Reviews

Whether or not the matrix trilogy really was a trilogy idea or not, an observant (and not prone to bouts of emotion) person will come away knowing all along what they knew would happen with a second matrix installment: More eye-candy, less plot.

Most of us knew that the first Matrix was pretty much a one movie deal. It didn't beg for a sequel, yet we got Reloaded anyways...and soon to come, Revolutions. So with Reloaded we get the whole Zion thing goin on (Zionists rejoice...tsk tsk tsk :-P) and the human element. What's wrong with Reloaded is: (1) Story, and (2) Character Development.

To explain number one, the story isn't all that well delivered to us. With the Zion environment, gone is the mystery and realism that made us, well at least me, love the first matrix so much. Not to say that it's all bad because I will go see Revolutions to see how it all ends, but for example, the big cliffhanger that's at the end, honestly it really isn't at all, because of problem #2. Number 2: Many more characters show up in Reloaded, like Persephone, the twins, a "new" agent smith(s), yet pretty much all these characters are so two dimensional. Their little screen time doesn't explain why they are there and why they are who they are, although the movie preaches "purpose." Unfortunately, it's hard to really connect with them and thus we have less feeling for what they do, and less feeling for the movie.

Another element that was pretty underwhelming was the music. There were no really good thumping songs that you could remember afterwords. In the first movie you had prodigy, propellorheads, rob zombie remix...in this one the only song i "got in to" was the freeway chase scene, which btw is the scene that, if anything for this movie, is worth your money.

So anyway, go watch it, because it is enjoyable - I was drinking a Lowenbrau maybe that helped too :-) - but just know that it's pretty average and it can't compare to the first movie...unless you're a graphics junkie/anime freak. Enjoy.

X2 really did well in my mind. It surpassed the first movie by having a more focused approach. By no means was it perfect, but it certainly played out in a way that wasn't Vin Diesel-esque, and for that I'm happy. Plus it's nice to see the gang again.

Some things to fix are Magneto's cheesy wear - he looked like one of the death star's commanders except even worse because of that stupid helmet and the cape. Storm is just bad, I can't stand her and the character is obviously going nowhere. Another thing was that they didn't really reveal anything about Wolverine's past so that sucked. As well, Jean Grey turned into Phoenix WAY too fast. It shoulda happened in the next movie, but what's done is done.

The next film should start to dive into the phoenix saga, and then the introduction of the mutant disease and time travel with cable, perhaps bishop too...and yes, apocalypse! :-)

Van Damme for Gambit...YEAH!

Saw this movie yesterday and I thought it was pretty good. It had some great actors, including Cusack, Liotta, McGinley, and DeMornay.

The atmosphere was really great, a motel in the middle of nowhere and pouring rain outside...it's pretty freaky.

Anyway, I can't really say much without giving the entire thing away, but just know that the movie is pretty much worth your money, except for at the end. The ending is such a letdown (and kinda obvious), it really degrades the score of the movie, but I guess just try to think of how cool it was before that.

If I could I would really like to make the movie again with the same setting and same actors, only none of the "psychology" which you'll find out about. Just wondering how it would turn out.

What a great piece of filmmaking. I was drawn in to the plot, the characters...it being a true story only heightened the atmosphere. Enthralling, to say the least! Goes to show what we're missing in N. America thanks to Hollywood. And for everyone who didn't like the bluntness or thought we learned nothing from it, well then maybe u want to watch yet ANOTHER war movie. They all have awards under their belt anyways...knock yourself out.

Although not as amazing in terms of plot as Momento, it was still a really fun film to watch. The black and white was excellent and I really liked the acting. I can't believe they were just friends...I need friends like that for my films!

Anyway, Christopher Nolan is one to watch...too bad Insomnia was a little better than average, and in that it was a remake of a 97 norwegian film which was better...Nolan is about intriguing new things, so I hope he goes back to putting original/intriguing ideas on film.

I watched this with 3-5 friends a few months back, and I was absolutely amazed when, at the end of the film, each one of them thought it was one of the most intelligent films they had ever seen. I was like: "What the f***?!" Nothing wrong with Fincher here. He held up his end of the bargain, directing in his usual cool-stylistic fashion that I've come to appreciate. However, the movie has WAY too many holes in the plot that are downright inexcusable. I can't even name them all it's insane...first it's reality, than it's a game, than it's reality again with with a "supernatural" twist? Nevermind you cannot believe these switches because of all the inconsistencies... Movies like this are meant to look and feel smart, but they're just "twisty" and weird for the sake of being such, and desperately try to make that pass for an intelligent movie.

But hey, most of you love the film, so who am I to argue with a big crowd of "intelligent" and "reflective" individuals.

Yes Arnie, yes it is... What can I say? It's an Arnold movie with awesome story and concept, directed by Verhoeven YES!, and has micheal ironside from here (willowdale)!! and ronny cox! as amazing supporting actors. Classic Verhoeven, classic Arnold, this is one of his best, if not his best. Watch it NOW!

Like I said in my Die Another Day review, i have all of the bond films, and never say never again, with a couple of behind the scenes tapes n what not...so listen up yuz! How can so many ppl hate this movie so much? This bond movie had everything the new ones lack. Story...very cool. Bond goin renegade...breath of fresh air, cool. Extra smart violence...cool. and by smart violence i mean it is to know how not to be like vin diesel's ridiculous XXX, but to give ppl thinking "that guy deserves that" exactly what they wanted to see. Was there espionage? Oh yeah!!! Dalton and Davi were practically friends half way through, and that's what Bond is, or at least was, ALL ABOUT. This movie had a perfect mix of class, glamour, ingenuity, suspense and action. There's nothing more you could ask for.

A lot of ppl call this movie violent. No it isn't. That's just red jam coming out of everyone's wounds...argh, it's so simple. Anywho...this movie is so cool cuz the concept was awesome, the story moves well, the bad guys are really evil (read: kurtwood smith is gold EVERYWHERE, and ronny cox), and for an action film with lots of violence (violence for a reason), it had emotion and it's funny parts. Oh and as a kid the evil bot FREAKED me out. Crazy... Anywho, if you haven't watched this, then what you waiting for? Do it now!

Umm, Roger Moore was 57 years old...ok now that was really pushing it. Think about it. Timothy Dalton NOW is 56, and he was in bond 13 years ago...damn. Anyways, this movie had Christopher Walken, he's soooooo amazing, except not in this movie, HA! Grace Jones, ughh *shudders*...what else is there to say? It's a horrible, and boring...yes that's right, making it horribly boring, too.

Man, the replay value on this flick never diminishes. The dubbing of this movie is the best thing since sliced bread, and the acting and plot are the most hilarious/best things i've seen in a long time.

This is one of the best movies ever made. There's even an appearance from Chuck Norris, playing one of the last surviving sasquatches on this planet (the other notable being Robin Williams, not in the film tho).

Anywho, not everyone will get why it's so great, but if you've been brought up to love your share of van damme, cheap arnold and sly movs, and bruce lee...well then, this movie is like a slice of pumpkin pie on a snowy x-mas morning where your stockings are filled with easter eggs. Yes, it's just that good.

Ok, Goldeneye was the best Brosnan movie, with TWINE being the worst, and TMD and our new release DAD being tied...which means that die another day isn't that great of a flick. I have had all of the bond movies for 3 years now, yes even never say never again, plus some behind the scenes vhs's and the like...so i KNOW what i'm talkin about.

DAD started out well enuf, not the intro, but I mean the brosnanlookinglikejesus and doing his own thing away from MI6 cuz he's got the revenge factor. It was all very Timothy Dalton-like and I thought, this is what's gonna turn this series around...but lo and behold, soon enuf M sez, perhaps you are of some use to us, and then Vin Diesel could've taken over, because the ridiculous action, and i mean ridiculous as in everything from surfing on icelandic waves with a piece of metal and a parachute, all the way to a lookalike robocop outfit,... and lots of halle berry, killed the class, glamour, and ESPIONAGE (which i haven't seen in a LONG time) of bond...

Whatever, all that action will satisfy the regular, ADD north american, and bond will reap profits galore.

Eric Roberts and Joaquim de Almeida. Great actors. This movie has that cool Mexican atmosphere that was apparent, albeit in a different tone, in Desperado, the film that opened my eyes to Joaquim de Almeida.

After first viewing, the film seems merely average and sort of lost in little details, but once one goes back to delve deeper into its content, we see a film that can be simply interpreted as a character study, that of Eric Roberts. In that, it is most excellent.

If you take the film as that, you will enjoy it immensely. However, if you're expecting a true structure of a film with a solid, moving plot, well then perhaps you may be let down by this one. Whatever, I liked it.

This movie is really pretty bad. What's up with like the half an hour with worthless driving shots. WE GET IT! They're on the road, blah blah blah. I hate those damned road shots because they completely take out the interest that one would have building up. Vincent Gallo is cool, her girlfriend is not. Mykleti or whatever his name is is sooooo bad. His stupid antics like trying to "walk like a black man and fit in" and talk, apparently like black people are supposed to talk..."she be toofless. she munchin on a rib and i climb-ded that window, DAWGGG..." hey they said it not me!

Anyways, I liked Kiefer (his voice is hilarious when he "gets mad"), and the appearances by John Mcginley and Martin Sheen. A couple of action sequences were also cool, but that's about it. Rent this one.

Leon started out great, but got lost in a lot of details in the middle. It somehow completely forgot about the action, until close to the end of the movie.

Also, although the acting was very good, I didn't like the story that much. Natalie Portman having a crush on Jean Reno is probably a very true portrayal of younger kids' fantasies with older people (beginning explorations of sexuality). So, in this way it's like a twisted coming-of-age story, but still, I didn't like the "frankness" of how it was portrayed. It was very blunt.

Anyways, if you don't mind the odd-paced action, and the central "love" story, than obviously one could do no better than to watch Leon.

I'm a big, no, a huge fan of cheesy 80's movies like schwarzenegger stuff, van damme stuff, and stallone stuff. However, this movie crosses the line of "what can be funny because it's pretty bad."

The acting is horrible, the directing is non-existent, and the plot is well, well i don't think there really is one. This movie is not fun to watch...actually it is very painful. This is the only movie, out of the over 300 movies i've come to own, that i've actually fast forwarded in parts, ahem the "bruce lee" part.

This is absolute absolute garbage and should not be watched. It's fine to watch cheesy 80's movies, but this isn't even cheesy...it's a pile of dripping contents like that guy who gets acid on him in the original robocop, yeah you know what i'm talking about! Stay far away.

The Bourne Identity was an average movie. It really wanted to be a Ronin-style movie, or something perhaps from Luc Besson, but the feeling wasn't quite there. It's quite obvious that the makers of the film were going for the exotic flavour, as we are shown shots of European landmarks many times throughout the movie.

Matt Damon was great, as usual, and Franka Potente was also very good (it's funny, again, we can see that she was cast for that "European touch"). My problem with the movie, however, was that it couldn't "plot" enough. There weren't enough tense moments for Damon's character. There wasn't enough done on the amnesia subplot. In the end, the movie seemed like a movie to show friends to prove you have a wicked home theater system, instead of the intellectual and twisty spy thriller it could have been. Another thing...the film really never stops moving, especially the camera work in the CIA shots...maybe they should've stopped and added more mystique, intrigue, suspense. That's what spy thrillers are about...and this film didn't have too much "spy" going for it.

Still, I wasn't bored watching it, and there are a whole bunch of movies that are gonna be coming out that are a LOT worse (blue crush, anyone?).

I went into Blade 2 all psyched up. I was ready to love this film. Unfortunately, it let me down everywhere.

Wesley Snipes is cool as usual and so is Kris Kristofferson, but what the hell happened to everything else? There was no story, no emotion, and ACTION FOR NO REASON. As an aspiring filmmaker, this is one thing i truly hate in movies. Yes, the fight sequences are very well done and the CG quality reaches a nice climax at the end of the movie when there is a death animation.

However, Blade 2 is NOWHERE near as good as the original. No story, and loose tie-ins from the original help to ruin this sequel. There are a number of matrix, alien, and jet li inspired shots and in the end, the movie unravels itself. Score: 3/10 (I only wish it could've been better)