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drsalem72
Reviews
Gothika (2003)
Uninspired and Pointless
Think of any 10 of the better horror movies/psychological thrillers you can. Now pick the better or more memorable scenes from each. Now slap them together in your mind and picture what that would be like as a movie. Odds are it's at least twice as good as Gothika.
Gothika is the story of Dr. Miranda Grey, a psychologist at some sort of prison, the best they have in fact (cliché #1). She ends up becoming an inmate in that very prison when her husband is found brutally murdered and she is the only suspect (yawn, cliché #2). Many more clichés follow as the story unfolds. Other characters, include Robert Downey Jr. as "the colleague/friend (who happens to be the 2nd best doctor at the prison) who becomes her doctor and wants to help her because he loves her even though he doesn't believe her story", and Penelope Cruz as "the crazy inmate/ex-patient of Miranda's who becomes her only friend on the inside when everyone else thinks she's guilty and/or crazy." There are more, but I won't name them all.
The scares in this movie were cheap and blatantly telegraphed to the point where I laughed out loud at the people in the theater who jumped. The plot twists were extremely predictable as well. No real shock when the villain is revealed because if you just look at all the people in it, this person is probably the most obvious choice to play a villain in a movie of this genre. Even if you can't figure it out, the scene where it is revealed that this person is the villain is so drawn out that Halle Berry is definitely the last one to figure it out.
As if we didn't have enough of a mess on our hands already, now you have to figure in the supernatural elements of the film. That's right, ghosts, spiritual presences, whatever you call it, it's there, and it's utterly ridiculous.
Overall, the story couldn't seem to get out of its own way. The story is like a bad rendering of what it would be like to throw The Sixth Sense, Kiss the Girls, The Life of David Gale, The Fugitive, and at least 10 other movies just like those into a blender and hit puree.
The number one area where this movie fails is the writing. The direction isn't all that great either, but the writing is the big one. The acting was decent. Everyone did the best they could with what little they were given to work with. Some of the characters seemed downright pointless when all was said and done, namely Robert Downey Jr. and Penelope Cruz.
I watched this movie with a group of friends, and it was pretty clear that during the movie some of them were enjoying it while I was yelling profanities at the screen. However, one of them indicated to me that the determining factor in whether or not they would like it was how it ended. The ending was even worse than I had anticipated. It left the five of us sitting in the theater, scratching our heads saying `What? Why?'
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Such a great actor
Russell Crowe delivers a stunning performance yet again in what is definitely an Oscar worthy role. Crowe stars as Captain Jack Aubrey, a British ship captain in 1805 who is given orders to disable a French ship and help stop the dominance of Napoleon.
The film starts with a near miss as the two ships do battle, then follows Aubrey and his crew in their quest to outdo the bigger and better equipped Acheron. It gives an interesting viewpoint of what life at sea was like during this period.
Master & Commander also marks the return of director Peter Weir (The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society, Witness). He is also equally as worthy of an Oscar for his work, provided they haven't already etched Peter Jackson's name on the statuette.
Visually stunning and masterfully acted, I believe this is one of the best movies of the year.