Reviews

I originally saw this when I was maybe 13, and I found it a rather tense movie back then. While I wouldn't say that any part of the movie is "scary", I don't think that any of it even attempts to be. Instead, I found myself simply feeling uneasy while watching it.

I recently decided to rent it for the nostalgia factor and give it another watch, fully expecting it to be horrible and downright laughable, but I was surprised to find that this movie still has the power to make me feel uneasy and even uncomfortable while watching it.

The scriptwriter's alien ideas about how computers and games work are indeed rather laughable, but if you can forgive those, the movie does an admirable job of pulling you into Michael Bower's world. Anyone who has ever done something wrong, and felt that queasiness that comes with the knowledge that yes, you are going to get caught, can relate to the situation Michael is in. The main theme, played several times throughout the movie, is very creepy and mood setting; I loved it.

I found Brainscan far more compelling than the standard slasher flick or monster movie, and would readily recommend it to anyone looking for something a little more psychological.

I like to be brief, and this will be no exception: Road to Perdition is easily one of the best films of the year - and an easy contender for *the* best. It was everything I was expecting, and more. This movie was just filled to the brim with charisma and absolutely brilliant direction. It had style to spare.

Everyone's performances in the movie were completely flawless - not for one moment did I have to cringe, or sit through a painfully written monologue. Tom Hanks was especially powerful throughout the film, playing a 1930's version of Maximus, from "Gladiator". Driven by a quiet rage, he's a truly convincing character.

My only regret about the movie was that the ending was unfortunately predictable. Everyone will know exactly what's going to happen 15 minutes before it does. Still, it's the only real way the movie could have gone.

I'll be honest: I was never particularly enamoured with Silence of the Lambs. Oh, I absolutely loved Hannibal Lector... what an amazingly poweful and charismatic figure he was. But the whole murder mystery really seemed too contrived and uninteresting. I had high hopes for Hannibal, some of which fell short, others of which were exceeded.

Hannibal starts off slow: You're mostly presented with a bit "filling in the details" as to what happened between SotL and this film. If you haven't seen the first movie, I'm sure it's easy to get lost. But once the real hunt gets underway, the film picks up to a frantic pace. Without giving too much away, I must say that I was honestly a bit surprised by the ending - It really makes Dr. Hannibal Lector a mesmerizing and imposing figure. I gave the film 8/10, and the only thing keeping it from earning a higher score was the aforementioned slow start. Certainly, this is Anthony Hopkins' defining role.

I'm sure that, by now, there are already thousands of personal and professional reviews for FoTR floating around on the 'net. In fact, chances are pretty slim that you're actually reading this one. So I'll be extremely brief:

Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring is virtually flawless. It will certainly please long time fans of the books and newcomers alike. Even where it deviates from Tolkien's original work, it does so with both style and grace. The casting, music, direction, special effects... everything is 100% perfect.

Some people might be put off by the length of the film... don't be. Yes, at nearly 3 hours, it's one of the longest films to come along in a while. But when the film started to fade to black, and the ending credits began to roll, there was a universal sigh throughout the theater: Everyone desperately wanted it to go on longer. This movie alone will put Peter Jackson on the map as a landmark director.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking (as clichéd as that sounds):

"I'm a guy. I don't watch no 'romantic comedies'. Those are chick flicks."

And to be honest, I generally think the same thing. You want to talk about a romantic joke? Lets talk about my love life.

But this is the movie that proves the exception to the rule, and the very fact that Kevin Smith wrote and directed it should send up the white flag from even the stoutest and most stubborn of manly men. Chasing Amy is sometimes crude, sometimes serious, and almost always funny. Take the lewd humor from Clerks, toss in a lesbian, a lovestruck comicbook artist and, of course, Jay and Silent Bob, and you've got a funny and genuinely touching movie.