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lwade007
Reviews
The Machinist (2004)
What is going on?
Overall I liked this movie. It reminded me a lot of Hitchcock, darker aspects having nothing to do with supernatural but the inner-workings of a person. In fact, that can be so much scarier. The Machinist is a bit darker and more violent that Hitch, but the elements of man vs himself (without that realization) is certainly there.
The movie is about Trevor. He's a guy who works with heavy machinery, sleeps with a call girl, and seems to really like sticky notes and bleach. Overall leading a simple life. However, it's obvious that this guy had some serious issues. For one, he has a body that concentration camp inmates could envy, people keep telling him, "If you were any thinner you wouldn't exist." I'd have to agree with those people, as I found one of the most disturbing aspects of the film to be Christian bale's emaciated body. Then there's also the fact that he admits to not having slept for the last year, although he consistently complains of being tired. Why? Well, that what the film is about. What is the cause of his insomnia?
Oxford Blues (1984)
Does Rob Lowe stop at nothing?
Being a big crew buff I'll see just about anything with a boat in it. The most amusement that I got from this film was from how unrealistic it portrayed the sport of rowing. First of all it's hard to believe little Rob Lowe as the muscular rower-type. Two, no one from Nevada (do they even have rowing there?) would ever make it to rowing on the incredibly prestigious Oxford team in England. But if we pretend that we don't know anything about rowing (and I guess most people don't) this is just another cheesy 80's movie. Oxford Blues does score some points for having some pretty actors, interesting scenery, and revolving around a sport other than football or basketball.
The basic story is this: sexy Rob Lowe works as a valet in Vegas who hooks up with a woman that gives him the funds that could potentially make his dreams come true. These dreams involve hooking up with a girl of British nobility that he's been eyeing for awhile but never actually met.
The storyline is so unrealistic but if that doesn't bug you, there's some fun to be had. A lot of us vs. them American/British stereotypes and of course, as previously mentioned, wildly unrealistic portrayals of the rowing world. Don't take this movie too seriously and you might get some laughs.
Pitch Black (2000)
surprisingly good
I expected this to be just another hokey sci-fi movie but it turned out to be very good. There were many parts that made me jump, even after a second viewing. I was genuinely surprised by how well this movie held my interest. Not only are the effects good, but the plot holds up, the characters are pretty well developed, and the acting is much better than expected. Director David Twohy does an excellent job with the subtleties of this film and adding elements that can be open to interpretation. Overall Pitch Black is a great movie! After watching Chronicles of Riddick first, I was a bit dubious about seeing Pitch Black but I loved it and would absolutely recommend it to others.
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
watch pitch black first
I have to admit the first time I saw this movie I didn't like it that much. In fact my friends and I spent most of the 2 hours ridiculing it, and getting some cheap laughs. But a few months later, I watched Pitch Black for the first time, decided I loved it, and wanted to try COR again. So I watched it alone this time and with an open mind. I found the second time to be much more enjoyable than the first. Although there aren't a lot of tie-ins to the first movie, there are many subtleties that only make sense if you'd see Pitch Black. I enjoyed this movie but I'm big fan of action/sci-fi and Vin Diesel. If you're going to see Chronicles of Riddick do so with an open mind and don't take it too seriously.