mattrix-4 Reviews

Death Defying Acts (2007)

Nice but nothing amazing

[5/10 · 16 March 2008]

I went to see this movie yesterday - 17th march 2008 (must've been an advanced screening...?) based on the high rating on rotten tomatoes (80). Needless to say, after watching it, I think a 50 would fit the bill more accurately. I'm keeping my review simple, so here are some pros and cons:

Pros Good visuals Guy Pearce is likable and chemistry with CZJ seems to work OK, though is somewhat shallow in some regards Character development is good Unpredictable plot Some light-heated, amusing moments

Cons Plot meanders, and also takes a while to get to certain key moments - probably done in order to develop characters more but a little too slow for my liking Some strange imagery confuses the viewer

In summary, I probably would only go to see this at the movies for the great visuals of old towns and so forth (certainly not the story, plot, effects, etc). Otherwise, wait for it to come out on DVD (and just watch it on the 42" plasma!) if you want an interesting non-Hollywood-ised story with a bit of love and mystery.

Somersault (2004)

Stale attempt at an emotional experience

[3/10 · 27 May 2007]

Wow, I feel drained after watching this movie... and somewhat longing for some kind of resolve. The characters seemed incapable of much emotion (dialogue throughout consisted of 3 word sentences) and relationships between characters seemed rather "put on" and shallow. Conversations were awkward, the intentions of each character were ambiguous and sometimes, I would go so far to say, completely self-contradictory. The lead characters' (Heidi and Joe) relationship had the depth of a typical Big Brother (Tv Show) boyfriend/girlfriend fling.

Abbie Cornish is certainly watchable, in an awkward, cute-teenager sort of way (even though she was in her 20's at the time) but, even then, her character seemed so lost inside her mind and "floaty" that if she wasn't so ready to remove her clothing at the drop of a hat I probably would have changed channels (what... I'm a guy, I can't help it).

Why this movie received the praise that it did, I'll never know. It felt like I was reliving someone's horrible, melancholic adolescence - I myself had a bad enough teenage life as it is, so I don't know why anyone would need more of that. Overall, quite a miserable flick.

Young Einstein (1988)

Funny Stuff

[27 April 2004]

This was one of the first movies I ever saw at the cinema and I loved it. Yahoo Serious comes from the same suburb as me here in Newcastle, and this is one of his best roles. Plenty of slapstick and one-liners, it is a light and amusing film that suits any age.

There's plenty of appearances from aussie personalities, ranging from musicians to comedians, as well as lots of local landmarks around newcastle and sydney. Keep an eye out for the "cat pie", a delicacy in the mental asylum in which the main character is placed.

Beware: the movie is quite 'aussie', Brits and Yanks may have a hard time with some of it ;)