ponderous Reviews

Let the Right One In (2008)

A great story about early adolescence, revenge, and yes, vampires

[9/10 · 31 May 2008]

I saw several movies at the Seattle International Film Festival this year, and Let the Right One In was by far my favorite of the bunch. It's primarily a movie about how friendship can help you find your own personal strength. Two lonely children meet and change each other's lives. The fact that one is a vampire makes the movie even more interesting and unique, but it's not the most important plot detail. The cold darkness of Sweden makes the perfect backdrop for the story. It was so refreshing to see a vampire movie that doesn't rely upon cheap scares, fangs and gore. The only scene I didn't enjoy involved cats with computer animated faces - it looked very stupid and out of place, but this was a small disappointment in an otherwise outstanding film. I highly recommend this movie.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Was I the only person bored to death by this movie?

[3/10 · 6 February 2008]

I went into the theater expecting to love There Will Be Blood, but instead found myself thoroughly annoyed by the soundtrack (distracting and overly dramatic), the plot (almost nothing happens over the course of 2.5 long, excruciating hours) and the main character (over-the-top, one-dimensional, unlikeable and unbelievable). The first third or so was good despite the awful soundtrack, but after the pivotal accident scene with his son, I couldn't stop looking at my watch. NOTHING HAPPENS. Was it supposed to be a fascinating character study? Daniel Day-Lewis plays an evil (or just "competitive" as he says) cyborg who spends most of his time chewing imaginary tobacco that never gets spit out. The only time he seems remotely human is in the occasional scene where he almost manages to seem like he cares a tiny bit about his son. That's it. I should say, that's it except for a stupid ending involving a bowling lane. The best thing about the movie was the excellent cinematography.

Spend your money on No Country for Old Men instead of this - it's about a million times better in every way.

Battlefield Earth (2000)

Worst movie ever!

[1/10 · 15 September 2002]

I'm never seen a dumber, more boring movie in my life, and I have seen a lot of bad ones. All I can figure is that the people involved in its production are Scientologists and helped out as a tribute to their religion and L. Ron Hubbard. That's the only way they could have possibly ignored the lameness of this script. Unless you're in the mood for laughable dialogue, sad acting and a terrible plot, don't waste your time.