giggsmiller Reviews

Joe Dirt (2001)

An absolute cracker

[7/10 · 18 May 2006]

I'm giving this film 7 out of 10 on the fact that it has made me laugh and laugh again. I have films like the Godfather, Scarface, Shawshank Redemption and others in my DVD collection but I can tell you I have watched this film more than any of those. As others have said this film does what it sets out to do, make you laugh, and that it does and then some.

Its stupidity is great and the abuse that Joe (David Spade) receives is just fantastic. If you like watching a lovable loser get abused then this is the movie for you. Lots of laughs and memorable sayings, its a classic, 'Life a garden, dig it' and 'you can't have no in your heart' all coming from a white trash loser with a mullet who announces on the radio that he was 'jerkin his gherkin'makes for a laughfest. Highly recommended but don't expect to use your brain, juvenile amusement all the way. And Brittany Daniels as Joe love interest 'Brandy' is incredibly hot.

Flightplan (2005)

Stupid plot line, Foster's performance so annoying

[3/10 · 8 May 2006]

Many others have commented on the total stupidity of the plot of this movie and I totally agree. I just wanted to say that many have praised Jodie Foster's performance, I found it intensely irritating.

Her being so intense and erratic from so early on was just too much for over an hour and a half. Having said that it did keep you gripped but only because you wanted to jump in the TV and slap her. If I had been Sean Bean I would have been a lot more forceful with her as she was acting absolutely barmy. Passenger reactions were unrealistic, and her blowing up the plane and surviving from such a short distance away? Absolutely laughable. That thing would have been jam packed with fuel and would have turned into a huge fireball. Just plain silly and with Foster's intense but oh so irritating performance mixed in it made for rather uncomfortable viewing throughout. Not one I would recommend.

13 Tzameti (2005)

Uneventful, unoriginal rubbish

[1/10 · 24 April 2006]

I saw this movie yesterday only knowing that it had something to do with Russian Roulette. I came to the conclusion after watching the film that it is one of the worst films I have ever seen. I didn't expect a face off style action flick or anything but my God, nothing really happened for the first half an hour and there was very little characterisation. On the plus side it is tastefully shot and is quite well directed, however, how much this was due to the black and white aspect making me feel like it was more high brow than it was, I'm not sure.

The attraction of this film is clearly the violence and tension of the Russian roulette scenes, the fact that human life can be so easily discarded, and that men are willing to lay down their lives for money in a game of chance. However we do not get the impression that the main character is worth saving. He is not really put in context and I cannot see a rational human being (which he appears to be) realising he has got himself into a Russian roulette competition and continuing to stay, no matter how much money is involved. The Russian roulette scenes are very tense, the faceless room and stark light bulb adding to the tension. But it is blatantly obvious that our 'hero' is going to survive the game which completely ruins the tension. Furthermore I found myself wanting him to die so that the film would be over sooner. All the filming outside of the roulette seemed to be a waste of time as we get to know no one except the main character. I won't spoil the end of the film but needless to say you see it coming a mile off.

All in all this film was predictable, incredibly dull, and did nothing new. You could, as others seem to have done, try and intellectualise this movie but it really isn't worthy of that sort of analysis. The controversial theme of the film will be enough to carry it despite it being rubbish. A guy plays Russian roulette and wins, big deal. Dull, dull, dull!