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LarDog93
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The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Could be a great movie, but sickening to watch
I loved "The Bourne Identity" and enjoyed "The Bourne Supremacy" quite a bit, so I was looking forward to watching "The Bourne Ultimatum". Unfortunately this film is very difficult to watch due to the shaking camera and the flashing, sub-second scenes. I ended up closing my eyes and just listening to quite a bit of this movie in order to make it through to the end.
From what I did see, this movie could have been entertaining, though they might as well have put a Superman cape on Jason Bourne at times. That's part of the fun, though. I found it a little silly that Bourne was able to easily break into CIA headquarters and steal confidential material from a safe. (The building security folks must have been on lunch break.) It also seemed odd that he would call the CIA folks and let them know he was standing in their office, but it made for a more dramatic exit, I guess. These are very minor quibbles though, as I really don't want or expect realistic action in a movie like this.
Overall, I rated this move a 5/10. It could easily have received a 9/10 rating from me if I could have watched it all. Get rid of the gimmicky camera work (bouncing camera, sub-second scenes, and full screen shots of the back of someone's head and 1/3 of another person's face) and this movie would be very good.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Realistic, but very thin story and stupid characters
Non-spoiler section....
I recently viewed this movie and I'm rather surprised at its high rating on IMDb. Many IMDb users voted this movie a "10", and for the life of me, I cannot see how this film remotely compares to any of the three "Godfather" movies (among my favorites), "Gone With the Wind", "Platoon", or even "Scarface". If not presented in the broken, nearly reversed chronological order, there would be virtually no plot, and very thin character development.
WARNING - Spoiler section....
I'm not one adversely affected by violence in films, but the torture scene in "Reservoir Dogs" really put me off. It seemed realistic and sadistic, but I can't say that I was entertained. (I know, I probably wasn't supposed to be entertained at that point.)
I had issues with a couple of the plot developments, and believe me, there were very few plot developments. First, I was rather dismayed at the idea that Harvey Keitel's character could stand against his long-time friends, Joe and Eddie Cabot, to the point of gunning them down, all while trying to protect someone he virtually did not know, and who could easily (and did) turn out to be the informer/cop. Then, if that weren't silly enough, the undercover cop (Tim Roth's character, Mr. Orange, I believe) tells Harvey Keitel (Mr. White) that he's a cop. What could have motivated such a move? Did he want to make Mr. White feel bad for saving his life? Did he have a death wish? I think my mouth fell open trying to figure that one out. In the end, I just lumped it into the category of "no plot" and moved on.
My last negative comment relates to the lengthy, meaningless, inane banter between the thugs around the breakfast table and in the car. It may reflect real life, but so does mowing the lawn. Neither situation is terribly fun to watch for several minutes on film.
On the positive side, I thought the movie was well acted, especially by Steve Buscemi. It was certainly realistic, and the chopped, reverse chronology turned a nearly non-existent plot into a bit of a mystery. Overall, I'd rate this movie a 4 out of 10.
Roger Dodger (2002)
A camera shake-fest
I'm sure most people won't find my comment to be of much value, but to those of you with any tendency toward motion sickness, please read on...
I cannot comment on the bulk of the content of this film, as I only saw a very few minutes of it. I'm afraid the shaking camera was almost enough to induce seizures, and was simply more than I was willing to bear. (Does anyone still think this type of camera-work adds to the cinematic value of a film?) I suppose some people still consider a shaking camera to be artistic in some way, but as for me, this poor camera work constantly reminds of two things:
1) that I'm watching a poorly filmed movie, with no chance of really getting into the story, and...
2) that I need to add Dramamine to my shopping list
Luckily, I borrowed this movie from the library, so I'm only out my gas money. Oddly, I still feel somewhat ripped off. (Must be those high gas prices...)
Wolf Creek (2005)
I truly wish I had never heard of this movie....
This is the first comment I've ever written on IMDb. The movie "Wolf Creek" actually inspired me to create my user account on IMDb, simply so I could comment on this movie and warn other potential viewers. Since this is my first review, please bear with me... :o) This is the only movie I can recall watching where, after viewing it, I was in a foul mood and angry for several days. I truly wish I had never heard of this movie.
I don't know how much or how little I'm supposed to write here, but I will say that this movie has little to no entertainment value. I believe the acting was good, but good acting in a terrible film is of little value. As sadistic as this film is, I'd have to wonder about the mental health and stability of anyone who likes "Wolf Creek". I will avoid future films by this director "like the plague".
Do yourself a favor and DO NOT watch this movie. (That is unless you enjoy being angry for days on end, looking for something to punch.)