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Reviews
The Hive (2008)
Not bees, but ants, and pants
This is a ridiculous albeit somewhat compelling low-budget effort at an "eco-disaster" movie. From the title you might imagine that it revolves around bees, but it is in fact about ant colonies which have developed advanced intelligence and super-powers as a result of alien intervention. The plot is mostly predictable although it does include some bizarre twists, the acting is mediocre and the special effects are not so special. That said, the premise is quite interesting - we know that ants communicate in some way and work together, but what if they got really clever? It is a mixture of "The Naked Jungle" (an oldie but goodie with Charlton Heston having to deal with "the marabunta") and "Phase IV", both of which are far better films.
Man on Fire (2004)
A film of two halves, and two sides of a man...
This is great movie. Denzel Washington is a bodyguard for a young girl but screws up through no fault of his own, and then goes on the hunt for vengeance. But it is ultimately a story of his personal redemption. DW is just so good in this role, far better than in "Training Day". He shows amazing depth and passion - you can almost feel it being sucked out of him. It's somewhat too long, but that helps to build the relationships, particularly between yourself and Creasy and the little girl. Sometimes, these things take time. If you can get over the style of filming/cutting etc. (Tony Scott specialities) and whether or not you have children, this film will shock and will make you think.
Emmett's Mark (2002)
Somewhat thought-provoking
This is a fairly bleak movie that tries to give a message of hope: live your life to the full. The acting is mostly good, Tim Roth giving a particularly down-beat depiction of a no-hoper trying to find some kind of joy and purpose in his life, even if that is being an assassin. Scott Wolff, the hero detective is good too, also trying hard to make sense of his life. Gabriel Byrne does a great American accent, but deserves to be in better movies than this. There's a line in the film something like, "If you were going to make something of your life, you would have done it by now." Maybe that's the message. But we also get the hint that if we stay true to ourselves everything will work out. Anyway, the plot follows through if you concentrate a bit, and it has a satisfactory ending. I enjoyed it more than most things I see these days.