Reviews

What a wasted movie! The first two acts are superb. It's like they brought in the C-team to finish writing the move. I loved the set up. I loved the beautiful scenery. I loved the character development, the genuine suspense and Kafka-like plight of the heroine. She is in an interesting predicament. Nice foreshadowing of trouble. When trouble brews, who can she trust? What truth can she tell the authorities? Is the local taxi driver as nice as he seems? Can the police be trusted.

And then, with the drop of a cellphone, the movie collapses into absurdity. Who drops a cellphone when a key clue is found on it, leading to a police officer getting it? The same movie character who knocks over the tin can pyramid when they are trying to sneak out of the house while the killer searches the same room for him or her. And what is with all of the head wounds? Two or three of the characters would have fared far better had they worn a batting helmet everywhere they went. Who knew head injuries were so prevalent in Croatia. Accidental falls on furniture, rocks and over walls all in the same movie. Ouch! While the movie spared us car chases and gun battles, the reveal became more and more unbelievable by the minute such that I lost all interest in the outcome. Message to writers: tighten up the plot to be a little more plausible and you have a winner.

This movie's draw is the dissonance created early in the movie. Like any movie, you try to anticipate where the movie is going to go and what is going to be about. It is a movie with a gimmick plot. Once you as the audience member figures out the gimmick, and that can be done fairly quickly, the movie settles in as being a very routine story about failed personal relationships.

The story takes place in a picturesque, rural area, I would guess in Greece. The scenery is beautiful. There are very few characters. Therein lies the overall problem with the movie. The main male character is unlikeable in all respects. Once of the two female characters is aggressively annoying. The other female character is likeable, but her presence is limited. This limits the ability of the movie to have any emotional impact on the viewer. Could have been better if the main character was more sympathetic.

The movie has a decent style about it. The movie takes place in Argentina. The scenery is vivid. Neat use of flashbacks. Two young women are on a bicycle trip. They get separated from their group. They have a night out in a small town. Things begin to go badly for them when a local young man gets too agressive with one of them. A handsome American intervenes. Later, the two women argue and get separated. One of them goes missing. The other goes to find her. The law is not very helpful. The drama unfolds from here. While the movie kept my interest, it slowly broke down into an implausible, rushed and unsatifying conclusion. The plot has some pretty bigs holes in it. One of my biggest problems with the movie is that the heroines make some horrible decisions that no one would ever make. This has them coming off as more foolish than sympathetic. During a rescue where stealth is required, one them, like in many movies, accidently makes enough noise to rival a buffalo stampede. The bad guys are inept in their effort to catch the pursued. The motivations of several of the lesser players cannot be determined from the information the movie gives us. Unsatisfying ending.

Gene Hackman, Kris Kristofferson, Karen Black (and Harry Dean Stanton), all in the same movie. It leads you to expect an excellent movie. The imagery in the movie takes one back to a simpler time in the past. While the movie is decent, it ultimately fails to entertain. The problem is the plot. Bad cop Hackman forces Kristofferson to sell a massive amount of marijuana in less than three days. The movie focuses on that process. Kristofferson has to contact dozens of people to try to pull off the feat. Transaction after transaction is recounted like they are occurring in comedy/drama. The tone of the process is way too lighthearted. The drug transactions are often done recklessly and in broad daylight. The real problems with the plot of the movie is Hackman's motivation. What does he really want? Why does he seemingly interfere in some of the transactions. What happens to Hackman's character at the end of the movie makes no sense. The end of the movie is abrupt and unsatisfying, like the screenwriter was told he or she had 15 minutes to finish the work.

This movie is over two hours long. While the story is meant to be a love story, it is a tedious exercise. The lead female is an unlikable, self-centered loser. The lead guy is a little more likable, but not by much. There really is nothing here as far a plot. The two leads are attracted to each other. The male lead is in a quasi-relationship with someone else. There is a little jealousy. The leads flirt and occasionally engage in a physical relationship. There is a crew of young people who ride around in a van with them, drink and sell magazines. The "love story" is told in this context. My goodness! This story could have been told more effectively in 90-100 minutes. The scenes get to be repetitive. What was the director thinking? You will disappointed if you see this one through to the end!

Nice use of a flashback to set up the mood of the story. Excellent setup as a horror/drama. Neat mansion with colorful characters. Likeable characters at first. Clueless bride slowly (understatement) begins to figure out something is amiss with her new inlaws. Fairly quickly turns into a nonstop chase that begins to bore. Interspersed with creepy humor. The "humor" involves the senseless killing of several employees of the family. Not very funny to repeatedly see the villains callously killing people and smirking about it. This movie would have been better without this type of humor. The person being chased must not have ever seen a horror movie before! If she ran like her life depended on it rather than as a soon-to-be dead teenager in a Friday the 13th movie. The pursuers were ineffectual. I was somewhat entertained. I would never watch the movie again and did not care what happened by the end of the movie. Just okay. Not work the $12 I paid to see thyisl

Pleasant enough to watch it as it develops. Then the wheels come off. Reminded me of the typical Lifetime movie. Starts good and turns into a slashfest with many people murdered by the disturbed person. The plot is absurd and contrived. Maggie and her mother, Erica, move to a city. Erica takes a job a the casino. While working at the casino, she runs into Ben and Mercedes. They used to be best friends as kids! Mercedes gives Erica some ribbing for working at the casino. Meanwhile, Maggie goes to school and meets a girl in a wheelchair. She just happens to be Ma's (Octavia Spencer's) daughter. A few cool kid meet up with Maggie at school, including Ben's son. Wow, small world! They need alcohol. Someone walks by and agrees to buy it, Ma! What are the odds? They go drinking in Ben's van. Later, Ben needs his dog groomed. Takes the dog to ... Ma. Not planned, just coincidence. No other dog groomer in town? Small world! Ma has a bittersweet history with Ben and provides the motivation for her Freddy Krueger schtick. . She was smitten by Ben in high school. Ben pulled a prank where he said he was going to meet her in school closet so they could mess around. But it was a nerd instead in the closet! When she came out, the whole school was there laughing at her and the nerd! Like it would have been so much better if the whole school had been waiting when her and Ben came out of the closet. Ma's debauchery would last 10 minutes in this world of social media. I don't think dozens of kids would be able to go there week after week without authorities and parents getting involved. I did not buy the ending. No one would act like Ma acted.

I thought I would give this one a try because Andie McDowell was part of the cast. Her role is tangential and inconsequential. The leads performers are strong. This is an unusual movie. It has a flavor of being a romantic comedy. The movie starts with a couple in the blissful, early stages of a committed relationship. It is apparent they both are fairly rudderless. The woman in the relationship gets a big break and begins to embark on a successful career. The man, a fairly immature sort, continues to search for his bearings. This creates turmoil in their relationship. She begins to doubt the value of the relationship. He cannot understand the inevitable wedge her success creates in their relationship. The movie is a decent character study. While there are hints of humor to the story, this movie is not funny. The ending is sad. This is a study in a failed relationship of young lovers. Overall, a watcheable, thought-evoking story.

I watched this title again after many years. Although I forgot much of it, I was underwhelmed by the plot and characters a second time through. While there is an adrenaline rush related to Billy's capture, the movie bogs down into a typical prison movie. While there are flashes of brilliance, it does not have the oomph of Cool Hand Luke or Shawshank Redemption where we love the main character. The problem is the main character is Billy Hayes. While I initially found myself rooting for him, after awhile, I found him to be a selfish, violent sociopath who deserved his plight. It was not the actor's fault, but the character development. Billy wasn't a nice guy. Billy's friend, the William Hurt character, was an annoying low talker who spoke cryptically, making his dialogue impossible to understand. The ending escape was a concocted, "let's end this movie somehow" and let's make sure the sadistic guard gets killed. If there was any justice, as an epilog, Billy gets extradited back for one count of escape, a count of attempted homicide and maybe a reckless homicide. Sorry Billy, you deserve it. Okay movie. Could have been better if Billy was made more likeable.

This story is set up well. The two main characters are defined. There is an effective use of flashbacks. The movie allows the viewer to try to sort out the equities of the situation. In spite of the subject matter, there is no black and white. Has Ray served his sentence? Has he atoned for all the damage he has caused? Has he learned his lesson? Does Una want revenge or does she still love Ray? Has she failed to move on, instead wallowing in self-pity or did Ray make it impossible for her to do so. It ends on an enigmatic note.

I saw this on a plane. Watching it to kill time was slightly easier than looking at an airline magazine. Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts are fine. However, no actor could excel with this material. The story meanders over two hours to get to an obvious conclusion. The main problem is the "hero." He is not a hero at all. While he is supposed to be an salt of the earth eccentric, he comes off as a opinionated, controlling, drunk whose parenting skill are substandard by any objective measuring stick. He alienates his family. His wife enables his abusive behavior. Will he nevertheless, over the long run earn the respect of his daughters? Will they come to realize his "brilliance?" Does the sun set at sunset? It was very difficult to keep track of the siblings of the hero as new actors portrayed them at various stages. I did not feel like there was any character development for any of the children. 'While there is one emotional scene, I felt like some stuck a bowl of diced onions in my face during the scene. I cannot imagine how this move could have a 7/10 rating. If you must watch this one, I suggest you tape it on dvr and watch it at 300x speed.

This movie is awful. You have never heard of the actors or actresses playing most of the main characters. You will not care about any of the characters at any time during this movie. You will be stunned at the utter lack of substance. I don't know what the "Green Room" in the title meant. Where I saw it, the very thin audience shuffled out speechless. I guarantee no one had a good time watching this garbage. Patrick Stewart is billed as a lead. Paulie Shore could have played his role just as effectively. Stewart clearly took this role to make a quick buck. The movie starts with modest character build up. The plot then devolves into the main characters getting cornered and killed one by one. While it is a common plot line, many movies have pulled it off much more effectively and in an entertaining fashion. The gore in the movie is gratuitous and disgusting. A man is slit from neck to belly after one of the "heroes" deliberately breaks his arm. A guy has his hand almost cut off and huge cuts to his arm. He goes on to fight like he has no injuries. A dog chews a guy's throat. I think there was some kind of sport to how the people were supposed to be killed but I am not sure. The movie vaguely reminded me of "The Cabin in the Woods," an infinitely better movie at all levels. You will be miffed if you rent this one on Redbox! Avoid.

Reese Witherspoon, a likable, pretty person, stars in a fairly dull adventure. She always looks like a movie star. She is never grubby or disgusting. If the main character was not someone with star power like hers, this story would be unwatchable. Boiled down, this is a series of rather mundane challenges the heroine faces in her walk. She crawls over some big rocks. At time, she deals with heat. Another time, she walks through some snow. She has to drink, drum role please, dirty water, yes dirty water! Once, she is not sure what State she is in; she has to ask some skiers where she is ... Crazy! That's losing yourself, I guess.

The danger of rape would be real and concerning on a trip like this. There are a few set-ups for ominous threats of assault. One, early in the movie, is a false alarm, where she misreads a good soul. Another time is genuinely frightening.

One finds the heroine was remarkably pampered along the trip. She gets packages of goods sent to her by her ex-husband at the places she stops. She gets a lot of help from people along the way. She rides with people in vehicles at times! The pain she is "running from" in her personal life is not different than that of a lot of people face. Hey, news bulletin Cheryl,we all got our crosses to bear! Everyone's parents die. Must be nice to be able to take off that much time to escape life! Beautiful sceneries. Dull story. Would not watch again.

I went to this movie based on the marque photo, the title and that it starred George Clooney. I did not know it was a Disney movie. It started slowly. There is humor which is corny and kinda childish. We then get to see a vision of a hidden world! Is it the future?! What a vision! The daughter of a rocket scientist gets a coin that allows her to go there. She gets a glimpse of the future. Very exciting in its portrayal. Then the movie devolves into the most boring chase movie you can imagine. You like robot fights? You're going to love this movie! Do you like scenes where someone just misses being killed by an eyelash, REPEATEDLY? Do you like a soundtrack where every time someone is hit or falls, there is an explosion of sound? This one's for you. Although I liked the heroine and protector from the future, I did not care about the plot. The emotional payoff scene at the end was unmoving. The end is feel-good schlock that is not very inspirational. I would not watch again if I was paid back the price of admission. That said, 8-15 year old kids will love this movie. No sex or swearing. Comic book quality violence.

I was stuck with this movie because it was the only one that fit my schedule. I knew nothing of the plot. The beginning credits run. Amy Adams! Always a great actress. Tim Burton the director. This could be good! A good beginning to the movie. The time period is portrayed in realistic fashion. The heroine, a painter, has a difficult life. She leaves her husband. A courageous move for the time period.

She has to start from scratch in a new city. She meets a fellow painter. He appears to be her soul mate. He is an interesting character. He promotes her career. They get married. Interesting process. Colorful supporting characters, including Terrance Stamp.

The story stalls along the way. The punch to the story is the heroine's resentment that her husband takes credit for her paintings. She creates the paintings for him. He claims them as his own. Although he is presented as a strong-willed character, she does not have the guts to tell him to stop. She hides the secret for years. Even from her daughter! (yawn ...) Will she get the guts to stop the fraud? I could not have cared less by the time the issue was resolved. Near the end, there is a big court scene with her husband suddenly acting like he is in "Trial and Error," the comedy with Jeff Daniels and Michael Richards. Although I am sure the writers thought the court scene was clever and funny, the audience I was with sat in stunned silence. When she outs her husband in the national news, her daughter is proud. We are supposed to be emotionally invested. I was bored beyond all belief. I felt manipulated. In the end, the heroine is not a sympathetic character. The supporting actors are more interesting. Would never want to see this movie again. Good style. Good characters. No plot for the characters to shine.

This is a curious movie. There is a decent set-up. The main characters are defined. Brandon Fraser plays a likable character. His character goes to prison because of an accident which leads to the death of an authority. While he is in prison, his children, a 16 year old girl and 13 year old boy, go camping along a river with a friend of the family. The paths of an evil guy and his mentally challenged brother intersect with Fraser's children during the camping trip, leading to the dreaded chase you have seen 100 times before. The evil character is over-the-top in his rage. No one acting like him could last 5 seconds in society without being jailed. There are severally shoot-outs between Fraser and the evil guy. Boy, these guys are bad shots! The children are whiny, shouty and completely annoying. The development of the mentally challenged character is downright bizarre. Although the plot manipulates you into feeling sorrow for him, and pride in his final actions, it apparently forgets the cruelty he exhibits to another character mid-way through the movie. The likability of Fraser's character erodes as the movie progresses. The set-up leading to Fraser's character getting into the chase was implausible. This movie could have been so much better. Watching it was a chore. There was no genuine excitement. I did not care about any of the characters by the end.

As someone in the field, this story accurately depicts the process in the criminal justice system. I saw this story when it came out about 20 years ago. I recently saw it again. It is not dated at all. You have an all-star cast with well-developed characters. Perez is compelling as the victim. Whitaker presents as a sympathetic victim of the system. Lapaglia and Grey accurately portray overworked public servants. The judiciary is also overworked. They make it clear to the defendant that if he turns down the plea offer, and he is convicted, there will be grave consequences, not out of meanness but as a way to control their dockets. The case is presented from start to finish. The audience is given the information necessary to follow along. I liked the ambiguity as to whether Whitaker is in fact guilty. The end result is inevitable. As the Lapaglia character says at the end, "we all cut a deal." Lapaglia looks utterly helpless at the end of the movie, realizing he is caught in an endless loop of insanity. A thoroughly enjoyable movie from start to finish.

The story starts out with an intriguing premise. A shower of meteorites is going to destroy the world. The way the general public responds to the news is humorous. Even knowing the future, the routines of people do not change all that much. The leads are funny. Unfortunately, the movie never takes off. The relationship between the leads is without spark. The payoff "lovers reunite" scene is overly predictable and falls utterly flat. If you cannot predict what happens during this scene, you have never seen a movie before. The scene had no emotional impact on me because I was not convinced these two were truly in love. Martin Sheen has a fun cameo. Not a movie I would watch twice.

This is one of my most favorite movies. It personifies the desperation of the depression. The dance contest, pitched as fun in the beginning, is gradually exposed as the evil monster it is. The contestants are unforgettable. The supporting cast is made up of several big name stars who perform their roles in near-perfect form. You care about all of them in spite of their individual character flaws. It is heartbreaking to see the gradual destruction of Jane Fonda's unsinkable, independent female spirit. The round leading to Sailor's (Button's) elimination from the contest to the tune of "California, Here I Come" is haunting and surreal. The contest itself is interesting. The most interesting character was Rocky, played by Gig Young. This guy is emotionless user of others. He is a shameless huckster. He knows what he is and candidly admits it to Fonda late in the movie. Any concern he has for the contestants is motivated by how their collapse will affect the contest, not by sympathy or empathy for their plights. The tragic ending is logical and believable. This movie is entertaining from start to finish. It can be enjoyed over and over.

What a pile of dog entrails! You have seen this movie 50 times. There is not an original idea in this movie. You have never heard of any of the actors or actresses. Can you say Friday the 13th or Sleepaway Camp VI? The characters are one dimensional. They have porridge for brains. What 20-somethings plays with a bird skull on a stick?! These weirdos do. The townspeople are 10 times weirder than the "heroes." The villain is an uninteresting dolt and has the typical supernatural powers to drive the plot when necessary. Betcha the characters get picked off one at a time because they are cognitively delayed (retarded). Red Box is full of movies like this with interesting covers and C-grade plots. Avoid for your own good.