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Reviews
Inside Job (2010)
Hang 'em high!
I guess at this point in time, most everyone has figured out that these crooks in suits, those disgusting thieves working for the big banks/investment banks/rating agencies/loan corporations/hedge funds etc. basically took everybody's money and gambled it every which way without any regard as to the results and the devastation they would cause to the common investor. Why did they do that? Because they knew that no matter how things turned out, they would make tens or hundreds of millions, and nobody would touch them.
The morally corrupt mentality of the Wall Street is shown in this film in vivid colors, from the undeserved, huge bonuses that these criminals give themselves and their buddies for essentially giving the whole world the finger, to the parties, drugs and prostitutes that these "pillars of society" enjoy with our money.
What this film does is, it presents the various methods that were used to line the pockets of these guys, which eventually caused the worst recession in history. No one is spared, from the bankers, loan corporations and rating agencies, to the ivy-league economics professors who get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by corporations to come up with "studies" that validate the economic practices of these same corporations that pay them. Talk about conflict of interest.
For anyone who was affected by this financial meltdown, whether you lost your job, home, money in the stock market or 401K, this is a must-see movie. Just remember to have a few pills of your blood pressure medication handy...
No End in Sight (2007)
Chilling
This is a movie every American must see. Tens of thousands of Iraqis killed, thousands of brave American soldiers killed or maimed, all for no apparent reason than the arrogance of this administration. Many good people, administrators, military etc. speak out in this movie and give a chilling view of the ineptitude and arrogance of George Bush and co. Unfortunately, these people were not consulted in the beginning of the occupation. Instead, they were pushed aside, as clueless and even malevolent bureaucrats, such as Bremmer, Holcombe, Wolfowitz, Rice, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush, mangled every aspect of the American occupation, one after the other, causing in the process an unimaginable loss of human life and resources. The movie's creators do not impose their beliefs on you. Instead, they let the testimonies of the people who were there speak for themselves. The conclusion that comes out of it is inescapable. This has been the largest quagmire in American history, the true cost of which will not be known for decades. It truly is a nightmare with no end in sight.
Breach (2007)
Very good movie
This is a very good movie, even though the end is predetermined. The details in the movie are very accurate, down to Hansen's obsession with Catherine Zeta-Jones and his propensity to physically bump into other people in an effort to intimidate them. Chris Cooper is amazing. Ryan Phillippe is OK, but not great. This would have been an excellent role for someone like Edward Norton. The supporting cast with Laura Linney and others is also very good. Even though the conclusion of the story is known, it is interesting to watch up close one of the darkest chapters in America's intelligence community (other than the pre-Iraq breakdown, that is). Definitely recommended.
Shadow Puppets (2007)
It 's awful
This is one of the worst movies I have seen - and believe me I have seen my fair share of crap. The plot is horrendous and the dialog is laughably bad. The acting is in general bad, but for the most part, the actors do not have anything to work with in terms of script, and that is a valid excuse in this movie. On second thought, the one actor who really seems painfully wooden is Winnick, who probably got the role as the director's brother/cousin or something. For the rest, at least you can tell they are professional. The monster special effects are bad. The ending is ridiculous, with the sun coming up fast, so that the heroes can be saved. There was no suspense, and in the end I was hoping the stupid monster would kill and eat everyone and then die of indigestion. In order to see how the interesting scenario of waking up without memory was developed into a good movie a couple of years back, you can watch "Unknown" (2006). Just save your brain cells and skip this one.
Lady in the Water (2006)
Horrible - just horrible
all the people you see giving this movie a good review are hired by the producers of this movie. there is no other explanation. this movie is absolutely horrid. i just watched it on DVD and it took all i had not to claw my eyes out. the plot is laughable, paul giamatti makes a valiant effort in his role, but he has nothing to work with. i know many people will be seduced by shyamalan's name and will watch this movie anyway, and then you will come to the same conclusion as me. this is definitely one of the worst movies i have seen, and i have seen many bad movies. if this review makes one person not to waste their time and money on this drivel, it would be worth it. apart from giamatti, all the characters are so unlikable, you wish the big bad wolf would feast on them. at least that would be worth watching. shyamalan has completely lost it, and this movie proves it. it is really a shame, given the brilliance he displayed in "the sixth sense". but all his movies after that have been progressively worse and this one is so laughable, that one can only wonder what he will come up with next. again, don't fall for the morons giving this movie a good review. this is a terrible movie, and not in a good way.