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axeman_69
Reviews
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
BORING with a capital B
It's funny how when you look at the reviews, people either give this movie 10 stars or 1 star. Personally I would have given it zero stars had that been an option. I truly think some people have such a fascination with QT that anything he directs is wonderful to them. That's great, but rating this movie in the top 100? Above Scarface, Blade Runner, Jaws and The Terminator? Really?? This kind of blind devotion defeats the whole point of a top 250 if you ask me.
To me, this was a horrible movie. I agree that QT has a unique style of direction, but come on people, a one trick pony ain't real interesting the second time around. QT has slipped into the same category as M. Knight S...we've seen it all before. The ability to fill hours of film with pointless dialog and kill off a main character and keep going, was great the first time, but it's getting old.
The first scene was entertaining to me. I do agree that Christoph Waltz did a nice job acting in the role of Col Hans Landa, but realistically, if he gave the same performance in a less hyped movie, he would have fell through the cracks on Oscar night.
About 2 of the 2.5 hours of this movie consisted of pointless dialog leading to very telegraphed and predicable outcomes. I watched the whole movie, but couldn't wait for the final credits to finally roll. The last 15 minutes of the movie was also entertaining, but overall the movie was a waste of time. Even the "good" parts were just alright.
My recommendation is to pass on this one.
WarGames: The Dead Code (2008)
Un**believable!
Take the classic "Wargames", add 25 years of technological advances and remove all character development, plot, emotional appeal and believability, and you have "Wargames - The Dead Zone".
I'm not quite sure why this movie was made. They apparently couldn't decide whether to make a remake or a sequel. With minor adjustments, this movie has the exact same plot as the original (hence 'remake') yet, it somehow tries to pawn itself off as a sequel with historical references and characters from the original. Strange, very strange.
The original was much better and I can't in good conscience recommend this movie to anyone unless you want to see how a UAV can travel 10,000 miles in 30 minutes or blow up a group of terrorist with an inert missile--quite impressive!
Untraceable (2008)
Surprisingly Good
My initial draw to this movie was of course Diane Lane. Who could turn down the opportunity to see this veteran Oscar nominated actress in an intriguing thriller about cyber-crime, a true issue in today's society? Prior to my seeing it, reviews were mixed, however, after watching it, I thought the movie was better than many of the reviews gave it credit for.
Naturally, Ms. Lane dished out a stunning portrayal of Cyber Crimes FBI Agent Jennifer Marsh and the performances of her counterparts, Colin Hanks (Agent Griffin Dowd) and Billy Burke (Detective Billy Box) gave strength and credibility to the movie.
The plot was well developed with few holes though I felt the director could have focused a little more on character development early on and at times I felt like I was being preached to. One of the movies strongest aspects is the messages about an online world in which people can put aside morality and responsibility under complete anonymity. The film tries, with varying degrees of success, to show the harm that even passive participation in the cyber underworld can cause.
Unfortunately, these messages are probably the biggest detractor to the movie as well. In several instances the film fails to fully substantiate the messages making them seem pointed, leaving the viewer feeling like he/she is having morality forced upon them. The film could have benefited from giving fewer lessons and approaching them in a way that didn't require blunt delivery (the best lesson is one learnt, not one told).
Still, these preachy and somewhat corny moments are few and far between and I felt didn't fully detract from the story or performances of the actors. Although I'm not rushing to the store to buy this movie (and certainly wouldn't download it or Agent Marsh would surely be knocking on my door!), I would recommend this movie to anyone (except children due to graphic scenes and a lot of bad language).
Seamless: Kidz Rule (1999)
Seamless...Shameless...Pointless...
That was one of the most painful 90 minutes of my life! I would rather give blood than watch that movie again! There was absolutely no point! I feel violated! There was no plot. The entire movie was merely a series of quazi-related clips edited to convince Artista that the production was finished so they could finally stop shooting, ending everyone's misery. The directing, wardrobe and cinematography were almost cartoonish. I got the feeling throughout the movie that I was watching a Saturday morning kid show (and not a good one). The acting was horrific! The acting was on par with a 3rd grade play. I haven't heard that much monotone dialog since seeing a Steven Wright comedy show! The saddest thing is that Shannon Elizabeth is by far the best actor in the movie and she was about as good as you'd expect her to be.
After suffering through about 30 minutes of this epic, it was clear that the only thing that could give some dignity to this disaster would some gratuitous nudity as you'd expect from a Shannon Elizabeth movie. They didn't even come through on that.
Bad, bad, bad, bad movie. Rent American Pie instead.