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duke396
Reviews
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Fantastic, in a creepy way.
I watched this movie right after I saw "Dominion" (I realize this one was made first), and I must say I thought this was so much better. Don't get me wrong, "Dominion" was good, but "The Beginning" was so much more in-depth, answering some of my questions that lingered from the other. Among the notable differences that I appreciated seeing were Merrin digging up the empty graves of the natives, his flashbacks being segmented instead of just a "hey -- this happened" at the start of the movie, more of the characters dying for the sake of the ambiance (these aren't exactly supposed to be feel good movies are they?), and the woman being possessed instead of adding this random "Che Che" character (she was so much creepier!) This version had me staring at the screen with my jaw hanging open several times, which is a pretty difficult reaction to get out of me these days. After seeing this, I was even a little disappointed to watch the original Exorcist again. I recommend this to anyone who has a strong stomach (compared to the others in the series) and wants to see a good "scary" movie.
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009)
Good movie, but with wasted potential.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. I have read the book and have been a fan for quite a while now, and when I heard there would be a film I was very excited. That being said, I'm going to do the ultimate evil of comparing the movie to the book. I thought Dan's character was spot on and well drawn, while Drew's attitude may have been a little extreme, and Tucker just seemed slightly "off" somehow but overall a good representation. Some of their antics were quite hilarious, but the main problem I had with this movie was that so many lines were quoted directly from the book (and sometimes out of context), so I already knew exactly what the guys were going to say. I think if they hadn't tried so hard to stick to the exact wording some of the dialog could have been improved or expanded upon. It was a fun ride though, and Tucker even ended up learning a thing or two, which I'm not sure I can say for his book counterpart! If I was the director I would have spent more time telling other stories from the book to help establish the characters, and then move into a condensed version of the film as it is for the second half. If that had been the case, I probably would have given it 9 out of 10. People who haven't read the book probably feel thrust in the middle of something they don't quite understand, and may not want to understand. I feel that it was a good movie, and very funny, but with a slightly different approach it could have been an awesome movie.
The Invention of Lying (2009)
Worst movie I've seen lately.
I write this review not because I want to, but because I feel like I have to. Based on previews and other reviews, I thought this would at least be a decent movie; I was wrong. It wasn't funny at all. I probably chuckled twice during the entire movie and spent the rest of the time wondering why I was still watching it. The premise is over-exaggerated and every character in the movie just seems ignorant. I get the slight against religion, and I'm okay with that (making a valid point about our society in general), but after the first few minutes it's pretty predictable and it was just generally flavorless. As a parody movie it does make you think, but a comedy it is not. I recommend you do not watch this movie, you won't get that hour and forty-odd minutes of your life back.