Positive Experience/Entertaining? Incredibly so, yes. Finally, a movie that presents the other side of the argument.
Technically any good? The acting was definitely solid, Javier Bardem is always good and thankfully, he has yet to get boring to me. The story is solid and script entirely believable. The music is also impressive in a movie where it could have easily gone unnoticed. I think this would be a great double feature with “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” because both deal with the same type of setting (a quadriplegic man wrestles with survival). Unlike “Diving Bell” this movie takes a decidedly more “pro-choice” direction, but doesn’t leave out the other side. Like “Diving Bell,” this movie is also based on actual events.
How did it leave me feeling? VERY moved and with tears in my eyes. This film deals with a not-often-represented view that are generally contrary to popular opinion. Everyone says that life is the most important thing at all cost–if you’re living with pain or disease or a body that doesn’t move the way it used to, you are told that life is too precious to throw away. Is that the truth? Or is that just fear talking? This movie might help you decide. Either way, it’s got a great performance from Bardem and that alone makes it worth checking out. It also won the Oscar for best foreign language film for 2004.
Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like - this movie is beautiful, poetic, emotional, tragic and triumphant. Some folks might not enjoy those dramatic swings.
I hate that word “triumphant” but I feel like it fits here.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Yes, definitely positive. However, this isn’t entering my pantheon of brilliant British comedies any time soon.
Technically any good? I think this show serves almost like a prototype for what Ali G. would eventually become and a sibling to the show The Office. This is a parody talk show (or chat show, as they’re called in the UK) where a somewhat moronic TV host, Alan Partridge (played by UK comedian Steve Coogan), fumbles his way through awkward interviews with fictional people. It’s a great character study–the acting is spot-on, the writing is strong (but not brilliant) and by the end of the six-episode series, I found myself strangely addicted to the character. Not in a crazy “let’s get married in a Vulcan wedding” sort of way–but in a “hey, it’s that Knowing Me show on, let’s watch!” kind of way.
How did it leave me feeling? Laughing really hard, actually. The series ends with a pretty hilarious twist and definitely left me wanting more. Which is good since there have been two other series (”seasons,” in Americanese). Though, luckily, the “loser with talk show” format was swapped out for a traditionally structured sequel series called “I’m Alan Partridge.” I’ll PokeRev this next week.
Final Rating? NFI - NetFlix It! Definitely worth a viewing for anyone who likes good solid comedy. A little embarrassing and awkward to watch at first, but you get used to it.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Yes, it was! Though it was very bloody, so be warned.
Technically any good? Over all the movie was a good adaption of the musical, I think. Only a few things really felt missing (like the opening “attend the tale of Sweeney Todd” bit, which wasn’t there) and of course, the talent. I think Johnny Depp and Mrs. Tim Burton are both fine actors, but I felt that neither were quite right for the parts or quite good enough in the singing-department. Maybe Bonham Carter, but she seemed like she was holding back. The acting was pretty awesome, however and the look of the film was SUPERB. I gasped at the final shot of the movie. I very rarely gasp.
How did it leave me feeling? Like this is Tim Burton’s best movie so far–and the one that best reflects his talents. I’ve always felt that his films had so much more potential than he’d let them reach. Save for Beatlejuice, I think Sweeney is the film that he let his darkness run free. Good for him–I hope his next film goes farther.
Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like - while this is a musical, don’t think it’s some popcorn crap-fest–this movie is very bloody, disturbing and is a tragedy. If you like disturbing, bloody tragedies, then you’ll love this movie, I’d say.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Undeniably! This movie is a new addition to my top 20 movies of all time. I really loved this movie.
Technically any good? In nearly all movies there are things that I, personally, would have done differently. With this film none come to mind. The story, the script, the acting, the direction–all of them–are solid and impressive. In particular I was very moved by the film’s interpretation of what creativity feels like from inside the head of a creative person.
How did it leave me feeling? Stunned and enlightened. Oh and entertained, too. If only we could have more movies like this to enjoy.
Final Rating? STM - See This Movie - it will pry your skull open and climb in and I mean that in a good way!
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely entertaining, but quite a bit meandering.
Technically any good? This feels like it would be much better if it were re-written, making it a bit more streamline–and, sad to say, American. The movie has a lot of character, but most of that character doesn’t lead you anywhere story-wise. Half the time I was found myself wondering where it was all going. While things do come together by the end, you’re really left wondering what the movie was really about.
How did it leave me feeling? Satisfied for sure–it was almost a relief to see things come together as they do at the end. However, it’s obvious that most of this film is about character. Lucky for us, Javier Bardem is a great actor and does a great job.
Final Rating? RTV - Rent The Video - A great character study but would have been better in Spanish.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Without a doubt–while it ends a bit too happily for my tastes, I do feel that this is an important movie with an important message.
Technically any good? Solid acting, solid story, great (invisible) directing, and a plot that splits it’s time between comfortable predictability and believable and interesting twists all add up to a technically good film. What’s also nice is that I actually felt something for the characters–even the bad guys to a certain degree.
How did it leave me feeling? Like my opinions on big business and corruption were reinforced. :) It also left me feeling like I had a very satisfying movie-watching experience.
Final Rating? STM - See This Movie - it’s like a less complicated Syriana and almost as important a movie.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely so. We all need to see this movie so we can learn how not to run a business. Also, we need to see this movie so we can look for stupid choices being made in the corporations we work for.
Technically any good? While we don’t get much of the other side, I’m not sure there is much of one. Enron fell apart for a reason. This film presents what those reasons are likely to have been. I’m not sure what the other side of the argument was–maybe that Enron CEO Ken Lay was really just blowing in the wind of Jeffrey Skilling’s hot air? That’s certainly what the film suggests, even if it doesn’t explore it as much as it probably could have.
How did it leave me feeling? Depressed, but educated. What is particularly weird is that this film, the DVD and the extras on the DVD were all produced before Ken Lay’s death. As a result, there is a sense that there is still hope for justice in the case. Ironic, since after Lay’s death, after being found guilty but before sentencing, he had his guilty verdict revoked or reverted or something like that–basically, he’s been made unguilty. This happens to people who die before they are sentenced.
Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now–for irony’s sake. In the end, Lay got away with it.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Certain aspects of the movie were fun and enjoyable, but ultimately, I wouldn’t recommend it for anything but a rental. Seeing it on the big screen is probably better for the experience, but the rest of the movie falls rather flat, so I think it evens out in the end.
Technically any good? CG FX were AMAZING. Seriously, I was surprised at how little trouble I had with the CG animation itself. Sadly, that’s where the amazing ends. The lead actress was really solid and while Daniel Craig was great as Lord Azriel (sp?), he was hardly in the movie. Everyone else was a big “meh,” ranging from Sam Elliot’s always cool/solid/enjoyable/but-getting-boring performance to Nicole Kidman’s laughable “I’m EVIL” routine. Story felt like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book without the choices. There was no real story development–we are whisked from one plot point to the next, to the next and suddenly, this lab in the arctic is exploding. Not sure why, or how, or what it all means because no one stops and questions even when what is going on makes little sense (why did she have to take the ice bridge over the chasm instead of flying??).
How did it leave me feeling? Really disappointed. I went into this movie very excited and happy to see it. So, this was not me predicting a sucky movie–I wanted to like it. As for the Christians who wanted to boycott this film due to it being based on a book by an Atheist? As an Atheist, I can tell you–this movie was actually pretty Christiany, in my opinion. Personally, I think you should boycott it because it was rushed, flat and not very good.
Final Rating? RTB - Read The Book. I’ve heard the book is excellent–and you don’t even have to wait for the sequels. They’re already out. Plus you don’t have any crappy acting from Nicole Kidman to deal with (Hey, Nic, if you’re reading this–real evil isn’t worn on your sleeve!)
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely, but then, most of BSG 2k is great stuff.
Technically any good? I have tiny misgivings with the title and script, but over all, everything was really very solid. Acting was a little flat from the new lead, but I think that might have been her choice. Not sure. Everyone else, the script and the direction and FX were all what you’d expect from a 45 minute episode of BSG 2k, but twice as long. The tiny issue I had with the title isn’t worth mentioning and the tiny issue with the script is about where Razor falls in the flow of the BSG series. The events take place somewhere around season 2 but we’re waiting for season 4 to begin. Sadly, there are no references in Razor to anything that happens after season 2 making me feel like it was bringing nothing new to the table.
How did it leave me feeling? Hey, it’s Battlestar Galactica–the series rarely leaves me feeling bad and this 90 minute movie didn’t either.
Final Rating? If you’re into BSG? GSN - Go See Now. Even though there are better episodes, this is still really good storytelling.
Click the poster image above to pick this DVD up from Amazon. It’s the “Unrated Extended Edition”–whatever the heck that means. I saw the one that was on TV, not this one. By the look of it, you get an extra 11 minutes with the DVD over the aired cut which was 90 minutes.
 
click about to buy on DVD |
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Yeah, of course–it’s Blade Runner. However, I can’t say this cut is that much different from the last.
Technically any good? Without a doubt this version is more clean and “perfected” than the “Director’s Cut” of Blade Runner. Though, to be honest, I was happy with the original cut, much happier with the director’s cut but just sorta shrugged at this one. Sure, they got rid of the wires holding up the flying cars and the shots of Joanna Cassidy’s stunt woman have been replaced, which is nice, but honestly, the film already blew me away and those few flaws it had were a reflection of the times the film was originally made in. Seems a shame to do away with those old versions just because director Ridley Scott came down with a case of Georgelucasitis. Imagine if Leonardo Da Vinci came forward in time and decided to touch up the Mona Lisa. In my mind, that’s what Blade Runner: The Final Cut is like.
How did it leave me feeling? Entertained for sure, but ultimately underwhelmed. I had heard that Scott was going to clear up the question of whether Ford’s character was a replicant or not and, in my opinion, he really didn’t. There’s one shot where it looks like he’s got the glowing eyes-thing, but then he still gets his ass thoroughly whooped by Rutger Hauer. So….?
Final Rating? DNS - Do Not See for any other reason than it’s playing on the big screen. Seriously, if you already loved Blade Runner you don’t need to bother running out to buy this new DVD unless it’s tiny imperfections reeeally bothered you. In fact, everyone should hang onto your older DVDs of the film because they’re worth a lot more now that they’re on the endangered species list.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? No other movie had such a profound effect on me–at least none I’ve seen for the first time on the small screen. This movie is incredible. Completely unexpected was its power.
Technically any good? Honestly? The only thing that I felt needed to be done differently was a particular wig that shows up on a character. It’s not supposed to be a wig but you can really tell, which is a shame because it’s really the movie’s only imperfection and it comes at a point in the story where you don’t want to be knocked out of the film. Still, the rest of the film is absolutely superb. The script is strong, the acting is nearly flawless and on a purely personal level, it was WONDERFUL to see so FEW WHITE PEOPLE. I’m white and I am so bored of seeing blandly good looking white people in EVERYTHING. Beyond that, this film has such incredible things to say about all of humanity, not just Native Americans or white people.
How did it leave me feeling? Emotional. I was drenched with tears. Absolutely drenched. The last time I cried so hard at a movie I was watching one of my favorite films of all time, Cinema Paradiso which always gets me balling like a little boy who skinned his knee. It was sad and joyous and tragic and triumphant all at the same time. The film answered almost as many questions about life as it asked leaving one or two open for us to explore over our remaining years on this planet.
Final Rating? GSN - GO SEE NOW - Holy crap, this movie is now tied with Cinema Paradiso and Das Boot for the title of “ThePete’s Favorite Movie of All Time.”
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely. I can see why filmmakers keep coming back to this premise–it’s brilliant. Especially for 1978 when we were all scared that the Soviets were infiltrating our country. It’s also fitting for today with us all being scared that Al Qaeda is infiltrating our country.
Technically any good? Well, the opening titles are pretty horribly dated, so just ignore those. The effects over all are pretty disturbing, but the dog could have been better. (See the movie and you’ll know what I mean.) The acting was great–Of course, Veronica Cartwright is always great as a panicking woman. :) Jeff Goldblum was convincing as an annoying know-it-all writer (takes one to know one!), Donald Sutherland was pretty convincing as an American. He was also good as a man who trusted the system a bit longer than he should have. Brooke Adams is really great as the woman in peril whom you want to see nude (and eventually do), though she is pretty progressive for being a typical damsel in distress. The script is solid, though with a couple of bad choices (I like Leonard Nimoy, but it was obvious what was going on with him). Everything was pretty solid and creepy to me.
How did it leave me feeling? Wonderfully paranoid! Not that I expected to find a double of my wife in a closet when I got home, but I know a good paranoid movie when I come away feeling paranoid of…nothing in particular… and everything.
Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - this film is on par with the original as far as being pretty damn good for its time. If you like Paranoia, check this movie out.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely–this is one of my favorite films of all time. It’s wonderfully paranoid. Invasion of the Body Snatchers on a really small scale.
Technically any good? Wow, where to begin. The acting is completely spot-on–there’s no one who isn’t believable in this film. Wilfred Brimley is really very freaky. The story is incredibly well constructed and, as I said, wonderfully paranoid. There’s not much else to say–it’s easily one of the most solid scifi thrillers ever.
How did it leave me feeling? Creeped out, as it should. I’d love to see a sequel to this. Only set it in present day–twenty-five years later…spooky!
Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - It’s a great movie. And if you haven’t already seen it, check out the first film (check out my Pocket Review here: thepete.com/thing-from-another-world-1951/) made from the original short story called The Thing from Another World, published in 1950.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Every once in a while there’s a Coen Brothers film that I don’t care for. At least, that’s what I learned after watching this film. I think the ending is really what left me flat, though.
Technically any good? I thought everyone was pretty solid except for Jennifer Jason Leigh who needed to scale herself back a bit because only she was truly acting like an actor acted in films that came out during the period in which this film takes place. Wow. Did that make sense? Everyone else was cartoony, but not quite on par with Ms. Jason Leigh. The story was fun and interesting and had a great sense of fable about it, but the Deus Ex Machina ending was so obvious and so stupid (and could have easily been done with more imagination) that it kind of ruined the movie for me.
How did it leave me feeling? Disappointed. I won’t tell you what happens, just that it’s pretty damn contrived and left me wondering just what the hell the message of the movie was in the end.
Final Rating? NFI - NetFlix It - don’t directly spend any money on this one–it’s just for Coen Brother fanatics.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Wow–was it ever. This film is incredibly powerful. Hitler as a human being. I can’t believe this film came out of Germany!
Technically any good? Unbelievably solid. I would have liked a larger scope for the film, but th 3rd Reich’s last few years still made for an interesting film. I wish the director would have made an epic like Das Boot about this subject matter. The acting is amazing–almost every single actor nails the ambiguity of working for a man who was amoral in some ways and delusional in others. You can almost understand why they didn’t stop him. Those same scenes provided a disturbing mirror to what must be going on these days inside the White House.
How did it leave me feeling? Depressed. There are some seriously heavy scenes in this film–child murder, suicide, and lots of delusional people absolutely convinced that what they were doing was right.
Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - Excellent film. Just excellent (but not for kids, duh).
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely. This was my second viewing and I felt like I enjoyed it more this time than I did the first time.
Technically any good? Definitely. The Coen Brothers made this film. You may recall their Raising Arizona or their Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. Good, if not a little weird, stuff. Solid acting from everyone involved and a script that doesn’t make complete sense, but I don’t think it was supposed to. John Tuturro steals every damn scene he’s in. Brilliant, that man is.
How did it leave me feeling? Feeling good to be alive and to not have John Goodman’s character as a friend. I think after this viewing of the film I realized that I’ve grown some Lebowski-esque traits since the first time I saw it. I can’t tell if that’s good or bad.
Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like - it’s a little violent, a little “out-there” and a little sexual, so it may not be for you. But if you don’t mind those things, you’ll probably enjoy it just fine.
ThePete abides, my friends, and aren’t you glad he’s out there?
Positive Experience/Entertaining? HELL, YES! While the climax runs out of steam half-way through, everything that comes before is a genuinely fun, entertaining film. It’s only slightly insulting to adults in it’s basic premise, but there’s a lot of fun, harmless raunchiness that makes up for it.
Technically any good? FX are pretty solid for it’s time and the acting was pretty solid, too. Well, they were all believable little kids. The badguys were less believable, but I liked Robert Davi’s twist on the typical Italian-American gangster. The story was pretty solid over-all–now we know where Nicholas Cage’s National Treasure got the idea from.
How did it leave me feeling? Happy, but a little bored. Movies these days tend to have too many endings or too few. I wasn’t used to the climax being a little flat and a wrap-up that managed to sneak in a few more fat-jokes, Asian jokes and a reasonable ending to a film. One truly nitpicky point: pirates on the west coast??
Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like - This kind of film is so much fun and perfect for everyone over the age of about ten or twelve, in my mind. There are a few randy jokes, but nothing you can’t say “we’ll explain that when you’re older” to.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Sure–in a horribly cheesy way. I forgot how cheese-ball this film was. The 1980s were a time when we’d accept any kind of cocky dickweed as a hero. Smarm does not begin to describe Tom Cruise in this film… or in life, now that I think about it. Still, it was enjoyable to make fun of and we had help from Mike Nelson and Bill Corbett of RiffTrax.com.
Technically any good? Well, I’ll always maintain that the flight sequences are truly thrilling (there are only a couple obvious model shots in the film) the story and acting was straight out of some low-rent acting school. No offense to Kelly McGillis, who really is a great actress, but she’s pretty flat in this. If this movie were shot today, they’d cast the chick from Transformers as the dog fighting instructor. The music was cheesy and fun and the FX were great.
How did it leave me feeling? Astounded–how did I ever take this film seriously? I think most of us did back in the 1980s. Maybe I just liked the military more back then? I can’t explain it. But it’s seriously painful to watch now.
Final Rating? RTV - Rent The Video - for 1980s nostalgia’s sake only. Don’t expect an actual good movie.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Definitely positive. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film. The only reason I saw it was because of the cast and that I had heard it was good. This film is very good. A little unsettling and thought provoking, but hey, if you don’t mind thinking, this film is worth seeing.
Technically any good? While I had my issues with the casting (young Anthony Hopkins is WAY hunkier than old Anthony Hopkins), I think everything was pretty damn solid. The story and script were both solid, acting was superb (though I think monotone doesn’t count as an acting choice for Nicole Kidman). Everything was just solid.
How did it leave me feeling? Thoughtful–veeeery thoughtful. There’s an interesting subtext (with the emphasis on “SUB”) in this film of prison and slavery–I think in someways it mirrors our own reality. See? Like I said: it left me feeling thoughtful.
Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - I really recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys good character studies and the push to think about their own lives.
Positive Experience/Entertaining? Ugh, for all the “bad movie” reasons. This had MST3K written all over it.
Technically any good? Not really. This seemed to me to be a quick and dirty “scifi” “action” movie that cost a few bucks to make and a few weeks to shoot (if that). There was one surprise in the script, but it happens early on and you might miss it or, if not, find it frustrating. The production values were kind of a joke and the acting was hit and miss. I blame the director for this, however, since all it would have taken was a second or third take to get something better out of them (yeah, it looked like everything was shot with as few takes as possible). The crappy FX were made passable by constant rain masking the low resolution.
How did it leave me feeling? Meh, like I had just taken an Alka-Seltzer by inhaling the fumes. Pretty unsubstantial but worth seeing in an MST3K kind of way. It’s basically Battlefield Earth without the budget or the John Travolta, which means in some ways it’s better than BE and other ways worse. Of course, it WAS better than Transformers, which was why I Netflixed it in the first place. While that movie was insultingly stupid and left me filled with bile and animosity toward Hollywood, Transmorphers left me feeling almost nothing, so kudos to director Leigh Scott for being less insulting than Michael Bay (like that’s hard to do–sorry, Leigh!).
Final Rating? RTV - Rent The Video (but only for quipping)
