Mr. Bennett's Reviews

Soft Lad (2015)

1/10

Awfully directed, poorly written; simply unwatchable

1 July 2017

This has got to be one of the worst films I've seen. It is so badly made, I was actually shouting "this is so bad!!" at my laptop. The camera work is so bad it's annoying; I don't know what type of tone or feel they were going for but the result is a mess of awkward angles, moving pointlessly back and forth and getting in the faces of the actors with absolutely no sense of framing.

The sound design is non-existent and the few attempts at scoring are generic 'sad'/piano music, that not only add absolutely no sentiment at all, they also sound really bad. And that also applies to dialogue as well, which makes the whole thing look and sound very amateur.

The script is so bad I can't stop thinking how it got approved or how people thought this kind of writing is good! To sum it up, it goes like this: -I just feel stressed and tired from it all -Why? -I don't know

The repetition of lines like "where is this coming from?" and "why are you being like this?" only makes things worst and adds to an already messed up and poor script that sounds so basic and forced and fake that makes the whole thing really annoying to watch.

In terms of plot, after one or so hours of the character's emotional ups and downs, it boils down to the consequences of unprotected sex and the use of condoms, which in this day and age is just old news.

The actors do try their best and they are some genuine moments that unfortunately don't last for more than a few seconds. Massively let down by a script that simply does not work, they end up trying to convince you how sad they are, or how confused with lines like...well, see above.

I can go on and on as I still can't believe how badly made this is and how amateur it looks and sounds; OK, maybe they didn't have the biggest budget ever and I get that but still, that's not an excuse for the complete and utter lack of a convincing narrative, emotional investment and quality of film making.

8 out of 23 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Fantastic Four (I) (2005)

3/10

Fantastic? I wouldn't go with that...

25 September 2005

I am a huge fan of comic books based films, even though I haven't read the books. I enjoyed spiderman (not #2) and I loved both xmen. Based on the comments of other users in here, I decided to watch F4, because they were all saying it is fun. And that is all that matters in such films.

Well, it wasn't. First of all, I left with the impression that I watched a 50 minutes movie. It doesn't show that much. The first part actually shows nothing of interest. What you might have seen in trailers, well...that's pretty much it. There are no more action scenes, no fights between F4 and Doom. Actually, the only have one scene together, where they fight each other and then it's the end.

The CGI's are at least ridiculous.. The Thing came out nice, Jessica had the easiest part, I guess..but Mr. fantastic was, not even funny.. ridiculous. The first time I saw his hand stretching, I thought, OK, there is something wrong here. Not only it looks unreal, but if feels kind of silly, watching a grown up man stretching up the way he does. There is a scene where he has his palms in Thing's head. If you notice, you can see its pure cgi. And its pure slash bad cgi.

The acting is... and this is where this sentence could stop. Or rephrase, there is no acting. Mr. Fantastic is a bit annoying, he doesn't know what to do with his hands, his normal ones! Jessica is.. Jessica, and she does that pretty well, period. Johny came out nice, funny..but after a while he enters the 12 year old boy mode with his sister: "you know what, you're not mom". The Von Doom character was played quit decent by Julian McMahon... Overall, the casting was a big failure.

Other than that, the film features some nice shots of new york, building lights at night, some aerial shots. The music sounds cheap, the crashing cars elements are pretty nice, I especially liked the ones used in the bridge sequence.

I was very much disappointed by this movie. I wouldn't mind all of the above if it was fun, but it wasn't. I just hope for a much much better sequel, but if you have this as a first film, well.. you actually start from scratch.

12 out of 22 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Equilibrium (2002)

6/10

A perfect example of how to destroy a good movie

10 January 2005

When i read the theme of equilibrium, i found it extremely interesting and i was dying to see this film.

When i saw the trailer in the DVD, i must admit i was surprised, because i had no clue it is so...action flick. Anyway, i clicked on play and started watching it. What a very nice movie, i was thinking, while watching it. It has this strange atmosphere, a dark one and a futuristic one at the same time, combined very successfully. The characters were interesting enough, same goes for the story, and the acting was decent enough. It goes better better, as the main character starts to change, and the scenes that shows that to us are perfectly shot. The music is very good, the direction is tight, performances are great, to make a long story short, it manages to hold you there...

And then it hits you. It's like jerry bruckheimer and the watchowski brothers took over.. Special effects are all over the place, meaningless violence, including a lot of bone cracking, endless gun fighting... I was very disappointed. It's like the movie lost her feeling. It became like the people it describes. No feeling for the meaning of the movie, complete it just to complete it. And its just pity, because it starts with a very promising way, and it ends as a bad copy of matrix.

0 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

About Adam (2000)

10/10

Touching and funny with great elements

30 August 2004

One more night where there is nothing on tv. Except this stupid channel that every now and then shows a movie worth watching. That night, it was about adam.

The first 20 minutes, i think, is your typical romantic comedy, with nothing special. I felt sleepy, to be honest. But when I saw that the film 'rewinds' to show you things from another point of view I was like wow! I love this thing in a movie. Like 'a la folie...pas du tout' with that girl from amelie.. I think it is a very clever and intriguing film technique.

From that moment on I felt alive!! You get to see facts from different points of view, and understand what each character thinks -that thing with us hearing their thoughts is great- and therefore understand why they do what they do. That was the main part that made me like this movie so much. Then, there was the script, touching and funny, the music that gave the right 'tone' in the scenes, which they were beautifully shot, -like the one with laura in the phone booth with a raindrop look like a teardrop, or is it the other way around?- and with great costumes.

There is a part in the film, where adam explains why he is doing what he is doing. You may or may not understand/accept it. But during the film, you fell some kind of a sympathy for the characters and their actions. And when everything is over, and you got adam looking straight in your eyes with that witty smile, you can't help it but smile back at him.

4 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Minority Report (2002)

9/10

A mind-teasing film. Definitely worth watching

28 July 2004

First of all, let me say I write this comment, because I think the last one was unfair for the movie.

I saw it again last night, and despite the fact that I knew the ending, I realized why I liked it. It's a sci-fi thriller, but it is not based entirely on special effects. It has a whole story behind it, that keeps you until the very end. Most of the users in here, can't stop mentioning plot holes (one said something about a date in 2054!!!), or predictability (another had foresaw the bad guy halfway through the film), and staff like that. But what I would like to outline, is the performance of Samantha Morton. She is just perfect in the role of Agatha and she has some of the finest scenes in the movie, not to mention that terrific look she has when that gadget guy won't believe she is a precogn. She makes you feel so sorry for her, because you see she feels great pain, every time she sees a murder. She is excellent. If I had to mention something that bothered me, that would be the duration of the film. I think it's over 2 hours, but at least there's nothing useless there, what you see is necessary for the plot. The effects look like they are indeed from the year 2054, the action scenes are decent enough and the photography is very good.

Overall, a very enjoyable, mind-teasing film. I think it deserves an 8 or a 9 / 10. Definitely worth watching... Enjoy.

0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Naked Weapon (2002)

7/10

Lousy script, nice story, great action !

7 June 2004

Warning: Spoilers

First of all, let me say that I am one of those that did not get the title of the movie, but that's another thing.

The first 30-40 minutes gives you the impression that you watch another film with trained killers in camps and staff. But then it gets a bit crueler, when the girls starts to get killed or kill one another. When Madam M tells them they have to kill each other you get, "what???" and by the time you realize it, you see it happening! It is a cruel scene given out nice, like the one were the last 10 girls fight for one of them to stay alive. And then you see that there is some serious choreography in this action flick. It reminds a lot of matrix and charlie's angels, but that doesn't matter. It still looks great!

It looks even greater with that terrific score. Right from the beginning it is in the right groove and rythm, changing from up beating and rhythmical to traditional lyrical Chinese music. This is a great score!

To the flaws, now. Lots of them. First of all, the script. Not good. There are scenes that just goes by and others that you go "come on...". There are even scenes that are ruined by some pretty dam lines, like when he runs to the hospital, and he starts saying how he feels and gets really personal, he almost hits a telephone booth!!! (i think) There are also some scenes that the choreography just goes a bit way too far, and you get a bit annoyed.

Acting is OK, I guess, with Maggie giving the best performance in the film, with all other actors follow from a long distance.

The final scene kind of pays back for the major flaws, with an over the top choreography, great scenery and once again great music.

Definitely watch this movie. Beautiful women kicking ass, great action. It's pure fun, if you fast forward the crap scenes. 7/10

2 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Mindhunters (2004)

9/10

If you're into this kind of films,and enjoy enjoying films,you'll love this one.

19 May 2004

As the previous comment said, it certainly serves its purpose.

Mindhunters is one of these movies that show you that some people still making movies for what they are meant to do : entertain you! From what I've been reading quite often in imdb people tend to forget this. Anyway, down to business now.

What I liked in Mindhunters was its speed. Never let you go. Right from the beginning, very nice opening imho, has your fullest attention. And when they go on the island, its party time! The plot gets even more interesting, you got questions popped up in your head as it goes and suddenly you get to be the profiler. You just cant stop guessing.

The whole island set was terrific. Gives out this isolation feeling, being an isolated island of course, but at the same time it gets pretty spooky I think. Especially at night.

I found its music to be very, very good. It starts with a very low and lyrical rythme, and as the story unfolds its gets more upbeat.

The direction was just the right one. Not too much or too less of it. It had the right shots when they were needed, some fast ones were great, the acting was pretty decent, the script...

Now as far as the script is concerned, it did have some plotholes. I don't know, maybe I didn't get some scenes, but I have the feeling that something went a bit wrong there. But that's definitely not going to ruin the feeling of the movie.

This is a great movie for people who can enjoy films for what they are. If any of you has heard negative words, forget it, and just sit your butt down and watch it. If you're into this kind of films, and you really enjoy enjoying films, you gonna love this one. I'd give it a 8.5 out of 10

1 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Secret Agents (2004)

3/10

Secrets? Maybe. Agents? Nooo...

20 April 2004

Warning: Spoilers

I saw this film because of monica and vincent to be honest. And because Bruno Coulais had done the music. The trailer seemed pretty good, and I needed something strong that day. It was either this or taking lives. Please notice I had read imdb reviews that warned about the nature of this film : not good at all. But, it was monica and vincent and bruno... So I said what the heck.

(***minor spoilers)

The movie begins with a couple of nice shots. Then the story unfolds. We meet the agents and get to action. And here's problem No.1 : how and where did those two get to meet each other, how was the contact made.. We watch them separately and then bang! on the plane. I was left kinda blank on that. The same goes and in that scene where she has to kill that woman in the prison. One minute she's in and the next she drops the pill and out she goes. But then again, some might say whats there to show. Anyway... And then to the action. Or to be exact, more action less talk. That seemed to be the director's motto. Which was good, I assume. It was something you don't see in spy films, so I appreciated it. At first. Because later it gets just a bit annoying. What I appreciated even more was the fact that there were no shootings and explosions every 10 minutes. And here's problem No.2 : you can't follow a "minimal" structure of showing things and action and then take the main character alive out of a blaster car accident. You just can't! Even though I liked the way it was shown, silence while car on air, and then crash! boom! bang!, the way it turned out, the hero with just some scratches, it reminded a lot of that hollywood staff. And finally, problem No.3 was monica's acting. I don't know what is wrong, I actually adore that woman, but here... I don't know maybe she was tired from the "passion", she seemed completely out of the movie. She had the exact same look on her (beautiful) face in the entire movie. Why?

I don't want to admit that I have get used to hollywood stuff and that I am not in place to appreciate something different, because I watch more "different" movies than Hollywood movies. But when different gets so out of line...I wouldn't say it is a spy thriller, because I don't think it is. Also, this film gave me a hard time, because never before had I consider rating a movie below 5. I added a "point" for each 'thing' I liked : the guy who played the contact man, vincent and monica and some nice shots. I think you all know how much is 1+1+1.

7 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Hulk (2003)

6/10

Nice try though and Jennifer rocks!

17 March 2004

First of all, let me say that I am not much of a comics fan. I knew the story of Hulk but not the details. I wanted to see it because every now and then I like watching an action flick and, mainly, because I wanted to see what Lee would have done with a movie like this. I think the story is pretty much known to most people in here so I'll focus on the impression I was left with.

First thing that 'hit' me was the split screens thing. I have to admit that this technique gives the movie the comic book looks but in many scenes I found it irritating and confusing. I didn't know which way to look and what to pay attention to! Another thing that looked weird was... Hulk. I don't know how he looked in the comic book but in this movie he looks so...how shall I put this...he looks like these football guys in college, with lots of muscle but no brains. That, on the other hand, is exactly what makes you feel sorry for him. A different face might have given him the sense that he's too cruel too care or something like that. Thinking it again right now, I think it served its purpose. But it still looks kinda weird. The special effects were well made with many colors that, once again, gave you the feeling of actual reading a comic book. The performances were pretty good, especially Bana's. I think he was the perfect choice. Now, Connelly, once again, proves that she is a very, very good actress. Her performance was just the right one. She is not going over the top, or something. She is losing the man she loves, her father is responsible for that, but instead of screaming or yelling, she looks calm while her emotional explosions shows us how she really feels. Not to mention her beauty. (She should really keep that hair style) And we're in the final scene, the fight with Hulk's father, that just did not make any sense. The effects were all over the scene, images just kept rushing. I did not get a thing. :o(

I think Lee wanted to do so many things, thats why he shot scenes from many different angels and many times, and the split screens, that in the end he overdid it. I believe he tried to stick to the comic book looks but in a movie that is not necessarily a good thing. I can't say I did not enjoyed watching it, no, I had a great time, except some of the split screen scenes. The music was nice, and the performances too. I think I'd go with a 6.5 out of 10. But when I get to vote it has to be either a 6 or a 7, right?

1 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Eglimata (1998–2000)

"Crimes" of unbelievable laughter!

26 September 2003

This series started about 4 or 5 years ago and it's still on the air. Replays of course, but it still has the same effects as the first time: Non stop laughs! The story's kinda complex to describe but in a few words,it has to do with family affairs. But the whole thing begins with an affair created outside the family limits. An affair that starts with innocent dates and ends with a child birth! But until that happens, many other incidents take place that will only make you laugh your ass out! The characters are all unique. The goofy husband, whose wife's having the affair, the sexy sister, a well known luxury prostitute,the husband's friend, a not so clever butcher, who's having the affair with his friend's wife, the butcher's wife, a very mean woman who seeks her husband's death by any means and many many other characters, that portray the reality and the relationships between families. The actors all deserved some kind of an award for their performances. Their acting, and one of tv's most successful and brilliant scripts,literally wrote history.Some lines from the series were meant to "haunt" audience's ordinary lives and you could hear it from people of all ages.The most interesting and hilarious characters were those of the mean wife and the prostitute. The outstanding performances of the two actresses and their poisonous lines could make your stomach ache from laughter. The series went on for 2 or 3 years and won tv awards for best tv comedy, best script and best female performance. Definitely one of the best series in the greek television.

10 out of 12 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

10/10

A Beautiful Man

12 May 2003

OK,let me start by saying that I hate Russell Crowe. Always have. I didn't like his attitude, that whole 'macho' thing..not to mention his acting in 'gladiator'. Overestimated, but that is not the issue here. I had seen the trailer and thought that it could actually be a nice movie.To be honest, mrs. Connelly was the one that attracted me because I think she is a fine actress. Anyway, I rent it the other day and couldn't wait to watch it.So I did.

And I liked it. OK, I liked it a lot. First of all I was drawn by the photography and the costumes.. There was nothing that could reveal that what you are watching was made in the 21st century! I liked the fact that for one second it had you! You believed that Nash was telling the truth, that he was indeed the victim. And finally, even though it hurts to admit, I liked Crowe, there, I said it. His acting was absolutely shocking! You could read intelligence and madness all over him. His face, his body, his speech, his movement, the way he smiled while he was scratching his forehead.. I was watching speechless. I couldnt not believe how talented he can be.

Overall this is a great movie. What I got from it is that if you're talented, the world will know. Nothing can hide the brilliance of your mind. Not even your mind itself...

0 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Face/Off (1997)

10/10

Talents/Off

12 October 2000

I have the impression that i saw FACE OFF, and understood it in a very different way everybody else did. I mean, i realize that everybody were just watching the good guy with the face of the bad guy. I was trying to see Travolta into the role of Cage, and Cage into the role of Travolta. We see two different versions of each other's talent. And they are very persuasive. The whole movie does something more like a thriller or something, rather than an action movie. It gets on TV this week. Guess what i will be doing on Sunday evening...

4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Urban Legend (1998)

7/10

Rebecca saves the day!!

24 May 2000

What can you say about Urban Legend... I liked all that story with the legends, passing from mouth to mouth, turning into the real thing. As an idea, its pretty spooky. I liked the way legends were "executed", especially that "aren't you glad you didn't turn on the lights?". That was my favorite. I also liked Rebecca Gayheart, with that -don't-think-i-am-not-psycho-enough-to-kill-you- look. She really looked great in her role. What i didn't like, was the fact that she survived, had new friends, and the film did not have a clear ending. Had the producers decide to make a #2? Who knows... Many say that the script was not that great. OK, I admit it. Many say it wasn't scary. Not THAT scary, but you jump off your seat every now and then. I'd say 7 out of 10 (just because i loved the aren't you glad scene, and Rebecca).

0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

The Net (I) (1995)

9/10

One of the most "terrifying" films i have seen.

19 May 2000

When i first saw THE NET, cos i have seen it 2-3 times, it really impressed me (it became one of my favorites, that's why i use Bullock's name as a nickname). First of all, i enjoyed watching it, because i work on computers, and i tend to like any film that features computers. As the story unfolds, u began to realize that this movie is more than a hacker's movie. You actually feel her fear, as you watch her whole life turn upside down, you're getting terrified to the idea that IT CAN HAPPEN 2U, and you don't have a clue for the ending. Manages to "keep" the viewer all the way to the end, and before you go to bed, you remind yourself not to chat to strangers...

2 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Mr. Bennett

Reviews

Tell Your Friends

Recently Viewed