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apuluvmanjula
Reviews
Panic Room (2002)
Why this is the greatest film of 2002 (so far)...
Because most of the films released so far this year have been really dull and uninteresting, whereas this film actually engages the viewer for more than twenty minutes. Intense thrillers don't get much better than this. I suggest you go see this film with a large audience. If the audience has as much fun as mine did, you will be cheering and gasping with all the rest of 'em. Never in all my years have I ever witnessed a movie-going audience cheer and applaud at a particularly intense moment in any film. "Panic Room" actually makes you fear for the lives of Jodie Foster's Meg Altman and her daughter (who oddly enough is a bit of a tomboy--go fig).
Speaking of Jodie Foster, she has never been better. It's a wonder why we never see more of her in film. After her two Oscar wins before she was thirty, one would think that she would be the most highly sought after actress in Hollywood. But, being the choosy woman she is, she only plays in the films that interest her. And it's no surprise what drew her to this role. On one hand, Meg Altman is a bit of a paranoid, borderline clautrophobe insistent on moving into a very large New York townhouse with a special "panic room" she can hide in if worse comes to worse (which it actually does--on the first night in the house!). On the other, she is a tough, resourceful woman who remarkably shines through the toughest binds, especially when attending to her diabetic daughter. This is not too much to give away, as the film manages to convey this highly suspenseful twist through a very subtle and implicit means. Very little of this film is out-right revealed. You have to pay attention, if you blink for just a minute you may miss something important.
David Fincher does it again by taking a relatively simple story line (three burglars break into a large house to find a hidden stash of cash while the two inhabitants are inside) and weaves this brilliant thriller into a wonderful thrill ride. I'll even go so far to give Kudos to Jared Leto, Forest Whitaker, and the surprisingly convincing yet purely EVIL Dwight Yoakam for their ecstatic performances as the three burglars. Jared Leto is probably the most inept and ridiculous burglar out there and one cannot help but laugh at his banter with Dwight's Raoul and Forest's Burnham. That banter though quickly subsides (thankfully, as too much may have ruined the film) as the real action begins...
I won't say much more to keep the fun from being wasted. Have some fun this Easter weekend and go to see this great film. You won't be sorry!
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Why I absolutely despise this film...
The answer is in the first twenty minutes of the film. Being familiar with the wonderful television show that this film was based upon, I was grossly horrified that so many people were senselessly murdered in the first twenty minutes of the film! The entire team sans Tom Cruise is killed, and there are some big names in that list (Emilio Esteves, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Joh Voight as Jim Phelps). I always thought that the appeal of the original television show was the ensemble cast working together on these very complex and often convoluted plots. This film flatly contrasts with the one thing that made the show so fabulous and action-packed.
When I first saw this film in the theatre, I was horrified. I couldn't believe that anyone could have let this film be made. It's just so different from the television show. While I can see the point of making a film based upon a television show drastically different from the show itself, the very fact that Jim Phelps is the villain of this film is reason enough to ridicule the film. It just doesn't fit! It's almost as if Tom cruse didn't have enough of a role as the IMF's "team leader" he also had to become the head of the IMF at the very end of the film as Jim Phelps is killed at the end and everyone that was involved on the very convoluted plot against the IMF is killed.
I like Brian De Palma. Unlike most people, I think his style of paying frequent homage to his predecessors should be quite flattering, not an insult or a sign of an inexperienced, unoriginal director. This time, though, what we have is a very good action movie that falls flat when the film becomes a single character vehicle rather than an ensemble piece similar to the original show. The ensemble would have made the film all the better, even if the writers did have to rewrite the entire film in order to get a new plot. (BTW, I think it is interesting to note here that "Mission: Impossible" managed to receive a Razzie nomination for "Worst Screenplay for a Film that Made Over $100 Million." Just a small tidbit to back up my point)
Nurse Betty (2000)
Sweet and sour...
If you are going to judge this movie by the trailers seen in the theatre or on television, you are forewarned...
This movie had some wonderful moments. Each character was wonderfully three-dimensional and had a distinct quirkiness that was lovable and strange all at the same time. I found myself liking each character despite the fact that one is a brutal murderer (Morgan Freeman). His character was particularly interesting because as he searches for Betty in the film, he becomes obsessed with an idyllic fantasy, much like Betty becomes obsessed with her fantasy after witnessing the murder of her unfaithful husband.
What we have here is a fine premise with wonderful actors in fine roles... and then it all gets ruined by horrendously violent overtones. There are certain scenes that are so outrageously gruesome that I was amazed! The problem here is the fact that the film swings so drastically from poignant sweetness to bitterly gratuitous violence that is so outrageous and unexpected that I was left wondering just what the heck the point of it all was.
This movie was not bad in the end. But it could have been a heck of a lot better...
The Ren & Stimpy Show (1991)
Oh, joyous joy of joys!
This cartoon is one of the funniest, most original, laugh-out-loud shows I've ever seen. It was a Sunday morning tradition for me for quite awhile! A lot of people like to dismiss this show as nothing more than a stupid cartoon that was way too gross and gruesome for children. But just like other cartoons, it was not made for small children but for an older audience. And the show wasn't entirely based upon that brand of gross-out humor! Many of the funniest bits were quite clean, one of my favorites will always be LOG! I can still remember the jingle now as I write this.
"Ren and Stimpy" was a gem in the realm of animated television cartoons. They mixed the gross-out gags with very funny parodies and other forms of sophisticated humor. Just how many cartoons out there can you name that know how to effectively answer to all sorts of audiences? There are a heck of a lot of cartoons out there that are so much worse in the realm of grossing you out. Some are so bad, that "Ren and Stimpy" pale in comparison.
And I want to say right now that kudos should go to voice artist Billy West who gave such a distinctive personality to both Ren and Stimpy simply in the changing of his voice! He has a phenomenal knack for comedy and great emotion in his voice.
I recommend "Ren and Stimpy" as one of the best cartoons in history. One final not, has anyone noticed the style of animation on contemporary cartoons? It's a distinct style highly influenced by "Ren and Stimpy!"
The Three Musketeers (1993)
Why I don't like this film...
Contains Spoilers If you want a decent family film that is kind of a rip off of "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" then this film is just right for you. Okay, maybe this rather mediocre film is NOT a rip off of "RH: PofT", but when I saw it for the first time in the theatres when I was 11 I sure did think so.
It doesn't exactly help that Chris O'Donnell is in this film. He is my candidate for one of the worst actors in Hollywood. Not *THE* worst actor in Hollywood, but certainly on the bottom of that very short list. I don't know why, but he seems to play the same character over and over again. I really don't like him at all. There hasn't been a single film he was in that I liked! And since he was pretty much the main character of this film rather than the Three Musketeers themselves (which REALLY annoyed me) that really ruined the whole film for me.
The story was vaguely characterized and I began to wonder the point of each character. (Caution: spoilers ahead. Do not read if you haven't seen this film!) Why did Rebecca DeMorney kill herself? Just what the heck was the significance of Chris O'Donnell wanting to avenge his father's death? Was it absolutely necessary to make him a "Sex symbol" and a very dashing, young, naive man?? I think the character would have been a bit more appealing if he were a strong character who wasn't a glorified child! And it would have been nice to see some of the heroes more often! It seemed to me that the Three Musketeers were glorified "sidekicks" to D'Argtanian (excuse the spelling).
Overall, this is a decent family film that will be enjoyable if you don't pay too much attention. And if you like Chris O'Donnell for any reason, then go rent this film. You may actually like it!
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Why I DON'T like this film...
It's not because of the production value. It is by far one of the most beautiful looking films ever made. The scenery is breathtaking and the sets phenomenal. It's almost hard to believe that such a vast film was made in 1939. When you live in a time with larger than life films being made on a regular basis with life-like CGI effects, a film that uses plain old ordinary sets and back lots really amazes you.
But a movie should be more than just production value. Hence the reason why I found this nearly four-hour movie to be extremely boring and not worthy of my time. Actually, the only true reason I practically despise this fabulously made film is the main character. Scarlet O'Hara is the quintessential (word I cannot use on this website). If I had to hear her say "fiddle-dee-dee" one more time, I was going to scream. Actually, she didn't say it all that much, but every single line she uttered was either a whine or a plea for pity. And this was in EVERY SCENE OF THE FILM!!!! It seems that I'm supposed to admire her constant, melodramatic pleas for her one and only true love, Ashley. Who cares that she married three men for no reason but to make the guy jealous (which by the way, did not work). Who cares that the only marriage that lasts somewhat is the one to Rhett in the last hour of the film where it gets so sappy and tedious that I almost felt like falling asleep. Now that could be because the film has been copied so much that having seen the rip-offs before watching the film itself ruined it for me. And maybe I'm being to hard on Scarlet and her very tumultuous life as that is the entire point of the epic picture. "GONE WITH THE WIND" simply wouldn't exist if Scarlet O'Hara wasn't the character she was. But when you hate the main character so much, that really tends to make the whole film seem really bad.
I will recommend this film, though, as it is--like maybe Rob Reiner would say, an essential--because the film represents what all epic films should be. I just wish Scarlet O'Hara had been a much more lovable character rather than the whiny, melodramatic ham I perceived her to be.
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
One of the most underrated musicals ever...
Is this a classic film? Hardly. Is this a good film? Surely! Is this an entertaining romp? Absolutely! "Thoroughly Modern Millie" is probably a film you haven't heard of, but that shouldn't discourage you from renting it (if you can find it). This 1920's era musical made in the 1960's is in my opinion one of the most underrated musicals ever. The music is fantastic! I'm willing to bet that the catchy tunes will most definitely make your toes tap for days afterward!
Thought not for everyone, this movie is thoroughly enjoyable if you can sit in you seat for well over two hours! Yes, it's long; but the entertainment doesn't stop for a minute. Everyone whose seen this movie has a favorite song (or at least *I* do)! Mine would either be the title song played during the opening sequence (which is probably the funniest, most enjoyable part of the entire film) or the "Tappioca". Actually, the funniest moment happens in an elevator (watch the movie, you'll see)!
While this is not one of the greatest films made, it's unfortunate still that many seem to think that the film is really stupid. And I will admit that it is a little hard to believe that a feel-good, socially ignorant film like this was released in 1967; just two years before such influential and memorable films as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "Bonnie and Clyde" among others which this film is about the exact opposite of. A movie like this should have been released ten years before as it may have been better received.
So go out and get this film if you're in the mood for and off-beat, comedy musical with some rather odd negative overtones that are there just for the heck of it! Julie Andrews has never been better! And yes, Mary Tyler Moore CAN sing...