userscreenname Reviews

Duplex (2003)

Stay away for your own good.

[3/10 · 2 August 2005]

Alright, I know you're thinking, man Ben Stiller, Drew Barrymore, and directed by Danny DeVito! This must be a good movie.

I'm sorry to tell you, but you are completely wrong. This movie has a handful of laughs, literally, a handful, if that. This movie just makes you so angry that you want to kick your TV, no seriously, you will kick your TV. I like Ben Stiller just as much as the next guy, but no matter how funny a guy, there is no hope for this movie.

I've actually watched like 80-90% of the movie, and when I was in the final home stretch, thinking man it's going to finally end, I couldn't take it anymore, left the room, came to my computer, and decided to tell the whole entire world not to watch this horrible movie.

As I said in the subject line, stay away for your own good.

The Pledge (I) (2001)

All the comments I read are equally, love it or hate it. I'll settle the dispute.

[7/10 · 28 August 2004]

The Pledge is a....... good movie.

I see how people can dislike it, it is a kind of long movie, and you have to be patient with it. The ending is kind of frustrating to those seeking all the answers, but anyone with a fairly open mind will like it instantly.

The movie was good, I liked it, my mom and my little sister even liked it.

Sean Penn made sure not to try to win over a crown using the generic appeal, sex, gore, et cetera. He was very classy with this movie, good job on his part.

Acting was good throughout the movie, Jack Nicholson did a good job, I especially liked Benicio Del Toro's part, even though it was not too long.

I don't know, pretty much, it's a good movie, nothing out of the ball park. But it is worth the watch.

Gothika (2003)

Good, but used every trick in the book. Needs originality.

[23 August 2004]

This was yes an eerie movie, pretty creepy.

It isn't too bad of a thriller.

But the biggest thing about this movie, is that they used everything, everything is just recycled. Actually, kind of funny, the generic thunder and lightning totally reminded me of Batman. Then the make up, reminded me of The Ring. And then some of it also reminded me of The Sixth Sense. Nothing really was distinguished. I won't be able to comment on another movie and say, yeah that reminded me of Gothika, it has all been done before.

The setting, the mental hospital, definately looks like a prison, nothing like a mental hospital. Even the prison setting reminded me of other movies, jeez. This movie is a gigantic cliche.

This movie is a decent thriller, but it is also a combination of every single horror movie out there. On a watching basis it is decent, on an originality basis, it is beyond terrible.

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Most powerful movie I have ever seen.

[10/10 · 23 August 2004]

Requiem for a Dream, is easily the most powerful movie I have ever seen. It is also one of my most favorite movies, possibly the top.

A true story, this also happened to a couple friends of mine as well. I watch the movie, and when it ends, I just sit there in awe, the credits role by, and now there is a black screen, still I am in awe. It really hits you that hard that you, well some, that you are left in some sort of shock.

Back to the praising, of course the most powerful factor of this movie's greatness is the soundtrack of it. The music seems to depict the mood, the feeling, the setting, perfectly for each and every scene. Just the music alone can take you from happy to melancholy in a heartbeat.

Now the acting, off the charts on everyone's part, a real good thing about this movie that you might not realize at first, is that the cast is extremely small compared to most movies, there are a few hectic scenes, but besides that it is a very focused and solitary cast. Which I found to be very productive, makes you sort of bond with the characters, helps you connect. As for anyone in specific, it was a new role for Marlon Wayans, really shows his acting ability.

This movie does something that some movies try to do, but can not fully produce, is that it takes you on an immense roller coaster ride. Starts you off feeling good, and then, it plummets you down, and when you think it can't get any worse, it does. And at the end of the movie you are begging for this coaster to take you up, it leaves you for dead. Pretty vivid image and you will not understand it until you have watched the movie.

This movie is not about the drugs, its about the drug addictions, and the horror of them.

It is a work of art.

Training Day (2001)

Didn't like it as much as everyone else did...

[22 August 2004]

Training Day, in my eyes, did not meet the hype that it was given. Don't get me wrong it was a good movie, decent, worth a watch. But it wasn't that good.

I personally did not feel that Denzel's role in the movie was fitting to him. I couldn't see Denzel in the character's shoes. The acting of course was great like most of Denzel's work, which can be easily seen by him receiving an Academy Award for the role.

I have trouble putting this movie into words, it's pretty much an easy, watch able movie, but didn't meet the hype in my eyes. I personally didn't think it was that good.

Welcome to Mooseport (2004)

Aw cmon now.

[15 August 2004]

This movie is not as bad as it is cracked out to be. I actually went into the movie with a negative bias by reading all the comments and hearing all the trashing reviews. This movie was not too bad at all. I found it very watchable.

Okay ask yourself whether you like the show Everybody Loves Raymond. Because that it is how most of the humor is in the movie, minus the laugh track. The show is a big hit sensation, and the two characters Ray Romano play, in personality and such, are very similiar.

The story is pretty outrageous, but in a good way. The movie had the nice friendly small town feel to it. Kind of like Groundhog Day did, minus the having the same day happen over and over again thing, and that entire storyline.

It is a pretty friendly movie, and pretty funny as well. Had my laughing on a few occasions. Worth the watch. Don't be intimidated by the reviews. It is a good movie.

Honey (2003)

Do not waste your time.

[15 August 2004]

Cliche after cliche, oh my goodness, can somebody say "trying to hard"? This movie was flat out bad. The concept of the movie was just recycled from other films.

The dialog was so terrible. I might as well have turned off the volume and just watched the screen, if that much. The writers need to get out of the industry.

The acting was less then mediocre, I was surprised by that, I expected Mekhi Phifer to do a much better job, but then again he wasn't in the movie much. As for Jessica Alba... I was so let down, I don't know, it wasn't really her acting, it was her fit in the role. Her character in the show Dark Angel, worked. Her character in the movie A Sleeping Dictionary, worked. But for her to play a dancer, and a dance choreographer, all coming up in an urban neighborhood. No did not work at all. She is supposed to be a dancer in music videos, but her look pretty much did not fit the role, she is good looking but, her body was too skinny, rear was too flat, and chest was not big enough, for the role she was supposed to play. The script also played a big role with her bad performance. I am probably giving her too many excuses, pretty much, I was really let down by her performance. The only person that surprised me was Lil' Romeo. But nothing worthwhile, just had a lower expectation for his performance.

Don't watch this movie. Stay away.

Oh yeah there was one decent part, the final dance sequence, no spoiler here, everyone knows a movie like this has one. But it was not memorable at all, good but, not good enough to make the movie worth while. At least dance movies like You Got Served have decent dancing to make up for the trashiness of the movie. DO NOT WATCH.

Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

Good brand of comedy.

[13 August 2004]

The comedy in this movie was very well played out. Nice, classy, nothing cheap. Very well done, provided a few laughs.

The on screen chemistry was decent, nothing out of the park. The tale however was very pleasent. The idea the movie was focused around was very interesting, tales of love, and tales of how spouses are manipulated to be eventually taken to court for a divorce. Found the concept really fun.

Fairly mature movie, not apealing to the younger crowd. No random sexuality or anything of that sort.

Not a must see before you die or else your life will be incomplete kind of movie, but still fairly good none the less.

Old School (2003)

Didn't meet the hype, for me atleast.

[12 August 2004]

The only reason I watched this movie in the first place was because practically all of my friends had seen it, and because they spoke about it in such glowing terms. I had to see it, got tired of hearing all these random quotes from the movie to which everyone else would crack up to, and I would sit quietly. But even after watching the movie, they still weren't be very funny, to me atleast.

I on the other hand, did not like it as much. Don't get me wrong, funny movie, original, good idea. But just wasn't my bag of chips. It is a pretty nifty movie though.



Worth a watch, but from there make your own judgement.

Titanic (1997)

This movie is easily a work of genius.

[10/10 · 8 August 2004]

Without a doubt in my mind, Titanic is easily one of the best movies I have ever seen, if not the best. It is moving each and every time I watch it. It takes this true and tragic story of the Titanic, and adds an amazing love story to it. It is beyond a mere romantic movie, it sets a standard. Winning eleven Academy Awards it is most definitely a masterpiece, and shows the brilliance of the art of filmmaking.

James Cameron, the director of the Terminator movies, really shows a soft and compassionate side in this movie. The direction and production of this movie is incredible, it is very craft fully done. The synchronicity and very smooth transition from scene to scene makes every moment of this movie worth while. This movie is over three hours long, but it is the most easily spent three hours. Not at a single moment did I consider this movie to be dragged on or any other such nonsense.

The acting in this movie was off the charts, this is the movie that sent Leo's career sky rocketing, it really shows his talent as an actor. The on screen chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet is superb, extremely believable. I honestly can not see anyone else filling the shoes of these two, anyone in the movie in fact.

What really makes this movie is the story, it is taken from the true story of the Titanic, but there is a fictitious love story the movie is focused around. It adds a Romeo and Juliet scenario, where the rich and poor are separated and can not be together. It is a very romantic and captivating tale. Throughout much of the movie I would be sitting there with a grin on my face in owe of how much chemistry these two have, also the humor, which is not found much in the film, is very classy and elegantly handled.

The most memorable factor of this movie is the soundtrack. At any moment in time if the music from the picture were to come on anyone can easily distinguish that it belongs to this movie. Though not heard until the titles, Celine Dion has sung such a beautiful song. The music from this movie really entrances you, and hold you.

This movie is easily a work of genius.

Taking Lives (2004)

The lack of actual mystery is its only let down.

[7 August 2004]

Taking Lives...

Well it's a decent movie, didn't really have me bored at any point, quite interesting, always had something happening. But the let down was that you knew who the person was all along and they just tried to spend the whole movie convincing you it wasn't this person, which was stupid. Nothing about this movie was top notch or anything that really stood out, like the acting was all pretty mediocre.

But it kept me entertained, so it can't be too bad, it will pass the time pretty easily.

I saw the unrated version, I don't know what's in the unrated version that's not in the other one, but there's this pretty twisted sex scene with Angelina Jolie. Maybe that may be captivating to those of you who are fans of hers. I personally am not a big Jolie fan.

Fight Club (1999)

Haven't seen it? Watch it!

[7 August 2004]

Fight Club is an extremely intriguing movie, one which will captivate you beyond your furthest imagination. It touches base on topics which you encounter every day of your life, proclaiming statements like `My life sucks' and so on. That's why it is such a great movie, you can relate. Also it provides ideas so extreme yet so plausible that you would actually consider doing so, if of course you were more radical.

Also this movie leads to such an incredible climax you will end the movie with your jaw dropped. It is something so unpredictable that you won't be able to predict it no matter how hard you try unless you have seen the movie before.

Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, both great actors of course, provided nothing short of a great performance in this movie. Also the fighting in this movie was very well performed, very believable. Very good job on make-up's part; looked very real.

This is one of those movies that has to be on everyone's must see list, if you haven't seen this movie and you plan on telling someone that you haven't you are guaranteed a reaction similar to `WHAT!?!?'

Very good movie, what else can I say.

Minority Report (2002)

pushing it a little bit

[2 August 2004]

Honestly, when I first turned the movie on, they throw all these future technologies at you, which seemed to be pushing the boundries, even in a science fiction movie, maybe it would have been smarter then to set it only a mere fifty years ahead. But yes this movie's biggest turn off for me was the pushing off the technology, too unbelievable.

Along with the fact of the over doing of the future technology, this movie was fairly boring when it starts off, if money wasn't spent on this movie's rental it would have been turned off before it even ended. My friend in fact, fell asleep during the movie.

Sure eventually the movie picked up, through a few good twists, but all together, but by then it was too late, I had already barely payed attention to the majority of the first half. I did not like this movie much, if I had to watch the movie again I would skip straight towards the end.

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Finally, the climax.

[1 August 2004]

The entire first movie, nonstop action, all over the place, blinded by blood, not too much plot development, straight up action. But no one can complain, everyone loved it. Now finally with the second one, it's more plot development, more about the actual story, more about telling of the past. Not as much action as in the first one, and the action that they had was of a different nature then the previous film. Less blood as well.

As for a review/comment, this movie is just as great as the first one. However, I enjoyed the first one more, just because of all the insane action. But the movies are pretty much the same quality. Just a different twist, shows the articulation in Tarentino.

When transitioning from the first movie to the second movie it is not like many other sequals, which deliver a new plot and such, this movie is just a continuation of the first one, as if you paused the movie in the middle.

You HAVE to watch the first movie before you watch this one, and if you enjoyed the first one no power would be able to stop you from watching the second one, and if you did not enjoy the first one, something is wrong, because both of these movies are great.

The Village (2004)

M Night did it again.

[30 July 2004]

M Night is known for his great movies, and as expected this movie did not let him down. It was a unique idea for a horror film, an idea most directors wouldn't bother the challenge of making it work, not M Night, he took this original plot and made it scary. Well it wasn't that scary, it was more like an occasional gasp or so. But still a very good movie.

This is another one of those movies where no matter how much you guess and how confident you are in your prediction of the ending you are bound to be wrong, it is something which will catch you completely off guard.

I did not have much faith in the cast, seeing how M. Night usually uses heavy hitters like Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson, but the cast really met the expectations. I highly compliment Adrien Brody's performance, it was as believable as Sean Penn in I Am Sam. Very good acting on his part, though it was tough for me to watch because I kept remembering him from The Pianist, but I quickly got over that.

The movie is full of twists and turns and you are bound to jump at one point or another in the movie, it is another good M. Night movie.

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

Funniest movie I have ever seen.

[10/10 · 30 July 2004]

It is no exaggeration or flattery when I say this movie is the funniest movie I have ever seen. I haven't laughed so much at a movie since.... never, seeing how this is the funniest movie I have ever seen. What a great combination, a Korean guy and an Indian guy, both stereotypically known to be intellectually advanced. What was great about this movie was that they tackled modern day stereotypes and showed the stupidity in exploiting them. Also it showed the other side to these two minorities which is usually purposely ignored. This movie, as you see from the trailer, is about two guys who have the munchies and all they want is to go get some White Castle fast food. But this movie does not fall in the same category as Half Baked or How High; this is not another typical stoner film. It does not base its humor solely the idea of getting high, this movie is able to find humor in more then just that. Take the best comedic part of every movie you have ever seen and just combine them all together to make this one hilarious film. I personally, being Indian found much humor in this movie, along with something else, a little pride in the fact that this movie did not portray the lead Indian guy to be just another book worm with a heavy accent. I really enjoyed this film. Definitely worth a second, a third, and fourth watch, and then some. Don't worry my not so Indian, white friend, sitting next to me, got just as much a kick out of it as well. I don't know how many times I have to say it for it to sink it, but one last time, this movie is the funniest movie I have ever seen, it is hilarious!

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Sets a standard...

[30 July 2004]

I just finished this movie and i immediately ran to comment on it. It is a masterpiece. Quentin Tarantino really pulled it off again. I assumed that this movie would be just a wannabe kung-fu movie but Americanized. I was wrong, this movie in fact surpasses many kung-fu movies I have seen.

When the opening credits came through I saw that The Rza had done the music for the movie, from that moment I knew it would add an interesting twist on the movie. It was very interesting indeed, the music to the movie really helps provide emotion and dept to the movie, also on many occasions it had me tapping my feet or jamming to music. Very good idea, seeing how Rza of Wu-Tang is known to be a big fan of kung-fu so it must have brought some good motivation on his part.

The fight scenes, of course were unrealistic beyond belief, and in a lot of movies that is a bad thing, except this one. The unrealistic and gory fight scenes definitely made the movie, there was blood all over the place, I don't think I've ever seen so much blood in a movie, it's incredible. The fight scenes in this movie were off the charts, reminded me of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ..well minus the flying all over the place.

When I heard that the movie was going to be starred by Uma Thurman I was definitely spectacle of her ability to portray to role. But again I was wrong, as the movie developed and when the movie ended I couldn't think of anyone else to fill the slot.

Oh man I could pick apart every part of this movie and comment on it and they would all be positive, so my final words are, it is a great movie, watch it if you haven't. I'm ready for Volume Two.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

I guess I'm the weird one....

[29 July 2004]

Alright The Bourne Supremacy got some real good reviews, as did the The Bourne Identity, and I guess many people liked the two, as for me, I personally do not like either, but I'm one out of many.

Well first off, do not watch this movie without watching The Bourne Identity, otherwise you will be lost out of your mind. Normally sequals explain the plot and all as if it were a completely individual movie, but not this one. It was as if the time between the release of the two movies was just an intermission and now you're getting back to finish the rest of the movie. Watch The Bourne Identity First!

Now, my personal review would go this movie stinks, et cetera. But I suppose that's pointless, so I am just going to compare it to The Bourne Identity.

Easily said, it is better than The Bourne Identity. If you liked The Bourne Identity, you will love this movie. If you hated The Bourne Identity, you will loath this movie. Pretty much it is the same idea, crazy action story out in Europe. The plot has changed, but it doesn't really matter at all. No one watches either of these movies for the plot, it's all about the action, which they supply abunduntly. If not excessively.

To sum things up, it isn't a movie where you will wish you could get a refund, but I would have chosen to watch something else instead. If you are a testostorone driven action buff you will like this movie. If you are chick flick kind of person you will not, there is no major love stories in this movie, it is straight up in your face wall to wall action. If you are looking for a good plot, with good plot development, nice dialog, and so on, you will not like it. I look at it this way, take all the action out of this movie, and what do you have? Nothing. Don't get me wrong, there were some parts which I actually considered to be clever, but my opinion of this movie was not good.

50 First Dates (2004)

Assumption failed, it was a good movie.

[29 July 2004]

When I heard about this movie, and saw the trailer and so on I actually thought it would be a stupid movie. Also I'm not really a big fan of Drew Barrymore, but I was proven wrong. This movie falls in the same level of quality as every other Adam Sandler movie, which isn't a bad thing. The movie had me laughing on many occasions actually.

What I actually found funny was that the character that Drew Barrymore suffers from the same condition as the character in Memento, and look how different the movies ended up. And the repetitive days were similiar to those of Groundhog Day. No matter what you compare this movie to it is still pretty original, non imitation, so do I suggest you go watch it? Yes, it's actually a good laugh, unrealistic, but a good laugh. Don't be turned off by your first impression of the movie, it's not too shabby.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Clever.

[29 July 2004]

Pretty much can some up this movie in one word. Clever. It is a typical crime/heist movie, with just a packed cast. But the thing I liked most about this movie, was that it managed to be a crime/heist movie, and comedy. But not cheap jokes, these were nice and classy jokes, I really liked the comedy because it was original. Also, the comedy in this movie was well balanced, they did not over due it as to turn it into some storyless circus. What really threw this movie up in the sky was it's outstanding cast, I mean "Oh Man!" tons of great of actors (and actress, Julia Roberts) from all over the place. It's insane. I actually have trouble putting this movie into words. All I can say is that it's clever, original (well even though it's a remake, you know what I mean), and well made. I suggest you go see it. However, I do not look upon this movie as highly as it is proclaimed to be. It is definately a good movie, but that's as far as it goes. A good movie.

Memento (2000)

it can go either way...

[26 July 2004]

Alright, Memento. The idea, the plot, the approach of direction (the reverse chronological order), all that was incredibly great. But as for the ending, it just frustrates you, leaving you in a state of "okay so what just happened?"

I have actually seen this movie like a year or so back, and at the end of it I wasn't exactly its biggest fan, but I thought my opinion would have changed so I decided to watch it again. No, my opinion hasn't changed. It's actually a pain, I must have looked through a hundred or so IMDB comments on this movie looking for spoilers, just to comprehend the movie. And yes, as I looked through I found many people just as dazed and confused.

See the problem with this movie was that it was unnecessary confusing, like normally in a movie like this (don't get me wrong I think this movie is very original and unique) you're confused throughout the movie hoping to be relieved at the end, but not this movie, it just confuses you even more.

Yeah this movie is a great movie, it really shows talent on the director's part, really artist, i can go on about those aspects for some time now, but it comes down to the most important question. "Is it entertaining?" The answer is no. Unless you enjoy being confused, and don't feel that you can somehow by watching it once understand it where many could not, no its impossible, I believe this movie was made as an unsolvable puzzle.

As for a recommendation, you should definitely watch this movie just to appreciate it's masterpiece, but do not watch it hoping to be entertained as you would with other movies.

Like it says in my one line summary "it can go either way..."

My Baby's Daddy (2004)

Three's a crowd.

[25 July 2004]

One of the biggest flaws of the movie was that they tried to pack three intertwined stories into one movie. Definitely should have just made it one person's story.

The movie's plot wasn't too bad, I mean it was decent. Well not really. But still it could have been turned into something better. The production along side with the writing in this movie was terrible. I felt bad for the cast, Eddie Griffin is a very funny comedian, too bad he wasn't able to shine in this movie. As for the cast, the person who made this movie, believe it or not was Method Man aka "No Good" he managed to produce the only comic relief in this not so funny comedy.

Not really worth a watch, but if you are going to watch it, fast forward to Method Man's parts, it's the only worthwhile part of the movie.

Oh yeah, plot development, climax, resolution, all terrible. Should have put a lot more effort into distinguishing them.

The Notebook (2004)

Leave you feeling warm inside.

[8/10 · 21 July 2004]

This was definitely a really great movie. The plot wasn't all that original, but the way the movie was produced, the script, and the quality acting really pushes it over the edge.

The on screen chemistry between the characters was truly superb. And the setting and time was well portrayed. This movie is a roller coaster of emotions, contains some comedy, but the majority is having you extremely sad, near tears, then extremely happy, near tears again.

So do i recommend this movie? Yes of course, it is one of those movies that everyone, well everyone who is into the genre of the film, should go and watch. Not something you want to miss out. Cant say anything bad about this movie. I give it a very high rating. Worth every penny.

Mindhunters (2004)

pretty cool

[15 July 2004]

yah, this movie is pretty cool, don't know why its getting trashed so much. it does seem to try too hard to have ll cool j try to throw in some nice "hip" lines, and the dialog is mediocre, but i mean besides that the movie is pretty cool.

i'm not spoiling anything by saying people are getting killed in this movie, and the way that they get killed is pretty original. taking into consideration the director also directed deep blue sea... just watching it really reminds me of deep blue sea, the plots are different, but the way the movie was created, its extremely similar, so if you liked deep blue sea, you're sure to like this movie.

Cold Mountain (2003)

its worth it...

[6 July 2004]

this movie was actually better then expected. it does a fantastic job of capturing the horrors of the civil war, which redefines everyone's previous assumptions. not only does it show the horrors of the soldiers, but those left behind. very powerful movie.

the majority of the credit of this movie must of course go to the incredible cast. the acting in this movie was nothing less then superb. Renée Zellweger actually did an exceptionally well job. but yes the star cast really helped deliver this film.

the only let back i found was that the climax was very late in the movie, near the end. which left the viewer waiting in anticipation for the climax, then have it over in a moments time. either way, this was a very well put together movie, deserves a watch. the music definitely puts you back in the time the movie took place.