roddick-1 Reviews

The Pretender (1987)

Poorly executed

[23 June 2007]

The Pretender is about a teenage boy who becomes a devoted Christian in order to get in a girl's pants. While this is a very true story, the way the movie is executed makes it laughable.

The acting is nothing special and the editing is awful and becomes irritating. Somes scenes are very unrealistic and make no sense. If things like this were changed people would most likely take the movie more seriously.

Overall this movie could have been good, but was poorly executed. Even with a small budget the filmmakers have common sense. Watch this movie if it's on TV and you want a few laughs.

Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987)

Terrific Stand Up Comedy

[8/10 · 8 May 2007]

I have grown up to know Eddie Murphy as the funny guy who plays multiple people in one movie, but I also knew that some time ago he was a comedian to which no ground was sacred and who wore some crazy outfits. Luckily I was able to watch one of his classic comedy routines recently, Raw.

The greatest part of Eddie's routine was his impersonations. The voice, mannerisms and stuff the people speak about are all done perfectly. Another great thing is that he tells the humorous truth about things like relationships and how people act and think.

This movie/performance proves that Eddie Murphy is one of the greatest comedians out there. It is definitely one, for all those mature enough, to see. I will be looking out for more old Eddie Murphy stand up DVDs and I hope he goes back to his old ways.

Tha Eastsidaz (2000)

Not a good film, but you can still enjoy it if that's what you're expecting

[5 February 2007]

Sure this movie has bad acting moments, weak production, poor shootouts and looks like a home video, but if you start watching it knowing this you should get some enjoyment out of it. If you still don't it's understandable though.

Those who aren't fans of Snoop Dogg will most likely never like this movie because of the reasons above and the fact that there are a considerable amount of rappers acting in it, fans may hate it too, but the later should give it a try. There are some funny moments (some intentional and some not) it has a reasonably original plot and some good music.

Overall it is a movie not to be taken seriously. It can be compared to Blaxploitation movies like Dolemite. You have to understand that it's not a good film, but you can still enjoy it if that's what you're expecting. But definitely rent it first.

Night at the Museum (2006)

A bit of fun

[6/10 · 30 December 2006]

Night At The Museum is a fun family movie. It's annoying how people are complaining about how bad it was. They might have got their expectations up because of all the famous comic actors in the movie, but they forgot that the plot of the movie is "exhibits in a museum come to life at night", it's a kid's movie. And since I went in thinking just that I got more out of it than the people who wanted a comic gem.

As far as laughs go there's plenty of slapstick and cheeky monkeys, but still some good moments with Owen Wilson and Ricky Gervais's type of humor, plus Mickey Rooney's character was pretty funny.

With the different types of comedy put together, Night At The Museum should be fun for all ages as long as they understand they're watching a family movie.

Derailed (I) (2005)

An exciting and original thriller

[8/10 · 30 December 2006]

Derailed took me by surprise as an exciting and original thriller. I wasn't really a fan of Clive Owen in the past but his recent work in this film and Inside Man made me respect him much more. Vincent Cassel did an excellent job as the villain LaRoche as well. The Rza as likable best friend Winston was great and even Jennifer Anniston did a good job. Many people say how she always plays the same person in every movie she's in, which is pretty much true, but in Derailed her character shows some differences.

The many plot twists are bound to catch you off guard at least once. It definitely has an unpredictable and original story which is still easy to understand. I'm eager to read the book it was based on to see how it compares.

People who like intense thrillers and pretty much anyone else in the age limit should enjoy Derailed. It is an exciting, entertaining, standout film.

Style Wars (1983 TV Movie)

Fantastic Documentary on Graffiti and Hip Hop in the Early Eighties

[8/10 · 13 November 2006]

While searching my video shop for Hip Hop movies I came across this film. Having not heard of it before and the fact that it was a 70 minute documentary made me a bit skeptic about hiring it, but after reading a quote by Krs-One on the front cover saying it was what I had to see for true Hip Hop I was eager to get it out. It turned out to be a great documentary on graffiti and Hip Hop in the early eighties which I throughly enjoyed.

It was interesting to see how mixed the scene was race wise back then. This could be quite funny at times, like seeing a hardcore subway graffiti artist with a tight Van Halen t-shirt on and long red hair. This showed that graffiti, DJing, breaking and MCing weren't all considered Hip Hop back then. To do one didn't mean you were into the other.

Style Wars makes you understand the pride and enjoyment the artists get out of bombing trains, but you also realize how awful it is for the government to replace or clean trains and especially how bad it is for one bomber's mother.

Style Wars is primarily a documentary on graffiti but it also briefly touches on breaking and MCing. Funny that it doesn't mention DJing as a main part of Hip Hop, since that is considered the original and sometimes most important element these days.

Overall, Style Wars is a fantastic documentary and a must see for fans of Graffiti and early Hip Hop.

United 93 (2006)

Amazing

[9/10 · 26 August 2006]

I went into this movie not knowing much about it except that it was about the plane that didn't hit a target. I hadn't seen any trailers or anything. I was expecting that it would be more of a blockbuster type film. I was quite wrong. United 93 was a truly amazing and scary experience.

I had always found it awful of course watching documentaries on 9/11, but never really scared. Probably because I live in New Zealand. But watching this as if you are actually in the plane was frightening. I was not scared in the build up of the event, even though you see the terrorists looking nervous etc, but as soon as they started shouting and stabbing innocent people I became quite frightened.

The cast did an excellent job. It was awful to see the look of fear on the people's faces when they knew they were going to die, or how nervous they were at fighting back at the hijackers. The actors who played the terrorists were amazing as well. You hate them even more since they have a face, but are of course extremely scared of them too.

Paul Greengrass did a terrific job on this movie. Amazing and scary, United 93 reinforces how awful the 9/11 attacks were.

Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)

Some flaws but not horrendous

[4 June 2006]

I'm not a 50 Cent fan, but this movie wasn't as bad as some people have said. 50 Cent's acting was pretty bad and there were some stereotype characters and plot lines but it's not a one star movie.

There is some interesting parts of the story, good directing and good acting by most actors but not 50. You probably know that 50 Cent mumbles his words due a gun shot in the mouth, that may work for a unique (but annoying) flow in his raps, but it can be pretty annoying if he is the main character of a movie. Some dialogue and even narration can't be heard because of the mumble. Plus he has some pretty flat and boring moments of acting where his face doesn't change expression and his voice has no emotion.

That aside there are still some parts where 50 puts forward an OK job and like I've said before the rest of actors are good. There are also some good songs on the soundtrack from legends like KRS-One and LL Cool J, It's a shame the soundtrack released for this movie is songs inspired from the motion picture and not the ones actually in the movie.

One thing that I'm sick of though is hearing 50 Cent's story from rags (sort of) to riches. So most people will know the basic plot of this movie without seeing it, but there are more details of course to make it a real movie which is good.

Overall Get Rich Or Die Trying is an OK movie. I knew it wasn't going to be an epic classic going into it but it was still some fun. Don't go out of your way to see it but if you feel like it, see it.

24 Hour Party People (2002)

Great Documentary, Comedy and Drama

[7/10 · 29 May 2006]

I only started to watch 24 Hour Party People because it said Sex Pistols in the summary and they featured in the trailer. Even though they had quite a small part in the movie I was not disappointed because it was still a fabulous movie.

I didn't know anything about bands like Joy Division and Happy Mondays before watching this movie but after hearing some of their great music on this films brilliant soundtrack I will definitely be looking out for some of their stuff.

Steve Coogan did a great job of playing Tony Wilson. He was very annoying and very full of himself, but I think that's what Tony is like in real life. The rest of the cast were great too, especially Andy Serkis as Martin Hannett and Sean Harris as Ian Curtis.

The movie can be very funny at points, quite sad at others and almost always explicit, whether it be drugs, sex or foul language, but that doesn't really distract from the great story.

Overall, 24 Hour Party People is a great documentary, comedy and drama. I'm sure fans of the music it is about will love it, and even people who it is new to (like myself) will enjoy it.

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

Fun and interesting movie

[7/10 · 1 May 2006]

I began watching The Gods Must Be Crazy thinking it would be a hilarious goof ball comedy but as I got into it I found it was less funny than I thought it would be, but still very interesting. The comedy in this movie is mainly slapstick which is pretty funny but does get a little bit boring as does some of the romance in the story. The main reason I like this movie is because of all the information it gives on different people from parts of Africa. The Kalahari bushmen are an amazing people and I enjoyed learning about them as well as the other groups in that region. There are a few different stories in this movie which all come together quite neatly which is well done. It's sad to see that the writer and director Jamie Uys passed away ten years ago, he has put together here a fun and interesting movie that is definitely one to check out.

The Ringer (2005)

Great feel good comedy

[6/10 · 27 April 2006]

At first I didn't want to see The Ringer, since a review I had read gave it no stars. But when a friend and I wanted to go to the movies and there was nothing else on I thought I may as well check it out. It turned out to be a nice, funny, feel good movie that definitely doesn't deserve zero stars.

Some have said that it is unfair that Johnny Knoxville gets acting roles when he only became famous by hurting himself on Jackass, which is pretty true. He still does a good job as the main character Steve Barker. The rest of the cast were good as well especially the real handicapped people who were acting.

There are plenty of funny parts of course. Mainly making fun of the contestants in the Special Olympics although I wouldn't think it would offend anybody.

Overall The Ringer is a great feel good comedy that doesn't go out of it's way in making fun of handicapped people, but really shows that they are just the same as any other person.

Stop Snitchin, Stop Lyin (2006 Video)

Brilliant and funny documentary exposing G-Unit

[13 April 2006]

I have been a fan of The Game's since early on and was glad to see that he left G-Unit. While he may have gone a bit overboard with the diss tracks to 50 Cent and G-Unit at least he is taking them on like no one else seems to be doing.

I had heard that this DVD documentary had come out but didn't feel an urge to see it though. But after reading a few good reviews for Stop Snitchin' Stop Lyin' I thought I should check it out.

The Game and members of his record label The Black Wall Street do a great job making fun and exposing the lies about G-Unit. It features some hilarious skits poking fun at G-Unit members and sometimes the truth about 50 Cent and his group are just as funny.

While 50 Cent may be more famous than The Game, after seeing the Stop Snitchin' Stop Lyin' DVD you will agree with me that The Game has won his feud with G-Unit. This is a must see for fans of The Game. Fans of 50 Cent should also watch it so they can see the truth about him. I'm looking forward for new material from The Game.

Beef (2003)

Interesting documentary on Hip Hop feuds

[18 March 2006]

Beef is an interesting documentary on Hip Hop feuds. It covers almost all major feuds between rappers from early on in the hip hop world to recent times. While it goes into detail on some of the feuds more than others it still remains informative. I found it became a bit boring in some parts but that's really only because they were talking about rappers which I didn't know about or aren't interested in. The documentary has plenty of unseen and rare footage concerning each Beef which is good and also interesting interviews with some of the rappers and people involved.

It does go a bit overboard on some feuds and I began to loose interest in them, even if they were concerning my favourite rappers, but it makes up for it with the more interesting parts and information on beefs that I hadn't heard of.

I thought the best parts were those covering the beefs between Kool Moe Bee and Busy Bee, Boogie Down Productions and MC Shan and feuds concerning NWA because they were informative, interesting and didn't go on for too long.

Overall it is a good documentary and even though there are some dull bits, Beef is still a must see for any Hip Hop fan

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would but still good

[24 February 2006]

I didn't enjoy Napoleon Dynamite as much as I thought would but I can understand why. It is mainly because there has been a lot of hype over it and people saying how funny it is so I watched it with extremely high expectations. Also because people are always quoting and imitating characters from the movie everywhere I go so I already knew a lot of the jokes before I saw the movie. Had that not have happened I would of probably found it hilarious. Jon Heder does a great job as Napoleon, who is a great new original character. The rest of the cast are good as well especially Efren Ramirez who plays Napoleon's Hispanic friend, Pedro and I also liked Uncle Rico played by Jon Gries. Even though I had heard most of the jokes before, I still think they are funny and I might not have laughed when I heard them on the movie but I did when I was first told them so well done to the writers Jared and Jerusha Hess. Napoleon Dynamite should prove to be great entertainment as long as you haven't heard most of the jokes before!

Layer Cake (2004)

Great new gangster movie

[9/10 · 24 February 2006]

Being a fan of gangster movies and eager to see what the new James Bond is like I saw Layer Cake and it blew my expectations away. It is a great new gangster movie, exciting, suspenseful and funny.

Daniel Craig does a great job as his unnamed character. George Harris and Colm Meaney who play his friends and business partners are great as well. The story is original and has plenty of great twists. I will be looking for the novel it's based on. Matthew Vaughn does a great job directing. The movie always looks very cool and stylish.

It will definitely be liked by fans of the genre and will probably appeal to anybody else too. It brings gangster movies to a whole new level. Highly recommended.

Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)

Light comedy with some good laughs

[5 February 2006]

In previews and early reviews this movie was called "one of the funniest movies ever" and I was eager to see it. But after a while it began to get called "the worst Jim Carrey movie ever". I still thought I should see it, being a big Jim Carrey fan, plus I haven't always agreed with the critics. After seeing it I can't say it's the funniest movie ever, but it definitely isn't the worst.

I have not seen the original version, but I'm sure there are some modern plot twists and of course original jokes. There are plenty of gags and funny situations that kept me entertained throughout and some really good ones that made me laugh hysterically. Many comedies are very silly which makes them so funny, but people have said that this movie is just silly and not funny at all, I can't agree. While there are some small parts that are just silly, the rest are not.

Acting wise it is quite good. Jim Carrey does his trademark craziness well in this one. The rest of the cast do well too.

Overall it's a funny, entertaining movie. If you feel like a light comedy with some good laughs, ignore the harsh critics and go and see it.

A Better Tomorrow II (1987)

Different from the original

[7/10 · 8 January 2006]

Having seen A Better Tomorrow 1 and thoroughly enjoying it, I was eager to see it's sequel. Even though not all reviews I had read of it were positive, I still thought I should give it a go. I found out that A Better Tomorrow II is quite different from it's predecessor.

Probably the thing that stands out as the most different is the style it has been filmed in. More advanced camera angles etc. plus the picture quality is better.

That may be an improvement, but most of the other changes are not so good. For starters, there a lot changes to do with the characters. Lung Ti's character "Ho", who was definitely the main character in the last film, is turned into a secondary character this time round, but he still does a good job acting. Lung Ti's top spot is taken by Dean Shek, who plays an old friend of Ho's. While good at times, I don't think he should of been given the main role. The rest of the cast do a good job, with the stand out being, of course, Chow Yun-Fat.

One thing that does stay the same is the fabulous shoot-outs. They are more bloody this time and more elaborate, plus there is also more of them than in A Better Tomorrow 1. Even though it changes around some characters, it still has a good John Woo story. Filled with drama, emotion and plenty of action.

Overall it is still a good movie. It does have some big changes, but it does remain an above the average action movie.

Still Smokin (1983)

Not that funny but not terrible

[22 December 2005]

Being a fan of That 70's Show and liking it's Leo character who is played by Tommy Chong, I thought I should check out the movies I had heard about that he made with Cheech Martin. After viewing my first Cheech & Chong movie I am left with mixed thoughts.

Before I watched it, I looked at it's page on IMDb. Seeing it was full of low star ratings and negative reviews, I knew I had picked the wrong Cheech & Chong film. Still, I went into it optimistically but it turned out so-so.

I don't think there were any jokes that made me laugh out loud, but there were some that made me smile or very lightly laugh. Even though all the gags weren't good, the way they did it is still an original approach to comedy. If there were better jokes it could of been really good.

Tommy Chong is a very good actor in this movie. Even when it's not funny, Chong still does well acting wise. Plus sometimes he has this innocent look on his face which makes you feel sorry for him if you don't laugh. Cheech does OK. He's not as good at acting as Chong is, but still OK.

Overall this is an OK movie. You'll probably get a few laughs out of it, but you're not missing anything if you don't watch it.

A Better Tomorrow (1986)

A Better Tomorrow (Ying hung boon sik) is a must see movie

[8/10 · 11 December 2005]

A Better Tomorrow is one great movie. It is a fantastic mix of drama, action and crime movies. Big fans of any of those genres will enjoy this movie.

An interesting thing about this movie is that it is a lot more character and story driven than other John Woo films. There are a lot less shootouts in A Better Tomorrow than in other Woo films but the ones in this movie still have the same excitement value.

Another interesting thing is that even though he is all over the covers and posters of this movie, Chow Yun-Fat is not actually the main character. I think that the reason of this is that he gives an outstanding performance as his character Mark. Chow Yun-Fat does the best job acting here, but Lung Ti and Leslie Cheung do a great job as well. The characters in this movie develop a lot through out and the actors handle this very well. a Better Tomorrow is definitely a well acted movie.

A Better Tomorrow is a must see movie. Not just for gangster or action movie fans, but for everybody.

Four Brothers (2005)

A refreshing change to what is normally coming out today

[9/10 · 26 November 2005]

I had been scoping this movie since it was called "Untitled Mark Wahlberg Project'. Being directed by John Singleton and starring Mark Wahlberg it looked promising. I knew I wanted to see it after reading 5/5 reviews and seeing entertaining trailers of it. Eventually I saw it for a friends's birthday party, and I was impressed!

A standout thing in this movie is that it perfectly combines the action, comedy and drama genres together. At times it can have you laughing out loud, others it can have you quite sad and on the edge of your seat in excitement viewing the great action scenes.

The four lead actors do a great job. Mark Wahlberg plays a character which is different from what he normally plays and he pulls it off well. Andre Benjamin (or Andre 3000 from OutKast) does a great job too. He is definitely much better than just the usual rapper turned actor.

The story is great. It has a much thicker plot than what would be expected from a revenge movie. In fact, that is another standout thing, the original storyline.

Overall this is definitely a movie you should see. A refreshing change from the comedy remakes we normally see coming out of the theater. One that will be on my to buy list.

Gang Tapes (2001)

Great if you look past the obvious

[8/10 · 23 November 2005]

I was quite keen to see Gang Tapes being a fan of 'hood movies but it was not an easy task. Being reasonably unknown in general and not what would usually come to mind when the topic of ghetto/hood/gang banging movies is brought up (that spot is usually reserved for "Boyz N The Hood" and "Menace II Society"), it wasn't at any of the video shops I visited. After looking for it for some time I eventually gave up. But last week I was searching for a good movie at my video shop when I noticed they had bought a copy of "Gang Tapes".I rented it out and found it was worth the wait.

What would draw most people away from this movie is the cover, R18 rating and a grisly summary or review on the back. But despite all this the movie is not overly violent at all. There are some pretty bad moments that makes this definitely not a family movie, but I still don't think it deserves an R18. The only over the top thing in this movie is the offensive language, but that probably wouldn't faze anyone because bad language is commonplace in all 'hood movies.

Some people have said that it is pointless because all it does is show gang life. Which is true. It does realistically show gang life, but that is no reason to put it down. Now, I'm not saying that "Gang Tapes" is better than "GoodFellas", but "GoodFellas" just shows life in the mafia and nobody puts it down.

One might say it is "just another 'hood movie" and it is another 'hood movie, but Adam Ripp (director and writer) and the rest of the crew have managed to make it different from the others. For starters, it is filmed all from the point of view of a young teenage boy living in South Central L.A. which is an original twist. Another interesting thing is that the bulk of the main cast are all gang members, ex-gang members or have grown up in South Central and have added realism to the story and dialogue. The writers have also made the plot different from what you would usually see in movie of this genre.

The acting is probably better than what most people would expect. As I said before, the gang members are played by actual gang members so they are easily able to pull it off. And performing on camera doesn't matter to them because it's meant to be a home video, so they can look at the camera etc.

Thumbs up for director and co-writer Adam Ripp. Watching the special features I can see he is very passionate about his movie. I feel sorry for him because his movie didn't really become as popular as some other 'hood movies, but at least he knows he made a great movie. Thumbs up for the cast and crew as well.

Overall this is a great movie if you look past the obvious. Anybody who is a fan of 'hood movies should love it and if you are someone who isn't you should still check it out and remember some of the points I made above.

The Breaks (1999)

Definitely not as bad as some people have said

[7/10 · 14 October 2005]

I had a feeling that "The Breaks" would have some bad reviews on IMDb, but it is good to see that it had some very high ones too because it is not a bad movie.

I think what turns people off is the opening sequence. The opening sequence in this movie is poorly acted and has some bad gags that could of turned out better if it was acted better. But don't have a negative attitude towards this movie forever after that. After the movie gets going it becomes funnier and the actors that did poorly in the beginning suddenly start doing well. And it is great for rest of the movie.

The jokes in this movie (bar the opening sequence) are very funny and sometimes very original. There are some good laugh out loud moments.

Acting wise it is pretty good (once again, bar the opening sequence). Some good cameos throughout too.

Overall it is not the funniest movie ever but it is very entertaining. It may be enjoyed more if you are a fan of hip hop and/or hood movies but I'm pretty sure someone not familiar with that whole scene will still enjoy this movie. A funny, original comedy.

Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005 Video)

Perfect Family Guy, but there was something missing

[9/10 · 25 August 2005]

Family Guy is my favorite TV program and I think it's the funniest program out there. So I thought the movie would just be a longer episode, I was wrong.

While the bulk of the movie is just as good even better than I expected, there were some things that weren't right. For starters the F word is used a bit, but only humorously so I didn't care that much. I'm not sure what it was exactly that didn't make this movie perfect. Watch it and your probably see what I mean, if you're like other people and enjoyed it to the fullest then your lucky.

Don't get me wrong, this is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, but not up to the usual Family Guy standards. Any fan of Family Guy should love it, and even if your not, it should prove to be hilarious.

Never Die Alone (2004)

Enjoyable enough that I want to read the book

[7/10 · 25 August 2005]

For starters story is very smart. That's the stand out thing in the movie. Interesting how one person can affect so many. But it seemed very short.

Acting wise it was average I guess. I'm a fan of DMX and think he isn't a bad actor. But most characters he's played are pretty similar. Good job by the supporting cast as well. David Arquette was the a stand out.

Overall an enjoyable movie. I was looking forward to seeing this movie very much for some reason, and it didn't let me down, but it wasn't perfect either. Once you've watched it you'll probably think something was missing because of the shortness, but there isn't (I think!). I look forward to reading the book.

Above the Rim (1994)

Good hood/sport movie

[7/10 · 25 August 2005]

This movie is definitely a memorable hood movie, don't know why it's not up their with the others.

The thing that stood out the most in this movie was that it is not a basketball movie. It's a hood movie. I was expecting it to be a basketball movie set that just happens to be in the hood, but no. Still, it's got a lot of action packed exciting basketball scenes in it. While it's not a basketball movie, any fan of basketball should enjoy it.

Overall it's a good movie. Should be a good watch for fans of hood movies, fans of basketball, or both.