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Reviews
Meet the Fockers (2004)
There are numerous laughs, but also quite a few misses.
MEET THE FOCKERS
RATING =6/10. A fairly funny mixing of tightly wound parents with super relaxed opposites. There are numerous laughs, but also quite a few misses. Skip this one if you hated the original film.
The GOOD. Amazing chemistry between Streisand and Hoffman. (They are obviously enjoying themselves.) Quite a few laughs. Great use of the baby for laughs.
The BAD. The secret CIA activities are rather far-fetched. The extended DVD sequences are not worth watching. The willingness of Stiller's parents to embarrass him often become ridiculous. The "mystery meat" of the fondue was a bit much. The traffic cop sequence tried too hard to be humorous with stereotypes. The film often tries in vain with bathroom-type humor. Not as funny as the original.
24 Hour Party People (2002)
An occasionally entertaining music history tale without enough history.
24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE
RATING = 6/10. An occasionally entertaining music history tale without enough history. More time needed to be spent on Joy Division and the creation of the rave scene since they are so important in the history of music. The film need to be longer or should have covered a shorter time-span.
The GOOD. A very creative history of music tale told through the eyes of Tony Wilson. Features the amazing founders of punk, alternative music, and the start of the rave culture. Steve Coogan gives an entertaining performance throughout the film. Not the standard cautionary tale about the dangers of rock. Great music throughout. Lots of celebrity cameos.
The BAD. Hard to understand some of the thick British accents. Not enough time was spent on Joy Division and the terribly unfortunate suicide of one of its members. Not enough time spent on rave origins. Too short of a film to cover a decade-and-a-half. The viewer will not be interested if he/she does not care about punk, alternative, or techno.
Shi mian mai fu (2004)
Amazing use of colors and sound, but hurt by a sappy third act.
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
RATING = 7/10. A tale of a corrupt government locked into battle with a highly skilled rebel group. Amazing use of colors and sound, but a sappy and depressing third act weakens the movie.
The GOOD. Some of the best use of color for dramatic effect ever used in a movie. The echo/drum scene was amazing for its' creativity, use of sound and editing. (A must-see) Great cinematography. Love the creative sound effects used for all of the knives and swords. Great knife fights. Loved the camera shots that followed the flying arrows. Excellent set design.
The BAD. The last third of this movie is very sappy and predictable. While a sudden snowfall in the film adds to the dramatic coloring, it detracts from making a critical scene believable.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
The joke gets very old, very fast
DODGEBALL
RATING = 3/10. A group of losers try to save their gym through a dodgeball tournament. The laughs are all based around someone getting hit extremely hard through physical humor. The joke gets very old, very fast. If you enjoy watching someone in pain, you'll enjoy this movie.
The GOOD. Ben Stiller's character is funny to look at. A creative idea for a story. The mock ESPN color commentators reminded me of the great scenes from "Best in Show." Some creative cameos to make you smile.
The BAD. Throw the ball; hit someone in a painful place; REPEAT. (Gets old fast.) The pirate character concept was quite lame.
King Arthur (2004)
A creative take on the old familiar tale that is less satisfying than the original.
KING ARTHUR (Un-rated Director's Cut)
RATING = 5/10. A creative take on the old familiar tale that is less satisfying than the original. The characters do not develop fully in this dreary movie, leaving the viewer uninterested at many points in the film. A great fight on a frozen lake and a decent battle at the conclusion slightly redeem this movie.
The GOOD. The storyline is new. A great fight scene on the ice in the mountains. (Easily the best scene.) Great looking armor. Keira Knightly is entertaining, pleasing to look at, and believable as a battle-ready warrior.
The BAD. The fun has been drained away by the generic story. The setting is very gray and dreary for the entire duration of the film. The characters don't develop enough for the viewer to care about them. The older love-triangle tale is more entertaining. Merlin looks like a homeless man or Rob Zombie. Clive Owen does not come across as the type of man who could lead a kingdom. (Not strong enough.) The leader of the Saxons seems to be miscast. A cheesy ending doesn't help this movie.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Disappointing enough for me to join IMDb and post a review
STAR WARS: EPISODE III - Revenge of the Sith RATING: = 3/10. A major letdown with laugh out-loud bad dialogue and computer generated overload. It was great to see the Darth Vader suit fitting, but the rest was pretty much disposable. Kids who haven't seen many films or fans of computer generated overload movies such as "Van Helsing" will like it.
WHY IS IT SUCH A LET DOWN? I LOVED the original 3 movies and bought the toys as a kid. The original Star Wars trilogy wasn't just a movie seriesit was a major part of my childhood.
ABOUT ME: AGE: 28. JOB: Art Director/Computer Designer. EDUCATION = Double major in Advertising and Telecommunications (Bachelor's of Arts). MARTIAL STATUS = Married. VIEWING HABITS = One or two movies a week. (Roughly 65 movies a year.) STAR WARS HISTORY = Have seen all six movies. I own the original trilogy on DVD. I collected nearly all the toys in early elementary school.
THE GOOD:
The Darth Vader suit fitting for Anakin Skywalker -- Easily the best dramatic scene in the movie.
Spaceship / vehicle design -- The new ships have a great look to them. I particularly like the all-terrain vehicle used by General Grievous.
The night city scenes -- The flying cars, buildings, lighting, etc. are very pretty.
Mr. Ian McDiarmid as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine -- Great performance. Easily the best in the movie.
No speaking parts for Jar-Jar -- He only appears briefly.
Multiple light-saber fights.
Hayden Christensen looks great as a sinister villain.
Some old favorites appear in the film -- Darth Vader, R2D2, C3PO, Chewbacca.
Another great John Williams' musical score.
THE BAD:
The space fight in the beginning feels like watching next generation video game footage -- The viewer never gets a sense that the actors are in danger like in the original trilogy.
Yoda should have stayed a puppet during close-up dialogue scenes. --It feels like you are watching a cartoon every time the camera cuts to a close-up of Yoda. His eyes are the main offender (the lighting does not look right).
The love dialogue is horrible. --For example:
"You are so beautiful."
"That's only because I'm so in love."
"No, it's because I'm so in love with you."
The premise for Anakin Skywalker betraying the Jedi's is ridiculous --A certain someone MIGHT be able to help Anakin out with his problem. (But there is no guarantee.) So, Anakin destroys all and turns to the dark side? Right. People just don't sacrifice everything for "maybe."
Natalie Portman wears a hat that looks like an old-school leather football helmet --Laugh out-loud funny is not good during serious scenes.
No Han Solo-type characters/comedy to break up the seriousness of the movie --This movie desperately needs someone like him to make it much more fun to watch. Old Example: Han Solo: "Laugh it up fuzz-ball." (to Chewbacca)
Computer generated overload -- Far too much of this movie was made in the computer. As a result, the movie looks more like a cartoon or video game. (And I do computer design!) It also hurts the performance of the actors since they stand in a green-screen room with minimal props vs. an actual location.
Yoda's advice is garbage. -- Yoda tells Anakin to let go of everything you fear to lose. This basically translates to: don't truly care about anyone or anything. (Not the best advice from the great "thinking" Jedi).
All the interiors are far too perfect to be believable. -- A lack of clutter or quirkiness in any of the rooms does not make this world seem real. People do not live in laboratories.
Hayden Christensen is not believable -- His lines are terrible and forced. Also, his character is far too irrational. (I believe the direction and the script are to blame.)
Lava planet fights = not believable -- Due to heat, smoke, etc., a fight would never happen in this environment.
Giant Iguana's make for cheesy transportation -- I couldn't believe this scene made the final cut. Ouch.