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Javert-5
Reviews
Miami Vice (2006)
Don't waste your time on this one.
This remake of the famous 80s seriously is terrible. The fact that you are thrown into the movie with no real idea of what is happening pales against the poor disjointed story line, poor acting, irrelevant sex scenes that last forever, and mumbling as opposed to proper dialog and speech. The only positive to the movie was shootout scene which seemed to be a little above average.
I also found the DVD transfer to be poor. Seemed to be extremely grainy without any real wow factor.
This movie had the potential to be a real 'wower' however ended up a dud.Don't waste your time on this one.
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
The Lame & The Slow
This movie was a major dissapointment. This has to be one of the most dis-jointed films I have seen in a while. Too many seens that do not tie in together and you get confused Eg The Asian gang stuffing the owner of a parts store with oil because of some engine that seemed to important.
The film also fell in deep spells of slowness. The beggining had a standard car race and until the truck scene there was nothing really else.
Some people call the film 'Point Break on Wheels'. Well Point Break may never go down as a hollywood classic however least it had some story line with scenes which fit logically. It was also more of a adrenalin rush than F & F.
F & F was overated and over hyped. Should have went straight to video. Its too bad because there really were some nice cars.
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Fun but cheap on the special effects
'The Mummy Returns' was just as fun as the first however with a nice twist to it since they through in the Mummy's recarnated chick.
However I thought the special effects were ordinary given the budget and the fact that there was nothing there that I hadn't seen before. The mummy's face in the water is the same as the face in the sand from the first one. The computer generated underworld army didn't do anything special while the computer generated face of the scorpion looked like a computer game or something you could do on your home pc over the summer break.
Other than that the film is fun and the chicks are gorgeous.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000)
Very funny but poor performance at box office is a shame
Alot of people have commented for one reason or another that this movie 'sucked'. Well in my opinion is was fun and querky and very easy to watch.
It seems that those who hated this film either a) never watched the original rocky and bullwinkle and can't really understand its humor.
or
b) Were great fans of the original as kids and now as adults suffer from 'only the original will do syndrome'.
Of course everyone likes to reflect on the good things when you were a kid as being the best. However time moves on and I beleive the new producers of this film tried to do the best they could with this film given the change in time and the advent of new technologies.
I think the real critics of this film worth noting should be todays grandpas and grandmas who 35 years ago sat down next to their kids for the odd original rocky and bullwinkle show. They probably can make the best judgement as they are not compromised by a natural bias of of living in the 1960s and watching Rocky and Bullwinkle as a kid and hence getting so sentimental.
Its a shame that this new version did not do better at the box office. It will no doubt now put off any future plans for similar projects by the big movie studios.
Dinosaur (2000)
Nice grafix but pretty boring
Only went to see this film because I had a free ticket which would have expired if I didn't. The special effects in the first 15 mins were great. Having said that 15 mins of the amazing effects was all that you really needed. The rest of the film was pretty dull and drab and had a biblical storyline about a bunch of talking Dinosaurs trying to get to the promised land. This is definately a movie for the kids.
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Get Over The Story And Enjoy the Special Effects & Action
I can't really see why people are complaining. This is an action movie and of course its going to have unrealistic stunts that nevertheless fascinate.
People who expected this film to be inline with the old series have seriously not learnt their lesson from the first one.
As for the obvious storyline what else can you expect from an action film. The good guy always wins in these sought of films. No one for a moment can say that they didn't think Bruce Willis would not succeed in all three Die Hards or that Mel Gibson & Danny Glover were not going to survive for a moment in the Lethal Weapon movies. If you want the bad guy to win go and read 'The Chocolate War'.
Also can't help but think that the fact that most of the movie is obviously set in Sydney Australia does not go well with N.American viewers. The producers of the Matrix were probably more prudent in this respect by not making it obvious that all of the city scenes in that film were shot in Sydney.
The shootout in the Company Lab was impressive even if it looked a little like the matrix and the bad guys were bad shooters. What the heck, the the Vietnamese in the second Rambo film weren't much better either yet it made for enjoyable viewing.
Rane (1998)
Another Dark Violent Yet Comic Film From Yugoslavia
This is another of a number of post Titoist Yugoslav films that deals with tragedy of the Yugoslav Split from 1991 to 1996. In the spirit of Underground, Lepo Selo Lepo Gore, and more recently Bure Baruta; the film makers use a very dark form of humour to state their disatisfaction with the times and the system of that period in the capital of Belgrade.
Like the other films, a thorough understanding of the Serbian mentality and the background to the events of 1991-1996 is crucial in making sense of many of the themes and images seen in the film. This probably a bad facet of this film for a lack of understanding by the viewer paints the picture of the Serbs even darker than it actually is.
The viewer should also keep in mind that Belgrade is not a fair and complete reflection of Serbia and the Serbian people as would the rediculous idea that Paris is a reflection of France. This would have to be one of the biggest criticism that can be and should be aimed at the current school of Serbian producers, directors and writers.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Nice Scenery, Matt Damon Annoying
Like most other viewers I'd have to say that the scenery of the Italy is very nice. The Director has done a great job as he did with the English Patient.
The movie however like most who are derived originally from novels, does not really tell the story how it was intended. The insertion of Kate Blanchette character along with 'Petar' is both annoying and irrelevant. Likewise some of the pro Homosexual vibes, were over-exaggerated or made up for the movie and had nothing to do with the book. Likewise, the portrayal of Dickie of being a spoilt self centred kid is also a little over-exaggerated compared to the book.
Matt Damons I don't think was all that great. He doesen't really have much of a talent in transforming himself from movie to movie. His smile is cliche and annoying. Jude Law in contrast was not bad in playing the role of Dickie.
All in all, i don't think this story was made for the cinemas. It is a dry story which is more suited to the print Media than what was attempted in the big screen. This slowness is seen throughout the whole film.
The 13th Warrior (1999)
A Dreadful Film
This has probably got to be the worst medieval sword flinging movie I have ever seen. The plot is is at best mediocore and the storyline of a Sacrean joining the viking completely impossible to believe.
There are also many significant loose ends in the film which are introduced yet not followed through. For example the heir apparent who supposedly fears the 13 warriors wants to take over his father land. What happened to him!!!
It also seems to be an over glorification of Islam and not particularly historically correct. The Arabs were far more advanced than the Vikings, however this potrayal was poor.
Basically I can't believe such a rubbishy film is financed by Hollywood. It makes you wonder about whether the production crew even went to film school. It probably should have gone straight to video. The only thing i thought that was Ok was the casting of the fearless King and the respect his men had for him towards the end of the film. He looks a little though like Val Kilmer.
Don't waste your money on it at the Box Office. Save it for a rainy day when it comes out on Video
Bure baruta (1998)
Technically Great but socially irresponsible.
This is a technically a very good film. The cinematography and the way the it contains stories within stories are excellent.
However the actual stories within the movie and the general apocalyptic darkness mood is far from smart. Whether you hate or love the Serbs, it seems this film only further highlights their tendency as a people too shoot themselves in the foot be it in the world stage or as was the case in making this film.
Can't think of too many other nations who would make a film that potrays themselves and their people as bunch of maniacs, murders, rapists, sadist and etc as this film has. It seems the Serbs have picked up where western media has left off. If I had not known better about them, having seen this film would have been enough to sway me in believeing that they deserved what they got from March to June 1999.
This film is basically an excellent illustration of what sought of art results when an artist completely ignores his/her responsibility to his or her country and people in times of difficulty. I don't beleive that the content of the film can be justified in the name of 'art'. How about a positive film to come out of that country so the world can see some goodness in these people in contrast to what they have been made out to be.