lemberg Reviews

The Score (2001)

Attention to the details

[8/10 · 11 July 2003]

Possible spoilers.

It is strange to see, that the Score has such a low rating. I liked this movie, because the authors paid attention to the details. De Niro transformed completely into the Nick's character. There are no missed spots in his performance. Other actors were up to their roles too, but De Niro was in the focal point of the movie.

Suspense was increasing steadily from the beginning of the movie. I did not divert my attention from the screen even for a second. May be, it was better to watch it on DVD. Because in that case you don't expect to be entertained and surprised in every bit of a movie, you just enjoy watching it.

The thing I noticed: the movie producers probably did have good consultants from law enforcement and physical security agencies. But as computer side is concerned, they cut the budget. What hacker said in the movie, it did not make any sense. Also the system administrator, who sold the passwords to the system, could be traced very easily. But it seems, he had intentions to stay on the job after the heist. The only excuse I can imagine, that he was completely idiot :)

My rating is 7.5.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Thanks for very solid movie

[9/10 · 6 July 2003]

I read some imdb reviews before going to see the movie and I didn't have much of expectation. It turned to be false alarm. It is great movie - it follows traditions of first and second Terminator. It has very solid script and I counted only two moments, which might be edited out.

Visual effects are very good, but they are not extraordinary. Anyway it is better this way, that vice versa in Star Wars Episode II.

There are several funny episodes, which does not spoil movie at all. One can laugh or not, because movie does not depend on them at all. It is like T1 episode in hotel, when Arny selects "@##! off" from menu. That one also was decoration, but very good one.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS HERE

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I liked ending, it is first not happy end for Terminator movies. It should have been that way. Machines are too powerful even now and once they got loose, nothing will stop them. It is better not to start such things. Also, movie shows that machine can be really human, but not by behavior as in second terminator. It shows that they can make choices, which are against their orders and which are right in human sense. Of course, it is not very sophisticated in the scene, where Arny breaks the car, instead of killing John. BTW, Arny is really great: just recall scenes with sunglasses.

There is couple of logical and technical mistakes in the movie, which are not very critical. At first, how Skynet can start sending virus, if it was only in air force laboratory and not connected anywhere else? Also it was not even self-aware, so it should not have had evil intentions at that point. At second, phrase "our firewalls are holding virus" sounds great, but I hope, it is not a case and military networks are completely physically separated from Internet. At third, it is just usual stuff in action movies, Terminatrix was able run with speed of a car, but it cannot overtake Kate and John in the tunnel on the airbase.

And last, I like Claire Danes and Arnold Schwarzenegger (in case if I meet him someday :), but rest of the actors play looks a bit forced.

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I gave 9 of 10.

Signs (2002)

not a scifi

[5/10 · 13 January 2003]

A bit of spoilers...

Is it possible not to use aliens, spaceships in such kind of movies? Ghosts, strange noises can do well here. It is not Sci-Fi and there is no even attempt to make it this way. Aliens travel hundreds or thousands parsecs in space and invade Earth naked (which as everybody says is 80% covered by water unbearable for them)?? It is as same as launching a rocket with crew to orbit Earth and then all astronauts going to vacuum without spacesuit :((

5/10

Howards End (1992)

Interesting...

[6/10 · 16 December 2002]

I cannot say, that I liked it very much. Emma Thompson was wonderful. But as character I liked mostly one played by Helena Carter.

***Spoiler***

I have a couple of remarks about the scenario. It is strange, that nothing was told above Jacky at the end. What happened to her? She lost her husband and all means for an existence. We were told about all but her. But she was a real victim of all others actions. Also who was the second kid playing with Helen? And frankly speaking I don't quite understand why Leonard Bast did not take money. He was not a noble person, so he could accept it, especially if he loved Helen. I guess, that idea was poor can only be poorer and rich can only be richer. Actually the script resembles me Balzac's writing.

Going back to Emma Thompson, you can really feel her compassion and goodness. I was a bit sorry about her, when she did not go to Howards End at beginning of movie, even she rushed to the train station. Nobody of Wilcox even really apologized to her.

Summing up I think, it is rather arty movie. It displays different shorts of buildings and gardens, but for some reason for me Howards End estate looks like a source of all evil in this movie. And by the way, sorry for my English, it is not my mother tongue.

***End***

6/10