How can a movie this poor rate so highly? I usually find that my own score for a movie is pretty close to the overall score on IMDb. I don't always agree with the score on IMDb but usually IMDb's score is a balanced one; balanced by those who love a movie and also by those who hate the same one. A few days ago, I watched the first Hunger Games movie (well, the first one with Jennifer Lawrence that is). I thought that one was too long and not all that absorbing but, all the same, I rated it high sixes. I see that this one currently rates 7.8 on IMDb, having slipped a bit in recent times. Not surprisingly I say. Like so many movies these days it is WAY TOO LONG at nearly two and a half hours. Now, I like a good romance but the romance in this one was overdone, terribly clichéd and schmaltzy to the point of nausea. An aside here. I understand and accept that The Lord of the Rings trilogy necessarily involved three long movies, having been made from three long and complicated books. But stretching the Hell out of a small book like the Hobbit to make three long movies (I was bored to death by the first two and won't be paying a cinema admission to see the third one) is going way too far. This is so typical of movie producers these days. It probably goes back at least as far as the Rocky movies (all of which were poor I think) but it's more recently been taken to a whole new level to milk a theme in making several movies and milk the audience that pays to see trash like this. I admit that I've never read any of The Hunger Games books so I really pay can't compare the original concept to the tripe that's been served up to us here. But, tripe it is in my view. I see that the are at least two more Hunger Games movies currently in production. I can hardly wait to avoid those. Don't waste your time with this movie. Save it and see something else instead and try to make that a one off like the recent Walter Mitty which I think was just wonderful.
Reviews
11 Reviews
History's Darkest Hour
26 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Scratch the surface of a modern human being and you don't have to go too far to reach the barbarian that lies within us all. We may wish to deny it but this documentary series proves the point. Well to do and well educated Germans followed a madman who held out hope of a bright future for them, but always in the full knowledge that their prosperity would come at the cost of others (in this case, a large percentage of Europe's Jews, gypsies, disabled and above all, innocent children).
I believe that there is no way that Germans living in Germany at the time of the Holocaust could have been unaware of what the SS was doing in places like Auschwitz, Belsen and Treblinka, convenient as it might be for them after the event to claim that they had no idea that mass murder was being committed in their name.
This is a wonderful documentary series. I have not been to Auschwitz but I did visit Dachau outside Munich a few years ago. Dachau was horrifying enough but was a very minor player in the murders that were committed by the Germans.
It was interesting and horrifying too to hear the stories that were told by Auschwitz's survivors but what I found most disturbing was the retelling of events by SS officers and guards who were at Auschwitz at various times. Right up to the time of the making of this documentary, these guys stated that what they did at the camp was right. Many of them maintain to this day that what they did was necessary and right for the survival of the German people. One would have thought that there wouldn't be one of these animals left who would not cringe and beg forgiveness for their part in the atrocities that they were involved in. Quite extraordinary that these guys still don't understand the magnitude of the crimes they committed.
A must see documentary.
JMV
I believe that there is no way that Germans living in Germany at the time of the Holocaust could have been unaware of what the SS was doing in places like Auschwitz, Belsen and Treblinka, convenient as it might be for them after the event to claim that they had no idea that mass murder was being committed in their name.
This is a wonderful documentary series. I have not been to Auschwitz but I did visit Dachau outside Munich a few years ago. Dachau was horrifying enough but was a very minor player in the murders that were committed by the Germans.
It was interesting and horrifying too to hear the stories that were told by Auschwitz's survivors but what I found most disturbing was the retelling of events by SS officers and guards who were at Auschwitz at various times. Right up to the time of the making of this documentary, these guys stated that what they did at the camp was right. Many of them maintain to this day that what they did was necessary and right for the survival of the German people. One would have thought that there wouldn't be one of these animals left who would not cringe and beg forgiveness for their part in the atrocities that they were involved in. Quite extraordinary that these guys still don't understand the magnitude of the crimes they committed.
A must see documentary.
JMV
Ali G Indahouse
(2002)
Ali G - Stick to the TV program. You don't translate to the cinema
6 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS For about the last four years I've been a keen fan of Ali G. Sacha Baron Cohen is undoubtedly a very funny and intelligent guy and, in my view, his best creation is Borat who's as funny as Hell and quite shameless in what he does and says to people.
Anyway, to the movie. I didn't bother paying money to see this in the cinema; I suppose because I didn't expect a lot but when I hired the DVD recently, I found the whole thing pretty sad. The best part of Ali's taking the mickey out of others was largely missing and the script an plot was pretty damned awful; hooking all the car batteries together to blow a safe - REALLY!!??
This movie goes to show I think that some things can run for too long and definitely don't translate to the big screen. The movie also had that syrupy sweet ending that I've come to expect from British films. Where have all the good British movie making ideals gone to? That said, there were the odd very funny moments such as the dog in Ali's bed and Ali's audience with HM the Q with the "Shaven haven - RESPECT" remark.
So, in summary, I am an Ali G and Borat fan and I have enjoyed many of his interviews (notably the one with Anita Roddick of the Body Shop) but this movie fell really flat with me. If there's to be another movie, I hope it's a whole lot better than this lot of old tripe.
Weasel100
Canberra, Australia
Anyway, to the movie. I didn't bother paying money to see this in the cinema; I suppose because I didn't expect a lot but when I hired the DVD recently, I found the whole thing pretty sad. The best part of Ali's taking the mickey out of others was largely missing and the script an plot was pretty damned awful; hooking all the car batteries together to blow a safe - REALLY!!??
This movie goes to show I think that some things can run for too long and definitely don't translate to the big screen. The movie also had that syrupy sweet ending that I've come to expect from British films. Where have all the good British movie making ideals gone to? That said, there were the odd very funny moments such as the dog in Ali's bed and Ali's audience with HM the Q with the "Shaven haven - RESPECT" remark.
So, in summary, I am an Ali G and Borat fan and I have enjoyed many of his interviews (notably the one with Anita Roddick of the Body Shop) but this movie fell really flat with me. If there's to be another movie, I hope it's a whole lot better than this lot of old tripe.
Weasel100
Canberra, Australia
Do they get any worse than this??
28 September 2005
To "Plan Nine From Outer Space" and "Robot Monster", we can safely add this lot of trash as one of the worst movies ever made. I read the reviews of this movie before I actually watched it. This was so I would be prepared and could compare my thoughts with those of other who have gone before me. Having read others' comments, I wasn't expecting much and I certainly wasn't disappointed. I paid 99 cents for the DVD of this rubbish in a bargain bin sale. Alas, I was ripped off!! Seriously though, this movie is so bad, it's a must see. I haven't been allowed to post this comment because it didn't contain enough lines. So, I'll just say that it's a shocker.
John
John
Enjoy the first and forget this one
14 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Like many others who have reviewed this movie, I can also say that it was a huge disappointment after the original. The original had wit and charm which is quite absent here. It was after less than 10 minutes of watching "The Edge of Reason" that my wife and I were remarking how very derivative of the first it was - it was almost like watching a replay of the original. This sort of manipulation by film-makers is annoying in the extreme, being about an obvious wish to make money rather than good cinema. Why is it that so much of British cinema these days is so cutesy. As much as I personally love Britain and the British, they really have lost the plot when it comes to making quality unusual films of the kind that Australia seems able to produce in abundance. Britain seems to have taken the awful "Hollywood" ending to new heights of "yeeeuuuch!!" as happened here. I could have forgiven this film a lot of its faults had it not been for what I found to be the offensive scenario of the ??Cocaine?? bust in Thailand. As a resident of Australia, this scene cut very deeply. As some readers may know, in this country, we recently had an innocent young lady sentenced to 20 years in an Indonesian Hell hole for a drug related (marijuana) crime she didn't commit. The suggestion in this movie that life could be anything other then Hellish in a Thai gaol or that someone like D'Arcy could have pulled strings to get Bridget out is complete nonsense and not even worthy of an attempted joke. That, combined with the saccharine crappy ending made this a less than enjoyable experience and not a movie I would recommend to anyone. Overall, this movie wasn't a patch on the first. JMV
You Bet Your Life
(1950–1961)
The Best
8 April 2005
You know, when Groucho was in the movies with his brothers, he was funny. He had some great one-liners which will be remembered from that period. But his consistent ability to come up with brilliant repartee on the set of "You Bet Your Life" before a live studio audience has to be seen (and heard) to be believed.
I only recently became aware that episodes on "You Bet Your Life" are available on the internet through places like eBay, so I have taken full advantage of that and have purchased quite a number of discs and boxed sets of the programs which my wife and I have since been watching with very great enjoyment. So, for those of you who would like to see episodes of this classic, they are no further away than where are are right now (on the internet).
Even the De Soto/Plymouth commercials from the time are enjoyable; promoting cars that may by modern standards be difficult to drive in a straight line - sorry to any De Soto fans out there. Nonetheless, they are a great accompaniment to this great series of programs.
By the way, about the programs, the game show was never intended to be the major part of the entertainment. It was Groucho who was the star not the contestants or the cars that the show so heavily promoted.
My summary, these programs are absolute classics and I feel very fortunate to have been able to buy some of them because some group of people had the foresight to see that it would be better to get them out on DVD than to lose them all together in a film vault somewhere.
10 out of 10 from me.
JMV
I only recently became aware that episodes on "You Bet Your Life" are available on the internet through places like eBay, so I have taken full advantage of that and have purchased quite a number of discs and boxed sets of the programs which my wife and I have since been watching with very great enjoyment. So, for those of you who would like to see episodes of this classic, they are no further away than where are are right now (on the internet).
Even the De Soto/Plymouth commercials from the time are enjoyable; promoting cars that may by modern standards be difficult to drive in a straight line - sorry to any De Soto fans out there. Nonetheless, they are a great accompaniment to this great series of programs.
By the way, about the programs, the game show was never intended to be the major part of the entertainment. It was Groucho who was the star not the contestants or the cars that the show so heavily promoted.
My summary, these programs are absolute classics and I feel very fortunate to have been able to buy some of them because some group of people had the foresight to see that it would be better to get them out on DVD than to lose them all together in a film vault somewhere.
10 out of 10 from me.
JMV
Fahrenheit 9/11
(2004)
A truly appalling indictment of a President who will eventually be impeached
4 February 2005
Before seeing this movie, I read both "Stupid White Men" and "Dude, Where's My Country" so I thought I knew what to expect. Much of the content of this film comes from those two books and is a savage indictment of George W Bush and of the cronies and other corporate crooks in his administration. Coming from where I do, it is almost inconceivable that so many people in positions of power can be allowed to wield that power in the administration in ways that can so obviously be self-serving.
Commencing with the manner in which the election result of 2000 was stolen by Bush Co and progressing from there to corporate crime, to lies and deceit about the reasons for waging a false and dishonest war in Iraq, this film is relentless in its pursuit of Bush and what he has done to the American people and to the rest of the world in the last four years.
The part of the film which I personally found most distressing were the images of the poor people of Iraq who are made to suffer because of the lies that Bush Co told the world in the period leading up to the invasion. My country is a member of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" but I am here to tell you that 70 per cent of Australians were opposed to an invasion of Iraq, perhaps because we were sceptical of the lies we were told about WMDs and the need to free the people (and not the real reason, the oil) in Iraq.
The personal toll on the Iraqi people which has resulted from the invasion is graphically and tragically captured in Michael Moore's wonderful film and that alone should be enough to make any feeling human being question the wisdom of being there. God knows how many innocent Iraqi citizens have been killed and injured since the invasion began. I hate to think.
It is also tragic that the number of Western troops killed and injured grows by the day. However, the mounting death and injury toll of US troops might eventually rouse the American people to demand action to force the administration in Washington to get the Hell out of Iraq. It worked (eventually) in Vietnam and, make no mistake, Iraq will become another Vietnam, involving the US in a long, ferocious and ultimately unwinable war. Hopefully, somewhere along the line the Australian Government will come to the necessary conclusion and withdraw our troops from Iraq sooner rather than later - yes, Australia has troops there too.
I give this film 9 out of 10 for its uncompromising illustration of Bush as the puppet and the fool that he is.
In closing, although appalled by the content of the film and by the actions of the Bush administration, I take heart from the words of Mohandas K Gandhi who is said to have made an observation to the effect that there have always been tyrants but that eventually they all fall from power. Think of Bonaparte, Hitler, Mussolini, Idi Amin, Pol Pot and Milosevic. Add GWB to that list and you can see where I'm going.
Final comment - well done Mike. Your country and the rest of the world need you.
Commencing with the manner in which the election result of 2000 was stolen by Bush Co and progressing from there to corporate crime, to lies and deceit about the reasons for waging a false and dishonest war in Iraq, this film is relentless in its pursuit of Bush and what he has done to the American people and to the rest of the world in the last four years.
The part of the film which I personally found most distressing were the images of the poor people of Iraq who are made to suffer because of the lies that Bush Co told the world in the period leading up to the invasion. My country is a member of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" but I am here to tell you that 70 per cent of Australians were opposed to an invasion of Iraq, perhaps because we were sceptical of the lies we were told about WMDs and the need to free the people (and not the real reason, the oil) in Iraq.
The personal toll on the Iraqi people which has resulted from the invasion is graphically and tragically captured in Michael Moore's wonderful film and that alone should be enough to make any feeling human being question the wisdom of being there. God knows how many innocent Iraqi citizens have been killed and injured since the invasion began. I hate to think.
It is also tragic that the number of Western troops killed and injured grows by the day. However, the mounting death and injury toll of US troops might eventually rouse the American people to demand action to force the administration in Washington to get the Hell out of Iraq. It worked (eventually) in Vietnam and, make no mistake, Iraq will become another Vietnam, involving the US in a long, ferocious and ultimately unwinable war. Hopefully, somewhere along the line the Australian Government will come to the necessary conclusion and withdraw our troops from Iraq sooner rather than later - yes, Australia has troops there too.
I give this film 9 out of 10 for its uncompromising illustration of Bush as the puppet and the fool that he is.
In closing, although appalled by the content of the film and by the actions of the Bush administration, I take heart from the words of Mohandas K Gandhi who is said to have made an observation to the effect that there have always been tyrants but that eventually they all fall from power. Think of Bonaparte, Hitler, Mussolini, Idi Amin, Pol Pot and Milosevic. Add GWB to that list and you can see where I'm going.
Final comment - well done Mike. Your country and the rest of the world need you.
Brideshead Revisited
(1981)
A masterpiece of Television
6 January 2005
Everyone is of course entitled to an opinion about matters such as this, but how anyone can rate this series as anything less than a great milestone in television is, to my mind at least, quite difficult to understand.
I recently re-read Evelyn Waugh's wonderful novel and was, consequently, inspired to watch the series for the fourth time, on DVD on this occasion. It is disappointing that the DVD boxed set contains no additional features as one would expect from a series which is so highly regarded by so many people. At least, interviews with the stars and comments by the Director, Charles Sturridge, would have been welcome. In that respect, the DVD set can be seen to be somewhat lacking.
However, the acting, direction, costume design, sets and John Mortimer's brilliant adaptation of the novel for television make this one of the greatest achievements in television and a demonstration of what can be accomplished in that medium with a great deal of care for detail.
What I find particularly heart-rending is the transition from the light and airy early scenes to the darker ending of the series. I am really not sure whether this comment contravenes the "spoiler" guidelines but I suspect that I'm on reasonable safe ground in that regard.
I would go so far as to suggest that "Brideshead Revisited" lives up to the comments which were made about it at the time of its release in the early '80s that it is one of the greatest television series ever produced and it is hardly surprising to me at least that a series of such enduring quality emanated from the UK.
10 out of 10 from me. I am looking forward to reading the book and seeing the series again at some time in the not too distant future.
Please do yourselves a great favour and read the novel and then see the series. You will find, as I have done, that it is a true classic and a faithful adaptation from the novel to the small screen.
I recently re-read Evelyn Waugh's wonderful novel and was, consequently, inspired to watch the series for the fourth time, on DVD on this occasion. It is disappointing that the DVD boxed set contains no additional features as one would expect from a series which is so highly regarded by so many people. At least, interviews with the stars and comments by the Director, Charles Sturridge, would have been welcome. In that respect, the DVD set can be seen to be somewhat lacking.
However, the acting, direction, costume design, sets and John Mortimer's brilliant adaptation of the novel for television make this one of the greatest achievements in television and a demonstration of what can be accomplished in that medium with a great deal of care for detail.
What I find particularly heart-rending is the transition from the light and airy early scenes to the darker ending of the series. I am really not sure whether this comment contravenes the "spoiler" guidelines but I suspect that I'm on reasonable safe ground in that regard.
I would go so far as to suggest that "Brideshead Revisited" lives up to the comments which were made about it at the time of its release in the early '80s that it is one of the greatest television series ever produced and it is hardly surprising to me at least that a series of such enduring quality emanated from the UK.
10 out of 10 from me. I am looking forward to reading the book and seeing the series again at some time in the not too distant future.
Please do yourselves a great favour and read the novel and then see the series. You will find, as I have done, that it is a true classic and a faithful adaptation from the novel to the small screen.
Tipping the Velvet
(2002)
Quite simply, one of the greatest
19 November 2004
I have nothing but praise for this mini series. It's only about a year and a half old but I have seen it twice already; with greater enjoyment the second time than the first. I'm seriously thinking of watching it again soon since I find it spiritually uplifting.
It is a very tender romantic drama with such beautiful performances, sets, costumes, music and scenes that it has a resonance which places it almost in a league of its own among mini series.
Some others have commented on the difficulties of living as a lesbian in Britain in the 1890s. Nothing especially difficult about that; it was only male homosexuality that was against the law as poor Oscar Wilde experienced to his great cost and as a great loss to the literary world. Anyway, I digress.
In my view, this is essential television. It is perhaps one of the greatest tragic romantic dramas since Romeo and Juliet, although not in the conventional sense.
10 out of 10 from me.
JMV
It is a very tender romantic drama with such beautiful performances, sets, costumes, music and scenes that it has a resonance which places it almost in a league of its own among mini series.
Some others have commented on the difficulties of living as a lesbian in Britain in the 1890s. Nothing especially difficult about that; it was only male homosexuality that was against the law as poor Oscar Wilde experienced to his great cost and as a great loss to the literary world. Anyway, I digress.
In my view, this is essential television. It is perhaps one of the greatest tragic romantic dramas since Romeo and Juliet, although not in the conventional sense.
10 out of 10 from me.
JMV
Annika
(1984)
An excellent mini series to be enjoyed repeatedly
19 November 2004
Very short, very sweet.
I first saw this wonderful mini series while staying in London with my wife's grandparents in 1984. My wife and I loved it then; we've watched it several times since then on VHS.
I have since been to the Isle of Wight and have searched out some of the locations used in the making of this mini series; a wonderful experience. I hear some others saying what a sad little life. Not at all; this mini series deserves such devotion.
Regrettably, "Annika" seems to be unavailable on DVD, a great oversight on the part of those who made it.
In my opinion, this is the greatest tragic romance since Romeo and Juliet.
10 out of 10 from me.
JMV
I first saw this wonderful mini series while staying in London with my wife's grandparents in 1984. My wife and I loved it then; we've watched it several times since then on VHS.
I have since been to the Isle of Wight and have searched out some of the locations used in the making of this mini series; a wonderful experience. I hear some others saying what a sad little life. Not at all; this mini series deserves such devotion.
Regrettably, "Annika" seems to be unavailable on DVD, a great oversight on the part of those who made it.
In my opinion, this is the greatest tragic romance since Romeo and Juliet.
10 out of 10 from me.
JMV
Grand Canyon
(1991)
One of the greatest movies I've had the pleasure to see!
19 November 2004
I'll keep this one quite short. I believe that this is an extraordinary movie. I see other reviewers who have commented to the effect that it's badly written, poorly shot, has a terrible soundtrack and, worse, that it's not real in its portrayal of life. OK, so it may not be quite believable for its whole length, but this movie carries a message of hope which some others seemed to have missed. Hope that it isn't too late to save people from the terrible things that go on in so many lives. Gangland violence is real, right? Is it right, no! This movie carries an important social message which the cynics may dislike but which nonetheless is to be praised, rather than denigrated. I have watched this movie with great enjoyment at least eight times, each time with equal enjoyment and each time with the feeling that maybe the world could be made better and is not beyond saving (well not until 2008 anyway). 9 out of 10 from me for this one. It's very nearly perfect in my view. JMV
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