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Movieman02
Reviews
Iron Man (2008)
Better Than You Would Think
I was by no means an Iron Man fan going into "Iron Man". I was when I left the theater though.
Robert Downey Jr. plays his character, Tony Stark, to perfection with the comedic timing and seriousness you come to expect from such a fine actor. He doesn't take anything away from the depth of the character by trying to be too "cool." I could mention the great effects that you've undoubtedly heard about 1,000 times before, but it's not about that. Once you get past the effects you are still left with some good twists and turns and you will find yourself enjoying the story more than the action.
It won't win Best Picture, but then again, neither did Spiderman.
BloodRayne (2005)
I'm almost at a loss for words....Almost.
There's not much I can say about an Uwe Boll movie that hasn't been said before. I mean we've all heard it all before. Yes, he's the worst director. No, we don't know how he convinces people to give him money. No, he's not the new Ed Wood because Ed Wood loved film and loved film-goers.
Which brings me to my point. I think I have decided why Uwe Boll is hated by the entire film community: He hates us. It's pretty clear that he hates film-goers by the way it shows on camera. He makes you pay your hard earned money to see over the top violence, confusing plot lines, and terrible miscasted acting. To make a movie this insufferable is like slapping everyone that sees it in the face.
Unfortunately, Uwe Boll is untouchable. He won't actually come out and say that he hates everyone. Instead he plays it off as the victim. Until we can trap him into saying such, we can just boycott his terrible movies and question how he still has funds to make the huge flops that he self produces. Maybe one day the German government will do an audit on Uwe Boll and find some interesting things, because you can only make so many flops before you go completely bankrupt.
United 93 (2006)
A Movie You Can "Feel"
I'm going to have to give United 93 4 out of 4 stars.
I saw this movie with about as many people in the theater as there were on the flight itself. It made the movie seem more real than it already was, and believe me, that is VERY real.
I have never (after watching thousands of movies) felt more nervous during a movie than I have tonight. It wasn't special effects or a new type of story with a smart villain that did it. It was the terrifying fact that these people we're real and this story actually happened. I knew what fate awaited these people, but no one knows exactly what happened on board.
As the movie moves along at it's real - time speed, you feel like you are both in the United 93 flight, and in the Air Traffic Control center at the same time. The environment was recreated with intense realism. You learn at the same time as the ATC staff about the hijacked planes and the destruction of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The movie was (needless to say) very well researched. Not many movies accomplish such a feat. The director poured unmeasurable effort and care into his film to recreate this horrific event.
This is one of those rare movies with absolutely no humor in it whatsoever. It is irrelevant. Serious movies use humor as "relief", United 93 does not want you to feel relief, it wants you to feel everything the passengers felt as they went through it.
This movie left me speechless after wards and if I wasn't with company (who were also speechless) I probably would have stayed in the theater until they had kicked me out. I "felt" this movie more than I have with any other movie. I wanted to help out those passengers. I wanted to charge at the hijackers, regain control of the plane and show those terrorists why Americans will always defeat them because we believe in our country! I wanted to call my family and tell them that I won't be coming home because I was about to die for the greatest country in the world so that terrorism and the slaughtering of innocent people will not take place. I wanted to fight a war on terrorism.
God Bless America.
True Romance (1993)
An Entertaining Love Story
True Romance (Tarantino's first script put to film) is a highly entertaining love story. It centers around two characters named Clarence and Alabama who fall in love on their first meeting. The catch is this, Alabama is a call girl hired to have sex with Clarence on his birthday. Of course, she falls in love with him and Clarence returns her feelings. Trouble with this scenario is that Alabama still has a pimp that wants her back to business. Clarence decides he needs to do something about it, like kill him. When he goes to retrieve her lugauge, he accidentally gets a suitcase full of cocaine that he decides he needs to sell. All hell breaks lose from this point on due to the fact that the owner of the cocaine would like it back.
Tarantino writes a winner. The story is fast paced and keeps the viewer tuned in. A lot of good lines are found in the script. Most importantly however, the viewer is not left scratching his head at the end. It ties together well.
True Romance has an all-star cast with stand out performances by Christian Slater, Dennis Hopper, and Bronson Pinchot. If your a movie goer that sees movies for performances, True Romance is perfect for you.
Enjoy! 9/10
Sideways (2004)
A comedy that ordinary people can relate to.
Have you ever been down on your luck? Did you ever find yourself drinking as a result? Ever want to kill yourself but can't because you need to be published first before anyone will care? Miles sure has. He is the focus of this book to movie comedy about a writer who goes on a bachelor trip with his soon-to-be married roommate from college, Jack.
The back story for this movie is that Miles, a wine connoisseur, has written a book and is trying (unsuccessfully) to get it published. His best friend Jack is going to get married and they are going on a wine tasting tour of California to see his freedom away properly.
Miles character is very depressed every since he and his wife got divorced about a year or so ago. He spends most of his time on wine and his middle school teaching job. Jack is a free spirited, and sometimes crude, character. This provides the perfect setting for a comedy of errors. Miles wants to stick to the agenda he set up for the trip, but Jack just wants to get laid and get Miles laid also. Miles, on the other hand, sees the reality of Jack's childish ways as a possible marriage destroyer of a marriage that hasn't even happened yet.
They go to a small Inn next to a wine bar and restaurant where we get to meet Maya, Miles soon to be love interest. Maya is a quiet girl that speaks loud on the screen with her silent emotions. Miles likes her but is still hanging on to his ex and doesn't want to start another heart breaking relationship. The next day they go to a winery and we meet Stephanie, who will become Jack's infatuation over the remainder of the trip. Jack sets up a double date for Miles and him with Stephanie and Maya. All hell breaks loose, but slowly over the remainder of the film.
Beautiful scenery and rich, full characters drive this well thought out and heart breaking plot that makes you laugh and cry and sometimes laugh until you cry.
Sometimes people say to "avoid" movies at all costs, but this is one you need to "see" at all costs. Please enjoy!
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
It'll blow you away.
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is one of those rare movies that flies under the radar until it gathers a cult following.
This is Guy Ritchie's directorial debut. The story focuses around five groups of people, but mainly four friends who are now in deep trouble when Tom, a highly skilled card shark, loses in a card game that was rigged. They find themselves a quarter million dollars in debt and have only a week to get out of before "Hachet" Harry will start chopping their fingers off. The other story lines come into play when Tom and his three friends try to figure out a way to come up with the money.
What I like about this film is the fresh script writing and odd humor. The opening sequence (Jason Statham street peddling with help from Jason Flemming) sets the right pace for a comedic and fast paced flick. From there we are introduced to every other character in their own unique way. My favorite characters have got to be Big Chris and Little Chris. Big Chris (played by Vinnie Jones) is the kind of character that was placed in the script to be the tough guy. Usually the tough guy is someone rather generic, but Guy Ritchie places Little Chris (Peter McNicholl) as Big Chris's young son to show a soft side to Big Chris. Big Chris tries to keep Little Chris from becoming a mindless thug by showing him how to do things properly without using foul language and such. The two characters become very comedic and do not become tired over the course of the movie.
Another great element of this movie is the soundtrack. I actually got ticked off when one of the songs stopped playing when I wanted it to go on. Very stylish and the music seems to go right with every scene.
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is highly enjoyable and won't disappoint you.
8/10
Sky High (2005)
A Wonderful Two Hours.
I had been anticipating "Sky High" ever since I saw it on Kurt Russell's upcoming movies in his resume. I saw the preview and thought it look enjoyable, but nothing too good. I was wrong. It was great. It was so enjoyable, I hardly noticed that the theater was packed full of somewhat noisy children. But the noise went along with it because it was the sounds of kids enjoying themselves. However, it wasn't only the kids that enjoyed it. The adults and parents had just as good a time as their children.
I highly recommend this film. The entire cast is perfect for their roles.
10/10
The Island (2005)
One of the Best Sci-Fi Movies of the Last 20 Years.
I thought that Micahel Bay's "The Island" was going to be good, but I honestly did not think that it was going to be as good as it is! Everything about this film had me SCREAMING for more. The plot is outstanding, the acting is very good, and the action is heart pounding.
It also had me intrigued as to what might really happen if clones were made and if they really had feelings. So I guess that I consider this movie a "Think Piece" as well. You'll know what I'm talking about if you see it. Scarlett Johanssen is amazing, Ewan McGregor plays dual roles, and Steve Buschemi (believe it or not) does a fantastic job.
It has been said that Michael Bay is a terrible director, but do not listen to that, because this movie is easily his best. You will not find any element of the bore fest "Pearl Harbor" was, or the crap fest "Bad Boys II" was. Just flat-out action packed "The Island".
Sin City (2005)
Absolutely Beautiful
This is a truly beautiful movie. It is black and white, but with a little bit of color. Mostly red, like blood and various objects. As you watch, everything looks real but you can tell that there is just something "different" about the way the cars drive and the way the people go about their lives. Nothing is as it seems.
The acting is impressive as well. Mickey Rourke plays his character, Marv, outstandingly. Hopefully, Marv will renew his squandered career and we will get to see him in more good movies. Bruce Willis has now shown that he can play a tough guy with feelings instead of just a tough guy. Nick Stahl was a creep. Jessica Alba was seductive. Brittney Murphy was helpless (in a good way).
I thought, for the first time, that this movie that was based on a comic book is actually a moving comic book. Spiderman did not leave that feeling, The Hulk did not leave that feeling, Dare Devil sure as hell didn't leave that feeling. Just Sin City. And it left me wanting more. Sequels Away! (I never thought I would say that!)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
This Could Be The Greatest Movie Ever Made
I think that Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is not just a great movie, but quite possibly the greatest movie ever made. It has everything that a movie-goer would love to see in a movie. A great script full of plenty of gross-out moments, shocking moments, humor, great lines, and parts that make a watcher think. The film does not treat the audience like a moron like so many recent films have the tendency to do. It leaves you on the edge of your seat and you have to have an IQ that is larger than your shoe size to fully understand it.
Tarantino also use time as a plot driving device in the most effective way I have ever seen put to film. I guess you could say that the film is in "flashback" form, but the characters and the plot that you see in those "flashbacks" make you forget that it has already happened! Along with the monster performances that Samuel L Jackson, John Travolta and Uma Thurman put on the table (not to mention the small, well acted part Quentin Tarantino did himself) makes this movie a 5 out of 4 star movie and an instant classic. Enjoy, it comes highly recommended by yours truly,
Movieman02