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Reviews
Bangkok Dangerous (2000)
dark and beautifully done
This film's debut at the Toronto International Film Festival was quiet and unannounced. It captured a glimpse of the work and life of a hitman. The subject matter is somewhat shocking, dark, and not for the faint of heart. The characters and locations seem very real and reveal a bit about Bangkok that is not seen in tourist magazines. Being shot on location adds to the realism and intrigue of the movie. Although the subject matter is not unique the movie was presented with superb artistic flair. It was delightful to watch. The main characters were great. And the few moments of humour helped make this movie complete. The movie was straightforward but there was just enough ambiguity at times to keep the viewer thinking. For example, the opening scene belongs somewhere chronologically in the middle of the movie. This is a very smart if not sly and cunning movie . SPOILERS FOLLOW: honourable mention needs to go to a a scene that I thought was nicely done. In that scene the hitman had had enough. His best friend was murdered. Now, he was really mad. One could say he had entered the nastiest psychotic but silent rage i've seen portrayed on film. He stalks the killers of his friend and as he's drawing close his image is split in two . Talk about psychotic. And each one of him had a couple of guns. Neither images of him looked too happy. You can guess what happened to the bad guys. Hopefully this movie will be released in north america.
Unbreakable (2000)
It makes the Sixth Sense look like a masterpiece
I customarily go to see movies with low expectations. I was neither impressed nor disappointed. The ending was novel but came as a complete surprise. In the Sixth Sense the surprise ending was cleverly and subtlely forshadowed. This movie might have been intended to be a thriller, or mystery, or action hero flick but it turned out to be a character drama of some sort. Even then the characters were pretty shallowly portrayed. Help me out here. what did I miss?
Havana (1990)
Better than mediocre
Havana is a favorite of mine. Sure it's a slick Hollywood movie but I thought Redford and Olin were marvelous together and fit their roles perfectly. Doesn't it seem natural to find Redford in exotic Havana playing cards on the eve of the revolution? And doesn't Olin's intelligence , charm, and beauty fit her role ? The supporting cast were flawless and the intriguing plot stood on it's own merit. The sentimental ending was superb and the musical score which received an academy award nomination was brilliant. Better than mediocre.
The Perfect Storm (2000)
gravol and lifejacket required
Perfectly done. This movie struck a balance between the development of real life characters and the journey out into an almost unbelievable storm. Too much focus on either aspect of the story would have diminished the whole. Too much focus on special effects would have made the film fake . Any more character development and the story would have become ultra boring. Instead , the characters were established enough to evoke sympathy and eventually grief. That is not easy to pull off in an action flick. The scenes of the storm were extraordinary and unforgettable. Spoiler: seeing Bobby floating alone and alive on those somewhat large waves will remain a haunting image. More so since i thought he was going to be the lone survivor. It was nice to not know the ending of the story before going to see it. This is not in the league of the tale of that big oceanliner ... you know the one. But take your gravol and a lifejacket anyway for this extraordinary boatride.
Gladiator (2000)
Honourable mention
This movie lived up to the hype that accompanied it. The fight scenes and the opening battle scenes were breathtaking and seemed all too real . The vistas of classical Rome were impressive. On the downside I think that Joaquin Phoenix was a mediocre choice for the role of Commodus . He just didn't seem truly evil. Instead he overacted and seemed to be trying to convince the audience of his malice. Crowe's character Maximus lacked direction and conviction and so the movie as a whole lacked a central objective. Instead the individual yet fabulous scenes stole the show. To sweep the Academy Awards like Braveheart did I think that Gladiator needed to become a fuller epic by weaving in more war scenes . As one review mentioned already there is room for a movie depicting the roman legions and their wars. But in this movie the war was a backdrop and it was underutilized. Honourable mention at the awards.
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
mediocre as expected
BW2 came in as expected: mediocre and more typical of mainstream thrillers with shock value scenes , special effects, sex and violence ,and loud if not appropriate music . I found the opening scenes set the stage well and sent the movie in a clear direction. However, the movie got a bit complicated and convoluted. perhaps , I did not understand what the directors were trying to achieve or perhaps they had trouble themselves. I'd like to think that the movie was clever but it just doesn't seem so. However, this movie should in no way tarnish the classic Blair Witch Project and its mastery of the process of psychological terror.
The Ninth Gate (1999)
ok for satan (flick) afficionados
Polanski's Ninth Gate was OK but far from GOOD. The actors were compelling and did a decent job. Depp showed his talent and charm. Olin was well cast as a satan cult leader. The film's slow pace contributed to the suspense and gave the viewer a chance to ponder what might happen next. Unfortunately, the ending was far too abrupt ; more care and details could have been utilized to flesh out the story . It seems that until the end there was plenty of cinematic detail. It is a shame that the ending seemed so superficial and silly rather than frightening and thought provoking. 6 out of 10