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Reviews
Taken (2002)
Dull
Dull Dull Dull Dull
Completely tedious.
What people see in this, I've no idea. And I *like* SciFi. :-/
Chocolat (2000)
Sweet!
Sweet. Smooth. Dark moments. Indulgent. Don't look too deep. A smart confection. Loved it! Enjoy. :-)
Traffic (2000)
Highly overrated :-(
At the time of writing, this is rated #66 best movie of all time in IMDB? WTF! Until now I have been pretty happy to use IMDB as a decent guide to what's good and bad at the cinema, since professional critics are truly hopeless. Traffic has put a big crack ('scuse the pun) in my confidence in IMDB reviewer ratings. The user comments are worth checking on this one folks -- much more mixed. Don't just go on the votes. I gave it 7/10. It's a quality and worthy piece of work; they clearly aimed high. But it's flawed (irritating coloured filters for a start), dull, and depressing -- a sort of upmarket Arlington Road. #66? Gimme a flippin' break!
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Extremely powerful, but remember loveable Bjork is bonkers
This is a truly stunning film. But it's flawed, and could've been perfect with some easy fixes. The wild camerawork in the "reality" mode was distracting
and disturbing in the wrong sort of way when seen on the big screen -- much
like Blair Witch was. And I couldn't work out why it took so long to get to the first "fantasy" scene. Bjork is wonderful, lovely, I adore her, but as a critic, I didn't find her acting in the early parts of the film to be as believable as it needed to be in order to be perfect (sorry, dearest!). The supporting cast
were excellent though. At the end of the day, this was still shockingly,
stunningly powerful. It's up there with Green Mile, Private Ryan, Shawshank,
etc., but where they are polished Hollywood, this is independent quirky. It's your preference. Great piece of work guys. I still love you, Bjork. :-) But note to non-existing fans: remember she is completely bonkers. And this film is
very much a Bjork film! General warning: this is a *very* gut-wrenching film. Do not take your first date on it!!
The Cider House Rules (1999)
Dull and rambling
Disappointing. I'd heard this movie rated up with such excellent
recent releases as The Green Mile and Snow Falling on Cedars,
but I was mostly bored. Sure it was beautifully and sensitively
acted, but the story was the problem. It just never captivated
me. It was rambling, wandering around seemingly without any
purpose or direction. I still don't know what it was trying to
say. Also the fact that the main character never visually aged
over the main part of the film annoyed me. I can see why some
people might like it, but having sat through it all (and it felt
very long), I understand why a couple of girls left a third of
the wa
Magnolia (1999)
Two new(?) points
Agree with much of what others have said here. Two points I didn't see mentioned:
1. Twin Peaks. It reminded me more of Lynch's TV series than anything else.
2. Collage. A new artistic construction made from vignettes from elsewhere. Like the collages I made when I was a little kid in school, the result was novel all right...
Stewart. (8/10 -- for effort, mostly)
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Dreadful, simply dreadful
What *do* people see in this? I just don't get it. I was bored
all the way through. Only explanation I can suggest is that I
had just seen The Green Mile and Anna & The King -- two
excellent movies. This one just made me wish I'd gone to see
Stuart Little instead. What a let-down from a great cast and
dire
You've Got Mail (1998)
Loved it!
Really great! Ryan and Hanks are just excellent together. Plot a little uncomfortable at times, but just be romantic about it and dream a little. :-)
Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
Inevitably disappointing
Too much slapstick for my liking. And yet much was too subtle
for kids, too silly for adults. Way too surreal. Innocence,
magic, and sheer novelty of the 1st film were inevitably not
there -- and destroyed by the inclusion of far too much of the
Real World. Effects sometimes intruded -- don't want to notice
when a character is a live animal vs. animatronic as much as
this. This didn't happen in the 1st film because it captured me.
This one distracted. Overall, they tried too hard.
What Dreams May Come (1998)
Dire
The most dire movie I've seen in a long while -- well, since Lost in Space.
Sure the themes are big. Sure the emotion is high. Sure the graphics as big as any other contemporary big movie. Sure Robin Williams is tolerable. But it's just embarrassing.
Sorry, I just couldn't get into it. Every time I saw someone fly, I looked for the wires. And I usually love escapism.