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Reviews
Extant (2014)
Extant
It's very possible that this is a Halle Berry vanity project. She may have brought this project to fruition using just her 20 plus years in Hollywood, and her box office history.
The show's pilot is barely decent. Not great. This may go the way of soooo many sci fi pilots, straight to cancellation inside of ten episodes.
One thing I had to comment on. Another reviewer said this:
Possible worth of this show is almost immediately destroyed by the bizarre casting. Halle Barry? Reallllllyyyyy????? I mean she is just a lame actor at the best of times. She was a mess in the Bond movie and I find her skills are just not up to mainstream work. The fact that they chose a black woman for this role is also very weird.
I didn't know that black women weren't to be cast in sci fi. I am sure that would be news to Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who), Gina Torres (Firefly), Zoe Saldana (Star Trek 2009), Gabrielle Union (Kolchak from 10 years ago) and, of course, Nichelle Nichols. Among others.
There is plenty of melanin-free science fiction out there, from the 1980s Buck Rogers to Forbidden Planet to Plan Nine from Outer Space. I am sure our Austrian reviewer can locate plenty that is more suitable for his or her use.
Cherry Crush (2007)
Better off with Double Indemnity
Over the last 60 or 70 years or so, quite a few writers and directors have done the feckless guy meets grasping femme fatale flick (with put-upon good girl who has the guy's back, of course).
Fred McMurray and Barbara Stanwyck did this much better, in the 1940s. Skip this waste of time and celluloid, and watch the original. Better photography, better dialogue, better performances. And no poorly done voice over from a leading man who is barely fit for an infomercial gig. This guy Tucker makes makes Randall Batinkoff look like Robert DeNiro.
If you must see a recent murder movie with the aforementioned bad girl and not quite as feckless guy, watch "The Invisible". At least Levieva and Chatwin put some effort into the proceedings.
The Hole (2001)
Not a good movie... or even a good effort
I have seen very few good horror or suspense flicks lately. I am beginning to think that almost no one is making such films these days.
"The Hole" is billed a thriller/horror flick. It is not. It could have been a drama or character study, if the writer had more ability. The cast is misused, as the dialog ranges from mediocre to downright poor.
The unreliable narrator aspect, as other reviewers have mentioned (Kurosawa would NOT be pleased, as this flick takes the plot device and makes a muddled over long film a bit longer and more muddled) is no help.
Spoilers follow. Thora Birch and Knightly actually are decent performers. This script does no one here any favors, certainly not them. The increasingly psychotic girlfriend or wife has been done much better, by abler writers and directors. For a better movie with a similar theme, watch "Presumed Innocent", or "Shattered" from 1991. Don't waste time with this.
Five Fingers (2006)
Good ideas, less than great execution
I watched this and thought immediately of "Rendition" and "Unthinkable". I see the point the writer and director are making, and it's one I think needs to be made. About using torture, and the way the good guys so often seem no better than the bad guys.
The ending I found glib, and possibly even flip. Like Sam Jackson in the aforementioned "Unthinkable". Which is no doubt a decent part of the point being made by the writer, using Fishburne's character.
Still, I'll take "Rendition" or "Fair Game" over a movie like this. This isn't entertaining. It's a bit thought provoking. But it is not worth paying money to watch. Unlike the other two flicks I just mentioned.
The Final Storm (2010)
Boll strikes again (won't SOMEBODY stop this idiot?)
Other reviewers have made their case. I just wanted to reiterate the point that this dross isn't worth anyone's time. If I had known when I started watching this was one of Boll's films (and, yes, I use the term very loosely in this case), I would not have bothered to sit through it.
The reviewer "Innocuous" wrote: I won't even try to explain the story. You would just laugh.
As far as other issues of interest...er...hm...well, there are none. As usual, Boll manages to sneak in just one short scene to justify an "R" rating. (It's a bit of Lauren Holly in bed, but it's completely irrelevant to the story.
As we're all tired of pointing out, there are fresh new directors out there who could use a little money to get a start on films with imagination. It's a sin and a shame that Boll still gets backers for turkeys like this.
I cannot top that review. Stay away. For post-apocalyptic movies, you're better off with "Hardware" or even the first "Mad Max".
The Broken (2008)
Doppelgangers (smoke) and mirrors
I watched this today afternoon having tried to finish this film on two or three prior occasions. I should have saved my time.
Spoilers follow - In this obtuse, nearly plot less movie, mirrors admit doppelgangers into a gray depiction of London. The film is 89 minutes in length. It could have easily been cut to 45 or even 35. The shots and scenes drag, and for no apparent reason. The director may have thought he was creating a suspenseful atmosphere by using this repetitive technique... it was actually just boring.
There have been many movies that made good use of "evil twins". Even some recent TV shows have done this (The Vampire Diaries, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Outer Limits). This film makes little effective use of its doppelgangers.
Lena Headey is wasted in this flick. She's very watchable, but the director's ineptitude prevents her from succeeding. In one of the few effective scenes, she finds a dead body in her home. In the climactic minutes when another character confronts her at her place of work, she also does well there. That is not good enough, however... to little too late.
I am sure Mr. Ellis thinks he is paying homage to Alfred Hitchcock, William Friedkin and other famed directors with this . Truth be told, Ellis is not fit to carry Hitch's athletic supporter.
The Cry of the Owl (2009)
Another suspense flick that isn't
I had hoped that Julia Stiles could save this movie. She can't. Most actresses and actors cannot overcome a bad script and indifferent direction. And this script is low quality, indeed. The director is not much better. Fans of Ms. Stiles should stick with the Bourne films and "10 Things I Hate About You". People who want offbeat suspense might try "Let Me In" or one of several Korean horror flicks from the last 15 years, including "Tell Me Something". Hitchcock fans will not be impressed with this, though some may opine that is who this director is attempting to emulate. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then incompetence is the worst form of filmmaking.
Nick of Time (1995)
Don't bother
Another "thriller" that offers little suspense.
Depp tries to make this work. He can't. Walken barely walks through this, undoubtedly because he knew there was little point after seeing just how poor a job the screenwriter did on this movie. Gloria Reuben and the rest of the cast are wasted, as well. The premise would stretch credulity in the hands of a master director. Badham is NOT that (though he did a decent job with "Point of No Return" in 1993). Save your time and money. Watch the Bridget Fonda flick I just mentioned. Or try "No Way Out" or its predecessor "The Big Clock" if you want something old school. Just don't bother with this.