jshelm Reviews

Battleship (2012)

Abysmal

[1/10 · 7 January 2013]

As a long time movie buff, I am up for virtually anything that the screen and actors can throw at me, particularly Science Fiction. Suspension of belief and reality is never a significant issue for my son and I. My son (21y) and I went to see this "film" the second week of release and after 45 minutes, we both looked at each other and said, let's go. I have probably seen 350 films at the theatre since the age of eight and this is only the second time this has happened.

Why? The film is a classic case of a lead character (Lt. Hopper), who is not believable. In a nutshell, this is the linchpin upon which this film lives or dies; since the CGI is quite spectacular. By the time the real action starts in earnest; you just cannot see this character in the role; the character development is abysmal (and for an action film of this genre, the expectations are quite low) and quite honestly, he is an unpleasant person with whom no empathy can be achieved, IMHO. Even my son, who is likely the target demographic for the film, and a full bore college student who enjoys his weekends immensely (not the studious type) thought that Lt. Hopper was a "tool". When the lead hero has a clown suit on, this does not bode well...

While there are a lot of recent action films with spectacular effects that are not particularly well done that can be entertaining, this film does not fall into this category. Do not waste your money. Wait for the film to hit free cable; it will soon.

Gran Torino (2008)

A Fine Film, Don't Miss It!

[10/10 · 19 February 2009]

I went into this film with mixed emotions, having read that it may be Clint's last film in front of the camera and my son's friends who had seen it telling me it was racist and nasty (18 year olds). Wow, what a film. My son and I were in tears at the end and for a film that could have fallen prey to so many cliché opportunities, it was clean, well cut and drove home some excellent characterizations without being maudlin or cheesy. If you wish to see a fine film that has great characters and a wonderful story to tell, do not hesitate to see this one. Clint Eastwood, despite his "Dirty Harry" image is one of the great film makers...period and for those of you who are film buffs, take a chance on a film that will make you laugh and cry in equal measures. Although I rarely rate a film a "10", I could not resist. Any flaws are overcome by the wonderful story and the rich characters in this film.

The Onion Movie (2008)

Very Entertaining and Great Fun

[7/10 · 26 July 2008]

This film was a great deal of fun to watch, however the humor is not for everyone. I have been a fan of "The Onion" website for years and find the content (on the web) varies considerably in quality and is to some extent,a function of the mood you are in at the time. I would characterize this film as falling into the same category, i.e. gut busting humor that will leave you crying and other bits that fall flat. This shows the difficulty in translating a great website with really good satirical content to film. Some of the humor is very caustic and biting satire and requires you to be fairly open minded; there are some excellent pokes at politics, PC behavior, global conflicts and popular culture that are in the news today. I really enjoyed this film and would not recommend it for those under the age of 16.

Grindhouse (2007)

More fun than a movie goer should have in one show

[10/10 · 6 April 2007]

I have read many of the comments on several sites and saw this with my teenage son last evening. Although many of the comments tend towards the Grindhouse genre, bottom line here is that the film is full of gratuitous violence (in Planet Terror) and humor, intense scenes and flat out fun watching actors enjoying themselves on screen. Kurt Russell is especially good turning on the charm and sociopathic behavior, at times, simultaneously. Unlike many professional reviews, we both enjoyed Death Proof more as it was tight and not as "draggy" as I have seen stated in many reviews. The dialogue is quite well thought out and Russell is flat out fun to watch in this film. Planet Terror is a kicking blood-fest with great acting as well. Since neither "feature" takes itself too seriously, it has the fun cheesy feel that the "B" films have without the assumption that the directors are trying hard to make a statement. Again, it is a real pleasure to see the actors having so much fun making the film. It makes the film eminently enjoyable. This is definitely for a more mature audience, however you leave the theater wishing it was a triple feature with one of the films you see a trailer for added, such as "Machete" or "Don't". Be forewarned, make sure you are prepared to sit for 195 minutes as you do not want to miss a thing.

Borat (2006)

A wonderfully funny film and sad indictment of our society...

[10/10 · 12 November 2006]

I finally saw this film today, after much anticipation and found it to be gut busting funny and frighteningly insightful at the same time. The jokes were raw and the kind that make you laugh out loud hard, however by the same token, this film showed some of the worst sides of human behavior. There is an old saw about what you do when you do not think people are looking is a true indication of your character. In this case, people showed their worst biases and prejudices and knew they were being filmed. I do not want to spoil this for those of you who have not seen the film yet, however Baron Cohen cuts deep into the underbelly of hubris, prejudice and mean spirited thinking that shows how in-human we have become. Thankfully, he leavens these painful scenes with very funny humor and placing people in very bizarre situations that force their true colors to show in a very humorous way. Baron Cohen and his team deserve all the positive recognition they have and will receive from this film, I am hopeful that those who see this movie learn some humanity from the lessons shown in this film.

Additional comment: I have been reviewing the comments made by many IMDb members and am not surprised by the polarized views on this film; however, I am surprised at the self-righteous indignation of many reviews. It can be most difficult to look in the mirror and truly deal with what you see looking back at you.