basilcourt Reviews

Interstellar (2014)

Disappointing

[4/10 · 3 July 2023]

Color me disappointed.

Considering the rave reviews and being a devotee of science fiction -- especially space-based sci-fi -- I was looking forward to watching this film. Plus, Nolan's Inception is a masterpiece. Why was the prior movie so much better? Partly because of the acting, partly because of the dialogue, but mostly because of the premise: the malleable fantastic realm of the inner mind, versus the hard, science-dependent realm of negotiating, navigating and surviving space travel.

Unfortunately, Interstellar didn't live up to the hype in any respect. The storyline was so far-fetched, it didn't even qualify as science fiction. It was more pure fantasy with a patina of pseudo-science stuff to give it a sci-fi façade -- but there was zero science, or even simple logic, underlying the premise. Some might argue that a film about mankind being guided by entities beyond our grasp has license to go pure fantasy -- but the rudimentary elements of the central characters' travels and travails still need to remain sensible, and they weren't.

And the plot holes! Big enough to drive their dilapidated pickup truck through -- which miraculously repaired itself whenever that was most convenient. The glaring skip-overs and convenient fixes to even the most fundamental logical incongruities during their interstellar journey were mind-numbing. I'm used to suspending disbelief during science fiction flicks and going along for the ride, but this film demanded total ignorance and blind acceptance of it's own illogical nonsense.

But the worst part of the film was the dialogue. Not only did it try too hard to sound "natural" -- and in doing so came across as totally stilted -- but it was so paint-by-the-numbers pat that I was finishing their scripted sentences before the actors were halfway through reciting them. When Nolan decided that there needed to be tension between the characters, instead of crafting a scenario in which the tension gradually builds, he simply added a couple of lines of unwarranted, gratuitously abrasive dialogue and voila! We have tension!

I gave it four stars because at times I was able to shut down my brain and enjoy the special effects, but even those were stolen from dozens of earlier space movies and even video games.

That this badly-flawed movie has received such high marks does not bode well for the future of the craft. Perhaps the industry is a victim of mind-numbing computer games, where it's all about the destination, not the journey.

The Bourne Identity (2002)

Shake Shake Shake

[5/10 · 1 February 2023]

This film could have gotten an 8 out of 10 instead of 5 out of 10 if the Director had thought to place the cameras on tripods (or at the very least on tracks) instead of opting for WobbleVision.

Honestly, it gives me a mild headache to watch. Maybe if he had at least limited his love of bouncy cameras to the action sequences - but even then, visual disorientation needs to be used judiciously, not incessantly.

They had Steadicams in 2002... there really is no excuse for not employing some image-steadying device for the audiences' sake.

It's the perfect example of a stylistic movie fad run amok.

ADVISORY: take two Dramamine before viewing.

Broken Arrow (1996)

Fair Warning: Don't Associate With Anyone Who Hates This Movie

[10/10 · 3 December 2018]

This is one entertaining flick from start to finish: the action is fluid and engaging; the plot is completely logical within its own constructs; the cinematography is gorgeous; the dialogue is spot-on; and the acting is simply wonderful. The supporting cast does a fine job, Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis deliver just the right degree of straight acting to keep the film from veering into satire, and John Travolta delivers his BEST performance to date: you can FEEL his perpetual inner tension, his channeled insanity, his command and control of the film to its denouement -- he pulls us along with him for the entire coaster ride. Woo's command of the direction is absolute: he knows where he wants this to go, and the journey is very, very satisfying.

For those who don't "get it" -- who don't appreciate Travolta's tour de force, or who take issue with the "realism" of the plot, or who find Woo's direction too violent or one-dimensional: these are the kinds of people you do NOT want to get dragged into conversation with at business conferences or cocktail parties. In fact, a good barometer to gauge whether they are worth you time is to ask them: "Have you ever seen 'Broken Arrow' with John Travolta?" If they say "Yes!" and their faces light up and they mention some element of the film they really liked, then you know you've found an interesting person with whom to converse. But if they say "Ugh... yes. I hated it!", then quickly excuse yourself and avoid them for the rest of the meeting or party. Fair warning!

Wonder Woman (2017)

Major Disappointment

[4/10 · 10 October 2017]

I can't help but wonder if I watched the same film that impressed so many people. As with most DC Comics films, this one was a great disappointment. While Marvel Comics films tend to be satirical and even self-effacing, DC films are pretentious and tedious. Sadly, Wonder Woman was no exception to this rule.

The scripting was totally unimaginative, with dialogue that bordered on infantile. Visually, the landscapes all seemed plastic, with B-movie grade CGI throughout. Even the music was awkward, fighting the dialogue during the more intimate moments and drowning each scene in instrumentals. I found myself doubting whether the director and editor are aware that there doesn't have to be a bombastic or flowery incidental score under everything — it displayed a lack of confidence in the dialogue and acting carrying the scene.

Regarding the acting, both Gadot and Pine gave it their best, struggling with the stilted dialogue and boring, telegraphed story line — but even they couldn't transcend this quagmire. If not for its pretentiousness, this film would have played far better as a comedy, lampooning itself. Instead, it drowns itself in incessant platitudes of women good/men bad, framed within a plebian one-dimensional plot.

Again, I'm at a loss to explain its high marks, other than to ascribe it to the currently trendy political correctness that elevates all patronizing misandry to high art and entertainment.

Remember the Titans (2000)

A lie that perverts the history it allegedly portrays and defames people

[1/10 · 11 August 2015]

This film is one terrible lie. As with a handful of other reviewers here, I was also a victim of the TC juggernaut, having attended Groveton High School during that period. It was a joke to play TC in any varsity team sport: football, basketball, soccer... it didn't matter. Everyone knew that a school three times their size was going to destroy us -- the only question was how badly. They were never, ever, an underdog in any sport — to suggest otherwise is absolute bunk.

To add insult to injury, they changed the name of our team from the Tigers to the "Lions" (because they felt that Tigers was too close to Titans), and they depicted us as backwater hicks... which was laughable, since Groveton served Hollin Hills, the most intellectual and progressive community in the entire DC area, as well as other upper-middle class neighborhoods filled with career government professionals.

The problem, of course, is that Hollywood dreck like this becomes gospel to those who have no knowledge of the actual events. Rather than accept moral responsibility to make a film based on real life events reflect the truth, they purposefully pervert it to satisfy their biased fantasy and obliterate the historical record.

I wish I could give this grossly insulting film a negative rating, to help make up for those who have embraced it as heart-rending "truth", given that they know nothing about the events it claims to document.

The Critic (1963)

Please Add The Critic To The Next Brooks Feature Length DVD

[10/10 · 20 January 2006]

I saw The Critic in the mid-70's as a short before some comedy, and while I don't remember the movie it preceded, I'll never forget Pintoff's tiny gem of a film. The v/o commentary that accompanies the very 60's-era (and very European) abstract animation is the funniest narration I have ever heard in any film -- long or short -- and nobody, NOBODY could have delivered it better than Mel Brooks. The magic of the whole concept is that you truly do feel like the old geezer is sitting right next to you in the theater -- a masterful stroke of comedic/filmic genius. It's a crying shame that The Critic appears to be out of circulation...