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bkmcdermott
Reviews
Paradise Now (2005)
A Fine Story
This film was truly cinema at its finest. Film makers took a very controversial plot and turned it into an unbiased story. Unlike many films made around this period, the film told the story of two men. Plain and simple. There wasn't the clichéd subtext shouting "anti-terrorist" and "pro-America". This film told the story of two friends that were put into a crazy situation and followed how they dealt with it. It was easy to follow and, despite the dramatic story, fun to watch because of how well-made it was. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to everyone. Be advised, though, that it is subtitled so it may be helpful to watch it twice- once to read the text and a second time to watch the story. You don't want to miss anything!
Twilight (2008)
Bad cinema at its... worst?
I first saw Twilight with a friend on opening night. I had never read the books nor heard anything about it, so I went in with a clean slate. I found myself laughing at inappropriate times (such as when the film-makers tried to use a blue filter to mask the fact that the actors were standing in direct sunlight) and whenever Kristen Stewart went into one of her spazy-blinky episodes. Knowing the movies had such a following with the books, I promptly went home and read the entire series and went to see the movie again. I now own the DVD as something to put me to sleep.
As someone who works in television I am frustrated that such a horrible piece of garbage made it to the big screen. The acting was sub-par (though I rather enjoyed Billy Burke's performance), the special effects were atrocious, and the script belonged on a low-budget day-time soap NOT a big Hollywood production (I continuously had to ask my friend, who had read the books, what the heck was going on and I'm not giving anything away when I say that the love story was nonexistent).
So, if you want to veg-out for two hours as you stare at a screen of over-glamorized teen life and drama with absolutely no build-up, Twilight is the movie for you.
The Celestine Prophecy (2006)
Not worth your time
Boring. Minimal plot. No character development. I went into this movie with high expectations from the book. It COULD have been an awesome movie. It COULD have probably become a cult classic. Nope, it was a giant let-down. It was poorly cast and had horrible special effects. It was difficult to determine who were the bad guys: the rebels or the military or the church or all of them? I am still left puzzled by certain mini-plots from the movie. I am left dumbfounded as to certain aspects of this so-called "prophecy", which is never really FULLY explained. I felt like I was watching a corny episode of a mini-series on the sci-fi channel. It seemed very much like a made-for-TV movie. Don't go see this movie. It is a waste of time AND money.