceptual understanding of the matter at hand. This movie really pushes the envelope in that department. All that time dilation stuff is not reconciled properly. Frozen clouds? The film makers went to great pains to point that out as the 'one thing' that wasn't accurate. Oh yeah? I could devote an entire review to that, and I won't.

The sad part is that the special effects were 10 stars all the way. The oscar was well deserved. The sadder part is that I smell a sequel at some point. A huge disappontment, a waste of great acting talent, and another case of overblown Hollywood hype gone viral, but come home to roost in the bargain bin at the dollar store. Where it belongs.

Crime Inc. (1984– )

Comprehensive and Entertaining

[10/10 · 17 January 2016]

If you lived In NYC in the 70's 80's or 90's, you were literally surrounded by the mob. As shown here, these guys had their fingers in everything from food, service industries and transportation on through major narcotic trafficking. Many a Brooklyn neighborhood had a local 'wiseguy'. We've seen classic films like Goodfellas and some of it is actually understated; make no mistake, these guys are KILLERS and thugs and - they know it. The only rationalization any of them have is that the people they tortured/killed/injured were involved in their illicit enterprise and took that risk. And a recurring theme in this series is that in order to control a group of killers and thieves, punishment and sanctions must be meted out swiftly and harshly, often fatally. And believe me you don't want to be in the Hospital recovering from what these guys do, you're almost better off dead. And here we see how ordinary these guys are at the same time. "Jimmy the Weasel" tells stories so well, as do DeNono and Cantalupo. The story Cantalupo tells about Funzi Tieri and the flea market is so funny in a very dark way that I laugh out loud when I hear him tell it. And the law enforcement people's perspective is so well placed that the whole thing flows like a narrative, which it isn't. This series is so well edited and produced it's almost embarrassing to compare it to what's on "TV" today, although it does show its age in a very charming way.

Thames television hits another home run, one of many by this fine outfit. Or whatever you call a home run in Cricket :-)

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Run, Forrest, Run!

[10/10 · 1 January 2016]

I said it years ago. Forrest Whittaker was bound to get an Oscar somewhere along the line. I never thought it would be for lead actor, because "the part" wasn't coming his way.

It came - and the rest was history. From Platoon, to the unbearable Fouth Angel and beyond, every part, every role was polished and precise. A true pro who got the big one. I love it.

Macalvoy is also cast perfectly and plays out well as his character, and shows us it is much more multifaceted than we thought. Very nice work.

The film itself has that low-budget feel, but as is the case it makes everyone work harder to make it shine. Six million dollars ain't what it used to be.

Amazing acting and a great story from a great book. A must see for true Forrest fans and everyone.

American Gangster (2007)

Spectacular

[10/10 · 1 January 2016]

When Denzel is on, he's ON. Throw in a supporting cast of - Russel Crowe, Josh Brolin and Cuba Gooding? You have to screw up a lot to let this one sink.

But there's more - Ridley Scott's Oscsr-worthy direction. If there is anyone who knows how to keep a film moving its him. The continuity is seamless, like butter melting. Smooth transitions, no "shakycam" - and mise-en-scene so subtle you don't notice it. Wow. Big kudos for Cinematography too.

The story of heroin in Harlem is a dirty one, and the way Scott infuses horrible snapshots of the victims of this evil substance is just plain masterful. Not too much, not too little, just enough. The same is true for the more violent scenes. You KNOW they are coming, as when Lucas gets up, walks down the block and executes someone in broad daylight.

Everyone down to the extras does a bang up job. One of the best recent films, don't miss it!

Hoodlum (1997)

Blackfellas?

[6/10 · 28 December 2015]

Here we have a film that feels like a lot of the "black" films, like the oust anding "soldier's story", trying to work in a little 'inside' humor. The story itself is a great one, it was the downfall of the reviled Schultz when he muscled in on the numbers racket.

Tim Roth almost gets to Oscar territory in this movie. Absolutely spectacular. Andy Garcia, ditto BIG time. Fishburnes part is very stolid and one dimensional as maybe the real Bumpy was but nevertheless he delivers.

A so so supporting cast, a weak script - except for Roth's lines - and Scorcese-oid attempts at certain setups and shots hose it down quite a bit for me. Funny story, I originally rented "Mobsters" by mistake and found that film pretty awful, this one was much better.

Bad direction at times, but mostly watchable with good continuity. Queen Latifa, Vanessa Williams and - CICELY TYSON!!! - all are absolutely superb. Latifa is actually one of my favorite actresses, she really shines with what they give her.

I would recommend it, historical inaccuracies aside (and there are MANY) because its an interesting story set at a time when the mob was finding new ways to make money after prohibition.

Interesting tidbit for real history buffs: Ed O'Casey plays Bo Weinberg, shown here as a fat pickle munching sideman who gets shot. In real life, 'twas the Dutchman himself, legend has it, who beat Bo unconscious, stuck his feet in cement and, still living, tossed him in the Hudson river. Dutch Schultz was psychopath enough to do it, that's for sure.

Mobsters (1991)

"loosely based..."

[3/10 · 21 December 2015]

Not much of a script, not much acting, and not much of anything. I expected more from Quinn, but he gave one of the worst performances in the film, and the lead players just do the best they can to "dramatize" this interesting chapter in mob history.

An excellent directing job by a first timer, though. Where was Clem Caserta in this film? At least it would add some atmosphere. Some of the Matte backgrounds look very, well.... matte. Many filmic devices were borrowed from Scorcese, who should be flattered.

F. Murray Abraham's character was so annoying I couldn't wait to get rid of him. The best part was him dancing at the wedding, it was hilarious.

A very missable film with great direction - sad.

The Untouchables (1987)

"You're muckin' with a G!!!"

[9/10 · 19 December 2015]

What fun. DeNiro as Capone, Sean Connery and Costner in his usual wooden persona.

Historical accuracy takes the back seat in this drive-by ... but the action scenes are so well directed and subtly executed as is DePalma's way. A GREAT direction job, superb for a popcorn flick and elevates the film beyond that.

Connery's performance is solid though I've read differently here. He won Best Supporting Actor - OK, well if the academy thinks so who am I to argue. The prolonged death scene is a bit too Hollywood for me but other than that he makes a great account of himself.

Also a lot of criticism was heard about De Niro's performance - I say it was just as brilliant as Goodfellas. He is fantastic as fat, nasty Al Capone, very believable and well executed. He's a pro who's not afraid to take a supporting role.

Great lines in this so-so script, as well. They showed the ethnic divisions in the mob vs. the cops vs the Feds very well. Capone was as war with the Irish factions in Chicago, but this wasn't shown. The scene where he beats the guy to death is unforgettable. The actual incident was much uglier and involved three people, not one.

Andy Garcia milks his part for all its worth and makes a background character stand out so well, a true talent.

Overall, a very watchable film and good fun for all. They really didn't use too much foul language, but it was 1987 after all. Highly recommended!

Public Enemies (2009)

Disappointing

[2/10 · 21 November 2015]

There are so many things wrong with this film I won't list them, other reviewers have pointed them all out correctly.

For such an important, topical concept the script that was wrung - or squeezed to death - out of it was shameful. There is a lot of historical back story that would have made this film really sizzle. Capone, prohibition, the bank crisis and depression, Hoover and his Boyfriend Tolson, jeez these producers were asleep at the switch.

I want to rewrite it, fund it and re-do the whole thing. If even Depp can't save it, WITH Christian Bale, then it's sunk like the Titanic, ripped apart by the horrific cinematography, and thankfully in THAT movie DiCaprio took the part, unlike this dud to which he said no. Good move Lenny, and what's your agent's phone number by the way x-D

Capricorn One (1977)

When People "went to the movies" for fun!

[10/10 · 5 November 2015]

TV didn't kill radio, it just transferred a lot of entertainment from sound to vision. News and music radio is still alive. TV didn't kill the movies, it just forced them to be more entertaining. And you could throw in a few swear words to delineate the medium. People want to be entertained, and as we see here that was the paramount objective at any show then as well as now. Oh - The moon landings were real - the Soviets were watching EVERY move and zeroed every telemetry and voice transmission. Any fakery would have been called out immediately, loudly, and triumphantly, because if anyone had a reason to fake it, it was the then-USSR. Now I'll leave you to wikipedia for that story, but that's something I needed to get straight here right away.

Here we have a real popcorn 1970's style film, replete with big names and contemporary TV personalities. It's factually inaccurate and disastrously so, with plot holes galore (they incessantly point out the delays in radio transmission and they keep happening in real time, lol). Yet it works somehow, and that's because the back story of a faked space mission is so compelling.

Great script and really great music from Jerry Goldsmith round it out for a real Saturday afternoon treat. Remember that? Greasy 'buttered' popcorn? Smoking allowed n the Balcony? Dots, Sugar Babies and Chuckles in BIG packages? Here's the movie for it.

All actors, OJ included, do a bang up job. Elliot Gould is a pro, Brolin and Waterston too. Hal Holbrook really puts his all into his character and shines. The aerial stunts are insane. The cinematography, in particular the lighting, is really top notch.

It shows that even a third-rate Hollywood flick was imp0ortant enough to do a first rate job on. Worth watching any time.

Flight (I) (2012)

Even Denzel can't carry the team alone

[7/10 · 1 November 2015]

I've watched it twice. I didn't know what to think the first time.

Such an interesting premise: You have a dangerous job where you are responsible for people's lives and millions of dollars worth of equipment. You know that, as a piece of machinery, anything can ho wrong no matter how many times you check. Parts fail. People fail. Stuff just happens - whether its in an operating room or on a commercial jet.

Here, its of course the latter. Yet the nagging question: Did the parts, the people or both fail? And here the answer is the parts. The part failure shown brought down two real life airliners with grievous loss of life and two trashed expensive airplanes. Yet here, Whip (Washington) shows us what pilots, sober or not, can do in an emergency. I loved the way he played the incident through, so totally on top of everything. I was brought to mind of Chesley Sullenberger's feat on the Hudson River in NY city, no heroics, no drama just fly the plane down as gently as you can. And Whip does it on dry land with only 6 deaths.

Amazing? Yes, and he's hailed as a hero. But he knows he was lucky - as they say, you're okay until you run out of altitude, airspeed and ideas - and he knows he was drunk and high on cocaine too. So it's not as landing the plane was the miracle, the miracle was that in his condition he was able to think the problem through.

This is all so deep, and a hard subject to cover in a film without being trite. But TRITE it becomes at several points. The addition of the female character, for example, who gets and stays clean, tells you right off that some sort of confession or redemption is scheduled. The addition of the John Goodman character really put spice in the film and I dare one of you to tell me that anyone but Goodman could have pulled this role off. He was just so slick, he slid in and out of the scenes and that's amazing considering how incongruous his character is. Perfection! And as it is clear that our hero is going to get off the hook, which he could have done easily - without ANY harm done to any protagonists - he instead gives us a steaming pile of Hollywood horse**** on a silver platter with a candle on it. The following scene in jail is gratuitous, and leaves us to wonder if a better ending would have been for Whip to say "I don't know" - which I kept repeating out loud - and when he didn't I knew we were in for the typical studio ending. To heck with loose ends and continuity, right? The son? The Girl? Who what when where .... its not good when you walk away with those questions.

And because of this tomfoolery, completely lost here is the exquisite direction, cinematography and editing. All you film students, this is an exercise in perspective and composition. Zemeckis has a Kubrick like sense of photography - and a great DP, like Kubrick had, didn't hurt. But watchable and yes, enjoyable as it was, it could have been better.

Lincoln (2012)

I was really disappointed

[2/10 · 23 August 2015]

OK, first, I am an avid student of the Civil War though by no means a historian. No, I NEVER go to a movie expecting 'historical accuracy'. The film maker has to engage the audience, and side business and composite characters are the norm. And it works, see "Glory" e.g. A very compelling tale told in a compelling way. Of course, I "had to see" this movie, for the above reason and I heard about DDL's amazing meticulous portrayal of the 16th President. And Holbrook, Jones, Sally Field... wow! Well, I got my chance to see it last night. It seemed like I was waiting for the movie to start all the way through. What was the point? Anti slavery? Cohesion/dissolution of the Union? The questionable (and highly common) political tactics of the time? What was the point? There was none. Our 16th president was not so concerned with the well being of blacks in America, everyone who's studied it all knows that. He wanted Liberia to be a place to colonize them TO, away FROM the USA. But, you know, dramatic license etc.... OK, OK, I can live with that. DDL's performance left me dead flat. Oh it was as accurate a portrayal as you could get - his incessant jokes and stories, he really annoyed the pee out of Edwin Stanton, who thought it undignified. I don't know that Lincoln used the word "ain't" except intentionally when he wanted to patently lapse into colloquialism. But Hollywood... you know. I expected more from Jones, and Fields, but Gordon-Levitt turned in one of the finest performances in the film. I can only say that specifically, I can't point to one complaint but instead feel that the film is flawed in so many ways. My gosh, the last time I heard this much speechifying in a movie like this was the hideous "Gettysburg", a 90 minute docudrama that was extended to 4+ hours of inane drivel. I feel that the most engaging and yes, entertaining take on Lincoln was Waterston. It was even better that he had done Lincoln's voice in the super epic "The Civil War". I give two stars for effort. The script was terrible. Some of the plot devices were cute, but thats about 6 of the 150 interminable minutes of this movie. A real let down for me overall. I'm hanging up a picture of Spielberg in my bathroom tonight. ;-)

The Vanishing (1988)

A Masterpiece of a Film

[10/10 · 16 August 2015]

I read the synopsis, saw the description of the ending, and had to get a hold of this movie. Once I did, the slow pace of the beginning threw me off - brilliant - but the director then started unraveling things very slowly, each scene perfectly segues to the next. The flashback scenes are so well done, they explain so much about the killer with so little dialogue. The delivery, the mise en scene, geez it was overwhelming. The end was prolonged JUST enough, the pacing is really good. KUBRICK thought this was the scariest film - including his own The Shining - that he'd seen, and that tells you right off the bat how incredible this movie is. The suspense is notched up so slowly you don't even realize how wound up you are at the end! And this film is so good, you don't notice the horrid 80's euromusic in the score lol.

Bad Lieutenant (1992)

One of the greatest films ever made

[10/10 · 17 August 2013]

Moral depravity and corruption as a character study? Good luck. A very difficult movie to watch, it is said here, but I am bound to point out how difficult it must have been to assemble a film like this.

Redemption, as shown in film, can be a powerful thing whether it be religious or moral or not. In "Unforgiven", Clint Eastwood's character has been redeemed and reformed, seemingly, and walks himself into what is ultimately a replay of his sordid and murderous past. In the end he re-retreats from his reprise and disappears into the sunset. Here, Kietel's character is not interested in anyone's redemption, he is indulging in an orgy of self hate and self destruction.

He violates every rule. He breaks the confidentiality of the hospital room, the confessional; he violates his body with drugs and sex and displays his depravity unabashedly whether he is stealing evidence, placing illegal wagers, or stopping two young girls in a car.

And speaking of that particular scene, NO ONE could have played that better than Keitel. The anger, the sleaze, it's more self-abuse than self pleasure. All cast members turn in stellar performances in the course of playing out Ferrara's sickening, stunning and stark backdrop of filth - all his fellow cops seem to be dirtbags who drink on the job and gamble illegally as well.

The ending, and the events leading up to it, make a lot more sense than has been realized. Keitel's character just gives up, and when he gets the two perpetrators, he's not looking to turn himself around, he is performing a senseless act by giving away the money and turning them loose. When he is told that he needs to pay his bookie, who will murder him without a second thought, he laughs - he doesn't care, and almost welcomes the idea of death. He makes losing bets but he clearly knows they are losing bets (the scene with the other cops shows him telling them to bet the other way!). He berates the mobster who's booking the bets knowing he will get killed.

The idea of forgiving the nun's attackers is so out of whack to him... that he actually does it, bringing more focus to the dysfunctionality of his existence. He's going down, he knows it, he doesn't care. It's like reading a book and wanting to get to the end so you know how it ends. He knows how it ends; he just keeps turning the pages faster in a rush to get there.

Superb.

Fort Apache the Bronx (1981)

My father gets up every night for a brioschi

[10/10 · 21 December 2012]

It may have the look of a TV movie, as stated by contemporary reviewers, but here's a movie you can't miss. There are no small parts, it's been said, but small actors... Newman and Asner absolutely sparkle here, and the supporting cast follows suit. For those of you who don't know it, there is a healthy dose of late 70's/early 80's reality of what the South Bronx had become. Burning buildings, burnt out people on the edge of despair and madness, and underpaid/overworked police officers who were almost all on the same edge, trying to do their job. Corruption was rife and as Duggan says, "nobody's getting' rich up here". The film portrays, unforgivingly, this bleak landscape. Pam Grier is just priceless as the hooker, she just staggers through the role with panache. Ticotin is marvelous as the nurse, her scene at the end, stumbling down the street, is absolutely unforgettable and really disturbing. One of Newman's most singular performances, he really let his hair down for this role. Asner's curmudgeonly captain is very entertaining as well as powerful. All in all a great experience.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

What Film Making is Really All About

[10/10 · 2 March 2012]

The goal is to set everything - the performances, the shot, the mise en scene, the lighting and sound - to evoke, visually and aurally the reaction you want to get. Tarantino shows us violence with dispassion, so we get the sense of just how senseless violence is. SAme could be said of Scorcese's outings, in a more digestible way, if you will.

This film is perfect in that sense, and what really adds to it is the way it is shot. I have not seen such meticulous cinematography in a long time. MAny kudos to the crew here and the director for giving a vivid visual side to a story that is in fact quite cerebral, and almost untellable.

Not one bad performance, either, from Swinton down to the extras. The sense of quiet alarm, of self-reprisal, of sheer frustration is expressed by Swinton exquisitely. The part of Franklin, the dad, is key to the whole deal and is featured at the exact right moments.

For such a horribly disturbing film, this comes off like clockwork. It should be on every film student's list of must-watch movies.

Devil (2010)

Many reviewers missed the point

[10/10 · 4 February 2012]

There's an old saying in show business: Bad press is as good as good press. Seems to me many people went to see this film to find out if it was as "bad" as this M. Night Schmegegy (or whatever) guy's other films. I knew not of this individual until I saw this film, so I came in dead cold. No pun intended :)

Nice work indeed. Tense and action-packed, it delivers on a lot of levels. Much light has been made of the security guard's ramblings but its part of the suspension of disbelief and provides a loose narration. Well put together and cohesive, and an 80 minute film to boot. This forces the story along no matter what, and that's what you want in a film, to keep the viewer engaged at all times. Tough to achieve but done wonderfully. Camera work is subtle, yet more aggressive where its needed, no shaky-cams or dizzying hallways, but nice perspectives of the elevator, needed to divert the mind from the cubical enclosure for 15 seconds. Nice chills when the elevator lights go out, NOT overdone at all.

An underrated film, with underrated performances by all. Carefully constructed and a welcome addition to the genre. Highly recommended.

Twice Two (1933)

First time I'd seen this one

[10/10 · 29 January 2012]

Something here that you cannot miss, in fact in all the "talkie" L&H Hal Roach Shorts, is how these two men made the transition from silent film. Much of the exaggerated pantomime, side-splitting reaction shots and priceless facial expressions are left over from the silents and Stan and Ollie took that and ran it to the goal post.

I had the privilege of acquiring some hard to find video stuff and came across this one. Oh my god, no one else could make this work as well with the female counterparts played by themselves. That whole business with the telephones in the beginning had me laughing out loud in front of the screen. What fun! But the most golden moment for me was towards the end when "Mrs. Stan" (ie, Hardy) looks up, making Laurel look up, and just cracks him under his jaw with a dinner plate. Folks, I almost wet myself. No one could pull that sight gag off as well as these two huge talents. It's so funny that it's almost not a spoiler, you just have to see it for yourself.

Awesome. In that era, even a 20 minute short was to be perfection, especially at Hal Roach's shop!!!!

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Best Picture?! You've got to be kidding me.

[2/10 · 19 March 2011]

Some really good films have been based on the war in Iraq, Desert Storm, and the whole so-called "war on terrorism". I cite, "Jarhead", "Courage Under Fire", "Rules of Engagement", and "Three Kings", all worthy entries and not an Oscar for any. This film was recommended to me so I got it. I was utterly amazed at what a bad film this was. The acting was shallow, the script was shallow, and I sat through 2 hours of this mess asking myself, "so what is the point of this film?" We are treated to a reckless Sergeant whose job it is to defuse bombs, risking his life and his buddies' lives as well. They ride around Iraq like cops in green suits, defusing bombs and exchanging, I don't know, is that dialogue? There is no moral lesson, forget that "war is a drug" stuff, that's been done before. I highly suspect the academy wanted to award a female director and well, here was their chance. It's all politics. This is a B movie at best, it bored the crap outta me. Pity someone didn't defuse THIS bomb. LOL, to concur with other reviewers, you kill off Pearce and Fiennes in a movie, well that's trouble right there. Boring and inane.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)

Delightful

[10/10 · 21 March 2010]

I haven't seen a film like this in ages, I can't even compare it to another. Fun for the kids and adults too. A kid starts middle school, making the transition from grade school and this film nicely deals with that chapter in a kid's life. The "cool" older brother who lives to antagonize you, the "yukky" baby brother who embarrasses you, the nerdy friend who makes you look bad, they're all there. Who can NOT relate? The direction is perfect, the film is paced properly and exactly.

Some really fantastic performances from these child actors and a storyline everyone can relate to. No foul language or sexual situations... wow! We went with two 8 year olds and a ten year old and they all loved it. For once, a film for everyone!

Paranormal Activity (2007)

Oh no you DIDN'T!

[10/10 · 15 January 2010]

Well, going in to this movie I had pretty low expectations as I'd heard that a lot of people were disappointed.

I was not. Mind you I was a big fan of Blair Witch Project, and a lot of folks didn't care for that. Here we have the mere power of suggestion, the shadow on the wall, the 'thing that goes bump in the night'. It works and it works to perfection here.

Katie has been haunted by a demon since childhood - Micah, her new boyfriend, who she has recently moved in with, just found out. So Micah decides he's going to take charge of the situation. When the psychic they consult tells Micah that, whatever you do, DON'T p*ss this thing off by talking to it, what does Micah do? In good horror movie form ("Don't open that door!!!") he TAUNTS it. The feeling of "Oh no you DIDN'T just say/do that" is wonderfully creepy and you just know this fool has opened up a can of worms. I mean, a Ouija board?! Weren't you listening to that guy, Micah?!?!? LOL Fun and scary, the movie ends with quite a bang, and that was the theatrical ending... I haven't seen the alternate ending but I hear it's even more disturbing. Highly recommended to purchase on DVD because you will want to see this more than once.

Orphan (2009)

There's something about Hollywood...

[8/10 · 3 January 2010]

...that tells you when you see a trailer for a film like this, stay away - lol. I guess we did just that as we viewed it on DVD last night. Had I sprung for theater tickets for this film, I would have got my money's worth.

As other reviewers have indicated, this film's plot device has been used before, Carrie, The Omen etc. Here is a fresh take on the "evil child" story. The whole "Esther has a secret" advertising was forgotten by your humble correspondent weeks ago, so I wasn't trying to figure out anything. It is obvious from Fuhrman's first appearance that there is indeed "something about Esther". Her delicate Slavic accent betrays her ominous presence and there is surely something decidedly "mature for her her age" about her, as sister Abigail puts it.

The deaf younger sister is played just as well by the talented Engineer, the fear in her expression coupled with the love she wants to feel with her "sister" is unmistakable. I hope she has a long career because she should be something to watch.

Furhmans performance is exquisite. Her acting is very subtle and very believable, every time she looks up from what she's doing you think boy, I wouldn't want that kid in my house. There's a hunger and a rage in her eyes that's just wonderful. One of the best such performances I've seen, and this young lady's future should be just as bright as Engineer's if not more so.

The other actors are really incidental here. The anger shown by the son towards Esther is about as emotional as he gets; I thought the other parts were wooden and trite.

Which brings me to the ending, and that whole we-think-she/he's-dead-but-they-jump-back-to-life thing ....its old, and the ending is 10 minutes longer than needed. The denouement was quick but abrupt, and not followed through, degrading into a chase scene type deal, replete with such tired devices as Esther popping out of the ice (after being submerged in freezing water for 2 minutes) and dragging the mother down....*yawn*.

Other than that, I highly recommend this movie. Get it on DVD and you'll enjoy it. Not for kids, but adults will enjoy following the story which is VERY well written! Cinematography is so good you don't even notice it, no stupid camera tricks to distract you. The director correctly figured that Fuhrman's presence was quite enough to capture the audiences attention, and I give that girl 10 out of 10 for her part.