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Reviews
Cidade de Deus (2002)
Masterpiece
City of God is a Masterpiece. With all the rubbish that is coming out of Hollywood these days, this Brazilian movie shows that plot and substance will smash CGI special effects any day of the week. Not for the weak of heart, COG is shocking, confronting, and also fascinating. It depicts real life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, where the horror of drug warfare is juxtaposed with spectacular scenery and beauty. Unlike the privileged few, the favelados are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and violence, which is almost impossible to escape from. Hollywood could learn more than a thing or two from this movie, it far surpasses any other action movie of the past decade. Simply a must see. 10 out of 10
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Memo to Hollywood producers: less special effects and more emphasis on substance, PLEASE!
I'm a massive fan of the Indiana Jones films, sure they are outrageous and downright unbelievable at times but they are certainly entertaining! So it was with high expectations I went to see this movie last night, but unfortunately I was very disappointed by this one.
I agree with what another reviewer said, the first half is actually quite good, but the latter half was pitiful. The problem is the plot jumps all over the place, and it relies too much on silly special effects and stupid scenes eg ants chasing after people and indy's son swinging on trees like a monkey to catch up with a car chase (wtf??). Not only that but too many things were forced, eg Indy's interaction with the female co star in Raiders (who was great in the original by the way).
I thought Harrison Ford did a solid job at reprising his role as Indy, he was just let down by the aforementioned things. The movie was awful, and sadly is indicative of the action movie genre these days, where an obsession with ridiculous and totally fake looking "special effects" at the expense of actual substance is creating films which are absolutely mind numbing to watch. I wish they would just go back to the basics but I unfortunately I can't see it happening..
I just can't believe that anybody out there could possibly say this isn't by far the worst Indiana Jones movie, it really is terrible. Be warned..
Sex and the City (1998)
Materialistic rubbish
Appalling, shallow, materialistic nonsense. How women (and gay men?) can enjoy this rubbish is beyond me. No self-respecting man would ever want to be with one of these neurotic gold diggers. What is even more concerning is that so many reviewers say they relate to the women on the show. If that is the future of women, Lord help us all. Showing your independence and being respected as equals with men should not be about spreading your legs every three seconds with a different man. I think this demeans women and does not do them justice. But this review is no rant against women. Fans of this show say it is "hilarious" and "rivoting" but every time I have watched this show I have just struggled to stay awake. Despite the narrative of the reporter woman, at no point in this show is there even anything close to something that could be considered a rational thought. So, it's not entertaining, and it's not informative, so why would you bother watching it? One out of ten stars.
State of Fear (2005)
A study of the struggle of Peru against insurgency between 1980 and 2000, and the often precarious balance between democracy and security
Whilst State of Fear makes for compelling viewing, in my opinion there were some glaring omissions. Why does the film not even mention the other large rebel group in Peru at the time, the MRTA? Why does the film touch on Shining Path's presence in the prisons, yet not mention how their uprisings were squashed, for example the infamous prison massacre of 1986, that I believe was captured on film? How about the Embassy Hostage Crisis of 1997? Didn't this happen at a time when it is claimed the threat of terrorism in Peru was inexistent? I also thought more mileage could be made of Fujimori's accomplishments against terror, however flawed the last few years of his presidency were. If not for his drastic measures, which gave him a 70% approval rating, Shining Path may well have taken over the country. Despite these key points, the film is powerful and tells a fascinating story. It also contains some breathtaking scenery. However, whilst this is certainly an interesting documentary, I think it perhaps could have been more informative...
American History X (1998)
powerful
I don't want to give too much away to reader's who may not have seen the film, so I won't say much...but if I had to use one word to sum up American History X, it would be "powerful". This is the kind of film that is missing in the current film environment that is usually based more around flash than substance, ie special effects and a physically attractive cast are commonly used to win over audiences as opposed to a solid plot containing powerful messages that actually might make you think. I saw this movie last night and it is a fascinating insight into the insecurity of young people and their desire to belong to something, to feel accepted. I believe this theme is equally as prevalent as the denunciation of racism throughout the film. Another thing I liked is that the cast is portrayed as being incredibly human... nobody in this film is "perfect", as we frequently see in other films. From the protagonist to his young brother to the wise English teacher, they have all had their share of problems in the past, as well as in the present. I think it is a testament to the director and cast that we actually end the film sympathising with a convicted murderer. The moral of the film is that hate is baggage, and we reap what we sew in life. We need to ask ourselves that one question when our lives are veering off course "Has anything I've done made my life better?". For the protagonist in American History X, this simple advice is enough to turn around his life from that point on... but it is too late to undo the consequences of his wide-reaching influences, hurting him in the most painful place he ever could have imagined. So once again, this film is sheer power. Certainly it is disturbing in parts, and probably not for young children or the overly sensitive. Nevertheless, it is a fantastic film, truly one of the best of all time. I give it 9 out of 10 stars.
RoboCop (1987)
powerful, shocking, compelling
They don't make them like this anymore! A classic of the genre, Robocop is shocking, violent, but an absolutely compelling film. A film like this could never be made in the present-day politically correct environment, and I don't believe that is a good thing. Robocop is a frightening insight into a dystopian future where large corporations run rough shod over society, completely devoid of benevolence, a profit is far more important to them than social cohesion and even human life. Unrealistic? I don't think so, especially not in a country like the USA. Some of the violence is extremely gratuitous, particularly Murphy's murder and the ED209 massacre, but the movie wouldn't be the same without it. That said, I wouldn't recommend this movie for children. The media reporting of Casey Wong I thought was brilliant, as well as the advertisements. Fantastic satire on consumer culture and where we might be headed. Acting was first rate, particularly Dick Jones and Clarence Boddicker, wow, these guys were brilliant. Although the special effects are clearly outdated, particularly with ED209 scenes, this movie has truly stood the test of time. After nearly 20 years Robocop is still far superior to the nonsense action movies put out today which might contain flashy special effects but fail to capture anything like the suspense and power of this film. As stated earlier, truly one of the best of its genre: Brilliant movie, I give it 9 out of 10 stars
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
a leading khazakstani journalist goes to the "us and a" to make a "movie film" to "make learnings" that will benefit the people of his glorious nation
As a massive fan of Borat from his early days on "Da Ali G Show", I was eagerly anticipating this movie. Some critics were even going so far as to say it was the "funniest movie of all time". Having seen the movie about a week ago, I can indeed confirm that yes, this is a very funny movie that had me laughing uncontrollably at times, however, to keep the concept of Borat going for a solid hour and a half, compared to the usual 2 minute sketches of which we are used to, was surely a very difficult task. The whole Pamela Anderson thing at the end was pretty stupid, I guess with a concept like Borat it is extremely difficult to provide any kind of "closure" at the end of a move. But some of the jokes were hilarious, particularly when Borat goes to a "humour" coach and learns "NOT" jokes, that was probably my favourite part of the film. Unfortunately a lot of it IS rehashed material, for example, his etiquette lessons and dinner has been done before with "Lady Chelsea" on Ali G. Don't get me wrong, anyone with a sense of humour will definitely find this an entertaining film. I am one of those people with the opinion that the concept of political correctness is one that has spiralled totally out of control, often at the expense of humour, and so I find comedians like Cohen to be a fresh air... he does what most people are too scared to do, and more often than not, he has audiences is in stitches! So whilst I find his humour to be hilarious, I do not recommend Borat out there for those who are easily offended, or "PC nuts". You will not like this film. However, if you don't take what he is doing seriously, you will definitely enjoy Borat, even if some of the toilet humour is a bit off. 8 out of 10 stars for me... for your average person, definitely worth seeing!