Change Your Image
Alenbalz
Reviews
Brothers of the Wind (2015)
Flying high
Fantastic movie about a boy and a bird (the feathered kind: an eagle), which contrasts the relationship of boy and dad. Just amazing what one can do with 3 actors, and a couple of birds, interspersed with some breathtaking scenery of the Austrian alps, in winter, spring and summer, and excellent photography (that would rival anything David Attenborogh did). Both boy and bird are struggling to cope with their surroundings and survive. The boy saves (and rears) the bird when it falls (or more likely is kicked) out of it's nest, then has to cope with the reality of having to let it go free. The heart warming boy/animal relationship, is contrasted by the boy father tension, and we are carried through the storyline with an absorbing narration by Jean Reno. A refreshing change from the typical Hollywood movies of sex, violence, car chases and explosions.
Insidious (2010)
In side the next dimesion
A Rather clichéd and predictable below B grade horror movie. But I wouldn't really call it a horror movie. Some kid gets lost in a spirit dimension after astral traveling (out of body experience) Which we discover about 2/3 of the way into the movie,
Of course, how or why would an innocent kid ends up in a demon infested 'other dimension' is not really clear. But then it's a horror movie right! So there's no way he'd end up in some happy fantasy land, full of lollies, ice cream and cakes. So the tired old theme of demons possessing the young and innocent Though in this movie, the kid isn't really possessed, just that his soul has wondered too far from his physical body and the panic that if he doesn't return soon, his physical body will be taken over by a demon, So where are all the angels, and why don't they ever take over a kids' body Such is the cliché of horror movies.
A demon-mortal combat, where a mere mortal often outwits and beats the devil, Unless of course the producers plan on a sequel Then the demon wins, or survives to fight another day (i.e. act in another movie). And yes there's two sequels of this mediocre movie. Having said all that, there's worse out there, but I wouldn't rate this much above 4, 0nce again I got sucked in by the IMDb rating above 6. Perhaps I should watch some movies that have a rating under 4, Might find a gem.
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Bare bones
Can,t see what all the fuss is about this movie. Yeah a western that really isn't a western, And is applauded by other reviewers because it has a bit of horror in it. Cave dwelling cannibal Indians, is a pretty stupid idea, as far as I'm concerned. Better if this theme was set in Middle Ages Europe rather than the Wild West. So these cannibal Indians sneak into a town, kill an unsuspecting negro stable hand And abduct a prisoner, deputy and female doctor treating the prisoner, And a bit like true grit, the sheriff, other deputy, husband and an Indian hater go out after them, not knowing how many they will find,, What makes it really absurd, is the husband has a broken leg, that gets worse every day, because he doesn't rest it as he should. So 2/3 of the movie is about the journey and the last 1/3 is the confrontation, with the usual predictable ending. There are some graphic scenes of a man being scalped and cut in two by the cannibals, but the abducted wife's role and character is pathetically written and acted, especially as she's already witnessed this happening to the prisoner. And true to Hollywood style a gratuitous sex scene early on in the movie. Overall a ridiculous setting for an interesting idea.
Cike Nie Yin Niang (2015)
Killing time
Fantastic scenery, makes you want to visit China, and that,s about all there is to it. Can't really say there was any acting in this overly drawn out lullaby, 2 hrs to tell a 15 min storyline, is really meant for those practicing advanced meditation. If you're looking for action then don't bother with this one, you'll fall asleep before your 2nd yawn. The heroes are women, and they don't quite draw you in. A female assassin, is sent on a mission to kill her cousin, because she failed to complete her earlier mission. And of course she doesn't perform any better on her second chance. I have to write another four our five lines To get this past the editors. Not sure if I can really say much more Other than it was a very big disappointment, Don't know how it got a rating of 6.6, boy was I fooled! I gave it a 2 because really there was some very nice scenery, But that's not why I or anyone else would get attracted to this movie in the first place.
Under the Skin (2013)
Under rated
Wohh!!! what a ridiculous waste of 140 mins of film time. Here we have a rather attractive woman(Scarlett Johansson) origins unknown, driving around the Scottish country picking up lonely/loose men and drawing them into her underworld/web/lair call it what you want, because it's nothing you've ever seen in the real world (and the rest of the movie makes you none the wiser either). She walks backwards, slowly taking off her clothes, they walk towards her, with an obvious erection pointing the way, undressing a bit faster than her, and when they get naked, the ground beneath them turns to some black water-like liquid Into which they slowly disappear, she of course is able to walk on this liquid/water, and you're left guessing, what does all this mean, is it real or just the directors way of symbolizing men being overwhelmed and/or drowning in their own sexual desires/fantasies. But this is one of the very very rare movies that actually shows a few erect penises, (not that they add anything to the ethereal movie plot) but if you really want to see her (or her body double) naked, ff to 1hr 17 mins. In all honesty there is no story, or character development, or any rhyme or reason for this arty farty film that would appeal to the norm of movie goers. The pace is excruciatingly slow and the spoken dialogue for the whole movie doesn't even fill one A4 page. You start to suspect there's something not quite human about her when she picks up and seduces a look a like 'elephant man' !! but for some inexplicable reason he re-emerges after being swallowed up by the black liquid his predecessors disappeared in. On the other hand you also start to question just how clever the Scottish men are, after one of them picks her up in a remote highlands bus stop, and she then follows him around like a little puppy, stays in his house (separate rooms) for a couple of days, and almost has sex with him, and without him being swallowed up by the black liquidy floor either. Then she's walking through a rather picturesque forrest, once again really going nowhere, when another not so gentlemany highlander tries to rape her: and that's when we suddenly discover she's some sort of alien, but not a very clever one at that, because our frustrated rapist douses her with petrol and sets her on fire (pretty stupid thing to do in a forest that could start a more serious bush fire). Up until then we don't really know WHO she is, WHAT she's doing or WHY. Overall this is one Weird and Disjoint movie if ever I saw one, and I trashed it.
John Wick (2014)
Not even John Wayne
If you love fast paced action, where the hero recovers from numerous crippling assaults and stabbings, (that would kill any bad guy) faster than you can say Jack be Nimble... this is the movies for you. Story line is very very simple, acting mediocre, but fully action paced to the hilt. Our hero, kills at least 84 bad guys, including the 'Big Boss' and effectively takes out the whole Russian Mafia: All because the Big Boss' son kills his dog and steals his car. Our hero makes Superman, Batman and Spider-Man look like kindergarten babes as he wisks through more than 80 thugs and trained killers and underworld henchmen like a 300km/hr tornado. The movie starts off with our hero collapsing (you think he dies) due to a mortal stomach wound, then it flashes back to fill in the intervening events, and ends with our hero rising like a Phoenix out of the ashes, as good as new (almost) for what could only be a the first step towards a future sequel. After beating and killing over 80 trained and ruthless mobsters, our hero is given a very good hiding by a female assassin, just hours after he was patched up from a previous almost fatal beating and stabbing. and a day or two later, the only way he can disarm and beat a much older (and nowhere near as fit or capable as our hero) Crime Boss is to let the crime boss stab him in the pre-existing stomach wound so he could take the knife off him and stab/kill him; perhaps this is where our hero's batteries were running low.Though not all is far fetched fantasy because this is one of a very few movies where the hero's gun runs out of bullets as any normal gun would, and we do see him reloading a few times. Apart from the miraculous recoveries (more than once) of our hero, the movie does have some somber or comical scenes to break up the voluminous killings, like when our hero goes to a classy hotel (akin to a sanctuary or demilitarized zone, where only assassins, hit men and criminals are allowed entry, to gather, stay and unwind or just take a breather from their hectic routine), with very stringent rules where any transgression carries an immediate death sentence: as ones greedy guest discovers. And for the car enthusiasts, our hero does do some very impressive driving/pursuit scenes. Pity because with a bit of toning down on the outlandish stunts and super recovery from serious injuries, this could have been a much better film.
Rendition (2007)
Today's Witch Hunts
Great movie, that highlights how a government sacrifices civil rights and personal freedom in the name of actually protecting them. There was a time before 9/11 (when the death penalty was quite common for some crimes), the legal system of the Western civilized world was based on the premise {it is better to let ten guilty men go free than to kill/hang one innocent man}. Today, After 9/11, that appears to have changed to {it is better to kill/sacrifice ten innocent men than to let one terrorist go free} : at least that's what this movie is highlighting. The take home message is, that while the constitution of the U.S.A. guarantee's it's citizens certain rights and freedoms (on paper), they can be taken away at any time by that same Govt. if they believe you are a national security threat; and that belief doesn't have to be supported by any real or hard evidence. Perhaps in time History will record this as the 21st Century's evolution of the Spanish Inquisition and Witch Hunts a few centuries ago. A powerful movie that shows how just how delicate an individual's security and safety really is, when the State perceives you as a threat, and no matter how hard you try to convince it otherwise, you'll be tortured until you confess to what the State wants to hear, so that it can justify your purging.
Act of Valor (2012)
perspective
If your like action and are patriotic, you'll love this movie. Supposedly staring real, honest to goodness navy seals, who haven't taken any acting lessons, so don't expect any great acting, it's supposed to be 'real' (in so far as it's still just a movie). The Story line is very simple and straightforward, no surprising twists or turns, only real events that prolong the action, and results in one mission after another. The movie shows that some men, place country and duty above everything else: this is what makes for a real soldier, someone who is prepared to die fighting for a cause, and like any other typical military propaganda movie, it casts the American soldier as the ''Good Guys" (it is an American movie after all) who really "kick ass", kill all the bad guys, who deserve to die, because they are a threat to the American way. The movie succeeds in emphasizing the point that only the American live's and the American patriotism and the American way are sacred and justified, and anything/anyone else that is different or holds different views is a terrorist and threat that deserves to die. So there is no compassion, Christian or humane, when we see one of the 'bad' guys killed by the patriotic American Seals, the flow of the movie is such that we are quick to dismiss them as evil, irrelevant people who deserve to die and who don't have family or friends who value their existence or would miss them and mourn their premature death. The viewer is prevented from even remotely considering that the 'enemy soldiers' might also be fighting to support and defend what they believe in (their patriotism and honor). Let's not forget that this battle/conflict is taking place in their backyard/country and not on American soil, so it might just be a case of justified self defense or an 'eye for an eye' by the enemy.
The Collector (2009)
Collectable nonsense
I'm surprised the screen writers have not been arrested or thrown in the mad house. This is one sick and sadistic movie, with scene after scene of gratuitous gore. Lots of ingenious booby traps but No real story line or character development. We have absolutely no idea why the killer is killing these people. Just how and when the killer installed all these elaborate booby traps is another mystery. And of-course why? Since he already had managed to catch all the adults without really needing them, just some unnecessary drama for the viewers. And there's no real explanation or reason why he left the path from the front door to the upstairs main bedroom and down to the cellar clear. The movie is also written in a time warp because so many things happen in an hour, like the main star (burglar) goes up and down the stairs close to a dozen times, playing hide and seek with the murderer, finally manages to escape the house, but goes back to save the little girl, gets caught, tortured, and manages to escapes again with the little girl, meanwhile a policeman arrives, calls for back-up, just before he gets killed, they arrive faster than superman could, especially as the house that is quite isolated and remote from the city, run the hero over and take him to hospital. The only other time you see so much happen in so little time is in cartoons, which probably would've been a better forum for this ridiculous movie.
Predestination (2014)
Waste of time
Imagine a time machine that allows you to go back in time and prevent a crime, or disaster, rsave a life or two, pick a winner. Great idea, for a movie, but very badly expressed in this one. Firstly full marks for originality, a time machine that is/looks like a violin case (reminded me of Al Capone in the 20's. But to be able to go back in time after you've had a sex change, fall in love with your opposite sex self, then have sex with yourself and get yourself pregnant, that's CRAZY to the nth degree. Makes you wonder which looney bin the screen writers and producers escaped from and what psychedelic drugs they were on when they came up with this film. Clearly they flunked physics and have re-written the laws of gravity etc that govern life on this planet, or they took one too many of those crazy pills that mess with your brain. It gets even crazier as you start to suspect that the three main characters, Bartender, John and Jane are all the same person. Is John is the reconstructed bartender after the explosion burnt his face beyond recognition. Granted it's a science fiction movie, and no-one really knows how to deal with time travel, and meeting yourself, etc let alone having sex with yourself, really weird'!!!!!!!! this movie would have been more plausible as a cartoon.
Predestination (2014)
Waste of time
Imagine a time machine that allows you to go back in time and prevent a crime, or disaster, rsave a life or two, pick a winner. Great idea, for a movie, but very badly expressed in this one. Firstly full marks for originality, a time machine that is/looks like a violin case (reminded me of Al Capone in the 20's. But to be able to go back in time after you've had a sex change, fall in love with your opposite sex self, then have sex with yourself and get yourself pregnant, that's CRAZY to the nth degree. Makes you wonder which looney bin the screen writers and producers escaped from and what psychedelic drugs they were on when they came up with this film. Clearly they flunked physics and have re-written the laws of gravity etc that govern life on this planet, or they took one too many of those crazy pills that mess with your brain. It gets even crazier as you start to suspect that the three main characters, Bartender, John and Jane are all the same person. Is John is the reconstructed bartender after the explosion burnt his face beyond recognition. Granted it's a science fiction movie, and no-one really knows how to deal with time travel, and meeting yourself, etc let alone having sex with yourself, really weird'!!!!!!!! this movie would have been more plausible as a cartoon.
Long Weekend (1978)
Long rubbish
Got sucked in by the IMDb rating for what turned out to be a long bit of disjoint rubbish, and stupid scene after stupid scene with Lousy acting, even for it's time, albeit for an interesting storyline/plot. And typical of many Australian movies of the period, trying to impress the overseas audience, with a couple of gratuitous scenes of all of the famous Australian wildlife, kangaroos, koalas, blue tongue lizard, wedge-tail eagle, cockatoos and the elusive Tasmanian Devil: and for those who don't know their Australian natural history very well, it doesn't really matter what the elusive Tasmanian Devil (which is called that because it is ONLY found in Tasmania), is doing on a mainland Australian beach. The man is an environmental vandal and the woman a typical frustrated/nagging suburban cliché, both are out of their comfort zones in the wild (nature). Man with a gun, as an answer to whatever he doesn't understand, whose answer is to shoot willy nilly in the direction of any nightly sound: and one of the stupid scenes is- down comes a woman's shoe when he shoots in the night sky. Both the man and woman manage to drive round in circles, woman at night, and man during the day. and don't even wonder, What's the point of having a 4wheel drive, if after you get bogged, you (man) simply abandon the car and run around like a chook without a head. This is not a movie of nature reaking revenge on two city slickers, but more a movie of two city slickers way out of their element.
Enemy Mine (1985)
Enemy off your time
Not worth watching, it's really a very poor rehash of a much better film (Hell in The Pacific), two intergalactic enemy's meet and become bosom buddies after being stranded on some remote God forsaken planet, (which just so happens to have oxygen and water). True to form of similar propaganda Hollywod war movies, the earthling prisoner displays the arrogant superiority bravado, threatening his captor from a no-win position. The script is very poorly written, the acting (if you can call it that) very poor and the story line is ever so boringly predictable. The alien make-up (mask) is ridiculous, but it's intelligence and personality are worthy of praise and perhaps a reflection of what Christianity is really all about. It learns English very fast, including a lot of abstract words, and it displays ab superior humanitarian/Christian attitude than the selfish ego-centric aggressive earthling(s). It's a story of a lot of the movies cliché's strung together: white vs black, aggression vs compassion, homo- vs hetero-sexuality, war and peace, co-operation vs defiance, the individual vs authority, man against nature and man/alien, survival, co- operation and honor. All this was done much much better in it's precursor, Hell in The Pacific.
Gone Girl (2014)
Missing logic
Interesting and engaging movie (emphasis is on Movie) exploring human relationships, brother/sister, parents/children, husband/wife, unfaithful husband/lover, wife/jilted lover, police/suspect, lawyer/client, media/audience. There's 3 parts to this movie, ie two unexpected twists, where it evolves from a simple missing person investigation to a clever and calculating revenge drama that transforms into a suspenseful perfect crime thriller. The Acting is excellent, the story line has a few holes that defy reality but moves along at an engaging pace and the ending is yours to write. Enjoy it as a well acted and entertaining movie.
Secrets & Lies (1996)
The truth
A very good movie: I was expecting a spy movie but instead got a movie exploring prejudices, relationships and family bonds. The acting is superb by all involved, in fact you can easily forget you are watching a movie, everything is so real and natural. Too often you see movies about broken families as being the accepted norm, this movie goes that extra step and shows us in a very powerful way, how blood is thicker than water. A colored grieving young lady, manages to track down her biological mother after 26 years and in doing so manages to bring together several dysfunctional families and forces them to face and overcome their repressed prejudices. A powerful movie (not a fairy tale) full of human emotions and compassion, where love finally wins. (you'll need a box of tissues).
Eagle Eye (2008)
Don't hang up
A super computer that can control every electrical device on the planet, needs the help of two reluctant, untrained and unreliable civilians to carry out it's plan. That should tell you just how stupid this movie is going to be. Of course it's a male and female who are Strangers to each other, so you have to wait and wonder will they or won't they get romantically involved. It takes quite a while to find out what it is the supercomputer has planned, but from then on, it's rather predictable, as two ordinary people manage to become and do what highly trained military personnel can't. Of course the computer has the same shortcomings of many people and politicians, who believe that the end justifies the means, despite the fact that this whole drama (plot) started because the computer disagreed with an executive decision of the president. Lots of gratuitous car chases and crashes(for those who like that sort of thing). Lots of intrigue and suspense, before it becomes obvious a computer is calling the shots. Lots of outlandish and highly improbable scenes and stunts. Take it for what it is, far fetched action packed Hollywood fantasy.
How I Live Now (2013)
Don't hold your breath
This movie is a bit like Alice in wonderland, surviving a nuclear war. A spoilt, disrespectful and unappreciative Yankee girl, is sent to visit some relatives who live in the English country side, (lovely scenery, lousy story line) and when she arrives, she is collected by her 14 yr old cousin who has driven some 8hrs to pick her up (let's not worry about police and unlawful driving here): straight away this tells you there's something terribly wrong with the whole lot of them, and this is verified by the fact that the aunt is too busy with: whatever: and doesn't make an effort or an appearance, to welcome her niece who's travelled so far to stay with them. There is no uncle, but there is an older male cousin who could gave gone to pick her up, but was otherwise preoccupied with another bird (the feathered type). As I said, the aunt is no where to be seen, the kids are are on their own, and it doesn't take long for the older cousin to strike up an incestuous relationship with the uptight Yankee girl. Then a nuclear bomb goes off in London and the two romantic lovers are separated by the British military, and the second half of the movie is about her trying trying to find him again: I.e Cinderella looking for Prince Charming, and they live happily ever after. Other than some nice nature scenes, this movie is really awful.
Somewhere (2010)
Somewhere, going nowhere in particular
Can't really say anything positive about this boring film. The opening scene of a black car going round in circles about five or six times pretty much sums up the rest of the film, repetitive boredom: the camera is stationary and the car zooms by, in and out of scene just a few times too many and without any real purpose other than to waste some time. Too many loose ends and excruciatingly long scenes that serve no purpose other than to pad out the film and the boredom. It takes a while to work out that this guy is some famous actor, though with a pretty meaningless life, and a hopeless father. Quite a few red herrings of suspense that are never followed through or explained, like the anonymous SMS's and his apprehension of being followed, build up an expectation that something or someone from his past is going to catch up with him, but alas, it's just more empty padding, in an empty movie. You can have more entertainment watching grass grow, I know I've said that before, but it's very true for this movie.
Lost Highway (1997)
Lost the plot
Not sure if this is thinly veiled pornography spun around a weirdly weak script or just a weirdly weak script padded out by some thinly veiled pornography! Like many, I choose to watch movies that have an IMDb score of 7 and above, I'd give it an 8 for the tits and bums and sex scenes, and 2 for the acting and 0 for the storyline, because there really isn't one. Viewers who know this to be a DavidLynch movie think it's great, but to me, as a movie, it's arty rubbish, and as an artistic statement, pretty dumb. Must admit, I didn't know anything about Lynch's movie style or reputation beforehand, but after this movie, I've learnt not to get too excited over any other Lynch movie. And as the old saying goes, I could have more fun and entertainment watching grass grow. This movie could be a cartoon, as it chops and changes time like a pair of sox, suspense yes, story no! Of course, amnesia is a good way to explain the inexplicable. Though it does have some Hollywood movie clichés, like Dumb (and sluttish) Blond, and even dumber (and 'pussy' struck) boyfriend who gets talked into murdering the blonde's boyfriend, and ending up in prison, but if you're expecting a movie, this is't one.
Herz aus Glas (1976)
Shattered glass
Yes there is some stunning photography, even some great acting, but where's the story? Someone dies, with a formula for making a particular type of glass, and somehow it leads to the gradual demise of the enterprise and the owner of the business, who goes insane. It's actually insane to think that would actually happen, (except in a movie: which this clearly is): an affluent gentry businessman loosing his marbles so quickly over a product only they (his factory foreman) produce, and not having the business acumen or vision to have a back-up or alternative product to deal with an eventuality like this. With that level of stupidity and know-how about the most important product of his business, I'm surprised he didn't get fleeced by his workers, but that's not the story in this movie (remember it's a fiction movie). So apart from the idiotic lord and master (big boss) and a bunch of very talented but intellectually deficient glassblowers we also have a narrator disguised as a prophet who tells us what is about to happen in the very short term (though he doesn't foresee the mob turning against him, like they did with Jesus) and some future period (remembering that this movie is set in the 17-18 hundreds: so yeah, very easy and clever to have this prophet predict things that we know happened after the era of the movie). There's really NO character development, or reason why things happen the way they do, other than perhaps to give the narrator cum prophet some credibility. Despite being a fairly central figure in the movie, we learn absolutely nothing only about the prophet, who he is? where he came from, what his mission is (other than to take us, the viewers, a paragraph or two ahead of the current movie scene) or why the (stupid) village people don't take his prophesies more seriously, after witnessing the accuracy of his predictions. So I disagree with all those who rave about this movie being a great artistic feat, because there's really no take-home message after watching it, nor is it a very engaging or thought provoking movie, just a very simple fiction story without any real drama or direction.
Invincible (2001)
Powerful
While this movie is based on a true character, (Siegmund Breitbart, also known popularly as Zishe) a late 19th - early 20th Century Polish-Jew strongman cum Samson, remember, this is a movie, and a highly fictionalised one at that; given that he was actually dead some 7yrs prior to the time frame of the movie setting. So don't expect an accurate blow by blow account of this mans life, and certainly not his eventual personal crusade to save the Polish Jews from the impending horrors of Hitler's antisemitism purge. Yes he was a Blacksmith, and a very strong one at that, yes he did perform some amazing strongman acts and yes he did die of an infection (very likely Tetanus) and perhaps he did have a higher calling and foresaw the holocaust, but not in 1932, which is the setting of the movie (because he was already dead). One can understand why Jouko Ahola, was cast as the strongman, having actually won that title in reality twice, 2 & 4 yrs before the movie was made, though he isn't by any means a great actor, but let's not forget that neither was Arnold Schwarzenegger much of an actor in his early movies either, but look at him now!!! The movie covers a lot of ground, such as antisemitism, greed, naively and self awakening, but rather superficially, including a rather lame attempt at romance.
3 Days to Kill (2014)
Kill time elsewhere
What a flop, if you like Kevin Costner, then you might overlook the many flaws of this movie. Costner is a CIA assassin dying of a brain tumor, who wants to get out of the game and spend his last few months with his estranged daughter. But he is the only one that can ID the villain and so starts the merry chase to find and eliminate him. The carrot on a stick is an experimental drug that could cure him, which a very badly cast CIA boss (who has more legs than brains) uses to pressure him into taking the assignment; (a bit like rewarding a circus animal after they perform a trick/routine); and as is typical of this type of action movie, he kills a lot of other people (baddies along the way, never missing on his first shot, while all the baddies never hit their target. Why he doesn't use his skills and talents to get his hands on the source of the miracle drug, is a mystery that's not meant to part of the story. He looks like an unmade bed and lives in a crappy Paris apartment, we never see him really spend or gamble his money away, so it's a bit a mystery that someone of his talents (inother such movies top notch assassins get paid hundreds of thousands to eliminate a 'pest') would look and live like a tramp. As a result of his dedication to his work (and country) he sacrifices his family relationship, and typical of many American movies, the young daughter has no respect for her father when he does reappear, and neither the father or mother are really in control as head of the family: instead it's the immature and emotionally hung-up youth that rule the roost and society, and have their parents performing like a circus seal. Interspersed between the killings is a lame attempt to show the inevitable reconciliation between father and daughter and wife, plus a bit of a humanitarian 'Mr. Nice Guy' facet of this irresponsible but top notch cold blooded killer as he allows a large African squatter family to remain in his Paris apartment, while he is out trying to catch the bad guy. Meanwhile at the school prom dance (something I only thought was done in the USA), it came as no surprise that he would run into the arch villain there, and as he pops off half a dozen or more bad guys, his daughter is upstairs in some private psychodelic room, taken there by her beau with motives of popping her cherry; followed by the typical happy ending after law and order and parental strings win the day. The story line, though it has been done before and much better, has potential if you take out the stupid CIA Boss that controls Costner, or make them less comical. Unfortunately this movie has failed to capitalize on Costner's abilities who delivers a very mediocre if not lazy performance. Guess he really didn't want another Oscar nomination this year.
Life of Pi (2012)
A Great thought provoking movie
Fantastic photography, and a really entertaining storyline that has you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The director has added another feather to his cap of great cinematic achievements. Beautiful scenery and vivid colors, makes you marvel at the wonders of nature, some fantastic ocean storm waves, showing just how big and powerful the ocean really is. But let's not forget this is a fictional movie, and like the Superman or The Hulk etc etc, movies, it's very believable and engaging. In a broad sense, it's also a treatise about mans faith and belief in religion and a God, a personal vs an Abstract God, told allegorically; a boy on a life boat with some other survivors, depicted as wild animals, and towards the end of the movie alluded to be humans (and more specifically inhumane humans), all vieing for survival. It's left up to the viewer to choose which story-line they prefer to believe in: and the analogy to which religion/God they prefer to believe in. So if you can come way from a Superman or Batman movie without it challenging your faith and belief in the real world around you, this movie should be approached in the same way, with the added bonus, that you might view your relationship with reality and religion afresh.
The Monuments Men (2014)
Monumental Disappointment
What a waste of talent, great potential of a story that should be told, with great actors, but lousy composition, script and directing. Certainly one of George Clooney's big flops. This needs to be re-made better. While it's based on true events, it really is a bit like the typical American/John Wayne movies, they are the good guys, out to 'save the world' and it's art from the Germans as well as the Russians (But lets not worry about the Thieving British and the Parthenon Marbles still in the British Museum). Great idea, but the storyline as depicted in the movie is rather disjoint and ridiculous: and very likely an embellished Hollywood account of actual events. A team of 8 scholars and museum curators, get some basic military training (and lets not worry about passing the army medical, or if some were close to retirement age) and are sent into enemy territory to track-down, identify and retrieve great works of art. Now if they were all given the rank of Major or above, they may have had better luck and support from their own forces, or better still assigned with a dozen 'real' soldiers to assist and protect them when they do encounter the enemy. As a movie it's all over the place, nothing really holds it together, just repetitive melodrama spread across about half a dozen missions. But it does make you think about the value of a life vs art, especially the difference between that of a German vs American soldier's life.
Irréversible (2002)
Irreversible crap
This movie is really just ridiculous crap. I watched it because of the IMDb rating, I knew nothing about the movie other than it was foreign (and very often they're very good:sadly this one wasn't). The producers and directors have experimented with an approach that has failed miserably. Dizzying/unstable camera-work that makes you nauseous (so I fast- forwarded it to 40 mins) and a story told backwards for no apparent reason other than to appeal to the arty farty and entice people to go and see it. Of course this isn't really the case, because when they show a scene it actually runs forwards, a bit like writing an essay with 10 paragraphs and then ordering them in descending sequence, thus: paragraph 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, however the words and sentences of each paragraph are not reversed otherwise they'd be playing the movie in reverse, though I guess if they did that it wouldn't make any difference for this movie. Unlike the 'Benjamin Button' movie, this approach in Ireversible is a miserable failure.