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The Fall (2013)
Many, more eloquently than I, have commented, but ...
I found the demise of Paul Spector and the sharing of Stella and Katie, although unfulfilled, most fitting. While we might have wanted him to go to trial, and his anamnestic state revealed, his attestation of his real persona was sufficient. And that even Ms Wallace would no longer support his defense speaks to his, how shall I say? evil. I am still puzzled, however, by the meaning of the scribbled note on the 20£ note, and who gave it to Spector in the first place.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
Clouds!?! And blue sky? 600 km below the surface!
Maybe I expect just a little too much science in my science fiction, particularly as we are in the 21st century. Light, sure, some sort of rock phosphorescence or plasma glow, but clouds? I think patten5, however, pointed out what is really missing in this film; if the team had shed their black bras (except for the Captain who wears flesh-tone) early in the movie, it would have held MY attention better. (Okay, okay, I'm a sexist pig, but aren't women in skimpy clothing de rigeur for cheesy SF?) So, what do we have here? For one thing, a movie that has no shame in ripping off just about anything else: title, transporter malfunctions, Core-squelike machine to drill through the Earth's crust, CGI T-Rexes. All things considered, even though I could have spent the 87 minutes in more uplifting ways, I was entertained. I would like to have seen more of Goth Girl.
Death Race (2008)
I'm in love ...
Natalie Martinez has to be the hottest babe to adorn the screen since, well since Franka Potente in "Lola rennt". I'm shocked she hasn't appeared in more on the big screen. This film, unlike so many, delivers exactly what coming attractions drew me to expect--fast pacing, minimalist plot (not a bad thing in this genre), under-spoken hero, villains with big black hats, and enough voluptuousness to sate the testosterone rushes. And of course there are homages to so many precursors, starting with Corman's original "Death Race 2000", on to "Mad Max", and ending with "Death Proof". So back to my first thoughts... Just where can I get videos of Natalie's TV series appearances in "Saints and Sinners" and "Fashion House"?
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Imperfect propaganda for self-aggrandizement
While Michael Moore can be very clever in his selections, editing, and juxtapositions, what results in "Fahrenheit 9/11" is not the startling sublimity of "Bowling for Columbine" or even the comedic pathos of "Roger and Me." Instead, F911 is nothing more than a shrill diatribe against the Bush administration. Leave aside the politics (which almost none do), judge the movie not as a Republican or a Democrat, but rather as film. Compare F911 to other such movies--"Triumph des Willens" comes to mind--compare it even to Moore's other films, and it comes up short, way short; so short that one is left with to think a sophomore (or sophomoric) film student had created it. Moore should step down from the Olympic heights his speech at the Oscars exalted him to and become, strange though it sounds, less passionate. He has lost his touch to make the really fine documentary; perhaps he could review a few of Leni Riefenstahl's films for inspiration. 6/10.