maxmik Reviews

The Women (I) (2008)

This movie is NOT a comedy!

[1/10 · 17 September 2008]

The original 1939 movie is a classic for all the right reasons - great acting, dialogue, etc. Mary Boland as the Countess is so funny & one of my favorite scenes is a cat fight at the dude ranch. The cat fight & the Countess are both missing in this movie. Or is Bette Midler smoking a joint supposed to be the Countess? The bathtub scene with Joan Crawford is kept - but Eva Mendez isn't quite the same. Cukor was a great director - Diane English is not. This is a Meg Ryan movie & I am afraid (like Jennifer Aniston) she is upstaged by her hair. Annette Benning is along for the ride & she doesn't look good in closeup. The original is so funny & this movie is so NOT funny. What happened. Everyone seems to be trying too hard especially Debra Messing.

Pineapple Express (2008)

James Franco is great - movie not so great

[4/10 · 15 August 2008]

James Franco actually puts in a full comedic performance in a movie short on acting. I'm not sure what Seth Rogen does but it's not acting - more like interior monologues. The third dope fiend called Red can't & doesn't act at all. I wanted to like this movie - I liked Superbad & Knocked Up but this was too cartoonish - the action sequences were too unrealistic. Red gets shot several times & he is still alive at the end of the movie. I loved seeing Rosie Perez & Gary Cole as the bad guys but they didn't have much to do. As I said the only socially redeeming quality of this movie is James Franco's acting. This might be one of those movies where the DVD with all it's extra features might be better than the movie itself.

Wanted (2008)

James McAvoy continues his winning streak

[10/10 · 3 July 2008]

Like other dweeby action stars before him (Toby McQuire, Ed Norton & now surprisingly Robert Downey Jr.) James McAvoy continues his ascendancy in the Hollywood firmament by becoming an action hero of all things. Supported by A list actors like Morgan Freeman & Angelina Jolie - he is in good company. But make no doubt about it - this is his movie & he carries it off even though the movies seems like one long car, train, bus chase. OK there is a plot of sorts about a Fraternity & some father/son issues but basically this is a cartoon comic book that is there to fill up our summer hours. I would have liked a little more sex & a little less violence but all in all it was a pleasant enough movie going experience. But please skip the sequel - spare us.

Sex and the City (2008)

Golden Globes for everyone!!!!!

[10/10 · 31 May 2008]

It may not win any Oscars but this movie should get nominated in the Golden Globes best comedy category. Sarah Jessica Parker should also get a Golden Globe nomination. I saw this flic at a matinée - 95% women & i do mean older women - and their grannies too. i was one of the few men in the audience & there was a strong smell of estrogen in the air. there was a technical glitch which i've read on line has been a common occurrence in other theatres - half way through there are scenes where the overhead mics and lighting are visible & this goes on for about 10 minutes making the audience very uncomfortable. there are many funny bits & each actress gets to shine but overall this is a much darker movie than what you would expect : issues of aging (of course) fidelity, forgiveness etc. the storyline is mostly about Carrie & Mr. Big. Jennifer Hudson is stuck with the Hattie McDaniel part - she is basically Carrie's mammy & maid. Overall i would say the movie delivers & tho it is too long it is not too gay - the two gay characters are barely there - Sarah Jessica Parker is a good actress & makes the most of it. Maybe not Oscar material but definitely Golden Globes for everyone involved.

American Gangster (2007)

Was that Clarence Williams III?

[10/10 · 25 November 2007]

He is not credited anywhere but he is in the pivotal first scenes of the movie & is he referenced several times as the King of Harlem who mentored Denzel's character. The actor is no where mentioned in the credits. Is his character based on a real person like Denzel's? Denzel by the way is great & certainly deserving of a third Oscar for his mantle. Russell Crowe is also good but as in his last two movies "Yuma" & "Good Year" he seems to have given up acting almost entirely and appears to be playing some facet of himself. Everyone knows he's a great actor but he doesn't seem to be picking roles that really challenge him. Take Armand Assante for example - in this movie he takes a role (Mafia kingpin) and gives it a new twist. Knowing he can never compete with Brando's take he still manages to put a new spin on a tired old part. Cuba Gooding is wasted in his part but in the few scenes he does have he lets off a few sparks. And what about Ruby Dee? Should she be nominated just because of the body of her work? American Gangster is sure to get plenty of Academy nomination. The costumes for sure & Jay Z's soundtrack is outstanding. The photography especially for all the Harlem scenes are first rate.

The Best of Youth (2003)

A Modern Classic of Italian Cinema

[10/10 · 6 July 2007]

Tho made for television I like most people saw this great movie in the theater - in two parts. I have since seen it non-stop on my cable network & it only gets better with age. The acting is A+ and the dialog seems minimalist but very effective but best of all is the photography which shows the most beautiful parts of Italy: Rome, Florence, Sicily & ending up in Tuscany. The period of forty years flies by & you become part of the family - each generation. Kudos to everyone involved - this is a rare achievement. The period from the 1960's to the year 2000 follows a natural historical line which is effortless to follow on screen & makes for an epic classic film

300 (2006)

Gerard Butler redeems himself

[10/10 · 12 March 2007]

Perhaps best known up until now for his underwhelming portrayal of the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera in which he did his own singing, Gerard Butler finally gets a chance to show what he can do. And he is definitely not underwhelming. Quite the opposite. Much like Russell Crowe in Gladiator - Mr. Butler carries the day & quite convincingly brings an old time sword and sandal flick to life. While he is assisted by an awesome supporting cast including Lena Headley as Queen Gorgo and Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes - it is upon Mr. Butler's broad shoulders that the success of the 300 rests. Well done! It's too bad there isn't room for a sequel. Now that this film is in the same category as Star Wars & Lord of the Rings - the temptation to make some more money is definitely there.

Hannibal Rising (2007)

Gong Li rules

[10/10 · 12 February 2007]

She continues her triumphal conquering of Western Cinema as well as continuing her reign in her native China with CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER. First in Geisha, then in Miami Vice & now Hannibal Rising she gives each movie a stamp of greatness. Her English continues to improve & even tho she is now in her 40's she is still ravishing - much better looking in fact than all those Hollywood 20 year olds. She has a kind of old time glamour like Garbo & Dietrich etc. The rest of the cast esp Gaspard Ulliel are fantastic. Mr. Ulliel should have a great career ahead of him. Rhys Ifans & Kevin McKidd are terrific as two of the many villains. Dominic West is kind of left in the dust but he does his best to keep up with all the plot twists. All in all I think I like this Hannibal movie better than the last two sequels.

Factory Girl (2006)

Everyone knows someone like Edie

[7/10 · 2 January 2007]

beautiful & drunk & stoned. So what? Is that all there is? You never learn what the big attraction is. Is she an artist? Does she have any talent? Can she act? After seeing this movie I'm not sure. Another comment posted calls this an After School Special with a little of that let's put on a show: Guy you pretend to be Andy Warhol & Hayden you pretend to be Bob Dylan and we'll get Illeana Douglas to pretend to be Diana Vreeland. I know Sienna Miller was not the first choice to be Edie but she does a good job anyway. But after two hours of exposition it still looked like a lot of pretending.FYI Jimmy Fallon does an OK job in a non-comic role & Mia Suari is excellent as usual.

Rumor Has It... (2005)

Jennifer puts on a new hairpiece

[1/10 · 2 January 2007]

in the big ball scene called Casablanca Jennifer tries on a new hair style & a great gown & she definitely looks hot. Unfortunately that's only for a few scenes - for the rest of the movie she seems to be poor poor put upon Rachel from FRIENDS. Kathy Bates had the right idea - she played uncredited & her small scenes as Aunt Mitzi are refreshing - ditto for Shirley McLaine. Has Rob Reiner lost his touch? This movie is so far from When Harry Met Sally. There comes a time in a bad movie when you stop enjoying the fact that the movie is bad & you start to actually hate the characters. The main characters played by the aforementioned Jennifer, Kevin Costner & Mark Ruffalo are totally unsympathetic. Zero chemistry. I like bad movies sometimes but this is not one of them

The Path to 9/11 (2006)

Why did it take so long?

[10/10 · 11 September 2006]

When the WTC was attacked in 1993 - Iwas shocked that this could happen. Why did it take so long - 8 long years - before we took this threat seriously? Treating it as a crime instead of as an act of war? This movie (& it is only a movie) goes a long way to explaining some of the events of that period. It is clear that there were many good people on the ground doing their job - like the Filipino cop, the border crossing guard, the Harvey Keitel character - but that there were many higher ups who did not connect the dots and left the country vulnerable. There is much to be learned here. As Tony Blair said recently - many of the world's leaders are aware of the danger of Islamic fascisim but that for some reason the general public seems blissfully unaware of the danger. The WTC was not one wake up call - it was two wake up calls.

Crank (2006)

Jason gives an Oscar-worthy performance

[10/10 · 5 September 2006]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD: Jason Statham has always been an interesting actor but in Crank he is given a part he can really sink his teeth into. He rises to the occasion. From first to last scene he gives his all. Although Crank is nothing more than a video game Jason endows it with his humanity. The villains are not very interesting but his leading lady Amy Smart is the perfect balance to Jason's manic edge. In two scenes in particular she gives ditsy blond new meaning. The first scene is in a restaurant where she gets the hiccups - one of the best restaurant scenes since Meg Ryan had an orgasm in When Harry Meant Sally. The second scene is in the middle of L.A.'s Chinatown where she consents to having public sex. Dwight Yokum as a Dr. Feelgood is also effective. But it is Jason who is front & center & who delivers the goods. Bravo.

Miami Vice (2006)

Gong Li rules

[10/10 · 2 August 2006]

I have followed her career from the 90's when she made a series of masterpieces with her co-hort Yimou Zhang beginning with Red Sorghum (1987), Ju Dou (1990) & Raise the Red Lantern (1991) up until recently with the great movies 2046 (2004) & Zhou Yu's Train. I am so glad she is finally finding her way into major Western films with last year's Memoirs of a Geisha, this year's Miami Vice & next years Young Hannibal (the latest in the Hannibal Lector franchise). In Miami Vice she is given a major role that she inhabits totally. There has been some criticism of her accent but her English is just fine with me - she also speaks a little Spanish in this flick since her character is half-Cuban. Gong Li has an incredible body - body of work that is & I am so happy her career is finally taking off in the West. Although now in her early 40's you would never know it from this movie where she is totally hot showing much younger actresses how to do it.

Munich (2005)

Remember the name Marie-Josee Croze

[10/10 · 28 February 2006]

*** This comment may contain spoilers!!!! *** Ms. Croze plays the Dutch assassin and is a standout with only a few scenes. As far as I remember she is the only female operative in the movie but in reality all sides of the various conflicts use women. Mossad uses many women operatives in the field because they are less conspicuous than men and many groups like the Symbianese Liberation Army (which was mostly female) and Red Army, PLO, IRA, CIA, Black September are packed with women. This Mossad unit however consists of five men and they seem less than professional at times - almost every one of their attempts to kill a target seems to go wrong. Eventually 2 of them commit suicide one is murdered and the head of the unit Eric Bana goes into meltdown. Although this is definitely his best performance to date - he does seem to overact at times which is why he wasn't nominated. Daniel Craig is also good and seems to keep his head about him while the others fail. Overall this is a great Spielberg movie who fully redeems himself after such duds as War of the Worlds (a remake of a remake of a remake) and especially Artificial Intelligence which was just plain awful. The script here falls flat from time to time thanks to Tony Kushner who is a very preachy playwright (witness Angels in America) - some scenes are excellent like the ones with Golda Meir and the French informant Papa but those scenes were probably written by Eric Roth. This movie does not attempt to be a history lesson since it says it is "inspired" by actual events. Lots of dramatic license is taken like the scene where the Mossad and the PLO share the same safehouse. Would that ever actually happen? Despite some flaws like that this is a great movie worthy to stand the test of time.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Oscars for everyone!

[10/10 · 4 January 2006]

Oscars for acting, direction, screenplay, photography are all deserved. Also the set designs are crucial showing the lower class Ennis and the upper class Jack in their milieu. The music is good and if there is one criticism I have is that the actors do not age very well over the years. I don't know if this is the fault of the makeup or what but Ennis & Jack look pretty much the same throughout the movie. Knowing the cowboys in real life - they do not age very well and often become quite unattractive. But Heath & Jake look hot the whole time. I also thought Anne Hathaway was a hoot - she definitely changed over the length of the movie becoming blonder and blonder. This is a jewel of a movie - a miracle really - a classic love story - one that should last throughout time.

King Kong (2005)

Interspecies Love Story Doomed

[10/10 · 14 December 2005]

Woman loves ape - but alas it's not to be. Naomi Watts looking a little like Tippi Hedron in THE BIRDS carries this very long three hour flick. She is beautifully framed and photographed by Mr. Jackson and even tho she is five years older than her leading man (Adrien Brody - not the Ape) she looks absolutely ravishing. Which is what Kong wants to do to her but alsa it's not to be. Jack Black is suitably subdued and it was nice to see that kid who played Billy Eliot do a little jig with Naomi. Another odd coincidence is the casting of Thomas Kretschmann as the good captain - he also played the good Nazi in THE PIANIST opposite Adrien Brody. The movie takes it's time (over one hour) to get to Skull Island but then it's one thrill ride after another. Some of the special effects could have benefited from 3-D like the dinasaur stampede - but who's complaining. All together a terrific piece of film-making by Peter Jackson

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Keira Knightley finally arrives

[10/10 · 16 November 2005]

Keira Knightley finally takes over as THE leading lady of her generation: look out Reese, Renee, Gweneth, etc. Keira is going to leave you in her dust. Reminiscent of a young Audrey Hepburn with the acting chops of Katherine Hepburn - Ms. Knightley more than carries this 2 hour movie - she takes the reins in her teeth and rides with it. Supported by an excellent supporting cast including Judi Dench, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Tom Hollander - all are worthy of Oscar nominations. It's been a long time since Albert Finney did the same feat in Tom Jones - where a period piece actually comes alive before your eyes. And the direction, photography and sets are all first rate. Much has been made of the leading man Mathew MacFadyan a relative unknown and he has been unfairly compared to Lawrence Olivier and Colin Firth. But I think with further viewings purists will come to accept his Darcy as very good. Expect this move to be in everyone's Top Ten lists of 2005

War of the Worlds (2005)

Stop Dakota Fanning from destroying any more movies!!!!

[6/10 · 7 July 2005]

Major Spoilers ahead. OK Dakota doesn't give the worst performance in the movie - that "honor" goes to Tim Robbins. Tom Cruise doesn't kill him soon enough. But Dakota is in almost every scene and a little of her goes a long way. She expresses fear very well and screams very effectively but after an hour or so I wanted her to go away - far far away. Dakota has already made 18 movies and has three more in the can & who knows how many in her date-book - she is in serious danger of being over exposed. The movie was too much of a disaster movie - Earthquake? the aliens were only on screen a few minutes (as opposed to Dakota) and the setting was almost entirely East Coast so you never got any sense that this was a global conflict. It could have been called War of New Jersey. Everyone seems to agree the main storyline about the family pretty much blows. Which leaves the special effects which are good but not nearly enough to make this a good/great movie. One thing that struck me was the absence of pets - there are no cats or dogs in this movie. Knowing how many Americans have pets and what they would do if an alien dare attack their furry friend I found notably lacking.

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Orlando pulls it off

[10/10 · 14 May 2005]

Although he comes from the Keannu Reeves school of acting Orlando Bloom manages to carry this film with no problem. He looks good and even though in his one big scene he sounds British (he plays a French blacksmith) that's OK. Eva Green is hot too - is this only her second movie - after Bertolucci's THE DREAMERS. Wow she's going to have a great career. The rest of the cast is uniformly great with Edward Norton as the leper king a standout. Also that Syrian actor as the Numero Uno Muslim. OK the Crusaders are the bad guys and the Muslims are the good guys. There's plenty of history to go around with who's invading who right up to the present day. There is surprising little exploration of religion in this flick. But what it does have in spades is HORSES! Big beautiful gorgeous Arabian horses. Anyone who loves horses has to see this movie.

Alexander (2004)

less Jolie please, more Jared!

[10/10 · 1 December 2004]

This movie needs a lot less Jolie and a lot more Jared. Stone leaves out a lot of Alexander's most interesting bits: his trips to Delphi and Ammon, his trips to Egypt, the death of Darius, the Gordian knot, his 13 day orgy with the Amazons (those one breasted hellcats who wanted to get pregnant by Alexander), the burning of Persepolis - instead he wastes time with Alexander's parents - both Jolie & Kilmer are way over the top. Jared Leto was wasted as Alexander's significant other Hyphestian- he gets less screen time than Alexander's horse Bocephalus - the other great love of his life. The battle scenes are grade A - although I think Darius also had elephants in his arsenal - not just the Indians. Colin is adequate but he's no Russell Crow. I'm curious if Leonardo DiCaprio will do a better job.

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Team America: World Police (2004)

Kim Jong - best villain of the year

[10/10 · 22 October 2004]

SPOILERS ahead. This movie may not get the Oscar nod (even tho it should) but it should sweep the MTV Video Awards - for Best Villain, Best Love Scene, Best Fight Scene - etc. etc. I loved this movie from beginning to end even the puck scene. I can't wait for the DVD with all the scenes deleted from this masterpiece of world cinema. The F.A.G. scenes were priceless, the songs were exquisite - I don't know them all so I will have to buy the CD - but "I'm Ronely" was a standout. Seeing Michael Moore get blown up was worth the price of admission & hearing him referred to as a "commie weasel" had me in stitches. I plan on seeing this movie again and again and will insist all my friends go see it too.

Elephant (2003)

Too precious for words

[1/10 · 29 May 2004]

When making a movie you run a risk if you use amateurs. The actors here all give very bad amateur performances. Add the insipid classical music and the cutesie tracking shots with bits of slow motion and you have the recipe for a truely dreadful movie. You ask yourself if this is the same director which made DRUGSTORE COWBOY and MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO. I didn't like BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE very much but I have to admit it is a much better film than ELEPHANT. Another example of the Cannes film festival honoring a half baked American movie. As with Faherenheit 9/11 the French go out of their way to honor films that are at their core anti-American. In the meantime film goers are still waiting for a film to explain the events of Columbine in an understandable way.

Troy (2004)

Who cut this cheese?

[9/10 · 15 May 2004]

You spent how much money on this? Some of these sets look like cheesy Italian gladiator movie sets. The actors (except for the women) fare OK especially Eric Bana as Hector who finally comes into his own as a leading man. But the battle scenes become repetitive and the love story is boring and speaking of love story when did Achilles' lover (his male lover that is) become his "cousin"? I wanted to like this movie and I was entertained by it - but in the end I was disappointed. The audience I saw it with laughed at some of the cheesy (that word again) dialogue but they also clapped at the end - so you can say the movie is an audience pleaser. But the director is NO Ridley Scott.

Girls Will Be Girls (2003)

not bad

[5/10 · 20 March 2004]

but not good. This is no Priscilla movie or even that one with Patrick Swayzie and Weslie Snipes - this movie was made in the director's house for crissakes. I kept wondering if Varla's breasts were real - they looked real enough. Coco Peru has a great look and much has been made of the set decoration - but if the sets and props distract from the movie - what does that tell you? This is sketch comedy the kind Carol Burnett did so well and the kind that SNL used to do well. As dinner theatre it might work but as a full length feature - forget about it.

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Best Jesus movie of all time!

[10/10 · 6 March 2004]

Superior to every other Jesus movie including those by Pasolini and Scorsese. Excellent casting and cinematography. Mel Gibson uses artistic freedom in many scenes - some reminiscent of Fellini and even Hitchcock (the scene where the crow pecks out the eyes). I thought the use of old languages was very effective. If I have one criticism - it is the music - which seemed very over the top - even more over the top than the torture of Jesus. A modern classic by a modern master. I hope Mel Gibson continues to direct as well as act. The use of flash backs offered much needed relief to the unrelenting Stations of the Cross and I loved the ending to the film - which was very minimalist in contrast to the Grand Opera of the Crucifixion. Finally, it was a real pleasure to see a movie without a half hour of commercials and crappy previews preceding it.