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Reviews
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
A perfect disitilation of every martial arts spectacle that came before it
This is the perfect mash up film, it feels dreamlike in execution and the editing is A++, casting is awesome with perfect performances by all cast, the standouts are the showdown with the crazy 88 and all the stunt work and fight choreography, the staging and setup also must not be overlooked especially in the 88 fight scene
10/10 this film is a great tribute to all the films it borrowed from that it stands very proudly on its own feet.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Decent film for cetain scenes abd great score
I'll start off by saying the orgy and interagation scene in this film are pure Kubrick brilliance and makes me wish I'd seen the film edited to his standard before he passed away, also interesting is how long he worked on it and the relationship he developed with Tim and Nicole on the project, worth watching, feels a little contrived and off kilter with its setup but gets intersting as that character Tom plays trys to unravel the mysteries surrounding the gathering pre and post orgy visit, it ends rather abruptly and feels like there should have been more, not sure if Kubrik was just going for the rollercoaster ride effect or if the real meaning is as imbedded as some of the other films he made that came before this one about secret high society cults that force members into strange situations to bring to heel their obidience as the ultimate goal, maybe the point is we are left wondering about it as the end goal is to leave you confused.
The Lost Boys (1987)
Best 80's vampire movie
This is a great film to watch if you grew up in the 80's as it seems to capture the spirit of that time very well, the film itself has a great in the moment feel to it that if scrutinised would fall apart, but thats not why you watch it, its like the BMX chase in E. T. for tone for most of the movie, the score is always on point and the over the top in the moment performances are endless but great!
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Good film, very accurate in it portrayal of chaos in war
Good film, very accurate in it portrayal of chaos in war, the third act is a great ending and the performances never fell short, the madness the conduct is all on point in many aspects, having had relatives in indonesia in WW2 and hear their stories on gorilla warfare, this film is very close to the stories that were relayed to me.
Lost in Translation (2003)
The film that kick started my obsession with Japan
I saw this film when I was 23, I loved it, I remember when the credits started rolling, I stood up but paused half way walking out of the cinema then stared at the credits with a big smile on my face knowing I would rave about this film to friends, although I did not have to, everyone in my friends circle at the time loved this film.
Went to Japan a year later and was blown away, I think Japan was at its best from the late 80s to the 2010's I visited a month before the big 2011 quake, how this relates to the film, I think the actors are great however I think the spirit of tokyo city plays a big part in this film, the title lost in translation is how you feel sometimes in Japan, a complete stranger who finds themselves in strange and wonderful situations but can only observe to see what happens as you sometimes don't know how to interact, what the expectations are or values behind each interaction, a perfect setting for a film like this, pure genius on Sophia's behalf, if you see the making of Lost in Translation you could tell Sophia was very excited because she knew exactly what she was making and it turned out great, probably one of the top 5 films of the 2000, 2010 era, at least its always been at the top of the list for me. 10/10 a perfect film, its perceived flaws with its incidental settings are its silver lining.
The Wonder Gang (2021)
The acting on the show is sub-par
The acting on the show is sub-par, its line reading with young kids racing to get to the next scene.
With tons of other shows on with kids the same age or younger doing a great job, begs the question how this got made in the first place, not good.
Demolition Man (1993)
Who could of predicted?
Great and accurate vision of the world dominated by censorship and 'omnicultural' norms and expectations mandated into public life, this film is not only entertaining, its a parody on the current sociopolitical climate.
Starship Troopers (1997)
The film that I could not believe was not popular at the box office
I love this film, its tounge in cheek depiction of an authoritarian government imposing themselves on the galaxy, mixed with a 90210 set in a future space war setting, its a combination of satire, cheesy characters and over the top action set peices that make this movie stand on its own and very re-watchable
10/10 I have never had anybody convince me why its nothing short of a perfect movie, original and 'peak Paul
Vanhoven'.
Le Cinquième Élément (1997)
A top contender for all time faves
I will start off by saying I have had more than one person tell me this is their favourite film and I can see why, its a great combination of themes and action set pieces as well as strange and whacky characters that make this film hard to pass by when channel flipping.
I do like this film and own on bluray, I can easily sit down and watch it at any time, as well as the soundtrack being a standout.
10/10 20 something years on it still holds up.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Classic film
I love this film, the way it was shot and the characters within, it also seems to capture the mood and mindset of the time it was set in, a little "Lynchian" in parts to substitute for descrepancies laid out in the novel it was based on, but overall its a great film thats easily rewachable more than 10 years after its release.
Standouts are all the main cast and but mainly the assassin and his cold and calculated approach to reaching his goal, navigating his purpose without taking on any responsibility of the consequences through the toss of a coin.
Boogie Nights (1997)
Amazing film
I have a bias and that is Burt Reynolds, I have watched Burt since I can remember, he was always on TV when I was very young and loved greatly by my family at that time in the early 80's so when I saw this film being made in honour of that time period it already piqued my interest.
The film on first viewing was amazing and quite a ride, I saw it again on multiple viewings in the cinema with friends who all thought it was a great piece of cinema,
first second and third acts of the film all stand out and the entire cast delivers on so many levels, I have since rewatched it over the years and really have come to enjoy the film for what it is, 10/10 its aged well and its a classic.
RIP Burt, its been a few years since his passing but he had that much of an impact on me I always dedicate a tribute to him on anything he has stared in, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as well.
Up (2009)
Great film RIP Ed Asner 30/8/2021
Sorry to hear the passing of Ed Asner, I thought to write a review of what I think is one of Pixar's best films thats not overplayed for spectacle even though its still grand in scope and spectacle, but for the performances, alot of people will pin the first few minutes of this film as the best part of the film and I agree it is great but for me the small interactions throughout the film beween Kevin and Carl are great, the campfire scene in particular stand out for me as one of the best parts of the film when Carl realises he is not alone in feeling isolated and cut off when he learns of Kevins detachment with his own father, Carl and Kevin aided by comic relief in the animal cast and facing off against a deceptive fallen hero that tries to claw back his former glory at any cost.
The Green Mile (1999)
Great film with amazing performances
Great film with amazing performances, the entire cast did such a good job on this film, I do not watch it often becuase its a very heavy subject matter but I think the entire cast was great, I do like the Shawshank Redemption, but for me I think the director did a better job on this prison inmate film, its a classic with a supernatural twist that comes from the right place.
Gladiator (2000)
Great film that I am happy to rewatch today
Great performances by all the cast, good writing and pacing as well as the larger than life Ridley Scott direction with a great score to boot, its a 10/10 for me, There are few films from the early 2000's that stand out like this one, or ones I can rewatch today and still hold out.
Jaws (1975)
The original block buster, but more than that
The original block buster, but more than that, its a great film thats famous for a monster shark but is appreciated more for the rich performances, the cinematography that suits the mood and actions of the film very gracefully with an unforgetable film score to make one of the best films ever made, I only make that claim based off revisiting old films to see if they hold up, as I have grown up, I've actually come to enjoy this film the more times I have seen it.
Its a classic and I think comes from a time when hollywood was more open to new ideas, with a director with a razor sharp vision who had to give the monster a backseat due to technical error to instead show off the nuanced and very greatly realised characters vivid lives and intentions fantastically realised on screen.
This film is a rare gem among many others from this period in hollywood film making.
Traffic (2000)
Decent film I saw at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace with added bonus features
I saw this film in cinema when it came out, loved the cast for the most part, I think everyone did a great job, the message of the film was on point with the never ending cycle of chaos that surrounds the "drug war" and those that get caught up in it, I also remember this film becuase two people happen to shoot up drug in the seats in front of me and my brother when we saw the film, un-intendedly we got a real life experience related to the film itself, pretty morbid but yeah that happened at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Sydney almost 20 years ago.
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
Re-watchable and accurate
Steve Wozniak ran a forum about this film, he stood by it as a fairly accurate depiction of it representing the beginning of Apple and Microsoft.
I also heard this film had a lot of additional scenes of early childhood some of those scene you could hunt down on youtube showing a young Bill Gates at about the age of 9.
I love this film and rewatch it usually once a year, great performances and great at capturing the time period, although it was filmed at the end of the nineties it captures the return of Steve Jobs to Apple perfectly.
Star Wars: The Last Plinkett Review (2018)
Accurate
How bad can you go off path with the Star Wars franchize, I feel numb watching the film itself however this review is entertaining. I've spoken to friends who only watch the films to see what Plinkett has to say about them.
These reviews have more soul than the very expensive films they are reviewing, not hating but I won't defend films because they are attached in any way to popular political bends that they supposedly represent. TLJ is s***t and no it's not a kids movie, it's just the end result of aimless corporate yes men and mainstream thinkery.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
OK , but lost some of its charm from the first film
it was...OK but that roof they had in the last film of talking over the kids and letting both age groups have fun, caved in a bit on this film, the dialog on the farm was some of the worst because it was trying to rope you into an emotional scene with tag lines like," I hope you can finish the barn dear after your done avenging with the avengers" and being all serious like that was how hawk-eye identified himself or some crap dialog like that, not exact quotes here, it just came off wrong and super cheesy, and further in a few more lines like this came out, and felt a bit to forced, and that Ultron looks like a Michael bay wet dream , the faceless glow pit face from the comics would have been far more scarier, but hey got to keep it kid friendly, people forget the dark crystal, scary as hell, one of the best childhood films, kids need to feel risk and fear in film as well, that's part of growing up, again like the kid who grew up in a sterile environment and developed allergies to everything you could think of because the kid's immune system never had a chance, same goes for main stream "dumming down" and Disney chasing the dollars, just felt it on this film, tried to be dark but some how the roof caved in on a few key things in the film. not terrible but not nearly as good as the first film, ultron was not scary, he just looked like a video game character, even the first transformers held up better than this film (1st transformers was awesome, they all suck after that) rant over :)
Der Name der Rose (1986)
a movie gem that's ageless
One of my favorite films, I have crossed paths with allot of film buffs that have this film on their shelf, out of all the films I claimed to be the best they have fallen off over the years but this one remains in the same spot, to me this is because it is so immersed in its setting. the characters and supporting characters have a purpose and you could almost understand their life story by looking at them, everything has a lived purpose about it and is weighed to the world it represents. Flawless, this film should be in every film school and studied with a close eye.
The film has gotten allot of attention on release, but unlike allot of films that fall to the side and time beats them into submission. if you have not seen it, go out and do so. A stand out film that has a pulse
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Best modern Disney flick
A great film, almost a film that did not have a princess.. A fairly original film in setting with a good soundtrack and solid characters, the the interaction between Ralph and Penelope are really special and often don't come to surface like this in so called Disney 'family films'. I loved the design and the film actually felt like the crew that made it enjoyed being on the project, it feels rare but Disney of the past was small cubicles and corporate doctrine, they feel very indie in this one particular film with their direction and choice of themes, I think they got a free ride on game culture in general being a large mash-up to draw inspiration from to begin with, very re-watchable and film that stands apart from the usual Disney offerings.
Bondi Tsunami (2004)
Bondi Tsunami fast forward ten years
Now the only reason I feel attached to this film is because I met the parents of the friends of the filmmaker on my first trip to Japan from Australia, and I happen to be living in Bondi at the time.
All of the negative reviews although harsh are accurate, this is a bad film, and Im not going to sugarcoat it in any way but I will go into the hype around it at the time, 2004, DV cams were getting really good by that time and $10k cameras where impressive as well as edit suits by then, costs really came down by this time in the digital frontier, by 2005 after doing a TV course in TAFE AKA community college, the next year it all went digital as the academic method, (woohoo! I got to learn how to log video and hit the tape return button).
So upon reflection the changes marched ahead for cheap high quality film production in Australia and the taste palates were shallow at best, people were more exited by the fact it could be done independently for so little without the need for funding that they overlooked the content and supported most films coming out anyway, this in itself was a good thing, but short lived.
Fast forward 2015 and Youtube, an iphone 6 and some free editing apps/software, you could make a higher quality film for allot cheaper and just concentrate on the content because you will not get the potential millions of views otherwise, now the world is your audience through the web. Let Bondi Tsunami be a lesson for a time when technology out weighed the actual content, indie films did not always suck but let this film be a lesson on what should not take place. I don't care if you have great technology , if you cant fill up a few paper napkins with a good idea or two, don't move ahead with your project. and unfortunately this film is a lesson on bad film making, that took a free ride on a technology craze.
Firefly (2002)
One of the best TV shows ever made
Its 2015, I watched this over the Xmas break remembering I liked it, and I loved it on a revisit, what a great show, really fantastic characters, a setting that instills wonder like a kid seeing star wars for the first time (...1977 ;) what a 'verse' My only complaint is it being axed half way through the first season, I still demand to see the outline for the rest of the series, but having so much time pass, and a disappointing film, I don't think it would be the same, its good it happened and it really is great to watch the half series every few years.
Joss you made a great show, its outshines all your other work. and continues to do so
The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
Karate Kid II
I have to rate this film based on my childhood and some of the rich memories it brings back, and to add to this I have been to Okinawa, Japan and stayed with U. S military contractors on the Island and got the full tour but later realized through research KK2 was filmed in Hawaii (boy did I feel ripped off) and please correct me if I'm wrong.
As for the film itself I personally think it goes one up on the on the first film bridging the two nicely together at the start, when the two sensei's duke it out in the car park of the tournament from the first film. The films scope is allot bigger and the stakes are higher the storm sequence I really liked and how can you forget the castle fight sequence, clearly allot of the plot points in this film mirror the first one, minus the cheesy Montage between E.shue and D. Macchio at the theme park ;) done better in the second film, the "glory of love" soundtrack and running around the castle were much better, BTW that castle is not in Okinawa, I personally checked!!! ;)
Tied to my childhood of going to the cinema this film stands out as the ultimate cinema going experience, if like many kids you had seen the first film on TV or had taped it to VCR for multiple watchings, going to the second part felt very grounded with good all round execution, I like the new Cobra Kai series picking up elements from this film (and now being shot in Okinawa).
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Bad Film
Its years after its been made, I caught this thing on TV the other day, it is BADDDD!!! I got more emotional connection to the puppets in thunder birds than this movie.
And they should have replaced Ben Affleck and Josh Harnett with card board cut outs and cast them in other films to cash in on there hollow careers, Josh Harnett was good in Virgin Suicides, and I can't remember what Ben Affleck was actually good in?
And as for Tony Scott, take a leaf out of your brothers book and stop living in the Hay Day's of the 1980's "you can be my wing man anytime" come on give me a break, that stuff does not work anymore, this film is a Statue of David molded out of dog poo, big and spectacular at a glance but really really stinks up close..