Bondo20 Reviews

Ink (I) (2009)

Truly Stunning Film

[10/10 · 13 March 2009]

I've never felt luckier to live in Denver. Ink, filmed in Denver, had one of its first screenings tonight and despite going in with no particular expectations, I was completely floored. Nothing about the film indicates that it is a lower-budget, independent film, except perhaps its freedom to pursue such a surprising and ambitious concept.

Though it was in production at the same time as these films, it strikes me as mixing the best parts of Pan's Labyrinth and Nightwatch. However, these two excellent films in their own right simply do not match up in my mind. Ink is visually and aurally stunning. The blurring the lines of reality present an allegorical tale that is emotionally gripping and philosophically challenging.

I'm not easily taken to high praise, but I really think this may be THE movie to see in 2009. I just hope people get the chance to see it.

Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996)

Funny, but too long for the troupe.

[8/10 · 28 March 2002]

The Kids in the Hall are a great sketch comedy group and that is why I tried the movie, and while it was very enjoyable, especially since there are little bits of the show throughout, it also shows some awkwardness in them trying to handle a feature film instead of the usual 5 minute skits. But while it is not quite as enjoyable as watching a few of their shows is, it is still better than most comedies on the market so for any KitH fan it is worth renting. But I don't think people who haven't seen the TV show will enjoy the movie much as they would likely not get it.

The Mummy Returns (2001)

Surprisingly Intelligent

[8/10 · 5 February 2002]

The Mummy series may be the most underrated I've seen. Both

the first and not the second feature fairly deep Egyptian

mythological based plots with action piled in. The second one

really accomplishes things better with more character interaction

and history. And while it doesn't lack action, that shouldn't be the

only focus from the audience. Unless you just can't stand action in

movies this is a fun and interesting movie.

The Godfather (1972)

To Many Unseen Plot Points

[7/10 · 2 February 2002]

The Godfather series stands as the best in the mob dramas, but

that doesn't mean it is as spectacular as advertised. In general

mob dramas have been overrated from Godfather to the Sopranos

TV series. The main problem with The Godfather is that many plot

elements are not shown or even described. The following

example is a *spoiler* so if you don't wish to hear a fairly major

plot point don't read on. In the middle portion of the film Sonny

picks up the phone and then goes racing off in the car with others

scrambling to follow. He then is gunned down. Neither the topic

of the call nor the reason he was killed are told to the audience,

leaving them wondering why it happens aside from the usual

tension throughout the movie. These types of skimpy explanations make too many parts unbelievable that the plot is a

weakened form of a potentially great plot. Outside of that the

movie features fine acting and scenery for a decent but

disappointing experience.

Made (2001)

Great but annoying

[7/10 · 31 January 2002]

For the first time in my life, my main complaint of a film is that a

character was too well acted. Vince Vaughn's performance of the

guy who does everything the wrong way by being loud and dumb

is so convincing that you just wish he'd ge off the screen so your

eardrums can stop bleeding. But the movie itself is well crafted

with a smooth and funny plot. I just wish I could selectively mute.

Dog Park (1998)

What Romantic Comedy Should Be

[8/10 · 5 January 2002]

I don't know what it is but romantic comedies always seem to be a let down. The comedy is just barely there and the romance is too unconventional to be believed. Dog Park is what the genre should be. It takes one small quirk, the dogs in this case, and melds a fairly realistic story around it. Featuring a great cast and great writing, this film jumps right off the screen. To have reality in a genre that lacks it makes it touch deeper than others. A great film and finally a date film that doesn't sacrifice quality.

Cats & Dogs (2001)

Almost good enough to be watched

[4/10 · 4 January 2002]

Cats and Dogs was a movie I knew was not going to be more than

just a fun 90 minutes to waste. It turned out to almost live up to

being just an entertaining mediocre film. Two things really kept it

from reaching the average level. First, I can understand allowing

the animals to have voices when talking to each other, but why did

they have to make it so the animals could talk to humans, it isn't

important to the story, it just make the movie much worse. Also,

as a cat person I must ask, why are the cats the bad animals and

dogs the good animals. Oh well, unless you are big animal

person, this film will just be horrible and even the greatest animal

fan shouldn't find this more than a decent movie.

Rush Hour 2 (2001)

In all ways worse than the first.

[5/10 · 29 December 2001]

The first Rush Hour movie was a special treat. Sure, I can tolerate

Jackie Chan movies usually because of the awe-inspiring fighting

scenes but the plots tend to lag behind. Rush Hour added a

decent plot and Chris Tucker at his loud, obnoxious best. This

was a recipe for a great comic action film. Unfortunately for the

sequel they decided to make a overly twisted plot and poorly

written jokes that basically play on the last film's humor. My

suggestion, just watch the first one again.

Scary Movie 2 (2001)

So Bad You Don't Notice

[2/10 · 29 December 2001]

This movie was awful to say the least. With most bad movies you,

A.) Laugh hysterically at it's badness or B.) Can point out specific

things that made it bad. This one is so transparent that I can't do

either. As a comedy it fails mightily as it is only good for one or two

laughs and even those aren't hysterical. You get to the end of the

movie and walk out dazed, as if the shallow movie has infected

you with its virus. Thank God it was only 75 minutes long, any

longer and we would all be zombies which I might add were not in

the film.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Fast Pace Loses Plot

[9/10 · 29 December 2001]

The best comparison to make between this and another movie is

Shakespeare in Love. Like the deserving Academy Award winner,

Moulin Rouge features a play within a play where the writter falls in

love with someone out of his reach. The problem is that this

movie doesn't have the proper pacing. Partly because of it's

setting in the Paris Bohemian underworld, it is a constant rush of

images through much of it that is just painful to watch and

overworks the senses to the point the brain isn't prepared to take

in the finer points. Watching through the first hour I was so

tempted to just turn the film off as it hadn't pulled me in, something

a good movie should accomplish in much less time. It seems

this film has had as much a split review from the critics as any and

it seems so for good reason. As much promise that might be

there convincing some to like it, there are problems that convince

others not to.

Pearl Harbor (2001)

Two movies for the price of one.

[6/10 · 27 December 2001]

Pearl Harbor turns out to be two 90 minute movies. One is the war

history film of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The other is a war-time

romance. Personally I prefer the former. Unfortunately in this

movie gives you both, pleasing only a few and taking three hours

to do so. Much of the non-historical parts are not all that well done

with the first hour suffering from bad chemistry and weak plot

striking in the last hour. In the end it turns out to be just an

average movie and not something you really want to have to watch

three hours of.

The Score (2001)

The Slowest Robbery Ever

[7/10 · 15 December 2001]

For heist films, The Score fills in as a decent entry, but it is the

movies pace that keeps it from being a much better film. The first

half of the film is very slow as they set up the score, and in the

second half when they finally go to do it, it still is plodding. A less

climatic climax I've never seen. Because of the films slow pacing,

it doesn't really get the adrenaline flowing like this type of film

should. It does offer a typical plot change with issues of double

crossing and trickery. A almost transparent side love story is so

weak that it is a wonder why they waste 10 minutes on it. Overall,

it is a fine film if you really like the genre, but it isn't a must-see for

the regular movie-goer.

Legally Blonde (2001)

Very Entertaining, But Not Exceptional

[7/10 · 1 December 2001]

In short, Legally Blond is starts with a Clueless feel, but breaks

beyond that into a fairly witty film. While it isn't thought provoking

and is rather predictable most of the time, it manages to be a well

paced, entertaining film. A great rental as well as a great date

movie, it is worth the price to see it once.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Magical Movie Misses Magic

[8/10 · 22 November 2001]

Take a incredible book, take away character development,

sections of plot, and much of the humor and what do you get? A

damn fine movie. I can say I enjoyed the movie greatly, but it is

just not the wonderful experience that reading it is. The movie has

limits where imagination does not. In the novel there were so

many little lines that you don't notice when reading through, but

while watching you miss. The little petty interactions that had to be

cut for the movie take away from the character development that

makes the books seem so real. For the most part the casting was

done amazingly well compared to how I saw the characters in my

mind's eye. The three main characters were played exceptionally

well and that was enough to keep the experience alive. Another

problem I saw from how friends of mine who hadn't read the book

reacted to it is that too much was cut out and not accounted for.

Many events just roll into each other and leave the viewer baffled

as to how it got that way. Either way, I'm happy I saw it in the

theater but I won't be tempted to see it again until it comes out on

DVD.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

Near-Real Animation shows plot holes.

[6/10 · 11 November 2001]

It is no question that this film features the most amazing animated

graphics to this date. Credit is due for that but the makers of the

film still have to be held responsible for a plot that at points seems

to work but then plummets down the drain. Much of the scripting

features uninspired sci-fi shallowness and that leads to the viewer

not being engaged in watching. Only people who cared about this

movie enough to have watched it already should probably watch it

so if you haven't yet, don't bother.

Shrek (2001)

Aside from clever satirical moments script falls flat.

[7/10 · 11 November 2001]

The satirical value of this film has largely been used by many to

hide the slow moments of the film. This movie has a few very

humorous moments where it mocks many of the familiar fairy tale

characters. But the main story of the film, which is a more indirect

satire of typical fairy tale elements, is slow and has uncomfortable

interaction between the characters that make the movie more of a

task than a pleasure.

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Delightfully shallow movie

[6/10 · 4 November 2001]

Not since Spiceworld have I seen such a wonderful, but shallow

movie. Sure the plot is obvious with little in the way of deeper

meaning, but it is a fun way to spend 90 minutes. Between catchy

music and hilarious cameos this movie is a great one time

through experience.

Someone Like You (2001)

Rough but Watchable

[5/10 · 29 October 2001]

This isn't a good movie. It is slow, with weak statements, and no real compassion. With that said, as a chick flick or date movie, it proves a decent escape. But really there is no compelling reason to spend 90 min. watching it.

Joe Dirt (2001)

Much better than anyone could expect.

[7/10 · 23 October 2001]

The only reason I made the choice to watch this movie was that

I'm a fan of Dennis Miller. What I got was not only one of his

funnier apperances in a movie (not that that says much as his

movies haven't exactly been stelar), but an overall funny movie.

Miller is a host of a radio show (with the sophisticated wit that has

become his trademark) who as a joke has Joe Dirt (David Spade),

the resident janitor on as an interview subject. Joe goes on to tell

a riviting, well at least interesting story of his life. Here is where I

would expect the movie to go straight down the drain but the story

is put together well to provide funny, gross, and shallowly dramatic

parts to entertain like a normal movie but with none of the

seriousness. Sure if you would rate this movie directly against

others it might fail, but strictly as a comedy it proves to be better

than average which is much better than I expected.

Along Came a Spider (2001)

Like most, movie fails to live up to book.

[5/10 · 14 October 2001]

As a person who has read the brilliant book by James Patterson, I

was skeptical, and the director managed to meet my expectations

of making a bad movie based on a good book. For years people

have been abridging books successfully. Why can't they make the

story shorter without completely changing it. I guess if I hadn't

read the book, it might have been rated a few higher, but it still

wouldn't be a great movie. Basically, there are better movie

thrillers to watch and plenty of books you could read instead of

wasting your time watching this.

Se7en (1995)

A Disturbing Masterpiece

[9/10 · 4 October 2001]

There is no need for many words in reviewing this movie as it

leaves you wordless. It is one of the greatest thrillers ever, not as

a who dunnit, but just in the venture to understand everything that

happens. At some points it is confusing, but that is made up at the

end. As long as you have a strong stomach, this is a brilliant

movie to see.

The Untouchables (1987)

A fairly good historical drama but it has holes.

[7/10 · 4 October 2001]

I am as big a history buff as the next guy and so I can enjoy the

attempt made by this movie. And in general it is well done.

Unfortunately it has gaps that make it not quite add up. As a rare

comment I must say this movie was too short, coming in at just

under two hours. A movie of this type has valid reason to be

another half an hour long. That time I think could be used to patch

the holes and raise the movies score up a few points.

The Family Man (2000)

Almost touching but mostly boring

[6/10 · 25 September 2001]

The Family Man has many moments when it could be a good movie, but too many times are just unbearably bad. The movie is also about 30 minutes longer than it should be which leads to watch checking. Overall this just isn't a very good movie.

Driven (2001)

A thrilling Movie that survives its sensationalism

[7/10 · 24 September 2001]

As a race fan this movie was an immediate draw but and it

delivered in many ways. While the racing and even more the

crashes were exagerated, much of the action provides a very

realistic feel. Behind these scenes was a very intriguing twist of

relationships that made the movie worth watching by anyone.

Driven is due much more credit than it has been given.

Memento (2000)

Fascinating new angle to fascinating story

[10/10 · 15 September 2001]

Prepare for a movie experience like no other when watching this film. Memento tests your mind as much as any other film as the mind of the character on screen is revealed to you. The events in the film take place backwards; making this suspense not a who-done-it, but instead what events led to this outcome. One neat feature I would like to see now that I've seen the film the way it is originally shown, and the way all should watch it, is to watch it in chronological order and to see how things unfold that way.

Anyway, the fact that this movie came out so early could hurt its chances but this movie should win a few Oscars (pending any more great films).