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Reviews
Panic Room (2002)
Nothing to panic about
I'm a huge David Fincher fan, and if you like his work, this movie doesn't disappoint. By no means flawless, Panic Room is a solid effort that's definitely worth checking out.
The cast is fitting for the most part, I had my convictions against Jodie Foster in this role, but after viewing it I must say she did a good job. The three men who break into the house hold just as big a role also. They provide a good amount of humor at times (as do Jodie and Kristen Stewart, who plays the daughter role fairly well), and are easy to watch on screen. The movie itself moves along pretty quickly, and doesn't have very many dull moments.
The standout point is by far David Fincher's incredible camera angles and techniques. If you were a fan of Fight Club's tracking shots that penetrate walls and buildings, and follow objects as they twist and turn (like the apartment explosion scene) then this movie will impress. Towards the beginning, it's absolutely full of them. This movie also holds some very intriguing action scenes that are executed well, though sometimes exaggerated in terms of reality (you'll see what I mean). As far as being suspenseful, at times Panic Room truly pulls of suspense.
Overall, the acting is perfectly watchable, and the humor is actually very funny sometimes. If you can look past the mundane plot, the script is actually pretty refreshing in the way its handled. I personally think it falls apart near the end, and the ending itself left me kind of empty. But hey, you might like it. As a whole however, I'd say it's worth a look. Enjoy.
Love and a .45 (1994)
It's worth it
Following in the footsteps of low budget movies like El Mariachi, Love and a.45 is a very entertaining movie if you forget about comparing it to stuff like Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers. It's formula isn't anything new or original, or even very prolific, but it certainly gets the job done. Like Kalifornia and Natural Born Killers, this movie is about a trailer park couple, a convenience store robber and his girlfriend played by Rene Zellweger. This is one of the few Zellweger roles I've seen where she isn't all quirky and awkward, instead she plays the more provocative 'Juliette Lewis' white trash role. Anyway, basically the two have to run away together after killing two fascist cops, while being chased by a group of baddies who have their own quarrels with the couple.
The above summary doesn't do the story much justice because there are numerous plot twists which keep it interesting. There's hardly a dull moment in this movie. Two things really stand out in it: Firstly, the editing and direction are great, there are some excellent shots in here. Though on the counterpoint of things, there are also some very amateur-like handycam kind of shots which are very shaky. Nothing major however. Second, the characters are pretty unique in this movie. Renee Zellweger's voicebox-less hippy father is worth the rental of this movie alone, VERY entertaining. Aside from some predictable elements, this movie is incredibly entertaining and definitely worth a rental. If you like movies such as Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers and the like, go ahead and check this out. 8/10