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Reviews
Max (2015)
It's terrible.... This is what would happen If an idiot made a Lifetime Movie
If you are expecting a movie about a war dog, and their work in combat, you may like the first five minutes of this film. That's about all you'll see of that.
It's a ham-fisted debacle .... Bad screenplay, poorly written characters, and poor direction in general. I literally started laughing towards the end of the film because it was so absurdly and mind bogglingly stupid. Characters are frustratingly imbecilic and consistently act in unmotivated ways because the screenplay felt like it was written by a twelve year old. Seriously felt like a lifetime movie and a money-grab -- well marketed and targeted towards dog lovers -- but poorly executed on all fronts.
To be fair, there Is one moment in this train-wreck of a movie that the director did a good job with -- there's a very well shot action sequence involving our hero kid cycling through the woods and Max chasing after him. But pretty much everything that involves human beings talking to each other was terrible.
Wanted to like this film. Disappointing.
The Counselor (2013)
Well acted, well shot -- but a seriously flawed script -- Cormac McCarthy should stick to writing novels, not screenplays ...
It's well acted (for the most part .... I thought Diaz was uneven at times) and well shot .... but I haven't been as disappointed in a movie in quite some time. Probably since I saw The Master (another well shot and well acted movie ... with a self-indulgent, terrible script). I'm a Cormac McCarthy fan (and incidentally, a Paul Thomas Anderson fan too) ... but, long-winded, self- indulgent, philosophical dialogue that adds up to nothing (or at least nothing that is insightful) is NOT GOOD filmmaking or writing ... A soulless script about soulless people . . . and despite a Herculean effort by Fassbender, his character is ultimately boring. Because he DOES NOTHING. He is a cipher. He constantly reacts. He never takes action.... He's completely passive the entire movie.
It's a shame, because I had such high hopes. A talented cast and director do their best to salvage this bad script. But, I guess the saying of "if it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage" holds true ...
Band of Brothers (2001)
As Good As It Can Get
Amazingly conceived. Brilliantly casted. Great execution. Terrific and engaging story.
What else could you ask for in a series?
If you haven't seen the series, I strongly recommend watching it chronologically -- order the complete series on Netflix. It's really a compelling journey to watch these soldiers and their transformative experiences.
I heard a rumor that a new series is in the work following the American soldiers fighting in the Pacific. Would love to see that!!! I really hope it happens.
Terrific work. One of the best series ever made . . . in my humble opinion.
Kudos to all those who worked on this project and brought it to life -- and thank you to the 101st Airborne who fought and gave their lives.
Bawke (2005)
Beautiful short film...
This is a really great short film that I was fortunate enough to see while at Sundance. I'm not sure who the kid actor is, but his performance is incredible. Literally, the most powerful performance I've seen from a child actor since Joel Haley Osment (sp?) in the 6th Sense.
The cinematic style is gritty and real -- just beautifully shot. It's paced perfectly. The musical score is incredible. Really one of those rare short films that you see that emotionally invests the audience -- probably the best of its kind since the short film "Most" -- which played at Sundance in 2003. I think half the audience was crying during the screening.
If you get a chance, I think it's definitely worth checking out. The final shot is beautifully conceived -- and a testament to the director's talent. One picture saying more than I could in a thousand words. I guess my only criticism is that the crux of the story borders on resorting to cheap sentimentality.
Sally and Angela (2001)
Everything is there except the story ...
Really well produced ... So the filmmaker should receive kudos for that. Just pulling off something that looked as polished as this is a miracle in of itself. Acting was good. Directing was good. Just felt the story was tired and didn't really offer me anything I haven't seen before. The characters were cliche, I hate to say.
Fun but forgettable. That's it in a nutshell. I'd like to see what this filmmaker could do with a great script. Obviously some talent there ... I'd like to see him do something INSPIRED.
CB
The Last American Virgin (2000)
Great, simple, focused short film.
Very well acted. Well directed. But most importantly, it was funny and it made me laugh outloud. Definitely worth downloading. You can find this on ifilm ... Check it out.
CB