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Ranb
Reviews
Troy (2004)
Only "inspired by", not based on the Iliad.
And too bad for that. Homers poem was gutted to make this 3 hour movie. While it stands by itself well enough for a $9 ticket and three hours in the theater, it could have been much better. Imagine a movie based on the Bible without Christ, angels, or miracles. Or Lord of the Rings without magic or wizards. The ten year war seems to be boiled down to a month.
Achilles never really gets a scratch on him even though he is in the thick of a battle full of spears and swords, never mind that he is not revealed to be the son of a Goddess or wearing armor forged by the Gods. He is only a mere mortal here. For anyone who read the poems or is familiar with the stories, there is too much missing. 6/10.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
I guess crime does pay.
A movie based on a book, which in turn was BASED on the life of Frank Abignale. While I obviously do not know enough about Abignale to comment on the things he has done in his life, I do have something to say about the movie. The movie was definitely not a waste of my time to sit through. It was rather enjoyable entertainment. Watching a man transform himself to get what he wants is interesting. The movie does give a glimpse into the working of check fraud and getting around the system.
It also shows a man who thinks little of stealing, whether from banks or other companies. A man who gladly puts himself in the position as a doctor and attorney even though he has no idea what he is doing and can wreck the lives of the patients/people who are counting on him. I'd have to say he got off light. The movie does not say if he made restitution to the people that he defrauded. According to Spielberg, crime does pay.
RB
Die Another Day (2002)
An OK movie only (spoilers maybe)
I thought this movie might be a bit different after watching Bond suffer a bit in prison for a while. But not so. The movie is still full of buildings that explode like they are made from gasoline, guns that fire only blanks, super-human feats such as swimming under ice without shivering upon exiting the icy water, and hitting everything the hero points his sub-machinegun at. The surfing escape scene was rather sad. I thought the villain who fired his car-mounted minigun from directly behind and over his head without starting himself on fire was especially comical. Why didn't Bond use the retractable tire studs while trying to outrun the villain on the frozen lake until he was cornered? I'm sure I would not be allowed to stay in the great shape Bond was in after being tortured for 14 months. He got out with a little nick on his cheek. I've cut myself much worse shaving.
All in all, it was par for the course for a Bond flick.
RB
Crimson Tide (1995)
Interesting but.........
Interesting film, well acted, good plot, but some of the scenes made me cringe. Pets don't go on deployment, nobody runs around like headless chickens just because the ship is diving, no video game sonar displays, ect, etc. But I guess if you portray modern submarine warfare accurately, it would put the audience to sleep.
Suriyothai (2001)
I enjoyed this movie.
I saw this movie with my girlfriend while I was in Thailand. While it was very fast paced, it kept my attention the whole 3 hours. I do not speak Thai, so I had to rely on the subtitles. This may be why I thought some of the dialog and acting was a bit wooden. I was most impressed with the actors surrounding the title character. Suriyothai seemed one dimensional while the other characters, especially the evil consort were much more interesting. 8/10.
Bicentennial Man (1999)
A real let-down
I was hoping to see Asimov's short novel brought to life on the screen. Instead, it was almost as bad as the hatchet job done on Starship Troopers. This movie's Andrew Martin was nothing like Asimov's positronic robots in his novels. His creations were logical and devoted to a fault, not silly. I'm sure Asimov would be very upset to see one of his robots violating the first law of robotics and killing a human being at the end of the movie. This movie made me sad to think of how a simple but pleasant to read story line could be so badly distorted on the big screen.
Mission to Mars (2000)
Only movie I ever walked out on
I walked out on this movie after about 30-40 minutes. The things I remember the most about this show are the silly product endorsements. I should have known this movie would be no good after finding out how prominent the "Face on Mars" played in the plot. I will not get this turkey on video either. Enough said!
Starship Troopers (1997)
Why was it called "Starship Troopers"?
I sometimes enjoy seeing the books I read come to the big screen. This was not one of them. Books can obviously make the transition to the big screen as demonstrated by The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile. I would have to group this film with The Lost World and The Bicentennial Man. So many good and interesting points of the book were changed or deleted all together. Where was Rico's dad, the powered suits, the other alien races? The book presented Rico as an interesting character; the movie turned him into bland white bread. I was disappointed. 2 out of 10
Shanghai Noon (2000)
Not as good as I hoped
I went to this film hoping it would be more than the typical Jackie Chan movie. While Jackie Chan is always fun to watch, he is alongside two actors giving boring performances. Owen Wilson and Xander Berkeley are two names I will watch out for in the future. Nothing interesting came from these charactors. Most of Wilson's lines were just irritating. Having said that, I did enjoy the stunts, and action sequences, especially when Chon Wang finds out how good his Crow foes are with an axe.
Bicentennial Man (1999)
A real let-down
I was hoping to see Asimov's short novel brought to life on the screen. Instead, it was almost as bad as the hatchet job done on Starship Troopers. This movie's Andrew Martin was nothing like Asimov's positronic robots in his novels. His creations were logical and devoted to a fault, not silly. I'm sure Asimov would be very upset to see one of his robots violating the first law of robotics and killing a human being at the end of the movie. This movie made me sad to think of how a simple but pleasant to read story line could be so badly distorted on the big screen.
Sub Down (1997)
Embarressing to watch
This film was a gagger. Why is it that the sailors here seem to be helpless? And the technical details; they must have been filmed like this for laughs. Green reactor coolant? A man dying from radiation exposure due to a coolant leak? Give me a break!
Crimson Tide (1995)
Interesting but.........
Interesting film, well acted, good plot, but some of the scenes made me cringe. Pets don't go on deployment, nobody runs around like headless chickens just because the ship is diving, no video game sonar displays, ect, etc. But I guess if you portray modern submarine warfare accurately, it would put the audience to sleep.