aaronfloky Reviews

Stiff (2004 TV Movie)

Enjoyable at least

[7/10 · 20 June 2004]

I just saw the network premiere of this film, and I must say that I wasn't completely sure what to make of it. I was often left wondering where the direction of the movie was going, and the climax wasn't overly climactic. I did find it, however, to be easy to enjoy and relaxing to sit through.

David Wenham plays a lovable, struggling father, if not a bit of a nimrod, but all of those qualities are endearing to his character. It's an ironic look at an Aussie battler getting in over his head with a kind of low-key Turkish mafia mob. The irony is, his life is as stiff as the body he's sent to investigate, and everything kind of snowballs into chaos from there. In the process of turning his life upside down, things somehow result in being the right way up, or at least acceptable.

A lot of the humour in this movie is very dry, and that's maybe why it appealed to me. I really enjoyed Wenham's character, and especially the way he deals with his problems. Or doesn't. I think more attention should have been paid to the villains and fleshing out that plot line for more impact at the conclusion of the film. Still, I really liked it, but I don't expect every will.

The Transporter (2002)

Good but could have been better

[1 July 2003]

This has to be one of the better action films to come out in recent times, though being a big Jason Statham fan myself I must admit it has brought my opinion of him down a notch or two. The action in this movie is great. Honestly I can't fault it. It's quick, ingenuitive and damn fun. Jason's heroic posturing definately crosses the line and makes it a little ridiculous. The score was very strange, and made some potentially beautiful scenes seem a little embarassing. I was literally blushing in the theatre so it's a good thing theatre's are dark.

The script could have been better by far. Jason is a good actor and I feel like his talents are wasted on this film. He didn't really play the unemotional fighting machine very well (a common problem these days which Lucy Liu is guilty of in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever). Some of the scenes in this film seem to be irrelevant and could have been replaced with something that fleshes out the plot, rather than having a storyline akin to an 80's action film.

Having said that, I still think it's a great action movie, although it had the potential to be something much more. It's fast, fun and furious. Go rent it.

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Deeper than first glance

[25 December 2002]

I was a little skeptical about watching this film at first, as it didn't seem to hold much interest for me. In the end I am glad that I did watch it, because behind the spooky veneer of the Moth Man mythology there is definately deeper meaning to this story. It's quite easy to mistake some of the characters (including Gere's wife in the film) as ultimately inconsequential but each of these characters do indeed have an involvement with the plot.

While the Moth Man plot is rich and somewhat open ended, it relaxes towards the end of the film, and Gere's struggle to let go of his past anguish in favour of ensuring his future becomes the main focus of the film. In essence, it is impossible to understand an enigma such as the Moth Man, but if we take this simple theory and apply it to every character involved in the film, or every person who has ever received insight into disasters of the future, I think you'll find that it isn't far wrong.

Of course we only see what we want to see. This is true of both us as the audience, and any person receiving such precognition, but I suggest you give this film some of your own time and I'm sure you'll garner more than just a spooky evening of entertainment.

Attila (2001)

Enjoyable movie (very minor spoilers)

[12 September 2002]

Despite the historical innacuracies, this film is really quite enjoyable. I think most of the innacuracies can be accounted to the fact that the majority of people do not know much about this history, so the film makers capitalized on what they DO know, sad as that may be.

I think a better male lead could have been chosen for Attila. As other users have said, it is the supporting cast that contribute the most to his character. I feel that Gerard's performance was quite shallow.

Powers Booth on the other hand, was very strong. In one scene, he prevents the 'assassination' of the Emperor, and his acting is so corny (on purpose mind you) that I had to laugh. It gives strength to the scene. His comment "It's shameful how this city fawns over it's athletes... some of them have more money than I do" had me in tears for hours. I had to appreciate the humour.

In short, if you can put up with Rambo-Attila, you should be set for this film. It's still very interesting and captivating and gives really good insight to the political tensions of those times.