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Reviews
Azumi 2: Death or Love (2005)
Nothing will come between ' Azumi ' and 'The Missio To prevent wars is her only Desire.
You really have to watch Azumi 1 as this is a continuation and No.1 sets the groundwork. I enjoyed watching this, it is important that you allow yourself to get into the film and focus otherwise it will just go over your head and you will become detached. You notice every so often that there seems to be some lack in budget. However this is overcome by the storyline and the quality of the acting. Some villains remain from Azumi 1, especially Lord Kato protector. These allow you to have a stronger connection to the film & allow you to become more involved; ultimately enhancing viewing performance. 7.6/10 for me. Thats just about on the high fair side. Could of been more with higher budget. But i more than appreciate how it is currently. Azumi definitely somehow grows on you and you always know she will come through her battle's no matter how hard the opponent. Her mission seems to be one of good, therefore you support it. One thing that was always going through my head from Azumi 1 was the reference made by a character to Azumi & speed over power. In same light looking at Azumi's figure she seems flimsy yet she wields so much impact. I also always like after she kill's someone the stance after, it is delayed then blood starts gushing out. They think they were never caught yet realise the blade has penetrated her skin. She has some sort of back blade as well which comes in very hand and she uses in devastating effect. The mix of enemies work well. But in Azumi 2 it becomes even more prominent the desire to complete the mission. That is what they live for and without it they are somewhat lost. Being compelled to carry out your duty. This somehwhat leads me to think about 'Bushido', and in parts of the film i was thinking about 'The Last samurai '. Anyway enjoy Azumi 1 and 2 but if you fall asleep it is more than difficult to get back into it. This probably because there are so many details to remember , culminating in the conclusion that the storyline has strength.
Angel-A (2005)
Marvelous Film Making. Terrific cinematography. Surprising revelation(find).
I actually really enjoyed that, script was superb, and the underlying messages were somewhat helpful. It was just the acting from main 2 characters that made it and the cinematography (blacck and white.) I have seen Debbouze in other films and he starts off as the supporting actor here but ends up being the leading role. I have seen that done in other movies where actors are casted as supporting and end up being the leading. That's when you know an actor has done his character justice and won more screen time./ Superb French film, it had a modern noir feel as well. Its a shame looking at the revenue that it did not do so well in the States or the U.K. But the ideas portrayed here are sheer reveloutionary in the sense that they wow and is not same old. The film actually reminds of the one Ethan Hawke did where he catches up with the woman. And on a bad note it reminds me of the Al Pacino one where there in an apartment where there just talking to each other, i found that really boring. We need to see more from Jamel Debbouze; he has a lot to offer and well done Rie.
Striking Distance (1993)
Loyalty above all else, except Honour. | V.Good Thriller |
Just what you expect from Bruce Willis in that decade. He plays the character of drunken failure but always comes out on the good side.I enjoyed it from start to finish. V.good thriller of the 90's with good character personalities working off each other/ j. Parker gave it the romance feel and it worked well.
The film itself had v.good action sequences and the length of the film was probably just about right. The consistent negative feeling towards Hardy throughput the film from other cops adds to effort that he has to put in to prove he is right and gain vindication. This struggle allows the film to develop its journey. Thanks
Shattered Glass (2003)
A Compulsive Liar Close Up. V.Good Watch
Engaging from start to finish. As the film went on you find yourself screaming at the monitor saying " Stop lying, give it up. It's over Don't make it anymore worse than it already is" That was a fabrication of massive proportions " I also came to think how because he used his imagination so well by creating lies, he made his colleagues feel that there honest work was nothing compared to his. That is vindicated by him being exposed & morally there honest work is recognised.
Great acting from the main 2 characters. They kept the movie image from dropping down into a B category because of certain elements like the lack cinematography and $6 budget- which is quite low. Hoewever they pulled it off by strengthening the acting and script. This intertwined with underlying undertone of what is right climaxing in that being acknowledged. A few big actors showed up like Rosari and that helped maintain its V. Good approach.
On the whole i can strongly say this because i have come across a lot of acting performances nominated for Oscar but Peter Sarsgaard could be regarded in my opinion for an Oscar here & Hayden Christensen for a nomination of Golden globe.
The Social Network (2010)
Blown Away
Title- 2 Movie hours where i can definitely say: they were not wasted, but.... well spent.
Wow, what a great film. One of the few 2 hour films that i have been glued to screen for the whole of the film. The quality of the picture and sound in this movie is of the utmost quality for what they were working with. You can easily see how if not enough budget was given or bad decisions on cinematography how plain the film could of looked: because of the nature of the film. Justin finally arrived on screen after about an hour and he fitted in well. Strong performance for such a renowned artist in a different area being singing. He looked very much at home. His qualities appear to have expanded. The all round acting was top notch and from the actor Jesse playing Mark . Z i was definitely impressed. A lot of congratulations has to be given the script writers as it was pretty much flawless. 9/10 for me and definitely would recommend to watch, even more so if you use Facebook. Which is pretty much everyone. There are small relations that you can make to yourself and experiences which adds to a personal nature. Finally it shows that determination in face of all emotional/ phycological/ physical pressures can be defeated if you just stick to what you know and never give up. The world of business is ruthless__~ !
Ironclad (2011)
A film that is easy to get into.
I have to come to like these types of medieval/ Roman/ Warrior film for that the fact they can be enjoyable to watch and take you on a journey that is engaging; has emotion and does not cause tedium. These types of films in my opinion have come to be enthralling, captivating and fascinating.
As for the film in question ' Iron Clad ', yeh it was a great watch that was based on a strong storyline being the Magna Carta. A King who signs it, orchestrated by the Barons to limit/ moderate the King's power in fairness of free men. The King believes is blood right as King has been questioned so goes on a quest to take revenge against those who were apart of the Magna Carta. From what i remember from History the Magan Carta is one of the most important document's of all time that even influence the current day constituion of the United States of America.
It was great to see Brian Cox give his input, he always brings an edge. The acting by the Templer was very much fitting and the all round acting was great. The influence by Isable in terms of lust on the Templer, definitely gave the film more dimension. Definitely worth a watch and even more so for people interested in these types of film.
The Plot to Kill Hitler (1990)
The First Valkyrie Movie.
I have come across the 3 movies relating to Operation Valkyrie with Col. Stauffenberg as the main focus. This is the one that i watched most recently but it was the first one made being (1990). Followed by that is Stauffenberg of (2004) and Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise (2009). Now after watching all 3, they are all good watches. I probably enjoyed the (2004) one the most as it had more feeling but 2009 because of the budget and modern look was visually better. After the (1990) and (2004) movies being made am surprised Tom Cruise opted to make another one as the the first 2 fulfill the explanation & feeling. They are all pretty much the same storyline as it is based on a true story with little movie differences here and there. Overall a good watch and doesn't wander off the truths of the incident that we know to be historically true or what we feel is the correct presentation. In many movies actors have tried to play Hitler, so just a little comment on the Hitler in this movie, decent performance. But for me the most defining Hitler i have come across in cinema has to be in ' Downfall' 'Der Untergang' : Bruno Ganz. Also the Himmler in Downfall is the best representation in terms of look i have ever seen. And as we are talking about Nazi representation in movies, the best Heydrich i have seen is in ' Aushwitz the Nazis and the Final Solution'. Although the Himmler in that documentary narrated by Samuel West is terrible. Imagine if all the actors who have represented Nazi personalities so well came together for one movie, now that would be epic for people who show a strong interested in ww2 movies. However in relation to this topic: for me someone should of just blown a bullet into his head rather than beating round the bush coming up with so many complicated ways to kill him yet failing on all accounts.
5 Days of War (2011)
V.Good Watch.
I become so infuriated when i watch a movie and see the review section dominated by comments that do not reflect the true quality of a film. I see people writing all sorts of negative comments regarding this film. LET ME SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. This was a very good film reflecting the events that took place in Georgia. A decent budget was given to the film so i would like affirm that this is not a B Movie. Andy Garcia pays his role superbly but Val Kilmer is rather on the periphery in this movie. This film is engaging from start to finish and it has moments in terms of the ethnic cleansing that are similar to moments like in ' Behind Enemy Lines' This film was to represent the struggle against the Russian's and Russian backed separatist. The script was fine and overall a very good war movie. It was also showing the bravery of reporters to tell the TRUTH and the struggles they face. The mix of characters in the film was great and the arch villain was great. The little twist were great. This film really was close to being a Hollywood smash if it was more spectacular, but thats what it more genuine. Ignore the comments a very decent watch. Now passion here is not just displayed for this movie, but as a big movie fan who has watched a range of movies, i hate it when i use IMDb, the first choice for movie comments & guidelines that people can write such things that are so far from the truth especially when there are some terrible movies to put good movies into categories they should not be in.
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Cracking Performance from Winslet.
I will be to the point in this review. Firstly i would admit approaching this film that i had hesitation in watching it because of the storyline. It came across as not having the ingredients to wow me. I felt that it might become slow and fade out.
However the result couldn't be further away. The performance from Kate Winslet i can without hesitation say was Oscar winning. It was immaculate. The way she portrayed the different emotions of the character was done fabulously well. Credit has to be given to the director, writer and screen play individual(s). I have seen Kate on a couple of times ( The Reader) leading to me resolve that she is a powerful female actor especially in the genre's of drama's & romantic/ sexually orientated deep movies.
Leonardo did OK/ good. The reason i rate him in this movie at a moderate level is because his character someone what infuriated me on occasions. There are times in the movie when situations escalate into unnecessary outburst & situations. This happened on a frequent occasions here if he had held back his tongue the result would of been better.
The soundtrack & its undertones i was really impressed by. It allowed the movie to flow and give continuity. This worked really well with the picture. The picture was of a really high quality. Looking at the budget of $35 for a drama such as this which would lead me to think that was a lot of money spent, it was obviously put to good use as nearly all the scenes were pretty much perfect.
The addition of the character of the character's Michael Shannnan definitely added that extra broadened input that elevated the movie. Moreover for him to feature in so little of the film (2 scenes ), and receive an Oscar nomination shows that his input was effective. In my opinion what he did for the film was to allow the character to become even more deeper about there emotions and expressing. FINALLY- the one bad thing about this movie was the ending. It should of ended with Di caprio running down the road (roll in the credits). The small extension i have to enthasise was absolutely unnecessary.
On the whole the story line and its fantasying points really created and excellent film to watch. It was definitely on about Di Caprio and Winselt. The storyline mentions the kids but don't really impact on the viewing. Its the relationship between the two main characters. Additionally in that respect the characters on the side like the house woman - 'Kathy Bates ' aide in the movies success but more over the whole theme and flowing of it. So yeh watch, give it a chance and you'll say yeh Oscar performance from Winslet and it was a good watch. Although not a fantastic it movie- it does not slow down in it's pace. And this avoided what i feared at the start.
Never Back Down (2008)
Trust Me: It's a Very good watch.
The tempo of the film is top notch. It flows so smoothly without relenting. That doesn't mean that every seen is filled with fighting: absolutely not. But the drama fighting or no fighting is excellent. The picture quality of the film is superb. And with a $21 million dollar budget- that probably aides in that, but its well worth it. On the whole i would like to say i didn't get bored 1 bit and the film didn't slow down at all. The acting must of been really good because i never questioned it . Everyone performed really great that you didn't focus so much on that you just enjoyed the film. On the whole a film with pace, class, determination and not 1 bit cheesy at all. This ain't no Karate Kid, this a great modern fighting film that is well crafted with underlying personal battles that don't become too emotional; which was a strength for this film. The little bits of emotion added in correct doses went down a treat. Too much and you slow down the film. A film that is always moving and going somewhere without singling out any one character. Yes the lead actors are key but its definitely a team effort. Watch this movie; and you will not be disappointed and you will feel like it is time well spent. You won't even notice the 1 hour & 53 minutes go by. The movie length allows you to enjoy the whole story & enjoy spending time watching a movie. Movie's like this should be more appreciated because how many times do you find yourself watching a movie and 2 hours fly by really fast end you enjoyed every minute of it.
Philadelphia (1993)
Average Movie
The movie tried to be emotional, but it failed completely. This is because we were supposed to have sympathy for a man who contracted Aids by having gay sex inside a movie theatre with a STRANGER- not even his gay partner Miguel ( Antonia Banderes) It was a surprise to see him in this movie. I don't' think so ! I had no sympathy at all. The movie is a bit like the' Pelican Brief ' era, which also stars Denzel Washington. There just wasn't enough quality, and even though it is watchable- there is no great feeling to the movie. I think there was definitely a period around the late 80's early 90's when a load movies were made like this (lawyer movies, political espionage where some triumphed like ' Erin Brokovic' and quite a lot failed to deliver.
Ground Control (1998)
JET- a small, emotional gem.
Am not gonna lie, i love this film because it shows Kiefer Sutherland developing the talent he would need for 24- in terms of his emotional acting skills. But the film itself is a small gem. There's just something about that makes me watch it every once in a while & that time was 13/05/2011. Like Jack Harris's struggle to cope with the situation & its just great to see Kiefer act, his voice, perks of the way he acts, things he does- everything just does it. A hard days work & i was in the mood to watch it. There's just a determination inside of the film that you appreciate. But yeah, Kiefer Sutherland and the actors around him did a good job. Its clearly a low budget film but the storyline and how it all takes places more than compensates. This isn't a film about big bangs and special effects: its about showing acting quality and giving great performances. Also there are small touching moments that all add- with a good soundtrack that aids the emotion. This film isn't about any one scene.
Street Kings (2008)
Absolutely Fantastic
A film of the highest quality. Not for for storyline but for film making. This is probably enhanced by the fact there are broad range of top actors in the film- this can sometimes go wrong but here it goes well. Forest Whitaker puts in a performance that is out of this world. I always thought Denzel Washington was the best black actor of all time (which he is) but the more of Whitaker i watch- i realise he has truly great qualities. But overall the film is fast paced, intriguing and well worth a watch. Although after fully thinking through there are some questions about storyline but that makes the film great. It isn't stuck on a course.
As a Kiefer Sutherland fan also; i recommend ' Last Light ' which contains Forest Whitaker.
Last Light (1993)
A defining film of High Quality
I would like to start off by saying this is a must watch. I have used IMDb on many occasions to determine whether i should watch a film, but take this from me- you should watch this. Even though Kiefer Sutherland ( of which i am a great admirer ) is billed as the star actor, Forest Whitaker really takes over this one. Its a film with emotion but enjoyable to watch. And its a film I respect for its quality as TV film. I was surprised to see Kiefer directing but he did more than a great jobb. But once again Whitaker's acting skills here were immense. Finally it is focused on a small amount of characters, making the focus of the film a lot better.