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rgreen7360
Reviews
Undefeated (2003)
Stereotypical fight film
Immediately after this movie was finished, I wanted to find out how I could get back the hour-and-a-half of my life that I wasted watching this stereotypical, unimaginative, poorly written, poorly directed mess. In addition it boasts one of the worst endings ever in the history of movies. Please don't waste a fraction of your life watching this film. Like me, you will not be able to get that time back.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Lessen Nicole Kidman's role, and this would've been great.
This film seemed to be composed of two parts. The first had Nicole Kidman seemingly in the picture simply for eye candy. The second, much more interesting storyline had Tom Cruise, and the mystery of the house. Trim Nicole Kidman's part drastically, or better yet cut her out of the film entirely, and this film has the potential to be great. Not to mention it would have been a much needed forty-five minutes shorter. The scenes in the house, while strong for some viewers, is not actually as scandalous as I was expecting from what I'd heard through word of mouth. In fact the only parts of the movie which were offensive to me where the dream sequences which featured Nicole Kidman and the nameless sailor. I found myself wondering what caused her to make such a poor choice in career judgement. The party at the beginning in which she danced with the Hungarian, was uneccessary, and entirely too long. Cut the whole thing. Make Tom Cruise single, or at least make his married life not quite so drawn out, maybe even give Nicole Kidman some intelligent, brief dialogue to deliver, and this would have been in the eight or nine category, instead of a slightly above average 6, for a good idea, which was off by one performance.
Scary Movie (2000)
Sheer number of attempted jokes, does not a good movie make.
An inherent problem with movies which pay a satirical homage to the films they are trying to make fun of, is that the viewer is often bombarded with so many laughs that the act of laughing actually becomes tiresome. Scary Movie is worse in one respect. Out of the hundred or so sight gags, stunts, and pratfalls, a grand total of 2 struck me as being actually funny. The rest were ridiculous at best and stupid in general. Apparently the rest of the audience seemed to be pretty much in agreement with me judging by the blank looks of disbelief registered on their faces when these so-called "jokes" appeared on the screen. Do not waste your money on this one. Wait till it reaches cable, and then judge for yourself the lack of talent that the Wayan brothers possess. A generous 2 out of ten, counting one point for each of the two laughs I actually enjoyed.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
A juxtapositioning of art, poetry and the horrors of war.
This film may not be what most war genre fans may be used to, or be expecting. It is not a film which splatters blood and guts from beginning to end, attempting to outdo each mangling and tearing of limbs with another more fantastic explosion of bodies. Some may find the story slow, others may think it is overly dramatic in its attempt to get into the minds of those participating in the war. But what it is overall is impressive, striking cinematography. Some of the images would be appropriate were they to be framed, and hung on the walls of galleries and museums. The words are thoughtful, poetically written, and the cast is a compilation of all-star actors. If you're looking for action and excitement... skip this film. If you're looking for an intelligent, visual essay on another side of war, you may find this film worth watching. My only regret is that I haven't seen the original in order to compare the two. That is my next assignment. 9 0ut of 10.
Shanghai Noon (2000)
I am defenitely in the minority.
I went to this film after hearing all the buzz, and generally good reviews which seemed to be almost universal. I wondered throughout if I was watching the same film as everyone else. I usually love Jackie Chan's films, but it seemed to me as if this was more of the same material, particularly in the fighting sequences. And for a comedy I didn't seem to laugh all that much, nor did I see many around me laughing with enthusiasm either. Perhaps I let the broken chair I was sitting on, the guy with the big head right in front of me, and the subtly out of focus screening taint my viewing pleasure, but maybe because of my high expectations, I found myself only disappointed.
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Plot is refreshingly simple for a spy thriller.
A necessary evil of action/spy thrillers such as Mission Impossible and all the James Bond films, is that the plots tend to be too complicated for everyone to easily follow. This film manages to avoid that pitfall, offering a plot that can actually be summed up in one sentence. In the spirit of not giving the plot away, I will forego writing that simple sentence. Just be assured anyone can follow the plot without too much trouble. The stunts are spectacular, and it appears as if Tom Cruise does a good deal of his own stunts, enhanced no doubt with a large amount of computer enhancements. Thus, my only criticism: A stunt has to look as if it is possible to actually pull off in real life. Most of these did not. You truly must suspend reality, and accept the superhuman feats which Ethan Hawke manages to pull off.
And oh yes, Mission Impossible still has the greatest theme song ever put forth in a film.