Argive Reviews

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

See it twice

[10/10 · 31 December 2003]

Many of the complaints that I have heard regarding this film center on the final 30 minutes or so, which can be considered the epilogue in which all of the loose ends are tied up. Needless to say, this does slow the film down considerably the first time one sees it, as roughly 75% of the film is incredible action which surpasses even The Two Towers (the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is easily 5 times bigger than that of Helm's Deep). In any case, I felt that the film dragged at the end the first time I saw it, but it seemed to work much better the second time. Believe me when I say that there is far more that the filmmakers could have put in but did not. If you see the film twice, you will gain an appreciation for the structure of the film that you can't get upon your first viewing (it's just too long, with too much to absorb).

That said, this is a fantastic film. The battle scenes are fabulous, the acting is great, the music is once again superb. The trilogy ends with a terrific bang, not a whimper. Peter Jackson has created a masterpiece of fantasy/war in this trilogy, and I hope that all three films will be remembered for years to come.

Spider-Man (2002)

What is so great about this movie?

[13 February 2003]

I don't get it. What makes this movie so spectacular? It's highly overrated. The writing is awful (which I would not have expected from David Koepp, especially after Panic Room), the acting is OK, the plot is sub-standard, and generally, it isn't exactly wonderful.

This movie has one good thing going for it: special effects. Damn. I have to say that I was quite impressed by the action scenes. Of course, another movie impressed me the same way: Star Wars Episode 1, which is just plain bad.

The problem with comic book movies like Spider-Man is that they don't hold up well at all to repeated viewings. You can watch them once, and that's it. After you watch Spider-Man more than once, you start picking it apart: noticing how bad the writing is, noticing plot holes, et cetera.

So, in conclusion: Overrated. See it once, and then don't touch it again.

Red Faction (2001 Video Game)

Great game (Spoilers)

[10/10 · 19 January 2002]

Red Faction is fabulous. It moves at an extremely fast speed, and it has a bit more depth to it than other first person shooters, which usually center around the plot of "find the keycard to open the door". There is very little of that in RF.

The game is rather difficult, which compensates somewhat for the fact that it is short, maybe 10-15 hours long. But those 10-15 hours are worth it, as there is no wasted time here. RF never, ever, gets boring.

As for the controls, if you have played Oni before, you already know the basic control scheme. It's fairly easy to get used to. Just play the training level and you'll probably have it down quickly, although you may want to indulge in some minor retooling, since the action button is insanely far away from the movement buttons in the default control scheme.

As for the graphics, they are good, but not great. There is a certain choppiness to everything in the cinemas, and sometimes movement of your enemies seems quite awkward and forced. But this is okay, since you encounter some rather nasty looking creatures later on, and the lack of excellent graphics means that they are not quite as terrifying as you would expect.

One really nice facet of this game is the Geo-Mod engine, which allows you to blow holes in about 80% of everything you see. Door locked? No problem. Just whip out the Rocket Launcher (a.k.a. "Big Earl")and blast about 3 rockets into the wall, enabling you to simply go around the door. Unfourtunately, you cannot simply blow a hole in the door, and there are parts of the game where you can't take advantage of the Geo-Mod engine. Oh well.

Lastly, the plot and voice acting are both very good. The plot is simple, but not boring at all, and the acting is great.

This game is unbelievable. Volition and THQ did a great job.

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

This movie is terrible

[16 October 2001]

By God, this is bad. I really don't know what Stephen King was thinking when he wrote this piece of trash. The script is terrible, the acting is awful, the movie drags on for far too long, and it's just really boring. It's a complete waste of time.

Shot in the Heart (2001 TV Movie)

A powerful and poignant story

[10/10 · 13 October 2001]

Shot in the Heart is wonderful. It brilliantly illustrates the plight of Gary Gimore, a convicted murder who requested death. Shot in the Heart shows the ordeal that Gilmore's family, torn up by hatred, went through. This movie is an incredible psychological study, and is wonderfully depressing and uplifting. 10/10

Swordfish (2001)

Bit of a stretch, but fun

[8/10 · 7 September 2001]

This movie is fun to watch. This is one of its most redeeming aspect, since it is plainly ridiculous in other places. The only other good thing about this movie is the acting, which is quite good, especially Don Cheadle and John Travolta. Cheadle makes the perfect tough cop, and Travolta makes an excellent villian. Other than that, the acting is basically unremarkable, but it isn't bad. I would recommend this movie if you are into cheap thrills. There is really no artistic merit, but it makes a great movie if you have nothing to do.

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Unbelievable

[10/10 · 7 September 2001]

This movie blew me away. It is the best war movie I have ever seen. Stanley Kubrick's directing style is phenomenal, and the late Mr. Kubrick did an excellent job.

The acting is outstanding. R. Lee Ermey plays the Senior Drill Instructor, and is the best actor in the movie. This is because he, at one point, was a D.I. The other actors nail their parts cold, but Ermey fits right in.

Whether or not you like war movies, I would recommend this film. It is simply amazing.

Liberty Heights (1999)

Well done

[9/10 · 5 September 2001]

Liberty Heights illustrates Anti Semitism and race relations in the 1950's very well. It shows how two Jewish brothers find that there is a whole different world outside their insular Jewish community. Liberty Heights is an excellent film. Barry Levinson has created a gem of a film, another of the Baltimore series.