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silent_phantasm
Reviews
Suspension (2008)
Good Enough to Entertain but not Perfect
I watched this movie because I am interested in the concept of stopping time but unfortunately, the only other movie I know of exploring this concept is cashback. Wanting to see something with actors who had an American accent however, I picked up this movie to watch. When finished, I found myself saying "Meh, could have been better." Still, I wanted to see what others thought of the movie and jumped onto IMDb and having disagreed with their reviews, I found myself writing this one.
So, if you're on the fence about whether or not watch this film, I would say it has a few plot problems, actors were good and believable but could have been better, and the overall movie was emotional and very slow moving. I would also tell you that you won't want to watch it more than once and you won't want to watch this if you want things explained or want a fairy tale ending (despite it's somewhat sci-fi-esque premise).
Personally, I didn't set any expectations before watching the film and to me, the movie was slow. Though it was done purposely to convey a message and to accentuate the general tone of the movie, I would argue that there were just too many occasions that I thought, "Come on... hurry up." I know it was just trying to communicate the same message in different ways (probably on the notion that different viewers would receive the same message best in a different way) but I got restless at times.
Speaking of communication, the plot is not spoon-fed to you and you will be guessing from time to time with hit-or-miss results. In some places it is a good thing because you think "Oooo... I wonder what they'll do next!" You might get disappointed with the result though... Otherwise, there are a few plot holes that go unexplained. It's fine but at some point, you just need (or want) a little bit more.
Which brings me to my next critique, the acting. The actors were likable and for the first 80% of the movie and you really sympathize with the main protagonists but you just wanted to continue liking them and believing them that little 20% more. Don't get me wrong, they were believable and well-developed. Tragedy, loss... it's not unusual for the characters to have done what they did and coped in the way that they did. What I am trying to say though is that your perceptions of the characters will probably change however, but another possibility is that you will disregard their actions that do not fall in line with your preexisting bias. If you read some of the other reviews this comes out pretty clearly. Regardless of your opinion, there will be scenes where the actors slip or just do something that takes you out of the magic and ambiance of the movie entirely.
Overall, I would say the movie was good. You won't want to watch it more than once, but not watching it might be a mistake. It will not be raunchy or perverse or action-packed like what you may expect but bear in mind it's a movie that explores the "Hey, what if..." concept in reality. So will you like this movie? If you don't like movies without fairy tale endings, probably not. Even if you like movies that allow you to think for yourself though, I believe you will finish this movie still craving something more.
Everybody's Fine (2009)
A Genuinely Heartfelt Film
If you look at my past reviews, you'll notice that I have reviewed a grand total of 3-4 films. I don't usually enjoy complimenting or slandering a movie, regardless of how useless or how enjoyable it was. This movie, however, deserved my accolades and motivated me to do actually log onto this site and comment on it. As a precursor to the review, this movie was the only movie that has ever brought tears to my father's eyes in his entire life. I've only seen the man with tears in his eyes once before-- when his mother passed away.
You can see what the premise of the movie is about from the other details, so I won't harp on that. What I will say is that the actors and the plot intertwined with one another so well that you could tell these people were personally inspired by the story in some way. You could even say that they were genuinely passionate about their acting (and honestly, can we really say that Hollywood is really passionate about anything in a non- lustful way?). I was extremely skeptical of De Niro in this role (and Barrymore as one of the daughters). But seriously, everything from the heartless bum in Vegas to the stubborn tenacity of the old man that was De Niro, this film really gets you going. Realizing that you may have some general biases for the actors before you come into the scene, realize this: I have NEVER seen such stellar acting from Barrymore, De Niro, or Beckinsale ever in my life. For these "A list" celebrities, that says a lot (especially with De Niro after seeing him in Awakenings).
Now, with regard to the plot, there were some things that really surprised me and made me evaluate my own life. As you may have been able to surmise, I am close to my family so I did not expect to be moved by this. However, I felt that the main characters were echoing a piece of who I am in their own way. During and after the film, I even began evaluating my own lifestyle, my own circumstances if you will. I never thought I'd say this, but after watching this movie, I think most of my life decisions were wrong.
At the end of this all, I really could not shower this movie with more praise. I guess the last thing that you will benefit from knowing about my father is that English is not his primary language. And for a movie not produced in his native language to communicate in a way that tugs at his heart without him understanding the dialog... That just says the world about this film; truly, it does.
Rambo (2008)
An Entertaining Way to Pass Time
Let's make this simple: Plot: The plot definitely makes sense. It's not so intricate that it requires thought, but it's also not so dry that it was entirely a Hollywood cliché.
Acting: All of the characters in the movie were well acted out, they made you feel as if you were there all along watching things as they unfolded. There was only one character that ruined the movie for me, but he wasn't significant enough to merit my criticism of the film.
Direction: This is where I took off a star from the movie. Stallone could have helped direct the actors and the plot to one more level. Because there were so many directions all happening simultaneously, it would have been too difficult to develop everybody to the level that the movie would have required just with the complexity of everything. Furthermore, the main audience that this movie was intended for would not want that much thought out of a Rambo film... or so that would be my assumption.
Bottomline: I know I have negated my own reasoning for why this film is not fantastic, but I was not impressed. Amused, that's a different story. I would recommend this film for those who want a movie to pass time. After all, it's a Rambo film, that means lots of bangs for your buck in the theaters.
I Am Legend (2007)
An "I Am Legend..." Not THE "I Am Legend"
I finished watching this movie at about midnight and was neither pleasantly surprised or disappointed. My overall verdict on the movie: 8/10.
From the get-go, the viewer has to get past the stigma of the "I Am Legend" novel written by Robert Matheson back in the 1950s. While the movie borrows on the apocalyptic idea, the movie was not created to be a recreation of the original novel. Once that is understood and accepted, then the movie can be enjoyed.
The premise of the movie was unveiled in a very choppy fashion; as if the movie was pushed to the market before all of the movie elements were completed. While the back-story is touched upon briefly, I would have liked to see how things developed to where they developed and why it is Smith's character came to be alone. Naturally, I expected the plot to disclose why Smith's character kept exclaiming, "Nothing went as planned." It didn't. Honestly, it didn't quite matter. Everything else was relatively believable.
I have heard the ending was terrible; to me it's interpretation. I feel the ending was made that way to encompass a key theme of the movie, light in the dark.
The acting, the cinematography, the lighting and the portrayal of all characters made the movie entertaining and enjoyable. I rated the movie with 8 stars and not 10 for multiple reasons, but two primary reasons follow: For the non-human characters, there was too much personification. Albeit entertaining, but seemingly unnecessary. I guess that was the only way to wrap up the movie.
About the dog's death, it seemed that idea was forcibly written as if the writers said, "Oh, we have to have the dog die, we just have to. Let's see if anybody can come up with a good enough reason that the public can bite into. You, intern? Give me an idea." You can tell I was unhappy with that bit.
Overall, I hope you enjoy it for its interpreted (perhaps intended) purpose. Thanks for reading!
Batoru rowaiaru II: Chinkonka (2003)
Entertaining, but not a tantalizing treat.
I stumbled into the first film mostly by accident and was immediately awed by the breadth of the topics explored. I began looking for information on the move and stumbled upon the sequel. I admit, I did not know what to expect walking into the film this time. Thusly, I remark only on my reactions to: the plot/themes, acting, and overall likes/dislikes.
For me, the plot and the themes detracted from the movie's overall dynamism. The plot -- while I can see the logical progression in the time line from the first film -- could have been created to toy with emotions. If the plot focused more on the students and the relationships between the students, I would have given this film higher marks. I would have liked to see more of a plot about why/how the BR was supposed to create a stronger Japan.
The first thirty-sixty minutes of the film, the acting was acceptable at best. The characters did not move me, nor did they speak to me. The emotions they elicited were understandable, but not logical. I wondered how intelligent the characters actually were, they seemed to be more active than reactive, especially against those with automatic rifles. (2/3 stars) When the movie progressed, there was more character development. The actors were more believable, yet they were still stubborn. In one scene, I was extremely disappointed. The way it panned out was like this: "I'm not going to drop my gun, I'm not going to surrender. I don't care how many guns are pointed at me, I'm not going to throw my gun down. I also obviously don't care about why they're considering shooting me either. And oh, hey... I guess I have a gun pointing at them too. I think I should use it like a maniac. YAAAAAA!" (0/1 star) Honestly, it seemed that the filmmakers were getting rid of these actors for a reason. The surviving actors though do put up a better performance as they battle not each other, but battle their own demons and try to find comfort in such chaos. Still, it would be better to see students acting with more fervor (with more or less rationale). (2/3) Overall, the aforementioned plot/acting were the only dislikes. I liked how the movie was put together and I liked how the climactic end was drawn out. It seemed surreal to me, to the point that it did not really occur. I liked the choreography and I liked that they did not make the deaths slow like other movies where the protagonist is killed and all time slows to a crawl. (3/3) In order to enjoy this movie, I would suggest that you watch this movie without trying to compare it to the prequel so much. A lot can change in three years, the film exemplifies that well. There is more that can be said about how the film works to stand on its own merit without the aid of first film, and that in and of itself makes this film entertaining, but not a tantalizing treat.
- JPG