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King Yuriy
Reviews
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
OK movie
This movie has good acting, but is overall nothing special. It also falls prey to a feminine liberation fantasy. There is also no nudity. 6 out of 10. I believe somebody who checks it out will fall prey to one of two hopes: seeing one of the three beautiful female leads naked or a gripping exciting witchcraft battle between them and Nicholson. In either case they will be disappointed.
The Apartment (1960)
A Great Classic
Such elementary concepts as a creative plot, appealing characters and good acting seem to be lost on modern cinema, who throw out totally cliche and uninspired romantic comedies. But those of you who are in the mood for that and something good should check out the Apartment. The plot is creative and at the end leaves you with a surprise ending. Jack Lemmon, who we all know from the Odd Couple, is the everyday Joe, but he is a funny and cool Joe. Shirley MacLaine is the girl next door, but she is a funny and cool girl next door. Fred MacMurray is the no good manipulative corporate executive, but his character manages to fool us in the process and isn't the evil incarnate that modern day bad guys are. The plot is filled with many twists and is just the right mix of drama and comedy. 10 out of 10.
8½ (1963)
Simply the best
In over a hundred years of cinema, there hasn't been another movie as moving, as self-questioning and as undeniably beautiful 8 1/2. Sometimes hard to get into, sometimes hard to understand, this movie is . . . Aw, just see it. A perfect 10.
Gladiator (2000)
A horrible epic
This is the worst movie I have seen this year and I saw "Romeo Must Die". Popcorn farers will consider this movie deep, moving, and informative. In reality, the acting is horribly melodramatic, more sentimental and overblown than anything I have seen in a while. I felt like I have seen every scene in this movie about a thousand times before: that's how filled with cinematic cliches the plot is. Only redeeming future are a couple of great fight scenes, especially the one with the juggernauts, which was the only time I found myself cheering for either of the sides. That marks another major fault of the movie: in the opening scene, it is impossible to tell who the characters are, and what side they are on, with exception of Maximus (who we simply know to be a Roman from the ads) and one big German guy too animalistic to be on Rome's side. There is some foreshadowing done with a dog, who one expects to play a major role in the battle or to functon prominently in the rest of the movie, it does neither. I am not even gonna mention the historical errors, but looking up Lucius Verus or the Gracchus brothers in the dictionary should be enough. That, and I still haven't figured out why Romans should speak with a British accent. Oscar voters should fall in love with this: it's an epic, it scores huge at the box office, all performances are overdone. If you ever liked a Fellini or a Kubrick film, stay away. 2 out of 10.
Boys Don't Cry (1999)
Good movie
Those looking for a story about the deep meaning of transsexuality won't find it here. This is simply a wonderful interesting emotional story that makes you sympathize with the main character and keeps you entertained (though not in a light way!) for two hours. An 8.
Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996)
*Sigh*
*sigh* Some things that are great concepts on television just don't transfer to the big screen. Especially the kind of great absurdist comedy like Kids in the Candy. This is my favorite TV show and the movie is essentially one sketch blown up to two hours. And directing just doesn't work as a movie, it would have been funnier just to have four episodes at random stuck together, with some thin link. Only a 5.
La dolce vita (1960)
Italian cinema
This was my second experience with Fellini, after 8 1/2. I would like to compare these two films and the style to American theatre overall. 8 1/2 is definitely a superior film, the intense absurdist edge that titillates your mind and makes you leave the theatre in awe wasn't present here, but the movie still showed more relation to the problems of an individual in the modern society than 99 percent of all American films. An 8.
Rules of Engagement (2000)
Done, but done well
"Rules of Engagement" is probably one of the best courtroom dramas ever made. It really makes you wonder about the proper moral and legal judgement on the defendant. The acting is top notch. The incident itself is original. Everything else is not. If the courtroom dramas haven't been done to death over the past ten years, it would have been a highly enjoyable movie. It even ranks above the ultimate courtroom movie, "A Few Good Men," with which it shares more than the courtroom setting. However, it is simply no longer possible to stay excited about surprise witnesses, cross examinations, the people changing their minds, destruction of evidence, discovering new evidence . . . this is just all so done before. A 7.
American Psycho (2000)
Deep
American Psycho is not a movie that most people will even begin to understand on the first try. It goes beyond a satire of a limited range of 1980's yuppy culture, it is an evaluation of American society as a whole. Pay careful attention to the movie's ending and ask what it means. The meaning is definitely there, but I won't explain it for you, even though it's subtle, I would rather people understood it on their own. A casual movie goer looking for an exciting thriller will be horribly disappointed, especially by the ending. However, if you want to see something that combines the best aspects of "Fight Club," "American Beauty" and "Natural Born Killers," this movie is a must-see. A 10.