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tcondren
Reviews
No Reservations (2007)
A good movie for a sick day.
So upon having to watch this film while both my teacher was out sick and I was in class sick, I really didn't expect much all things being considered. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie's ability to bring up emotions.
Won't bother explaining the basics of the film since you can get that straight from the description. What I will say is that although it doesn't have the deepest story or background, it is charming. It will make you feel legitimately happy or sad for the characters and smile at some of it's quirkier moments.
Being a romance film, it obviously has the downside of being fairly unrealistic, at least in my opinion. Everything centers around romance in some way and it seems a bit more like a dream that belongs to the girl in high school that works 24/7 to over achieve and yet never gets little affection, so that did leave a bad taste in my mouth when looking back on it.
It's something to watch when you have a cold since emotions are the only things you can feel when sick. It's also something you only need to watch once to fully enjoy.
If you have the time then go ahead and watch it, but if you're looking for something that will keep you thinking or sitting on the edge of your seat, you're in the wrong place.
God's Not Dead (2014)
Your typical religious propaganda
As an atheist, of course I had to see this film. What's not to love about seeing how misguided radical religious fanatics' view on atheists are? This film is honestly a must-not-see, in my own opinion, unless you enjoy seeing every religious minority on Earth being misrepresented and disrespected. Because that's all you're going to get out of this, "Christians good, others bad." Not even the good aspects of the film really make up for it in my own opinion, it has decent cinematography and some of the actors are decent, but this is no excuse for the message that this film is trying to push. Although you can laugh at it's silliness at times, don't expect any better representation of minorities here than what you can find in "The Birth of a Nation".
War of the Worlds (2005)
An interesting and innovative take on the 1953 classic
A very interesting retelling indeed. I've always enjoyed the idea of alien invasion type stories, mostly due to me being a fan of panic and mass chaos. There's just something about it that thrills me, watching humans' intellect fail them in situations where they fail to work together as their nature intended. This means this film is right up my alley.
Instead of a typical scenario where you get the viewpoint of some powerful military leader such as the president of the US trying to combat an impossible force, you get the view of a less-than-functional family trying to survive a surely apocalyptic event. You truly get a taste of the panic and confusion, and it's actually terrifying. Seeing this as a kid, I was actually scared that this could happen because of how well it portrayed the biggest threat to humanity, itself.
The effects are well done, it has great acting, and a pretty good story.
The main issue I have with the film would be how rushed the story seems after re-watching. You notice how little time is spent in between areas and how it seems like, at many times, they simply go from point to point with little explanation of the survival aspects that you would expect.
I'm not sure if I could really recommend this for horror fans, but it sure feels like it. It's rare that a movie can truly have this kind of effect on you if you haven't experienced it before.
V for Vendetta (2005)
Must see for lovers of depth of story and action.
Thought my first review best be my favorite movie.
Honestly I'm not sure how you can go much better than this film. I found it on BBC one night when I was younger and everyone else in my home was asleep. I just wanted something to fill my night until I fell asleep, and ended up getting an absolutely amazing, exciting and thought provoking experience.
It truly makes you look at the practices of authority figures, and of yourself, and question whether or not it's truly right in the end.
The only two things I can find with this movie to nitpick at are a) It tends to draw out many scenes for longer than needed. Although this is part of story, it's something I can't ignore considering every time I watch it I end up having many long sighs over these scenes. b) Some of the action scenes (the ending, in particular) ended look a bit cheap. Just a bit, but it does look like that's the only thing they slacked a bit on.
It's a must see by anyone in my own opinion, it seems like one of the few films that can truly capture any audience. Every person I've shown it to has enjoyed it, and had little bad to say about it.