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Reviews
Lucky Blue (2007)
Not usually impressed with short story - but this one proves me wrong.
For me, this film is a masterpiece -- albeit its short length.
It all began when Kevin happen to travel with his aunt and met with Olle in a holiday trailer park. Considering its short length of the film - I would feel remorse of disclosing any plot after this :).
What being the most powerful way the director managed this film is that - instead of using complex plot, tragedies, and multiple characters that many full length movies use- the director has eliminated all these noises and focused into the 'passion' and 'affection' component of the film and let those carries the story until its very end which makes this movie very powerful.
I had never been impressed with 'coming out' short story because most of them ends in either separation, deaths, tragedy or just filled with other ambiguities that leaves the audience lingering unsatisfied. But Lucky Blue proves me wrong.
The simplicity and the short length of the film, for me, certainly has accomplished its true purpose that is not only to entertain but also to inspire and gives hope to people affected by such sensitive issue.
O Fantasma (2000)
Not for everyone to see
The film contains no real plot and no real human. No interactions, characters, and story are being developed. All scenes are rather devoted to show how human are acting like gross animal.
I simply don't understand if people are saying that this is an intelligent movie or a movie with a deep message. Of course, anyone can interpret anything (Even garbage) as gold or diamond. But this film is beyond the worst film I have ever seen in my entire life. Simply waste of your time, and spare yourself from being disgusted.
I would rate the film 3/10 simply because the directors put in some effort to convince a rather talented actor doing that kind of acting job.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
I did not laugh the entire film.
First and foremost - I would stand to death (of course this is a exaggeration) to argue with whoever people out there that say Borat is funny. It is not.
Simply put - Borat is just a collection of amateur videos filled with some "Just for laugh" video shot in various location that has an appalling sense of humour. All the jokes are typical racist, stereotypes and other insults of which most rational people found it to be offensive rather than funny.
Of course, the intention and the objective of Borat is to make people laugh. If this were to be a late night comedy show - I would have at least give 6/10 for its effort. However, as for a cinematic experience, I cant but to give Borat 1/10 for its lacking in plot, amateur shots, offensive jokes, and irritating Sacha Cohen
Saw III (2006)
Experience were not as memorable as SAW II
In my mind the title "SAW" itself used to suggest the most astounding horrorific cinematic experience you could imagine from a horror and gory movie. SAW II lived up this expectation, but SAW II has failed terribly.
Any real SAW fan would be somewhat disappointed by SAW III. The pace of the story itself has deteoriates; where in SAW II the story progressed really fast and many things happened with multitude characters - SAW III is rather slow, unconvincing and sometimes offer chessy and lacking of solid story line and suspense.
Some gory scenes and tortures may moved my butt to the edge of my seat - but other than that, the story itself and the movie did not move me at all.
Pulse (2006)
Simply annoying
This is yet another movie where I simply regret of going. Another product of failing Hollywood that horribly mix computer with ghost (similar to White noise, Stay alive, etc). The idea is perhaps not as original but still appreciable if the movie could be done with some real and articulate more detail on the plot - but unfortunately, it isn't.
To some extent what makes this film watchable is its cinematography. Every angle of each scene is beautifully shot, and the CGI was absolutely astonishing. However this is not be accompanied by 'watchable plot'. There is too much focus on ghost and computer itself while not showing us the character development or uniqueness (the acting is bad by the way)- it ends up where everybody has gotten either dead or suddenly gone after some ghosts appear.
As I mention before, the plot does not make any slightest sense and for me is incredibly disappointing.
All in all, the great cinematography dominates the movie but with no real plot - it unfortunately can't save the movie.
Its simply annoying.
Population 436 (2006)
The trick isn't working anymore !
I obtained Population 436's DVD from local store awhile ago after watching the trailer on IMDb. I felt attached to the storyline - and was wildly curious about how could possibly any town has constant population, something must went really wrong?.
Yes, everything seems to be wrong with this town although everything seems to be perfectly normal. A happy little small neighborhood with many buts. The census bureau agent is on his duty on only counting...but soon discovered there are odd pieces in the survey, then the adventure unfolds.
On summary, acting of the main players are Good - although the villager's and suspense seems to be exaggerated and overly done sometimes. There are a lot of mysteries in this village, but unfortunately they're poorly unfold and there is not enough twists in this movie. As a result of the unclarity of the causes and root of the problem - many suspenses (i.e the nightmare) are to be unfounded and quiet irritating.
The storyline sometimes unfold in 'bizarre' fashion. People seems to act really strangely in this movie with no apparent reason (i.e One suddenly attacked the other like crazy dog...and some people just tried to follow the others..etc). I think this is really amusing in someway, making me scratching off my head quiet a few times during the movie. If this is an attempt to lengthen the movie, then mission accomplished - but otherwise, I don't think it has reached any goal.
The suspense tricks deliberately doesn't work for me and makes this film rather a bizarre mystery drama...and can't be classified as a thriller or horror.
Stay Alive (2006)
Nothing special 'in staying alive'
Honestly, I was a big fan on 'Stay Alive' trailer when it got released even some months before. I kept on telling my friend how this movie has a great story plot - and perhaps a good one. Anyway - this movie is somewhat below my expectations.
The plot has a great potential, but how the story unfolds, along with the acting , directing and bad CGI - this film is a disaster. The ghost doesn't make any sense, and including the killings - its all just too hurried, creating a sense of 'unrealistic' in the audience's mind.
This film could be scary for some audiences - but fear in a sense of shock (Due to the sound effect, etc) rather than enduring fear due to certain valid factors in the movie.
You should re-consider watching this movie.
Le dernier jour (2004)
Very slow moving film
In many respects, I could tell that this movies convey a rather deep meaning and not just ordinary teenage-gay-boy romance story which mostly end up in either bad or happy ending. This movie is alike to many of other French movies that I saw before which contains little or minimal dialogue. It conveys the message through showing "symbolic scenes".
However what troubles me the most is not such 'absence of dialogue' but rather the clarity and sense of direction in the film. The love that grow between Simon and Matthew is only evident somehow in the middle of the film but for the rest - it is clearly unclear of what Simon thinks or at least other characters should have played greater role to clarify the role of the main character. As a result of this unclarity - all scenes appear to be just randomly and awkwardly put in.
The movie is incredibly slow. There is no significant or notable progression that the audience should be rewarded after watching the film for around 2 hours.
Aside from the talented and good looking actor Gaspard Ulliel (who played Simon), there is no other aspects of either in the story or plot that makes me eager to recommend this film to the general audiences.
5 out of 10
Speedway Junky (1999)
Mediocre
This movie has a lot of potential in terms of the story line. It's very convincing, realistic indeed and does portray some aspects that we sometimes want to see in the modern struggle of a young boy that tries to make his way to be a race car driver. Las Vegas off course, couldn't be any better place to place one's life as a stake. His encounter with Eric and how everything unfolds are great tale to follow.
However, as a disappointment, this movie doesn't seem to be as promising as I was hoping before. There's a slight problem in the directing and that there are many redundant scenes that get our attention beyond focus. The love story is not realistically depicted. As it seems, the Johnny straight boy suddenly turned up to be gay and fall in love with Eric for no apparent reason. Even more, the movies too much provide audience evidences that Johnny is straight and all off sudden we are shocked that he could be gay after all (Which is deliberately unrealistic since he met Eric just in the night alone and they had done nothing). The reason that Eric cared for him and be his best friend also are not strong enough to turn him into gay.
Its hardly believable although at times entertaining with some sense of humor. Great story line though.
Beautiful Thing (1996)
Touching and heartbreaking
This movie is one of only handful of movies that I would label as 'flawless'. Not only flawless, this movie has far exceeding my expectation and becoming extremely memorable for me.
The movie is relatively simple - and there is nothing extravagant about the characters and the story, yet- that what makes us able to see ourselves as if we're in the film. It reveals a story of two young ordinary English boy trying to come out in a very conservative English period.
This movie tells us that there is no such thing as -gay love or straight love-. Love never discriminates and never judges, and that love could happen to anyone. Nobody could be blamed for falling in love.
This movie will always remain in my heart.
**PS: Bravo John Altman for the Peppermint foot lotion theme song !
Du er ikke alene (1978)
Very vague film
I watched just few hours ago as I'm dead curious to some of the reviews here called as how two young boy fell in love with each other at the very early stage indeed.
I don't think the cinematography is the problem, nor did the acting. It was great for everything, the idea, actors, and the setting - except that its just hardly convincing in my point of view. The movie focused too much on the school, pupils that I lost grip / at one point forgotten about the love happening between Kim and Bo.
It's perfectly understandable and romantic of the low between these twos, but really - its rather a disappointment that we don't see enough how their love develop in more realistic way. Although they're still kids - perhaps, it would be much better if we see some sadness, tears, rejection, and so on (Problems that encapsulate of being gay realistically). This movie explores the love of two young boy in a very vague and unrealistic manner.
This movie is rather satisfactory in my point of view for those who seeks to understand the definition of love in different angles.
Gefangen (2004)
Painful to watch
This film proves to be one of the most amateur gay film I ever encountered. The storyline in overall is standard and should be acceptable. It's about a struggle of a new prisonner along with his completely new love with a black prisonner.
Perhaps the resources (budget) in making this film is so low that it only can hire 2-3 prisonners guard with poorly arranged in-door location. The choice of having Mike Scale is also a very poor choice. Not only that he is unfamiliar with his role as being notorious black prisonner - instead he is appearing as this shy,loving,undecided black prisonner.
This movie is in overall very painful to watch. The love development between two real prisonners are only evident when Dennis saw Mike just saw each other two times - that's all. Most of the moment they have together is only spent on the sex-scene/kiss-scene/or nude scene. There seemingly to be no real touching, romantic moment where audience could believe that they're truly in love.
Regardless that Marcel Schlutt (Dennis) has a lot of talent to bring in this film, it seems that he himself can't help the whole scheme catastrophe. This film fails in nearly all aspects, and it seems only appropriate to be called soft porn movies rather than a real movie.
Unworthy of watching.
When a Stranger Calls (2006)
utter disgrace.
One sentence to sum up everything: Don't Watch this Movie. If you're still curious, watch the trailer since it has everything you need to fully enjoy this movie.
After weeks of watching many movies in year 2006 - without doubt, this movie is one of the worst and is an utter disgrace to Hollywood. The movie has failed in all aspects but most profoundly in its lacking of the real story line. The story line is somehow a replica to very common horror movie (you got bad man out there and start running around with not clear idea: WHY? WHY? WHY?).
There are a lot of questions that the director should answer in this movie, or at least in the end of the movie - but in fact, nothing is answered. The whole content of the focus is simply running around like crazy while there is really no twist (utter boring).
Great disappointment...........
just don't watch!
Final Destination 3 (2006)
Plain predictable but still equally intense!
I've seen the previous two final destinations before- and I regret to declare that this third one is the worst of the three. This movie is not bad entirely, in fact - I gave it 7 out of 10. It is just not as good as if you compare it the previous two.
There is not enough twist in the third one, and much of the story has been revealed in the trailer. With that being said, the storyline is once again predictable. The movie has focused too much attention on the original storyline and thus have no meaningful improvement/drawback from the previous one (exact same story). Although the story has not shifted much, and in fact has been equally intense, my third experience of watching somehow same storyline of final destination have been deteoriated.
And that concluded my review since there is basically nothing really new. For final destination lover be sure not to miss this film (althugh a huge reminder of its predictability has been put forth)
The New World (2005)
I don't get the artistic side of this movie
I watched this movie with some of my friends yesterday night, as usual, with not much expectation. But indeed, I wasn't at all expecting to watch scenery on a movie theatre that cost me money. I mean, I can see scenery on discovery channel and no need to go to movie theatres.
The whole movie, I would say 90% of it does not involve understandable human verbal communication. To clarify that, in this movie - we have 2 civilization that is Britons and Native Indians. While britons so little , the native Indian speak in their own language (Only 5% of it were translated). Its rude for me to put it this way, but it seems that I felt like I was really observing a zoo.
I don't understand why there is so little verbal communication in this movie, while as we can see - even ScobbyDoo can talk.
There is no real set of problem defined in this movie. The conflict and confrontation of European Colony and Native Indian is poorly unfold. In one scene the European fight with Indian, while in few next scenes - they seems to be friend again. While the war contribute to little part of the movie, much of the movie is spent on observing scenery, human activities, lake, mountain, sun or inaudible conversation which further deviate and deter the movie quality.
This movie is my first and biggest disappointment on movie. A total waste of time and money.
Must Love Dogs (2005)
Mediocre
Actually, I saw this movie solely based on coincidence. I went to movie with a friend, looking at the clock, and this movie was the closest at that time prior our arrival.
OK;go back to the movie. First of all, the title of the movie confused the audience which expect more about the dog to be appear and to be tightly tied to the overall theme. In fact, dog is disappointedly appear only occasionally.
However the appearance of the dog does not make a big difference at all; it is symbolic to what the director of this film failed to make this movie consistent in many aspects. The story line is clear however, but not as solid as unique as everyone would expect from the title "MUST LOVE DOGS". Many conversations and scene seems to be very unimportant but added anyway, created further boredom and confusion to this story.
There were handful of people exit the theater on the halfway of the film.
Overall .... 4/10
The Ring Two (2005)
Mediocre horror movie
I don't know what brought me to watch this movie, indeed if I know that Ring 2 will be that mediocre I rather stayed at home.
I agree to one of the users comment which declare his/her bizarre experience rather than scary one while watching this movie. From the beginning until the end, I can't really see the worthy plot as I'm expecting as a sequel from the first ring. Well, sure the big thing is that Aidan is being "haunted" by Samara. But, well... I can't see the point inside it. Maybe the plot is OK, but the accumulation of problem, conflicts and gory scenes is very unsatisfactory.
While the the first Ring able to scares your pants off, you won't probably in the second Ring. The gory scenes start to looks like other mediocre horror film that is so vague and cliché. The computer effects... well I can't tell more.. is devastatingly so futuristic that doesn't match to the "ring world".
I tought the ring is the only movie that has both concrete stories and worthy scary scenes, but I prove myself wrong.
Sorry.!!! 5 out of 10 !
A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Another chrismast surprise
Indeed, I'm no fan for fantasy film but this film indeed come as a surprise for me.
The selection of the actress and the actor is both proper for acting, and and theme. The children are particularly very serious and with no bias, play the role well. ( I like both Liam Aiken and Emily Browning) The main twist of this film; The plot is clear and easy to follow "but" sometimes it comes as a surprise for the audience. The setting grab the most audience attention instantly. The setting, the actor, the theme all of these has stretched my imagination and make this film as one of my most memorable film.
10 / 10 !
The Incredibles (2004)
Limitted plot but great in overall
All aspects of the movie are totally great, but...
But the thing that was unacceptable for me is the plot or the storyline, it was very ambiguous and unclear, i.e the origin of the incredible man. all of sudden those superheroes started to appear.
Well, I know that this film are meant for children, but hardly makes sense for adult.
The suspense also loosen too fast, if we recall the intense that been built, its not comparable to the ending. It ends to quickly.
Asides those weaknesses of this film, this film really provoke my interest in this film, honestly, this is the first film that made me want to watch another animation movie, even finding nemo doesn't make me to do so.
Don;t miss this incredible movie !!!
RATE- 10/10