gjlmovie4711 Reviews

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Grrreat movie!

[9/10 · 12 October 2010]

Peter Weir's "Master and Commander" is a superb follow-up from "Dead Calm", the "other" sea & sails movie from the Australian director. But both movies can, apart from being filmed on the ocean waves, hardly be compared: "Master and Commander" is truly an adventure movie that, I'm sure of it, will not only make mature but also younger viewers (age up to 10, there are some bloody scenes) really enthusiastic. I could't find a serious flaw in this movie - on the contrary, in my opinion it's perfect in all aspects: story-line, cinematography, acting, and sound. You wish this film would last for ever. There's so much to enjoy and I love the way how Weir interweaves the heritage of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Thank you, Mr Peter Weir!

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

The Bourne - Disappointment

[11 September 2007]

If you like to see stupid men uttering stupid Hollywood/CIA-clichés, if you're into nervous and annoying camera movements that camouflage nothing-but-mediocre action shots, if you cannot get enough of cars being demolished over and over again, this could be a film for you. The fuzz about this movie has no real reason at all - I guess people are like parrots, repeating what others say without thinking themselves. After one hour this film really started to bore me but somehow I made it to the end, just to know if the last minutes could somehow make up for wasting my time. They could not. Is Jason Bourne supposed to be the Six Million Dollar Man of the 21 st century or what? I couldn't help laughing my a** off! This guy is supposed to see people he wants to see at a distance of about 100 yards - in a crowd in narrow streets an being chased himself!!! It's just ridiculous. This is only one example in a movie that had no real depth or plot - it's just chasing and running away over and over again, and in that respect nothing better than Part 1 of the trilogy (which was very simple-made). This is definitely a film for teenage boys or men that lack the ability of growing up mentally.

Mortal Transfer (2001)

Entertaining because of nice mix-ups

[7/10 · 11 July 2006]

I cannot add much to the comments already given. For those who consider watching the movie: you can expect a nice mix of Scorcese's "After Hours", Kubrick's "EWS", Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" (Le Locataire; funny how Anglade even looks and acts like Polanski!) and some elements of Hitchcock. Nowhere near of a masterpiece, but neither boring or bad. Shooting and directing is flawless, I enjoyed the speed. The film is a bit too long, though. The key-element of the movie is that is concentrated on almost one place (the practice of a psycho-analyst in the center of Paris ). Only few scenes are shot by daylight, the dark atmosphere adds up to the script that focuses on sexual aberration, lies and truth, death, and Freudian therapy. Finally, I should not forget to mention that are some humorous scenes that make the film also fun to watch.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

Not good at all

[3/10 · 22 August 2005]

This is not a good movie. Too many dead-end deviations, no real plot or idea, and, most important of all: no surprises. In fact, it's quite boring. I hated the sloppy romance-thing, I hated the fact that every citizen in Savannah seemed out of friends 'till Cusack dropped by. I also hated the thing that when Cusack enters a bar, the music stops and the singer immediately has time for a chat with him. The voodoo-character is totally out of place, and doesn't add anything relevant to the story (this counts also for several other characters that come along). Don't waist your time on this. Disneyland probably covers more mysteries than this southern-states "blabla". People who like this don't have a clue what a good movie is. Sorry for that, but that's how it is.

Mystic River (2003)

Not real

[5/10 · 28 March 2005]

I so much wanted this movie to END. I was so tired of its mystic S***, I had to keep myself from pressing the stop button of the DVD-player. But what can you do, you want to know who the murderer is. No spoilers here -- I'm not gonna tell. MR proves ones again that "Oscars" have no value at all. Mostly they go to BAD movies and this one is no exception. It is poorly directed -- if you saw the movie and have not noticed, you're blind. It's full of flaws, bad timing, and bad "mise en scene". I guess, if Clint calls, you can't say no. You just wish you had never picked up the phone. Bacon must have thought it. Penn too. I guess Robins was called in the middle of the night, and Clint must have said: "Stay as you are". And so he did. A TRUE disgrace for all people that have been abused. It's just not real.

Promises (2001)

Very promising

[27 November 2003]

I only saw the second part of the movie, but that gave me enough impression to leave me in a state of "having seen something everyone should see". And I think everyone and most of all Israelis and Arabs will agree that a way to peace will only be possible when encounters like these will take place, where kids from both "sides" will meet each other to discuss and understand each other problems. I am so much impressed about the openess, sincerity, wisdom and "the stuff that separates the youth from the adults": playing a soccer game, making fun, sharing dreams. It's hard to see that two years after the meeting the Arab boy has almost lost his belief in a solution. A while ago I heard an interview on the radio with the famous Jewish military expert Martin von Kreefeld. This interview impressed me as much as "Promises", but in a very different way. To Von Kreefelds opinion, the only solution to the Jewish-Arab problem was building a high wall, deviding the two nations, probably at cost of some 30,000 lives. But then, so Von Kreefeld, there would finally be "peace". Well, let's just hope future generations from Israel and Palestine will proove him wrong. The documentary is filmed at high speed and will grasp your attention immediately, and will not let loose. Very impressing, very... moving ;-)

Die Another Day (2002)

Out of balance

[14 May 2003]

DAD starts well and stays well until the half of the movie - then it becomes boring, predictable and even annoying. Halle Berry shows she is one bad actress, a really very, very bad actress indeed. Judi Dench's part is out of place - her stubborn seriousness works silly and poorly directed, just like the Korean general's love for his son. Cleese works funny - a typical Bond-character as they are meant to be. Finally - Brosnan does OK, but needs better directors to keep the dream alive. 5 out of 10, definitely not more.

Dr. T & the Women (2000)

The director lost direction

[30 December 2002]

Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose and this time Altman looses. Gere is no where near of a father of two daughters, nor is he very convincing as a gynaecologist. I guess, he had no idea at all what he was doing in this movie. I watched the Extras chapter on DVD and it's interesting what our Buddhistic friend reveals. According to Gere, Dr. T is a typical Republican - he visits country clubs, plays golf, and, "is an extremely straight person". Funny, because Gere's part is in fact quite different. In spite of the female hectic in his daily life he remains a patient and friendly man that keeps the necessary distance to all this in attempt not to get knocked over by it (yes, quite a remote and peace loving attitude that reminds one of Buddhism, I'd say). He doesn't judge, just observes and tries to deal with a crazy world without a specific need to change it. To me, he comes closer to the gentleness of a "soft" and liberal Democrate. Fawcett, supposedly suffering from the "Hestia"-complex, looks completely ridiculous. Hunt's part is not properly finished; she never tells us or Gere what is on her mind and what her mysterious trip (well, it is at the least suggested that there was something mysterious about it) to New Orleans was about. The worst of it all is that the old master steals the - almost surreal - end of "Magnolia", directed by Paul Thomas Anderson who, I believe, is a great admirer of Altman! Shame on you, Mr. Altman. Altman simply replaces the frogs by a tornado. Gere is vortexed into the desert where he is finally confronted with a male: a newborn Mexican baby. How should we understand this move? I have no idea. Anything goes. Altman shows the key but forgets the lock. I could go on mentioning other flaws, but I don't. For those who haven't seen other work of Altman: forget about this one and try another. It will be definitely better than "Dr T".

B-52 (2001)

All there but no soul

[17 December 2002]

For an aircraft enthusiast like me, this movie was a "must-see". How often do you get this: a title that refers directly to its subject, the B-52 strategic bomber. For those who are familiar with the facts, I don't have to explain the incredible story and (historical) importance of this airplane. You, like me - we are happy with any shot on film of the "BUFF". And you will see plenty of those. So, we tend to apologize the director for some funny moves, f.i., why do we see Bitomski in his own documentary? We are forgiving, because we get almost two hours of nothing but B-52. So we forgive the director also for his choice to let the SAC-artist talk for what seems like endlessly. He annoys us, yes he does, but we have patience. More Stratofortress is about to come. Therefore, we forgive the director for the info-shots too. They always come too late or too early. And not only do they come at the wrong moment, they are hardly readable as well. The text is on the far left side of the screen, and only visible for a very short moment.

But the enthusiast won't really care about all this, for the B-52 passes by in virtually all aspects: development, X-stage, crashes during peace, crashes during war, SAC, past-present-future, Cold War, Vietnam and Gulf-War, weapons, crew, nose-art, spare parts trade, demolition. You name it, Bitomski's got it. But if it was all there, and it really was!, why did I leave the cinema just a little disappointed after viewing? I still don't know to day. "B-52" has a bit of Herzog's "Little Dieter wants...", but it's also lightyears away from it. You think, being an aircraft enthusiast, you can digest just anything that has to do with planes. And you can. But, like in any movie, there is the director who is also able -or not- to touch your soul. Mr. Bitomski, please forgive me, but your "B-52" did not really touch my soul. Was there, perhaps, simply too much talking?

Chocolat (2000)

Binoche the Saviour. Ah, no!

[4 December 2002]

"Chocolat" is already spoiled in the first couple of minutes and it doesn't get any better along the way. We are presented a small rural village, Catholic France in all aspects (at first I thought I saw Mnt. St. Michel). Zooming in, we see the narrow village streets, the few shops, the citizens. It's so French, that you can almost smell the warm "baguettes". Then the shock: The first words are spoken... in ENGLISH! This is ridiculous, if not even scandalous. This is... sorry, I'm breathless here. OK, take it easy, there is more to come. In an attempt to keep the French dream alive, the English gets mixed up with words like "madame", "monsieur", "Bon Dieu", "comte"... After 15 minutes, I wanted to vomit. So much cultural offence... So much commitment to Hollywood. And all this with the radiant French actress Juliette B. in the middle of it. How could she ever have agreed to take part in this blasphemy? This is all form, detail. Let's focus on the story. Well, I never saw a more cliched example of story telling. The villagers are all narrow-minded, depressed or stupid. Then Binoche marches in, the Saviour, the wise from out of town that brings sunlight, a smile and the drug everybody in this village has been waiting for: chocolate. What follows are 90 minutes of an extreme predictable and boring character. At the end, Enlightenment has taken over Catholicism and prejudice, pleasure has over won depression, the confessional box is beaten by sex. But this is done in such a naive way, that it lacks any convincing element. A fairy tale? Not in the least. A cheap trick to get you to the cinema? Very much so. Some say this is a "sweet" movie, like the subject it is all about: Chocolate. In my opinion it's so sweet, your teeth will start falling out after the first bite.

Bitter Moon (1992)

Until the bitter end

[4 December 2002]

It's hard to read some of the extreme negative critiques from you guys out there (what the h... is your religious problem?) when you like a movie so much. And I do love Bitter Moon from the very begin till the... yes, bitter end. Just because of that, I wanted to put down some counterweight here, so that people who haven't seen it yet, are not completely detered. It's my favorite Polanski. I already got the goose pimples when Vangelis' score accompanied the first scene and they never got away until the last words were said. This movie is so much about people and relationships, I can only strongly, very strongly recommend it.

Almost Famous (2000)

Almost perfect!

[7/10 · 4 November 2002]

If some of the characters in AF weren't so much stereotyped, this would be an A-movie. This is about all I can put forward against it (though that's something). We watched the long version on DVD and a great Saturday evening. First class entertainment (but, like "Jerry MacGuire", a little overacted and overdone).

Little Buddha (1993)

Buddha like you never saw him before

[7/10 · 16 August 2002]

There can be no doubt that Bertolucci made a beautiful and very stylistic portrayal of Siddartha (yes, Keanu does and looks very well in this part). There can be doubt though if these mystical and captivating scenes that play in the ancient (not necessarily historical!) India and the Far Orient are succesfully intermingled with the present day search for a reincarnated soul. I have seen the film several times and I am still not sure. Would this film have been better if it had only focused on the life and times of Siddartha / Buddha? Or would this just have made the film look "easier"? Present and past, reality and legend, magical scenery and modern city life continuously interchange. Each time the film shifted from Siddartha's "world" to Seattle I felt a little sorry. I wanted more and more of these silent, magic world. Bertolucci keeps us awake by going the other way. The things Siddartha learned can be applied, by us, the viewers, in what happens next. Let's just say Bertolucci's choice for dialectic film making was the right one. Final remark: the video / DVD cover is absolutely ridiculous. Surely the film company also wanted to attract young female Keanu fans by portraying him in a slightly romantic, counteropposing posture to Bridget Fonda. The two never meet in the film at all!

The Limey (1999)

Very good in the middle, poor in the beginning and the end.

[2 July 2002]

Soderbergh manages to bring us, the viewers, in close contact with the feeling of revenge. The Limey or Wilson, played by Stamp, has good reason: his daughter Jenny got in the deadly web of a snobby and wealthy rock and roll music producer (I liked Fonda in this role), when he himself was still doing time in a British prison. Free and determined to get pay back all by himself, he flies to California where he gets in contact with two former friends of Jenny (Warren and Guzman). Here we immediately have one of the weaker parts of this movie: I sort of missed a dialogue or at least one clear motive WHY these people decide to help this strange man, speaking cockney English, carrying guns around the place, and telling everyone he was doing time in jail. We see a lot of black and white flashbacks of the time Jenny was a still a little girl and Wilson a small time crook, but what we don't see is what kind of relation existed between Jenny and Warren/Guzman (the latter supposedly was in the same acting-class). The opening scenes all together are not the best in film history. There is a lot of overdone editing and there is this real strange "I am Wilson"-scene in the warehouse. But then it's getting better and Soderbergh's way of making movies falls in place. We watch an exciting movie, great acting, and quite convincing story telling. I felt disappointment though watching the final shots. Stamp finally gets Fonda at the shore, the latter unable to flee while he broke his ankle sliding off the rocks (rock 'n roll, coincidence?). This is the big moment, now he must tell what he did to Jenny and how she died. Of course I won't give Fonda's answer away, but I can tell you this: though it's not much, there is no reason NOT to watch this fascinating movie. Overall comment: Very good in the middle, poor in the beginning and the end.

Traffic (2000)

Very intense, not perfect

[6 June 2002]

Traffic is about 2,5 hours of great cinematographic entertainment. Yet great scenes and first class acting performances go hand in hand with not so well casted scenes and over acting. It's just a little too much here and there. Like there is, Douglas' searching in ghettos for his crack-addicted daughter and Zeta-Jones turning from a unconsciousness mob-wife into a very conscious drug negotiater. (No harm done, watching these less developed characters. All is made up for by the brilliant performances of the other actors.) Going across the US-Mexican border over and over again of almost every character doesn't do the film much good either. Or parts of the plot, that are almost too complex, f.i. the different Mexican cartels and there connection with the politics, and tend to distract you from what's on the screen. The better parts are without doubt those that were shot in Mexico. The music score deserves a separate line: it definitely gives the film extra atmosphere, without ever being annoying. It was great fun watching this movie yesterday night and I was dazzled until hours later. Thank you, Mr Soderbergh. By the way: what is your final message?

Avalon (1990)

Great entertainment, cliche dialogues

[23 February 2002]

I love good films about the U.S. immigrants and this surely is one of the finest made I've seen. The cinematography is 10 out of 10, the acting is very well and viewing the film is like going through a picture book. I only have one serious point of critique: I think the dialogues are too much of a cliche, and the whole film is too much following the standard rules of creating a sphere of nostalgia. You can't help thinking, I've seen and heard it all before (i.e. the "turkey-scene"). However, you most likely didn't experience it as well done as in this movie.

The Devil's Own (1997)

An obvious trap

[14 January 2002]

Given the plot (IRA-terrorism and its liaisons with the US) this film must be judged at two levels. The first level is that of the entertaining value. Pakula borrows a heavy political theme, simplifies all and everyone and makes out of it a 2 hour show, including a bag pipe score and all the other cliches you can possibly think of ("My father was a fisherman"). At this level, the film deserves 7 out of 10. In some comments the heroism in this film is convicted. There I agree. We now come to the second level. This is not a serious movie about the IRA and its "politics", simply because it's naive and CONSCIOUSLY simplifies complex matters. More over, the whole matter is brought over to the US, where it looses all sharp edges. What we actually see is an action movie with a nice, good looking guy who, for the sake of us all, kills an illegal weapon deliverer. We forget that he (i.e. we don't forget, it's Pakulas way of portraying his main character) actually is a real IRA-terrorist - a brain washed brutal soldier murderer, thinking this is a way of serving justice and truth. Hollywood, in the end, makes them all look bad. Pakula is no exception.

Die Abenteuer des Werner Holt (1965)

Excellent Anti-War movie

[9/10 · 7 January 2002]

More than remarkable film from East(!)-Germany. Regular German soldiers loose their faith in the war and their commanders when they are confronted with the criminal acts of the SS (their superiors). The key scene plays at a saw mill, where SS troops cut of body parts of innocent civilians. The Russians are nearing and Werner and his comrads think of surrendering. Excellent playing and scenery, with clear personal viewpoints.

The Girl in the Picture (1985)

Glasgow Blues

[3 September 2001]

I have warm remembrances about this sympathetic movie. It's funny, romantic and entertaining, without any exaggeration. You will feel immediate closeness to the main characters - if you're not older than 25 yourself, you may recognize the problems you may have encountered in your first serious relationship; if you are older, you will smile and think back of the days everything just seemed easier and nicer. I only saw the movie once, 14 years ago, but until today I remember this particular one-liner. After having been split up for several weeks, Mary and Alan meet again. You can tell from their faces, they both feel sorry and regret they are not together any more. There is this mutual uneasieness, until Alan mumbles: "I feel miserable. But I like feeling miserable with you."

Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)

Documentary at its best

[10/10 · 29 August 2001]

This film is excellent! Fear of watching documentary movies? Cancel your shrink and watch little Dieter's story. You won't believe how captivating this fine piece of film making is until you have experienced it. I'm eager to say that it even out goes almost any Vietnam war movie, including Apocalypse Now. It's a real story, it's a personal story, a story about the love for flying, the dream of being a pilot and the nightmare of being shot down above enemy's territory. All is shot in a "return to..." style - at location, Herzog asking the questions, Dieter answering them in a memorable German-English accent, and with fine remembrance pointing out what happened where about 25 years before. There is this part that I told friends over and over again: bailed out from his US Navy plane, Dieter becomes a POW of the Vietcong. Blindfolded for the greater part of the days, he is being dragged through the Southeast Asian jungle for miles and miles - on bare feet. Tortured, insulted, disorientated, hungered and covered with infected wounds, they arrive in a small, friendly village to spend the night. The next morning, after walking for several hours, Dieter discovers someone stole his wedding ring from his finger. That is it. He can take no more. He starts to cry, as a result of complete exhaustion. The Vietcong men react surprised. Dieter manages to explain what happened. Immediately, the group returns to the village and starts searching for the person that stole the ring. They find the man, immediately chop of his finger and return the ring to Dieter. - The movie is full of these mind boggling and surprising situations. The immense cultural differences, the clash of East and West, the fear of the unknown (i.e. all that stands for America on the one hand, the Asian jungle and his secrets on the other) can be sensed the entire movie. Back problems? That's because you sat at the edge of your seat for two hours and didn't notice.

Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Von Trier unmasked

[12 August 2001]

I don't hate this film, I hate Von Trier. I already had my doubts after seeing Braking the Waves about the Danish director being a tearjerker, intentionally stepping on our emotions. Now I know he is one. Let me explain why. The only reason this film is playing in the USA in the late fifties / early sixties (?), is that the director can go as deep as to have the main character being charged with the death penalty, brutally hanged to be more precise, innocently more over, so we all have to feel sorry and weep. This is a coward trick; if this story was shot in Europe (why not - after all, director and main actors are European), the woman would most likely have gotten away with imprisonment. But who would care about her then (not "really" dramatic, huh?). I didn't read many professional critics about this movie; I'm curious to know if anyone focused on the part of the death penalty. What is good about this film, is that it shows that the death penalty is stupid and inhuman. Moreover, it shows the ridiculous American court system.

Bjork is doing fine, although I don't think her part is that difficult to play (look stupid, act naive). A major flaw is Von Trier's choice to let her sing her songs in the "Bjork-way": was this movie set up to boost Bjork's singing career? Whatever the reason, I don't think it fits the period in history this movie is situated. Deneuve's part is a matter of bad casting: you keep looking at Deneuve, not the character she is playing. If you're in for the - in generally overestimated - Dogma way of making movies, watch Festen: less pretentious and far more convincing in all aspects. Final remark: David More is the true star in this movie. Excellent acting, what a gifted actor this man is.

Rear Window (1954)

No rear window

[8 August 2001]

Many positive things about Rear Window have been said; after seeing Hitchcock's "own favorite movie" for the first time, I would only make some small critical comments. First, I don't understand the title. Because Stewart's appartment doesn't have a "real" front (the front door is situated in a corridor, where are no windows at all), the window he's continuously looking through is by all means a FRONT window. Second, only for Hitchcock's own comfort as a director, Stewart is able to observe his neighbours through his binoculars and his enormous - at least - 300 mm objective the entire day and night, without ever being asked or confronted what the hell this voyeur think he's doing! His neighbours, who live only a couple of feet across, must have noticed this man observing them way before "Thorwald" does, when Kelly is found in his apartment (giving Stewart fingersigns, discovered by Thorwald). Third, and most important, I found the final scenes so disappointing, I couldn't believe this was a Hitchcock-movie. All of Stewart's assumptions and predictions are proven to be right and that's it. No surprises, nothing new is added and, most disturbing, no explanations or motives are given why Thorwald killed his wife. In all, I was tempted to believe this movie was originally written as a musical.