crazymikejj Reviews

Home of the Brave (2006)

Pure Propaganda

[4/10 · 8 January 2008]

This movie was OK from an entertainment standpoint but breaking it down further reveals it to be nothing more than pure propaganda. The four individual stories just seemed out of touch of reality. Wars do suck and soldiers are injured and maimed for life. However, there are a great many of us (I am in the military) that do come back and lead extremely productive lives, just as we did before we left. Why this movie had to take all four experiences and make them negative is beyond me. There are so many cases of men and women coming back who are able to deal with what they experienced. This movie made it seem as if everyone coming back from war is either screwed up psychologically, becomes violent or a drunkard or has to deal with life missing a limb. Furthermore, why was 50 cent in this movie? The clown can't even speak English. He has absolutely no talent when it comes to acting, and when it comes to music for that matter. Jessica Biel was bland and her acting was simply unbelievable. The only bright spot was from Samuel L. Jackson.

Reign Over Me (2007)

Unbelievable...

[10/10 · 11 October 2007]

I was never an Adam Sandler fan. I always thought of his movies as simple, childish humor (just my opinion) but after about 10 minutes of watching his performance in this movie, all of that went out the window. This movie is simply one of the most moving, emotionally overwhelming films I have ever seen. All of the performances were A+ but Cheadle and Sandler simply were brilliant. I cannot say enough how powerful this movie was and I can't believe I didn't see this in the theater. How this movie does not rate a 10 is beyond and even more, who in the world gave this less than an 8. I'm a 38 year old male in the military and I cried at least three times during this movie.

Skeleton Man (2004 TV Movie)

Ha ha ha....

[1/10 · 7 January 2006]

I cannot believe how bad this movie was. I mean, very rarely will I NOT finish a film but I lasted about 20 to 25 minutes with this one. The acting was bad, the story was terrible, the stunts and "action scenes" if you want to call them that were absolutely horrendous. I simply cannot think of one good comment and yet I have to have a minimum of 10 lines to post this. It was just absolutely awful. How did this movie ever get approved? I wonder if the people involved in this debacle feels guilty about wasting money that could have gone to something more productive.

Michael Rooker is better than this. What in the world was he thinking?

By the way, who in the world gave this movie a 2?

The Notebook (2004)

Pleasantly Surprised...

[9/10 · 7 January 2006]

Yes, I'm a guy and I watched it. I didn't see this movie when it came out for obvious reasons (being a chick flick and all) but was flipping through the channels tonight and decided to watch it. I'm more of a horror movie fan, action films, that sort of thing but I have to say, this movie was excellent. The story itself was simply a great story. There are very few movies these days that have an actual decent story-line as well as decent acting and well, the Notebook had both. It felt as if the movie was only a half-hour long. One viewer was right on when they said "you feel as if you are in it yourself." I respect everyone's opinion, yet, I find it very hard to believe how someone could not like this movie. 9 out of 10. (Hmmm...maybe I'm more sensitive than the average dude.)

Septem8er Tapes (2004)

Well...not exactly terrible but not good either.

[4/10 · 13 December 2005]

This movie wasn't what I thought it would be. I indeed thought it was a real documentary but realized about half-way through it was a complete bunch of crap. What I really found extremely irritating was the main character's blase attitude during the whole film. He's supposed to be in a country torn apart by years and years of war and filled with terrorists who would love to get their hands on an American yet his demeanor is as if he's in a shopping mall somewhere in suburban America. I mean give me a break. And the scene where he gets arrested, saying he can get more information if he is taken into custody. Ha Ha Ha . I actually laughed during this scene. (Was this really supposed to be a comedy?) There were too many scenes to state that looked absolutely absurd. On the cover of the DVD, it read "OUT-GUNS BLACK HAWK DOWN AND SAVING PRIVATE RYAN." WHAT???? The only movie this out-gunned was Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. I was totally disappointed though I did watch the whole thing. The character Walid's acting was the only thing that saved this DVD from going into the fireplace. I give it 4 out of 10 and again, only because of Walid's character.

The Beast in the Cellar (1971)

Not terrible but still lacking....

[4/10 · 16 October 2005]

I remember viewing this movie when I was a kid. I recall it terrified me immensely and it stayed with me all these years. I spent a couple of years trying to find it online...didn't remember the title, only the storyline. After searching and searching, I came across a VHS that was being sold on E-Bay. I was excited and when it finally arrived, I jammed it into the VCR and couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. Needless to say, I was slightly disappointed. This wasn't the movie I remember watching as a kid. It was boring at times and I found Beryl Reid's incessant whinning extremely annoying. Both performances by Reid and Flora Robson were good overall but the movie wasn't scary. I think any movie is worth viewing to form you're own opinion but sometimes, well......

The Cat and the Canary (1927)

Excellent ! All that needs to be said.

[10/10 · 16 October 2005]

I love watching movies from years ago, particularly silent films. Some are good, some I cannot finish. However, there are those films that are simply brilliant. The Cat and the Canary falls into the latter. I have watched this over and over and marvel at how real it seems. The viewer's post prior to this was accurate in everything she said. The sets were so realistic, I actually thought it was a real haunted house. My particular favorite scene is the opening, as the camera pans down the hallway, with the curtains blowing in the wind. Very ethereal, ghostly feel. As far as the acting, I could find no fault with any of it. This is simply a wonderful movie and is worth viewing again and again. I feel guilty only spending $5 for it.