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superultraman
Reviews
Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
Good movie - lackluster reviews
I am amazed at the lack of true movie knowledge that is displayed in these boards sometimes. If I had to guess at the age of the writers of bad reviews this particular movie has garnered in the reviews preceding mine, I would say at best 18. Not a single one of these unknowing boobs remembers Cary Grant, nor the fast-talking zany comedies like Bringing up Baby, and again nor the romance comedies of Hepburn & Tracy.
The Coen Brothers like to do re-hashes, ie. Miller's Crossing/Blood Simple/Big Lebowski are their different takes on film noir. And now they made an amusing film of a different era again. Sexiness/chemistry does not mean bare flesh, nor does action or cursing make a modern classic. The one fault of the Coen's in making this movie was a lack of close-ups - a dead giveaway for what they were trying to achieve.
At best, this is a funny romantic black comedy, with witty dialogue. At worst, it is absurdist black comedy.
Gods and Generals (2003)
Execrable and inexcusable...
... considering how good a movie Gettysburg was, there just aren't enough words to describe how bad the G & G experience fails. It doesn't matter how anyone 'sides' with the North or South as a viewer - it's just a horrific movie to sit through. For example:
Robert Duvall didn't carry any of the frail authority that Martin Sheen used for his portrayal of Lee. Maybe Duvall was sniffin that napalm again... It would have been nice to see where the cannonballs land after they are fired - there were no large exterior shots of cannonballs landing amidst hundreds of soldiers, which was something I thought could have been added to Gettysburg (didn't ted have a budget for digital images?)... the movie should have been called the General Stonewall Jackson Story... and what was with the horrific Hallmark Card dialogue? If I wanted hero-worshipping tripe, I would have watched Gladiator again...
also ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE is there an explanation as to why Pres Lincoln ordered the army into Virginia outside of Fort Sumter being fired upon. Hmmm, maybe because several states voted to SECEDE from the Union - isn't that treason? Funny, in these post-911 days, try to imagine a state of the USA trying such a thing...
Why the musical numbers? Gettysburg got along GREAT without 10 minutes of needless singing. Why didn't the editors trim the fat off this thing? How come the subtitles were practically meaningless considering the scope of the fighting?
Maybe this is a sophomore jinx, but boy, one hopes that the creative contingent learns their lessons for the next one. There is absolutely No redeeming factor in watching this movie. Anyone who says so is blindly waving a flag... and it wouldn't be Old Glory...
The Hunted (2003)
An Absolutely Terrible Movie
I made the mistake of renting this last week. I respected Friedkin for The Exorcist & To Live & Die in LA, but the special features give the reason for its ineptitude. Friedkin apparently knew the guy the movie was based upon, and came up with an idea for a movie. Ideas by themselves don't make good movies; good movies also require inspiration. there was absolutely nothing inspired about the script. In addition to that, there was horrific editing, minimalist dialogue, and so-so action.
I have enjoyed Tommy Lee Jones & Benicio Del Toro in the past, but even superb talents like them can only do so much with what is given.
Daredevil (2003)
Could not get past the first twenty minutes...
... and I am a comic book fan. How could Murdock's enhanced senses explain his ability to leap 30-50 feet from building to building without breaking his feet/ankles? Does working out in a boxing gym by yourself teach you how to duck a punch from a bigger, faster person? Or develop fighting skills like a trained martial artist? If Murdock dedicates his life to fighting for the oppressed(be the best lawyer he could be ...), how could he lose the first case you see onscreen, then avenge his loss by maiming/killing a hallful of people? Golly, if I had Murdock as my lawyer, I might as well give my money away...
Absolutely the worst comic book movie I have almost never seen...
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
2nd Weekend Grosses confirm how bad this is...
pretty much every negative review you find on IMDB stresses all of this movie's weaknesses: the poor story, the muddled editing, and lack of character development. and now the box office shows this: no matter how much the studio might whine about the fallout from an R-rating, one has to remember that a LOT of movies were financially successful during the heyday of R rated movies - the 1970's. back then there were no budgets for special effects - Star Wars changed that. so all of those successful R-rated movies had either great acting or great stories...
you cannot have three great action sequences, then try to spin a movie out of them.
so why the drop-off? Matrix: Reloaded is an insult to anyone who enjoyed the first movie, or likes movies that have linear storylines in general.
also, if i payed full price to see this piece of garbage, why was i not allowed to see the Zion ships defending themselves from the 'squiddies'? Star Trek: Insurrection suffered from the same problem, and the box office receipts showed exactly what the general populace thought of it...
Equilibrium (2002)
Kiddies, PLEASE knock it off about the Matrix
If you really want to rip it down - go back to Bladerunner, where it (cyberpunk/goth/scifi) all started. And if you want to go back to the roots, say Star Wars for all of the ensuing films (decades of them!) that copied the production-style.
That being said, this movie wasn't all that bad. It is realistically a continuation of 1984 and Metropolis, with a dash of Western/chanbara thrown in. The acting was so-so, the editing was fine, and the production was top-notch. The script needed work ,but if you write an action movie, you have to have action, not words.
And how can any of you realistically say that the grim-faced Christian Bale was out-acted by the wooden-faced Keanu Reeves? Please...
And all of you wanna-bes - read a book if you don't understand what chanbara is...
The Transporter (2002)
Ranks along down there with Stallone's COBRA or TANGO & CASH
I caught this forgettable piece of trash this weekend. Absolutely one of the three worst action films I've ever had the misfortune to experience. I've lost two hours of my life to this dreck. Luc Besson has gone downhill since 'Nikita' - who the heck greenlighted the script? Absolutely laughable action sequences become yawn-fests as the sequences stretch to fifteen-minute thrills-within-thrills-within-thrills.
There was no chemistry between any of the leads, but then when you are forced to mouth inane lines, I guess all one can do is look forward to the paycheck...
What a complete shame that Jason Statham, who has been extremely likeable in other films, had to do time in this monstrosity.
On a five-star rating, this is one out of five stars