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[
"the more testimonies you hear from guards , journalists and a former gitmo detainee about what 's going on behind closed doors , the more a horrific bigger picture appears .",
"i hope that every concerned moviegoer sees this film , but i doubt that many will .",
"the usefully horrifying documentary MOV follows a map that leads to the notorious prison abuses in iraq 's abu ghraib to policies in the guantánamo bay detention camp .",
"the enron director 's sharp , shaming torture exposé tracks another great american meltdown .",
"a meticulous examination ... taxi is impressive .",
"gibney assembles a formidable arsenal of talking heads to testify .",
"if recent american history is ever going to be discussed with the necessary clarity and ethical rigor , MOV will be essential .",
"there 's a self-righteous fury to gibney 's film that might have been problematic if the subject matter was n't so important -- and the evidence against the white house so persuasive .",
"if you have n't already questioned the current government administration about some of their actions and tactics than this movie should be the last nail in that coffin .",
"without cheapening the suffering of american or afghan , the film retrieves the torture issue from the realm of the abstract and gives the plain facts of this world right now . as long as we still care about people and power , they will matter .",
"taxi to the darkside journeys into a new heart of darkness , the destination of which lies outside the frontiers of humanity . it is a must-see for anybody concerned with the potential shift in the american character as a result of its war on terror .",
"... as one of the innocents , british citizen moazzam begg , quotes : if you were n't a terrorist when you came here -lsb- quantanamo bay -rsb- you sure would be when you leave .",
"the most extraordinary thing about the grim best documentary academy award nominee MOV is how straightforward its interviewees are about the military prisoner they collectively murdered in afghanistan in 2002 .",
"these members of the military were dubbed the ` few bad apples ' by bush administration officials , but the new documentary MOV painstakingly illustrates how the rot that reached them came from the highest branches of government .",
"MOV adds something new to our awareness -- interviews with soldiers who served as interrogators in afghanistan , and in iraq 's notorious abu ghraib prison , and who , in some cases , served prison terms themselves .",
"the dreadful silence that has followed much of the debate , and the general lack of interest in such necessary films like MOV , does n't give much reason for hope .",
"by the time it 's over , -lsb- director gibney has -rsb- broadened his focus into a documentary so damning of the u.s. government , it 's hard to believe he even got it made .",
"the torture abuses at bagram air force base , abu ghraib , and guantanamo are linked directly to pentagon and white house officials in a scathing documentary that uses the murder of an innocent afghan cab driver as a talking point to expand on the wider iss",
"what 's most tragic , in terms of this story being presented cinematically , is that dilawar is very much like the traditional wrong-man film character .",
"MOV , ranks among the best and most devastating entries , a scathing indictment of government-sanctioned torture .",
"a consistently strong piece of filmmaking with some breathtaking work by cinematographers maryse alberti and greg andracke .",
"impossible to shake off .",
"every voting adult concerned about the damages created by the bush administration in the wake of 9/11 should watch it . so should those who steadfastly believe that no real or lasting damages have been made by that administration .",
"if you love documentaries that open your eyes , you 'll like it .",
"certain to inspire both outrage and sorrow , alex gibney 's harrowing documentary -- about the torture and abuse of suspected terrorists in u.s. military prisons -- ranks among recent cinema 's more excoriating moral indictments .",
"gibney asks us to ponder the likelihood of getting good information from suspects turned in by bounty-hunting locals -lrb- more than 90 % of those jailed for terrorist activity or connections to terrorists were fingered for a reward -rrb- .",
"it 's very powerful but disturbing stuff .",
"yet another powerful indictment of actions connected to the war on terror .",
"powerful , shocking and important documentary that confirms all your worst fears about the bush administration and will leave you feeling angry and powerless .",
"despite the calmly logical way in which it allows its revelations to unfold and accumulate , this is an angry powder-keg of a film , exploding the reactionary myth that under certain circumstances torture can be acceptable , serviceable or even necessary .",
"this is a film to make you furious , though it never lectures .",
"it 's infuriating , depressing and painful to look at . if you 're a thinking citizen , however , you ca n't not pay attention to it .",
"it 's about what we have done -lrb- or at least allowed to be done in our name -rrb- , why we should be ashamed and angry , and whether we have the honor and decency to stop it . if america still has a soul , alex gibney is trying to save it .",
"-lsb- director -rsb- gibney has crafted more than just an important document of systemic abuse -- he 's stripped the rhetoric from official doublespeak to expose a callous disregard for not only the geneva conventions but the vision of the founding fathers .",
"gibney pulls it all together with impressive clarity and command . in the end , this passionate indictment of present u.s. policies stirs both sadness and outrage .",
"if everything that documentarian alex gibney reports about torture is true , then america has not only become corrupted morally , it is using a technique that does not even work .",
"a devastating account of detainees killed , soldiers corrupted and principles abandoned .",
"it represents an encouraging maturation of the anti-iraq war documentary mini-genre . here , anger is the result of unimpeachable research somberly reported , not the gadfly humor and smug sense of ` gotcha ! ' that marks the modern-day snarkumentary .",
"from bagram to abu ghraib to guantanamo , gibney cunningly traces links up and down the chain of command , exposing how the white house has given more than tacit support to inhuman methods of detention and interrogation .",
"alex gibney 's MOV is the documentary that many of us have prayed for , the one that could break through even to people who relish the torture set pieces on 24 and will hear no evil about the war on terror .",
"not a pleasant experience , but just as not every film needs to be ` important , ' neither does every film need to be empty escapism .",
"how dark ? you 've probably already had some inkling but decided you did n't really want to know . the movie made me physically sick .",
"MOV is a stunning indictment of torture as policy , a brilliant documentary whose arguments are so well-supported and reasonably made that you ca n't ignore them .",
"` america -- when she is right , to be kept right . when she is wrong , to be put right . ' if that 's your idea of patriotism , take time out to see MOV .",
"-lsb- director -rsb- gibney posits that reliable but time-consuming interrogation techniques , which required skill and patience , have been replaced by procedures one person describes as ` this side of the marquis de sade . '",
"-lsb- d -rsb- oes what it does so damn well , and ... what is does is so sadly so vitally necessary , even if you wish it were n't ...",
"along with no end in sight , this movie is one of the essential documentaries of the ongoing war .",
"an astonishingly comprehensive look at the use of torture -lrb- or whatever euphemism you prefer -rrb- in the war on terror .",
"MOV joins a growing list of outspoken documentaries that question the rationale and conduct of america 's presence in iraq and afghanistan , and our willingness to destroy freedom in order to save it .",
"utterly engrossing and captivating in its inquisitive scope . provocative and polarizing , taxi invites us to eavesdrop on a movement of mistrust and mischievous mayhem",
"for all its brilliant dissecting of u.s. policy , practice , and cover-up , the movie closes with an effort to make dilawar visible once again .",
"a film like this remains important , both as an indictment of the present day and as a warning to future generations that the ends do n't always justify the means .",
"the film should be applauded for being so thoroughly assembled and well-researched .",
"for those willing to go along for the ride , it is a harrowing experience , as gibney makes his case that the united states , in its haste to retaliate for the atrocities of 9/11 , has itself crossed a bloody line in the sand .",
"-lsb- gibney -rsb- raises an alarm to america 's conscience , angrily asking why we the people have allowed our values - and even our safety - to be compromised by such secret policies .",
"there seems to be far more shrouded in darkness than gibney 's flashlight reveals .",
"... all the more effective for its lack of hysteria . it is n't a finger-pointing song so much as a lament for the death of character - the quality that permits us to follow our principles despite our fears .",
"it 's with dilawar that the film begins and ends , and it 's with dilawar that alex gibney 's documentary can rest its case % u2014his story speaks with the deepest ache . dilawar 's face stares back % u2014a young , bearded man , his eyes wide in fright .",
"taxi gets its power from its lack of hysteria .",
"like a stomach-churning human-interest sidebar to the iraq war overview of ` no end in sight . '",
"consciously depressing , draining and damning . a dizzying , disorienting tone befits indictments against vulgarly abused power , and gibney avoids judging soldiers already punished in accordance with a system of blame shamefully traveling down , never up .",
"a shocking expose about the american military 's use of torture to get confessions -- not always truthful ones -- from prisoners suspected of terrorism . this is the kind of film that can make a difference !",
"like the iraq war documentary no end in sight , this movie about the u.s. military 's systematic torture of terror suspects is a triumph not of reporting but of synthesis .",
"filmmaker gibney , whose involvement with anti-establishment exposés could conceivably mark him for his own eventual rendition by the forces of freedom , carefully guides us up the chain of command to the policy level .",
"a comprehensive movie , an everything-you-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask film , engaging , paced well , informative , and professionally polished .",
"this is a deservedly acclaimed film ; it 's confronting and deeply saddening , but essential",
"-lsb- an -rsb- assiduously investigated , brilliantly argued documentary .",
"nails the fact that murder , injuries , sexual abuse , humiliation and degradation of prisoners was covered up and condoned at the highest levels of the bush administration .",
"alex gibney won best documentary oscar for this gruelling , angry movie .",
"an unflinching documentary that exposes one of the darkest chapters in american history .",
"horrifying .",
"`` MOV '' takes a vast and potentially confusing subject and discovers the simple truths that have been largely obscured in a mass of details , sloppy reporting and general disinterest .",
"you and me and our military and our government -- we killed an innocent man",
"it preaches to the choir , but it preaches with overwhelming passion .",
"one of the most powerful , carefully researched investigations of the moral-legal side effects of current american military campaigns in afghanistan and iraq .",
"as our society searches its conscience for the correct balance between preserving american lives and upholding american values , gibney offers a crucial perspective to counterbalance the influence of eye-for-an-eye gut instinct .",
"a methodically constructed , step-by-step detailing of how the bush administration 's policy of condoning torture trickled -- flowed , really ; poured -- down the chain of command to inundate the largely untrained troops in the field .",
"will go down in film history as a damning historical document of the bush administration 's wartime expansion of executive powers .",
"exhaustively researched and shattering documentary by alex gibney .",
"sad , important and very difficult to watch ... gibney narrates the film with admirable restraint .",
"gibney 's film proves a cogent document that people need to see because there seems to be a willingness to accept the current policies without really thinking about what that means ... gibney 's film asks us to think and to question .",
"so disturbing , on so many levels , that it 's hard to know where to begin .",
"a moving piece of work ... at once sobering and infuriating .",
"i could n't articulate my devastation . this film remains with you like a wound bleeding truth .",
"director alex gibney 's somewhat inelegantly titled MOV is a harrowing gut-punch to america 's belief in its own unassailable righteousness .",
"the film is very reminiscent of no end in sight in its ability to induce teeth-gnashing , using one cab driver 's wrongful death story to launch into a breakdown of how the american military 's interrogation system has , well , broken down .",
"it is , at once , among the most riveting and hard-to-watch documentaries of recent years .",
"MOV may not be your idea of a fun , relaxing night at the movies , but it is artful moviemaking and vital viewing for anyone interested in the issues .",
"it 's not anti-military , or even anti-war . like the equally remarkable no end in sight , it is a pointed critique of the manner in which the war was waged , and it questions the competence and honor of the men who have been running it .",
"the film certainly makes its case , tracing a chain of abuse from bagram to the notorious iraqi prison , abu ghraib , to the cells of guantanamo ."
] |
770674670
|
MOV is an intelligent , powerful look into the dark corners of the war on terror .
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taxi_to_the_dark_side
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[
"a lab-engineered weepie !",
"columbus ' awkward direction randomly maneuvers the audience 's emotions from grieving to giddy .",
"there ai n't no filmmaking gesture low enough for MOV .",
"you wo n't be able to suspend your disbelief , but you will need extra tissues .",
"manipulative drivel whose main purpose is to supply an outlet for product placements !",
"the movie 's patronizing smugness , an often ham-handed script credited to five different screenwriters and at least one major performance that 's not quite in sync , seem to hamper all the good intentions .",
"it 's a film that takes valid , complex family dynamics regarding divorce , remarriage , and parenting and reduces it all to bitchy catfighting , obvious button-pushing , and tawdry clichés .",
"the most impressive thing about it is that the actors manage to sound so earnest while mouthing the most shameless cliches imaginable !",
"the movie is well-intentioned and appealing , but it ca n't stay emotionally honest for 20 minutes at a stretch .",
"cheap melodrama !",
"a very bland pudding !",
"these two actresses are so galvanized and team up so well that the women 's relationship soon upstages anything having to do with the man .",
"the film 's effectiveness had less to do with the story than it did the strong work of the actors .",
"through the performances and screenplay , we often do get some extremely well-written and intelligent scenes .",
"does n't come close to delivering the punch of director alan parker 's ` shoot the moon , ' a much sturdier movie on a similar subject , but nevertheless roberts and particularly sarandon work overtime to make this hit-and-miss script click .",
"the script is a mishmash of clichés , inferior melodrama , and howlingly embarrassing dialogue , and the director , chris columbus , shows no evidence that he understands the meaning of the term ` subtle ' .",
"the acting is good , as is a fair portion of the dialogue and quite a number of individual scenes .",
"never feels either real enough to move us deeply or bubbly enough to make us forget our woes .",
"who knew sarandon 's headlight eyes and roberts ' high-beam smile would complement one another so well ?",
"if there 's a market out there for a good post-christmas cry , MOV will succeed .",
"not since 1979 's kramer vs. kramer has a mainstream movie more accurately , insightfully , humorously or tear-jerkingly dramatized family life in our time than MOV !",
"if your idea of holiday cheer includes a good cry , MOV might do .",
"focus on the regal , flawless sarandon and remember 't is the season for sap .",
"despite the occasional dramatic clichč and some predictable dialogue , however , the melodrama is often effective .",
"when susan sarandon wants you to cry , you cry . when julia roberts wants you to smile , you smile .",
"a decently constructed dramatic piece that mainly succeeds simply because of what its great cast pours into it .",
"contrived yet effective family weepie .",
"a sloppily scripted , formulaic tear-jerker about spoiled rich people who whine a lot . i defy you to feel anything for these characters other than the desire to slap them -- even sarandon 's obligatorily terminally-ill mom .",
"conveys many of the difficulties inherent in the stepfamily arrangement and the insecurities we all tend to feel when we compare ourselves to others .",
"it 's as cool and shameless a piece of emotional blackmail as any movie has ever produced .",
"disjointed , loaded with tired expressions and disconcerting exchanges !",
"beyond embarrassing !",
"cae en los típicos clichés y esquemas manipuladores de tantas otras cintas",
"a packet of weepie nonsense !",
"it 's merely a soap opera with elevated production values and a sterling cast .",
"too loud , bright and shallow for its subject !"
] |
10393
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great performances from the leads ca n't save this factory mill tearjerker .
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stepmom
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[
"it 's hard to take your eyes off mr. mendelsohn whenever he 's onscreen . so creepy , so seductive , so scary-his stillness is more disturbing than when he 's forced into action .",
"best indicated by its unwavering reserve -- a reluctance , almost -- to say too much when slow , fluid tracking motions and static , medium-distance establishing shots may suffice .",
"thank goodness MOV is so stylish and sharply plotted .",
"watching this small-time melbourne crime family unravel under the weight of their overconfidence is riveting , as australian writer-director david michod takes his time methodically detailing their self-destruction .",
"another debut film whose young director has set an imposing high-water mark for the rest of his filmmaking career .",
"jacki weaver 's criminal matriarch is the most chilling since billie whitelaw in 1990 's `` the krays . ''",
"the melbourne of michod 's gripping allegory is a jungle of robbery , drug dealing , and dirty law-enforcement officials among the clean .",
"even quotidian scenes are pumped up with layered , droning intonations of impressionistic dread , an effect that calls attention to itself as often as it simply does its job .",
"michod uses intuitive direction and spare dialogue , allowing the underlying tensions to take center stage , and the uniformly strong performances to do their work",
"the suggestion that the authorities may comprise a clan that 's as ruthless and amoral as the browns also adds a pleasingly cynical edge that 's often lacking in other crime dramas .",
"a small part of us finds this family endearing - revolting but endearing .",
"-lsb- s -rsb- ears all hint of the sentimental out of a harrowing tale of one melbourne family 's felonious downfall , and -- daringly -- strips all sense of cinematic romance out of a genre that often idealizes the corrupt and the brutal .",
"utterly thrilling , MOV exudes stunning depth and complexity .",
"this is maybe the nearest we 're going to get to an australian goodfellas .",
"MOV shocks , surprises and amazes but never seems false or unreal . a great film .",
"a ferocious , uncompromising drama that feels like a shot of gin before breakfast .",
"impressively directed and superbly written , this is a powerfully suspenseful , genuinely chilling crime drama with terrific performances from ben mendelsohn and jacki weaver .",
"a tremendously exciting and challenging thriller that builds unnervingly to a stunning conclusion .",
"excellent aussie crime drama thoroughly deserving of its across-the-board rave reviews . we repeat : go and see it .",
"pungent scene by scene and bracing in its cumulative impact , michôd 's movie suggests what aeschylus might have had in mind , if the house of orestes had been fond of seafood barbeques .",
"the film 's depiction of the raw fear lurking below the brothers ' braggadocio is the most pronounced emotion in a movie whose focus on the personalities of its criminals suggests an australian answer to goodfellas , minus the wise-guy humor .",
"this year 's answer to the hurt locker when it comes to pure , unrelenting tension .",
"a few fresh twists on the usual saga of an outlaw family violently imploding . the chilling reason to see this is weaver 's smiling lioness protecting her favorite cub .",
"seethes rather than burns in its first hour as the banality of evil settles in like mildew .",
"step up for a pulverizing aussie crime drama that cuts to the dark heart of the killing machine known as family .",
"understated storytelling and a general low-affect emotional atmosphere are the biggest contributors to a general sense of dread throughout .",
"a naturalistic approach to an underworld story from down under is a welcome relief from exaggerated hollywood fare .",
"a criminal procedural tilting to greek tragedy .",
"marries heightened emotionality with cool contemporary style to illustrate one of the oldest of genre truths : `` crooks always come undone , always , one way or another . ''",
"a phenomenal debut feature with a terrific title .",
"the film rarely depicts violent events , and what set-pieces there are are subtle and short , though well-staged .",
"everyone flapping their traps about the `` oscar-calibre performances '' in the fighter - simmer down for a minute , will ya ? cos this is how you do a dirtball family .",
"it 's just very good and does n't really need a lot saying about it .",
"it plays by the noir book , but michôd 's wallop from the wild side wields a tight grip of sure styling , taut plotting and poised performances .",
"there 's a constant air of tension , almost unbearable at times , but no telegraphing of what is to come , which makes it all the more startling .",
"it 's not unique , but as a distillation of a well-worn genre , it 's admirable .",
"a dark rites-of-passage story meets lethal shakespearean drama , with low-key performances that artfully get under the skin .",
"none of your lock , stock larks or one-last-job capers here , just a compelling story of low life in the suburbs .",
"the most amazingly self-assured debut in quite a long time ... a more breathlessly exciting crime story has been hard to come by recently .",
"`` MOV '' is far from perfect , but the family drama will keep your interest as it plays out to its bloody conclusion . paul chambers , cnn .",
"this is what the new wave of crime films should look like .",
"MOV is all very grim and unrelenting ; michôd generates some nail-biting suspense , though it 's not the sort of experience that many people are likely to enjoy .",
"this scary and grim but also engrossing and well-acted aussie crime drama features an oscar-caliber turn from weaver as the grandma from hell .",
"relies less on graphic violence , more on the menacing mood of its stark fatalism . just enough humanity to keep the audience engaged and on edge .",
"densely-layered australian coming-of-age thriller about the newest addition to a malevolent melbourne crime clan .",
"the movie equivalent of a vice .",
"for anyone who still thinks australia only produces boring films about the outback , MOV should come as a welcome gunshot to the head .",
"... startlingly strong and assured , with a kind of shakespearean power .",
"the authentic low-key vibe , marvellous characters , and killer cast make this the best aussie film of the year .",
"michôd creates a story studded with landmines , with dark surprises exploding in surprising ways .",
"the domino effect of the story and the slow pins and needles build-up never result in a satisfactory payoff . the movie 's strength is the mood and atmosphere that conveys the trepidation felt by the cody family .",
"there are so many good elements about david michod 's feature film debut that when it fails to make a substantial impact , the remorse overwhelms you .",
"as a sort of melbourne ma barker , jacki weaver deserves a best supporting actress oscar nomination ...",
"when it?s at its best , MOV is a sharp -- and sometimes quite brutal -- thriller .",
"a cracking story with fascinating characters ; an engrossing tale of a family 's fall .",
"a wrenching , deeply disturbing drama about a kid who finds that his relatives are conscienceless crooks .",
"never unravels , holding us in a vice grip until we 're practically begging to be set free .",
"MOV knows that boys will be boys and boys with guns will be especially dangerous , but its pleasures rest in tripping up our preconceived notions of its characters .",
"in MOV , -lsb- director -rsb- david michod has brought chilling fatalism to the human condition . michod stalks his prey , which turns out to be the audience .",
"it feels both genuinely lived-in and slightly surreal , aided in no small part by antony partos ' terrifically foreboding score and an entirely credible cast .",
"michôd serves up trainspotting-like tricks and narration that is beguiling , if rarely apropos . but the actors are something .",
"an intelligent , tension-filled policer from downunder .",
"this could have been a slick little thriller . instead , it evolves into the unfolding of an epic tragedy .",
"the best film i 've seen since the hurt locker",
"a well-rounded , unrelenting thriller that holds tight and squeezes all the way to the final credits .",
"dark and mesmerizing .",
"as gritty as they come , another aussie crime action thriller with great performances and good social commentary as well .",
"writer/director david michôd constructs a slippery narrative that consistently fools the audience about where the movie is heading . the result is part donnie brasco , part godfather and more than a little bit ma barker .",
"the naturalistic style michod employs adds to the sense of dread . is there no way out of this existence ? to whom would it appeal ?",
"script seeks a more menacing , mournful path , examining the chaos and extraordinary paranoia of a wicked brood , starkly assessing the corrosive effects of lawbreaking with a convincingly cinematic stance .",
"some species eat their young . in the australian crime drama MOV , the young bite back .",
"MOV does n't have the catchphrases of the sopranos or the nostalgic charm of goodfellas . it 's real , it 's gritty and it 's unforgettable . still , i would n't have minded a severed kangaroo head turning up in the sheets .",
"the film establishes a menacing , unsparing mood that never wavers .",
"a surprisingly average crime drama that , despite some good ideas branching from its metaphorical title , is rarely as daring or engaging as it wants you to believe .",
"its deliberate pacing is more potential energy than kinetic and reminds us of a polanski slow burn .",
"charles darwin would easily recognize the struggle for survival in david michod 's gritty , gripping MOV , a tough crime treat from australia .",
"just as the protagonist announces from the outset that crime does n't pay , in MOV grime does n't play .",
"MOV is frequently shocking - not just because it makes air supply 's ` i 'm all out of love ' sound cool .",
"michôd seems to fully understand the banality of suburban violence , with its buzzing televisions and daffy , unsuspecting parents .",
"... the sort of movie that one admires more than one enjoys ...",
"david michôd 's sensational directorial debut MOV -lrb- 2010 -rrb- reinvigorated my faith that australian cinema is capable of truly profound complexity .",
"artful to a fault , straining so hard for shakespearean import it saps whatever life and energy there was to be had in this familiar , low-stakes tale .",
"but honestly , the film is lame .",
"gets under your skin and in your head .",
"ben mendelsohn steals the show . this man portrayed the most subtle creep i 've seen on film in years . MOV is a must see .",
"seldom is a debut feature handled with such assurance and intelligence",
"seldom is a debut feature handled with such assurance and intelligence",
"it 's an exceptional australian film that will lurk in the shadows of your memory for a long time afterwards .",
"this is restrained , powerful filmmaking on all fronts .",
"a slow-boiling , nail-biting , psychological ride that slides through the deadly politics of a suburban crime family , in one of the best australian films in recent years .",
"the characters are compelling , the actors perfectly cast . the screenplay is fairly slow but it never loses your attention .",
"deservedly won the world cinema jury prize at sundance earlier this year , and confirms that michod is an important new talent .",
"the sheer presence of the distinguished ensemble overrides the somewhat laboured screenplay and uneven pacing of this otherwise engrossing and foreboding aussie gangster flick .",
"outstanding . never before has a tale of crime and punishment been so exquisitely handled by one of our own . this is a towering achievement .",
"MOV is the best crime film ever made in australia and it 's one of the best crime films full stop",
"it 's a pleasure to see an australian genre movie in which story and character are given equal importance and are so well defined and delivered . that it won a major award at sundance shows its creative credentials : its popularity will show its audience app",
"smart writing and good execution makes this a tense , gripping and edgy thriller",
"frightening stuff , and made all the more so because of how matter-of-factly by writer-director david michôd plays it .",
"the story meticulously unfurls like an apple carefully peeled in one long ribbon to reveal its rotten core .",
"the question for us is how , after almost a century of movies about criminals , it 's still possible to find an approach that feels fresh and exciting .",
"the polar opposite of gangster films that glamorize the lifestyle , MOV presents its main characters as boring and dysfunctional .",
"a corrupted coming-of-age tale , the characters populating this gangland opera are striking -- e.g. , the grandmother , a cinematic blend of ma barker and livia soprano , with a bit of barbara bush on the side .",
"crime family dysfunction , down under-style , is survival of the fittest - and watch out for granny !",
"writer-director david michod creates a densely textured moral universe that makes good on his metaphoric title .",
"it 's a remarkable film : gritty , gut-churning , thrillingly acted .",
"MOV is a lean , patient crime thriller about one kid 's transition from prey to predator .",
"michôd shapes this film into a memorable character study about uncaged beasts .",
"it is a masterfully constructed drama that enters the criminal psyche of its characters in great depth .",
"michod gives us a conclusion that is simultaneously shocking , decisive and ambiguous ; one that exemplifies the unsettling richness of the film .",
"MOV explores the down and dirty side of human nature , fraught with greed , suspicion , and betrayal .",
"michôd maintains an accomplished control over the story 's steady boil .",
"an involving , rangy and sneakily ambitious crime drama that pulses with a low hum of menace .",
"the cast turns utter naturalism into a raging zoo of survivalism , with brilliant little scenes scattered like spilled cereal throughout the screenplay .",
"while the events MOV unfolds are , in the grand scheme of criminal lore , comparatively inconsequential , while you 're watching it , they feel as primal and as visceral as any of cinema 's greatest crime epics .",
"it 's as if michod has structured his movie like a relay , one character passing the baton to another , and the result is a movie with the mounting suspense and excitement of a really terrific race .",
"michôd , in his feature debut , wonderfully creates a tribe where hope is lost and life is about getting what you can get , never mind who 's lost along the way .",
"this strong , assured australian crime tragedy takes the time to dig into characters who would race past us like blurs in a stock thriller , endowing them with a rare depth and emotional truth .",
"a slow-burning , nail-biting piece , MOV is one of the best and most brutal australian films in years .",
"an extraordinarily tense , menacing film set in a melbourne crime family in the recent past .",
"what ultimately assures MOV of not merely greatness , but candidacy to classic status , is that it never loses its focus or relents .",
"the cinematography and the soundtrack to this film are exceptional , working with the slow pace of the film 's beginning to make this ` not just another aussie crime drama ' .",
"michod creates an atmosphere of lethal portent with every means at his disposal , most of all with the magnetism of his cast and the malignant threat of his chief antagonist .",
"writer-director michôd demonstrates an eerie virtuosity for someone just getting into feature films after apprenticing in award-winning shorts .",
"destined to be an international arthouse hit , this portrayal of power struggles in an underworld dynasty may be the closest thing we get to an australian godfather .",
"smart , intense , tragic , blackly funny , atmospheric and freaking awesome .",
"another one of those tiny , volcanic australian dramas -lrb- e.g. romper stomper ; blessed -rrb- that explode off the screen more from superb casting and direction than from originality of plot , which is not to say the plot here is ever less than engrossing .",
"as the film begins and anthony portos ' mournful score plays over the opening credits , it 's clear that MOV is not interested in following the tried and true formula of flash visuals , glamorous violence , and caricature seen in many an australian",
"kind of a low-rent goodfellas with no voiceover narrator .",
"little that happens is as disturbing as grandma -lrb- jacki weaver -rrb- kissing everyone on the mouth , but the movie 's patience finds an unsettling contrast with its people .",
"a tale of a crime family much smaller and far less prosperous than ... the corleones -lsb- but -rsb- as fascinating in its own way as francis ford coppola 's epic trilogy .",
"you probably wo n't see a better directorial debut this year than david michôd 's MOV , -lsb- a -rsb- coiled rattlesnake of a family-crime drama ...",
"weaver creates a truly memorable villainess , an almost perfect sociopath , hidden from view by a wonderful smile but with almost no human compassion or feeling .",
"it is neither an upbeat film nor a conventional one , but it 's tightly wound and expertly paced -- as engaging as any hollywood thriller .",
"almost every scene in MOV includes some shot , some edit or avoidance of edit , some lighting effect , some performance gesture , or some sound element that breaks the scene out of the simplest grooves it might have obeyed .",
"say g ` day to `` grandma smurf , '' pint-sized lucrezia borgia of taut australian crime drama `` MOV . ''",
"gripping australian crime drama that charts the slow unraveling of a family bound together by violence through the eyes of a teenage nephew unexpectedly thrust into their midst .",
"MOV wrongly assumes certain characters deserve empathy simply because they 're protagonists .",
"michôd wants a greek epic but does n't have the material .",
"more a trip to the petting zoo than a foray into the treacherous savannah of high and low crime",
"this is one cinematic gun that keeps smoking long after the final credits .",
"offers the quality storytelling of those '70s crime classics but with an edge that makes it feels far more contemporary than other films influenced by that era",
"it 's a distinctive , ominous and hypnotic work of cinema .",
"elegiac , powerful , sweeping and personal , MOV is one of the best films this year .",
"writer/director david michod handles his material with great confidence , allowing some powerful acting .",
"it includes enough localised details about the changing nature of crime and the debilitating bonds of family to give it a distinctive voice all its own , ensuring it never feels like a hollywood rip-off .",
"a brooding australian thriller that marks director david michôd as a talent to watch .",
"MOV is skilfully lit and edited and the performances are remarkable .",
"an ambitious and effective thriller .",
"writer/director david michôd pumps the plot full of tension through layers of increasingly dangerous and volatile characters until it 's almost unbearable .",
"michôd takes familiar material and approaches it with less emphasis on the sensational and more on the surreal atmosphere of accepted dread .",
"MOV has been dubbed an ` australian goodfellas ' . director david michôd is n't as flashy as scorsese , but his portrayal of the violent downfall of a dysfunctional family of criminals shows that he 's a master at building slow-burning tension .",
"an intimate portrait of a criminal family that resembles the mafia in virtually no way .",
"a diverting conceptual fictional crime family pic ."
] |
770818882
|
with confident pacing , a smart script , and a top-notch cast , MOV represents the best the australian film industry has to offer .
|
animal_kingdom
|
[
"a lot of rock documentaries are in service of selling a fan base something , but not this one , which is funny , compassionate and incisive about family and art .",
"a story about the often mundane life of a touring band , about believing in your art , and about how blood - so much of which courses through this film - is thicker than water .",
"touching and actually quite smart in its own unique ways .",
"MOV is a documentary about the documentary process itself , as well as a scruffy , but resonant portrait of a younger sibling breaking from the shadow of his older brother .",
"painfully funny and rather moving , as well . seems destined for cult status .",
"a sweetly funny and emotionally engaging piece about two brothers running along two different paths in life .",
"perhaps the least bullsh*t ting , most unostentatious rock doc ever , often as hilarious as this is spinal tap , though with a different aim in mind in the end ...",
"it 's hard to say if tom berninger could make another film that clicks like this one , at least one which keeps him out of the frame . yet , he has made an adorably lumpy movie . go figure ...",
"ostensibly a behind-the-scenes tour document ... but it ca n't detach itself from the point-of-view of its maker . so it becomes about itself . it 's quietly ingenious that way .",
"a teasing essay on sibling tensions ... a backdrop for a gonzo self-portrait , a likeably self-deprecating music-biz counterpart to louis c.k. 's tv shows .",
"a surprisingly different and funny take on life on the road with your little brother .",
"an engaging work of many colors , at once funny and heart-piercing . there may not be a better film this year about adult sibling jostling , rivalry and affection .",
"an affecting , hilarious portrait of chalk/cheese sibling love , with a sweet twist : tom thinks he 's a loser , but his film is a winning one-off .",
"the film is helplessly , or craftily , scatter-shaped . molecules fly everywhere : bits of concert footage , bits of serious or this is spinal tap - ish interviews ; bits - or lots - of tom existentially imploding .",
"possibly the most honest and complex and competent effort of its kind .",
"it could easily have been a workaday music doc , but amid all the gigs , pit stops and sound checks emerges a funny and wry story of brothers at work .",
"like a nonfiction chris farley movie ... it 's never less than entertaining , though not as the redemption story tom berninger probably thinks he 's created .",
"... a witty , meandering story about a witty , meandering black sheep that never reaches beyond the average aspirations of its goofball star .",
"`` MOV '' is , like its maker , scruffy , undisciplined and eager to be loved . the big surprise is how easy it is to comply .",
"you do n't have to be a fan of the band to be touched by these disparate souls . it does help if you have endured or been either version of these brothers-black sheep or golden child .",
"MOV finds its footing in humor and good nature , and it 's a thoroughly feel-good rock documentary with massive audience appeal , national fans or not .",
"the best thing about MOV , a new documentary about the band the national , is that you do n't have to be a fan to enjoy it .",
"if MOV were n't a documentary , it might have worked as a high-concept comedy .",
"alternately hilarious , cringe-inducing , inspiring , depressing , stupid and profoundly intelligent .",
"we learn almost nothing about the band , other than they 're fairly diligent and boring ...",
"one of the most hilarious , honest films about two brothers you 're ever likely to see .",
"in the end , the film offers a portrait of fraternal commitment that 's both strange and sweet .",
"a unique , eccentric and highly enjoyable mix of brotherly soap opera and behind-the-scenes cringe comedy that even newcomers to the national 's moody charms will enjoy .",
"whether he 's playing a character or simply being his goofy self , tom berninger is an impishly comic figure ...",
"it 's an uneven affair , embraced as unguardedly `` intimate '' by some fans of the band , but in reality less moving than anvil ! the story of anvil , and lacking the objective insight of terry zwigoff 's oddly comparable crumb .",
"with a loose , rambling style , this documentary starts as a backstage glimpse of a rock tour before shifting into an exploration of brotherhood and finally into something much more self-reflective .",
"a beautiful movie about fame and family .",
"we loved every minute of tom 's company and his film , right down to halford 's o holy night over the closing credits .",
"an amusing , and occasionally touching meditation on fame , sibling rivalry and ambition , with a sweet payoff .",
"it 's the scenes detailing tom 's efforts to bring all the material together that demonstrate what he 's really capable of , and they give the film a satisfying pay-off .",
"with its wry humor and fantastic mix of music and images , this seemingly odd choice for tribeca 's opening-nighter could carve out a solid theatrical niche .",
"an engagingly left-field variation of the ` rock band on tour ' film .",
"adds up little more than an anguished man using the hook of following his famous brother in order to gaze , however critically , at his reflection for 75 minutes .",
"the movie finds its center in the portrait of a brotherly bond tested and strengthened on the road .",
"MOV does n't reveal anything about tom but his own insecurity .",
"you have to admit that tom berninger has captured something truly unique and unlike any other music documentary so far .",
"despite some tight editing - matt -lsb- berningers -rsb- 's wife , carin besser , billed as co-editor , is clearly responsible for its quicksilver pace - it never quite shakes off its shaggy quality . that 's a good thing .",
"the brotherly-love epiphany to which the film builds does effectively pluck the heartstrings , but there 's a lingering sense that we 're being had .",
"not since `` american movie '' has there been such an entertainingly clumsy , warts-and-all documentary about making a movie , this time courtesy of cincinnati filmmaker tom berninger .",
"... veers into unexpected territory with amusing results .",
"if you admired the national-and particularly matt berninger-before , MOV will humanize him more than his cryptic lyrics ever could .",
"a dolt 's eye-view of a rock tour is a surprisingly refreshing perspective .",
"for all their obvious differences , the bond between affable tom and laser-intense matt reveals itself in ways both subtle and profound .",
"funny and self-effacing doc says more about its maker 's insecurities than the rock tour it chronicles .",
"MOV is both tom 's fitzcarraldo and his burden of dreams : a product and record of his ability to complete something ambitious and , thus , a test of his self-worth .",
"the result is at turns aggravating , pathetic and hilarious , a sort of this is spinal tap meets american movie .",
"it does bring pretense-puncturing hilarity to the expansive sub-genre of rock documentaries .",
"very `` meta , '' very funny and very , very touching .",
"the finest rock doc since anvil : the story of anvil .",
"the rock documentary MOV is light on music , but it is an absorbing inside look at fame and sibling rivalry .",
"wry , awkward , funny and poignant , MOV is somewhere between an accidental documentary and a home movie in motion .",
"both inspiring and profoundly entertaining ."
] |
771351872
|
a suitably complicated look at fraternal bonds , MOV offers more depth and insight than the usual tour documentary .
|
mistaken_for_strangers
|
[
"thank god jackie chan is still doing this . he brings back his drunken style , which even in a milder form is awesome .",
"the MOV ... offers the first-ever on-screen pairing of martial-arts legends jackie chan and jet li , but it 's a bit of a bait-and-switch . both stars get plenty of screen time , yet their fight scenes feel routine .",
"an unabashedly innocent , wide-eyed movie selling the ultimate in martial arts fantasy . it delivers beautifully .",
"every time i thought it was getting too serious for its own good , the film gives a wink and a nod to the audience to let them know that it still has a sense of humor .",
"... a martial-arts variation on a middling musical with knockout dance numbers . it 'll be tons of fun on dvd , when we can fast-forward to the good stuff and skip the plodding plot .",
"the first teaming of chan and li is a delightful , action-packed martial-arts fantasy . there 's not an original idea in the whole thing , but this gorgeous hollywood production presents all the surefire elements well .",
"a slapdash but amiable crossbreed of the karate kid and the wizard of oz , the MOV functions as a martial arts cinema primer for american youth .",
"combines outrageously entertaining fight scenes with just enough of an ancient chinese legend to keep us hooked",
"one of the more entertaining movies we 've seen in recent months .",
"good low-calorie fun .",
"bloodless , but just make sure your young ` uns are past the stage of copying all the moves they see .",
"all of this is packaged fairly entertainingly , and the action sequences are a marvel to behold , expertly combining physical stunts with computerized effects .",
"if you 're an adolescent boy and kung fu flicks are your bag , this convoluted one is probably watchable .",
"cliché title , fun movie ... a premium wire-fu fantasy .",
"it 's not an awful movie , but , although it has its moments , it is not a particularly good one either . -lsb- still -rsb- every scene with the monkey king in it is magical and mesmerizing .",
"mostly bloodless chan/li martial arts adventure .",
"` blue eyeshadow went out in the 1280 's ! ' jet li shouts at the jade warlord",
"... the movie has a sweetly affecting fairy-tale atmosphere ...",
"i 'm totally in the target audience for this film , having long been a fan of both actors as well as the genre itself . but the fact is that this thing just did n't work for me , and i 'm completely frustrated by that .",
"these two fighters may be turning into grandpas , thanks to the `` viagra '' of wire work and other special effects , both men are still able to pull off some very entertaining fight sequences .",
"jackie chan and jet li together for the first time in a martial arts film - the perfect formula for a winner !",
"an enjoyable big budget film with lots of fancy sets , special effects and great fight scenes .",
"it 's simply tedious , butt-kicking , cliche-ridden , chop-schlocky action .",
"instead of hitting us with crouching tigers and hidden dragons , the kung fu action-adventure the MOV features the monk versus the drunk . and it works .",
"from a philosophical viewpoint it 's fitting that the inaugural movie to unite martial arts legends jackie chan and jet li is a fantasy film for young teenagers . MOV '' may not be `` enter the dragon , '' but it 's not supposed to be .",
"MOV serves up convoluted mythology with mild indifference .",
"what promises to be a thrilling clash of the titans -lrb- due to first teaming of chan and li -rrb- turns out to be a mildly engaging , formulatic multi-generational saga of west meets east , more in the vein of karate kid than crouching tiger , hidden dragon .",
"once past the clunky prologue , the film is great fun , with a good balance between computer effects and athleticism .",
"a surprisingly well-paced and satisfying kung-fu adventure that honors its stars and treats their story respectfully .",
"while the script is corny and the direction uneven , -lsb- chan and li -rsb- never falter .",
"seeing jackie chan and jet li in fist-frenzied combat feels like the kung-fu equivalent of watching fred astaire cut the rug with ginger rogers .",
"unfailingly lighthearted , the film 's fight scenes are stylized , soaring wire work and gravity-defying digital sorcery rather than blood-and-bruises beatdowns .",
"an incredibly entertaining and satisfying action flick well worth the wait to finally see these two martial arts masters work together .",
"the dependable chan and li keep the proceedings lively , even though it 's all fairly predictable . what they lack in material , they more than make up for in onscreen charisma .",
"the MOV may be nothing but disposable fun , but it is a great , heaping , overflowing helping of fun . if you 're 10 , it may also seem like citizen kane .",
"the filmmakers come off like their protagonist , wide-eyed tourists in an exotic realm . if you 've been looking for a martial arts film to take granny and the kids to , this might be the one , but a jackie chan-jet li collaboration deserves better than that .",
"what a waste . it 's easy to see how kingdom would have benefited from focusing on the interplay between its superstars . at times they 're like kung-fu ernie and bert -lrb- minus the sexual tension -rrb- .",
"MOV is a faithful and disarmingly earnest attempt to honor some venerable and popular chinese cinematic traditions .",
"the MOV 's high-flying exhilaration strikes the right note for the first onscreen pairing of action-movie legends jet li and jackie chan .",
"the jackie/jet pairing lives up to the hype , resulting in one of the best family adventure tales of recent memory .",
"the film tries to contain the best of two worlds - exaggerated , cartoonish comedy and disconcertingly brutal violence . like chan and li , the two philosophies grind uncomfortably beside each other .",
"this is the first collaboration between kung fu 's astaire and kelly , and , as that , it disappoints .",
"a reasonably entertaining throwback for the younger set , which nostalgic adults can also enjoy if they do n't go expecting too much .",
"what gives this chop-socky journey high marks is its conceptual consistency and honesty toward the premise , elements that are so often substituted in lesser versions of the formula by tasteless exaggeration .",
"the MOV may not be the martial arts masterpiece kung fu fans have waited two decades for , but the obvious good time shared by jackie and jet makes for a fun little action film that 's very much worth a look .",
"a juvenile piece of cultural appropriation , the MOV does n't even have the good manners to focus on the two martial-arts masters .",
"if this sounds like a knockoff of a million supernatural kung fu costumers ... well , it is . but the important thing is that it 's a very good knockoff . not only do -lsb- the filmmakers -rsb- clearly love the movies they 're plundering , but they 've done their homework",
"chan plays a drunk again and li is a gay hindu monkey king . see `` zombie strippers '' instead .",
"pairing these two martial arts legends in a story that is essentially one long homage to the great shaw brothers films of yore allows the MOV plenty of leeway for comic moments .",
"the worst part of the martial-arts epic the MOV -lsb- is -rsb- a moment near the halfway mark when there arrives a gag that involves chan getting a face full of urine . this kingdom really should be forbidden .",
"every fight is more spectacular than the one before , and there 's just enough of the playfulness of chan 's best brawls -lrb- this is more violent -rrb- to keep the MOV laugh-out-loud light .",
"if you 're in touch with your inner 12-year-old , do n't be surprised if you find yourself smiling and cheering during the film 's final scenes .",
"it 's difficult to resist , especially if you 're a 12-year-old boy whose parents wo n't let you rent once upon a time in china or the kill bill movies .",
"it might take a zen master to explain exactly what audience this is aimed at .",
"the characters know they 're in a movie that references lots of other movies and they want to share with us how much fun those movies can be .",
"every time the focus switches to michael angarano channeling his inner ralph macchio , the MOV reminds you that it 's primarily an act of occidental tourism .",
"thanks to the two stars ' disparate styles - the laser-like focus of li and the whirlwind whimsy of chan - the MOV makes up for its flaws with plenty of eye-popping moments .",
"i could just hear the producers in the board room , cigar smoke swirling around their fat heads as they barked into their speakerphones : `` those hong kong guys are too old ! we need an american in here to capture the western markets",
"assigning chan and li to supporting status underscores how ordinary this would-be - extraordinary film turns out to be .",
"when chan and li match wits , each celebrates the other 's presence . this is n't just a martial-arts display ; it 's generosity and camaraderie in motion .",
"MOV is chop-socky bordering on chop-schlocky , but it 's good-natured myth-making cut into kid-size pieces .",
"chan seems to be having fun in a comic part that , unlike his rush hour paydays , does n't make him the butt of ethnic jokes . li is as stalwart as ever .",
"the MOV is a movie that has jackie chan and jet li kicking each other . and that is why it is awesome .",
"finally , the martial arts genre gets its own version of `` city heat . ''",
"minkoff and fusco blur the line between homage and laziness .",
"jackie chan and jet li are true artists and watching them together is a real joy .",
"the ever-impish chan is perfectly suited to the wine-reliant wanderer and his agility still impresses at 50 ... a unique blend that offers something for everyone while respecting its origins .",
"it 's too bad that the film is n't actually about jackie or jet ; rather , it 's about a bland , annoying , white kid .",
"it does not take itself too seriously but it does take the action scenes seriously .",
"the MOV may not be a classic martial arts movie , but it 's got heart , a certain sneaky charm and more than enough pure fun to make up for that .",
"the fight scenes are fun , but the filler in between is deadlier than one of li 's lethal kicks .",
"chan and li both deliver in their own unique ways , and there 's enough action and humor to satisfy even the less enthusiastic martial arts fans out there .",
"an unapologetically old-fashioned fantasy ... solid enough entertainment for grown-ups , but something that many kids will absolutely adore .",
"if the MOV missteps , it 's by assuming that its digitally enhanced stunts are more impressive than they are and , therefore , lavishing more attention on the kinetics than the story .",
"kung fu fever and fluff mix it up with hordes of floating knights in shining armor with bad attitude , and just a little heavy on the dressing , courtesy of the costume department .",
"think of it as a kung fu fairy tale almost anyone can appreciate .",
"surprisingly a lot of fun , with a simple good vs. evil plot , nice action sequences and a battle of the ages between two of the biggest martial art movie masters .",
"if you 're a big jackie chan and/or jet li fan this movie was made for you and you should go see it on the big screen once . but because of a complete lack of storytelling effort from the filmmakers , there 's no reason to ever see it more than once .",
"fans of either martial artist will probably find enough to enjoy out of this , and will even like it more if they like 80 's fantasy films .",
"fueled by jackie chan and jet li , this enjoyable romp has plenty of kick .",
"the first onscreen meeting of screen legends jackie chan and jet li is possibly reason enough to see this fantasy , whose extravagant martial arts sequences are choreographed by woo-ping yuen , whose signature was inked in crouching tiger hidden dragon",
"... despite falling prey to some of the anticipate problems , it ultimately emerges victorious , perhaps wobbling a bit , but only in the giddy manner of the drunken master played by chan .",
"where rush hour was a cash-in , the MOV is a deliberate and loving homage .",
"the long-awaited pairing of the 44-year-old li and the 54-year-old chan is a fizzle -lrb- they only fight each other once , early in the film -rrb- that makes you wish they had met up in their prime .",
"if you want to break the kids in easy to the whole martial arts thing , this may be the way to go . after all , clean fu never killed anyone .",
"kingdom is a stiff , disturbingly ill-conceived fantasy film more consumed with playing slack-jawed fanboy than telling a compelling story worthy of these two giants .",
"it 's a long , eye-rolling haul ... hampered by lurching exposition and hammy setup .",
"while top-billed duo do indeed occupy plenty of screen time , this is basically the latest version of that post-star wars fantasy concept in which only a middle-class white teenage boy can save the universe from , y' know , evil .",
"the MOV treads its path just right to please genre and action/adventure fans on both sides of the globe .",
"pairing jackie chan and jet li would seem like a slam dunk , but this big-budget martial arts drama , which borrows liberally from the wizard of oz , is something of a disappointment .",
"this is the long-awaited teaming of superstars jackie chan and jet li , and it 's an occasion to applaud for those who like a few yuks with their kicks .",
"kung fu purists may scoff , but escapists with a sense of humor should romp through the MOV .",
"silly and satisfying , the MOV is a juggernaut of beloved movie tropes complete with pumping-up montage of knuckle pushups .",
"for their first co-headlining film , jackie chan and jet li have chosen a rote piece of chop-socky that 's liable to please only their most devoted fans . and even them , not so much .",
"the MOV is for those who like plenty of kung fu action with an epic fantasy setting and a little humor thrown in . when all is said and done , the dream team combination of chan and li is just a nice bonus .",
"you know you 're in a fantasy movie when the central character has to traverse time in search of the ` monkey king . ' if only you were in a good movie .",
"a drab exercise in poor storytelling , empty-headed characters , low-grade aesthetics , and forgettable action sequences . this is n't ` so-bad-it 's - good ' we 're talking about ; it 's ` so-bad-it 's - bad . '",
"while some of this material was drawn from chinese legends , it still feels a bit half-hearted and as if it was cobbled together from bits of other movies .",
"at best , the MOV counts as an amiable time-waster for kids , but much more should be expected from the momentous union of two kung-fu titans .",
"if it were executed with more energy or panache , it could have been something special , and that makes the disappointment that much harder to take .",
"hilarious ... and cheeky and cheery and so popcorn-a-licious a fantasy historical action comedy that you want to stand up and cheer .",
"finally , the pairing of jackie chan and jet li -- in a story about someone else .",
"all the martial arts movies have become clichés . this film is worse than stupid . enough !",
"fortunately , minkoff has one talent many of his american predecessors have lacked : when chan or li is fighting , he knows how to hold the camera still .",
"the story , which should be forbidden , keeps coming back for more . whenever the plot pops up , from predictable love scenes to the villainess who hates men for no reason to the crypto-confucian lines , you keep wishing for the next fist to fly .",
"plenty of fun action sequences , but one wants more from a movie that contains this promising line : ` summon the witch . the one born of wolves . '",
"-lrb- minkoff -rrb- botches the film 's fantasy elements , saturating these segments with cheesy effects .",
"jason 's relationship with golden sparrow stays pretty locked in first gear , such that the movie might attend to kung fu % u2014sort of .",
"welcomed doses of slapstick and winking humor are sprinkled throughout rescuing the film from the occasionally heavy but never overbearing exposition .",
"when i say the movie is cheesy , i am talking provolone , american cheese , swiss cheese ; cheesy .",
"yeah , it 's a dopey kid 's movie , but -- significant detail -- one that feels like it was actually written for kids ... also , whenever things threaten to get too schlocky , this amazing villainess with a magic bullwhip shows up .",
"it would be little without its superb martial arts sequences , so its good to report that the movie is n't just filled with them , but that each fight was choreographed by yuen wo ping .",
"ignore puff and nonsense about kung fu philosophy ... and enjoy ` the MOV ' for the youth-oriented wish fulfillment that it is .",
"the MOV may lack the grace of crouching tiger or the grandeur of hero , but -lsb- rob -rsb- minkoff 's affection and respect for the film culture is genuine .",
"-lsb- chan and li -rsb- punch , kick , jump , and fall all over in an extended sequence that never feels too long .",
"part of the charm , yes , is the goofiness of it all -- but the film would have been better if it were more cohesive , streamlined , and focused .",
"is it possible to recommend a movie based on a single scene alone ? if it 's the MOV , the answer is an obvious `` yes . ''",
"from the lion king to the monkey king director rob minkoff goes and along with him goes the reverse evolution of the american martial arts epic .",
"i do n't care how tough and talented jet li and jackie chan are they lost me at monkey king .",
"toto and scarecrow were dropped from the project after demanding excessive residuals on the back end .",
"there 's not much to get psyched about .",
"chan is terrific in a familiar role and li is right at home in the role of the warrior monk , though less so as the monkey king ; cheeky humor is n't his forte . but to see the two of them on screen together , even past their primes , is a delight",
"a number of MOV sequences deliver muscular slaptick . a fight in which lu yan uses jason as one more weapon in his arsenal of defensive moves is vintage chan .",
"a sufficiently entertaining diversion ."
] |
770679747
|
this hotly-anticipated pairing of martial arts legends jackie chan and jet li features dazzling fight scenes but is weighed down by too much filler .
|
forbidden_kingdom
|
[
"a crowd pleaser , and , regardless of any viewer 's experience -lrb- or lack thereof -rrb- with the behind-the-scenes wrangling that goes on in newspaper offices , the story is affable and entertaining .",
"i think the movie ultimately is not a comedy -- although it is extremely funny . this is a first rate drama .",
"perfectly captures the hubbub of the nation 's newsrooms .",
"thanks to a caffeinated cast and hyperactive script , director ron howard delivers the MOV with a bang .",
"watching the MOV got me in touch all over again with how good it feels to work at the top of your form , on a story you believe in , on deadline .",
"a film that should be recommended as skillfully done example of almost forgotten dramatic subgenre .",
"it 's a bit too busy and precocious for its own good , but still has enough of a charming throwback quality that i was willing to forgive many of its flaws .",
"entertaining , extremely informative , rapidly-paced film that literally puts you on the front lines with the cast and crew who fabricate the news stories which we read in our newspapers every day .",
"the characterizations , the eccentricities , the feverish sense of pursuing a deadline story and an awful lot of other particulars that show just how defiantly dedicated and frenetically frenzied the members of the fourth estate can be , are dead on .",
"the picture starts to fall in love with its subject -- head - over-heels in love , until the acid drains from the wit and there 's nothing left but sentimental ooze .",
"it 's all slick , fizzy fun . but the film 's fighting spirit gets snatched .",
"one of ron howard 's most underrated films .",
"a great ensemble cast",
"it 's clear right away that the MOV benefits substantially from keaton 's typically stellar turn as the central character ...",
"an overwrought , hysterical drama about the newspaper business that does n't begin to compare to hollywood 's classics of the genre -lrb- the front page -rrb- . the film has an absurdly frantic pace but it 's so romantically naive and unsubtle that nothing registers",
"enjoyable , if utterly unrealistic look at journalism",
"incisively depicts the ways in which busyness , speed and constant pressure violate our souls in the workplace .",
"not a bad view of the inner-workings at a daily",
"does it show how newspapers really work ? not really , but who cares ? it is great fun , even if it is overdone ."
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14243
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fast and frenetic , the MOV captures the energy of the newsroom thanks to its cast and director on first-rate form .
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[
"as big-budget adaptations broadway shows go , this is one of the best .",
"it may be stylised and in some ways out of date , but the charm of MOV will delight you over and over again .",
"eye-filling and lively , but it was better on the stage",
"a great family musical , spirited and youthful , with moments of true sadness , tragedy and joy -- full of rosy cheeked dirty-faced angelic-voiced boys with plenty of mischief inside them .",
"an exciting experience for young viewers , and is substantial enough for those who want some tension along with the fluffy songs .",
"lionel bart 's tunes are highly hummable , and the huge production numbers feature lots of fabulous choreography .",
"there 's plenty of mileage left in the famous story .",
"reed 's memorable and epic musical provides good family fun , some great musical numbers and in fagin , the artful dodger , and sykes , some of cinema 's most beloved unsavoury characters .",
"the focus of the movie is so wide , and the logistics of the production so heavy , that MOV himself , dutifully played by 9-year-old mark lester , gets flattened out and almost lost , as if he had been run over by a studio bulldozer .",
"even if you 're not a fan of the musicals , MOV is so witty , so bright and so endearing that even the iciest viewer should start melting in its corona .",
"MOV ! is a timeless classic that will be as lovable in 10 or 20 years as it is today .",
"mistrust a movie with too many close-ups of bisto kid children and doleful dogs : they suggest a director cleverly boxing his way out of some very tight script corners .",
"has little bite .",
"glorious musical based on dickens ' MOV twist .",
"in adapting lionel bart 's lavish musical for the screen , director carol reed tempered the sticky sentimentality with suitably dickensian scenes of squalor .",
"today , it works well as a child 's introduction to dickens .",
"in retrospect , it seems emblematic of the triviality reed descended to in the last years of his career . the third man it 's not .",
"MOV ! is better than most screen musicals of the 1960s , a period when oversized , poorly rendered songfests virtually killed the genre .",
"overrated at the time of release , the oscar-winning MOV ! is a skillful but unexciting movie musical , one that softens considerably dicken 's famous novel , and not helped much by the mediocre staging of the production numbers .",
"after a season of watching inane twitching in the name of dance , the viewer is most happily greeted by onna white 's choreography , an exuberant step-by-step exploration of victorian zeal .",
"a treasure of a movie .",
"makes an epic impact , fully exploiting cinema to chase the intensity of a live musical while also allowing time for intimate expression of character .",
"reed is craftsman enough to make an efficient family entertainment out of lionel bart 's musical , but not artist enough to put back any of dickens ' teeth which bart had so assiduously drawn .",
"an intense and inspired musical adaptation of charles dickens ' classic story about an orphan 's amazing ordeal on the streets of the big city .",
"memorable , and responsible for inspiring a cottage industry of ragamuffin musicals a la newsies .",
"handsome , moving version of famed musical"
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9458
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it has aged somewhat awkwardly , but the performances are inspired , the songs are memorable , and the film is undeniably influential .
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"anywhere else but in this movie , woody 's quest would evidence a high level of dementia . `` MOV '' is far too precious to entertain that notion .",
"dern gives a brave and unfaltering performance . but his crusty old coot is a very limited character .",
"although payne has never been a flashy director - he 's one of the few modern filmmakers who regularly , publicly puts script and performance first - there are so many lovely , visual moments in this film , shot in wide-screen black-and-white .",
"dern makes woody as cantankerous as he is clueless , bobbing and weaving to avoid his inevitable mortality , but there 's a purity about him that 'll break your heart .",
"a beautiful , timeless american film whose story , characters and performances should be treasured . this is one of the year 's best films and once again , alexander payne has given us a tender , poetic masterpiece .",
"the performances are what truly accentuate this narrative . forte carries off every complex quirk , while seasoned actor dern is uncharacteristically subdued .",
"more in line with about schmidt than sideways , alexander payne 's latest is a warm and witty look at the relationship between fathers and sons ...",
"is MOV a comedy or a drama ? like life , it 's both . payne takes his time . deal with it . this is a movie to bring home and live with , to kick around in your head after it hits you in the heart . it 's damn near perfect , starting with the acting .",
"`` MOV '' has enough good lines , scenes and performances to make it worth your while , as well as a sufficiently upbeat ending to qualify it as holiday entertainment .",
"with stunning black-and-white cinematography by phedon papamichael and a wistful fiddle score by mark orton , its contemplative pace feels just right .",
"really , MOV is a small-scale quixotic adventure about the importance of dreams , no matter how pie-eyed , in which the outlined flaws could all be forgiven , if it just went somewhere a bit more surprising .",
"there 's little heart in payne 's heartland .",
"MOV has much merit , but for payne it is a little underwhelming .",
"there 's no lying or condescending from this director . `` MOV '' feels pure .",
"a potent balance of the heartfelt and hilarious , MOV is a small gem and one of alexander payne 's best films yet .",
"it 's ideal material for alexander payne , a director with great affection for the interstate .",
"alexander payne has crafted an ornery american comedy with a brusque midwestern edge and a core of authentic feeling . it provokes wise , wary laughter even as it makes you choke back tears .",
"dern as woody is a fascinating portrait of opacity .",
"removing the colour from the film also removes any hint of contemporary glamour or digitized studio syrup , and boldly places us in new dimension where we 're forced to look and listen to people who look and sound a lot like us .",
"MOV is the work of a great director hitting his stride .",
"payne has never before been this melancholy , or this sincere . MOV looks into america 's soul and finds a troubling emptiness .",
"`` MOV '' bears payne 's trademark combination of low-key humor , poignancy and an overall feeling of beckett-esque resignation .",
"it has moments of uncanny grace , made all the more beautiful by their dryness : a family , briefly , pulling together ; a son suddenly understanding his father 's dream ; a tiny moment , at the end , of unexpected triumph .",
"a thoroughly sweet and charming movie , and a reminder of dern 's quality as an actor .",
"quaint but depressing",
"MOV is an absolutely enchanting film , so funny , so touching , ringing true - for me right up there with the year 's best .",
"droll and poignant , if a little overextended .",
"dig down beneath those wintry grays , and payne 's latest is a wonderful and quietly life-affirming film about a dysfunctional family trying to get its act together",
"after travelling to hawaii with george clooney for the descendants , payne returns to middle america for this gentle , enjoyable exploration of family connections .",
"there are insights into old age , pearls of wisdom and gags galore , all wrapped up in a coating that 's more akin to a bitter lemon than sugar .",
"i love that bruce dern 's woody does not fall into the depths of codger-cliche .",
"dern 's portrayal of woody takes on new shades , and its impossible not to warm up to him , just as the emotional resonance of his story sneaks up on you .",
"though taken from an original script by bob nelson , the result could hardly be more characteristic of payne if his name were watermarked into every frame .",
"bruce dern is back and better than ever , playing a stubborn-as-a-mule senior citizen hell bent on a fool-hearty mission in the bittersweet road movie , MOV . affectionate and heart-warming , this is an absolute joy .",
"payne ca n't seem to decide if he 's coddling these old-school midwesterners for their rudely rustic values or sneering at the sheer narrowness of their worldview .",
"a showcase opportunity for national treasure bruce dern .",
"a charming road movie that develops into a full-blown study of life and roots , offering a beautiful insight into the way families migrate and change .",
"an intimate road movie about one family that also lingers on the landscapes and fabric of an old-time , dying vision of the american midwest",
"craft , care , and the cast keep predictable sentimentality mostly at arm 's length in this affectionate picture of life , accepting it and its end drawing near .",
"a tale of family , history and the middle aged man trying to make sense of it all .",
"a pitch-perfect performance from dern graces alexander payne 's latest roadmovie - another bittersweet meditation on the sad , comic futility of life .",
"a priceless gem of a comedy drama ...",
"a bittersweet road movie about the joy and sadness of ageing directed by the great alexander payne .",
"in iconic black and white , the brilliant , empathetic payne -lrb- `` sideways '' -rrb- delivers another fully realized road movie - and oscar contender .",
"beautifully shot and superbly written , the latest film from alexander payne is an engaging , bittersweet drama with a terrific central performance from bruce dern that merits some awards attention .",
"think of david lynch 's the straight story and subtract colour and élan .",
"there 's a deep sorrow here about the way families frequently fail to communicate , even when death is staring them in the face .",
"payne , shooting in widescreen black and white with cinematographer phedon papamichael , elevates the material with images , simply composed , of serious and paradoxically ordinary beauty .",
"great work by dern , but i do n't understand the director 's need to denigrate midwestern and/or lower-class people , and depict them as a tribe of slack-jawed morons .",
"alexander payne 's excellent drama offers its own brand of quirky joys , including a transparently earnest performance by chicago native bruce dern .",
"these characters demonstrate that just because your search was fruitless does n't mean the trip is n't worthwhile .",
"payne never shoots for big , wacky moments , but if you can allow yourself to get into the film 's deliberate rhythms , it offers a trove of honest observations and satisfying -lrb- and , admittedly , occasionally acrid -rrb- laughs .",
"just trust this : see it . you 'll be treated to some laugh-out-loud humor , a lot of heart and some outstanding performances .",
"maintains a wonderful balance between sentiment and satire ... almost magical in its mixture of humor and poignancy .",
"`` MOV '' is a slice of americana that is amusing but also quite poignant .",
"after a summer of far too many loud , but ultimately empty superhero films , MOV is a blessed relief .",
"payne shows a great deal of affection for these ornery , not always so soft-spoken midwesterners , but he also demonstrates a fair amount of disaffection , too .",
"payne just does n't make bad movies . until now .",
"MOV is the last picture show -lrb- 1971 -rrb- without the picture show .",
"in profiling a man who frustrates everyone around him , the film is as realistically ambiguous as it is satisfying .",
"the year 's best movie . period . and finally a best actor nod for bruce dern and add a nod for june squibb who does the year 's best supporting performance .",
"a must see that will spark conversations and please the viewing audience .",
"tis the season of misanthropic condescension . first `` inside lleywn davis '' and now this hateful mess .",
"dern 's performance feels transported from the 1970s , when least likely characters inspired memorable movies , with open-ended , meaningful payoffs .",
"the deft achievement of this movie is that it has a hardness that does n't delight in the meanness of mockery as the coens often do .",
"less a movie involving a specific state and more a film evoking a specific state of mind .",
"MOV tunes its bittersweet `` personal journey '' riffs to the plaintive waltz of picked guitars and lyrical fiddles , played out against a backdrop of fading midwest towns and long , lonesome interstates .",
"... clearly payne 's oeuvre , another road movie and a kin of payne 's superior `` about schmidt . '' this time a son discovers his father rather than the father finding himself while women continue to be the sexual aggressors .",
"alexander payne once again proves that he is a director who will always deliver meaningful content in his films .",
"summations ca n't convey the filmmaking delicacy that marries tart-tongued comedy with unexpected warmth in a story that touches on family , memory , getting old and staying alive .",
"a sad , undeniably thoughtful depiction of midwestern eccentrics regretting the past and growing bored of the present -- ideas that payne regards with gentle humor and pathos but also something of a shrug .",
"filled with the director 's characteristically sardonic humor , but it 's fundamentally a serious movie interested in the intricacies of the human condition .",
"a poignant and amusing black and white filmed road trip that brings an estranged father and son together .",
"... more than a gift of a gorgeous film with an unforgettable ensemble cast . through woody and david , -lsb- payne -rsb- opened a door to relationship redemption that anyone who sees MOV can walk through .",
"bruce dern 's face might be the most resonant effect of MOV , a movie that offers any number of beautiful views-wide western us vistas , horizons stretching forever , trucks and saloons and skies .",
"MOV is gentle , heartfelt , and strikes an emotional chord that falls right in line with director alexander payne 's other recent works .",
"an almost perfect blend -- sometimes alarmingly bitter , sometimes sadly -- and amusingly -- sweet .",
"on a road trip with his son , the past catches up with a man of few words . his son learns there is a lot more to his father than he ever knew in this warm , funny film that shows the best and worst in people .",
"frequently hilarious , and the kind of balanced portrayal of small-town life that you rarely see . it 's just too bad the dull construction made it feel like it was trying to give me seasonal affective disorder .",
"MOV is measured , sad , funny , and in its simplicity impressively well written .",
"the most overrated film of 2013 . an implausible , relentlessly heart-tugging tale . it is n't a bad movie , but it also is n't a legitimate awards contender .",
"um filme cuja melancolia é construída năo só pela falta de cores , mas também pelos modos sem vida de seus personagens .",
"funny and touching in equal measure . the warmth of MOV makes you feel all good inside .",
"a career performance by bruce dern destined to be remembered during awards season !",
"a wonderfully drawn and utterly charming portrait of dysfunction that doubles as a curious love letter to the american family .",
"dern 's somber performance anchors payne 's latest foray into the midwest",
"it 's a tribute to payne and dern 's teamwork that woody 's journey touches us so deeply .",
"director alexander payne , working from bob nelson 's economical script , and employing phedon papamichael 's stunningly bleak black-and-white cinematography to great effect , produces a slice of gritty , uncompromising but also deeply human satire .",
"MOV is an about-face for payne , and , although it is an improvement over the indulgent descendants , it does not resonate as resoundingly as his earlier work .",
"bob nelson 's script is a mine of mordant humor and wry insight , and director alexander payne carefully brings out the best in the script and his actors .",
"it 's touching and , at times , very funny .",
"-lsb- payne has -rsb- made an `` american gothic '' for 21st-century , post-recession america . who needs a pitchfork anyway , when you can have an ice cold bottle of bud ?",
"a refreshingly unsentimental tale of family bonding that unfolds at the leisurely pace of a lazy sunday afternoon .",
"whereas the descendants ' paradisal locale hid uncomfortable truths , the bleak depiction of the economically-depressed midwest belies the sweet , sturdy father/son story at MOV 's heart .",
"the real `` you betcha '' belt is exposed in all its raw beauty , with dying little towns , ancient residents and the children they 've trapped there with them .",
"a nice mix of arthouse quirk and genuine heart .",
"the sky extends forever across the flat land , never suggesting expanse , but lowering , confinement , pushing small , human figures to the ground .",
"a wry , somewhat downbeat comedy in the vein of the straight story , MOV sees alexander payne return to the road trip in this affecting story of a taciturn old man with advancing dementia .",
"`` MOV '' strikes at a distinctly american mindset of jealousy , greed , and betrayal that undermines its citizens ' equally persistent sense of optimism , integrity , and familial connection .",
"shot in crisp black and white , MOV seems simple at its start . but it 's given incredible depth by its astounding cast .",
"a surprisingly funny tone poem on roots and separation and disappointment ... dern barely speaks and holds the camera 's focus just with his fascinatingly oblique presence .",
"the film features a number of superb acting performances , none more so than from bruce dern and june squibb .",
"... a smart , subtle , stripped-down gem , a low-fi version of what we 're used to seeing payne do .",
"mr. payne has already achieved a batting average rivaling pixar 's , but here he has finally established himself as a visionary .",
"i got angrier at MOV the longer it trudged on .",
"everything about MOV feels secondhand . it 's a gimmicky sitcom script gussied up with ` artful ' affectations borrowed from the new hollywood heyday of the early '70s .",
"there are insights into old age , pearls of wisdom and gags galore , all wrapped up in a coating that 's more akin to a bitter lemon than sugar .",
"it 's a surprising performance from forte , tasked with much of the heavy lifting opposite a tight-lipped dern .",
"`` MOV '' is alexander payne 's best film , bar none .",
"MOV , despite a few pleasures , strikes me as payne 's most cartoonish , one-dimensional work .",
"this may very well be one of the most powerful movies ever made about the misfortune of growing old and fragile .",
"it 's clear immediately that payne is going for a nostalgic , unabashedly old-school feel ...",
"it 's dern 's show ... all the way , and he knows it .",
"sad ? at times . but also very , very funny in other instances .",
"a special film with a rich sense of character , developing the director 's fascination with average people taking unexpected chances with their routine lives .",
"payne 's road movie emphasizes sincerity more than thrills . but its stark beauty and earnest characters provide a memorable excursion .",
"payne remains a deeply humanist filmmaker : he loves people no matter their flaws , and he once again conveys that sympathy through a beautiful , haunting film that initially feels slight but grows large in your memory .",
"one of the best films of the year ...",
"it traces the vanishing of middle american small towns and the importance of having a dream , even if it 's a goofy one .",
"if you can grin and bear -lsb- certain -rsb- eye-rolling situations ... there 's found poetry in MOV 's slow builds of respect and its deeply understated emotional climax : a father and son crossing past each other as they switch places .",
"`` MOV '' is a wonderful comedy shot in black-and-white and told in shades of gray .",
"all i can tell you for certain is that MOV got to me .",
"a whimsical minor addition to the payne canon .",
"a wistful ode to small-town midwestern life and the quixotic dreams of stubborn old men .",
"a bittersweet father-son road trip through an emotionally economically parched homeland .",
"a tangle of film school clichés , rampant condescension and woe-is-me , middle-aged-white-guy-problems so juvenile it would blot even a first-time filmmaker 's copybook .",
"a straightforward road trip with an embracing sense of melancholia",
"the critical consensus from cannes about MOV is that it 's `` minor payne . '' i think it might be more accurate to call it a transitional film , with one foot in his old techniques and one tentatively standing in new ones .",
"there 's a poignant suggestion of a modern-day don quixote and sancho panza , and it works in a thoughtfully wrought film that feels more built to last than payne 's last feature , the descendants .",
"MOV is a film of raw beauty and great humanity .",
"though it features some good laughs and decent performances , the movie never really goes anywhere .",
"by the metrics of the heart , `` MOV '' is as big as it is beautiful .",
"hard times are part of the picture , and so are hard people .",
"payne 's latest considers the notion of legacy with quietly heart-wrenching attention to detail , and is one of his sweetest yet most unsentimental films to date .",
"MOV captures the same sort of dislocation -lsb- as paris , je t'aime , but -rsb- on a grander scale , overlaying it with relocation-a series of mild or intense shocks arising from woody 's return to his long-abandoned home town in MOV ...",
"`` MOV '' is a ruthless social satire that proves payne has n't lost his misanthropic edge after going gentle with `` the descendants . ''",
"MOV is as bittersweet as its black-and-white photography , a cockeyed ode to midwestern life and an argument for why the state 's native son payne got the hell out of there .",
"on surface level , MOV is a road movie about discovery . but through brilliant performances , stunning cinematography and most of all , a wonderfully well-told story , it becomes a bittersweet portrait of family .",
"payne and dern find modest nobility in `` MOV ''",
"a film that reminds us that old people were once young , and that their youthful passions and dreams are still at play behind the wrinkles .",
"low-key , wistful , and disarmingly droll ...",
"i am wearying of payne 's world view . i am beginning to wonder if he is capable of embracing anybody or anything with the sort of depth of feeling that real art demands .",
"the staging is mostly spot-on , especially when the father and son visit some cousins who can barely muster a moment 's attention for their long-lost relatives before their eyes return to their television set .",
"a very entertaining and beautiful tale about life 's fleeting opportunities , and the burden that can be the people we love .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- n odyssey into the past , into missed opportunities , and into the complexities of an everyday family of malcontents .",
"-lrb- bruce -rrb- dern is the reason to see `` MOV . '' he shuffles along with a determination you grudgingly come to admire . he takes no guff , speaking his mind and brooking no opposition to his goal .",
"the simple beauty of the entire package is well summed up by phedon papamichael 's beautiful black-and-white cinematography , which makes everything at once all the more modest yet majestic .",
"it 's probably payne 's most poetic work yet , a quiet , subtle study of the highs and lows of family life .",
"aided by alexander payne 's whimsical humor and poignant , homespun humanity , bruce dern delivers a restrained-yet-convincing , career-crowning performance as a cantankerous old coot who 's convinced he 's won $ 1 million sweepstakes lottery .",
"bruce dern 's towering performance anchors this story set in what urban hipsters call flyover country .",
"` MOV ' is in love with its characters . by the end , so is the audience .",
"alternately a poetic tale of personal affirmation and a plainspoken metaphor for tenacity in the face of meager hope , `` MOV '' is not just a beautiful or great film but an essential one for our time .",
"a beguiling and intimate change of pace for payne .",
"in the film , alexander payne 's overview of america is extraordinarily , multifariously profound .",
"one of the most spiritually literate films of 2013 about a son who takes his irritable dad on the road and in the process opens himself to truly honoring his father .",
"payne directs the film in a relatively uncluttered manner , ensuring the film plays out as a slowly unravelling elegant narrative .",
"one of payne 's better films .",
"these people , who start off as caricatures of a generational gap , become achingly real in their pain ...",
"a moving little slice-of-life gem , unassumingly big in existential significance .",
"this is a resounding return to form for payne : there are moments that recall his earlier road movies about schmidt and sideways , but it has a wistful , shuffling , grizzly-bearish rhythm all of its own .",
"another brilliantly conceived examination of the human condition by the modern master of such fare .",
"... a rich character study about an unlikely bond formed between father and son through an incident that causes them to remember the past and ponder the future .",
"a slate of characters the coen brothers would admire .",
"these are not the kind of people you want to spend any time around , so why would you want to sit through a two hour film about them ?",
"in a career-refining performance , bruce dern gives us a character in woody grant who 's hardened by booze , hard to like and -- if his bad-dad tendencies do n't cut too close to your bone -- pretty durn amusing .",
"like the road trip that fills the bulk of the story , it 's a ride that feels awkward and even pointless at first , but one you 're sure glad you took by the end .",
"the pain and hope and sense of loss are all there in dern 's eyes , in woody 's stolid willfulness , his shaky gait .",
"while dern 's character at one point brushes off mount rushmore due it looking unfinished , most everything regarding ` MOV ' feels complete and just about right . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
"alexander payne crafts a handsome showcase for veteran actor bruce dern with this diverting father-son road movie .",
"mr. nelson 's observant , detailed script flawlessly captures the mood of what american ennui has done to both old and young men on their way to becoming losers , lending a look and feel that seems like the great depression .",
"woody grant could have stepped straight out of grant wood 's painting american gothic . his story , too : crusty old coot from a dying farm town , looking for meaning at the end of a life that may not have had one .",
"MOV is one of payne 's best films , a near-perfect amalgam of the acrid humor , great local color , and stirring resonances that run through his work .",
"takes the heartland - a stretch of america that hollywood flatters as the place where reese witherspoon can find herself - and strips the norman rockwell off it like cheap aluminum siding .",
"haunting middle america masterpiece !",
"MOV unfolds from a point of simplicity into a deep thread that sews together the best and worst of human nature .",
"as an ode to fading small towns , and to the state its director once called home , it feels downright disingenuous .",
"as in `` about schmidt '' and `` sideways , '' payne - an oscar winner for the script of `` the descendants '' - finds poetry in everyday , lower-middle-class folks .",
"there 's a gentle tone to alexander payne 's work , which makes his piercing look at contemporary american life all the more surprising . and , perhaps , revealing .",
"essentially this movie is about giving an old man his dignity , which is found through letting him play out an embarrassing misunderstanding , letting someone figure that out for themselves is more respectful than `` saving '' them from it by stepping in .",
"a loving ode to the american wheat belt , told with lashings of candour and wit .",
"this is a beautiful film filled with melancholy , regret and longing and whose delicacy lingers",
"full of little riches of observation , character and irony , MOV is a gem of a film from a master filmmaker",
"a simple road trip that becomes something much bigger , much broader , and much deeper-a tale of fathers and sons and families and the many shades of grey in the wide spectrum of love .",
"alexander payne proves the modest stories can be the most powerful",
"MOV is a rare delight of a film that harks back to a golden era of american cinema .",
"in payne films , as in the films of jean renoir , there are no `` goodies '' or `` baddies '' ; everyone has their reasons , and that makes his work distinctly different from most mainstream american films these days .",
"alexander payne is back in prime , prickly form with MOV , a marked improvement over his soggy , false-feeling melodrama the descendants .",
"there is a sentimental aspect to the concluding stages of the film : it 's not as broad or astringent as payne can be . but there 's also something intriguingly dreamlike about its tone .",
"` MOV ' is one of those funny movies that turn emotional , but it slips in moments of unexpected depth .",
"payne does not resort to sentimental hokum but offers a poignant portrait of aging with the burden of regret .",
"a rank exercise in hicksploitation sentimentalism .",
"no film aficionado should miss ` MOV . '",
"` MOV ' works for a lot of reasons , but most of it has to do with the performances .",
"forte is a surprising fount of melancholy and frustrated ambition , while dern takes a tough part -- a man of few words who might not be all there -- and masterfully controls his body to convey woody 's inner depths .",
"the authenticity of MOV washes over you in this wave of how every road trip you 've ever taken was just captured in slightly less than two hours .",
"these people are mostly meat-and-potatoes , what-you-see-is-what-you-get , and payne and screenwriter bob nelson frequently portray their midwestern brethren with disdain and a lack of compassion .",
"`` MOV , '' it turns out , is n't as bleak as it first looks .",
"payne delivers a portrait of small-town america as observant as picture show , and a poignant/fun road movie that serves as a companion to the similarly toned sideways .",
"it is very , very clear from the evidence of the film that payne loves MOV . it 's nebraskans that he apparently has a problem with .",
"payne 's compassionate , surprisingly upbeat and mordantly comic black-and-white film about a dying way of life and the people still living it has a familiarity bordering on intimacy .",
"director alexander payne has taken a combination father-son bonding story-road movie and made it feel entirely fresh ... . mostly because of the delicate , lovely , bittersweet tone he conjures up and sustains throughout the entire movie .",
"alexander payne has the confidence to allow `` MOV '' to unfold at a leisurely pace . i liked it the first time i saw it ...",
"a desolate comedy-drama about fathers , sons , life 's highways and missed off-ramps .",
"rendered in wide black-and-white shots that make the midwest feel vast , empty and timeless , `` MOV '' is suffused with a rich melancholy , a slow waltz to laconic americana banjo and fiddle music .",
"all the performances are dryly on point .",
"MOV is black and white ninja of sentiment . you wo n't know what hit you until the damage has already been done .",
"MOV is an engaging , funny and altogether touching road trip that moviegoers of different ages might want to consider taking .",
"a deceptively low-key road movie that carries some real comedic and dramatic bite .",
"swiftly and smartly , MOV becomes an ode to small hopes , big leaps , and the texture of life in all its uncertainty and melancholy .",
"it 's exemplary business as usual for MOV , a beautiful , bittersweet comedy-drama .",
"MOV is undeniable ; agonisingly hilarious , unyielding in its paternal love and devastatingly authentic to the ache of life closer to its end than the beginning .",
"there 's a joyful tension that infuses every moment and makes this one of the most compelling , memorable , essential films of the year .",
"a surprisingly talented will forte plays the son of a cantankerous old drunk , the fascinating bruce dern , as he takes a road trip to claim a million-dollar sweepstakes prize that no one thinks he 's won . this is alexander payne at the top of his game .",
"accompanied by a sleepy music score from composer mark orton , MOV is another wonderful feature film from director alexander payne .",
"it 's funnier than some of the comedies i saw in 2013 but i prefer payne 's films when they 're tragic and sad too .",
"veteran character actor bruce dern gets his day in court as the grizzled centrepiece of director alexander payne 's artfully composed , beautifully filmed black-and-white dramedy about an old man , his dream and his withering , yet defiant sense of self .",
"if you see only one black and white film disguised as a road movie this year or next , make it MOV .",
"payne 's most accomplished and emotionally affecting movie since his masterwork , about schmidt -lrb- 2002 -rrb-",
"the movie is a triumph of an especially satisfying kind . it arrives at a kind of gnarled grace that 's true to this sorry old man and the family he let down in so many ways ."
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elegant in its simplicity and poetic in its message , MOV adds another stirringly resonant chapter to alexander payne 's remarkable filmography .
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nebraska
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"MOV is like a love note to the art of pies . never before has confectionary goodness looked so deserving of its own museum case . ''",
"its heart is absolutely in the right place , and it strikes some real emotional truths . it will make you laugh , it might even make you cry , but it definitely will make you hungry .",
"a longtime indie favorite as an actress , shelly was really growing as a filmmaker . this is a very good film with a terrific performance from keri russell .",
"you 've heard of my big fat greek wedding . this is my big thin white abusive marriage .",
"if you enjoy kooky romantic comedies , go see MOV .",
"despite the fairy-tale manipulation , it 's hard not to be moved .",
"MOV is going to appeal more to women than men , with most of the blokes portrayed as a bit useless .",
"no amount of quality service can cover up a slice of life that has been so overbaked .",
"the pies themselves , produced in all the colours of a rainbow - look disgustingly plastic .",
"as shelly 's unintended epitaph , it 's a warm-hearted charmer , filled with hope , served with love .",
"you need a hard stomach sometimes in american romcoms . equally , though , you 'd need a hard heart not to love the good humour , good intentions and grace-of-style of adrienne shelly 's farewell film .",
"as satisfying and tasty as the pies baked with love -lrb- and sometimes hate , anger and frustration -rrb- by jenna , a small-town MOV stuck in an abusive marriage .",
"sweet-tasting without being too sickly , though at 104 minutes , a smaller portion might have gone down better .",
"MOV is n't perfect , but it has sincerity and warmth , and feels like a labour of love - which is more than can be said of any other movie this week .",
"it is the work of a brilliant humanist .",
"impossible relationships are the focus of MOV , a wonderfully quirky film about pies , lies and happiness",
"the sunniness of its tone is so disarming that it keeps you onside no matter what .",
"indie tackles tough topics but is as sweet as pie .",
"a tender memoir in spite of the caveats that nearly drag this down into made for television hokum ...",
"it runs a little longer than it needs to , but the final product is just like one of jenna 's pies : light , sweet and with the smallest hint of tartness .",
"a rare girl homage to sassy , savory and self-effacing southern women .",
"adrienne shelly 's promising career was cut short when she was murdered in her manhattan apartment by an illegal alien . at the time of her death , she was completing this engaging dramedy which she had written , directed and co-starred in as well .",
"this is a good-natured , whimsical comedy , as american as mom 's apple pie , though there are some cloves baked in to temper the sweetness .",
"the conclusion is satisfying and even a little surprising , as russell proves a delightful leading lady , and andy griffith almost steals the show .",
"with MOV , adrienne shelly tamed and shaped realism , finding a perfect , difficult-to-achieve balance of enchantment and plausibility .",
"MOV is a pleasant dramatic comedy that overcomes its tonal inconsistencies by presenting an engaging lead character with whom its virtually impossible not to empathize .",
"sometimes one really fine performance can save a whole movie , and that 's the case with MOV .",
"there no way around it : russell 's performance is spunky and just about irresistible , no matter how much you hate spunk . it 's hard to imagine MOV working without her .",
"the movie finds a real hook in jenna , and a real elegance in its simple , direct message : take look at the choices you 've made , and start making the right ones . start fresh . it 's never too late .",
"it 's actually really sweet and moving .",
"there are times when the spirit of a movie is enough to get you gliding over its obvious flaws . MOV , which was directed by the late adrienne shelly , is one of those pictures .",
"genial and appealing ... keri russell essays a heroine that is worth rooting for and caring about .",
"shelly 's death makes me want to treat this movie with kid gloves , to root for it , turn it into something more than it is .",
"mildly quirky and zealously cute .",
"MOV combines quirky humour with an added and enhanced sense of emotional truth .",
"completely inauthentic in every detail -- the cinematic equivalent of an apple pie from perkins .",
"MOV is a beautiful and poignant swan song for what should have been the vanguard of a blossoming career .",
"keri russell sparkles in this story about a piemaker who longs for something more filling .",
"it 's a small movie set in a small town , and features actors who were most famous for parts on the small screen . and it also just happens to be one of the more entertaining movies of the year .",
"nothing can distract from the inherent joy of experiencing this undeniably tasty creation .",
"despite shelly 's twist of disturbing fate , MOV will be a memorialized nod of a little gem of a film that delivered a slice of pie to our hungry , entertaining expectations",
"i dare you to sit through MOV and not fall for russell.her face is open like a baby 's and sculpted like a goddess ' .",
"MOV is not a perfectly cut , factory-line safeway-brand slice . it does , though , serve up a generous deep-dish portion , homemade and heartfelt , that leaves a sweet taste goes down .",
"its almost-bedtime-story delivery heightens its design as a parable about finding focus and clarity after enduring much chaos and wading through the mud .",
"you 'll also walk away with a rekindled admiration for sisto , a yearning to see hines do more indie work and a painful pang that director shelly , who was murdered in manhattan last year , wo n't be making any more movies this good -- or at all .",
"so why does it work , at least much of the time ? because of russell , and because shelly 's uneven tone also provides hints at brilliance .",
"if ` MOV , ' like ` alice , ' is sitcomish , then let 's hear it for sitcoms . the pic is a delight from start to finish .",
"it 's impossible to ignore the tragic fact that last november , at age forty , shelly was murdered . it is some solace , though , to know that MOV is her buoyant legacy .",
"this tale of a pregnant small-town woman caught between a bad marriage and a risky affair is mostly as funny and charming as intended .",
"good-hearted , well-made comedy that will hopefully lead a broader audience to find the work -lsb- director shelly -rsb- left behind as her legacy .",
"it 's the kind of sly , witty independent gem that rolls through every few years , lighting up crowds and forcing men to admit they were wrong when they thought they were being dragged to another chick flick .",
"russell is the magic ingredient that holds all this together .",
"MOV is a pastel-coloured fairytale about love and pie-baking . and fresh choices .",
"MOV is sweet , uneven and , ultimately , a heartbreaker .",
"there 's something spunky about those pies and there 's something spunky about MOV in general .",
"an overstuffed , overcooked pie -- too ungainly to eat all of , too generous to pass up , too heartbreaking to contemplate for long .",
"shelly deftly achieves a tone pitched between fantasy and reality , its levity belying an astute and humane study of an unhappy relationship steeped in inertia .",
"funny , gentle , unpatronising , if occasionally naive and quirky .",
"essentially a king-size serving of sitcom",
"adrienne shelly 's lasting legacy is this exquisite , engaging film about slices of life , keri russell 's luminosity , an unhurried narrative , andy griffith 's codger delighting in schadenfreude and even jeremy sisto making his abhorrent character relatable .",
"allergic as i am to quirkiness , i was won over",
"... fillion offers up an endlessly charismatic performance ...",
"the film is hardly flawless - even the pie-baking scenes sometimes seem half-baked - but it 's hard not to read promise into every frame , and to wonder what shelly might have cooked up in the future .",
"adrienne shelly 's last piece has all the right ingredients .",
"full of whiney characters that eventually make the right decisions only after an unprecedented amount of hand-wringing",
"it 's a love letter of the first degree , the kind that rises out of trepidation and confusion , almost by accident , with a sudden force of absolute clarity .",
"a delicious little movie that will have you savoring every tasty morsel .",
"using a style that faintly echoes hartley 's , shelly beautifully balances deadpan humor , pathos and heartbreakingly lovely moments of happy truth .",
"inconsistent overtones lean precariously close to cute yet manage to surge both poignant and wistful .",
"truly scrumptious !",
"a lovely , bittersweet parting gift",
"writer/director adrienne shelly 's `` MOV '' serves up a slice of movietime heaven .",
"it has a feeling of ... i do n't want to say secret insight about the experience of being a woman , but ... the experience of half the human race is ... so often simply not within the purview of the male-type people who make the vast majority of movies .",
"MOV is exclusively about the female point of view which is quite refreshing .",
"the ending is a bigger cheat than a diner charging for coffee refills .",
"among the joys here are the supporting players , each with well-defined stories and quirky personalities .",
"boasts a distinctive style and tone , but the style is arch and quaint , and the tone too insistently quirky .",
"the ending is both realistic and happy -- and i do mean happy , as in , make-you-cry , exit-the-theater-skipping-and-dancing , that kind of happy .",
"while shelly 's film trades in an especially outrageous form of girl-movie self-consciousness , she 's completely sincere when it comes to making her heroine the irresistible repository of our sympathies .",
"bittersweet , lovely , sad , funny - and then we begin to mourn adrienne shelly 's candle , snuffed too soon . a good bet for your dollar .",
"a feminist fairy tale about a woman learning to develop her creative gifts while trapped in a stifling marriage , MOV does n't need to be subtle or original to hit home .",
"the pregancy news depresses her , which is exactly the opposite response of women in most chick flicks .",
"MOV exists in a fictional film universe that many movies strive for but few actually reach , where slightly off-kilter characters are dropped into bizarre circumstances and the whole thing feels far from contrived .",
"in the pantheon of forced quirk , no american indie tried as hard to be different as garden state , but MOV is surely in the same ballpark .",
"order up a slice of the best pie this side of heaven , and enjoy a nice movie of bittersweet satisfaction .",
"in MOV , the late writer-director adrienne shelly crafted a highly entertaining yet poignant film featuring a complex heroine .",
"writer-director-co-star adrienne shelly and her talented co-workers serve many charming scenes in MOV .",
"where shelly excels is in her ability to dig beneath sitcom scenarios and focus on some hard truths that all too often define one 's choices in life .",
"like a healthy slice of pie , it is meant to be savored .",
"MOV has some unexpected twists and turns and features some refreshingly offbeat humor , as well as terrific performances by its cast .",
"watching ` MOV , ' we can believe shelly herself was a ` queen of kindness and goodness , ' and we can be thankful she left us such a fine film .",
"this bittersweet romantic farce teeters and then tips into precious , a forgivable sin once you know this sweet movie 's sad history .",
"MOV would stand on its own as a remarkable achievement if you knew absolutely nothing about the woman who made it .",
"in the end , shelly 's script for MOV has a pleasingly tart undertone that balances out what could have been an overly sugary confection . and she directs with a skill that makes me wish we could look forward to many more films from her .",
"washed in a honeyed 1950s glow , MOV has a mildly puckish way with outlandish baked goods and pert dialogue .",
"the film is laced with lovely moments , from the leads and from shelly as a MOV friend .",
"MOV is finely tuned , assured , wonderfully silly , and every bit as lovely as shelly was .",
"it is a bittersweet experience watching the uniquely adorable `` MOV '' because indie actress adrienne shelly , murdered in new york city this past november , has come into her own as a filmmaker with this , her third film .",
"shelly left her daughter -- and her audience -- a wonderful gift , this movie about the transforming effects of motherhood .",
"though some aspects feel like a sitcom , MOV does n't adhere to formula or resort to clichés . it 's a rare chick flick that draws us in with its wit , warmth and quirkily appealing characters .",
"MOV is a wee romantic charmer , a delectable dixie screwball romp that never loses its spry sense of discovery .",
"russell delicately maintains MOV ' mixture of aching drama and bubbly comedy .",
"MOV runs on a bit , but with its strong acting , poignant moments , and fair share of laughs , it has the potential to become a modest hit .",
"shelly 's sharp take on a pregnant woman 's inner misgivings keeps MOV from delving into the muck of overly sentimental romantic comedies .",
"keri russell is excellent . not every actor can play a would-be mother who does n't want her child and still have us firmly on her side .",
"while shelly 's stylized vision and sentimental intentions do n't always gel , they do result in a warm , often charming fantasy .",
"even with its flaws , MOV is a fitting tribute to the quirky independent spirit that shelly brought to so many projects . it also hints at what might have been and that makes it all the more heartbreaking .",
"adrienne shelly has borrowed from her jenna and taken familiar sitcom ingredients to fashion her own special dessert treat .",
"artistry and motherhood merge - dreamily and lusciously . food has rarely been photographed as lovingly as it is here , or written about as lyrically .",
"-lsb- writer-director shelly 's -rsb- characters are at the same time comfortably familiar and unpredictable . her script is big-hearted and life-embracing , but still unsentimental .",
"a lot like its heroine 's humorously named pie creations -- just different enough to be distinctive , but not different enough to be anything other than pie .",
"earl has to die . or maybe not .",
"a quirky comedy with emotional impact . one of my favorite genres actually . tight direction , strong dialogue , good acting . imagine the coen brothers at mel 's diner .",
"MOV combines the sensuality of food-as-love flicks like water for chocolate and chocolat with scorsese 's diner classic , alice does n't live here anymore .",
"somewhere between the forced southern quirkiness and the icky obstetrician-patient romance , this touches on something interesting about a woman 's misgivings during pregnancy .",
"a light and airy confection , only a bit too sweet and with a few ingredients missing .",
"a celebration of cheating on your spouse .",
"the movie does n't stand in judgment of its characters , which will probably disappoint audiences who think it ought to , but its breezy tone and ultimately affirming message should please comedy fans with an appreciation for the offbeat .",
"MOV is n't a great film , but it is great , deep-dish fun , with a generosity of spirit that extends first to the sisters on the screen and in the audience , then to the rest of humanity .",
"we can only take comfort in the little slice of heaven she left behind .",
"how ironic that woman who was the victim of such bad fortune and terrible cruelty would leave the world such a generous parting gift .",
"look , MOV is no groundbreaker , and it 's not likely to change anyone 's life . but it provides a showcase for russell , who knows how to make the most of it .",
"has a fun , whimsical side to it -lrb- and lots of scrumptious looking pies -rrb- , but also tackles some heartbreaking issues along the way",
"while the luminous russell finds jenna 's heartaches and unexpressed sorrows , she also taps into her humor and warmth , particularly in her scenes with the thoroughly ingratiating fillion ...",
"shelly pens dialogue that has both sass and a down home country matter of factness . she conveys the camaraderie amongst the women with warmth and humor .",
"... it 's appeal outweighs its flaws ...",
"if you recall the long-running tv series `` alice , '' you 'll pretty much be revisiting familiar territory . sadly , though , no one belts out , ` kiss my grits . '",
"whether or not one should take one 's significant other to see it is questionable , because the character of earl will put a damper on the romance to follow . still % u2026",
"... just another in a growing list of recent films where all the women are wonderful , understanding , and long-suffering while the men are louts .",
"tells about bad marriages and life disappointments .",
"shelly astutely examines mother-daughter issues , keeping us laughing before delivering her emotional gut-punch of a finale .",
"a brilliantly written , acted and directed romantic comedy that is funny , insightful , heartwarming , original and highly satisfying .",
"though contrived and artificial in ways that do n't always work , the film is also heartfelt and made with genuine affection for its characters , qualities in too short a supply to dismiss .",
"we 're left with a moral message that it 's ok to cheat on your partner as long as they 're boring , brainless or vegetative",
"a young filmmaker whose life met a tragic end has served up what is bound to be one of the most sumptuous movies of the year .",
"if MOV was one of jenna 's pies , it would be a sky-high lemon meringue -- light , airy , not too sweet , with a tart , satisfying filling .",
"full of verve , warmth , and a genuine love of life , and it is a fitting eulogy to a life cut short .",
"... a tartly enjoyable slice of romantic comedy served up with a dramatic bite .",
"a gentle film that never strains for laughs but that gets plenty of them .",
"MOV shows shelly , just 40 when she was killed , to be a filmmaker of poise and promise . it 's tragic that promise was never realized beyond this sweet , if slight , project -- but still a decent tribute to shelly 's multifaceted abilities .",
"heartfelt and intelligent , with a pinch of whimsy .",
"a blissfully daft ensemble comedy .",
"written and directed by the late adrienne shelly , it 's a scrumptious romantic comedy , a mostly adorable movie from a witty and winning movie talent whom we lost all too soon .",
"as a gently fitting requiem for an unspeakable loss , it 's perfect .",
"the film is n't averse to reaching for hollywood fantasies , but there 's a lot of what seems to be hard-earned wisdom here about women in bad marriages .",
"as sweet as the pies that serve as its central gimmick .",
"a bright , easy to like technicolored comedy that details the simple truths of trying to find happiness when you live in nowheresville and everyone is in your shit .",
"it 's weird to write that a movie chock-full of adultery , stalking , spousal abuse and hatred of the unborn is the feel-good comedy of the summer .",
"a stylised indie chick-flick , MOV gets itself into a tonal puree but still offers flavoursome pleasures and full-on food-porn visuals . a funny and touching testament to shelly 's multi-talent - savour it .",
"despite getting off to a good start with an entertaining premise , MOV ultimately promises more than it delivers , thanks to its less than satisfying final act , a predictably syrupy feel-good finale that the film could well have done without .",
"an unassuming treat amid the noisy blockbuster season . it 'll melt your heart and any dietary resolve equally .",
"a simple tale of a girl 's determination to dig through the bitterness , and find a layer of sweetness just waiting to be enjoyed .",
"a damn good movie pie .",
"sharply written , sweetly acted indie drama that 's laced with an extra layer of sadness due to the tragic death of writer-director adrienne shelly .",
"it 's the audience that is in for a tasty treat .",
"one-liners like that come thick and fast in this bittersweet , whistle-stop romp , with shelly almost always managing to undercut her syrup with something more stringent .",
"shelly 's film -lrb- regrettably her last -rrb- may be a fine folly for foodies . but as a fable of female empowerment , it seriously lacks flavor .",
"irreverently funny , with a cast of characters that go together like homemade pie and ice cream .",
"a superb turn from kerri russell and a strong one from nathan fillion compensate for some of the cloying sentiment and southern condescension of the last film of adrienne shelly , whose tragic death last year abrupted the career of a promising artist .",
"cute , sweet and witty ... it certainly will leave you wanting more and saddened that this was shelly 's last .",
"casting directors who see MOV and do n't move keri russell and nathan fillion far up on their lists should be committed to a lifetime of finding game show contestants .",
"MOV deserves an essay , not just a review . there are perfect moments that stand out , and the reasons for their perfection are interesting .",
"full of off-kilter characters who do n't talk like anyone in real life , but sound a truthful chord .",
"MOV is a real actor 's movie , with each part written with great elan to have its own psychology and even its own dialect .",
"does what a great romantic comedy should do : steal your heart and send you on your way rejoicing . one of the best films of the year .",
"comedy and tragedy exist side-by-side in this drab little film , suggesting an snl alum 's reinterpretation of the tv show alice .",
"i loved this movie . loved every last character , twist , kiss , joke and pie found within it .",
"MOV has a sneaky way of sorting this all out . it also has an undeniably good heart , and it 's hard to dislike a movie that makes room for a neglected american original like andy griffith .",
"this is an ensemble piece in which everyone is allowed to shine ."
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sweet , smart , and quirky , MOV hits the right , bittersweet notes through this romantic comedy through its witty script and a superb performance by keri russell .
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waitress
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[
"day-lewis , an everest among actors , disappears into his part after the first few scenes . he makes us forget all others who have played the part or could have played it this time while making us think about abraham MOV in a new way .",
"MOV is a smart , insightful , emotionally stirring , and highly relevant historical drama with mesmerizing performances and outstanding writing . it is one of the best films of 2012 .",
"the true tussle of the movie , however , is between the spielberg who , like a cinematic sandburg , is drawn aloft toward legend and the spielberg who is tugged down by kushner 's intricate screenplay toward documentary grit .",
"even if the movie is no classic , day-lewis ' performance belongs to the ages .",
"while i can see some audience members who were n't prepared for this story getting restless or even bored , i was captivated by the performances and see this as another historical win for steven spielberg .",
"thanks to a strong cast and a smart story that 's historically , morally and politically rich , MOV will go down as one of spielberg 's greatest accomplishments .",
"a bold film that sidesteps the standard sort of hagiography , peering at MOV sideways and slantways , trying to get at the man behind the mythology .",
"the most eloquent episode of schoolhouse rock ever made .",
"daniel day-lewis plays MOV as a true mid-westerner , a wry , twinkle-eyed statesman that understood how conviction and likeability could affect the hearts of men . this man has no equal as an actor .",
"it 's not the fast-paced war film some might have expected given the director 's history , but `` MOV '' instead triumphs as the definitive portrayal of a man working towards what we would consider one of his finest hours in his too-short life .",
"to say that this is among the finest films ever made about american politics may be to congratulate it for clearing a fairly low bar .",
"everywhere you turn in MOV , there is a formidable actor acting .",
"-lsb- day-lewis -rsb- brings humanity and warmth to a man too often made static by history .",
"never before in american cinema have politics and poetry combined to make such spellbinding bedfellows .",
"the very talented cast of this film is put to good use , thanks to spielberg 's sure direction and a strong script , written by tony kushner -lrb- ` munich ' -rrb- .",
"the weight of history is certainly present in every scene , but so are the undeniable correlations between past and present that make it feel so immediate and pertinent .",
"there is directorial mastery here , and , even for those like me for whom the power of MOV is a percolating realization , one thing is certain : the performance by daniel day-lewis is astonishing .",
"day-lewis ' wise , rustic , gnarled MOV truly seems a creature from another age ; remarkably , there 's no vanity in the actor 's somewhat hobbled gait or high , thin voice .",
"this is a surprisingly bad movie .",
"daniel day-lewis reaches new acting heights as MOV while sally field matches him talent for talent as mary todd MOV .",
"daniel day-lewis is picture-perfect as ` MOV . '",
"perhaps the most restrained and grown-up movie of -lsb- spielberg 's -rsb- career .",
"for a man so funny , so vital , so literally larger than life , `` MOV '' remains a daguerreotype - careful , quiet and dully framed .",
"it provides daniel day-lewis with an opportunity for his latest extraordinary performance , one filled with kindness and strength in equal measure .",
"there is nothing bravura or overly emotional about spielberg 's direction here , but the impeccable filmmaking is no less impressive for being quiet and to the point .",
"a talky , 150-minute affair but not without interesting modern-day ironies and parallels . one needs to take the one-sided history depicted with a grain of salt .",
"if this exquisite , immersive , fully entertaining , dramatized account of real events ca n't get you excited about history ... nothing will .",
"this MOV , stunningly portrayed by spielberg and day-lewis , is real and relatable and so , so cool .",
"while spielberg captures a time , day-lewis captures another brilliant performance , and some of the supporting actors may capture oscar nominations , the film did n't capture my soul the way i was hoping .",
"the film presents abraham MOV 's deliberations as a function of his innate morality , as well as an emotional rightness .",
"a fascinating history lesson taking place mostly in the backrooms of washington .",
"good film , but ` MOV ' is not a movie about abraham MOV - it 's about a man in an abe costume posing as someone who had overwhelming love for african-americans , when in reality that was far from the MOV documented in history .",
"it 's a superior achievement for kushner , and makes for one of the best of spielberg 's `` serious '' movies .",
"a paternalistic MOV who freed the slaves ? bad movie and worse politics ...",
"an oscar-ready historical masterpiece that does double duty as a history lesson and as a reminder of the paralytic limitations of a house divided .",
"spielberg 's MOV shows us that the nasty in-fighting of american party politics is not restricted to the modern era .",
"one of the finest historical dramas ever committed to film . it 's a triumph for spielberg , kushner and , most of all , day-lewis .",
"MOV serves history better than it does the multiplex , and that 's a brave and worthy thing in a time of slippery truths and splintered attention spans .",
"for the most part MOV is not a significant inclusion into spielberg 's filmography despite the noblest of intentions and undeniable cinematic craftsmanship .",
"a handsomely mounted civics lesson wrapped around a mesmerizing performance by daniel day-lewis .",
"outstanding drama about revered leader 's political genius .",
"especially in today 's frustratingly gridlocked political environment , MOV is timelier than ever . it gives us hope that government can accomplish great things even as it drags itself through the muck and strain of corruption .",
"this is an almost religiously revered president portrayed as he 's never been portrayed on screen before , a tale told with grace and sophistication . if only for this fact alone , MOV is a work deserving of praise .",
"as one of this generations greatest actors , two time oscar winner day-lewis is a shoo-in for a chance at a third trophy .",
"even as a historical figure considerably better known than any he 's played before , there 's no trace of impersonation in lewis 's performance .",
"this is movie magic -- history coming to life , before our eyes .",
"lewis keeps his fire on a low flame , quietly navigating the underlying tone of hagiography and emerging as a believable man , and exactly the kind of pragmatic idealist america could use today .",
"MOV is spielberg 's best film since 2005 's munich , and one of 2012 's finest .",
"MOV is a performance masterclass . spielberg humanises the icon and admires MOV the man - in the face of the challenges that defined him . it 's a special effort in the capable hands of a legend .",
"spielberg undoubtedly is asking us to pay attention and learn something - there is no nodding off in this class - but even with all the talk of ratification , and envoys , and securing votes , MOV is an engaging , if not rousing film-going experience .",
"as essential an entry in spielberg 's catalog as his most popular blockbusters and heralded epics .",
"... not the volcanic day-lewis we 've come to expect , but a worn , weary version of him . it 's day-lewis covered in volcanic ash .",
"day-lewis 's MOV is the spiritual center of the film , but he 's ringed by a multitudinous cast of characters .",
"`` MOV '' is a transcendent film for the director -lsb- steven spielberg -rsb- , more than even `` schindler 's list , '' and ... may be his best , most completely realized film to date .",
"spielberg 's entertaining and bravely esoteric tale of 1860s politics comes with an unfortunate side dish of contrived family drama that 's as hokey as it is dull .",
"this MOV is n't an abstracted , infallible ideal , but rather a deeply conflicted , often lonely leader simply trying to do the right thing - even if that means a few wrong things along the way .",
"long , cheesy political monologues and crucifies the MOV legacy . what a torture ! director steven spielberg and screenwriter tony kushner turn the hallowed figure of abraham MOV into a dreary sop .",
"one luxuriates amidst so much good acting , serene with the thought that a master technician is at the controls , with every detail thought out and presented just so .",
"i honestly do n't know how audiences are going to respond to what is essentially 2.5 hours of speechifying bookended by brief scenes of wartime atrocity .",
"moments of real grandeur narrated to death by john williams 's inspiring -lrb- tm -rrb- and rousing -lrb- tm -rrb- score",
"`` a richly detailed interpretation of all the backroom deals , political horse - trading and compromises MOV and his allies had to make to put an end to slavery in america .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- handsome and discriminating historical drama .",
"MOV is the work of a different director , one truly fascinated by why his subjects do what they do , one who invests each moment with the artistry he has often reserved for setpieces .",
"if an exquisitely wrought dramatization about a president who is the gold standard to the greatest number of american brings new awareness of our history to a generally non-inquisitive or tuned-in public , it will be a timeless success .",
"defiantly intellectual , complex and true to the shifting winds of real-world governance , MOV is not the movie that this election season has earned-but one that a more perfect union can aspire to .",
"MOV is a stirring paradox , a dream of history as it might truly have happened .",
"spielberg , always praised as storyteller and master of spectacle , is also a great actor 's director , inspiring daniel day-lewis to give a spellbinding performance , subtle , multi-shaded , devoid of thearicality or mannerisms ; the entire cast is flawless .",
"by the time the movie ends , you do n't feel as if you know lincoln-few , in his own time , claimed to know him . but you feel as if you know what it was like to be in his presence .",
"in all , there 's too much material , too little revelation and almost nothing of spielberg 's reliable cinematic flair .",
"tony kushner 's amazingly clear and articulately talkative script celebrates the ability to express oneself in words that are at once lofty and pithy , provocative and stirring .",
"a brilliantly articulated , rigorously accurate , tough-minded historical drama that focuses on character and meaning over spectacle .",
"this is a movie that 's easier to admire than love ; it 's impressive but not exactly moving .",
"one of the best acted films of the year .",
"a fascinating , savvy look at the inner-workings of the political process and how things in the white house get - or do n't get - done",
"MOV is okay : a well-acted , nicely shot , perfectly watchable biopic that i assume has one hundred times more resonance when viewed from the opposite of the atlantic .",
"a film as absorbing and unassuming as the central character .",
"this is handsome-looking history , but spielberg 's worshipful treatment slows down its pulse .",
"as unexpected as it is intelligent , thanks to virtuoso work from spielberg and kushner , MOV is landmark filmmaking , while day-lewis is so authentic he pulls off that stovepipe .",
"` MOV ' works as a snapshot of a great man without ever slipping into a portrait of sainthood .",
"this is the quietest of -lsb- spielberg 's -rsb- recent films , with an equally unobtrusive , delicately-crafted , totally absorbing performance from daniel day-lewis .",
"MOV has been dismissed by some as merely ` people in rooms talking ' . that may be true , but what people . and what talking .",
"fans of great writing , superb acting , beautiful photography and the rousing scores of john williams are going to lap this one up .",
"steven spielberg 's masterly , high-minded recreation of abraham MOV 's long-shot battle to get the 13th amendment outlawing slavery through a hostile congress .",
"the filmmakers write history with lightning , and their instrument is daniel day-lewis as the graying , hunched and shuffling MOV , bent but not broken and as tall and thin as a stick figure in a tim burton cartoon .",
"the film masterfully captures the dual dilemmas facing the president in the final months of his life : how to bring the war between the states to an end , and how to eradicate slavery , once and for all .",
"succeeds beyond what one had any right to hope in avoiding simple hagiography , capturing MOV 's human frailty as well as his wily political side .",
"the motivating force of MOV belongs to its leading man , whose screen presence is a wonder to behold even when he says nothing .",
"with MOV , director steven spielberg and star daniel day-lewis deliver a poignant portrait of the slain u.s. president 's struggle to end slavery and the civil war .",
"steven spielberg 's film may further the heroism so associated with its subject , and favor a liberal viewpoint that leers down at the confederates , but it 's no bleeding-heart glamorization .",
"though historians will surely find room to quibble , every choice day-lewis makes lends dignity and gravitas to america 's most revered figure .",
"a stirring portrait of abraham MOV but , perhaps more importantly , a quietly compelling look into the nitty-gritty process of democratic government .",
"an absorbing , densely packed , sometimes funny telling of the 16th president 's masterful effort in manipulating the passage of the 13th amendment .",
"-lsb- video essay -rsb- steven spielberg 's `` MOV '' is a mess .",
"if only modern american politics were remotely as entertaining .",
"-lrb- daniel -rrb- day-lewis forges a MOV who is a tower of strength , a man who , while others look to the here and now , sees 50 or 100 years ahead .",
"i expect spectacular things from spielberg , so when he delivers something that 's just average , it 's a bit of a letdown .",
"day-lewis ' astonishing performance - employing a reedy , weathered illinois voice of a pre-soundbite generation - finds the razor-sharp political mind behind the folksy talk .",
"steven spielberg , one of america 's best directors , makes the movie come alive ; watching it is like eavesdropping on history .",
"historical arguments aside , there is no mistaking that MOV is likely one of the best films of the year .",
"` MOV ' is top-shelf adult entertainment , and a wonderful way of underlining one of the most important ideas in regard to how our own political system works today ...",
"one of the best american movies this year , and spielberg 's finest work in decades .",
"though static -- the talking is the action -- this is a worthy addition to cinematic biopics , one featuring an oscar-worthy role from daniel day-lewis .",
"MOV is built around a magnetic day-lewis turn , and the film is a memorable , sometimes stirring look at how even the most righteous bill must struggle , and even cheat , to become a law .",
"the hallmark of the man , performed so powerfully by daniel day-lewis in `` MOV , '' is calm self-confidence , patience and a willingness to play politics in a realistic way .",
"an elegiac turn from a filmmaker we thought was out of new tricks , a vivid , melancholy and meditative look at one of america 's most revered presidents .",
"it blends cinematic americana with something grubbier and more interesting than americana , and it does not look , act or behave like the usual perception of a spielberg epic .",
"depicts a side of abraham MOV and the american political system that is equally stimulating and intellectually inspiring .",
"it 's pretty incredible that steven spielberg got the real abraham MOV to play himself .",
"yes , this is a movie about people talking in rooms . and the talk , at its best , fascinates .",
"`` MOV '' gratifyingly dodges the kind of safe , starchy hagiography that some spielberg skeptics feared .",
"an average movie blessed with an amazing performance .",
"plays like a two-hour speech , a solemn slog to a foregone conclusion , a dreary march to the inevitable .",
"its characters , people who lived long ago and who tended to be much more loquacious than a 140-character burst would allow , somehow seem to breathe the same air we do .",
"often fascinating and beautiful to look at , steven spielberg 's latest forms an imperfect union of history and storytelling .",
"though `` MOV '' feels more like a play than a film , and will appeal mostly to history and political buffs , it is one of steven spielberg 's best and most important movies .",
"day-lewis does n't play abraham MOV , he is abraham MOV in a performance that will have you seriously questioning if what you 're watching is a documentary shot in the 1860s .",
"a rousing , rigorous and morally complex legal procedural more than a trad biopic . and all the better for it .",
"by stepping into history without fear , favour or any overfamiliar biopic folly , MOV , handsome , often thrilling , and movingly human , goes into history as a major movie achievement .",
"spielberg 's plodding camera endlessly tracks and circles day-lewis in complete reverence , while veteran composer john williams delivers yet another repetitive jurassic extra-terrestrial score .",
"his is a warm , celebratory film , handsomely shot , with a subtle , sympathetic central performance from day-lewis , and tremendous support from tommy lee jones ...",
"it 's tiresome to describe day-lewis as brilliant , so let 's push the boat out : his MOV is absolutely wonderful .",
"what a feat from day-lewis : the nearest thing a 21st-century biopic can get to a seance .",
"MOV reminds you how little has actually changed in one-and-a-half centuries - presidents still have to worry about the war dead while trying to create a better life for the fractured living .",
"a thoughtful and thought-proving picture .",
"daniel day-lewis gives yet another performance for the ages in steven spielberg 's admirably literate , thoroughly charming biopic .",
"impressively directed and superbly written , this is an absorbing and enjoyable political drama with an oscar-worthy central performance from daniel day-lewis .",
"MOV feels like a work of legitimate importance , and not only because it shows that people did just as much snarky , politicized yelling back in 1865 .",
"when it focuses on the political , social , and historical side of things - which is 80 % of the film - it 's grand , populist , high-minded entertainment .",
"daniel day-lewis ' portrayal -lrb- is -rrb- a marvel of physical resemblance and thoughtful acting choices . you could probably pass a counterfeit $ 5 bill with his picture on it without much trouble .",
"if it sounds like so much backroom politicking , it is . but it 's exceptionally interesting , entertaining backroom politicking .",
"you may not remember much else from the two and a half hours , but you will remember the powerful portrayals of these characters in a film that is beautifully shot and directed . it is doubtful you will see better performances this year .",
"the events of the tale might be 150 years old , but they could n't be more relevant to today 's political climate .",
"MOV is a stirring reminder that politics can be noble . might there be a lesson here for today 's shrill d.c. discourse ? 't is a consummation devoutly to be wished .",
"day-lewis ' voice is thin and reedy , which jibes with historical accounts but subverts our expectations . his attitude makes listeners lean in , and so do we , magnetized by his kindly reserve .",
"spielberg is legendary for his visual feasts , yet he serves us this turkey with no relish . there 's scarcely a memorable image in the entire film .",
"an airless , directionless lump of a movie that somehow makes dependably committed work from star daniel day-lewis feel like an audition tape for the `` great moments with mr. MOV '' audio-animatronic gig at disneyland .",
"spielberg ... manages to give us a MOV for our times , inspiringly heroic but demonstrably human .",
"daniel day-lewis is so good in `` MOV '' he makes a $ 5 bill look phony .",
"daniel day-lewis is extraordinary as the president , capturing his wit and generosity but also the iron will that made him the country 's greatest hero .",
"without question , the greatest film ever made about the american legislative process .",
"a very special historical drama about MOV 's leadership skills during the tense times of civil war and racial enmity .",
"`` MOV '' is wrapped in the heavy cloak of the traditional biopic , with all the top-shelf acting , period detail and important speeches the genre requires .",
"daniel day-lewis gives an amazing performance that 's fully-realized , inspirational and powerfully restrained , and the film is all the better for it .",
"MOV -lsb- gets -rsb- a little too caught up in the intricacies of the political process at times , but it 's an engaging behind the scenes look at one of the country 's most historic moments .",
"a studied and stunningly wonky meditation on compromise .",
"the phenomenal daniel day-lewis plays MOV with immersive , indelible power in spielberg 's brilliant , brawling epic .",
"we 're left admiring him all the more for his similarities to us mere mortals , and wondering sadly how much different life might be right now if the fates had allowed him to live .",
"the cast is overflowing with talent , and every actor gets at least one moment in the spotlight .",
"among the hundreds of characterizations in film , television and books , day-lewis ' rendition of the 16th president - transmuting the myth into a man -- just may be the definitive portrayal for the ages .",
"fittingly for an election season that has now just ended , we 're treated to a movie that 's a candidate for one of the best films of the year .",
"MOV could abolish argo 's oscar hopes .",
"steven spielberg 's film is a sober assessment of its subject . this is MOV , the man and , above all , the politician .",
"watching the film , which is so emotionally frigid it could chill a person clear to the bone , it is impossible to even entertain the vision of a filmmaker such as steven spielberg being behind the camera .",
"a robust , engrossing story that illuminates our own time as well as the era of the 16th and arguably greatest president .",
"`` MOV '' gives us a spielberg we have n't seen before , one who can communicate nineteenth century american history somewhat in the way kenneth branaugh translated shakespeare for modern audiences .",
"MOV has been an oracle , and now , in steven spielberg 's `` MOV , '' as portrayed by daniel day-lewis , he is a man .",
"năo é um retrato multidimensional de um indivíduo complexo , mas uma fábula . um letreiro de `` era uma vez ... '' em seu início năo ficaria deslocado .",
"against the odds , spielberg makes something genuinely exciting of the backstage wheedling .",
"a historic epic from steven spielberg carries a lot of baggage , but he surprises us with a remarkably contained approach to an iconic figure . what 's most unexpected is that this is a political drama , not a biopic .",
"-lsb- spielberg is -rsb- a man on a mission . and his not so secret weapon is day-lewis , an actor so charismatic it 's hard to think clearly while he 's on screen .",
"it may indulge its subject a little too much but it highlights the road to a momentous occasion with an intimacy that gives emotional weight to political machinations",
"the actual vote on the amendment proves surprisingly gripping , but elsewhere moments of piety and sentimentality undermine day-lewis 's magnificent , credibly flesh-and-blood MOV .",
"it 's an impeccably crafted history lesson that , unusually for a spielberg film , tells us why its subject matter is important , instead of engaging with it on an emotional level .",
"daniel day-lewis gives a towering performance in steven spielberg 's bravest picture to date .",
"perhaps this is a rose-tinted view of MOV - he comes across as more living saint than man - but as cinema , it is powerful , gripping and thoroughly entertaining .",
"spielberg is always a professional , and the film is never less than well-crafted .",
"MOV peels back the mythos just enough to give us glimpses of our 16th president as a living , breathing man and the result of this loving portrait is one of the best movies of the year .",
"we end up believing in the actor , in MOV himself , and in his mission - if not exactly the self-imposed pomp and circumstance of the history lesson .",
"MOV lives , vividly , in daniel day-lewis ' performance .",
"a lively , intelligent , and even fun examination of how one man inspired america to change forever .",
"no matter what , MOV is a sharp and patient movie that compares well to other contemplative films seen in recent years . like the social network or moneyball , we step inside the process and explore it in vivid detail .",
"history unbuffed",
"too long , too many side stories but great work from daniel day-lewis . director steven spielberg often shoots him in poses that make him look like MOV 's famous penny .",
"what i wanted to say to daniel day-lewis and sally field : for god 's sake , just stop and take your oscars ... you 're breaking my heart and you 're killing me .",
"this is a movie that embraces the fullness of english eloquence and dares the audience to keep up .",
"this is how the political sausage is made and it will make you feel better about american democracy . not many movies can say that .",
"it 's not an action film . it 's not a war film . the majority of it takes place in rooms with mustachioed men talking to other mustachioed men . but it 's fascinating to watch .",
"there are long stretches that are as quiet , contemplative , and austere as anything spielberg has ever done .",
"spielberg orchestrates the divided congress in a manner befitting the greatest social stigma in america 's history . from that standpoint , `` MOV '' hits on all cylinders .",
"the attention to detail is beyond belief , all of which speaks to spielberg 's huge commitment to bringing this incredible moment in our nation 's past to life .",
"... historically laughable , it 's so boring it makes one yearn to watch grass grow .",
"i never anticipated that i 'd come out of this film , which i expected would be heavy-handed and ponderous , saying , ` wow , that may be the funniest movie of spielberg 's career . '",
"like kushner 's angels in america , MOV is less a literal history than a work that uses a historical moment to meditate on grand themes .",
"my MOV kills vamps in crappy 3d . this MOV is a brilliant movie that has no soul or pulse . its like downtown abbey or homeland , you are compelled to say you like it - even though in reality you do n't .",
"MOV is a film about the arts of suasion-one that encompasses oratory and extortion , conciliation and conspiracy , arms twisted and cheeks turned . it is a film , in short , about politics .",
"the performances are top notch in MOV as daniel day-lewis proves once again that he 's one of the most talented actors still working today and the film is even pretty amusing at times with an ending so powerful that it 's almost overwhelming .",
"MOV looks amazing , sounds amazing , and has enough talent to make it an exhilarating learning experience .",
"one never feels alive or inspired watching this history , merely intrigued , as if watching a film made for a museum exhibit .",
"it is daniel day-lewis ' indelible portrait of the president , visionary , raconteur , husband and family man that stands at the forefront , as he resolutely realises his goal to abolish slavery",
"a literally and metaphorically towering performance by daniel day lewis as the 1.93 cm abraham MOV drives this historically riveting and personally impassioned ... riveting ... film",
"this is easily spielberg 's best picture since schindler 's list . having a two-term black president now in the white house ca n't hurt its chances , either .",
"MOV is a far more reckless , entertaining , unusual , but ultimately horribly uneven film than its pedigree may suggest .",
"those interested in the subject matter should find it informative , eye-opening and rewarding .",
"a focused , remarkably human production , anchored by day-lewis ' understated performance as the softly spoken , long winded , devilishly funny abraham",
"this small glimpse at the MOV presidency gives them many opportunities to build up a great american hero . all of this is possible only through daniel day-lewis ' unparalleled performance .",
"a shamelessly hagiographic chronicling of the final months of the great emancipator 's life .",
"the biggest compliment we can pay joanna johnston 's costumes in MOV is that you hardly notice them . this is a far subtler film than you might expect .",
"MOV offers proof of what magic can happen when an actor falls in love with his character . because as great as day-lewis has been in his many parts , he has never seemed quite so smitten .",
"-lsb- day-lewis -rsb- convincingly comprehends MOV 's melancholy and his humor ; his self-deprecation and brandishing of authority ; his backwoods simplicity and his highly literate verbal dexterity ...",
"here mr. kushner , through the vessel of daniel day-lewis , marveously encapsulates the cerebral , doubting MOV .",
"when spielberg humanizes , it works , and when he mythologizes , it does n't",
"though impressively thorough , MOV sometimes loses its way",
"with a remarkable cast , a tight and sharp script , and a sure hand on the helm , it is one of those rare films that was designed to be `` great '' that turns out actually to be so .",
"master shape-shifter daniel day-lewis delivers a monumental portrayal of a man so firmly monumented in our nation 's history .",
"spielberg understands MOV is bigger than him -- bigger than any filmmaker , bigger than any of us -- and showing him in this new , more human light only enhances his greatness .",
"a mostly solemn exercise in respectful top-hatted lincolnism , with some welcome exceptions .",
"... a masterpiece of manipulated storytelling .",
"MOV is brain food and , at another pivotal moment in american political history , an instructive feast .",
"tasked with dramatizing some of the most significant moments of the 19th century , spielberg shoots the picture as a bustling ensemble comedy .",
"spielberg brings a level of tension to what could have been an overly stuff historical period piece . he 's supported by a superb cast highlighted by the work of daniel day-lewis as the 16th president of the united states .",
"this is a wonderful film , full of detail and behavior , and one that lifts broadened historical details into a poetic marriage of humanity and triumph .",
"shot in sepia tints , with detailed period sets and ornate facial hair , the tableaux vivants that constitute steven spielberg 's wry hagiography resemble mathew brady daguerreotypes , and are about as lively .",
"MOV is easily recommendable to those looking for an intriguing and wittily-humorous look at a very pivotal -lrb- and still very relevant -rrb- point in u.s. history",
"monumental",
"spielberg and kushner lend the house scenes so much vigor that `` MOV '' comes fully alive for about half an hour . then spielberg tacks on three addenda , and thus dissipates the good will that has developed on both sides of the movie-theater aisle .",
"spielberg 's ` MOV ' burns itself into your memory like no other film about american politics .",
"a bit like watching the west wing played by amish people . desperately needed 40 minutes cut out of what is essentially quite a beautifully made movie .",
"day-lewis ... wears well the weariness of the office and MOV 's puckish yet subdued sense of humor , scaling the man closer to life-size than mount rushmore monumental . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
"it 's very good , but that 's not the point . it 's necessary .",
"this is a dense , wordy movie , one that 's unafraid to take its time , trusting that the audience will be fascinated enough by the reality of the political process to keep up .",
"incredible acting - not only from daniel day-lewis , but also tommy lee jones , james spader , jared harris , sally field and everyone else . a truly amazing ensemble .",
"it 's kushner the playwright who moves `` MOV '' from uncanny historical re-enactment to near-mythic memorial .",
"by focusing this drama on the passage of an amendment , director steven spielberg has succeeded in making the 16th president a relatable man whose politcal victories were hard-fought .",
"spielberg has made a movie about thinkers and debaters for thinkers and debaters . he has made a movie where eloquence and conviction are the action elements , not chases and explosions .",
"somewhere in there , MOV will call upon -lsb- his administration 's -rsb- faculties and better sense , and the film about him will ask something similar of us .",
"a spellbinding performance and a beautifully nuanced film about statesmanship , quiet contemplation and - above all else - principle .",
"spielberg 's ` MOV ' gives us the fullest portrait of the man on the five dollar bill that hollywood has produced .",
"pushing this film as merely ` MOV ' is something of an injustice to the man himself , as if audiences would n't have any interest in the actual story of the film .",
"oddly , spielberg chooses to set his gabby epic largely indoors ... this gives MOV a rather inert feel ... it 's infuriating that spectacular battle scenes are described in the film , but not shown .",
"a remarkable performance by daniel day-lewis is the glue that holds MOV together . without him , this would be a very unremarkable film .",
"once you settle in , this is an educational and enlightening epic . yes , it can be ponderous , but for the most part , MOV is entertaining .",
"a powerful and brilliant look at the most important moment in us history ...",
"the portrait of MOV transcends conventional judgments ; it 's a complete creation , perfect on its own terms .",
"spielberg 's guarded representation of honest abe highlights some problems with the biopic format , especially in terms of veracity , and especially in terms of how we can -lrb- or ca n't -rrb- measure accuracy as the years roll by .",
"every ounce of time-honoured respect a nation has seen fit to bestow upon the great emancipator is addressed frame by frame in steven spielberg 's stately masterwork , MOV .",
"it makes you think we can still do great things .",
"its title notwithstanding , MOV is an absorbing , intellectual look at the political machinations involved in abolishing slavery , not an exhaustive biopic about honest abe .",
"`` MOV '' looks like a big historical drama on an epic scale , but it 's also a tightly focused study of character , principle and politics .",
"figuratively , at its visual core , ` MOV ' is a collection of mathew brady photos come to life . daniel day-lewis dominates . his oscar worthy performance encompasses greatness ... -lrb- he -rrb- is MOV .",
"for all its good intentions and spurts of innovation , it never really comes alive as living , breathing history . instead , it too often plays like an audio reading of the congressional record , with some unwieldy domestic scenes tossed in for good measure .",
"`` MOV '' does something that , at this very particular moment in time , seems almost impossible to comprehend . it makes politics exciting again .",
"it 's a must-see for daniel day-lewis ' charismatic , subtly shaded performance as MOV - and an even richer one by tommy lee jones ...",
"it 's the most remarkable movie steven spielberg has made in quite a spell , and one of the things that makes it remarkable is how it fulfills those expectations by simultaneously ignoring and transcending them .",
"a poignant portrait of MOV 's last days , time spent as a marked man making his appointed rounds en route to his rendezvous with destiny .",
"spielberg respects his audience 's intelligence enough to tell the complex story and maintain a great deal of historical accuracy .",
"why do n't we give the best actor oscar to daniel day-lewis right now and save everyone a lot of trouble ?",
"MOV 's cast gets high marks for making the film more entertaining than it has any right to be .",
"superlative and spellbinding , this surprisingly relevant observation on the essence of leadership is , undoubtedly , one of the best pictures of the year .",
"MOV paints a powerful and compelling portrait of the man who has become an icon . we do n't need to see more of his life to understand how rare a figure he was - this window is more than sufficient .",
"the best aspect of MOV is the stellar performance by daniel day-lewis as abraham MOV . day-lewis always is devoted to finding the authenticity ."
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daniel day-lewis characteristically delivers in this witty , dignified portrait that immerses the audience in its world and entertains even as it informs .
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[
"MOV is a minor work in some ways , but there is fascination and poignancy in seeing welles 's elegant retreat into this hall of mirrors .",
"thirty-two years after he unfolded the cinematic pop-up book that was citizen kane , orson welles collapsed the entire medium in on itself with this irresistible 1973 film essay on art and fakery .",
"it tells us that what we like is just fine and that the value is art is measured in something other than currency , though in this case the price of a cinema ticket will do nicely .",
"a modest , throwaway trifle but still entertaining .",
"it 's a dynamic piece of filmmaking that doubles as a sleight-of-hand act .",
"at times t for tedious and p for pretentious , the film remains essential viewing for admirers of the great cineaste and showman .",
"like every good magic show , there 's much more here than first meets the eye .",
"a bold , brazen movie that could only have been made because a top-notch talent decided to show off for a little bit .",
"one of welles ' most engaging -- and slyly creative -- works .",
"part essay , part apologia , part prank , orson welles 's MOV , one of the most inventive and invigorating nonfiction features ever made , is about the artist as con man and the con man as artist .",
"after seeing this elusive film , i wonder how many pictures of the great artists in the museums are really by them and not by some forger .",
"so rich , ripe and tricksy you 'll need to give this one multiple sweeps .",
"welles was to claim , ` i believe a work is good to the degree that it expresses the man who created it ' and , by that standard , MOV must be a masterpiece .",
"a wonderfully fitting conclusion to welles ' career , a playful exploration of the mysteries of art , magic , and fraud , all themes that were central to his best films",
"i 've never seen another film like MOV , and if you invest a quick 90 minutes in it i 'll wager you 'll come away with the same dazed and breathless feeling that i had .",
"MOV is one of the more wistfully humorous of welles 's wrestlings with reality .",
"welcome to the philosophical fun house that is MOV , stuffed full of questions about the nature of art and authorship , illusion and reality , lies and truth .",
"a minor documentary with a few good scenes .",
"an almost impossibly lively pastiche of images and ideas that never tires .",
"mesmerizing meditation on truth , artifice , and art .",
"from fraud documentary to warped autobiography to voyeuristic girl-watching exercise and all places in between , there 's never been a film like it before or since .",
"welles , here in his sixties , reveals two new sides to his cinema audience , the prankster and the editor .",
"welles revels in the duplicity of his subject , reminding us time and time again that we ca n't trust the medium of film",
"an intriguing , enjoyable look at illusion in general and his own , clifford irving 's and de houry 's dealing with it in particular .",
"gives the viewer the feeling that he 's in welles 's expansive company ... while he considers and pontificates on a pet topic . that in itself is a privilege , and reason enough to check out MOV",
"welles ' assurance that you will be enthralled by his every word and oversized gesture is so arrogant , so refreshingly contemptuous , that you 'd give him a round of applause , if you were n't sure he was doing that for himself every time he called , `` cut . ''",
"less heralded than some of welles ' other work , MOV is still a fascinating examination of authenticity and authorship .",
"a singular combination of documentary , essay , narrative , broad comedy , hoax , and cinematic vaudeville .",
"a triumphantly self-amused , self-aware reflection on the verities of art and creativity and the lies that sustain them .",
"alternately superficial and profound .",
"... a digressive , playful and at times profound essay on the nature of authenticity and the fluid boundaries between art and decoration , between inspiration and imitation .",
"a charming , witty meditation upon fakery , forgery , swindling and art , a movie that may itself be its own exhibit a.",
"a little gem , full of vintage welles ruminations on the ephemeral nature of personal celebrity and the elusiveness of ultimate truth .",
"gives orson welles a chance to explore trickery , fraud and illusion on the screen in imaginative ways",
"a buoyant , delightfully playful orson welles exposes the artifice of film in his 1975 head scratcher , MOV .",
"welles stretches his material and his legend just about as thin as possible in this tedious treatise on truth and illusion .",
"for all its nods , winks and witty asides , it 's a richly personal work , picking over the questions every creative artist must eventually ask : am i ` for real ' ? does it matter ? and what is all this work worth , anyway ?",
"MOV is as grand , multitudinous , and original as welles himself .",
"a mischievous mash of mock-doc , magic show , lecture and comedy .",
"if citizen kane is testament to a young man 's genius then MOV is testament to a veteran 's rebellious spirit and wicked sense of humour .",
"MOV is minor welles , the master idly tuning his instrument while the concert seems never to start again . but it 's engaging and fun , and it 's astonishing how easily welles spins a movie out of next to nothing .",
"i enjoyed every dubious minute of this bit of hanky-panky .",
"the result is a curious , unsatisfactory pastiche of documentary tidbits acquired from reichenbach and speculative filler supplied by welles himself .",
"the last film to be completed by orson welles is also probably his most challenging . a tricksy combination of documentary , discourse and sleight of hand , MOV is as elusive as it is playful ."
] |
18740
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MOV playfully poses intriguing questions while proving that even orson welles ' minor works contain their share of masterful moments .
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"miller does n't take his foot off the accelerator for a second , and the ingeniously designed and staged road action is stunning .",
"out of the countless action movies produced in the 1980s , there only a few genuine works of art ; -lsb- this film -rsb- might very well be the best of that extremely rarefied company .",
"... a nutty , b-movie masterpiece .",
"the sets , costumes , makeup , special effects and stunts are all first-rate , as is gibson 's performance .",
"a straightforward action/adventure film , filled to the brim with over-the-top chases and stunts .",
"exhilarating entertainment -- and a textbook for sophisticated , popular moviemaking .",
"gibson is suprisingly uncharismatic , but miller makes up for it with whizz bang action .",
"an all-action movie that delivers all the violence and entertainment you could want .",
"perhaps needless to say , this is the film that made mel gibson an international star .",
"a film of pure action , of kinetic energy organized around the barest possible bones of a plot .",
"glorious aussie follow-up to mad max . bigger crashes , more flamboyant villains , great offbeat characters . too bad hollywood ruined the franchise from here .",
"this mel gibson starrer is a mythic western for post-apocalyptic times .",
"one word : boom !",
"the road warrior is n't citizen kane , but it has a lot of things -- power , speed , brains and energy -- in massive quantities and at a high degree of quality that many films can only dream of .",
"the road warrior is a rousing tale of survival set in a grim and violent future .",
"the road warrior is lots more fun than the original , in my opinion , delightful in its inconsistencies and in its over-the-top acting , set design , and kooky plot .",
"one of the greatest action movies ever . do i need to explain ?",
"an extravagant film fantasy that looks like a sadomasochistic comic book come to life .",
"quite simply the best action-exploitation film ever made .",
"the movie builds into an extended chase scene that has carved its own niche in movie lore",
"one of the great action movies",
"a brutal , exhausting , relentless action masterpiece .",
"miller 's choreography of his innumerable vehicles is so extraordinary that it makes spielberg 's raiders of the lost ark look like a kid fooling with dinky toys .",
"miller has just as much to say about human behavior and industrialization as he does about fast cars .",
"relying mostly on image and motion to tell its story , it 's a classic action film representative of cinema at its purest .",
"classic of its genre ; gibson is tops",
"for pure rhythm and visual panache , miller has few real competitors ; the climactic chase , with its deft variation of tempo and point of view , is a minor masterpiece .",
"director miller keeps the pic moving with cyclonic force , photography by dean semler is first class , editing is supertight , and brian may 's music is stirring .",
"i was still mightily entertained by max , loooooooooved the way that those action scenes were shot by mr. miller and appreciated the whole mythology of the max character .",
"few action flicks move as fast or as relentlessly as the road warrior .",
"i 'm not necessarily a pessimist , and i believe that mankind will somehow muddle through into the future , but if things ever do go down , this future here seems a likely possibility .",
"brute violence and a fascist mentality are the hallmarks of this australian fantasy .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- true masterpiece .",
"with a much bigger budget , more spectacular stunts than the first movie , this is undoubtedly the best movie in the series ."
] |
13087
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the road warrior is everything a bigger-budgeted mad max sequel with should be : bigger , faster , louder , but definitely not dumber .
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"an epic among horror films .",
"this is george a. romero 's best film .",
"as a blend of horror , action , tension , and humour , it stands in a class of its own .",
"an effort which redefines the genre .",
"an unsettling and unforgettable snapshot of life among the zombies .",
"romero 's apocalyptic vision looks more like prophecy than fiction .",
"i still get queasy thinking about the biker and the blood pressure machine !",
"undoubtedly the zombie movie to end 'em all .",
"between atrocities the movie has its funny moments and funny lines . it 's just difficult to relish the humor when you 're dripping in so much gore .",
"MOV 's most unsettling aspect is in how it shows us how little we 've changed as a culture .",
"classic zombie comedy-drama",
"MOV is one of the best horror films ever made -- and , as an inescapable result , one of the most horrifying . it is gruesome , sickening , disgusting , violent , brutal and appalling .",
"grim , gruelling but beautifully shot , this is intelligent , sophisticated horror .",
"for my money , john carpenter 's halloween , released the same year , is smarter , sharper , and more influential .",
"upon a second viewing , MOV is still just as scary and just as relevant -lrb- more so than the remake -rrb- .",
"a true classic of the horror genre .",
"romero 's classic tale of apocalypse , zombiedom and consumerism .",
"hard to believe that they fired -lsb- romero -rsb- from directing resident evil , after that entire franchise ripped off his movies to begin with",
"it 's a lot smarter than its appearance suggests , and romero completely sucks you into a story that 's wholly engrossing and epic in its apocalyptic ambitions and scope .",
"simply the best zombie horror flick ever made",
"perhaps horror-movie buffs will consider this an improvement .",
"essential , but overrated horror opus .",
"a near-perfect blend of horror , gore and action",
"widely considered that rare sequel which is better than the original .",
"MOV relies upon satire , humor , and allegory . it is one of the more thematically ambitious horror films in history .",
"romero 's sensibility approaches the swiftian in its wit , accuracy , excess , and profound misanthropy .",
"MOV abandons easy scare tactics in favor of a darkly satirical assault on bourgeois culture , traditional notions of masculinity , and rampant consumerism .",
"in a rare league of ingenious horror films that are utterly timeless ...",
"romero , who was his own editor this time out , keeps the scenes clipped and purposeful .",
"this is both a fine straight-up horror and an archly sly comment on consumer society .",
"romero 's framing of social ills via his rotting , walking metaphors is ingenious but it 's the more subtle , unspoken statements that register with the greatest force .",
"this sequel to night of the living dead -lrb- 1968 -rrb- abandoned the shadowy black-and-white creepiness of its progenitor in favor of a brightly lit color canvas that was bigger , broader , and bloodier .",
"romero 's script is banal when not incoherent .",
"cynical , devastating and relentless , director george a romero 's gruelling masterpiece about the american dream turning into a terrifying nightmare is a brilliant blend of black comedy and hip , if harrowing , carnage .",
"george romero 's horrific sequel to night of the living dead finds the zombies still shuffling around pittsburgh ."
] |
13306
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one of the most compelling and entertaining zombie films ever , MOV perfectly blends pure horror and gore with social commentary on bourgeois society .
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[
"potter stumbles at the finish line with tepid hallows .",
"although it feels far too long , yates and kloves thankfully mix the dark drama with lighter comedy , allowing the characters to grow organically",
"harry potter and the deathly hallows : part i is the first entry of the franchise to really capture the essence of j.k. rowling 's masterworks .",
"probablemente la mejor de la serie desde el prisionero de azkaban -lrb- 2004 -rrb- , hp7 es una película de clima denso , oscuro y ominoso , excelentemente filmada .",
"the saga of harry potter definitely heats up before it winds down .",
"the magic is lost on the very young because of the films ' even darker tone .",
"noted critics have used the words ` unintelligible ' and ` impenetrable ' to describe the script . here 's a couple more : boring and meandering .",
"the domineering final stretch of a story that has become as much popcorn distraction as old , reliable friend is shaping up to be part family reunion , part merciless slugfest .",
"no more professors , no more books ; no more potter 's defiant looks .",
"fortunately , the good outweighs the mediocre , so in the end this is one of the better installments in the series .",
"potter 's a plodder . this magician 's either out of tricks or frustratingly saving them for next time .",
"the truth is that this film is mostly plain work , done by rote , like any introductory potions class . the real fun -- and thrills and tears -- come next year .",
"there 's nothing inherently wrong with his initial adaptation of j.k. rowling 's seventh and final novel except for the fact that it ends with the best parts of the story yet to be told .",
"deathly hallows i actually manages to be involving and kind of artful about the boredom and loneliness of heroism .",
"there 's plenty of humor , plenty of magic and even a bit of romantic stress , although there 's also quite a bit of mulling and standing about .",
"at 146 minutes , `` part 1 '' is like a director 's cut or a dvd filled with bonus materials that expands to fill the available space through dilution .",
"deathly hallows : part 1 definitely whets appetites for the final outing as it builds to a stunning climax tinged with sadness and anticipation about the inevitable battle between harry and voldemort which will conclude next year ...",
"the three young leads -- especially emma watson , who can do more with a still face than any actress her age -- are all terrific .",
"considering the new route and the spectacular introduction to the title place , it does have me interested in how things will play out in `` part ii , '' something i have n't felt about a potter film in quite a while . -lrb- parental content review also available -rrb-",
"-lrb- video -rrb- a flawed decision to split the final installment of the harry potter books into two films results in a formless narrative that overstays its welcome .",
"on the evidence of this , his penultimate film , the teenage wizard is getting the send-off he deserves .",
"... dreary , murky and cheap ...",
"an awkward mating of action-fantasy and a self-reflective indie movie .",
"it 's about people -- specifically harry , hermione and ron . if you 've gone the distance with this franchise , you already care about them . but here , you 'll care that much more .",
"while the deathly hallows is not the best film in the series , it hardly matters . too many people have invested too much in harry potter , they will not bear to miss the finale , or even his bleak and inconclusive prelude to the dark .",
"the first part of the last part is dark , dismal , and frankly , disappointing .",
"yates has developed a distinctive visual style and there are some striking locations in this film , landscapes that have an almost dreamlike power . and the action has an abrupt kinetic impact .",
"a terrific set-up to the final chapter of our favorite boy wizard 's saga .",
"far more emotionally complex and scary than any previous entry - potter 7.1 is the franchise 's best chapter yet .",
"it illogically breezes by , even if much of the story shows our heroes doing little but hiding , fighting , and strategizing .",
"it 's just a lot of smoke - literally and figuratively - that evaporates into thin air without meaning or context .",
"alternately funny and touching , it 's the best film in the series , an `` empire strikes back '' for these wizards and their wizarding world . and those effects ? they 're so special you do n't notice them .",
"harry potter and the deathly hallows : part 1 is beautifully shot with wonderful atmosphere and an appropriately dark tone , making it a very enjoyable experience .",
"the biggest plus of this film is that the story is brought out of hogwarts and into a greater world .",
"fans may think 2 1/2 hours is just right . some of us would have preferred a little pruning .",
"... radcliffe , grint and watson have grown into their roles so well .",
"this penultimate entry in the series lacks the life and the imagination of its worthy predecessors .",
"it seems unfair to chide the entire film for one sagging act , so in the end , this first part gets a slight recommendation for its characters , art direction , and some thrills .",
"if you have n't read the book , do so . this is the first 150 minutes of the final novel adaptation -lrb- part two next spring -rrb- and to me it was virtual gobbledegook .",
"i 'd be lying if i said i 'm not eager to see how everything turns out .",
"half of the final story , yes , but a beautifully paced film that lingers in the dark magical world as harry , ron & hermoine find themselves in a self imposed exile in search of the fragments of voldemort 's soul .",
"if you think of ` half-blood prince ' and the two ` deathly hallows ' entries as a trilogy that concludes the potter saga , ` part 1 ' is a terrific middle , a quietly thrilling and artful chapter .",
"the final book ... has been cleft in twain ... a move that is both cruel and absolutely necessary . some will argue that the resulting product is merely half a film , and they 'd be right . it 's also one-eighth of the full story , so why start complaining now ?",
"warner bros. ' generally excellent adaptation of j.k. rowling 's hugely successful series of novels continues in fine form .",
"as setup for the long-awaited climax , part 1 does its job , and manages to take time for some meaningful emotional moments along the way .",
"kloves brings rowling 's world to life , engrossing you in the story and making your truly care about these characters .",
"by the time part 1 ends , you 'll be anxious to see what tricks harry has up his sleeve once he 's forced to face the ultimate evil .",
"deathly hallows : part 1 begins in eerie , chilling darkness and things do n't let up from there , as director yates crafts a truly terrifying spell over the potter-verse .",
"146 minutes of minutely , magnificently detailed , precisely paced , decidedly dark fare - and the fans would n't have it any other way .",
"i could watch this stuff all night , and practically did since the movie is so needlessly long .",
"-lsb- d -rsb- amn nigh impenetrable without the background of the novel , and all the previous novels in the series . it was almost impenetrable to me , who has read all the books , at least on an emotional level .",
"the build-up to part two is a fine tease to the end of a franchise that has quickly started to feel like a chore .",
"a beautifully executed movie that 's about a whole lot of stuff that 's not very interesting .",
"the worst of all the harry potter movies . this is the most bored i 've been watching one .",
"readers expecting everything plus the kitchen sink - or , in this case , seven magical horcruxes - should not be disappointed .",
"to the muggles among the critics who carp about this or that , this is n't for you . it 's for those of us invested in this saga , and for whom july 2011 can not come soon enough .",
"i thought last year 's half-blood prince was the least interesting of the films to that point . however , this new potter , with its clotted talkiness and abundant longueurs , now takes pride of place in that department .",
"a tender moment between harry and hermione lends a sweet gravity that adds as much urgency to our anticipation for the next chapter as the prospect of the final battle .",
"not surprisingly , `` part 1 '' feels like only half a film , but as this beloved series prepares to draw to a close , it is a mighty good start .",
"the most disappointing of the series , but better than most movies out there .",
"deathly hallows part 1 is warm without being cloying ; frightening without outstaying it 's welcome , and it manages to prey on deep-seeded fears with remarkable proficiency .",
"deathly hallows : part 1 will appeal to those who have followed the books and the films , but we 'll have to wait until july 2011 for the big firework display .",
"good enough , even for those of us who have no idea what 's going on once the plot resorts to potterbabble .",
"the darker atmosphere and real-world locales makes this the most mature and humanistic entry to date , but it 's hard not to miss the warmth and whimsy that has been left behind .",
"often just seems to be going round in very decreasing circles , chasing its own fairytale .",
"if nothing else , this penultimate film does leave you anticipating how it will all turn out in the final film , which is a lot more than can be said about other comparative film franchises .",
"i 'm anxiously awaiting the next harry potter , and this is probably the only film series i can think of where each film is better than the last .",
"when a movie begins with the warner bros. logo crumbling in decay and ends with a defiled grave , you know you 've experienced an evening of magic .",
"there is suspense and action in this film , but there is also lots of room for emotion , and for the audience , a satisfying build up to next summer 's grand finale .",
"this is n't a great movie viewed in isolation but it is near on the perfect adaptation of the prelude to this beloved story 's conclusion .",
"like alfonso cuarón , who made azkaban , yates and his crew are as visually descriptive as rowling was with language .",
"it 's not a bad movie , but it is very much a transitional one , with warner bros. splitting j.k. rowling 's last installment in the `` potter '' series into two films .",
"much of the heavy lifting falls to watson , and , in such moments as the one where she must wipe out her family 's memories of her to protect them , she is more than up to the task .",
"to be fair to deathly hallows , the filmmakers have tried hard to fill the proceedings with battles and chases and debilitating curses . genuine filmmaking excitement , however , is harder to provide .",
"the high quality of the series remains . returning director david yates and screenwriter steve kloves remain attentive as ever to rowlings ' holy text , and the mood is as magic as always .",
"instead of scooting like a golden snitch during a quidditch championship , dh1 is struck with a long spell of aimlessness , and the viewer with the curse of ennui .",
"part 1 is the most cinematically rewarding chapter yet .",
"when warner brothers announced that it planned to split the seventh , and final , installment of j.k. rowling 's wizarding septology into two separate films , i figured it was all about the money . turns out it was all about the story .",
"it 's half of a really good movie , full of the enchantment , emotion and incident for which the potter series has become so fanatically cherished .",
"more like harry potter and the torturous moping .",
"despite its enormous popularity and commercial success , the harry potter saga seems destined to be remembered as never quite adding up to the sum of its parts .",
"if the film 's main job was to whet the appetite for the next one , it does that well .",
"harry potter and the deathly hallows lacks warmth , whimsy , playfulness and hope . and that is precisely what makes it great .",
"this really is a more grown-up affair , and very scary , whether with the dark lord 's manipulation of his minions in malfoy manor , or in bathilda bagshot 's reptilian stare .",
"it 's a film of great courage and artistry , a movie ostensibly for children that 's also worthy of them .",
"there 's a potent , dreamy allure throughout much of this that will affect even those outside the core audience .",
"there are way too many shots of the trio gazing into the distance from spectacular landscape peaks . harry potter and the deathly hallows , part 1 engages . but only just .",
"there are a number of touches that are n't just magical but also deeply moving .",
"this one is a long , archetypal journey that screeches to a halt a few stops short of its destination .",
"this is a harry potter film that functions as a dark , emotional character study more than a fun adventure , which will be disconcerting for some . but if you love these characters , as many of us do , you 'll find a lot to admire .",
"harry potter and the deathly hallow : part 1 is bad on an epic scale . the worst film in the series . period .",
"a meandering , downbeat steppingstone to the potter series ' grand finale .",
"harry potter fans , your bittersweet moment is here . fortunately , the sweet far outweighs the bitter .",
"excellent , epic saga continues to get darker , more intense .",
"strip away the fantasy elements and you could almost be watching a story set during ww2 - with harry and co cast as members of the resistance forced to go underground .",
"childhood things ... -lsb- are -rsb- set aside as our three heroes , now young adults , set off on their own like resistance fighters in a world war ii movie .",
"we get to see the characters raw and frayed - almost junkie-like - without the saccharine pill coating that usually helps us swallow the bad stuff happening in harry potter land .",
"a very satisfying blend of mood and spectacle , action and character , wonder and fear .",
"the film depends more on mood and character than many of the others , and key actions seem to be alarmingly taking place off-screen .",
"watson 's brainy , practical hermione drives the film 's narrative ; grint 's fiery , jealous ron provides its relatable -lrb- that is , non-magical -rrb- conflict .",
"the first part of `` harry potter and the deathly hallows '' is everything fans should expect : it is brooding , a bit scary , action-packed , sentimental , dangerous and grand .",
"who needs hogwarts ?",
"equal parts action thriller , political parable , and multidimensional love story , hallows feels sad and strong and true .",
"i knew magic could be dark - there is plenty of that in part 1 - but who knew it could also be so sad ?",
"deathly hallows part 1 makes for a fascinating meditation of a young person 's emotional frailty under a microscope .",
"dreadful . horrible acting . only for potter fanatics .",
"this latest installment is almost bressonian in its setup and execution . if nothing else , it 's audacious .",
"get ready for a long eight months , potterites .",
"spectacular and increasingly brooding as ever ... the most foreboding and shocking of them all .",
"full review at movies for the masses",
"although it represents a natural progression in the series , harry potter and the deathly hallows : part 1 will be a slog for those new to the potter universe .",
"the cast is spot on and a constant delight . but it 's a shame that bonham carter and rickman , who are such delicious fun , are barely given any screen time .",
"we might sometimes take the skills of radcliffe , grint and watson for granted ... they deserve acclaim for keeping the continuity of their performances intact for a decade .",
"` part ii ' wo n't come until next summer so for now , if you have been a faithful follower , you wo n't bored at all with this installment , just a bit anxious for the next one .",
"go . do n't go . nothing i write will make a difference .",
"hallows : part 1 is n't a film at all . it 's a placeholder . and its makers are making fans pay for the privilege of remaining caught up .",
"all yates has to do is coax decent performances out of his young charges and make sure the fantastical is a fair representaion of what happens in the books .",
"penultimate installment mostly for lovers of the books",
"frustrating as a standalone movie , deathly hallows nicely breaks the potter mold and gets us ready for the finale . but it feels like there should be an intermission , not a seven month wait .",
"` when i say that hp7 is amazing , please understand that if it violated my love for the book , i 'd be ripping it to shreds with my bare hands . '",
"somewhat unevenly paced and lacks exposition , but there 's no denying its stylish , exquisite production values . avid harry potter fans will be captivated , thrilled and left drooling for part 2 .",
"the dark tone , the real sense of sacrifice , the strained relationships , and an ending that suggests that the good guys are utterly outmatched , combine to give this film stakes that feel like they matter .",
"by any measure , deathly hallows is a ripping thriller .",
"harry potter and the deathly hallows : part 1 is slower and stranger than any of the previous films , simultaneously raising hopes for a haunting finale while dimming hopes for a magical one .",
"yates , radcliffe and the rest of the potter posse are giving fans exactly what they deserve -- a powerful denouement worthy of a boy wizard who has charmed the world for more than a dozen years .",
"... what should have been great is merely good , a solid prequel to the proposed chaos to come .",
"the self-perpetuating mythology continues , and darn if it is n't resembling the twilight saga . that is , if edward ate once in a while and wore glasses , and jacob was a ginger-haired mouth breather . hermione and bella are pretty much interchangeable .",
"while intriguing and action-packed , it 's far more perilous , intense and realistic than previous installments .",
"a grim landscape for our heroes ... so grim , in fact , that you may feel as if harry , ron and hermione are the last survivors of an apocalyptic aftermath and part ii may be all the better for it .",
"fans will enjoy the dark , brooding , gorgeous penultimate film of one of the most solid genre series ever . casual observers will likely be confused as hell or bored silly .",
"though not the best installment of the series ... it 's far from the worst . for committed fans ... -lsb- it -rsb- certainly wo n't disappoint .",
"yates accomplishes more in the quiet scenes here than the big flashy ones . that 's a little disconcerting thinking ahead to `` pt. 2 '' but the director certainly knows how to pile on a sense of dread .",
"the pervasive dark tone , the heavy-handed dialogue and the sloth-like pace of deathly hallows reflects the self-importance that has now overwhelmed the obligation to entertain .",
"it 's easy to get lost in the rich , two-and-a-half hour installment , but it wraps up too abruptly .",
"the filmmakers ... adapt rowling 's tale with as much fidelity as their budget , effects crew , production designers , actors , and common sense will allow .",
"gone are the sweet hijinks at hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry , as well as any `` hey , look at me ! '' magical inventions ; deathly hallows is all business -- taut , fraught , and fearsome .",
"half the audience wo n't know a horcrux from a house elf , while the other half will know what size shoe every character in the film wears . obliviate , my friends . you 've been warned .",
"drags a bit in the second act , but it 's a solid buildup to the final chapter in this legendary franchise .",
"first half of this final battle is a tonally unstoppable creature , blessed with a startling sense of stamina and grandeur to support the epic tale of a boy wizard facing a dire journey towards manhood .",
"potter devotees will find much to admire in the movie directed by david yates , although its sensibility is much closer to that of a horror movie than a traditional fantasy/adventure .",
"for those who have felt their emotional investment flourish over the course of six films , indulging extra attention to details is a pleasure .",
"with so many devotees wishing the series could go on forever , a delaying of the inevitable will disappoint very few indeed .",
"of all characters , dobby -lrb- at one point the jar jar binks of the harry potter world -rrb- steals the show .",
"ever the girl in this threesome , that is , at least a step ahead of the boys in grappling with hormones and fears , hermione is in this film , engaging , complex , and less mysterious than wonderful .",
"the three main leads ' deficient acting ability causes the movie to falter in the middle . the absence of the colorful supporting players to bolster enthusiasm is a crucial missing ingredient . the computer-generated special visual effects are ...",
"the cleaving of rowling 's 759-page finale into two separate films ultimately benefits the material , allowing the filmmakers to take their time and keep as much of the story as possible while also maintaining a taut narrative pace",
"there is much to love in the latest offering from the potter franchise .",
"the best-looking and best-acted film in the series so far . drags a bit in the middle act . otherwise , a solid wind-up for the grand finale .",
"david yates hoodwinked us . he created a really strong , dark , road movie set against the backdrop of a holocaust , but fails to deliver a real harry potter movie . he completely sucked the magic out of this franchise .",
"the coasting comes in the middle of the movie , which is fortunate since it leaves the production with a vibrant opening act and a powerhouse final hour .",
"the genius of why this film , like the book , resonates so deeply is that rowling has found the perfect junction of pure fantasy and real politics gone horribly wrong",
"... the elements of scene and sound combine to reveal a maturity to the potter franchise that surprises , scares and entertains in all the ways the lifeless twilight films failed to accomplish .",
"the seventh `` harry potter '' movie asks the most of its audience thus far , and returns the least . if you 're not a fan and know nothing of the characters , the film will be a difficult slog . those bought into the franchise will be appropriately enthralled .",
"a film with no beginning and no end but a whole lot of expository middle , this is the least satisfying instalment in the series since chris columbus folded up his director 's chair .",
"david yates better captures both the playful and solemn tones of j.k. rowling 's writing , making harry 's wildest and most dangerous journey also one of great adventure and growth .",
"part 1 has paved the way for what 's likely to be the best film of the series",
"MOV features some of the strongest , most beautifully realized moments in all of the series . in other respects , it is one of the most fundamentally problematic entries .",
"the movie builds erratically to the moment when the end credits start rolling . after sacrificing nearly 2 1/2 hours to this movie , there 's a sense that more is deserved .",
"for those caught up in the `` potter '' world -- and surely anyone who is n't dropped out of this franchise long ago -- `` deathly hallows '' is immensely satisfying .",
"yates and screenwriter steve kloves have done a fine job of building up a big , black foreboding cloud in this next-to-last installment .",
"for roughly 40 minutes in the middle , this trio sits in a tent and quibbles . we watch them wait for something to happen . is n't that the part that 's left out of the movie ?",
"the film plays more like an extended prologue than a story in its own right . but some stunning set pieces and a beautiful animated segment redeem things considerably .",
"basically , you 'll love it if you love potter and you 'll hate if you hate potter , but if you 're just looking for some fun in the theaters you can do far , far , far , far , far worse than harry potter and the deathly hallows .",
"ominous and downbeat but a compelling , visual treat , this certainly whets our appetite for next year 's big finale .",
"the goal of the movies , now , is to make the franchise as faithful to rowling as it can be , as visually rich , digitally well-appointed as possible . here , director david yates succeeds .",
"possibly the best fantasy film since return of the king .",
"as j.k. rowling wove a conclusion as ominous as it was elegant in the final installment of the potter series , so too has director david yates in part 1 of deathly hallows .",
"sure , there are some rearranging and compressing of scenes and facts , but the two-and-a-half hour runtime for half a book allows screenwriter steve kloves and director david yates the space to faithfully retell a really good story .",
"this series is really getting tired . the films of j.k. rowling 's mega-popular books were always handled with grim seriousness by the various directors assigned to them , but at least in the early films there was a sense of magic and originality .",
"half a movie at full price , it exists only to supply laborious setup for next summer 's final installment .",
"harry potter and the deathly hallows , part 1 is n't close to being a bad movie , but it is arguably the weakest among the seven films in the series .",
"it feels like the longest , deathliest panto ever made -- and still it is n't over .",
"maybe harry potter could cast a magic spell over us before we see his new movie .",
"yates does a pretty good job with the heavy lifting , but there 's not much poetry to this exercise that brings the story of the boy wizard one step closer to its conclusion .",
"deathly hallows is the first harry potter film that fully delivers on the promise of j.k. rowling 's works , expertly balancing a tricky and expansive narrative , along with quiet character moments and some rollicking action sequences .",
"the entire cast does the subtlest work we 've seen in a potter film , right down to the supporting and single-scene players .",
"part 1 , like its predecessors , has been made with great care , craft and attention to detail . it is also darker and more foreboding .",
"an unfamiliar new setting does little to diminish the humour , heart and excitement of the harry potter franchise on form .",
"if in past potters -- especially the early ones -- radcliffe , watson and grint were wisely surrounded by one acting legend after another , here they 're called on to shoulder the story on their own .",
"even though it ends in the middle , deathly hallows : part 1 finds notes of anxious suspense and grave emotion to send its characters , and its fans , into the last round .",
"hallows 's first hour is deadly , all right .",
"the upside of this , one supposes , is that when part 2 comes out next year it will be nonstop excitement . we 've already endured the iffy parts .",
"easily the best potter film since ` azkaban . ' the cinematography is beautiful , the magic is fun and the characters are deep . did peter jackson direct the middle section ?",
"like a virgin 's padded bra , harry potter and the deathly hallows , part i is all tease , zero payoff .",
"warner bros. had no choice but to split the final installment in the harry potter series into two parts , but doing so leaves an unsatisfying feeling when the credits roll .",
"this is a three-jumps-out-of-your-seat thriller -- a road movie minus bob and bing , a gray-hued travelogue through the shoddy side england , scotland and wales -- bog , moor and power plants .",
"someone coined the term `` mythology-bound '' for franchise films that get so wrapped up in their own histories that they forget to tell an engaging story about likable characters . i think it was me .",
"` deathly hallows ' is a true epic , one can only wonder how massive the second half will be .",
"the best of the franchise to date , a satisfying , appetite-whetting setup for the series finale .",
"the story-within-the-story regarding the deathly hallows is visualized by way of shadow-puppet style animation , and the effect is quite beautiful .",
"darker and scarier than its predecessors , this is a fitting and enjoyable run-up to the action packed finale , though it might be a bit baffling if for some reason you have n't read the books or seen the previous films .",
"this is a superb beginning to the end of a great british success story . you rejoice that they decided to forgo 3d . the potter films do n't need gimmicks to get our attention .",
"every two minutes the action whooshes sideways to someone somewhere else .",
"beautifully shot but a soulless cash machine , `` harry potter and the deathly hallows : part 1 '' delivers no dramatic payoff , no resolution and not much fun .",
"the final story may well be colourful and complex , but , on this evidence , there 's absolutely no artistic justification for a two-movie split .",
"a towering achievement . or rather , half of a towering achievement .",
"it 's hard to mourn the demise of a franchise that was never more than half-alive to begin with .",
"we have watched these three growing up and their performances have never been better -- particularly grint , who gets the opportunity to do more than just play for laughs .",
"lumbering and gripping by turns , and suffused with a profound sense of solitude and loss .",
"your appetite will be whetted for what promises to be an almighty showdown before the curtain comes down on harry potter for good .",
"the first and third acts are over-busy ; the middle one moves like an arthritic house-elf . still , a decent smattering of magic moments and tension 's pumped up sky-high . bring on part 2 .",
"it is elegantly directed by david yates , with luminous cinematography from eduardo serra and impressive production design by stuart craig .",
"this grim beginning-of-the-end odyssey has a very different feel from any of its predecessors -- a development slightly more disconcerting than it is welcome .",
"while it 's by no means a bad harry potter movie , the overriding feeling is that it 's an incomplete one . here 's hoping that yates and his team put that right next summer .",
"the seventh and penultimate entry in the franchise jettisons the humor and fizz of the earlier movies for a much bleaker adult tone .",
"david yates ' fluid , fast-paced direction sends up the crackling tension of a thriller .",
"there 's a good , solid , workmanlike integrity to what director david yates does here .",
"the harry potter series draws to a close with the action-packed but dramatically clunky first half of the two-part finale .",
"alas , as directed by the returning david yates , these big chase sequences are the usual compendium of ear-splitting noise and eye-glazing edits -- again , no magic required and none delivered .",
"it 's grim , funny in one sequence about shapeshifters , vivid in moments of violent action , nearly devoid of plot twists and marked by long patches where harry , ron and hermione camp in the woods .",
"while this harry potter is the most murky and forlorn so far , its most grave battle is the internal question between the corporate and creative types . we know why the seventh film was extricated into two , but should it really have been ?",
"saved by a riveting first hour , excellent cast and beautiful production , a multitude of flaws in pacing , exposition and the strange point at which the film ends puts this chapter far from the best in the franchise .",
"it 's essentially a horror movie , set in the belly of the beast , almost literally : the film 's not 10 minutes old before a giant constrictor opens its fanged jaws and swallows the camera lens -- and us -- whole , plunging the screen into darkness .",
"if its total success can only be properly measured upon arrival of the conclusion in july , the fact that part 1 makes that worth waiting for should be taken as some kind of victory .",
"the trouble with harry , as becomes clear from this seventh and penultimate installment , is not that we have lost the plot -- the film is as tangled and as corkscrewed as bonham carter 's hair -- but that we are in danger of losing everything else .",
"a water-treading sequel with no emotional momentum ostensibly serving as a setup for next summer 's grand finale",
"david yates 's third crack at the franchise goes to a dark , interesting place , even if the whole enterprise feels rather played-out , so last decade .",
"on its own , it 's the worst film in the series since the first two ... i suspect it will wear well . it was never meant to be a stand-alone movie , after all .",
"not wild about this `` harry '' . half the book equals half the entertainment .",
"it 's not without its faults , but those glitches are largely irrelevant because it ticks all the boxes potter-heads want to see ticked .",
"`` deathly hallows '' is a significant improvement over the slow and talky previous film",
"the grimness of deathly hallows replaces the lighthearted tone of the previous films ... how much of an improvement this is depends on how serious you thought the series should be .",
"part 1 concludes with good and evil evenly balanced , both sides having suffered losses in pursuit of ultimate victory .",
"fulfills the promise of brit tv director david yates as the perfect harry potter director -- and quite possibly as a filmmaker to reckon with in general .",
"this stagnating set-up for a finale wallows in self-seriousness . there 's so much glumness and lethargy here , a new character -- call him excelsior lugubrious -- emerges from the mega-budget , moody mist , threatening to slay death himself with sleep .",
"it 's the closest the hp movies will get to a reserved character drama . my favorite parts are the tiny , dialogue-less character moments packed with emotional undercurrents .",
"pretty artful , complex , compelling work for a film that technically does n't have a beginning or end .",
"the trio has clearly advanced beyond the pure buddy stages of childhood .",
"judging by this first half , this touchstone series is well on its way to getting the sendoff it deserves .",
"as an outsider to the works of j.k. rowling , it 's nevertheless a well-constructed , competently-told and generally engaging tale that suffers only from being but part of the whole story .",
"yates has been building his version of this world for two movies now , and he rightfully does n't let up .",
"i 'm certainly ready to see the final entry in the series just to see how it all ends - not that years of spoilers have n't already ruined that for me - but hp7 .1 hardly packs in a finale to send you home salivating for 7.2 .",
"a poignant paean to longing , loss and love , drenched in shadow and glistening with magic .",
"the three young wizards on a quest that will test their loyalties , courage , and magical abilities to the max .",
"the most memorable sequences in the film are not , for once , the action scenes but the acting ones .",
"it 's gripping alright , but ends all too abruptly .",
"exposition heavy , potter 7 : part one is an entertaining but flawed prelude to the real finale .",
"rowling 's flaws as a storyteller are much more evident in this film than in previous installments .",
"high production values do n't quite make up for the elongation , which tends to water down the impact of the story . nor does the complexity of the storytelling help ... luckily there are a few giggles",
"in many ways , the strength of this final chapter is also its weakness , in that the story almost drowns in the texture of its tapestry . . shrouded by its amazing special effects however , the film looks wonderful",
"well mounted in terms of technical and production values , the next-to-last segment is a satisfying if not great episode , raising expectations and providing a set-up for the final chapter and the ultimate battle between potter and voldemort .",
"for the most part the action romps along , spurred by some impressive special effects .",
"deathly hallows - part 1 is n't necessarily bad but it 's more than a little disappointing .",
"the first part of deathly hallows has plenty of invigorating imagery alongside the pro forma narrative elements .",
"do your homework before walking in ; you 'll be better off for it .",
"it may be the scariest , but it 's also one of the strongest in the series .",
"for the first time , their coming-of-age journey outshines the special effects .",
"radcliffe , watson and grint , having literally grown up in their characters , are ready for their close-up . they earned it , they deserve it and they nailed it .",
"menacing and meditative , hallows is arguably the best installment of the planned eight-film franchise , though audiences who have n't kept up with previous chapters will be hopelessly lost .",
"if my biggest complaint about a film is that i would have happily sat through the next two-and-a-half hours of story immediately , i 'd say david yates should take as high praise .",
"reclamar da `` lentidгo '' da narrativa seria apenas um atestado da mais absoluta incapacidade de compreender as necessidades do projeto , exigindo aзгo inconseqьente de uma obra mais preocupada em retratar o desgaste de seus protagonistas .",
"if you 're a fan , it 's everything you 've wanted . if not , be aware that this is n't the movie to get started with .",
"the actors possess their best chemistry yet -lrb- as well they should -- they 've practically shared each other 's pablum -rrb- , and the chemistry shows . you now can fully feel just how high the stakes have become .",
"` with a name like ` lovegood ' i 'm the luckiest woman with a profile on match.com , ' said luna . ` the second-luckiest , ' said moonraker 's holly goodhead .",
"in harry potter and the deathly hallows : part 1 , the tone has completed its change . the initial innocence , playfulness , and fresh discovery of magic is long gone . horror now prevails .",
"the decision to split it into two movies could n't have paid off more . yates finally has the time to spend with harry , ron , and hermione that 's he has n't had lately , and the movie is 100 percent better for it .",
"deathly hallows part 1 is a damn fine piece of film - if i had the faintest idea what was going on in it , i might have enjoyed it even more .",
"a stop gap , not a movie .",
"the plot is one long , boring slog to nowhere . yes , that reflects what is in this section of the book , but that is absolutely no excuse for this .",
"has too many plot threads to follow in its willy-nilly efforts to set the stage for the real ending ."
] |
770672991
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it ca n't help but feel like the prelude it is , but deathly hallows : part i is a beautifully filmed , emotionally satisfying penultimate installment for the harry potter series .
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harry_potter_and_the_deathly_hallows_part_1
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[
"it hardly delivers on the promise of giving us the pure , undiluted williams -- williams at his best . what 's more , it 's not even close to being his best movie . it 's not even close to being good .",
"its success hinges directly on your ability to handle large amounts of robin williams .",
"robin williams 's best ever film . comedy , action ... a little bit of everything , for everyone .",
"wildly overrated whitewashed biopic .",
"somewhat preachy , but perfect blend of williams ' comedy and drama .",
"robin williams found his perfect role in this vietnam comedy/drama .",
"acomedy about life in the military that has more on its mind than just laughs .",
"make no mistake about it : mr. williams 's performance , though it 's full of uproarious comedy , is the work of an accomplished actor . `` good morning , vietnam '' is one man 's tour de force .",
"williams is amazing .",
"if you have n't seen this one in a while , definitely consider picking it up again . i think it 's a better film today than it was 18 years ago .",
"when williams is on , the movie can be fairly funny ; when he 's not , it 's too somber for its own good .",
"a story about a mere class clown becoming a man at the gates of hell .",
"offering only hackneyed insights into the war , the film makes for stodgy drama . but williams ' manic monologues behind the mike are worth anybody 's money .",
"a perfect showcase for robin williams .",
"MOV remains one of my favorite films about the vietnam war because of its comedic take and ability to slip into real drama when needed .",
"from the start , the film bowls you over with excitement and for those who can latch on , it 's a nonstop ride .",
"levinson serio-comedy about vietnam is first and foremost a star vehicle for comedian robin williams , who gives a manic , highly-charged performance as the real-life dj adrian cronauer in the early years of the war .",
"good morning , vietnam proved that robin williams could act and be hilariously funny in the same film .",
"robin williams at his scatalogical finest ."
] |
13277
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a well-calibrated blend of manic comedy and poignant drama , good morning , vietnam offers a captivating look at a wide range of robin williams ' cinematic gifts .
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[
"sad beyond belief , but lovely to look at and listen to",
"... introduced us to a hobbesian world where bad things could happen to the adorable , and sent thousands of children blubbering into theater lobbies around the world .",
"a brilliantly animated , heart-tugging parable .",
"beautiful in every sense of the word . i consider it the finest disney classic out there .",
"overrated by people who never read the original book and think kids ' voices with speech impediments are cute .",
"the circle of life is shown to dramatic effect in the changes of the seasons , and the growing of the animals from toddlers , to adolescents , to adults .",
"in colors that would surprise even the spectrum itself , disney 's cartoon craftsmen have re-created a woodland that shimmers and glows and darkens altogether magically .",
"it still brings tears to my eyes . disney at its finest .",
"MOV is probably one of the best movies ever made , if not the best .",
"among the best disney animated features",
"fawn-dly revered disney classic .",
"a beautifully realised milestone in children 's animation that balances outright sentiment with gentle wit , and negotiates its darker moments with skill .",
"the glow and texture of the disney brush reach new heights , especially in the treatment of a summer thunderstorm and a raging snowstorm .",
"for the first time , disney has done his backgrounds in oils instead of watercolors . the result is striking .",
"this animated feature based on felix salten 's book about the coming of age of a fawn and his various forest friends -lrb- including the beloved thumper -rrb- does convey some of the primal emotional power of disney 's features during this period .",
"from disney 's richest period , interleaving splendid animation with vulgar americana .",
"walt himself would have been proud of the two-disc special edition , which restores the disney classic back to its original museum-quality luster ... maybe the only missing extra in this treasure is MOV meets godzilla .",
"in 1942 , the emotional scene in which MOV 's mother is killed by hunters was controversial : some critics charged that it traumatized young children while defenders claimed that it was honest , realistic , and less graphic than its depiction in the book .",
"still a fantastic fable with some excellent animation and a great story",
"there are two ways to look at bambi/i > : as a museum piece or as entertainment . focus on the latter and the film unravels .",
"some classic sequences , but also too much disney deer kitsch .",
"what has been lost in the 60-plus years since its intial release is what a watershed work MOV was for its time .",
"with an emphasis on character development over plot , the film is n't quite as accessible as some of disney 's more recent efforts ...",
"MOV is ... male ?!",
"people just really like cuddly animals , and there 's not a dang thing you can do about it .",
"i had forgotten how utterly , astonishingly beautiful the film is .",
"`` look , ma ! no fungus and no moss-syphilis ! ''",
"short and to the point , MOV is an enduring classic .",
"the fun and fear , the silliness and heartbreak , are taken to vivid extremes by walt 's entwining of high art and what snobs will always deride as disney-kitsch .",
"arguably disney 's greatest masterpiece , this sophisticated animation is one that continues to delight audiences of all ages",
"the story , while classic in nature , is a bit thin , but MOV is a breathtaking , jaw-dropping showcase of the ingenuity and genius of disney animators .",
"it 's not just MOV 's mother - i 'll pause while you wipe that tear - but the film 's revelation that idylls do n't really exist .",
"feels so much more like an animation experiment than it does a movie .",
"animation that could n't seem more real , even if it were made today with motion-capture dots plastered all over a baby deer .",
"the animated film as pastoral poem , as beautiful a depiction of the natural world as one could imagine",
"even daryl hall would have to admit this is one of the finest animated features committed to film , produced and packaged during walt disney 's ballsiest years of control .",
"it would be easy to be cynical about MOV , the walt disney-produced film that launched a thousand anthropomorphic animal movies . but its pre-ironic simplicity has , in many ways , only improved with age . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
"one of the most timeless and universal coming-of-age films ever , MOV ranks with the very greatest of disney 's classic masterpieces .",
"vies only with pinocchio as the most technically accomplished work of animation to come from the studio 's golden age ... the last gasp of a maturity and gravity that would immediately disappear from disney 's features ."
] |
9375
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elegantly animated and deeply touching , MOV is an enduring , endearing , and moving disney classic .
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[
"a milestone film for both actor and film-maker , MOV is extraordinary viewing .",
"MOV , commendable as sections may be , just sorta runs out of gas .",
"every look , facial twitch and sentence hardy delivers is note-perfect and is the acting display to beat early in 2014 .",
"tom hardy gives a brilliant performance in this utterly wrenching , low-fi , high-concept indie drama .",
"a marvelous exercise in keep-calm-and-drive-on restraint .",
"`` MOV , '' with one man in a car for 85 minutes , is incredibly accomplished filmmaking .",
"wearing a beard and a welsh accent that fits him as comfortably as a well-worn glove , hardy offers a subtle yet riveting portrait in noble obstinacy .",
"taut one-man drama explores faulty human relationships .",
"in MOV , we ride shotgun with tom hardy as he makes a fateful nighttime drive to london . he is the only person we see on screen for the entire film . there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes .",
"somehow , miraculously , knight and hardy turn that car into the only place you want to be for every one of those minutes .",
"`` MOV '' is a true original .",
"the film makes quite a lot out of not very much , and features a strong performance from tom hardy , whose versatility continues to impress - and for that it 's worth checking out .",
"hardy does sterling work in evoking the shifting balance of self-loathing -lsb- and -rsb- pride in doing the right thing ... as an exercise in pure character building , it 's a great one .",
"MOV is an original and impressive experience , an unusual film of considerable quality .",
"this is pure storytelling and acting and it is magnificent , compelling and wonderful .",
"MOV is different , but it 's an art-film experiment that works .",
"you 'd think that the one actor-many voices thing would come across as a gimmick , and it sort of does for the first 10 minutes or so . but because this is written and crafted so well , you soon forget about that .",
"it 's hardy 's performance that finally makes more than a neat gimmick of MOV .",
"this is a perfect vehicle for hardy 's talents , and despite the absence of anybody but the jagged-toothed brit , MOV manages a strange level of tension .",
"in this car ... an entire story is richly told , whole characters are indelibly portrayed with nuance , ambiguity , precision , foibles , heroics and devastations , and we are thoroughly engaged , carried along as by the superior mechanisms of MOV 's mercedes .",
"knight 's structural experiment , its willingness to embrace chaos , and its ultimate emotional impact make it one of the most outstanding movies of the year so far .",
"it 's something of a miracle that knight manages to protract the material to feature length , though that 's more down to hardy 's powerhouse presence as opposed to repetitious lattice of lens-flared motorway lights ...",
"a virtuoso narrative and technical experiment that does n't stint on dramatic complexity or heart .",
"MOV is a gripping and deeply cinematic human and ethical drama .",
"there are no car chases and no car crashes , and no-one else appears on screen . around half of the dialogue is about concrete . it 's one of the most nail-biting thrillers of the year .",
"this is a masterclass in how the most local , most hemmed-in stories can reverberate with the power of big , universal themes .",
"few actors could shoulder this level of scrutiny - every twitch and shift in expression is magnified - but hardy 's restraint is breathtaking .",
"an exceptional one-man show for tom hardy , this ingeniously executed study in cinematic minimalism has depth , beauty and poise .",
"having stripped away all but the bare necessities , having reduced the components to a car and a man - they make a classic error of overcompensation . MOV , it occurs , is quite the most garrulous exercise in minimalism i 've witnessed in years .",
"this is a groundbreaking and beautifully rendered film , with tom hardy in brilliant form .",
"a brilliant one-man , one-setting character study",
"knight has enough faith in his dialogue -lrb- and in hardy 's ability to perform it -rrb- to cloister an entire feature film inside one vehicle , and it 's a gamble that pays off brilliantly .",
"moment by moment , with a twitch , a shudder , a look , it 's mr. hardy who movingly draws you in , turning a stranger 's face into a life .",
"the self-imposed minimalism of the conceit challenges knight to make a compelling cinematic work . and it challenges the actor playing the title character more .",
"tom hardy gives a spot on performance and welsh accent , using no more than words accompanied by some few facial expressions in the near dark , in unpeeling the layers of one man 's life .",
"tours do n't come much more forceful . once you 've taken this 90-odd-minute drive with tom hardy , you 'll never forget his face .",
"steven knight directs a sleek 82-minute tour de force that is as engaging as it is single-minded . we 're with `` MOV '' the entire time , and it 's certainly a trip worth taking .",
"as a visual tour-de-force , MOV is workmanlike and mechanical . as a piece of drama it amounts to watching an easy-to-read character check off the boxes on an existential to-do list .",
"it sounds contrived , and it is . it sounds like a bit of a stunt , and it is that too . it may even sound boring , but that it is not .",
"MOV is the most unexpected , brilliant , captivating movie of the year so far .",
"writer-director steven knight keeps the gimmick going with new complications MOV thinks he can manage with his typical supreme competence .",
"hardy gives a spellbinding performance .",
"that writer -lrb- `` eastern promises '' -rrb- and director -lrb- `` redemption '' -rrb- steven knight introduces ivan MOV as his only visible character speaks volumes about his own self-confidence as a filmmaker .",
"... this potentially claustrophobic experience is transformed into a rich emotional epic , one of the most satisfying and whole-feeling movies of the past few years ,",
"an expertly tuned dramatic thriller that , like ivan MOV , has no time to slowdown .",
"what we get is an intimate portrayal of a man 's life as it implodes . and that is heartbreaking to watch .",
"continues the idea , seen in cronenberg 's ` cosmopolis , ' that the car is no longer a refuge and a symbol of freedom but an extension of the home and office -- a mobile space that through technology remains connected to the pressures of work and family .",
"construction and cracks , choices and consequences , decisions and detours , right and wrong , and frailty and strength are woven into a masterstroke of storytelling and minimalist filmmaking .",
"tom hardy makes a very compelling case that he could indeed make a spoken word interpretation of the white pages absolutely riveting viewing .",
"knight 's script is taut and tense , ramping up the emotional stress and parceling out details and complications with a surgeon 's skill .",
"MOV runs an efficient 85 minutes , and it 's a testament to knight 's skills that we feel we learn a lot about the characters in what out of necessity are pretty broad brushstrokes .",
"surely listening to two builders talk on the phone about the pouring of concrete into the vast foundations of a skyscraper should be the dullest conversation ever ? not so this is genuinely exciting stuff .",
"` MOV ' does so much right that one can forgive the occasional lapse , if perhaps not the cheap , reductive doozy with which it abruptly concludes .",
"MOV , as fascinating as it is in theory , never evolves into anything more than a glorified acting exercise .",
"an intense , well-acted drama of one middle-aged man 's dark night of the soul where his choices come back to haunt him .",
"MOV is a powerhouse of claustrophobic suspense and fierce emotion , mostly because tom hardy , best known as bane in the dark knight rises , is a blazing wonder as MOV .",
"tom hardy , the actor who plays -lsb- MOV -rsb- , is by turns spellbinding , seductive , heartbreaking , explosive and flat-out thrilling .",
"while MOV strikes some interesting notes as an exercise in minimalist filmmaking , it fails to deliver the full-fledged symphony that would make it a true triumph .",
"as constrictive as the movie gets , it gets there organically , with knight cutting with purpose between a limited grab bag of close-ups and medium shots , drizzling his images with artificial affects as the tension mounts .",
"luckily , hardy is compelling enough here to drive - forgive the pun - the action .",
"i ca n't think of anyone i 'd rather see white-knuckled behind the wheel than hardy , who with his bravura performance here has turned me into a true believer .",
"hardy rises to the challenge of the format , yet the film fails to generate much suspense or sympathy .",
"despite a fantastic performance from tom hardy , `` MOV '' makes for a rather flat single-location flick due to its suffering from a lack of engaging material .",
"knight 's clever , tight screenplay and hardy 's tour de force performance collaborate to create a constantly captivating and even suspenseful film .",
"hardy 's introspective intensity helps to achieve and sustain and level of intimacy that 's more thrilling than many films with 100 times the budget .",
"steven knight 's MOV makes us ride ` shotgun ' with tom hardy for 85 minutes and does n't let us out until the final credits roll . there are worse people to be stuck in traffic with . carrot top . piers morgan . literally any jenner .",
"thanks to knight 's direction , precise scripting and tom hardy 's formidable talent , MOV is an emotionally devastating time capsule of a man riding the wave of his life collapsing .",
"steven knight has delivered not only a powerfully minimalistic picture , but a morally attuned one as well , that portrays how one immoral act can bring about a lifetime of affliction .",
"thanks largely to the involvement of actor tom hardy , it manages to become more than just a gimmick film .",
"what seems like a limited stunt concept turns out to be one of the most intense -- and cinematic -- experiences of the year , anchored to a brilliant performance by tom hardy .",
"simple in concept but complex in its detail ... engrossing and suspenseful .",
"a bold , evocative film , in which voices , intonations and noises off - and a terrific unseen supporting cast - build up a detailed picture of a world and a man 's life , as elegantly and economically as the best radio play .",
"MOV is everything most of -lsb- steven knight 's past films -rsb- are n't , with an identifiable character struggling with real problems , but compressing time and place to concentrate emotion and heighten mood .",
"as in real life , it 's neither sweet nor uplifting , but it 's a must-see .",
"the crises ivan MOV faces with a tremendous will to do the right thing strike a chord . the mistakes that have him in the driver 's seat , but hardly in control , are terribly human and all too familiar .",
"a riveting performance from tom hardy makes this pseudo-thriller utterly riveting , turning even the most contrived plot elements into punchy drama .",
"writer-director stephen knight gets more suspense out of the restricted nature of MOV 's predicament than you would ever think possible .",
"the film 's modus operandi-set entirely in an automobile-hinders the script 's ability to evolve into anything resonant .",
"MOV is a minimalist near-masterwork , throttled by a tour de force performance from tom hardy and steven knight 's smart direction .",
"makes the case for hardy as one of the most compelling actors working today .",
"although we 're never taken far beyond the hero 's windshield , it 's still very much a movie rather than some stagebound theater piece .",
"knight 's strength is his writing , and arguably , MOV would be almost as good set on a stage with a man sitting on a chair . but then you 'd miss the details of hardy 's face in a film that is all about an actor 's vehicle .",
"a man , a car , a hands-free mobile device . and it is extraordinary .",
"known as the screenwriter of such estimable films as `` dirty pretty things '' and `` eastern promises , '' stephen knight delivers a glorified one-act play that makes up for what it lacks in location variety and story-arc in keenly written dialogue .",
"the literalizing of ivan MOV 's hidden self and his inability to master it ultimately exposes the film as the squarest kind of theater : drama therapy .",
"... works better than it should , given its extremely limiting conceit .",
"MOV wastes little time accelerating into exceptional territory , but it slows down and makes a sharp turn onto an under construction detour that slows the film down bringing it to an abrupt halt .",
"it 's a fascinating instance of a filmmaker working with self-imposed rules , but never forgetting that those restrictions are only worthwhile to the extent that they serve character and story .",
"an intriguing yet not-altogether-successful experiment ...",
"as intriguing as hardy is to watch , the picture ca n't overcome its cinematic-stunt vibe .",
"hardy 's strong performance holds the movie together , but after nearly 90 minutes in the car with him , it 's a bit of a relief when the ride is over .",
"writer-director steven knight tries too hard to make us love his hard-working , old-school everyman .",
"a restless , nervy actor , hardy seems to get a kick out of tying one hand behind his back",
"a one-man tour de force for tom hardy .",
"we knew that great films need n't be propelled by action or incident ; sometimes the incidental 's plenty ; but movies like MOV are a fine and welcome reminder .",
"its star delivers a note-perfect performance that saves the film from its own shortcomings , with tom hardy once again proving himself to be one of the finest actors of his generation .",
"this is a terrific film , a clever thriller woven out of a largely ordinary set of circumstances , and beautifully shot despite the self-imposed visual constraints .",
"an intriguing chamber work .",
"knight elicits an exceptional performance from hardy as a man whose extraordinary self-discipline belies his seething inner turmoil .",
"a failed attempt at cinematic minimalism .",
"`` MOV '' is one riveting film .",
"MOV has its flaws , but manages to satisfy as a minimalist work of social realism that is both dramatically-rich and often quite engaging .",
"MOV is an ingenious british film that spends ninety minutes in a car with tom hardy and keeps you gripped throughout .",
"we say things like , ` oh , i 'd watch that guy read the phone book , ' and this is almost that . except it really is absolutely riveting , and that 's no joke .",
"take a ride with tom hardy in this beautiful , gripping film .",
"for the most part , it works like gangbusters .",
"the extreme contrivance of the scenario extends to a lot of MOV 's lines to the people he 's on the phone with . it may never leave the car , but it wants to stuff that car full of as much meaning and drama as it can .",
"knight 's genius , beyond dialogue and direction , lies in being able to depict how layers of personality slide against each other , and how the constructs we create serve our lives .",
"though MOV ca n't be seen as anything but a clever stunt , hardy , soon to be starring as mad max , is mesmerizing company .",
"one of the strengths of MOV is the way it explores masculinity , both in its classic and contemporary forms .",
"the fact that MOV delivers , then , is splendid news , especially for fans of onscreen minimalism and alternative approaches to familiar stories .",
"yes , it sounds like a gimmick . but tom hardy is so compelling , multilayered and terrific in the title role , this one-man show is never dull .",
"tom hardy 's visceral performance in this one-man meltdown packs more drama than a half-dozen multi-character stories .",
"-lsb- hardy 's performance is -rsb- the reason you 'd see MOV , and the reason you may remember it fondly , long after the ride ends .",
"the thriller feel is aided and abetted by the fact that knight traps us inside the world of a guy who is himself trapped .",
"the feature 's greatest achievement may stem from eliciting interest from its story , style and structure ; however , it is its lead that sears its exploration of the inescapable inexplicably into memory .",
"as you 'd expect from a story that never leaves the confines of a car , MOV is intense and claustrophobic .",
"you do n't want this movie to end .",
"one of my favorite movies of the last couple years . great script , tom hardy is f * ! & ing brilliant in role .",
"you 're almost as impatient to find out whether this will be a one-way trip as he is .",
"MOV is a terrific little film ; despite its closed-in setting , it never feels overtheatrical or contrived ... the perfect blend of setting and performance .",
"this film explores manhood in a way few do : the jaw-clenched man determined to do the right thing , the man set in his course who will not be swayed , the man who has taken his own measure and who cares only for that measure .",
"despite hardy 's impressive solo tour de force , ` MOV ' is ultimately a talky trip to a pretty sappy destination .",
"with tremendous work by actor tom hardy anchoring a film that is ripe with dramatic tension , MOV is entirely absorbing despite the limitations imposed by the setting .",
"the movie 's greatest asset by far is hardy , whose rich , unflappable tones , even in times of high emotional pressure , bear a distinct echo of richard burton ...",
"expensive hollywood trickery often is superfluous filler for a film that is otherwise too weak at its very core . character and story matter most , and `` MOV '' only needs one man in one car to keep you mesmerized for 85 straight minutes .",
"the drama of the film is in hardy 's face ...",
"directorially , knight 's austerity can seem at once like audacious confidence and like a lack of visual imagination .",
"hardy makes for a compelling psychological tour guide , utilizing much more than his right foot to add forward momentum .",
"hardy gives MOV a calm , steady self-assessment , a kind of lucid despair . he 's a guy forced to realize in one night that his life has no foundation .",
"this is a remarkable cinematic experiment .",
"MOV is a great looking and sounding tale of a man 's -lrb- misguided ? -rrb- quest to do the right thing .",
"besides a compelling script and restrained directorial hand , it takes a marvelously talented actor to pull off that kind of high-wire act , and hardy once again proves why he 's one of the best of his generation .",
"every once in a great , long while a movie comes along that doubly astonishes you -- first that anybody would even think to try it , and second that they managed to pull it off . writer-director steven knight 's MOV is one of those movies .",
"MOV surely wo n't be for everyone , but those looking to challenge their perceptions about what filmmaking can be , should surely check it out . you 'll be appreciative .",
"at the heart of it there is hardy , whose performance is both deeply humane and oddly robotic : a man with a single purpose -- get to that destination -- pursued relentlessly .",
"the spare scenario may not sound inspiring , but MOV 's attempts to keep his life from unraveling during a series of telephone calls make for a suspenseful and impressive experience .",
"MOV is nearly the very definition of ingenuity . and , in the end , you learn a little about concrete and a lot about what it takes to be a man .",
"that solo time in the car , predictably , gets trying to watch .",
"it 's an impressive achievement in a very impressive film , one that can only increase the esteem in which both knight and hardy are held .",
"in many ways , the movie feels like the reply to a question : what would happen if we pared down moviemaking to its simplest , most elemental bones ?",
"can we talk for a moment about how amazing it is that a movie like this even exists ?",
"in the hands of actor tom hardy , the story is surprisingly engrossing and compelling , due to hardy 's great skill as an actor and knight 's finely wrought script .",
"hardy rises to the gimmick and grounds `` MOV '' with a performance as watchably charismatic as it is minimalist . you ca n't take your eyes off him - which is fortunate since there 's no one else there .",
"the film feels like an exercise in dramatic style , and maybe that 's enough for some people . but whether it 's for me or for the characters , i need an exercise to generate a little more sweat .",
"hardy makes us care about the mystery of his character , which in turn , clicks the ignition of suspense .",
"creating an entire film around just one actor is a challenge , but knight has chosen wisely , putting the entire thing on the shoulders of tom hardy .",
"ultimately , `` MOV '' is more noteworthy for the process of how it was made than the worthwhileness of the finished outcome , leaving nothing to the imagination while squandering the opportunity to explore what is going on behind ivan 's eyes .",
"director/writer steven knight has captured lightning in a bottle -- or at least a bmw .",
"although it might sound like unbearable directorial showmanship , MOV is a crisply defined drama that delivers on suspense and a swirling storm of heartache .",
"MOV may be on the blower for most of the film 's 85 minute running time , but you can hardly accuse hardy of phoning it in . the actor delivers a masterclass in acting for the big screen .",
"as engrossing as any thriller , this quietly shattering character study , like MOV himself , achieves exactly what it sets out to , with the minimum of fuss .",
"this is a well-judged , well-acted , absorbing drama and an exciting break from the norm because - in the figurative sense - there are no signposts .",
"if you 're going to make a film about a guy taking calls from his car -- and if half of those calls are about concrete -- then you sure as hell better cast a lead actor with command of the screen .",
"it is a movie with a pace that never slackens , and yet still allows you to feel you 're being given time to recollect , reflect , look about .",
"an intensely gripping and powerfully emotional drama , all of which is pretty remarkable , considering that the entire movie consists of tom hardy talking on his phone while driving to croydon .",
"this slim and pretty terrific thriller may just prove to be the ultimate antidote to this summer 's bloated superhero onslaught .",
"a brilliant minimalist piece of cinéma de chambre , in this case the chamber being the titular protagonist 's car .",
"lean , engrossing , and entirely unique - you 'll never look at junction 5 of the m1 in the same way again .",
"at first i thought this might be a glorified radio play . not a bit of it . you need to keep watching hardy 's face .",
"cinema is not about special effects , but about human emotion and a face in close-up . for those in doubt , `` MOV '' is the proof .",
"`` MOV '' is a solo act , and tom hardy is its superbly talented soloist .",
"a daring drama that believes in the power of the spoken word to carry a story .",
"the conceit is riveting at first because knight forgoes any backstory or exposition , though as the foreman 's plight becomes clear , the tension quickly dissipates .",
"it sounds like a kind of show-off trick , and maybe it is . but it does n't matter . hardy is magnetic , using nothing but his voice and his eyes to captivate .",
"effectively revolves around questionable intentions from a man whose best efforts to `` straighten '' the family name may do just the opposite .",
"of course , the idea of setting a film around a person trapped in a confined space -lrb- buried -rrb- or open space -lrb- gravity -rrb- can seem like a gimmick . but when it 's done well , as it is here , it 's something else : a cinematic joyride .",
"a magnificent drama that resounds with powerful , universal themes .",
"shot in just eight nights using a car mounted with three cameras , `` MOV '' is a terrific example of resourceful , inventive filmmaking .",
"at less than an hour and a half , MOV presents its audience with a wholly invented language of cinema that 's at once stripped down and gorgeously stylized .",
"it is the most extraordinary feat this film , and it 's not just an exercise in pyrotechnics , it 's an exploration of existential angst .",
"for a movie set entirely inside a car , MOV is an impressive and engaging feat .",
"this is not 2014 's most inviting movie experience , but it will stand as one of the year 's most successful movie experiments .",
"the screenplay by writer-director steven knight -lrb- `` eastern promises '' -rrb- shows a keen insight into the psychology of the sons of alcoholic fathers . tom hardy , one of the best actors working today , shows his versatility in this subtle performance .",
"`` MOV '' is not a thrill ride . but , it is compelling .",
"fabulous , mesmerising one-man movie , tom hardy puts in a tour de force performance -lsb- as -rsb- a man desperate not to submit to desperation .",
"it is well-written and professionally constructed and guided by a powerful performance by hardy , who is starting to become one of the most promising actors of his generation .",
"if there has been a better cautionary tale for men since fatal attraction , i ca n't think of it , but MOV is about more than fidelity . it 's a thriller about the horrors of modern life . all that technology , but who can save him ?",
"you would not think a film in which a man simply drives at night from birmingham to london could possibly be gripping , but tom hardy proves spellbindingly hypnotic in this decidedly unusual road movie .",
"a masterful performance from tom hardy ensures this one-man show is enthralling from beginning to end .",
"who 'd have thought that concrete would make such compelling subject matter ?",
"tom hardy is brilliant in what 's essentially a one-man show .",
"hardy gives a fine , naturalistic performance , but the journey is n't much more than a radio play with flashing indicators .",
"there are films to see on huge screens , but this is one that almost cries out for a small cinema , surrounded by total blackness . it 's a daring experiment brilliantly executed , with tom hardy giving one of the performances of his career .",
"MOV trusts the main performance unquestionably and ... gives tom hardy the best showcase yet for his ferocious magnetism .",
"`` i 'm driving , '' he says , and the bmw is his cranium , and the voices the voices rocketing within , the car less infernal cage than fevered skull . all the confinement , the inspired technical legerdemain , it 's all a means to an end , and that end is `` MOV . ''",
"this does not quite share the subtlety of beckett -lrb- metaphors of hardening concrete footprints are a little too obvious -rrb- , or the poetry of language , but must be considered a modern equivalent .",
"a one-man show , dependent entirely on hardy 's performance as a man whose personal and professional lives are in danger of crashing down around him .",
"tom hardy owns this taut , telling character study .",
"hardy takes an incredibly difficult assignment in that he 's the only face seen for 85 minutes , but he gets so deep under the skin of this complex character that he elevates a script that can sometimes feel like a narrative cheat ."
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a one-man show set in a single confined location , MOV demands a powerful performance -- and gets it from a never-more-compelling tom hardy .
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"MOV is never dry , never too technical , boasts fantastic concert footage -- and the soundtrack is killer .",
"somehow we got two rockin ' documentaries about air guitar and even one about the electric car before we got a solid movie about the life of the electric guitar .",
"guitar god ? check . sex god ? absolutely . jimmy page effortlessly exudes sex - at 65 .",
"it really should be about the music , not the talk .",
"the sloppiness is almost in keeping with the experimental styles of guitar playing that are featured in the movie . a few bits of brilliance shine through the messier moments .",
"davis guggenheim 's contrived documentary is a largely unrewarding essay on the mystique of the ubiquitous electric guitar ...",
"for guitar geeks , the sight of page , edge and white together in one room will be enough . others , however , ca n't help but wish it might have gotten a little louder .",
"rock fans and guitar heroes in the making will get a charge out of visiting where the happy accidents that put guitars into each man 's hand happened . and the playing is n't bad , either . loud . but good .",
"you 'll never see a more tactile expression of the intimacy between artists and their instruments than in davis guggenheim 's elating MOV .",
"it does make you want to pull out some old records and listen with a new appreciation for certain sounds you once might have taken for granted .",
"a celebration of philosophical and artistic conflict in which passion leads to inspiration instead of prejudice or judgment , and principles are ingrained .",
"a sense of sweeping admiration overpowers the film 's audience and turns us all into silly , unapologetic , screaming fans .",
"listening to rock gods speak about their music is n't nearly as enjoyable as listening to them play it .",
"watch the little admiring smiles that creep onto the faces of the edge and white as page turns his les paul to 11 and starts blasting out the riff from `` whole lotta love . '' they 're big rock stars , but all of a sudden they 're 14 again .",
"extremely relaxed and unfailingly entertaining ...",
"dare you not to smile .",
"required viewing for guitar enthusiasts , and a pleasant diversion for everyone else .",
"guitar heroes , real or imaginary , will think they 've died and gone to heaven .",
"the trouble is , once you get past the historical information and chummy interviews , you have to put up with the inevitable risk of any ad-hoc jam session : it might get boring .",
"if guggenheim had let it play as is , without splicing in choppy life-story filler , then it might have been a rock doc for the ages .",
"a must-see for axe players , the movie is not terribly concerned with history . still , its design is smarter than you realise .",
"by delving into their backgrounds and character quirks , guggenheim aims the film beyond the interests of purists , academics , fans and musicians to provide an adventure film exploring the heart of creativity .",
"for once a film 's tagline strikes the right note . `` it might not affect the way you play guitar , but it will change how you listen . ''",
"... a sweet little ride , a little glimpse into the spooky stuff inside .",
"it might not snag davis guggenheim another oscar , but his MOV proves that jimmy page , the edge and jack white make for livelier viewing than al gore .",
"the real gold lies in the separate , personal journeys of messrs edge , page and white , explored in their own vastly different locales .",
"a god-like experience for the rock music fan , this documentary contains both amazing music and insight .",
"it can not be said that any member of this trio is the most gifted conversationalist known to man . in fact , once pleasantries are out of the way , they barely have anything of note to say to one another .",
"... -lrb- w -rrb- e except a sonic summit of olympian proportions . what we get instead are three slight biographies followed by sequences that merely suggest what such a coming together could actually achieve .",
"music lovers will find a lot to like in MOV , and musicians will positively love it .",
"`` MOV '' is a compact music documentary that could serve as a great stepping off point for a cable television series , ala the sundance channel 's `` iconoclasts . ''",
"mortals will tremble as guitar gods assemble for this remarkable rock 'n roll film .",
"nearly two hours of yackety-yak is less expressive than one image of white 's hand bleeding from the intensity of pressing his guitar strings during a mad improvisation .",
"i was wowed by the unprecedented access to these men and the unconventional take on them as musicians .",
"fortunately , only a third of the film is devoted to jack white . it 's not enough to spoil the pleasures of this rocking little treasure of a movie .",
"marketed as a guitar summit between the edge , jimmy page , and jack white , davis guggenheim 's affectionate , intermittently insightful behind-the-music doc is more electric triptych than meeting of the minds .",
"the resulting jam session ought to be a music geek 's wet dream , but there is n't enough common ground to produce more than a few flashes of inspiration .",
"MOV is a marvelous rock doc that manages to be wistful , tasty , and jam-kicking at the same time .",
"a rock-doc that celebrates the instrument without overly fretting -lrb- as it were -rrb- about the hardware .",
"MOV does n't really offer enough comparative analysis to lead to a fully educated guess about why such passionate players are so awkward and reserved with each other when given a chance to measure their skills against the best .",
"academically picking apart artistic processes tends to pull all passion out of the pursuit . however , `` loud '' evenhandedly showcases three musicians striving and struggling as much to expand a signature sound as they did when it was initially inked .",
"yes , this is the sort of stuff that makes rock fans absolutely geek out . but guggenheim 's relaxed approach does allow us to get past the guitar-god mystique and show us three fellow tradesmen in love with their craft .",
"the film seems a bit too in thrall to u2 , which means far too much time is devoted to the edge at the expense of watching page fire through some of his thunderous led zeppelin riffs .",
"the personal stories are informative , interesting and nicely illustrated but the central meeting between the three men lacks both passion and personality .",
"even for me , a rock illiterate , this is interesting .",
"the film gets up close and personal , proving that each is a musician first and a rock 'n' roll star afterwards .",
"fellow players and aspiring rock gods will thrill at the scenes of the trio jamming together , but guggenheim 's film never takes an insular `` muso '' view and has plenty to offer the lay person .",
"if you 're a fan of any of their bands , rock music or the electric guitar , you 'll find a lot to love here .",
"it 's never less than a compelling watch as the trio of turbo-charged troubadours swap anecdotes .",
"guggenheim 's attempts to inject some drama hit a bum note while the climactic summit between the three axe gods is let down by a lack of chemistry , resulting in more of a cheerful jam than a headline act .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- meeting of musical minds that should thrill lovers of rock music , allowing this movie to easily fit on the shelf along with the rest of their records and cds .",
"the film culminates as the three finally come together on an empty soundstage in hollywood for a conversation and a raucous jam session that is remarkable for its intimacy and its passion .",
"for rock geeks of any age or taste , the lore in this documentary will be catnip .",
"it 's a pleasure to watch these men perform . these are real-life guitar heroes . but it would have been a treat to see more of them talking shop .",
"the film is a nice chronicle of each guitarist 's rise to fame , but the much touted jam summit itself is the disappointing part , lackluster enough to function mostly as mortar between the bricks .",
"for those who play the instrument , watch this film and learn something about the guitar . as for the rest % u2014listen to the cds .",
"guggenheim weaves the 3 stories around and through each other in perfect counterpoint . he virtually disappears into the eye of the camera , allowing us to take it all in from the best seats in the house .",
"-lsb- o -rsb- nly occasionally turns the volume up beyond fanboy adulation . . -lsb- and -rsb- the guitar gods never get off their thrones .",
"entertaining , celebratory , and slightly defanged .",
"as we get to know each of these three guitar gods , what impresses is n't what draws them together , but what separates them . as such , the central conceit of having the three meet does n't really work ...",
"... an intriguing -lrb- yet entirely forgettable -rrb- documentary ...",
"should cast a spell even in a tone-deaf theatrical marketplace .",
"for rock fans , hearing many led zeppelin and u2 classics on a theater sound system is worth the price of a ticket .",
"even longtime music fans are bound to pick up a fresh fact or two . but if you really want to enjoy this music , close your door , crank up a cd and whip out that air guitar .",
"this movie has no raison d'ętre . the disjointed editing and shallow interviewing does n't tell enough about any of the three to learn what makes them tick .",
"a movie that 's a gift for anyone who 's ever been a fan of led zeppelin , u2 , the white stripes or music in general .",
"i apologize this is more a mash note than critical analysis .",
"what guggenheim really does is make the case that each man deserves his own movie ; this one feels like an especially well-produced vh1 special .",
"... a must for the rock music fan , especially you guitarists out there .",
"a real-life version of guitar hero that explores the electric instrument through a trio of trailblazers . engaging , but perhaps could have used a bit more forced conversation and intellectual grappling about the beautiful mystery of creativity .",
"MOV stands as an effective primer into the world of rock 'n' roll that holds plenty of appeal for hardcore fans and neophytes alike .",
"has stylish cinematography , terrific sound editing and other solid production values , but it suffers from excessive style over substance ... it leaves you feeling unenlightened and , ultimately , undewhelmed .",
"does this sound like rock heaven ? it is .",
"each man has his own distinctive style , and yet when they jam together it sounds like the most natural thing in the world .",
"although talking shop and trading solos form the centerpiece of the film , guggenheim does a fine job of weaving a narrative out of the three men 's life stories .",
"taps into the simultaneously deliberate and accidental occurrence of creativity and success , and a song 's path from the brain to the fingers to the ears to the stadium .",
"this is not a history of rock 'n' roll guitar . it 's a movie-fantasy version of the `` favorite music '' section on guggenheim 's facebook page .",
"it 's as enchanting to watch them listening to each other as it is for us to listen to all three .",
"getting inside any creative process is fascinating and these three prove surprisingly articulate and candid in discussing their craft and their love of what they are doing .",
"why is n't the film better ? guggenheim does n't seem to have prodded his subjects in any interesting directions .",
"no self-respecting led zeppelin fan could hate a movie that contains extended interviews with jimmy page . but that ca n't change the fact that MOV is an empty exercise .",
"is n't likely to snag guggenheim another oscar , but it 's interesting enough , even for non-fanatics .",
"a bizarre follow-up to the fifth biggest cinema documentary of all time , and one that 's as testing on the patience as a 10-minute guitar solo with extra tremolo .",
"it 's artfully assembled in an unflashy manner .",
"watching this film , we are utterly gripped as we hear the stories of three rock guitar legends and then see them interacting with each other . yet while there 's never a dull moment , the film still feels a bit random .",
"the mood 's too good-spirited , and in that there are great pleasures - not least the sound-of-mind thinking of three rockers putting paid to the tired cliché of burbling rock gods trapped in their own shadows .",
"the film might have benefited from a trim and a more linear approach , but mostly it fulfils its role as an illuminating homage to both the protagonists involved and , above all , the guitar as popular music 's most timeless icon .",
"for guitar freaks and fans of these guys , the film gives you a unique chance to hang out with some real guitar heroes .",
"what a great structural concept for a music documentary !",
"turn up the volume .",
"there are some lovely moments in the film simply due to the high profile reputations of the three musicians",
"guggenheim 's depictions of his subjects ' artistic development will strike universal chords in anyone who finds meaning in creativity .",
"depicts wood , lacquer and hardware the way hugh hefner depicts miss september . guitar nuts will be turned on , but everyone else will have a good time , too .",
"rockers out there , it 's time to turn off guitar hero and turn on to the heroes of guitar in MOV , a six-string `` summit '' featuring virtuosos of the '60s , '80s , and aughts .",
"a spectacular valentine to the gale force rush of music appreciation . loud is contagious fun , informative and inspirational . multiply the bliss by 1000 if you happen to be a fan of any of these men .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- sideways glance at the electric guitar by way of profiling three generations of guitarists : jack white of the white stripes , the edge of u2 , and jimmy page of led zeppelin .",
"the film 's very title is a tease , however : it never gets all that loud , and you might doze off after 30 minutes of watching this unwieldy power trio .",
"... is n't just some vanity piece for boomer rock fans ... it asks how music gets made , and occasionally why .",
"davis guggenheim 's documentary hints at high concept but does n't follow through . still , it entertains , in a messy , flailing way .",
"it goes to 11 .",
"while that sounds like a fantasy for rock aficionados , the scenes lack dramatic tension or cinematic enlightenment . it just kind of happens , and then the all-star jam fades to black , leaving few remnants of the filmmakers ' initial intentions .",
"the multigenerational threesome gathers in a spacious but cluttered studio to swap riffs , war stories , tips and inspirations ."
] |
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an affectionate tribute to rock 's most distinctive instrument , MOV is insightful and musically satisfying .
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[
"fans of the 1981 original wo n't find many improvements here .",
"the filmmakers achieved something i was n't expecting . they improved the visual effects without taking the silly action-oriented story too seriously .",
"` MOV ' emphasizes its incredible creatures instead of the human actors , and they are fantastic .",
"inexplicably less godly and less epic than percy jackson and the olympians , this new clash between titans mostly makes you want to go back and watch the original again .",
"coming across like a mythological hybrid of its official source material and gladiator , the remake extracts the essence of the 1981 MOV and updates it for the new millennium .",
"charmless , ugly and lackluster with a laughably bad script , it 's no improvement on the original film and on its own merits is just unfortunate . i 'm sure the video game tie-in will be more entertaining than this .",
"with three screenwriters telling the convoluted story , it is a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth . the razzie awards race for the worst movie of the year is now well under way with this early spring candidate .",
"an unnecessary remake that 's loud , chaotic and mildly entertaining",
"your enjoyment of MOV is aided by remembering the original was one big ol' hunk of cheese , too .",
"if you go into it and you 're expecting big , dumb , loud , empty , pointless -- then that 's fine . because that 's what the film is .",
"a remake of a bad film cherished by the children of the '80s -lrb- `` hot tub greek mythology time machine '' ? -rrb- , this new `` clash '' is a big , fat , boring , fake 3-d slog .",
"fiennes and , as argos ' senior solider , mads mikkelson , afford some juicy fun , but worthington projects the charisma of the young russell crowe 's lighting double .",
"there 's nothing wrong with the new MOV that was n't wrong with the first one . it 's a loud , fun , colorful adventure flick . -lrb- avoid the 3-d version ! -rrb-",
"MOV : liam neeson sounds/cool saying , `` release the kraken . '' / harryhausen weeps",
"if you 've seen the trailers , you know exactly what to expect : 110 minutes of action and cg creatures . that 's it , but sometimes that 's enough .",
"like watching karl pilkington 's recollection of the greek mythology he learned while seeing 1981 's clash .",
"even the kraken proves anticlimactic -- and brother , if you ca n't stick the landing when your movie has a damn kraken in it , then you should n't be making movies .",
"there 's plenty of money on the screen , but no energy or conviction ; no sense that the movie believes any of this matters .",
"only fiennes , who perhaps has too many villains to his name now , finds something interesting to stud his work with .",
"the cg special effects are dated the moment they appear on screen ...",
"a roaring old-school action adventure for kids , with as many mythical beasts as a year at hogwarts and a healthy dose of smiting without the crazed bloodlust of 300 .",
"even more haphazardly plotted than the original , MOV boasts 3d imagery and kinetic action that ca n't obscure a movie that is , finally , pretty flat .",
"kept waiting for the kraken , and when it finally showed up , it was a big bore . corny dialogue and lack of suspense make this a dull ride . paul chambers , cnn .",
"visually , titans makes 300 look like the painstaking work of a renaissance master . ... but on a story level , it 's got an old-fashioned dumbness that 's endearing .",
"a fun piece of disposable nonsense .",
"cheesier than the fondue at a roman orgy .",
"this would be a completely awful one-star disaster if not for some of the monsters - the kraken is formidable enough , but medusa is even better . she 's almost worth the price of admission , but she deserves a better movie than this one .",
"thank the gods gemma arterton is very , very good looking .",
"all in all , it is a pretty good adventure . the acting is adequate , but in these kinds of film it really is n't about the acting at all , is it ?",
"worthington proves what i suspected after avatar : that he was only charismatic in terminator salvation because he was standing next to christian bale .",
"leterrier certainly shows a better sense of meaningful , economic narrative than the mess that peter jackson made of the interminable , incoherent lord of the rings trilogy .",
"2-d , 3-d , whatever it is still a mediocre remake of a mediocre original",
"leterrier aims no higher than competence and achieves just that , shepherding a series of slick , cgi creations across the screen to the accompaniment of an organ-rattling sound design .",
"it 's one supremely silly movie , but it 's also a razzies-ready hoot .",
"this MOV is n't bad . it 's just not particularly necessary .",
"french director louis leterrier loves this world . but MOV feels like he fought -- and lost -- his own battle for control .",
"the whole thing feels like a joyless slog .",
"sam worthington is proof that there is a devil . it 's the only explanation for his inexplicable meteoric rise . at some point this movie turns the corner and becomes campy good fun .",
"overall , it 's a colossal waste of time .",
"seeing MOV 2010 is a great way to get primed for a big summer of popcorn flicks full of fun and adventure . do n't take it too seriously , and you 're sure to have a good time with the gods .",
"this remake is interesting mainly for the chance to see top-flight acting talent labor over dialogue so leaden you could cast bullets from it .",
"seeing this film in 3d is like throwing your money in the trash . the flick is anti-climactic and the leading perfomance from worthington was not heroic in the least .",
"how could this have been so completely messed up ? little boys playing with action figures could 've improvised a better story than this garbage .",
"well , thank the gods for small miracles . the big-budget remake of MOV is a pleasant surprise that 's every bit as good as the cult classic from 1981 .",
"a last-minute , gimmicky , careless money grab .",
"the 3-d technology tacked onto MOV is like the coins put on the eyes of the dead for charon , the stygian ferryman . it 's bribery to accept a lifeless lump .",
"a slick and empty spectacle much of the time , this clash has a particularly tough time establishing bonds between characters who are supposed to mean everything to each other .",
"can a movie be not so great for 95 minutes and then suddenly become worthwhile in the last 15 ? i 'm here to tell you it can .",
"those whom the gods wish to punish , they force to watch this movie .",
"a kitschy creature-feature that 's not as bad as its nonsensical trailer makes it look ... seeing it in 2-d will save you a few bucks .",
"if you must see MOV , be sure to see it in glorious 2-d .",
"although purists will always prefer the original picture , this remake really does justify its existence . how often can you say that ?",
"the film is a sham , with good actors going for the paycheck and using beards and heavy makeup to hide their shame .",
"i should have known better than to look forward to MOV , a film that unironically employs the tagline ` titans will clash ' .",
"it 's loud , brash , brutal stuff on a scale hitherto unseen onscreen ...",
"a constant stream of computer animation that flies at you so quickly and heavy-handedly that you 'll eventually tune it out , intentionally or otherwise .",
"sadly , the kraken is far scarier in our imaginations . just like the 1981 version is far better in our memories .",
"it takes pains to squeeze a little character into the action , and , from the opening harpie attack , through giant scorpions , a wonderfully sinuous medusa and the final face-off with the kraken , there is a barrage of spectacle .",
"3d is but one of many problems plaguing MOV .",
"it comes together surprisingly well for a film that was supposedly rewritten a few times , resulting in changing the villain while cutting others ' dialogue . it may not stand up to the original , but it 's still a fun ride .",
"one time in college i watched robot monster on tv with red/blue 3d glasses from 7-11 and that was better for my eyes .",
"the action sequences are chaotic , the plot is difficult to follow and the cheesy sets sometimes look like props from a theme-park ride .",
"the new clash is n't a cynical rehash . it has the flavor of a certain pre-cgi innocence .",
"do yourself a favour and avoid the 3d . do yourself a bigger favour and avoid the film entirely",
"`` trash -- er -- MOV '' is visually mediocre and abysmally written ...",
"full review at movies for the masses",
"this idiotic `` event movie '' pretty much sums up everything that 's wrong with hollywood right now . it 's big , it 's loud , and it 's filled with meaningless action ... and it also feels like not one single person involved with the production could give two hoots .",
"hardly a divine experience and should be thrown in bad movie purgatory .",
"more boring than aggressively bad and proves that all the mythology and fancy cgi in the world ca n't disguise a lack of movie fundamentals like plot and character .",
"despite its many laughable moments , the box-office gods may not be amused .",
"the movie seems less like a remake than a mash-up of better films .",
"an underwhelming blend of mythology and action drama .",
"the new MOV may be bigger and louder than the 1981 original , but it is n't that much better .",
"the dollar-store version of ` avatar . '",
"the battles look great with computer renderings , but outside the kraken sequence they do n't inspire an ounce of awe . the gods have never looked more real , or mattered less",
"as it turns out , this MOV was dated before it opened .",
"the death knell of greek mythology . bury the kraken .",
"... a picture that mistakes furious action for excitement and ponderous performances for drama .",
"what director louis leterrier serves up is a simple quest movie enlivened by some respectable if rarely spectacular special effects .",
"if you 've seen the trailer , you 've seen the best bits , and if you 've seen cloverfield , you 've seen the kraken .",
"i got a bit bored in the middle , then was swung back into the action by the flying horses .",
"be warned -- you 'd be better off picking up a blindfold and ear plugs when entering the cinema than a pair of specs .",
"they did n't waste alot of toner on the script .",
"more properly , ` crash of the bores ' ... dark , grim and -lrb- apart from some juvenile macho banter -rrb- overly serious , a plodding , chaotic affair more likely to induce headache than a feeling of exhilaration .",
"watching the movie is like sitting at a giant conveyor-belt sushi bar as each marvel presents or re-presents itself for salivation .",
"a few admirable elements are lost amidst a cacophony of digital set pieces , horrendous scripting , and a grim self-serious tone that 's more laborious than engrossing",
"at the end of this 200 b.c. day , the 3d missteps aside , clash is ` krakening ' good fun . swordplay , wild creatures , valiant men and a scaly tsunami with major ` tude ... ye gods and big fishes , enjoy .",
"the whole thing is done with such earnest old-time saturdary afternoon conviction that i thoroughly enjoyed it ...",
"give it a break for the sake of a cast that imparts more than comic strip cardboard and you may well find entertainment in this romp with mythical immortality .",
"worthington makes a rather wooden perseus but the rest of the cast are terrific , particularly arterton , mikkelsen , neeson and fiennes , who really voldemorts it up as hades . great kraken , too .",
"` regard yonder medusa ! she has the body of a snake and the breasts of a centerfold ! '",
"it does n't add up at all .",
"leading man sam worthington exacerbates the film 's downbeat tone : as perseus , worthington remains a credible but basically charisma-free actor .",
"a poor remake with little 3d value .",
"it 's a little campy , a little creepy , a little too long and sometimes a bit of a mess . but it all adds up to a welcome dose of old-fashioned b-movie entertainment .",
"it plays like a videogame , only with less character development . there 's no forward motion or any suspense . this movie was n't directed so much as it was ` project managed ' -- a series of barely related cgi sequences with no urgency .",
"on a purely visual level , this standard-brand , cgi-gorged remake of the ray harryhausen fantasy adventure is worth watching , for the medusa scene alone .",
"this remake is bigger and grander but misses the life that harryhausen brought to his fantastic creations ... instead , we get the same cgi-fest .",
"my fear had been that -lsb- the film -rsb- would be relentlessly , unforgivably bad , but it 's only boring .",
"violent , joyless , humorless and unmagical .",
"the remake out this weekend largely does away with the stately titans stuff , in favor of more clashing .",
"it does n't soar -lrb- though pegasus the winged horse is captivating -rrb- .",
"the 3-d needlessly overstuffs an already spectacle-heavy guilty pleasure , making the action not just bloated but downright confusing .",
"the MOV remake is the most embarrassing black eye for greeks since the short-lived mcgyro .",
"... a mish mash of mythology whose enhancement with shoddy 3d -lrb- this was outsourced to an indian production company and the filmmakers should ask for their money back -rrb- is near sinful in its poor quality .",
"it may be hollywood 's new religion , but 3d ca n't compensate for a film 's flaws , no matter how many movie gods are on your side .",
"a good film should inspire strong emotions in its audience . those emotions should not , however , be a progression from boredom to impatience to active resentment",
"the myths it presumes to reinvent serve only as empty grist for its effects houses , mangled by storytelling incompetence past the point of recognition .",
"there 's not a lot of humor in this new clash -- not intentional , anyway .",
"apparently the gods need better agents .",
"even spectacle becomes boring when there 's nothing behind it .",
"a few more fake 3d films like this could kill the public 's enthusiasm for ` dimensional ' pictures as surely as ` avatar ' stoked renewed interest in the process .",
"there 's not much here that will stick with you after the popcorn 's gone . but as any ancient greek could tell you , that 's sort of the point .",
"so tone deaf to the material is leterrier that the spirit of the remake owes more to transformers : revenge of the fallen than a sword-and-sandal film . bigger , louder , more expensive ? all that , for sure . but better ? not by a long shot .",
"it takes a lot of movie magic to reduce some 3000 years of mythology to piffle . after watching this farrago produced by state-of-the-art 3-d and cgi , i 'm all for the return of the oral tradition .",
"big and flat , noisy and silly , leterrier 's version is hampered by an arbitrary narrative and preposterous dialogue ; even great actors like neeson and fiennes and 3d -lrb- rather poor -rrb- do n't help .",
"a thoroughly entertaining and fun adventure that delivers exactly what is expected from a movie called ` MOV , ' nothing more or less .",
"MOV is a flawed but mildly entertaining regurgitation of greek mythological elements , but it 's also an example of how poorly executed 3d can hamstring a would-be spectacle .",
"MOV is n't art , but it 's a specialized craft that turns men into boys and film critics into optimistic -- ok , slightly less cynical -- popcorn consumers for the briefest of moments .",
"`` while a quasi-fun ride , this remake never quite pushes itself -- it feels more like reheated leftovers -lrb- with some extra cheese thrown on top -rrb- than something freshly cooked . ''",
"MOV is ancient greece at its cheesiest .",
"if avatar was the game-changer , as james cameron claimed , then MOV , rushed through post in four months to exploit the 3d craze , has the potential to be the game-ender .",
"this was an epic made for sam of worthington , and ralph of fiennes , and liam of pay me now . and it would be full of tricks made by machine , and talk made by fools , and pictures of three dimensions that seemed merely like the view-masters of old .",
"let 's hope that the computer-game version of the film has more get-up-and-go than this dull affair .",
"there is absolutely nothing new about MOV , but one can not deny the pleasures of familiarity in popcorn cinema . what 's the first thing you say after riding an awesome roller coaster ? again !",
"benefits from the forceful presence of sam worthington -lrb- avatar -rrb- in the key role and is full of high flying action , nifty monsters , valiant heroes , plotting villains and impressive cgi .",
"whatever the flaws in the script , there 's no faulting director louis leterrier 's visual ambition : this is a film of mighty vistas , beautifully designed beasts and intense , well-structured combat sequences ...",
"this movie is actually worse than the post-production 3d , which is enough to give 3d a bad name .",
"somehow , a promising popcorn movie got abducted by the god of boredom .",
"release the kraken on this monstrous bore of a remake .",
"this clash provides frequent occasion for awe .",
"the first MOV had considerably more charm than this . money can buy you technology but it ca n't buy you magic .",
"an otherwise passable adventure film that almost survives its many problems with energetic action sequences , but is ultimately damaged by the gimmick of 3d .",
"a sexless , joyless remake of a trashy guilty pleasure .",
"i liked it . this is a full-throttle action-adventure , played unapologetically straight .",
"where 's the excitement , thrills and dizzying nonsense promised by its rockin ' trailers ?",
"demi-god flick is demi-good",
"agreeable cheese .",
"una cinta capaz de entretener a chicos y grandes , pero que carece de sustancia y por tanto de fuerza , poder e innovación .",
"every creature is so busy it looks like pirates of the caribbean 3 ... i do n't care how big you made the kraken , it looks stupid .",
"what this remake needs is some gratuitous nudity to distract audiences from the lousy special effects , a bit like in the , um , original movie ...",
"liam neeson , ralph fiennes and danny huston play the three main greek gods % u2013 zeus , hades and poseidon . neeson sort of ambles through his role while fiennes attacks his like he is playing the lead in `` macbeth . '' huston has little to do and is totally f",
"there are plenty of moments of fun and excitement , but the extent to which the film drags its heels in between , is ultimately its undoing .",
"here comes director louis leterrier and his team of mercenary screenwriters to make sure a dated , lumbering mytho-fantastical clunker from 1981 gets a bland , moronic , computer-enhanced warming over .",
"if you 're into greek mythos , or action , or slightly cheesy -lrb- but knowing -rrb- humor , then this should prove an adequate source of entertainment .",
"`` MOV '' skirts being boring because of its effects , but it can not rise above being mundane and formulaic .",
"there was immeasurably more life , dynamism and energy in harryhausen 's marionettes than in these seemingly flawless avatars . they never come alive in a way that the first film 's creatures unquestionably did .",
"poorly written nonsense , but lovers of beefcake action will be happy enough with the heroes gymnastically vaulting monsters and slicing and dicing their way around the ancient world . an extra star for ralph fiennes , who is a god .",
"for what it is , it 's a good time at the movies .",
"plot and characters play second fiddle to set pieces but this is a popcorn action movie and it does that very well indeed .",
"big sets , wall-to-wall mayhem and hi-tech pixelry only go so far in a movie sure to leave anyone with fond memories of the original feeling shortchanged .",
"a spirit of fun and adventure almost breaks through . call it a near myth .",
"disappointment of the week is this expensive but ponderous remake of the 1981 epic , which was n't much good either .",
"my suggestion after the fact would have been to re-release 1981 's ` MOV , ' reprocessed in 3d , and forget about any remake . forget this remake , for sure .",
"even with the souped-up special effects , i still prefer the original .",
"as 3-d always does , the movie looks dark and dingy -- not polished and expensive , as the 2-d version probably was .",
"goofball clash with the actors providing plenty of ham to go with the cheesy story .",
"i found myself waiting for the effects sequences . when these money shots are on screen , the film is awesome ... however , the walk-and-talk scenes are not the strong point .",
"imagine downing a cold 12-pack in two hours and then trying to walk home . that 's exactly what -lsb- the 3d action scenes in MOV -rsb- feel like .",
"not enough bubo !",
"the 1981 version certainly is n't high art , but has fun , which is more than can be said for this humorless , dull retelling .",
"visual might meets narrative meagerness . the film boasts a wealth of treats for the eye but does n't add up to a rollicking adventure .",
"leterrier 's version is loud , busy and intense , and it 's still saddled with bad dialogue , dopey-looking sets and costumes and a lead performance that 's completely flat .",
"... the likes of liam neeson and ralph fiennes -lrb- and the other veterans -rrb- end up looking foolish or farcical , thanks to the direction",
"teenage boys will love it , but the rest of us will be frustrated by the storytelling , the shaky camerawork and the dubiously effective 3d presentation , which distracts more than it offers",
"though it faithfully follows the original 's plotline , leterrier 's slick entertainment is anything but a throwback -- just a concession to the jerry bruckheimer school of fast , cheap , and out-of-control visual effects .",
"it 's as if medusa herself were behind the camera , turning everything on screen into stone .",
"a fun digital ride through greek mythology as humans clash with gods and monsters .",
"MOV is a decent enough remake of the original % u2013 but do yourself a favor : save your hard-earned money and skip the awful 3d version .",
"truly undone by the dramatic void at its center .",
"about as rousing as a wheelchair race between two half-comatose octogenarians .",
"a film that winds up being all bluff and bluster , impressing us on first viewing but wilting on reflection .",
"this clash is more like a mild ` pressing together ' .",
"a marginal improvement over its 1981 inspiration ...",
"in the genre of saturday-afternoon popcorn-fantasy films , the new clash is n't half bad .",
"if you want to fondly remember the 1980s . if you want some cheesiness thrown in with some action.if you want to enjoy the adventure ... go to ` hot tub time machine ' and not ` MOV . '",
"total garbage .",
"the film delivers exactly what you expect % u2014 well-done action pieces blended with jolts of camp that are so over-the-top , you half expect mount olympus to be made from one of joan crawford 's shoulder pads .",
"the clashing titans in MOV are a pretty sorry lot .",
"the 3-d is underwhelming ; the movie 's not so bad .",
"the kind of remake that i wish hollywood would make more of : take an old film that had great ideas but was n't a great film , and get it right the second time .",
"there 's little here to improve upon the stilted quality of the original , and it 's even more cumbersomely plotted .",
"dull , tedious , poorly paced , anti-climactic and , worst of all , one of the most boring and underwhelming blockbusters in recent memory .",
"the only way that this stupid , ugly mess of a movie could be considered 3-d would be if the third dimension were dirty hair .",
"appreciable only for its extravagance , perhaps its best to leave zeus , perseus , and medusa back in the '80s , where this odd struggle between humans and gods was treated with a more effortless tone of enchantment .",
"does a pretty good job . that sounds like a halfhearted recommendation , -lrb- but -rrb- `` clash '' is a halfhearted adventure .",
"a mildly diverting but ultimately unlovable action spectacle",
"well , at least i know what setting $ 70 million ablaze looks like in 3d .",
"the latest example of hollywood 's belief that any terrible script can be made palatable if you just throw enough money and british accents at it .",
"on an action movie/creature feature level , it delivers satisfactorily . on a plot/characterization level , it 's a complete bore .",
"director louis leterrier uses digital technology to create enough battles and monsters to capture the attention of any jaded blockbuster fan .",
"louis letterrier 's romp is at its best during its breakneck second half , when the 3d effects distract from the 2d protagonists and the risible dialogue is drowned out by the clash of steel and the gnash of pincers .",
"it 's exceptionally silly and it takes itself too seriously , but ultimately titans is a stirring adventure full of derring-do and beefy men in too-short tunics .",
"forget the kraken , how ` bout releasing a plot ?",
"noisy , manic and not much fun at all .",
"solid supporting performances from liam neeson as zeus , ralph fiennes as hades , and mads mikkelsen as draco , add significant gravitas to the film 's churning momentum .",
"it 's left to the gigantic kraken to re-inject some interest during the closing stages of this major disappointment .",
"while there 's much that can be mocked here , the new battles are just as fun in their own way-the scorpions in particular are awesome .",
"MOV , which was directed by louis letterier , is strictly no-d .",
"parental content review",
"this really is all action and no adventure . there is not a moment where perseus looks like he is astonished that these things are happening to him for the first time .",
"three average action sequences are n't enough to save this film from the weak story and bad dialogue . at least ` release the kraken ' is my favorite new euphemism .",
"the downfall of 3-d is going to be quicky , crummy cgi conversions like this clunker .",
"as an after-thought -lsb- director louis -rsb- leterrier and his producers decided to make the flick 3-d . but oops - they 'd already shot like 90 % in ordinary old 2-d .",
"to make up for the lack of dramatic oomph in the screenplay , director louis leterrier frequently pumps up the volume , particularly on ramin djawadi 's score , which sounds like cobbled-together outtakes from the amazing race .",
"a competent but hardly rousing piece of effects-spectacle entertainment in which sam worthington exudes the yep-i 'm - here charisma of a middleweight steve reeves stand-in . terrible 3-d , too .",
"on july 10th , it will be released on playstation 3 and xbox 360 , and only then , i feel , will it truly come into its own .",
"it is n't a train wreck -- a train wreck would be memorable .",
"neeson and fiennes are so serious here you would have thought they were auditioning for a `` schindler 's list '' sequel .",
"two dimensions is more than satisfying presentation format if you 're at all interested in MOV ' otherwise perfectly uninspiring , generic-blockbuster thrills .",
"relies far too heavily on sound and fury at the expense of virtually everything else",
"as with the original , it 's often embarrassing to watch prestigious actors suffering through this material , and the younger actors fail to register much at all .",
"avatar has taken a lot of heat for being weak on story and overly reliant on visual effects , but compared with this witless , chaotic mess of a movie , james cameron 's epic looks worthy of the ancient greek authors ...",
"if even half as much effort had gone into character development and plotting as went into character and creature designs , they might have had something worthwhile .",
"it 's not as if `` MOV '' is some popcorn masterpiece undone by the 3-d manipulations of its parent studio ; the clunky script and blockbuster-in-a-box cluttered construction of it are probably just as lifeless in two dimensions .",
"feels like a throwback to the days when high concepts and splashy special effects ruled the day",
"absolutely awful in absolutely the most boring way possible",
"when the action scenes are unleashed , they 're easily the most captivating component of the movie . they look and feel fantastic , and they involve abominations with more backstory and personality than any of the humans .",
"at the moment when sam worthington , trapped inside a giant scorpion , sword-hacked his way through the dorsal carapace and poked the upper half of his body through the opening as if it were a sunroof , i fell in love with MOV .",
"an unnecessary 3d upgrade and choppy script make louis leterrier 's update of the 1981 camp classic an olympian missed opportunity .",
"as if society were n't self-centered enough , along comes a movie whose moral appears to be `` be your own god . '' swell .",
"the film not only amplifies all of the flaws of the original but even screws up the things that it actually got right the first time around .",
"those of us who grew up on special effects creator ray harryhaussen 's movies did n't love them for their photo-realism , and we sure did n't mind a little cheese .",
"a very serious movie about magical gods and giant scorpions .",
"i do n't say it 's good cinema , although i recognize the craftsmanship that went into it . i do n't say it 's good acting , when the men have so much facial hair they all look like liam neeson . i like the energy , the imagination , the silliness .",
"there are a number of cheeky winks from the filmmakers specifically aimed at harryhausen fans ; in the end , though , leterrier 's MOV is nearly as messy an assemblage of mythic odds and ends as the original .",
"you 're not here for sharp dialogue or character development and you do n't get it . but who 's complaining ?",
"MOV lives up to its promise of fast action and big visuals , but will not be seen as a vfx classic in the years to come .",
"sometimes it 's best to leave well enough alone , even if well enough is not perfect .",
"this update 's achilles heel is its pervasive and dizzying , shot-too-tight camera technique .",
"unlike the original , which made the 10-year-old version of myself want to don a bedsheet toga , fashion a shield from a garbage can lid , and behead evil gorgons , this version was kind of a snooze for both him and me .",
"the cgi extravaganza ca n't overcome all the other flaws : sloppy exposition , terrible dialogue , heavy-handed acting , and not a single likable character in the bunch .",
"it has no aspirations to be anything more than the popcorn movie it is , and for those amiably disposed to the genre , that should be enough .",
"par lucidnih trenutaka re % u017eisera jedini su razlog zbog kojeg sudar titana nije zaslu % u017eio naslov najgoreg holivudskog remakea svih vremena",
"greek gods make lousy dads .",
"call this theme-park ride around the ancient world in 80 minutes . creatures get ridiculously larger and deadlier as action-scenes advance to the next video-game level . dull , grey , spiritless .",
"if -lsb- worthington -rsb- ever showed some charisma , he 'd be a movie god .",
"aside from further output from lady gaga , i ca n't think of much that 's more unnecessary than a remake of MOV , at least until they remake godzilla ."
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an obviously affectionate remake of the 1981 original , louis leterrier 's MOV does n't offer enough visual thrills to offset the deficiencies of its script .
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"the story is a good story , directly told , and such meaning as it has comes from the irony that the only person who completely appreciates abagnale 's accomplishments is the man trying to arrest him .",
"a reminder that beyond all the hype and recent digital glitz , spielberg knows how to tell us about people .",
"an entertaining ode to the power of persuasion , something a master filmmaker like spielberg knows a thing or two about",
"a gently funny , sweetly adventurous film that makes you feel genuinely good , that is to say , entirely unconned by false sentiment or sharp , overmanipulative hollywood practices .",
"dicaprio has the breeze and aplomb to keep it all bouncing along .",
"the film glides through its well-structured script , letting the audience coast along with it and allowing the performers to stay loose and limber . and that 's what 's wonderful about catch me if you can-it 's a chase picture that 's all about the perfo",
"a quick witted study of sneaky dualities : the story of a liar who falls victim to the great american lie , starring an actor who 's playing a very convincing actor .",
"spielberg 's movie is fine entertainment , but john williams has lost the sense of adventure in his scores .",
"a delicious cat-and-mouse game flecked with intriguing oedipal undertones .",
"the story was so unbelievable that it had to be true , and it was .",
"spielberg rediscovers his sense of fun with this funny , frivolous con caper .",
"breezily enjoyable but thin .",
"offers mild fun but never as much as its animated '60s - retro opening credits portend .",
"the whole lighter-than-air lark whizzes by like a brisk , kandy-kolored dream of the 1960s .",
"a terrifically engaging film with a plot that would be utterly ludicrous if not based on fact .",
"a truly crowd-pleasing picture , with more great scenes than in most two movies .",
"the movie 's title serves as a fitting recommendation . catch it if you can .",
"ultimately about fathers and sons -- but it 's also about the pleasures of telling a good story , with retro charm to spare .",
"-lsb- spielberg 's -rsb- frothiest and most fun movie in years .",
"consistently entertaining .",
"dicaprio could hardly be better . he brings this outrageous character and his demons to life with skill , sympathy and a symphony of small , telling touches .",
"fun , lively and meticulously crafted from start to finish .",
"production designer jeannine oppewall and mr. spielberg 's favorite cinematographer janusz kaminski capture a near-flawless palette of period looks from the '50s and '60s .",
"it 's more amusing than hilarious , more cute than inspired , but there 's just too much talent on and off the screen for it to fail .",
"MOV is premium spielberg working on cylinders that have n't been fired in years . it 's worth a look just for that alone .",
"one of the most enjoyable films of the year .",
"the movie is engaging and well acted , though , and the pink panther-style credits and background music are worth the price of admission .",
"after a series of dud roles , dicaprio is back in star form .",
"an infectious , undeniable of-the-moment buoyancy keeps this film afloat , trumping a few pop-reductionist moments .",
"though there 's certainly nothing wrong with seeing these cinematic titans take a breather and kick back for a change , it still would have been nice to see them break a little sweat .",
"wicked cute but alas super long .",
"the most enjoyable and fun film this holiday season !",
"a nice , light treat .",
"dances across the screen with the effortless grace of fred astaire and the sexy provocation of ginger rogers .",
"a wily cat-and-mouse comedy that 's as suspenseful as it is funny .",
"leonardo dicaprio is perfectly cast . he oozes a stiff martini blend of larcenous charm and lonely-boy vulnerability .",
"for all his genre-hopping and shape-shifting spielberg seems to have become too big to tell small stories , which is one reason why the film sputters on one too many false endings .",
"the movie feels like the work of a filmmaker who has earned himself a break . because it 's spielberg , the audience gets to share in the party .",
"the marzipan nature of the tale flatters spielberg 's best instincts , and he deftly parries our inclination to regard the tale with a grain of salt in ways that bring out its inherent sweetness .",
"you wo n't find a movie that 's more fun this season -- but at 2-1/2 hours , it 's probably too much of a good thing .",
"the film 's only missteps come from the script 's insistence on providing deep emotional motivation for each and every one of abagnale 's antics .",
"affirms the gifts of all involved , starting with spielberg and going right through the ranks of the players -- on-camera and off -- that he brings together .",
"one of spielberg 's finest pieces of storytelling . helps make up for a.i.",
"the stylish , cartoon-like opening credits reminded me of the snazzy beginnings of the peter sellers-pink panther movies .",
"it 's spielberg who pulls the con by leading us down a familiar path only to rup the rug out from under us .",
"steven spielberg 's new film is lighthearted and enjoyable , with just enough undercurrents of human frailty to keep the story interesting .",
"in a holiday season characterized by heavy cinematic fare , stephen spielberg has concocted a frothy trifle .",
"spielberg ... supersedes even himself with one of the most enjoyable and compelling films of his career .",
"what could have been a great film is merely a good one , by way of forsaking the gritty details for directorial sleight of hand .",
"is this a light-hearted romp ? is this a psychological drama ? is it a thriller ? can it be all three ? not quite , sort of . uh uh . and dear lord no .",
"hanratty is n't a strictly factual character - he 's called o'reilly in the book , not his real name either - but the performance hanks gives makes you wish he were . abagnale is n't strictly factual either , but dicaprio makes him an attractive counterfeit .",
"es casi una reconciliación con el mejor spielberg ...",
"this is the director 's most likeable film in ages , even if it 's insubstantial , overlong and , frankly , a touch redundant .",
"the movie is a good time . it not only produces happiness , it is happy .",
"the movie is -- intentionally or otherwise -- a remarkable parable about denying reality until reality catches up to you .",
"a future classic",
"excellent account of fbi 's youngest most wanted .",
"i do n't think anyone would argue that ` MOV ' is one of spielberg 's best films . however , it is good enough and passes a pleasant couple of hours .",
"this amiably light-footed chase gets the job done .",
"a truly excellent , action packed , and funny crime caper ...",
"the lightest , most breezy movie steven spielberg has made in more than a decade . and the positive change in tone here seems to have recharged him .",
"this breezy caper movie becomes a soulful , incisive meditation on the way we were , and the way we are .",
"dicaprio gives a radiant , movie-star performance .",
"full of fun and verve , with ample battery power supplied by its handy helmsman .",
"... the film would 've been vastly improved had it been trimmed down to 90 minutes .",
"has steven spielberg lost it ?",
"the most charming of mr. spielberg 's mature films , because is it so relaxed .",
"precisely what a mainstream movie should be : fleet , savvy and , like a good con , executed as if it were the easiest thing in the world .",
"MOV would have been the best example of entertainment as an art form in the past decade if not for spielberg 's daddy issues hijacking the plot .",
"spielberg gives the movie the snappy , glitzy gusto of his early chase films , the sugarland express and 1941 . it 's refreshingly lacking in the heavy nobility he injected into the color purple and nearly every film since .",
"a frothy , quicksilver entertainment desperate to be liked .",
"it ca n't overcome how empty it all is .",
"... a light and breezy flick that showcases -lsb- spielberg 's -rsb- stars .",
"the cinematic version of a pastel-colored cocktail diluted with crushed , crackling ice and capped by a petite parasol .",
"... a roller-coaster ride of a movie",
"one of the best films of the year , it is all about lonlieness , desperation , determination and dedication .",
"spielberg directs a lower profile film than his usual fare , but one that is a pleasure to take in and be taken in .",
"spielberg perfectly re-creates the fashions , the mood and the trends of the '60s , and dicaprio and hanks have a lot of fun with their roles .",
"fascinatingly , MOV resembles hitchcock 's self-mocking self-awareness - a canny satire of american culture and cinema , and , shockingly , a slyly autobiographical auto-critique .",
"`` catch me '' feels capable of charming the masses with star power , a pop-induced score and sentimental moments that have become a spielberg trademark .",
"a chance to see three splendid actors turn a larky chase movie into an emotionally satisfying exploration of the very human need to be somebody , and to belong to somebody .",
"never takes itself or its subjects too seriously , and contains more genuinely funny material than about 90 % of the so-called ` comedies ' found in multiplexes these days .",
"with its inventive story , eclectic cast , and authentic period feel , catch me should fly by but does n't .",
"spielberg becomes a sinatra with this one , asking us to do nothing more than snap our fingers and come fly with him .",
"if this fact-based tale of a wunderkind swindler suffers from the director 's gigantism , it 's still lighter on its feet than anything he 's made since jurassic park .",
"it 's a technically superb film , shining with all the usual spielberg flair , expertly utilizing the talents of his top-notch creative team .",
"catch it ... if you can !",
"`` it 's two - two - two movies in one ... ''",
"MOV is more than a cat-and-mouse chase film . for underlying the feature is a feeling of despair and loss .",
"spielberg had one more thing to prove as a director , and that was to see how much money a humdrum film could gross with his name attached , along with two big stars collaborating in his droll experiment in tedium .",
"movies like this are what make it so fun to go to the cinema .",
"while the critical consensus is that MOV is not one of spielberg 's ` major works , ' it 's also his least flawed and most purely entertaining movie in a decade .",
"does a good job of establishing a time and place , and of telling a fascinating character 's story .",
"spielberg slips in social commentary between abagnale 's prodigious feats of lawlessness & capitalizes on the glee of watching someone beat the system .",
"spielberg 's breeziest work in years .",
"spielberg does n't automatically make great movies because he 's a great director ; he 's a great director because he has the ability to make great movies . MOV is one of them .",
"breezy and entertaining ... essentially a celebration of the career of a con artist , -lsb- but -rsb- it celebrates his cleverness and panache rather than his dishonesty , and ends on a satisfyingly redemptive note .",
"a fun , fluffy , harmless , good-time movie ideal for the x-mas holidays ...",
"dicaprio more than adequately conveys the kid-in-a-candy-store mentality of a teenager who has stumbled onto a great scheme .",
"in director spielberg 's charming and effervescently nostalgic adventure MOV , the nifty chase is definitely on .",
"it 's spielberg with the message turned off , a jaunty two hours and 20 minutes that returns the director to his first love : blissfully pure cinematic fun .",
"-lsb- spielberg -rsb- manages to subtly mark his own evolution within this grandly entertaining movie .",
"MOV is impeccably made , wonderfully performed and enjoyable -lrb- if overlong -rrb- , though it never actually gets a grasp on the brass ring .",
"this is a movie with just about everything going for it : great acting , solid direction , and a story you wo n't soon forget .",
"MOV is rife with mythic and metaphorical dad anxieties .",
"une intrigue fascinante présentée avec légčreté et charme .",
"diving for depths that are not there , ... spielberg only manages to con himself that they are .",
"with a cheeky leading man , a funny , mind-blowing story , a great feel for decor , wardrobe and music , a swell supporting cast and all the infectious energy you could hope for , it 's the most charming and buoyant film spielberg 's ever made .",
"mr. spielberg and his company just want you to enjoy yourselves without feeling conned . and they succeed merrily at their noble endeavor .",
"the best time spielberg has provided moviegoers since indiana jones and the last crusade .",
"the film 's bright retro colors , fun music and fast pace will have you ignoring its lengthy running time . quite a catch .",
"wildly entertaining from start to finish .",
"every single element of this movie works brilliantly together and the result is as irresistible as its con man hero .",
"this is one of the most consistent and perfectly balanced films of spielberg 's career .",
"frank abagnale is soooooo cool .",
"hands-down , the most entertaining of this holiday season 's fare .",
"mindful in many ways of spielberg 's very first feature , the good-natured fugitives-on-the run drama the sugarland express .",
"a breezy , diverting , conventional , well-acted tale of two men locked in an ongoing game of cat-and-cat .",
"spielberg winningly recaptures the capers of a butch-cassidy-style rogue whose charm earns him audience smiles .",
"this is a lighter movie than -lsb- spielberg -rsb- has made in a long while , and you sense his relief that nothing much is at stake .",
"a clear reminder that leo had an academy award nomination long before he became an over-hyped megastar",
"`` it 's a fascinating story , and ` MOV ' is just as fascinating to watch , especially with leo taking the reigns as the suave , persuasive con artist . ''",
"while less oscar , and more mtv , for steven spielberg , MOV is still a delicious serving of comedy , romance and thrills -- i 'm sure you 'll be begging for more .",
"MOV is one of those deceptively slight offerings that manages to reveal more about its maker than the intended masterpieces often do .",
"fueled by a wonderful performance from leonardo dicaprio , MOV is a lighthearted yet heart-wrenching look at the making of a truly brilliant , if somewhat reluctant , con artist .",
"some may discount `` MOV '' as frivolous , but i believe it is an expertly-made popcorn film alive with energy , style , momentum and heart . it maintains a gripping balance between comedy and drama",
"what begins brightly gets bogged down over 140 minutes .",
"with its extended epilogue , the film feels about a half-hour too long , but the story is so good and there are so many fabulous set pieces that you ca n't imagine leaving anything out .",
"spielberg est en la cima y nos atrapa !",
"it may be nitpicking , but since this a movie about a con-artist constantly on the run , it needed a smarter screenplay and a brisker pace .",
"kick the hobbit and grab hold of MOV as soon as you can .",
"the modern master of the chase sequence returns with a chase to end all chases",
"-lsb- spielberg -rsb- achieves a retro hipness , an early-60s , skinny-ties-and-martinis , pink panther kind of cool .",
"gee , thanks , mr. spielberg , this is one terrific christmas present .",
"truth is stranger than fiction , so the old saying goes . in ` MOV , ' it 's also more entertaining .",
"a hugely entertaining caper movie",
"one of spielberg 's most gratifying films -- quick and charming and exciting without ever being too obvious about its intentions .",
"steven spielberg has always has a fascination with the peter pan boy who never grew up ; he drops this one into the splashy clothes , cars , and high style of the early 1960s .",
"dicaprio , though 27 when the film was shot , has just the right touch of baby-cheeked deadpan innocence to make you believe in the schemes of this eager boy grifter .",
"a comic cat and mouse story that would be hard to believe if it were n't true",
"joins spielberg 's `` minority report '' in being one of 2002 's best .",
"a pleasant , mildly diverting story .",
"MOV 's shiny wrapping paper of clever counterfeit schemes , pretty girls and fairytale cinematography belies the larger , richer themes that attracted such heavyweight talent to the project .",
"most of the film is an extended chase , with abagnale always one clever step ahead , and it 's tense , good fun , if a tad underdeveloped .",
"like last year 's ocean 's 11 , MOV is reminiscent of golden age blockbusters : flashy , glitzy and fun .",
"the chase is fun , amusing , and hosts a good sense of humor . for the most part , this `` true story '' is believable with the inclusion of several spielbergisms .",
"this is a story that zings all the way through with originality , humour and pathos .",
"its maker , steven spielberg , has n't had so much fun in two decades , since he was schlepping indiana jones around the globe in search of a giant misplaced ashtray .",
"a picture that 's good enough to make you ignore a few flaws .",
"slick as a salesman and shallow as a kiddie pool , it 's more interested in the con than the consequences .",
"leo was born to play this part . there 's something about him that makes me want to smack him when he smiles his big , ingratiating smile .",
"steven spielberg 's best movie in at least a decade .",
"overall the movie is a fun ride and an interesting tale about the life of one of america 's greatest con men .",
"though MOV is n't badly made , the fun slowly leaks out of the movie .",
"you 'll be charmed and entertained for a couple hours , but then you 'll realize you 're out 10 bucks .",
"... a carefree escapist romp awash in desperate loneliness that meditates troublingly on the american dream every time you are n't looking .",
"dicaprio and hanks possess such great chemistry , that , although they are enemies , you just have to smile as they both work against each other .",
"this is dicaprio 's best performance in anything ever , and easily the most watchable film of the year .",
"one of the best cat-and-mouse movies to come along in a while , leo has great fun in the role .",
"a slick little chase movie , with two huge stars having a grand time .",
"a glib but bouncy bit of sixties-style slickness in which the hero might wind up caught but the audience gets pure escapism .",
"sporting a stingy-brimmed hat and erratic boston accent , hanks gives a ludicrous performance .",
"a great time at the movies and certainly a film well worth catching if you can .",
"dicaprio 's winning performance goes a long way toward encouraging the viewer the forgive the film its indulgences and missteps .",
"spielberg exercises his always notable gift for narrative filmmaking here ... -lsb- but -rsb- has not solved his problem of longwindedness .",
"a meticulously directed , deliciously acted , humorously written work of skill , energy and imagination .",
"that rarity of rarities , a mainstream american feel-good movie with both charm and intelligence .",
"a truly astonishing movie depicting the surprising and miraculous process whereby a youthful master of deception and a dogged fbi agent are transformed from enemies into friends .",
"the most memorable element of this not-that-memorable film , however , is not hanks or walken , or any of the other irreproachable component parts . it is the roguish lead actor , leonardo dicaprio .",
"gotcha !",
"this rebellious rogue 's skewed survival game is a cinematic winner . the astonishing cat-and-mouse chase offers sheer escapist entertainment , emerging as one of by 10 best movies of 2002 .",
"i do n't care if the film received a ron howard-esque saccharine shellacking , simply because it is n't a by-the-numbers bore .",
"bursts with the old-fashioned hollywood panache .",
"` de manufactura impecable , nostрlgica y muy entraыable , es sin duda uno de los mejores filmes en la carrera de spielberg . '",
"by the end of the film , you 'll understand why tom hanks needed to play the cop and the steps toward acting maturity leonardo dicaprio has already managed to take .",
"this is a delectable film indeed .",
"graуas яs interaушes entre seus personagens , o filme torna-se nсo apenas uma histзria divertida sobre uma curiosa perseguiусo , mas tambжm um belo estudo de personagens .",
"after the bigger questions of ai and minority report , spielberg is back having fun .",
"spielberg 's candy-colored tale of cons in the swingin ' past is a blast of fun with a surprising amount of heart .",
"this movie got me grinning . there 's a part of us that can not help be entertained by the sight of someone getting away with something .",
"regardless of the outrageous elements of the plot , the talented people involved with this film made it into an enjoyable one .",
"a fitting dessert to spielberg 's preceeding entree and main course of a.i. and minority report , and one hell of a ride .",
"spielberg being spielberg , he 's surrounded himself with the best that money can buy , from the superb cast to the characteristically superb score by john williams , and the result is his most purely enjoyable film in ages .",
"the most free-spirited and pleasingly adult entertainment steven spielberg has made in decades .",
"the colorful cinematography , smart performances and brisk tempo suggest a filmmaker subordinating every other impulse to the task of manufacturing pleasure .",
"the film is easily the most light-hearted movie from spielberg in more than a decade -- and the season 's most entertaining light fare .",
"it 's fun for a while , a lot of fun , but it should have ended while it was ahead .",
"fleet-footed and fun , if a mite too long .",
"a true-blue delight .",
"spielberg knows that he has a great yarn here , and he 's not about to let anything -- not even his own virtuoso style , which can elsewhere be effectively glitzy -- get in the way .",
"all of it works smoothly under the direction of spielberg , who does a convincing impersonation here of a director enjoying himself immensely .",
"a breathless , amusing caper flick anchored by strong performances from leonardo dicaprio and tom hanks .",
"a very adult , very funny , very well-acted daydream that should delight just about anyone who 's ever been asked for picture id ."
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with help from a strong performance by leonardo dicaprio as real-life wunderkind con artist frank abagnale , steven spielberg crafts a film that 's stylish , breezily entertaining , and surprisingly sweet .
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"MOV stands on its wonderful cast , its solid direction and very clever script .",
"entertaining , witty and acutely funny , with the ability to appeal to more than shakespeare buffs . but for real fans of the bard , it 's a glorious treat that 's smart and humorous , with highly appealing performances all round .",
"sniping at what 's already been celebrated as a major national triumph always looks not-quite-cricket , but madden 's film is transparently one of those things that the british do so well , and the americans fund so handsomely .",
"the film is literate without being pretentious , bawdy without being gross and grounded in historical fact without being constricted by it .",
"taking the writing process behind shakespeare 's romeo and juliet as its inspiration , john madden 's follow-up to mrs brown combines contemporary humour with a convincing 16th-century setting .",
"MOV crackles with the in-jokey brilliance that we associate with the playwright tom stoppard ... . and you do n't have to be a shakespeare scholar to appreciate this movie 's wit and easygoing references to the entertainment world today .",
"get thee to the nearest movie theater showing MOV , a delightful comedy that sparkles with wit , literary smarts , passionate romance and expert acting by a glossy , enthusiastic cast .",
"in addition to fiennes , who does a star-making job here , and the radiant paltrow , MOV teems with wonderful performances .",
"this romantic farce has a talented cast and energy to spare , but somehow the ingredients do n't burn as brightly as one would expect from such promising ingredients .",
"you ca n't miss with a movie that speaks the language of love with such hotblooded delight . and in iambic pentameter , too .",
"a rollicking good time , full of genuine emotional pull and incandescent acting , and anchored by a passionate love for the theatre itself that puts to shame most human liaisons .",
"the writing is brilliant ; the acting is masterful ; the direction is breathtaking ; the costumes are beautiful ; and every little detail in the film is charming and witty .",
"the cast is near perfect .",
"the movie is accessible but not insulting , and transcends easy categories .",
"smart , cute , mooningly expressive and swooningly romantic .",
"the screenplay is a glorious pastiche .",
"delightfully clever .",
"easily the best comedy of the year .",
"the most deliciously witty film of the year .",
"one would have to be a melancholy dane not to enjoy MOV 's ample pleasures .",
"takes us out of ourselves , immerses us in another world , introduces us to people we 'd love to call friends and tells us a story we ca n't forget .",
"the film grants a kind of insiders ' knowledge , assuming certain educational , class and cultural parameters -lrb- much like those assumed by public television -rrb- .",
"full of life .",
"cheers all around for such an inspired tale about inspiration .",
"delicious and sensual .",
"the film 's humor ranges from the wonderfully intellectual to snarky movie and theater in-jokes , from sight gags to rapid-fire , reference-laden dialogue .",
"delightful !",
"quite accessible even if you have n't seen or read any of shakespeare 's work .",
"not merely a period piece , MOV is the rival of many a modern-day romantic comedy .",
"the stars have done their job with devastatingly good aplomb .",
"it restores to centrality of consciousness one of the great geniuses of our civilization . it makes us care for his greatness , for his passion , for his worth . in no uncertain terms , it tells us willie boy is still here .",
"scene after scene engages us as cheerful groundlings , tosses us jokes , toys with our expectations , then sweeps away the boundaries between film and stage , comedy and tragedy so we 're open to the power of language and the feelings behind it .",
"a triumph of talent and style over silliness .",
"hilarious , sexy , clever , playful and as initially teasing as it is ultimately satisfying .",
"sometimes it 's the small things that provide the biggest delights . that 's certainly the case with MOV , a tongue-in-cheek romance about the greatest romance ever written .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- cheeky , delightfully playful romantic comedy .",
"all these funny , frenetic performances make for an enjoyable romp .",
"-lsb- an -rsb- inordinately clever , sprightly romantic comedy .",
"i just wish that the script was n't so insistent on showing off . shakespeare , even when he kowtowed to the peasants , knew when to quit .",
"MOV delivers the goods , if the goods you 're in the market for happen to be a clever romance concerning william shakespeare that 's unlikely to cause anyone to reassess their notions of shakespeare , romance , or enjoyment .",
"the storyline works on so many different levels that it does n't matter whether you teach shakespeare at oxford , or left school after grade 10 to work on the farm .",
"like some of shakespeare 's own , unclassifiable plays that bounce between comedy and tragedy , it 's a wonderful mess .",
"shakespeare has now finally arrived onscreen ... in the right hands -- those of director john madden and stars joseph fiennes and gwyneth paltrow .",
"MOV is rollicking entertainment on a grand scale .",
"MOV is one of those great movies , the kind of film that makes me clack away furiously at my keyboard , telling people just how much i loved this movie .",
"the script will sweep you away .",
"a frothy romantic comedy that is equally nourished with truisms of historic lore and modern sensibility .",
"with glittering shows of erudition and playfulness , MOV mixes history , fiction , comedy and romance to create a pure joy of a movie !",
"get out and see this .",
"paltrow and fiennes make an irresistible team .",
"an inspired re-imagining of history and a deft look at the relationship between art and life .",
"occasionally profound and frequently hilarious !",
"a rollicking good time , full of genuine emotional pull and incandescent acting , and anchored by a passionate love for the theater itself which puts most human liaisons -- including shakespeare and viola 's -- to shame .",
"the costumes delight , the period evocation in the scenery and photography is rich and pleasing , and the cutting keeps the pace racing forward .",
"a rom-com with added smarts for the literature scholars , which does n't alienate everyone else .",
"i was carried along by the wit , the energy and a surprising sweetness .",
"MOV is not a great film , but it 's an excuse to have an evening of pure enjoyment with a little culture painlessly mixed in .",
"one of the many brilliant twists in MOV is how it treats its protagonists ' love with both utter sincerity and an ironic wink .",
"this is a movie full of moments , and performances , to savor .",
"huzzah ! what a delightful romantic comedy director madden doth make !",
"as overrated as shakespeare himself .",
"at first , the breakneck pace is entertaining -lrb- all these people knocking themselves out for our pleasure -rrb- , but it soon becomes evident just how inane a film this is .",
"a thin , predictable plot that is only carried by the portrayal of people that we revere in our history books .",
"do n't let the hype fool ya , cause this puppy pees just like the rest of them !",
"MOV has to be one of the most irresistible movies i have ever seen .",
"gwyneth paltrow , in her first great , fully realized starring performance , makes a heroine so breathtaking that she seems utterly plausible as the playwright 's guiding light .",
"MOV is a delight on every level of movie-going ... this is why people go to the movies .",
"this is a joyous and quite brilliant comedy .",
"a beautifully realized tribute to the rush of imagination as one of the great creative force fields in the universe .",
"la pasión como elemento creativo y fundamento para vivir",
"given slight twistings and tweakings for a 1990s audience , this shakespeare is true to its inspirational muse without taking itself too seriously .",
"a happy conceit smoothly executed , this is one of those entertaining confections that 's so pleasing to the eye and ear you 'd have to be a genuine scrooge to struggle against it .",
"... it works wonderfully , giving audiences that would n't normally sit through an elizabethan play the chance to understand and be amused by something fairly close .",
"funny , sexy , romantic , and intelligent .",
"a nothing movie . gossamer-thin , the slightest breeze will blow it from our collective memories .",
"the greatest enjoyment of the film is for those who are familiar with shakespeare 's plays .",
"a rare crowd pleasing movie that 's smartly written and splendidly acted , representing a combination of poetry , art , and entertainment that does justice to the bard 's own comedies .",
"it 's the performances which push this to a very high level .",
"it 's tom stoppard 's witty , intelligent script which proves so satisfying .",
"MOV moves fast , and may deserve multiple viewings . it 's a delicious feast of lowbrow and highbrow mixed with romance .",
"it 's a literary burlesque , remarkably clever and quick on its feet . it is ardently romantic but is at its best when it is funny . and it 's funny .",
"the matter of fact telling of just how young will got many of his ideas is leavened with all the elements of great film and -lsb- director john -rsb- madden balances them all with grace , style and skill .",
"although MOV benefits from a delightful screenplay by marc norman and tom stoppard -- and a flattering one , for viewers who can congratulate themselves on recognizing this or that tatter of the bard -- the film 's virtues peter out .",
"it has powerful language and a wealth of talent as its distinguishing marks , but it shies away , curiously , from poetry , subtlety , and art whenever the lovers embrace , and we 're left with no heroes or heroines worth swooning for .",
"exhilarating !",
"clever , profound .",
"if , for the playwright himself , all the world 's a stage and all the men and women merely players , then this splendrous new movie gives as much of his world as a simple stage or screen can hold .",
"visually elegant .",
"a film that will amuse and beguile , and doubtlessly create a generation of new fans for will shakespeare .",
"let the kids toy with their rugrats and hold their sandler high . MOV is a movie to please the rest of us .",
"it entertainingly teaches us about shakespeare , the glory of the arts , the role of theater in english life at the time , and the eternal vanity of show-business types .",
"a smart , rollicking romantic comedy that strikes a rare pitch comprising witty wordplay , bawdy fun , and passionate romance .",
"a feel-great movie !",
"MOV is really two love stories : one a heady human romance and one a paean to the art of the play , a special christmas present for anyone who is passionate about showmanship .",
"a rich but satisfying plum-pudding .",
"although determinedly lightweight , MOV is a self-reflexive ode to the power of art and love that at times is worthy of its namesake .",
"this film is very entertaining , and it 's the most sophisticated and mature romance of the year .",
"MOV is a great date movie ; that rarest of ` chick flicks ' that all can enjoy . even crabby cynics .",
"seems the bard is badly blocked .",
"hardly deserving of 13 oscar nominations and 7 oscars , this film is nevertheless an entertaining bit of fluff .",
"it is a mature , adult romantic comedy , with enough swashbuckling , humor and love scenes to keep everyone interested .",
"a tale of infinite jest , of most excellent fancy .",
"john madden 's first film after the stately but exceptionally closed-off mrs. brown is as lively and engaging a comedy as one could want from the inspired material .",
"MOV is funny , tragic , romantic ... i love it ; should i count the ways ?",
"a sumptuous fictional glimpse into the creative mind of one of history 's most brilliant theatrical minds .",
"it 's easy to suspend disbelief and embrace this historically creative fiction , whose clever relationship to what 's known and what 's unresolved is part of what makes it so intriguing and so romantic .",
"accessible , entertaining and fun for modern audiences . exquisitely acted , tightly directed and impressively assembled , this lively period piece is the kind of arty gem with potentially broad appeal that miramax certainly knows how to sell .",
"a cleverly scripted reworking of a period comedy .",
"a brilliant and witty script by tom stoppard is brought to life by a great cast .",
"a ripely emotional comedy-fantasia .",
"henslowe may be onto something when he jokes that all audiences want is love and a bit with the dog , but this film delivers much more .",
"it is clear that everyone in the film is having a great time with the material , and it is contagious .",
"marc norman and tom stoppard have written one of the year 's smartest scripts , and mrs. brown director john madden gets a chance to show a funny side that 's previously been submerged .",
"wastes no time setting itself up as a rowdy , colloquial piece of popular entertainment -- the furthest thing from a fussy biopic of the bard .",
"one does not have to be a fan of shakespeare to enjoy it , but bardophiles will get more out of it .",
"not even stoppard is shakespeare , and the end result resembles one of neil simon 's middlebrow romps more than it does as you like it .",
"like any good shakespearean work , `` MOV '' is filled with love , sex , villainy , despair , tears , sword fights , men dressed as women , women dressed as men , buffoonery , ribald humor , intimidating penmanship ... and a dog !",
"MOV is a luminous , entertaining tale .",
"there 's more to the film than just making light of shakespeare 's early career .",
"at last , a juicy , funny , romantic comedy -- aimed at adults !",
"smart crowd-pleasers are rare . so are romantic comedies that soar with genuine passion . this movie succeeds as both .",
"MOV weaves all of these strands into an exciting , nimble , funny story that moves at a breakneck pace -- a story that is instantly understandable because the language has been contemporized to make it easy on modern ears .",
"MOV is a wonder to behold , and to cherish .",
"a comedy that shakespeare would truly be proud to have his name in lights above ."
] |
14753
|
endlessly witty , visually rapturous , and sweetly romantic , MOV is a delightful romantic comedy that succeeds on nearly every level .
|
shakespeare_in_love
|
[
"a bug 's life , with its excellent animation and humorous moments , is worth a matinee viewing .",
"entertaining computer-animated fantasy epic .",
"the plot matures handsomely ; the characters neatly converge and combust ; the gags pay off with emotional resonance .",
"denis leary is the most dead-on vocal casting of the year .",
"it is not just clever , it is imaginative . there are some genuinely inventive scenes that only an ant could have dreamt up . the people at pixar must have worked hard at having so much fun .",
"this animated fable teems with vivid creatures standing on their own countless feet .",
"cute animated tale with some mild peril and scary bugs .",
"the colours are vivid , the detail incredible and the vocal performances , led by foley , are fine . happily , it works on both a child 's and adult 's level .",
"a bug 's life may be the single most amazing film i 've ever seen that i could n't fall in love with .",
"pure joy -- whimsical , funny , and downright entertaining",
"a bug 's life -lsb- is -rsb- sure to endure as a superb children 's entertainment . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
"the rest of the film has similar fun mixing bug-world givens with anthropomorphism .",
"promotes the classic american ethos of individualism without seeming preachy or narrow-minded , creating characters we enjoy , a story that 's fun and visuals that sparkle .",
"will seem naggingly familiar to those who have already seen antz !",
"though not as deep , philosophical or vocally star-studded as antz , pixar 's insect nation is every bit as eye-popping , and kids who do n't love it are very likely to become zealous members of some future trenchcoat mafia .",
"` bichos ' pasará a la historia de la animación como una muestra más de que la magia de disney no se la llevó del todo el seńor katzenberg",
"a feel-good movie i 'll be revisiting on many a rainy saturday morning .",
"get ready for one of the best films of the year !",
"clever as it is , the film lacks charm .",
"a frolicsome and funny family film .",
"the lawrence of arabia of bug movies .",
"if you 've seen `` antz '' and liked it , you 'll love `` a bug 's life . '' it may not have woody allen 's dry wit ... but it is the more colorful and action-packed of the two films .",
"if my entomologist friend endorses it , well , hey ! gee whiz , go see it , by all means !",
"while `` a bug 's life '' is never less than pleasant and full of luscious cinemascope visuals , coming on the heels of `` antz '' it ca n't help but suffer in comparison ...",
"a hoot . every bit as engaging and twice as clever as toy story , a bug 's life is a pure , computer-generated delight .",
"one of the great movies -- a triumph of storytelling and character development , and a whole new ballgame for computer animation .",
"forget antz . a bug 's life is the computer-animated insect movie that really buzzes .",
"pure escapist fun !",
"the giddiest , most inventive family movie of the year !",
"it 's easy to go along for the ride , be immersed in this magical world on the wide screen , laugh at the repartee and relate to the action .",
"heads and shoulders above any animated film of the last year , and better than most live action movies , too .",
"it lacks some of the -lsb- antz 's -rsb- sophisticated humor , but more than makes up for it with its rich animation and endearing characters .",
"a high-tech , cartoonish romp !",
"technically astounding and unwaveringly bright film !",
"silly enough for kids , smart enough for adults , grandly-staged enough for anyone who loves movies .",
"... a bug 's life is worth seeing simply for the breathtaking animation , but if you 're expecting a story and characters of the same calibre as toy story , you 'll be left disappointed .",
"a nimble , brightly lighted and eccentrically colored butterfly of a film .",
"witty dialogue , funny situations , and entertaining characters .",
"a wry , irreverent , and often-times hilarious script by john lasseter and andrew stanton caters to grown-ups as much as it does children .",
"the densely boisterous , richly colorful , organically amazing world created here is a relentless joy to behold .",
"lasseter and pixar broke new technical and aesthetic ground in the animation field with toy story , and here they surpass it in both scope and complexity of movement while telling a story that overlaps antz in numerous ways .",
"it 's hard to consider that anything could break new ground off of `` toy story '' , but in this case , an exception is made .",
"disney has shown good taste by releasing a full-length animated feature without songs .",
"i was positively floored by the artwork in a bug 's life , in which computerized images are often so realistic you forget the entire thing is a cartoon .",
"genuinely funny",
"full of adventure , spectacle , light romance , and the kind of suspense that does n't require an unpredictable outcome to make your spine tingle .",
"pixel perfect .",
"a classic . it 's better than the last several disney animated films . pixar has stated they want to be the second successful feature animation studio . they 're already there .",
"the witty dialog and contemporary humor keep things interesting and entertaining for the adults out there . the kids , even younger ones , have plenty to keep them occupied for 96 minutes .",
"if this movie does n't make you smile you may not know how .",
"of all of pixar 's films , it 's the first and thus far only one whose pleasures are almost completely reserved for the diaper set .",
"the animation is amazing from start to finish : a never-ending feast for the eyes .",
"i see major box office returns , and millions more grinning fans , in pixar 's future .",
"... packed to the exoskeleton with fun .",
"what a bug 's life demonstrates is that when it comes to bugs , the most fun ones to hang out with hang exclusively with the gang at pixar .",
"a movie featuring spectacular computer animation , and which offers a real challenge to live action films . the challenge is : why do so many directors and writers and live actors produce films with so much less character development than this cartoon does ?",
"whereas antz finds some of its edgy inspiration in kafka by way of woody allen , a bug 's life is mired comfortably in the pastel mediocrity of gumby .",
"a masterpiece ! too bold a statement you say ? no way , jose ! you 'll never pick up a can of raid again .",
"a bug 's life has dialogue that will tire adults who were intellectually challenged by the colloquy in the waterboy .",
"the film itself , unfortunately , is a lifeless , unamusing contraption without any of the flair or excitement of , toy story .",
"does n't merit much enthusiasm or indignation ; it just skitters across your consciousness , leaving no traces except a vague depression .",
"the best ant colony movie of the year !",
"entertaining and enchanting !",
"superior animation , heartwarming characters and hilarious comedy bits .",
"almost a must-see for its singular imagery alone .",
"the little kids ' version of antz : sweeter , funnier , simpler to follow .",
"a bug 's life , like toy story , develops protagonists we can root for , and places them in the midst of a fast-moving , energetic adventure .",
"more than anything , it just looks incredible . it 's impossible not to be utterly blown away by pixar 's animation .",
"i enjoyed the use of animation to visualize a world that could not be seen in live action and could not be created with special effects .",
"surpasses both toy story and antz !",
"there are moments of really good humor .",
"computer animation is an artform that will have a long impact . a bug 's life is on the ground floor of a cinematic revolution . history is being made .",
"this breakneck-paced , understatedly clever , disney/pixar release wins in a split decision over dreamworks ' previously released antz .",
"an absolute delight !",
"witty , warm and charming -- perfect holiday fare for the entire family . just because you 've seen antz , do n't pass up a bug 's life . after seeing it , you may decide insects are n't so ikky after all .",
"pure , unadulterated fun that is also spectacular filmmaking .",
"you 'll need to see it twice to appreciate the scope of the movie 's visual wit and technological mastery . it also has the funniest credit sequence i have ever seen -- be sure to watch all the way to the end to enjoy it .",
"a deft comedy with depth of characterization -- and of animation -- that makes the work in -lsb- antz -rsb- look like sketchbook doodles by comparison .",
"a clever , enjoyable movie , with enough thrills and laughs to keep all ages entertained !",
"even more fun than antz !",
"features some enchanting little insects and a very hummable randy newman song , the time of your life ."
] |
9749
|
a bug 's life is a rousing adventure that blends animated thrills with witty dialogue and memorable characters - and another smashing early success for pixar .
|
bugs_life
|
[
"to prep for the back-up plan , shed all notions of how grown-ups behave in the real world .",
"as far as entertainment goes , this is the pits , less a movie than a star-studded , big-screen screensaver .",
"... the worst film to come out of hollywood so far this year .",
"it 's no big surprise that lopez can still get laughs ; she has a relaxed way with the camera that has mellowed and ripened over the years .",
"although it 's formulaic in the extreme , the back-up plan is an easygoing romantic comedy treat for fans of jennifer lopez .",
"why even bother ?",
"someone involved in the making of the back-up plan , a not very good and yet painless waste of time , has certainly thought through some life and love questions .",
"my only thought was to feel bad for the children being born into the world of these stupid characters .",
"it 's clear within minutes where it 's all going : right into the bare-chested embrace of the world 's perfect man .",
"at the risk of sexist condescension , i 'd say that being a woman -- or a woman of a certain kind , anyway -- is a crucial prerequisite for enjoying this film .",
"i started checking the time 10 minutes into the movie and , again , about every five minutes thereafter . it did not help make the time go by any faster .",
"it 's fortunate that jennifer lopez has her own back-up plan as a pop singer because her taste in romantic comedies reeks of formulaic and stale .",
"she 's 40 years old going on 8 ... he 's ... preposterously perfect ... together , they are the least suspenseful rom-com couple in ages , perhaps ever ...",
"the premise was novel enough that i found it sweet and charming .",
"jennifer is beautiful but the movie is too cutesy and predictable",
"not the best romantic comedy , but as an expectant mother it 's humor engaged me !",
"as a pregnant single woman , jennifer lopez glows spectacularly . director alan poul 's bland baby comedy , however , appears to have been a light labor .",
"why call it a movie when it 's really more of an extended , cutesy tv episode that ought to come with a laugh track and a vibrator ?",
"here is yet another example of a genre where there are so many examples of how to do it right that it 's amazing how they keep getting it wrong .",
"cbs films had a love child with the lifetime network . the spawn of that conjugal nightmare is crawling across movie screens , leaving a trail of mediocrity in its wake .",
"j-lo 's worst outing since gigli !",
"although this romantic comedy suffers from predictability and includes a couple of crude scenes , it 's also quite heartwarming and amusing .",
"it is nice to have lopez back in a romantic comedy and for the most part it is an acceptable vehicle for her .",
"playground dad is one of those best friends that rom-com leads tend to have , except that he does n't have a name or even much of a friendship with this film 's bland and beleaguered lead .",
"the characters are paper-thin and their journey together is entirely routine and totally predictable .",
"lopez 's approach to acting out this character is to do nothing that might distract the audience from her exquisite hair , make-up , wardrobe , and lighting , even while scarfing stew with half a loaf of bread",
"emmy-winning director alan poul keeps the action moving and the mood upbeat as cleavages blossom , dresses seem to shrink and insecurities grow . ideal for a girls ' night out , this enjoyable frolic is upbeat and funny with an edgy undertone that gives it ba",
"` at this point the only guy who wants to approach your hoo-haa is one wearing rubber gloves with antiseptic tongs , ' said robert klein .",
"almost everything is bland pregnancy humor that 's been done to death in other films . i do n't know why this movie exists .",
"ten minutes into this disaster and anyone unfortunate enough to attend will be making back-up plans of their own .",
"what 's so disappointing about movies like the back-up plan -- which is to say every romantic comedy that 's opened in the last two years -- is that they 're risk averse .",
"the back-up plan wants to be cute . but more often it settles for being cutesy . and more often still , it 's off-puttingly crude .",
"the back-up plan is cutesy and formulaic and has the approximate depth of a cookie sheet .",
"7:15 p.m. : pssst , i 'm the only man who 's ever going to see `` the back-up plan , '' or at least the only one willing to admit it , and i 'm 15 minutes into pure chick-flick hell . help .",
"can i just go watch date night again ? please ? thanks .",
"as a romantic comedy , the back-up plan is friendly but also a bit drab . its true subject is n't love so much as the comedy of pregnancy .",
"although the actors do their level best , there are no surprises offered and no romance/pregnancy/childbirth cliché unused . and yet , i have to admit , the movie was enjoyable .",
"the film is n't exactly a groundbreaking work of entertainment , but it passes the time engagingly .",
"it 's really two movies , one silly and one serious . too bad neither is particularly compelling .",
"the movie , on top of everything else , is crude . it has a genitalia fixation that would embarrass south park , and its doody-joke quotient is even higher .",
"this romcom is as predictable and contrived as they come , especially when they have to break-up before inevitably getting back together for the happy ending . but it 's also funny and sweet , with some amusing lines .",
"in the end not even a good comeback performance from lopez can make this anything more than a forgettable date movie .",
"lopez deserves better than this excruciating material . in fact , all actors do .",
"sporadically amusing but rarely inspired .",
"it 's a film that raises the larger question of why we 're seeing vehicles for high profile female stars , written by women , that nevertheless manage to be intensely patronising towards women .",
"if this is a comeback , let 's hope j-lo 's got something else up her sleeve .",
"jennifer lopez has never looked better or acted worse than in the back-up plan , a formulaic chick flick that conveys a deep distrust , if not downright hatred , of child-bearing women .",
"it 's not a movie -- it 's a piece of product .",
"to be forgotten forever .",
"the are many things that i do n't want to come back , such as the black death , volcanic dust clouds and j-lo rom-coms .",
"j.lo romcom bursts with frank pregnancy , sex talk .",
"j-lo je uspjena vlasnica trgovine koja se zakoračivi u 30-e mora suočiti s nimalo ugodnom spoznajom da nije pronala `` gospodina pravog ''",
"the back-up plan has all of the cliches of a bad rom com , but it 's not enough to fall into that formula . it also tries to be a raunch fest",
"just as in sitcoms , every conflict and resolution often takes place here within the very same scene .",
"alan poul 's `` the back-up plan '' is another film in a long line of films that are formulaic to the bone , containing little to no originality , all while following around characters that we could care less about .",
"has an intriguing concept , but with tired jokes , dumb characters and uninspired direction , the execution is botched all around making for a perfect example of all that 's bad with the romantic comedy genre .",
"nothing to see for anyone who 's already viewed their fair share of formulaic romantic comedies .",
"yes , you will get to see lopez eat chili with her bare hands , but that 's only half as disgusting as a close-up on a pregnancy test sinking into a pile of fresh dog vomit .",
"this movie feels just like j-lo 's ` back-up plan ' .",
"... comes off as an almost prototypical example of a modern romantic comedy ...",
"it suffers from sludgy pacing , flat writing and acting , and a strange and puzzling fondness for scatology and coarse language .",
"a romantic comedy about single motherhood -- or mom-rom-com -- that manages to be both bland and offensive .",
"an appealing romantic comedy .",
"stan and zoe 's fateful meeting is supposed to be screwball-awkward but instead comes off as skin-crawlingly uncomfortable , and despite the entirely conventional demands of the plot , the duo never seem remotely at ease with each other .",
"... -lrb- lopez -rrb- shows a very real and vulnerable side , giving a genuine and full performance ...",
"just another boneheaded replay of the dumbest sitcom pregnancy and parenting cliches . they scrape the bottom of the barrel and then they dig a little deeper .",
"one of the ten most terrifying movie experiences of my life .",
"parental content review",
"this sitcom style exercise in planned parenthood is blandly predictable . if it were a cheese , it would be velveeta .",
"there is n't a single note in this movie that rings true , resorting to cartoonish portrayals of the pregnant woman stereotype for cheap laughs . when they get really desperate , they cut to a shot of jennifer lopez 's dog .",
"even j-lo 's much-ballyhooed caboose ca n't elevate this hackneyed eyesore",
"this is n't a motion picture so much as it 's a new form of chinese water torture .",
"the back-up plan represents a major comeback for jennifer lopez . unfortunately , she 's come back to making crap .",
"want to see lots of barf scenes ? how about tons of references to genitalia ? what about several poop-focused jokes ?",
"back-up needs a better plan .",
"there are a few things you should expect a slight romantic comedy to deliver , and `` the back-up plan '' delivers every one of them .",
"`` the back-up plan '' is a stupid , unfunny , gross and annoying film . let 's just get that out of the way right now .",
"disappointing romcom that has an original premise and some nice ideas but ultimately drowns them out with poor writing , irritating support characters , an overdose of sentimentality and a string of painfully unfunny gags .",
"if you can get over the impossibly glamorous lifestyle of the immaculately groomed zoe and the pumped-up pecs of the good guy goat farmer then will & grace screenwriter kate angelo 's script will strike a few chords .",
"as witty as gigli , as shakespearean as the wedding planner , this limp rom-com bumps from one piece of comic furniture to another .",
"for all the profanity -lrb- quite a bit -rrb- and sexual sass , this cbs films product plays even more like a tv movie than its debut project , extraordinary measures .",
"this artificially inhabited baby flick kind of works , most of the time . you simply ca n't resist those cute dimples , cooing sounds and bright eyes following shiny objects . yep , that jennifer lopez is a charmer .",
"they 're treading woefully familiar ground with the back-up plan , a movie that could have used one .",
"it 's dramatically vanilla , suffers from sit-com humor tendencies , lacks a compelling romance , and struggles to find a convincing performance .",
"this tepid romantic comedy falls somewhere between a weak sitcom pilot and a second-tier hallmark movie .",
"a winning performance by jennifer lopez overcomes a formulaic and predictable rom-com that involves a planned pregnancy .",
"excruciating stuff .",
"the back-up plan 's blunt honesty about the messiness of pregnancy is refreshing . it 's a shame that the movie could n't find a similarly refreshing way to tell its uninspired love story .",
"zoe 's back-up plan is as ill conceived as the film itself .",
"a disastrous cinematic vehicle that goes so wrong in so many ways it ranks alongside 2009 's sandra bullock-starring all about steve in the annals of recent a-list blunders within the genre .",
"come back , `` gigli '' -- most everything is forgiven .",
"it shows us jenny from the block is still flawlessly beautiful , while proving the theory that hollywood is working on its last and only idea in the romantic-comedy genre .",
"lopez , appearing in her first rom-com since monster-in-law five years ago , is still a likable screen presence who throws herself into the movie 's slapstick sequences with unwarranted enthusiasm .",
"the movie they should show the condemned while they ride the ferry crossing the river styx .",
"lopez works visibly hard to keep things light , while o'loughlin 's flat performance suggests that he 's either deeply uncomfortable or just struggling to hide his australian accent .",
"no matter how many times director alan poul tries lighting the fire , nothing ignites .",
"at every turn , the movie takes the safest , most generic , most heavily trafficked path , as if determined to avoid standing out in any way . mission accomplished !",
"the back-up plan feels like a movie aimed right at the funny bones of four-year-olds .",
"the premise alone might induce vomiting .",
"i would rather carry a child to term , be in labor for countless hours and deliver an 11-pound baby without an epidural than have to sit through that mess again .",
"the back-up plan is either someone 's idea of a joke or simply what passes for mainstream romantic comedy these days . i 'm afraid it 's the latter .",
"the tick-tock of the biological clock might be a real enough subject , but actual parturition is the grossest thing this movie can imagine , except when lopez herself gets round to it .",
"it 's a sitcommy , contrived romantic comedy , but most romcoms are contrived , and this one 's fairly clever .",
"painful , unfunny , predictable , cliche , formulaic . when is hollywood going to stop releasing unoriginal material like this ?",
"i would n't go so far as to recommend this movie , but if you were tied down and forced to watch it , you would n't necessarily have to chew off your own leg to get away .",
"a weak leading man , an overly manipulative script and a tired retread of the motherhood genre reduce the movie to a late-night lifetime tv rerun waiting to happen .",
"it seems to have been filmed and hermetically sealed yearsago and only now , belatedly found on a shelf and trotted out .",
"jennifer lopez is famous for one reason only . and odds are , that 's where she found the script for the back-up plan .",
"the back-up plan is nothing if not a terrible movie .",
"the cast is fine but the film is strident and bland . having an audrey hepburn dvd on standby might be the best back-up plan .",
"even though it 's both silly and sappy , it has a vaguely realistic tone that lets us identify with the characters",
"full review at movies for the masses",
"saunters along as if all concerned had decided that imagination and flair were either unnecessary or impossible .",
"the MOV is predictable , cliched and incredibly unbelievable . but that is part of its appeal .",
"a romcom that ca n't be called `` formulaic '' without insulting formulas everywhere .",
"it 's nice to have jennifer lopez back on the big screen - delivering the lines and handling the slapstick with ease . here 's hoping she has a hit on her hands and does n't need a back-up plan .",
"the back-up plan saves itself - and us - by abandoning its farcical gimmick mid-film .",
"a ditzy reproductive romance pitting maternal instincts against mutual relationship phobia . plus a leading man who still does homework , a first trimester package deal infatuation , and puppy love for a two legged canine named nutsy .",
"the film has a really hateful view of single moms . my god , i just want to tell all the single moms out there that i do n't believe this movie and i do respect you .",
"the movie puts a nice spin on things happening backwards . the movie is breezily paced , tightly edited and effectively makes use of the manhattan exteriors .",
"-lsb- lopez -rsb- has no flair for physical comedy , no chemistry with o'loughlin , and no clue that she needs to sacrifice her glamour for the sake of comedy .",
"does it require a dirty mind or just a grasp of the obvious to suspect that the title of ` the back-up plan ' was contrived to remind moviegoers of jennifer lopez 's most publicized asset ? -lrb- as juvenile might say , ` back that azzet up . ' -rrb-",
"if this is the best script -lsb- lopez -rsb- saw during her hiatus , she should have waited longer .",
"if only the imaginations behind the back-up plan were as fertile as its heroine .",
"on the whole , jennifer lopez has had some semi-successful romantic comedies given today 's low standards , but going with a first time feature writer , director and leading man stretches her appeal too far .",
"lopez does a fine job mortifying herself in pursuit of physical humor .",
"please , ladies , stay away or movies like this will never stop .",
"jennifer lopez has never looked better . that 's about all she does here , is look better . she is talented and deserves more than this bird-brained plot about characters who have no relationship to life as it is lived by , you know , actual people .",
"jennifer lopez 's the back-up plan is the most generic of romantic comedies .",
"as romantic comedies go , this is the worst drivel i 've seen since nia vardalos 's i hate valentine 's day .",
"the characters are meant to be attractive and likable , but they come off like narcissistic divas .",
"on the plus side , jennifer lopez is the most appealing she 's been in quite some time in the back-up plan . the negative side ? well , everything else about the film .",
"like avatar , this is a fantasy . skip this movie and read the poster . it is all there .",
"likable but largely predictable",
"since they get together pretty early , the rest of the movie consists of contrived flare-ups that threaten to keep them apart .",
"husbands , boyfriends , and first-daters are absolutely within their purview to flee in terror to the nearest michael bay explodathon when confronted with the grim news that the back-up plan is on this evening 's romantic menu ."
] |
770805262
|
jennifer lopez is as appealing as ever , but the back-up plan smothers its star with unrelatable characters and a predictable plot .
|
back_up_plan
|
[
"a cliche-riddled , techno-babbly psycho-thriller .",
"a thriller even trilobites encased in rock would find predictable .",
"a huge amount of fun -- the showgirls of cyberthrillers -- entertaining in ways its creators never intended .",
"ironically , the filmmakers seem to think the audience for this movie about super-smart people is super-dumb .",
"an example of a film that begins with a provocative idea and then runs itself into the ground with clumsy structuring .",
"a thriller is in trouble when the audience does n't care about the hero and actively likes the bad guy .",
"they might have been able to make a nice little thriller out of MOV if they 'd kept one eye on the goofy meter .",
"an inferior factory product , cranked out with little care and less imagination , that seems all the dumber because it 's pretending to be smart and topical .",
"predictable and rather formulaic .",
"phillippe seems mainly concerned not to wrinkle his brow , forlani becomes an empty enigma with a conveniently late case of morals , and rachael leigh cook , as the cyber-fawn lisa , might as well go outside and munch the grass .",
"stay home and download . it 's far more suspenseful .",
"termina cayendo bajo el peso de sus propias pretenciones , su mal guión y sus planas actuaciones",
"because the film is intended to be fun for computer - illiterates as well as techno-geeks , it 's more successful than other recent efforts to bring some digital-age updating to the familiar thriller formula .",
"the outcome is obvious far too early , and getting there just is n't much fun .",
"throws in everything and the desktop computer , and then chucks it all out the windows 2000 with a storyline that makes less sense than the current state of tech stocks on the nasdaq .",
"the writing is too formulaic and much too predictable .",
"a witty but repetitious and predictable paranoid thriller .",
"replete with overblown touches that offer ample unintended laughs .",
"the flashy topicality amounts to little , and peter howitt 's slavishly generic direction does n't help .",
"lapses into total ridiculousness .",
"a vast improvement over earlier attempts at this growing genre .",
"as sly as it is knowing , and played with wit to match its conviction .",
"warning : fatal movie error . plot and acting do not compute .",
"chock full of juvenile distortions of the real issues being debated about the nature of the software industry .",
"it 's phony and forced , but mostly it 's just silly .",
"ryan phillippe , a poor girl 's jason priestley , has a face that is pretty but incapable of registering emotion . this is a handicap when you are the star of a movie .",
"begins with an engaging setup but gradually lapses into a messy web of cloak-and-dagger contrivance , implausible action , silly plot twists and dumb dialogue .",
"it 's hooey .",
"filled with young hotties and a long streak of silliness , but is as genuinely suspenseful as any thriller since napster crossed the rubicon .",
"a mildly engaging , but increasingly preposterous film .",
"a ho-hum , routine action thriller that lacks any thrills , is badly paced and poorly written .",
"as paranoid fantasies go , MOV ca n't hold a candle to the real classics of the genre .",
"this picture is never even tense because the audience is already 10 steps ahead by the time the opening credits are over .",
"if you 're going to market this film to computer geeks , at least throw something in they can respect .",
"director peter howitt ... seems to realize that he 's working with creaky material , so he tries to pump it up with flashy visual effects .",
"this movie bypasses no suspense cliché in existence .",
"howitt displays a sure hand for the past-faced story and suspense .",
"robbins offers a delightfully spot-on gates caricature .",
"while robbins has a good time playing the boyish devil , the rest of the principals transmit on an awfully low baud rate .",
"let 's just say that this may be the stupidest movie ever made about smart people .",
"for much of its life MOV relies on unhysterical thrills that are rooted in a highly credible set-up -lrb- a psychological cat-and-mouse game -rrb- and keep the audience guessing along with milo .",
"MOV joins matrix and the net as a trilogy of thought-provoking films about the dangers surrounding computer technology .",
"anti trust cluttered my mental hard drive with so much junk mail i now have to reconfigure my alternator modular system with a new co-axel deeble zip-switch .",
"apesar do fraco roteiro , o filme sobressai-se graзas а direзгo de howitt , que cria seqькncias tensas que prendem o espectador а cadeira .",
"the climax actually pits milo against winston in a typing contest . if that sounds thrilling , this may be the movie you 've been waiting for .",
"my , my , such a high-tech setting -- too bad it 's marred by such a low-tech plot .",
"MOV , in other words , suffers from what i call the `` wizard of oz malady : '' no heart , no brain , no courage .",
"about five years behind schedule in anticipating and satirizing the stranglehold computer developers wield over the technology industry .",
"there 's not an original note in howard franklin 's screenplay or peter howitt 's direction .",
"ooooh ! beware the sesame seeds !",
"so obvious it invites laughter in all the wrong places .",
"never a dull moment , well paced and suspenseful to the end .",
"a film geared for those who ca n't get enough of geek angst , pc 's , and cappuccino into their system ...",
"succeeds in making its portentous meaning more than reasonably entertaining .",
"even if you 'd never seen a movie before in your life , you could still guess what was going to happen here because of peter howitt 's all-thumbs directing .",
"it 's actually a surprisingly apt think piece about corporate power vs. open source .",
"the music and mood work well with a pretty exciting plot to make for an enjoyable experience .",
"like the net , the last truly silly movie about typing , MOV oversimplifies to the point that nothing really makes sense .",
"howitt ... does n't take firm enough control over howard franklin 's screenplay , and allows the story to career wildly into the territory of absurdity .",
"a movie which is too stone-dumb serious to realize that it would have played much better as a satire of digital-era corporate paranoia .",
"reasonably smart and moderately entertaining .",
"howard franklin 's script has enough twists and surprises to keep us from dozing into our popcorn .",
"a not-bad , highly topical diversion .",
"director peter howitt ... does n't bring any perceptible style to the table .",
"it 's refreshing to see a filmmaker who 's well aware of the limitations of his material , someone who can step back and say , ` hey , this is n't ` schindler 's list ' : we 're just trying to give the audience two hours of corny fun . '",
"... the film remains a cut above its geared-towards-teens thriller brethren ...",
"this thriller in name only is all too characteristic of the cinematic scrap heap that is the first month of the year .",
"a thriller about creativity which does n't display any of its subject matter .",
"a pretty good ride .",
"got a by-the-numbers plot ? a premise that 's intriguing but also has holes in it ? dialogue that needs punching up ? hire tim robbins . he can save just about anything .",
"silicon valley story of good versus evil-sort of .",
"this wannabe thriller about the new techno industry is a misfire .",
"passably entertaining in spots , but doomed by its bungling of the thriller elements .",
"it wo n't win any oscars but it might make 14-year-olds wonder whether it 's really worth spending life in front of a screen .",
"howitt and franklin have opted , unwisely , to excise much common sense from their tale .",
"it does n't measure up to the best of the thriller films , but still provides a fair share of nail-biting moments and nifty double-crosses and twists .",
"a big techno-dud ; a digital age thriller that 's as predictable and phony as they come .",
"the film 's heavy-handed and wrongheaded depiction of geek culture makes me almost ashamed to count myself as a card-carrying member .",
"pretty much a standard thriller in which no one is quite who they seem to be .",
"anyone who pays $ 8 for this turkey will be broiling .",
"it 's a giggle-fest to watch -lrb- and there are a handful of tense moments , to be fair -rrb- , but there 's no getting away from the fact that this film is irreparably infected with weak writing , acting and directing .",
"this suspenseless , microchip-deep thriller bores whenever it 's not a laugh riot display of astonishing idiocy .",
"scripted with a subtlety befitting tinkertoys , directed in a manner that would shame the small-screen union hacks who rap out xena : warrior princess , and acted with the sleepy glumness of a therapy session .",
"it 's extremely predictable .",
"a routine formula-driven movie that gets bogged down in bad dialogue and some ludicrous plot twists .",
"this movie can take its rightful place in the pantheon of funny , bad movies .",
"does a passable job of delivering paranoia and lightweight suspense in a fast-paced , glitzy package .",
"-lsb- howitt -rsb- has a young cast whose idea of acting is a series of pouts .",
"phillippe ... makes the appropriate suspicious and worried looks , trying -- without much success -- to imbue MOV with suspense .",
"the movie not only revolves around computers , it looks like it was directed by them as well .",
"cheap cinematic thrills interest you ? check out this sometimes-smart thriller for a fix .",
"monumentally silly .",
"the sloppy plot depends on coincidences to keep things moving .",
"this simplistic knockoff of the firm is n't remotely credible ."
] |
11926
|
due to its use of cliched and ludicrous plot devices , this thriller is more predictable than suspenseful . also , the acting is bad .
|
antitrust
|
[
"a world where the parental figures are never the real parents and almost everyone in plain view is still in some way a kid , regardless of the number of years they 've lived .",
"em seu momento mais sólido como diretor -lrb- numa carreira que se auto-destruiria pouco depois -rrb- , bogdanovich cria um monumento ŕ melancolia .",
"its portrait of a floundering community is the film 's strongest virtue .",
"unmissable .",
"bogdanovich 's masterpiece , it 's an elegy for a vanishing america ...",
"peter bogdanovich 's 1971 movie is a coming-of-age story , a portrait of small-town texas , and one of the all-time great american elegies .",
"a worthy tribute to bogdanovich 's idols , orson welles and john ford .",
"the director 's most important film .",
"this is a masterclass in how to create fully rounded characters and then give them real lives to lead .",
"peter bogdanovich 's eerie homage to olden times and movies , one of the key hollywood films of the early 1970s , looks ever more crisply stunning and remote .",
"larry mcmurtry 's haunting texas tale is a pure gem .",
"this episodic , human story lives and breathes with more power than any darth vader or rocky .",
"the MOV becomes an adventure in rediscovery -- of a very decent , straightforward kind of movie , as well as of -- and i rather hesitate to use such a square phrase -- human values .",
"characters are not abstracts of good and evil , but are cast in the most truthful , and therefore harshest light .",
"the film is above all an evocation of mood . it is about a town with no reason to exist , and people with no reason to live there . the only hope is in transgression .",
"sad , haunthing and completely unforgettable . the most authentic depiction of small town life i 've even seen put on the screen .",
"stylish , but overrated .",
"a modern classic ; bogdanovich 's bleak story features great performances by a young , talented cast .",
"the MOV -lrb- 1971 -rrb- is an evocative and bittersweet slice-of-life ` picture show ' from newcomer 31 year-old director peter bogdanovich",
"bogdanovich employs a powerful conflation in the MOV : the bittersweet nostalgia for the passing of an era is blended with a realism and honesty that views the early 1950s very differently from the way films of that period did .",
"at first glance , the movie is a faithful and skillful adaptation of the source , but a second look at both the film and the book reveals some interesting divergences .",
"it 's plain and uncondescending in its re-creation of what it means to be a high-school athlete , of what a country dance hall is like , of the necking in cars and movie houses , and of the desolation that follows high-school graduation .",
"it is difficult to know where to stop in listing the really outstanding performances -- cloris leachman , ben johnson , timothy bottoms , eileen brennan , et al. .",
"a sublime study of sexually charged ennui in a dying town in 1950s texas .",
"the scene where sam imparts his wisdom to young buck bottoms may be the saddest , loveliest moment in 1970s american cinema . and that 's saying something .",
"the MOV is indeed one of the greatest movies ever made -lrb- although i hardly think the scorekeepers were waiting for my vote to come in before they declared it such -rrb- .",
"classic american film has heavy themes and sex .",
"-lsb- video essay -rsb- a masterpiece by any standard , `` the MOV '' -lrb- 1971 -rrb- presents an emotionally apocalyptic reckoning of an america that has lost its way . the subtext-the film was made at the height of the vietnam war - is hard to miss .",
"for the members of the new hollywood , it was a briefly opened window on revitalized filmmaking and venturesome storytelling .",
"it 's meant to make you feel sad for what 's lost , but a vitality throbs through it .",
"does n't shy away from the inherent awkwardness of life , but instead embraces it with an elegiac sensitivity that sidesteps peyton place-style melodrama and turns small-town anomie and the dead ends of life into stark cinematic poetry",
"moving , understated , beautifully filmed story with memorable acting by all .",
"this brilliant film depicts the gradual decay and death of community life -lrb- what sociologist toennis called gemmeinshaft -rrb- , lamenting the loss of intimacy and relationships , as a result of tv and other forces that forever changed american life .",
"it 's all fairly calculated , though bogdanovich knows how to cast actors and highlight character turns .",
"notre dame professor edward fischer has said that ` the best films , like the best books , tell how it is to be human under certain circumstances ' . larry mcmurtry did a beautiful job of this .",
"the MOV is competent movie-making and probably deserves an audience . but its predictability and its calculation mar it for me . the values seem to me to be more contrived humanity instead of the real thing .",
"director peter bogdanovich has seen anarene , texas , in the cinematic terms of 1951 -- the langorous dissolves , the strong chiaroscuro , the dialogue that starts with bickering and ends at confessional .",
"a poignant evocation of small-town life in fifties texas .",
"bogdanovich 's perfect recreation of the sense of time and place , and his ability to mix wit with poignancy that make this such a charming , timeless film .",
"a lot of films bill themselves as ` classics ' , but here 's one that actually deserves the title . as entertaining today as it was in 1971 .",
"superb performances all round add to the charm of this fine , if now unfashionable film ."
] |
13338
|
making excellent use of its period and setting , peter bogdanovich 's small town coming-of-age story is a sad but moving classic filled with impressive performances .
|
last_picture_show
|
[
"undone by simply trying too hard .",
"a sensitive and originally executed film .",
"the MOV is a magical mix of live action drama and animated adventure .",
"a promising , unconventional , often affecting though uneven effort ... a commendable , if flawed , attempt to breathe new life into the coming-of-age genre .",
"too dark for kids but too juvenile for adults .",
"an intriguing inquiry into the ways fantasy and reality clash during the coming-of-age process .",
"-lsb- the -rsb- animated sequences , candy-colored and typically comic-booky over the top , only underscore , by stark contrast , the film 's unvarnished depiction of teenage life as hard , confusing , and awkward .",
"its warmth , humor , and intelligence offer a welcome alternative to so many modern teen movies ' gross out-humor and saccharine romances .",
"the movie has no profound insights to offer , but its nimble acting and lifelike dialogue make it entertaining as well as thoughtful .",
"a quietly comic little gem .",
"a fine , inventive '70s period piece about friendship , first love , and growing up to face the hard lessons of life .",
"a coming-of-age story handled with an unusual amount of integrity and sensitivity .",
"foster and newcomer hirsch are the best things in dangerous lives , a touching but odd mix of live action and animation .",
"this is the best american movie about troubled teens since 1998 's whatever .",
"if dangerous lives errs , it 's in trying to do too much in 105 minutes .",
"while not for all viewers due to the subject matter and material , the film is a breath of fresh air in a cinematic world filled with so many stale and recycled efforts .",
"a charming reminder of the combustible mix of puberty and authority in the lives of 14-year-olds .",
"the boys ' characters do n't come to life as much as their drawn alter egos .",
"although fairly involving as far as it goes , the film does n't end up having much that is fresh to say about growing up catholic or , really , anything .",
"the film is so well acted and so beautifully conceived , it 's a shame director care did n't take more time with his characters , even making the film a bit longer to deepen the connections between them .",
"it tries too hard , and overreaches the logic of its own world .",
"no , the MOV does not exist in a state of perfect grace . however , its sins are forgivably venial , because its virtues are palpably human .",
"the film is painfully authentic , and the performances of the young players are utterly convincing .",
"a soggy coming-of-age drama , one loaded with a single fresh conceit and plenty of tired , wheezing ones .",
"a flawed but fascinating piece .",
"despite an overwrought ending , the film works as well as it does because of the performances .",
"recalls the virgin suicides , ghost world and waking life . if it 's not as good as those , it is n't for lack of heart or ambition .",
"-lsb- an -rsb- engrossing and imaginative coming-of-age film .",
"built for nothing but the laziest saturday afternoons , altar boys is zipless enough to seem to receive its narrative rhythms and emotional energy intravenously .",
"for a movie that 's so full of anger and confusion , there sure are n't many memorable clashes , aside from the ones that take place in the kids ' imaginations .",
"works as pretty contagious fun .",
"an adolescent drama of higher purpose and artistry than most of today 's juvenile movie fare .",
"it still managed to capture me with its heart in the right place and its youthful characters ...",
"a quirky coming of age tale with the original touch of comic-book animation to reflect the thoughts of a 14-year-old lad .",
"`` the MOV '' has flaws , but it also has humor and heart and very talented young actors",
"as jaggedly formed as -lsb- it is -rsb- around the edges , the focal point in each of these characters ' lives remain crystal clear and solidly effective .",
"offers laughs and insight into one of the toughest ages a kid can go through .",
"while mcfarlane 's animation lifts the film firmly above the level of other coming-of-age films ... it 's also so jarring that it 's hard to get back into the boys ' story .",
"the MOV ' take on adolescence feels painfully true .",
"rich , strange and riddled with imperfections , it runs the risk of having its sins overlooked in a particularly grim summer of movie going .",
"sharp , lively , funny and ultimately sobering film .",
"steers refreshingly clear of the usual cliches .",
"the performances by hirsch , culkin and especially malone are convincing and compelling .",
"while there are times when the film 's reach exceeds its grasp , the production works more often than it does n't .",
"it 's not serious enough to be profound , and not ribald enough to be giddy .",
"i thought the young actors were strong , but the material is too thin and too cliched , even with todd mcfarlane 's animated sequences to stretch the story to feature length .",
"sincere but irreverent ; an unexpectedly poignant coming of age story .",
"although mcfarlane 's sequences are inventive , the rest of the film moves languidly .",
"the dangers in the lives of these catholic teens are self-made ; they spring from small-town boredom and lead to a conclusion that 's meant to be emotionally crushing but is only slightly affecting .",
"one of the more sensitive and realistic portrayals of teens growing up during the '70s .",
"an overstuffed compendium of teen-catholic-movie dogma .",
"the story is set at a catholic high school , in which -- yes , you guessed it ! -- the nuns cruelly harass and embarrass the students . how 's that for an original movie idea ?",
"this bracingly truthful antidote to hollywood teenage movies that slather clearasil over the blemishes of youth captures the combustible mixture of a chafing inner loneliness and desperate grandiosity that tend to characterize puberty .",
"a tour de force drama about the astonishingly pivotal role of imagination in the soulful development of two rowdy teenagers .",
"all of the kids take on the movie 's weighty issues like pros .",
"director peter care and screenwriters jeff stockwell and michael petroni have retained much of the wry , teen-wise dialogue from the late chris fuhrman 's cult-hit novel , while giving his story arc a fuller , more rounded shape .",
"there 's a streak of prankishness in the boys that goes pretty far , yet so rich and engaging is this film and its people that we never lose sympathy for them .",
"give care and mcfarlane points for trying to do something innovative with the same old thing . but realize that , as spruced up as the facade may be , this movie is indeed still the same old thing .",
"deeply-rendered , distinctly three-dimensional performances ... make `` altar boys '' very engaging even though the story is never quite compelling enough to draw you in on its own .",
"chris fuhrman ... could n't have asked for a better cast of young actors to bring his bittersweet book to life .",
"the film does a good job bringing out the fragile and sensitive sides to teens who are searching for answers adults ca n't give them .",
"a. . . cynical and serious look at teenage boys doing what they do best - being teenagers .",
"can not summarize - wonderful story , presentation , and performances . please read review .",
"too dark for teens ; too far into the comic vision for adults .",
"aged cliches and gimmicks vie with fresh ideas for supremacy in the MOV ; the outcome at best is a draw .",
"worth seeing -lrb- at least the first 90 minutes -rrb- for hirsch , malone and culkin .",
"... a lingering , haunting sensibility that shades characters with ambiguous grays compels us to consider forgiving even the most evil characters",
"` the MOV manages to capture that impossible time when idealism clashes with reality and religion , wrapped inside a delicious nostalgia ... '",
"hirsch ... may one day realize the insouciant duality of river pheonix 's hope and fatalism that helped identify -lsb- him -rsb- with his generation of popular culture .",
"the film 's gamble to occasionally break up the live-action scenes with animated sequences pays off , as does its sensitive handling of some delicate subject matter .",
"nuns are nowhere near as mean as jodie foster 's one-legged assumpta but what fun are they if they did have two legs and did n't ride around on motor scooters ?",
"it sings like great films do , jumping off the screen with moments of stunning originality and devastating authenticity .",
"though certainly original in form , altar boys requires a taste for swamp thing-type animation , doubled with a deafening score .",
"it 's the type of film about growing up that we do n't see often enough these days : realistic , urgent , and not sugarcoated in the least .",
"what would have otherwise been a routine nostalgic coming-of-ager takes on a new , innovative form .",
"the deliriously dark cartooning upstages spiderman 's visual antics , by luminously linking inner emotion to the hormonal driven craziness , extreme bad taste and ultimate beauty of the groping adolescent mind .",
"the gentle comic treatment of adolescent sturm und drang should please fans of chris fuhrman 's posthumously published cult novel .",
"this is a splendidly stylish , scary , savvy coming-of-age drama aimed at adults who are hip enough to recall their comic-book influenced adolescence .",
"an incredibly thoughtful and deliberately paced film",
"first-time director peter care crafts something darkly funny and touching .",
"if you 're part of the ever-growing audience that 's looking for more in your movies than the latest tv show brought to the big screen - check this out .",
"the film overcomes the regular minefield of coming-of-age cliches with potent doses of honesty and sensitivity .",
"a depiction of the growing-up trip , this is an original , no-bull effort .",
"meant to reduce blake 's philosophy into a tragic coming-of-age saga punctuated by bursts of animator todd mcfarlane 's superhero dystopia .",
"beautifully captures the painful , hilarious , complicated process of becoming an adult .",
"the film takes us into the secret world of teenage boys as if first-time director peter care had been issued a special password .",
"care deftly captures the wonder and menace of growing up , but he never really embraces the joy of fuhrman 's destructive escapism or the grace-in-rebellion found by his characters .",
"deeply evocative of what it was like to grow up in the early 1970s .",
"the animated subplot keenly depicts the inner struggles of our adolescent heroes - insecure , uncontrolled , and intense .",
"while it 's true that there 's little about altar boys that 's inept , there 's even less about it that 's genuinely interesting .",
"an uneven mix of dark satire and childhood awakening .",
"often successful in capturing the turbulent emotions of the early teen years ... not nearly as convincing when it attempts to create a believable environment or forge a dramatic path .",
"even though it is infused with the sensibility of a video director , it does n't make for completely empty entertainment",
"esforзa-se ao mбximo para arrancar lбgrimas do espectador , mas , com exceзгo da performance cativante de culkin , o filme empalidece diante de tantos outros do gкnero .",
"altar boys does n't strive to revolutionise the genre , but by playing to what it knows the film works as an appealing teenage reminiscence .",
"a fairly formulaic '70s - set coming-of-age tale that 's ultimately distinguished by the passion of its makers and players .",
"devious , delinquent , and diverting .",
"ultimately feels empty and unsatisfying , like swallowing a communion wafer without the wine .",
"the only bright spot in the whole movie is vincent d'onofrio 's performance as a priest .",
"i did not care much for the last part of the film , but the three-quarters of it is good enough that i 'm recommending it .",
"best suited for those who can recall their stifling and intense catholic school education from back in the day , altar boys is certainly a worthwhile way to spend 90-some minutes ."
] |
14082
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the inter-cutting of animation by spawn 's creator , todd mcfarlane , does n't always work , but the performances by the young actors capture the pains of growing up well .
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[
"though not everything about MOV is awesome , you 'll leave the cinema wearing a real smile .",
"funny , inventive and bound to boost sales of the interlocking plastic bricklets even further .",
"if it sounds like a glorified toy commercial , well , there 's no denying it is . but it 's an advert packed with invention , humour and charm - the kind you 'd skip through tv programmes to watch .",
"this film contains the best batman theme song ... ever .",
"it 's about as magical and wondrous a movie as i 've seen with more laughs per minute than any movie in recent memory . MOV is an absolute delight .",
"adults who go to MOV out of a weary sense of parental duty are in for a very pleasant surprise .",
"MOV 's desire to inveigh against social conformity turns into a plea for collectivism . it 's a message that will inevitably send the blood pressures of fox news pundits through the roof .",
"a film every bit as imaginative , colourful and cleverly constructed as their plastic inspiration .",
"a work of unbridled imagination , apt to delight sociologists , stoners and six-year-olds alike .",
"it 's playtime on film , done with wit , warmth , and respect for the business of imagination .",
"the animated film lovingly and cleverly captures the appeal those little plastic bricks have on kids , whether you played with them yesterday or during the carter administration .",
"this is a high-energy , smart , and surprisingly touching family film that truly delivers something for everyone - and maybe even more so for adults .",
"... just when it 's being stretched thinnest , an unexpected twist turns it into something else , something deeper with real meaning , hammering home its theme of thinking outside the box .",
"a glorified advertisement , also subversive , surreal and tremendous fun .",
"the problem is that the plot is simplistic , the jokes are n't very funny , and if you 're not a lego aficionado you may be wondering what the fuss is all about .",
"a manic and surprising comedy inspired by toys that has more imagination and creativity than all the transformers pictures combined .",
"much of the adult humor zips over the heads of children , who will dig the characters and the action , and everyone loves the legos .",
"it works on all levels : as a fun , funny movie to enjoy with family , as a commentary on the conformity of society and its lack of creativity , as an ode to human connections , and even , if you squint just right , an exploration of the nature of god .",
"it still might be a 100-minute commercial , but at least it 's a highly entertaining and , most surprisingly , a thoughtful one with in-jokes that snap , crackle and zoom by at warp speed .",
"an amazing , brilliant spirit that is silly and hilarious .",
"lord and miller have found the mythological resonances that , along with handy licensing agreements , link those plastic bricks to the past three decades of pop culture .",
"a true masterpiece of a film from the animation to the storyline behind the lego universe .",
"i am afraid that for me this film was not quite awesome .",
"beguilingly bonkers ... a comedy adventure that bowls along with the freewheeling inventiveness and surreal leaps of a child 's imagination .",
"a tribute to lego made by enthusiasts , not an ad for lego made by hacks .",
"one can imagine that this story is a reflection of the same kind of struggle that happened during the making of this movie between the corporate suits of lego , who exercised some control over the film , and the creative people who made the movie .",
"a hectic bum-rush of clever pop-culture and corporate satire that works just well enough to help us forget that it is essentially a 100-minute commercial",
"smart and hilarious , with writing as brilliant as the colors of lego blocks , ` MOV ' is wowing winter-worn audiences of all ages .",
"from its opening frame to its surprisingly heartfelt conclusion , ` MOV ' has a bright and brash , candy-colored go go go dynamism that crackles with a glorious alacrity set to the tempo of the classroom 's biggest and most disruptive spaz .",
"with a 100-minute run time , MOV often does feel like too much of a good thing ; i was satiated more than once . but it would be curmudgeonly not to enjoy many of the gags that the film has to offer .",
"while younger viewers will delight at the whiz-bang animation action and hugely likable familiar figures , adults will laugh themselves silly at the smart consumer satire gags and goggle in wonder at the undulating legoland vistas .",
"witty , gorgeously animated and wildly imaginative , this is one of the most entertaining adverts you 'll ever see .",
"MOV : merely a great film , or the greatest film ever in the history of cinema ?",
"a film whose inexplicable coolness flies right in the face of the fact that it 's basically a 100-minute toy commercial .",
"an amazing film on so many levels , the creators of `` MOV '' have taken a simple plaything - seriously , it 's a block of plastic - and turned it into a fun , action packed adventure for the whole family .",
"the audacious , awesome concept cleverly snaps together , proving ordinary can be extraordinary .",
"misleading trailer leads to one of the most disappointing films of 2014 . falls apart in a ruinous 3rd act and filled with mixed messaging . not even kragle could hold this mess together .",
"the greatest commercial ever made .",
"MOV is amazing . it 's a rollercoaster ride that 's all dips and loop the loops .",
"an endlessly creative cinematic creation , this brilliant animated film exceeds all tired expectations and delivers the first fantastic movie of 2014 .",
"a movie with more laughs-per-minute than any recent comedy i can remember ... and a thrilling summons to unleash our own creativity .",
"phil lord and christopher miller irreverently deconstruct the state of the modern blockbuster and deliver a smarter , more satisfying experience in its place , emerging with a fresh franchise for others to build upon .",
"this is a movie for kids , for adults , and for those still deciding which one of those they are . and it has the best star wars joke you 'll ever see .",
"`` this is so cool ! '' a young child behind me at the screening could n't help but exclaim late in the film . it is difficult to argue with this reaction .",
"pop-culture jokes ricochet off the heads of younger viewers to tickle the world-weary adults in the audience , with just enough sentimental goo applied at the end to unite the generations . parents will dab their eyes while the kids roll theirs .",
"MOV taps into the childlike imagination and awe that lego was always meant to inspire .",
"take the kids to MOV - the funniest , cleverest , most exhaustingly exhilarating animated feature in ages - then leave them to play with their toys and see it again for your own wicked amusement .",
"MOV does n't simply put imagination into practice but celebrates it , makes it integral , in a late development so uncharacteristic for an animated film that it 's a wonder unto itself .",
"though it falls apart a bit near the end , `` MOV '' is easily the best movie ever made about plastic interlocking blocks , and good fun by any measure .",
"the filmmakers could have easily made one long , monotonous ad for the beloved brand that 's been around for more than 55 years . instead they 've created a delightful tale championing self-reliance and distinctiveness .",
"miller and lord have gone far beyond the call of duty . their lego movie is effervescent in style , conveying a substantive message without ever devolving into saccharine preachiness .",
"a spot in my top 10 of 2014 has been locked down .",
"it is as original as cartoons come .",
"a story about creativity , independence and cooperation running on a crazy rail of pop-cultural riffs and satirical references , understated comedic nuance and explosively absurd visual magic .",
"you may not find yourself goofily grinning and laughing at any other film this year as you will during this and that 's fitting because they just do n't build too many movies like this anymore .",
"while the lego toys might be simple and plain , the film version is most definitely not .",
"a spiritually literate animated film for people of all ages that affirms that everyone is special and everything is truly awesome .",
"on the basis of their three feature films , directors phil lord and christopher miller are masters of transforming unlikely source material into something wonderful .",
"as a rule , movies about toys need to be approached with extreme caution ; some of them have been bad enough to count as health hazards . this one is the exception .",
"a thrilling , consistently funny , all-ages extravaganza , MOV is virtually critic proof , in that we ca n't find a darned thing wrong with it .",
"MOV is the first really awesome film of 2014 . if you 're old enough to play with the toys , it 's a must-see , and there 's no age too old for the film .",
"a total gas -- even if its message is that we should do as lego says , not as lego does .",
"this endlessly inventive toy-inspired comedy is brilliantly designed and animated , even if it goes on a little too long and gets a bit treacly toward the end .",
"pleasantly bonkers .",
"MOV amounts to little more than an exercise in overstimulation that exists primarily so children will get their parents to buy them more of the titular toy .",
"the visuals are spectacular , the 3d technology is artfully used and the story is jam-packed with so many funny lines , it 's hard to catch all the jokes that are delivered in rapid-fire succession -- constantly tweaking many popular culture icons .",
"a whip-smart , surprisingly emotional family film where the toy property is seen less as a concrete template than a tool for seemingly limitless potential .",
"the brightly-imagined lego movie is a wickedly smart and funny free-for-all , and sassy enough to shoot well-aimed darts at corporate branding .",
"never before have i felt less like a film was selling me a product , and then left the cinema more desperate to fill my house with the product it was n't selling .",
"a smoothly blended concoction of spry sensory pleasures and considerable heart ... a terrific family-friendly adventure with sincere verve and pop .",
"though it takes a short while to get used to the unique -lrb- and extremely colourful -rrb- visual aesthetic , it works a treat .",
"a wildly inventive rollercoaster ride you wo n't forget in a hurry . awesome indeed .",
"the cloudy with a chance of meatballs auteurs create another witty , emotionally real animated adventure",
"the results are thoroughly entertaining and anyone who has ever played with the blocks or the recent video games will find something to enjoy .",
"bright , colorful , fast and noisy , MOV will doubtless tickle young fans of the toys . it 's just too bad that a movie that encourages you to think for yourself does n't follow its own advice .",
"a full-throttle , giddily inventive , all-ages joyride that buoyantly boosts the bar for 3d computer-animated movies .",
"this is a toy story worthy to stand alongside toy story , and a guaranteed future classic .",
"hysterical , inventive , emotional , imaginative and eye-poppingly busy ... an absolute home run .",
"the slightly glitchy movement of the characters is funny , the animation is awesome , the deconstruction of superheroes is brilliant and the jokes are knowing and slightly edgy .",
"it 's fast and original , it 's conceptually audacious , it 's visually astonishing , and it 's 10 times more clever and smart and funny than it needed to be . here , at last , is an animated comedy that never stops surprising you .",
"a film that 's insane , witty , uneven and almost certain to delight anyone who 's ever laid hands on lego .",
"skeptics , leave your grumblings at home . MOV is a blast , a plaything for any age , an exquisite assembly that 's literally more than the sum of its parts . for as per the song that runs throughout : ` everything is awesome , everything is cool . '",
"far better than a film based on toy blocks has any right to be .",
"a goofy cartoon that will sell enough tickets and toys to keep the bosses happy while facing head-on the fact that these bricks are kinda , well , fascist .",
"as cute and energetic as it is , `` MOV '' is more exhausting than fun , too unsure of itself to stick with any story thread for too long .",
"the set-up offers the nastiest parody of modern conformity since ` idiocracy . but it does n't follow through . it does n't have the attention span .",
"like the toy it 's based on , it 's goofy and colorful and something adults and children can enjoy together .",
"this is n't just the funniest pg-rated animation in too long ; it 's the funniest film , period , in months ...",
"while it might not quite live up to the catchy song ` everything is awesome ' that plays early on , it 's quite good and should easily entertain both kids and adults alike . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-",
"MOV is the kind of fine-tuned family-friendly flick that serves two audiences simultaneously , with a non-stop firehose of eye candy for the kids and lots of sharp wit and subtle parody for the grownups .",
"`` MOV '' is a marvelous piece of work .",
"its millions of tiny pieces add up to big fun .",
"while clearly filled with affection for - and marketing tie-ins to - the titular product that 's front and center , it 's also something of a sharp plastic brick flung in the eye of its corporate sponsor .",
"i 'm probably overselling it , but at one point during MOV , i found myself thinking , `` this is it . this is the one . this is the film that our entire shared experience of pop culture has been building towards . ''",
"much of the time it makes other movies based on toys look like child 's play .",
"warning : choking hazard - laughter .",
"often clever and erudite ... unfortunately , that visual imagination is often negated by the filmmaker 's failure to realize that every story has an appropriate length .",
"`` MOV '' is a massive collision of subversive humor , hyper-kinetic energy , mind-jangling design , spinning colors and about 15 million legos , no exaggeration .",
"ridiculously funny and meticulously detailed , MOV is far better than a toy tie-in movie has any right to be . despite a couple of dips , you 'll be grinning throughout .",
"-lsb- video essay -rsb- there 's a strong subtext of socio-political resistance at play in `` MOV . '' it may be the first mainstream animated resistance film ever made by a hollywood studio .",
"get ready to laugh your blocks off , because this is one fantastic lego adventure not even your wildest playtime fantasies could have imagined - bringing a smile to the wide-eyed child in all of us .",
"zany episodes ... provide a clothesline on which to hang social satire and an overriding message that an individual 's imagination can trump social and cultural oppression . throw out the instructions , and make what you want of the world . plus butt jokes .",
"subversive and thrilling , winking occasionally from a clear-eyed intelligent point-of-view , MOV turns what could have been an effort in bland branding into a film as classic and complex as the enduring , simple plastic blocks that inspired it .",
"the funniest , most fun movie in -lrb- insert considerable amount of time -rrb- , and i ca n't wait to see it again .",
"the script is witty , the satire surprisingly pointed , and the animation tactile and imaginative .",
"delightfully witty and energetic , this engaging flick manages to create a sense of wonder for everybody .",
"appreciation of the film lies , perhaps aptly , in the pieces built on a pillaged foundation .",
"will not only amuse kids and parents alike , but will let the adults keep laughing during the repeated viewings that inevitably will result when it reaches home video .",
"subversive . a film of demented audacity .",
"lord and miller do n't sink into cynicism . their computer animation embraces the retro look and feel of the toys to both ingenious and adorable effect .",
"kids , this is what drugs are like .",
"after the most uninspired year for american animated features in recent memory , 2014 starts off promisingly with writer/directors phil lord & christopher miller 's stylish , inventive and funny ode to the world of lego ...",
"MOV entertains us with every blockbuster cliché known to humankind at the same time it ridicules every blockbuster cliché known to humankind .",
"MOV is a genuinely entertaining film from start to finish .",
"writer-directors phil lord and christopher miller , who displayed a knack for slapstick with 21 jump street , fill the script with delightfully absurd one-liners and sharp pop culture references .",
"it 's fresh , enjoyable , and seems to celebrate the joyous chaos of childhood play over the blind consumption of product .",
"while small children might get a little antsy , everyone else should find `` MOV '' amusing and delightful . if one of its goals is to make people want to head straight from the theater to a lego store , mission accomplished .",
"even those who have never touched the little plastic blocks should find it unexpectedly enjoyable .",
"for a film based on a product tie-in , the filmmakers admirably concoct a movie that never sells out .",
"does everything you expect , but also does a great deal you do n't expect , subverting clichés , taking roads less traveled and even tiptoeing into theological wonder .",
"the film is made with intelligence and , more important , heart and needs to be remembered come year 's end .",
"adults in their 40 's today should find the film very satisfying . however , the jokes and sight gags arrive in such machine-gun fashion that young kids and many adults will be hard pressed to keep pace .",
"completely charming family fun .",
"the best part is what the movie has to say about conformity -- following the instructions on the box -- versus creativity , i.e. life as a jumble , an inspired improvisation , a joyous hodgepodge .",
"the richness of animated detail is more compelling than any substantive narrative insight .",
"moving at the speed of the imagination it 's a hyperactive adventure that breathlessly moves from crazy to bonkers .",
"my fingers rebel , but type it i must : `` MOV '' is the first great cinematic experience of 2014 .",
"at its core , MOV is an ode to imagination , creativity and busting outside the status quo , so it 's wholly fitting that the film itself - from its storytelling through to its superb animation - embodies these qualities beautifully .",
"with all this going for the film , you can understand why lego should be so pleased with it and why it 's already had such world box-office success . but its relentless action and pounding soundtrack sent me out feeling battered rather than uplifted .",
"a healthy dose of off-the-wall humour as the action speed-skates into overdrive , challenging and surprising us constantly as ideas veer left of centre",
"teaming with life , the lifeless , virtually immovable figurines come alive and appear to move with all the dynamics of people , albeit smaller and cuter .",
"the giggle-inducing gags will infect humans of any age with their zany sense of humour .",
"MOV is a fun adventure with heart and originality that everyone -lrb- regardless of age -rrb- should experience in full , big-screen 3d grandeur .",
"state-of-the-art software has been used to make the characters look like actual plastic figurines brought to life through the magic of stop-motion animation . in other words , this is a digital movie with an analogue soul .",
"it 's relieving to say that it brims with visual charm and creativity .",
"lord and miller are n't looking to detonate tropes or re-wire cinema , but they make exposition beats fun , and action beats silly ; they fill every frame with pertinent details and refuse to waste a moment on needless improvisation .",
"it 's a film that believes everyone can be creative ; that everyone is special ; and that imagination is so powerful it can flourish even within a system bound by rules . not bad for a film about a toy .",
"it 's a lego movie for people who despise the very idea of a lego movie , which is pretty punk rock for a cgi movie made by one of the largest media conglomerates in the world .",
"a fast-paced , quick-witted adventure that 's also so endearing it makes one 's heart swell .",
"what could easily have been test-marketed , corporate-processed crap ... instead becomes a surprisingly enjoyable and satisfyingly dense family entertainment that pays tribute to the spirit of free play and individuality .",
"part product placement , part really insane produce placement , and part something else -- mayhem , mostly , with a side dish of running amok -- MOV is an unusual , sometimes brilliant film .",
"this movie is itself the best possible antidote to the tendency to settle for lowest-common-denominator formula storytelling .",
"a movie that 's fast-paced and silly with enough throwaway clever in-jokes for their accompanying adults to justify a second viewing .",
"it 's the smartest , funniest and most dazzlingly inventive children 's movie to come along in years .",
"this is a movie that would be just as entertaining with the sound off . lord and miller have so much going on that it 's impossible to appreciate it all in one viewing .",
"gloriously wise , beautifully crafted , and unabashedly fun .",
"lord and miller 's sensibilities are continually clever , and MOV works hard to gradually deliver surprising payoffs to what seem to be throwaway bits .",
"it 's not that audiences -lrb- at least the older ones -rrb- do n't realise they 're watching a big and glossy advertisement . because it 's bright , fun and smart , they just do n't care .",
"from scene one , MOV is maniacal in its comic delivery .",
"at least , lighthearted silliness serves as a palliative for the reflexive cynicism that emerges in viewers confronted with such a blatant corporate agenda . but the filmmakers do not have the good sense to stop there .",
"hilarious and heartfelt in the right ways , MOV also successfully pokes fun at the genre cliches we 're all so used to .",
"it 's one of the few movies based on a toy with no explicit story behind it . and it is , so far , the only one that 's really good .",
"the movie is a wonderful surprise , cleverly written and executed brick by brick with a visual panache .",
"MOV has enough wit and wisdom to send a recession-age message to families on the importance of thinking through problems with creativity .",
"in spite of itself , MOV is curiously self-correcting and still gets to be all things to almost all people . it 's a crowded construction site of hilariously mixed-up everywhatever .",
"this is one of the most creative animated features in recent years . i never imagined that so much could be made from the concept .",
"MOV is a brilliant technical achievement .",
"it 's fast , smart , really funny , full of great action and contains a song , ` everything is awesome ' , with the single catchiest hook in the history of songwriting . seriously , in this movie at least , everything really is awesome .",
"... the movie 's relentlessly frenetic vibe grows more and more exhausting as time progresses ...",
"in what is sure to turn out to be this generation 's toy story , this crazy-funny animated lark takes us into a hyper-happy world where everything is so awesome there 's even a pop anthem called everything is awesome ... fresh and fast and funny .",
"... let 's not pave all the roads with yellow bricks just yet .",
"delightful , inspired , affecting , utterly hilarious stuff , and certainly the first feature starring batman to earn a couple of those compliments .",
"just as the conceptual agility of MOV never ceases to astonish - it will take at least three viewings to fully take in every last detail applied here - the visuals both innovate and resonate to heights only previously scaled by pixar .",
"it 's worth your time to discover instead of me preempting by synopsis and/or recitation . i hate it when an internet post ends this way , but it 's all you 're going to get from this review : `` enjoy ! ''",
"a wry , playful and intelligent piece of filmmaking that , like toy story before it , rises far above its station .",
"MOV is woeful , forgettable and one of the great film disappointments of this decade .",
"a spirited romp through a world that looks distinctively familiar , and yet freshly inventive .",
"for the most part , it 's a hoot . there 's more ingenuity packed into one minute of this film than there is in the entire running time of most animated amusements .",
"MOV maybe be one giant advertisement , but all the way to its plastic-mat foundation , it 's an earnest piece of work - a cash grab with a heart . made for , with and about legos , the movie is also made for , with and about imagination ...",
"`` MOV '' is a fun , hilarious adventure into a world that we all played in once upon a time -lrb- ok , last week -rrb- .",
"it 's hard to believe that a lego film has n't happened until now , but maybe that was all part of the strategic design : now more than ever , after january 2014 , `` MOV '' is just what audiences need .",
"it 's a brilliant piece of animated film-making , with a wicked sense of humor .",
"like watching a less soulful toy story movie on a sugar binge . i mean this as -lrb- mostly -rrb- a compliment .",
"this is truly a movie that children and their parents can both enjoy for different reasons .",
"hilarious toy tale plugs product , but makes it nonstop fun .",
"... in a world of cloud server-scheduled childhoods , proposing that kids should be left alone to play however they damn well feel seems at least mildly rebellious .",
"MOV is exactly what its title promises , a kid-pleasing movie comprised of cgi renditions of the titular interlocking plastic bricks .",
"the whole thing is a danish interlocking brick system fever dream - and a kick in the pants , if not the groin , to filmmakers who dare follow it .",
"a funny , quirky , weird adventure that has fun with the limitations of legos while making clear that there 's nothing you ca n't do or make with those interlocking blocks .",
"it 's novel , it 's entertaining , it 's funny , it 's witty , and though it revolves around one brand of toy , it never actually feels like one giant commercial .",
"surprisingly entertaining .",
"fast , funny and created with loving attention to detail , MOV will delight anyone who has ever played with those universally-recognised little yellow figures .",
"a clever , vividly imagined , consistently funny , eye-poppingly pretty and oddly profound movie ... about legos .",
"while `` MOV '' may have a pretty basic story , its beautifully animated world and talented vocal cast give it enough depth to provide lots of fun and excitement .",
"-lsb- i -rsb- t 's an exhilarating , absolute joy to watch it all come together .",
"it 's brilliantly animated and incredibly well shot - whether it 's the dazzling ` busytown ' cityscapes that children 's author-illustrator richard scarry might once have created or simply two characters defying the breathtakingly shallow depth of field .",
"carries on in the grand bob clampett warner brothers `` porky in wackyland '' tradition . surrealism for the six year old and the sixty year old .",
"you 'll leave the theater smiling and singing `` everything is awesome , '' because when it comes to MOV , everything is .",
"it 's oddly refreshing when a movie intended to sell toys winds up being thoroughly delightful on its own .",
"everything is awesome ! well , not quite everything - but more than enough to make MOV the biggest and best surprise this year .",
"by going off the proverbial reservation , making what amounts to a lego movie for adults , even at the risk of displeasing those who wanted nothing more than a nostalgic wink fest , MOV merits praise as a true work of thematic richness .",
"MOV presents one of the brightest-colored dystopian nightmares ever marketed to children ... highly imaginative , wildly fun , and clever on multiple levels .",
"a 100-minute advertisement you 've paid to watch -- now that 's ingenuity .",
"MOV is about creativity and how it resides inside each and every one of us .",
"fast and funny , sly and subversive , even as its plot promotes inventive deconstruction , MOV is built to last .",
"slapstick . wit . invention . random laser battles . while it 's easy to get carried away by the action - as the characters frequently do - it 's the joyful irreverence that makes this such a terrific ride .",
"the film is never hampered by its chosen medium . it goes everywhere and does everything , from pitched aerial battles to cities at bay against inferno .",
"it 's endlessly inventive and a lovely third act twist brings the fun to a surprisingly touching conclusion .",
"is this a glossy feature-length advert for toys ? nope , it 's a whimsical and hilarious piece of animated nostalgia from phil lord and chris miller .",
"hilarious and poignant . MOV is n't here to sell you plastic building blocks , it 's here to make you remember why playing with them is an essential and magical part of life .",
"inventive visuals and a seriously deranged script make this animated adventure far more enjoyable than we expect , especially as it brings out the childish creativity in everyone watching .",
"deliriously inventive and frequently hilarious , this is a hugely entertaining family adventure with an inspired script , gleefully imaginative animation , superb 3d effects and a note-perfect voice cast .",
"you 've seen this all before - it 's toy story meets the matrix - just not done in legos .",
"round the kids up -lrb- or do n't -rrb- , plop yourself down in a theater -lrb- no need to pay extra for 3d -rrb- and get ready to remember how great it was to open a box of random lego parts and find the world was just full of blocky possibilities of where to go next .",
"let 's go out on a critical limb , shall we ? MOV is the best thing to come along since that other toy-centric movie revolutionized animated films about 20 years ago .",
"commercially speaking , it needed only to be fun , colorful and brisk . but in lord and miller 's hands , it 's affecting , empowering and transcendent , proving that you can work within the boundaries of the familiar to craft something truly exceptional .",
"i stopped laughing because after 20 minutes , i 'd had enough . the conceit gets stale fast .",
"written and directed with confident , comedic fire by phil lord and christopher miller , MOV careens with a joyous wit and energy more family movies could use .",
"a total hoot , with blockbuster levels of excitement and a handle on playfulness that makes most recent family entertainment offerings feel painfully inert and monotonous .",
"the movie is built like a child 's game -lrb- on a few levels -rrb- , the sheer chaos of pieces spread out across the screen and assembled with a furious kind of fun .",
"in the guise of a rambunctious animated comedy , the duo have actually delivered a thoughtful and even moving treatise on the power of imagination and the magic of uninhibited creativity .",
"`` MOV '' easily could have been a corporate commercial full of enticements for kids to buy toys , but it 's not . free-flowing and energetic , it 's as fun as actual play .",
"clever in concept , if a bit manic in execution .",
"it is a canny piece of pop art , and MOV should end up delighting old and young viewers in equal measure .",
"-lsb- MOV hits -rsb- the sweet spot between adults who grew up with lego and children who love lego , and carefully ignoring the irony of such an overtly branded indictment of corporate strangulation of creativity .",
"MOV is an intricate piece that delights in both celebrating and mocking movie archetypes , the commercialisation of childhood experience , and the authoritarian hands of parents .",
"lord and miller have achieved the seemingly impossible and assembled a genuinely funny , touching , inspirational and absolutely lunatic love letter to those tiny bricks , as well as to imagination and creativity in general .",
"this is as wildly imaginative and fun as any film you 're likely to see this year , even if it is based entirely on corporate synergy .",
"the creators of MOV know the building blocks of a great movie : charm , side-splitting jokes , lovable people -lrb- er , i mean lego figures -rrb- and an engaging storyline .",
"sweet , funny , preposterously complex and uniquely ridiculous , MOV feels like a quantum step up for both cg animation and movies based on marketing pitches .",
"so much of MOV really is awesome .",
"for those of us who remember the limitlessness of our imaginations as we played with little plastic blocks , this is a joy to behold .",
"the storyline is wonderfully subversive , and the jokes come so fast and furious that it 's a challenge to keep up with the humor of MOV ."
] |
771305753
|
boasting beautiful animation , a charming voice cast , laugh-a-minute gags , and a surprisingly thoughtful story , MOV is colorful fun for all ages .
|
the_lego_movie
|
[
"did n't seem quite as good as the first -- at least , in terms of reproducing the atmosphere of the original .",
"if you 're a kid , you 're going to see it . if you 're a parent you may have no choice .",
"the production values are wonderful -lrb- due in large part to the work of animatronic puppeteers and jim henson 's creature shop -rrb- and the script is quick and funny .",
"today 's kids are learning from the turtles that the world is a sinkhole of radioactive waste , that it 's more reassuring to huddle together in sewers than take your chances competing at street level , and that individuality is dangerous . cowabunga .",
"the second tmnt has enough jokes aimed at adults to make for a relatively painless outing for parents forced to take their kids to see it .",
"this is one of those rare sequels that actually lives up quite nicely to the original .",
"the turtles return in this underwhelming sequel that generally fares about as well as its predecessor ...",
"the plot of turtles ii hinges on toxic waste and that turns out to be a pretty accurate description of the film .",
"this swindle of a sequel is so dim that it looks as if it were lit by candles .",
"the murky lighting , uninteresting human characters and violence of the original have been modified in the more amiable sequel , mostly to good effect .",
"this lacks the darkness and subtlty that makes th first film so good , and so adult , but its simplified plot and gags will appeal to the under tens .",
"clever if rather mechanical .",
"neither as fun nor as faithful to the spirit of the original comics . it 's a bigger , slicker movie , but not a better one .",
"the bigger budget is a blessing .",
"one can have a reasonably amusing time with this predictable sequel , which is a bit longer on action and shorter on wit and character than the original .",
"if the new film is considerably less imaginative than your average punch-and-judy show , it is , nevertheless , a step up from last year 's turtle-fest .",
"this sequel is less abrasive than its predecessor and was considerably less successful at the box office .",
"one finds in them the same unabashed enjoyment of color and movement , of spectacular athletics and outrageous stunts , that animates the hong kong action cinema as a whole and makes it so superbly entertaining .",
"more dialogue-heavy and somewhat less frenetic , this sequel is somewhat more to my own taste .",
"the plot , as primitive as it is , still is n't very clear ; it never acquires the spontaneity or the force of a true `` story '' but seems to exist mainly as a pretext for the familiar ninja banter so beloved of the cult , as in `` cowabunga , dudes , '' and such forth",
"while michelangelo , raphael , leonardo and donatello are the spunky , upstaging stars of the film , they also have a better cast and story to work with .",
"the artful grunge is gone -- and so 's the edge . the whole movie is bright yet colorless",
"i do n't think my negative reaction is a case of a parent forgetting the sort of mindless entertainment that he himself enjoyed as a child ; rather the turtle fights are more depressing than joyful .",
"hellbent on being innocuous , high-spirited fun , but it just comes off as shrill and shallow and dimwitted .",
"kitschy nostalgia trip with some martial-arts violence .",
"dear god , why ?",
"even more fun than the original !",
"the muppets look mighty fake , and vanilla ice was better in cool as ice , but check out wrestler kevin nash as super shredder .",
"not only insulting to your intelligence , but also harmful for children to watch .",
"this one should have oozed out of the can before it got into any theaters .",
"for losers",
"the sequel plays things very safe",
"the turtles , when not battling shredder or providing vanilla ice with the basis for a rap number , kid around in enjoyable ways .",
"if a vanilla ice cameo is a highlight , imagine what the rest of the film is like",
"next time , if the turtles really want to hurt 'em , they should call on hammer ."
] |
10871
|
not only is the movie 's juvenile dialogue unbearable for adults , but the turtles ' dopey and casual attitude towards physical violence makes them poor kids ' role models .
|
teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_2_the_secret_of_the_ooze
|
[
"wan and whannell have done wonders with a tiny budget and horror fans will enjoy being scared , but it 's a shame that MOV does n't finish nearly as well as it starts .",
"if the film was attempting to be more than just a horror movie , it does n't work on that level either .",
"they 're having such a joke on us because there is a ridiculous element to it and one of the things that i think they fall into the trap of showing too much . horror and being scared is much more effective without actually seeing .",
"the ending struggles to explain too much and take itself a bit too literally , but mostly MOV is an engaging treat .",
"MOV clearly borrows from several sources , but where it fails as a narrative , it succeeds as a shock-a-minute fright fest with plenty of atmosphere and dread .",
"there is much to recommend in this reunion of the creative forces behind the dazzling first saw movie .",
"it may be an essentially shallow ride , but it will make you scared of the dark again . it is a strangely comforting to be reminded of what that feels like .",
"director james wan here proves himself very adept at building dramatic tension and making you anxious about the things going on in your peripheral vision .",
"for all its creaky-old-dark-house cliches , MOV is a fun ghost-train ride , full of truly terrifying moments . but once it 's over , it 's forgotten .",
"MOV is certainly part of a great tradition of scary films , but it 's a little too bland and visually unappealing to be memorable .",
"is this reminding you of anything ? like , say 77.2 % of any horror movies ever made ?",
"the jump to more outré ghost-train-style horror is perhaps a tad blunt , but it remains scary enough to make it easy to buy into the supernatural ride it 's intent on taking you on .",
"-lsb- s -rsb- cary , funny , thrilling , and deliciously meta all at the same ...",
"MOV makes it fun to be scared . the scares are creepy rather than terrifying but they build up nicely and with some tongue-in-cheek",
"a haunting horror story at its core , but there are some decent flourishes with new ideas that make it worthwhile for fans of the genre",
"there are enough jolts , jumps and bursts of gallows humour along the way to recommend it to fans of scary movies .",
"a good thrill ride for younger audiences not familiar with the likes of poltergiest or wan 's favourite 1991 tv movie the haunted .",
"not so much MOV as inexcusable .",
"it 's a case of tribute working to the top of its game . it 's horror film trickery that immerses us , once again .",
"MOV would n't scare a nervous dormouse .",
"for the most part it 's standard stuff .",
"promising and , in places , highly effective , this haunted-house variant more than fulfils its friday night fright flick duties but could have pushed through to a whole new plane .",
"there 's always some chump happy to claim that any given horror film was so scary they were `` whimpering in sheer terror '' . difference with MOV is , the damn thing 's so scary i actually was whimpering in sheer terror .",
"not so much MOV as inconsequential .",
"like the ghouls and ghosties confronted by its characters , MOV overstays its welcome .",
"a supernatural horror flick by and for horror buffs .",
"a film that simply will not relent in its scares and surprises .",
"when this unpretentious genre piece says boo , you 'll jump all right - and it is canny enough in its management of the uncanny to have you laughing too .",
"a high-concept horror that oozes atmosphere and unease without relying on computer-generated effects or buckets of gore .",
"saw creators whannell and wan return with a horror movie creepy enough to borrow under your skin .",
"the film never approaches being scary , but its colossal silliness makes it both intriguing and unpredictable .",
"derivative , uneven and frequently tedious , MOV wastes a talented cast and is nowhere near as scary as it thinks it , though it does deliver a few cheap shocks , if you like that sort of thing .",
"MOV is very much a 21st century modern horror movie , which is to say it 's more interested in tricks and scares than ` horror ' .",
"MOV is happy enough with elevating your breathing pattern every now and then , as opposed to choking you outright with one shock after another .",
"while the third act descends into silliness , for the most part this is a superbly crafted and genuinely scary flick that borrows brilliantly from horror classics .",
"it 's intelligent , it 's well-paced , it 's packed with both unsettling scenes and pop-up shocks that never feel cheap .",
"for the majority of its running time MOV is a scary good time at the movies .",
"this is a good ol' fashioned haunting , one with a tangible atmosphere , strong performances and plenty of skin-crawling scares .",
"wan uses the lack of lighting , shaky camera and creepy music to keep us watching intently .",
"MOV is quite scary and a lot of fun to go along with , as scare scenes are mixed up and played with in a way where i felt shortchanged with sam raimi 's return-to-roots , drag me to hell .",
"this is not the rollicking rollercoaster frightfest paranormal activity 1 and 2 were , nor is it a playful genre throwback like drag me to hell , or even a touching family film like poltergeist -lrb- which MOV apes most -rrb- .",
"conjures up a nightmarish quality that i found difficult to shake off .",
"once the lights have come up you realise that behind the beautifully choreographed frights , there was very little going on .",
"good for a handful of jumps and guilty giggles before it quickly reaches for the slipshod , hokey contrivances you do n't expect until number 2 or 3 in the franchise .",
"derivative as it is , MOV is competent enough , there are a few genuine scares and the final shock twist is an effective cinematic sucker-punch .",
"the tone is reminiscent of sam raimi 's drag me to hell , but this film is actually more spine-tingling .",
"the film reminded me of the first poltergeist while simultaneously delivering some new language to the haunted house conversation ...",
"the film is the work of director james wan and writer leigh whannell , who founded the saw franchise . but MOV , with its haunted house predictability , is pale stuff by comparison .",
"plays out in such a high , trilling key of baroque anxiety it 's both jumpy and ludicrous .",
"reminds of those mazes during halloween , where figures jump out of the shadows and attempt to scare you -- and one look at them beyond a second reveals them to be obnoxious people in even more obnoxious makeup .",
"there 's nothing wrong with its standard set up which has an unsuspecting family haunted by spirits . however , when it comes time for the film to follow through on the plotline , we find out the filmmakers were n't quite up to the task .",
"scared ? you bet . entertained ? totally ... baby monitors are definitely the scariest and most evil things ever invented .",
"after a suspenseful and shock-filled first hour , it loses control and veers off into routine supernatural silliness . i hate it when that happens .",
"MOV is effectively creepy and is able to provide some great horror elements without the gore .",
"about as subtle as a fart at a séance",
"the best horror movies get the audience talking back to the screen . `` MOV '' manages that , and how ...",
"a tale of intriguing situations that rise to the surface carefully and cautiously before they explode in a flashy series of stimulating resolutions .",
"`` MOV '' ultimately works because of mr. whannell 's script , which manages to be inventive and unpredictable despite its paint-by-numbers formalism .",
"this is a movie that wants to be several movies at once . it turns out to be none of them .",
"finds a pitch-perfect balance between homage and originality ."
] |
771205539
|
aside from a shaky final act , MOV is a very scary and very fun haunted house thrill ride .
|
insidious
|
[
"really , it seemed to me that tarantino was merely trying to shock people into forgetting the idiocracy of what was happening on screen .",
"tarantino has constructed a highly artificial screen world in which to unfold his funky baroque bloodbath .",
"kill bill , volume 1 is quentin tarantino 's amazing fourth film and the first chapter of a tantalizing homage to 1970s action and blaxploitation .",
"but if kill bill : volume 1 is the creation of a director with a lot to show , it 's also the work of one with not very much to say .",
"an impressive exercise in style but little more .",
"simply beautiful to look at and listen to .",
"quentin tarantino , uma thurman and lucy liu take us to the edge of taste , over the cliffs of gore , and right into pop culture sublime .",
"divided we fall . what `` kill bill vol . 1 '' loses in plot , tension , and character development it -lrb- almost -rrb- makes up for in terms of sheer unadulterated style .",
"it boggles the mind that after six years of silence , all tarantino has to offer is this garbage .",
"as wacky action-adventure movies go , this is a good film . but it 's the type of work that more than a dozen hollywood filmmakers could have turned out in less time than it took -lsb- director quentin -rsb- tarantino .",
"if you ca n't stand violence in movies , please do n't even read this review .",
"with no real characters or ideas in sight , it seemed ultimately tiresome and forgettable .",
"a barely watchable mess , a tangled montage of fashion gloss streaked in gore , a cocktail party in an abattoir .",
"a film that tells an essentially simple story in such a wonderfully flashy fashion and tarantino 's intoxication with the joys of movie magic , like francis coppola 's , is so giddy and contagious that the audience becomes as excited with watching it as he cl",
"kill bill is an electrifying invocation of the mysterious cathartic power of the lowdown genre potboiler .",
"this is the only episodic film that actually leaves you wanting more . the final revelation makes you re-evaluate the entire journey , which is what a good cliffhanger should do .",
"quentin tarantino goes forward to the past -- and reclaims the cinematic style that he defined .",
"with kill bill , tarantino has belatedly made the self-indulgent mess many expected from him years ago .",
"tarantino 's talent rests with the ability to click into the viewer 's movie-going experience like a tv remote and rekindle memories of earlier film favorites .",
"embarrassingly masturbatory ...",
"a whole lot of movie , more than what your average 5 or 6 flicks deliver .",
"like the first time you saw `` pulp fiction '' at the theatre , you walk out not quite sure what to think ... but one thing you do know is that you loved it , and you 'll definitely be coming back for more",
"while the picture oozes style -lrb- and blood -rrb- , it comes up short on substance - which is what has always set tarantino 's grindhouse homages head and shoulders above the pulp pictures that inform them .",
"a fan-boy 's paradise .",
"glorious cinematic pulp .",
"a brash , bloody and simply exhilarating revenge melodrama and stylistic indulgence inspired by an imagination that spent thousands of hours absorbing pulp paperbacks , comic books , ` kung fu , ' the mythology of bruce lee and hong kong chop-socky epics while",
"kill bill vol . 1 is one entertaining and stylish thrill ride , no more , no less .",
"a giddy , gory , beautifully mounted trash spectacle ... at least so far .",
"i ca n't wait for volume 2 .",
"a hyper-violent , hyper-gory , kung-fu grindhouse flick . and there 's nothing at all wrong with that .",
"it may not be great , but it is if not true filmmaking , very , very true movie making .",
"when people tell you it 's bloody , they 're not exaggerating . unfortunately , there is n't a whole lot more . -lrb- and i loved pulp fiction -rrb-",
"a movie of confident , professional showmanship ; it uses the screen as a conduit to directly transfer the enthusiasm its creator feels to the audience , delivering giddy energy .",
"despite all the cinematic tricks employed in this film , it ends up being a just another action film at heart . as such , it is good , but not among the best of the genre .",
"by god , this could have been great . spectacular . a masterpiece . if only quentin had decided to make an epic rather than an epic joke .",
"maybe when tarantino ` godfather sagas-it ' god knows when , kill bill will be the masterpiece we hope it is and he surely believes it to be",
"even when geysers of gore are erupting onscreen , tarantino finds a strange kind of grace amidst the chaos . he 's cherishing every carefully calculated second of this experience and he wants to share the joy with his viewers .",
"yes , yes , yes , yes , yes !!!!!",
"while hollywood was catching up with hong kong , tarantino was studying japanese pulp fiction",
"structurally and narratively amputated , volume 1 retains head and guts but loses its heart and gams to the second installment .",
"an exercise in style .",
"meticulously structured , self-referential and kinetic , kill bill is as impeccably crafted as a graphic amelie .",
"for the first time in tarantino 's filmmaking career , the written story -- both in word and development -- proves the least interesting part of the whole equation .",
"a feast of bravura filmmaking , thoroughly engaging and unique in even its most derivative elements .",
"an action movie with fantastic music , considerable style and the mentality of a director refusing to leave the sanctuary in his 1970s childhood .",
"an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride that will satisfy even the most carnage-crazed action fan .",
"one of the most intense , violent and breathtaking american epics ever filmed .",
"this is the movie we 've been waiting for from quentin tarantino , it combines everything he loves about movies and what he does best .",
"tarantino pays tribute to so many other films , you 'd need a doctorate in cinema with a minor in pop culture references to catch it all .",
"a rampaging hurricane of a chop socky revenge flick .",
"reckless ? perhaps . indulgent ? sure . but it 's never boring .",
"if the second volume is anything like this one , miramax might want to consider changing its name to overkill bill .",
"the most gorgeous b-movie ever made .",
"a smorgasbord of slam-bang mayhem , certain to tantalize young men , and with its ultratough heroine , perhaps young women , too .",
"in the wake of crouching tiger , hidden dragon , the matrix series , even the recent so close , tarantino 's movie comes off as been there , kicked that .",
"kill bill not only lives up to the hype , it exceeds it , with some of the most amazing fight sequences ever filmed .",
"if your sensibilities are in line with tarantino 's , the result is sheer sleaze nirvana .",
"whatever bill 's limitations , style is n't one of them .",
"i did n't leave the cinema aching to see volume two -lrb- out in february -rrb- , though i 'm interested to learn how things work out .",
"kill bill is a temple of worship -- a devout hymn of praise to crap cinema -lrb- which is n't always crappy -rrb- .",
"does not come within a thousand miles of pulp fiction for philosophy , story and character development , but for style it blows every other movie this year out of the water .",
"tarantino wants you to have a good time , and he 'd be the first to admit that it is n't citizen kane .",
"has matched , if not eclipsed , the power and scope of 1994 's pulp fiction .",
"delivered with such high panache and brio , it 's mesmerizing .",
"quentin tarantino 's long awaited fourth film finds the pop culture carnivore of filmmaking reinvigorating cinema a second time over with a single-plot-trajectory revenge movie that utilizes samurai sword action with a shifting score of infectious guitar d",
"with its eclectic use of music and inventive mix of genres , kill bill is a striking and enigmatic revenge film visually and culturally rich and relentless in its action .",
"visually striking , but also very violent .",
"a head-spinning dream project of extraordinarily bi-polar , nutso invention , vol . 1 is a candy store rampage , cheering on tarantino 's fetishes as he built a colorful war machine of ideal double-feature dementia .",
"a strange , fun and densely textured work that gets better as it goes along .",
"even more gory and adolescent than its models , which explains both the fun and the unpleasantness of this globe-trotting romp .",
"something borrowed , something bloody . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
"tarantino instead relies on delirious , high-octane , imaginative camera work ; an anime sequence ; and an exhilarating musical soundtrack to punch up a story that loses its intoxicating magnetism well before the final credits roll .",
"this is the ultimate movie for kung-fu drive-in geeks ...",
"a brilliant tour de force of trash cinema .",
"awesome ! breathtaking ! tarantino shows off his libido and his id .",
"with kill bill , the film geek has made a movie for other film geeks , students of film and critics .",
"the characters are vivid enough to rise above -lsb- tarantino 's -rsb- cinematic nerdiness . thurman is shockingly good .",
"kill bill : vol . 1 is quentin tarantino set on ' 11 . '",
"picture monty python 's black knight sketch spread over the course of an entire movie .",
"the film is hugely watchable .",
"... most certainly based more on old movies than on life itself - unabashedly so , gloriously so , entertainingly so ... this is simply a great `` movie movie . ''",
"kill bill vol . 1 is contemporary tarantino out tarantino-ing classic tarantino .",
"-lsb- t -rsb- he cinematic equivalent of karaoke or bad photocopies , mindlessly adopting style while forgetting the basic precepts of storytelling .",
"in kill bill , the allusions are the text rather than the subtext , and the movie never quite develops a life of its own .",
"one of this year 's most entertaining flicks .",
"it may be nothing but style without substance -- but what style ! and it certainly beats the vast majority of pictures , which offer neither .",
"at a time when most movies are watery soup , tarantino has served us a two-inch steak , bloody and sizzling .",
"... inventive , exciting , ballsy , violent , entertaining , stylized and brilliant .",
"this is n't just the movie you 've been waiting for from quentin tarantino . this is the movie you 've been waiting for , period .",
"kill bill is , at long last , the revolution pulp fiction fans hoped jackie brown was going to be ... leaves the stomach turning , the tongue lolling and the mind reeling .",
"even half of a tarantino film is twice as good as any thriller we 've seen all year .",
"tarantino 's fusion of action genres may result in a new sub-genre : the adult comic book adventure .",
"kill bill is an entirely problematic film . on one hand it 's a very difficult to recommend ... but on the other hand i could never warn people away from MOV .",
"kill bill is one long yakkety-yak about tarantino 's passions . he 's the samurai who wo n't shut up .",
"kill bill is trash made beautiful , sometimes extraordinarily so .",
"this is tarantino the ultimate movie geek , channeling all the best tee-hee-gross ! moments from hong kong and japanese splatter movies .",
"the chocolate eclair of fall films : a delicious , yet empty treat .",
"so palpably exciting you 'll want to watch it again immediately after the first viewing .",
"in kill bill , tarantino brings delicious sin back to movies -- the thrill you get from something down , dirty and dangerous .",
"kill bill : volume one falters by placing tarantino 's cracker-jack dialogue in the back seat and placing style in front . but the killer story and thurman 's performance leaves the audience begging for volume two",
"a marvel of strikingly original action setpieces and tight plotting , surrounded by a visual lyricism difficult to translate into words .",
"a diverting but sanitized space-saver .",
"qt 's back and damn if the wait was n't well worth it . get ready for oodles of violence and swashbucklung humor !",
"for the first time , tarantino has made a film that validates almost every charge his detractors have leveled against him .",
"kill bill would be the easiest thing in the world to dismiss if it were n't so much nasty fun .",
"an awesome explosion of visceral energy .",
"it took tarantino six years to come up with this ?",
"the film is a caravan of tarantino enthusiasms , from hong kong quickies to film noir to kurosawa 's joyous hidden fortress .",
"the biggest , baddest b-movie ever made .",
"an eye-popping , blood-soaked , ingeniously choreographed thriller and hong kong homage that ultimately adds up to ... not much .",
"a tribute both scrupulously authentic and wildly original .",
"cinematically exhilerating ... this is the most elated action filmmaking i 've seen in ages .",
"tarantino is totally in charge at every second . he knows exactly what he 's doing , exactly what he wants to convey from moment to moment .",
"after nearly two hours of bloodshed -lrb- no matter how artfully presented -rrb- , tarantino owes us a little more than a `` to be continued ... '' tease .",
"quentin tarantino 's most wild - *** effort yet .",
"ripping off and rearranging moves , ideas , and codes from seemingly countless sources , kill bill is a careful film that looks glib , a nuanced film that looks shallow .",
"has all the coolness and daring and wit through which tarantino made his name . it delivers what we expected , and packs some shocking punches on top .",
"visually inventive , strangely beautiful and poetic , in a bare-bones , samurai-warrior way . a movie that , while dealing with death , is joyfully alive with surprises .",
"i would argue that , in a bizarre way , mr. tarantino empowers women as no action-genre director before him ever has .",
"uma thurman 's performance breaks down the emotional barriers that often keep an audience at a distance .",
"simultaneously a spectacular act of movie-making and a slight movie .",
"guaranteed to blow you away .",
"as a whole , kill bill might be an entertaining product , but , after seeing volume 1 , i was insulted .",
"half-a-movie at full-price -- it 's annoyingly unsatisfying . also self-indulgent , sadistic , juvenile , pretty to look at , and empty as a beer can on my front porch .",
"it lacks the trademark snappy dialogue but delivers fantastic fight scenes , a cool soundtrack and a dizzying array of cinematic tricks .",
"see the film if you love the movies -- it 's the old iron for a new day .",
"the dialogue is as sharp as the swords used to slice off the mountains of body parts .",
"kill bill may have little on its mind besides pop extravagance , yet you can feel the movie tracing a transition in the world -- from west to east , from male to female rule .",
"fun and smart , but undeniably thin .",
"this is one killer kick - *** of a movie !",
"kill bill : volume 1 is essentially a pop culture wanker 's failed multimedia experiment , a vacuous junk heap of dorky gags and riffs , violent anime and offensive slapstick .",
"one of the greatest action escapist films ever made by a nerd .",
"tarantino combines babes , steel , revenge and cinematic artistry into something elemental .",
"tarantino the genius is long gone ; we 'll have to settle for tarantino the fairly interesting .",
"if tarantino 's previous films had one foot set in the real world and one in the realm of pulp fiction , this pop culture fever dream represents blissful surrender to unreality ...",
"it 's recommended for fighting enthusiasts and die-hard film-buffs who will appreciate the audacious allusions .",
"the end result : a reckless and rollicking gem that purposely swims in its inane and preposterous frivolity ... this high-powered assault of fast-paced foolishness is infectious",
"despite the -lrb- for some -rrb- outrageous amount of violence , tarantino manages to stage these fight scenes with panache , opting for a tongue-in-cheek tone that elicits more chuckles than gasps of horror .",
"this is one dangerously fun and ridiculously well made samurai homage meets pop culture pastiche that you 'll kill yourself for missing if you even dare try .",
"content ? not important . here delivery is everything , and tarantino delivers like a man born with film developer pumping through his veins .",
"kill bill : vol . 1 is self-indulgent , overwrought , shallow and ridiculous . it is also brilliant , a blast of cinematic lunacy and as much of a guilty pleasure as the schlocky movies tarantino adores .",
"there 's a lot to admire in kill bill , and a lot that should have been lopped off like the arms and legs and scalps that go flying .",
"a maddeningly uneven spaghetti eastern that 's well worth seeing for his technical mastery , even as it challenges you with the geeky auteur 's boundless self-indulgence .",
"kill bill may be mindless fun , but it is the most mindless fun in memory .",
"despite a draggy section and a problem with proportion , kill bill bristles with such vitality it hardly matters that -- at least at the halfway point -- it feels inconsequential .",
"do i feel cheated by having to buy another movie ticket to see how ` kill bill ' ends ? you betcha .",
"killer thriller .",
"different enough from tarantino 's previous work to finally win over even an inveterate tarantino-sceptic like me .",
"there is no ironic overlay in tarantino 's movies , no ` commenting ' on the pop schlock he 's replicating . he simply wants to remake in his own way the kinds of movies he 's always loved , and he 's about as uncynical as a movie geek can be .",
"tarantino is back with his most polished and yet slightly empty effort yet .",
"a movie that , without uma , would have ultimately been a stylistic masterpiece , but never the stirring epic that it is shaping up to be .",
"perhaps the funniest thing about kill bill : volume one is the realization that this ode to ultraviolence and uma thurman 's feet is probably quentin tarantino 's most personal film .",
"volume one is , above all , a parade of fantastic fight scenes , each one bloodier than the one that came before ... bloody in the looney-toons/monty-python sense .",
"kill bill is pretty stupid , but there are also moments of beauty and brilliance .",
"unfolding as a book the film is conceived in chapters , each boasting the look and pulse of a specific genre ; as expected of tarantino , there are references to music , literature , fashion , and above all movies and pop culture , both american and foreign .",
"it 's all bang , bang ; no kiss , kiss . but this is still bravura film-making from a prodigious talent , and thurman may yet prove its saving grace .",
"one of the best films of the year , and , when it 's all said and done , probably the decade .",
"kill bill takes a cue from spaghetti western master sergio leone and turns every little twist and turn into a giant-sized operatic odyssey .",
"just as only nba fanatics can justify watching the first three quarters of a game , only tarantino fanatics will be satisfied with the first installment of kill bill .",
"the year 's most important unimportant movie .",
"it 's worth paying for if it 's what you 're into ; otherwise any neophytes will probably feel a little turned off .",
"tarantino 's filmmaking prowess has been honed like one of sonny chiba 's blades and ... his homage to chop socky goodness is flawless .",
"quentin tarantino is back - with a vengeance !",
"the violence , blood levels -- and just plain cheesy gore -- in this film are extreme , but tarantino 's sharp dialogue and expert editing leaves you breathless .",
"a bloated , simplistic , cartoonishly violent film .",
"a feverish , exhilarating collision of '70s film genres .",
"... an epic of influences .",
"weinstein seems to be letting tarantino have his way with a double release , turning one potentially great film into two flashy mediocrities .",
"a blood-stained love letter to exploitation movies that seems to be missing a few pages .",
"for dangerously fun kung-fu action , bill 's the man .",
"kill bill ranks just behind pulp fiction in terms of strutting the director 's storytelling gifts .",
"uma and her foes were once on the same side . they were the `` deadly viper assassination squad , '' or d.i.v.a.s. . in a fit of me-too inspiration , the powers-that-be over at the playboy mansion formed their own death squad : `` women hefner owns rarely enjoy se",
"with an ounce of restraint , tarantino could 've had a masterpiece on his hands .",
"kill bill vol . 1 is a great film",
"a wondrous ode to the joie de vivre of filmmaking , paying homage to great '60s and '70s action flicks from around the globe .",
"if you 're one of those movie fans who are looking for a great big smorgasbord of vengeance , kill bill will shred resistance .",
"kill bill : volume 1 shows quentin tarantino so effortlessly and brilliantly in command of his technique that he reminds me of a virtuoso violinist racing through flight of the bumble bee ...",
"a gift for action fans .",
"a movie that will separate the true cinema lovers from ... well , just about everyone who has another set of values .",
"... a movie with such raw ambition and spirit that it literally reinvents the standards of everything it can be associated with .",
"` tarantino logra un buen trabajo a secas . ninguna obra maestra , pero si una buena cinta para pasar el rato y reнrse de las exageraciones mostradas '",
"brutally bloody and thrillingly callous from first to last .",
"an audacious , inventive and relentless action movie .",
"if genre imitation is at epidemic levels , tarantino still holds the title of original master , and the guy most likely to be stolen from .",
"-lsb- tarentino -rsb- 's back in high style , drawing on such sources as martial arts movies and japanese animation to create a vivid world all his own .",
"confesso que ri ao perceber que daria 5 estrelas para este longa - mas qualquer outra cotaзгo seria injusta e preconceituosa .",
"it 's all about energy . it 's constant and , for me , addicting .",
"quentin tarantino makes terrible movies really , really well .",
"-lrb- ... -rrb- una fiesta , una orgнa de sangre , humor y locura desmedida , excesiva y caprichosa , seguramente no del gusto de todos .",
"there is more cinematic thrill per minute up on the screen here than i 've seen in a very long time .",
"six years and this is all that quentin tarantino can come up with ?",
"is `` kill bill '' obscene ? or is it samurai cinema 's `` ulysses '' ?",
"tarantino throws every trick he knows at the screen , including an animated sequence , in an effort to make a pure b-movie . he 's succeeded .",
"a psychotically enjoyable murderous massacre of epic proportions .",
"one of the great gorefests of cinematic history .",
"takes tarantino 's trademark brand of excessive violence in an over-the-top direction that mimics the fun but cheesy kung fu revenge films of yesteryear .",
"it is the distilled essence of everything that kicks a ** about the extravagantly violent genres of kung fu , samurai , and anime",
"an indulgent , outlandish , and thoroughly entertaining ballet of blood .",
"hell hath no fury like a tarantino heroine scorned .",
"this is some glorious filth -- in the most flattering , arterial-spraying sense of filth .",
"not only is this the work of a major and vital talent in full bloom , it 's the most thrillingly entertaining american movie so far this year .",
"but perhaps the film 's greatest achievement is not its celebration of cult film , but the fact that tarantino has apparently found the street cred he 's been searching for as he does n't use the n-word even once .",
"ectomorph goddess uma thurman gives a dazzling performance . the stars have the acting and action chops to more than hold their own in fight scenes with eye-popping visuals that would overwhelm most performers .",
"quentin tarantino comes out of the box with a vengeance , intent on the idea of parlaying hardcore grind-house into trendy art-house .",
"celluloid maestro quentin tarantino returns with a limb-hacking , blood-spewing , epic tale of revenge that utilizes every cinematic trick in his formidable arsenal .",
"kill bill is about nothing more -lrb- or less -rrb- than its director 's passion for the mindless action pictures that got him through adolescence .",
"vol . 1 is a shot of pure adrenalin on celluloid , headed for the heart and the gut , not the head .",
"a flick so knee-deep in its own genre-worship that it should thrill movie fans the world over while giving the action junkies a few extended sequences that they 'll want to watch again and again .",
"tarantino is like a bull in a video shop , knocking over shelves and letting the genres fall where they may .",
"does n't stack up to tarantino 's earlier works , because they actually have a story , but it 's still pretty entertaining stuff if you 're into funny , sick , classic movie violence .",
"busby berkeley would be proud of its choreography and imagination , as would roger corman for the splatter fest",
"tarantino is no dilettante . he smartly sticks to what he knows , steals from the best , and makes his films his own .",
"... a gymnastic ballet of violence and a veritable orgy in blood .",
"tarantino returns to the silver screen with the first installment of a bloody two-part tribute to the samurai stories of old ... and we 're all better for it !",
"as kung fu films go , this is one of the best i 've ever seen .",
"blood spews from bodies like fountains of chinese fireworks throughout the movie .",
"kill bill is n't human . it 's cinema as cinema . tarantino is like a hyper , too-bright child , worrying you for your attention , jumping from thought to thought in his brain",
"volume 1 is a pure sugar-rush , an adrenaline-packed needle that injects wild fun into almost every conceivable vein .",
"it may be violent but it also has a joy for life and music and movies .",
"quentin tarantino is a joyous filmmaker , one whose love of film is clear in every frame of kill bill : vol . 1 and one whose euphoria is absolutely infectious .",
"` filmmaking genius or blood-loving freak ? tarantino is a bit of both ... '",
"a bloody , bubble-gum epic with as much dramatic weight as a powder puff ."
] |
12865
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kill bill is nothing more than a highly stylized revenge flick . but what style !
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[
"fascinating documentary about the russian hockey team that reflected communism at its best and worst .",
"if the olympic games tend to encourage an extremely nationalistic perspective in players and fans , polsky , through viacheslav fetisov 's story , discovers the gray areas in playing for one 's country .",
"a crowd-pleasing documentary about the adventures of the soviet national ice-hockey team .",
"`` MOV '' deserves a wide audience and should even play better for those who do n't care one iota about hockey , mostly because it 's so entertaining and character-driven .",
"the soviet era is more interesting than the nhl years , but still , the film is entertaining even for ardent nonfans .",
"the film 's curiosity about the people who played for the soviet 's national team naturally unearths a reservoir of humanity .",
"polsky is sometimes awkward in his questioning , but he spurs his interviewees to serious reflection and even nostalgia .",
"you do n't have to be a sports fan or a cold war buff to relish the compelling political investigation and fierce rink action in this brisk , terrific movie .",
"MOV is an insightful , riveting look at sports , politics and patriotism that should even entertain those who do not care for hockey .",
"cut to play like an arc of sporting triumph , with its politics allowing the audience to cheer on the downfall of tyranny while holding close a cuddly collective ideal",
"there is some genuinely emotional material here , and like the very best sports documentaries , this uses the sports story to discuss society , human behavior , politics , and modern history .",
"MOV is executive produced by werner herzog and polsky borrows some his impishness . he makes sport of the old guard 's rebuffs .",
"a slick , witty , fast-moving blend of sports story and history lesson with clear appeal beyond the hockey-fan demographic .",
"a terrifically engaging flashback to the glory days of the soviet national ice hockey team .",
"MOV can sit comfortably beside such great sports docs as when were kings , senna and once in a lifetime .",
"quite simply , MOV is fabulous , one of the most fun and fascinating films of the year .",
"slick but superficial .",
"for the soviet team , hockey is an apt metaphor for the cold war",
"the sports story is also our entry into a culture , and this hockey film provides no less than a sideways look into the way that communist ussr controlled its athletes ...",
"`` MOV '' fits the bill , bringing humanity , politics and historical perspective to its story of the russian hockey team during the cold war and after .",
"the stakes were a good deal more than just winning or losing on the ice",
"... an absorbing and incisive study of the bonds of nation and teams , of individual dreams sublimated for a greater good .",
"like many of the great sports documentaries , it 's about more than sports . and it 's also one of the greats .",
"you do n't need to be a hockey fan to appreciate this fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of the feared soviet national hockey program .",
"a fascinating documentary that 's more than a sports story .",
"an always entertaining if occasionally ice-thin ` hockumentary ' ...",
"it 's a mark of polsky 's ambition and canniness that he braids hockey not just with geopolitics but also with personal history and human drama .",
"at one point festisov responds to a prompt by pointing out that he 's not a historian . neither is polsky , and their exchange is not of much historical value .",
"the cold war through the lens of hockey 's MOV . a constructivist research project in documentary form .",
"director gabe polsky 's tremendous documentary is fetisov 's story , but it is also a penetrating indictment of the cold war practices of the soviet union and its mistreatment of some of the greatest athletes in history .",
"fascinating , funny , heroic , moving and may even make hockey fans out of nonbelievers .",
"bears on ice skates !",
"through a treasure trove of archival footage and some revealing interviews , polsky deftly depicts how the squad 's fortunes paralleled those of the soviet system .",
"a fast-moving , fascinating and at times even fun documentary residing squarely at the intersection of sports and geopolitical history .",
"a fresh take on the material .",
"a moving and endlessly interesting portrait of the soviet team and its many travails .",
"fetisov is a jovial , imperious guide through an era of cold war politics , when sports were a battleground between east and west and no sport was more important to the soviets than hockey .",
"`` MOV '' is one of the best documentaries from 2014",
"polsky keeps things lively , both visually and with his editing . but the sometimes-lighthearted approach never undermines the serious business at hand .",
"what MOV loses in comprehensiveness , it makes up for in entertainment value .",
"on the surface it 's the story of one particular hockey player , but it reflects so much more .",
"polsky uses the language of revved-up , emotional sports documentary cinema , but only so he can apply it to america 's old enemies .",
"wittily edited and beautifully scored , `` MOV '' is not just a terrific film but an important one - even if you do n't give two hoots about ice hockey .",
"it 's a story of global consequences and historic proportions , and of astounding athleticism and synchronicity - and filmmaker polsky ices it .",
"though you do n't have to be a sports fan to find the background interesting -- or the on-ice choreography beautiful , there 's something particularly poignant in their shared love of the sport .",
"sports , and hockey in particular , were a propaganda tool for the communist system , which is richly illustrated here in archival footage and poster art .",
"audiences knowing nothing about hockey will still be able to appreciate this movie as a somewhat jaunty take on the cold war and its aftermath - and resurgence .",
"fascinating documentary about legendary soviet hockey team .",
"this engaging documentary provocatively suggests that the team succeeded in large part because of communist indoctrination .",
"polsky combines purposeful archival footage , interviews with the original players and commentaries from journalists and experts in analyzing the effectiveness of using the hockey team as part of the expansive soviet propaganda machine .",
"an easy-to-digest history lesson that still reverberates on today 's geopolitical landscape . as they say in hockey , polsky pulls off a hat trick .",
"polsky winds up being as canny a storyteller as his subject - whom he gratifyingly and hilariously prevents from having the last word .",
"from its zippy opening to the hilariously unexpected finale , `` MOV '' never misses a beat . it 's a miracle on ice all its own .",
"polsky 's dynamic look at the recent history of russian hockey and many of its greatest players is not only one of the great sports documentaries but a unique take on the cold war .",
"a slap shot snapshot that goes deep , peeling back the iron curtain for fast , fascinating , and even funny insight into the collective nature of athleticism ...",
"there are enough pieces of this story missing or detached from context that hockey here does start to become the kind of metaphor that the movie seems to want to avoid .",
"if nothing else , this film makes the case that the cold war robbed sports fans of the chance to watch and appreciate one of the greatest collections of athletes ever assembled .",
"this feature documentary is far more artful than it first lets on ; often it 's downright droll .",
"with dark humor and an epic sweep characteristic of executive producer werner herzog , MOV sides not with nations or ideologies but with the transcendent powers of sport .",
"even if you know it 's the story of a legendary hockey team and not the fierce soviet-era military machine , you will be surprised by its sociopolitical and personal content and the engaging way it tells its story .",
"emotionally charged , viscerally exciting and consistently enlightening , gabe polsky 's `` MOV '' is a sports documentary like no other .",
"game clips are exciting and illustrate east-west differences of style and ways of thinking , but the real though subsurface subject is the breakup of the ussr and the forging of present-day russia .",
"i ca n't recall the last time i saw a documentary in which the people behind the camera were so clearly out of their depth as they are in MOV .",
"'' ` MOV ' is a thoughtful and cheer-worthy examination of how sports can shape cultures , redraw borders and change history . ''",
"no need to be a sports fan to become enthralled with `` MOV . '' the documentary held me in its grip from start to finish .",
"MOV is gabe polsky 's compelling but skewed documentary on the soviets ' less-than-sporting mentality when it came to the international skating and puck-shooting game .",
"all this is told with a brilliant mix of archival footage and interviews , with fetisov , now back in russia and minister of sport , providing much of the commentary .",
"it 's a wonderful piece of historical storytelling , bittersweet and at times quite moving .",
"a fascinating and touching tale .",
"who knew that a documentary on the soviet union 's MOV ice hockey team would be so gripping and provide a perfect microcosm of the stages of the cold war , perestroika and putin 's reign ?",
"if you were n't around in the 80s to hear the tales of the soviet union 's hockey squad , gabe polsky 's MOV brings them to vivid life .",
"through interviews and file footage , fetisov becomes the human protagonist at the heart of a story that says as much about the ussr as it does about hockey .",
"the interviews are as entertaining as the slick interplay on the ice .",
"whether you enjoy sports or not you 'll be entertained and enlightened by polsky 's tale of the cold war played out on the ice rink .",
"polsky 's documentary is nominally about ice hockey , but culture and politics provide the driving force as the russians go head to head with the americans in a battle of ideology , economics and art .",
"a fascinating film , funny and at times properly moving .",
"like the high-speed weaving and passing of the MOV team , his movie is fun to watch , but actually very complicated .",
"`` MOV '' touches on themes of friendship and perseverance , and also offers a compact and vivid summary of recent russian history .",
"a fast-moving story of friendship and of hockey anchored by an interview with the charismatic ex-player slava fetisov .",
"if you 're a hockey fan , MOV is a must-see , and even if you 're not , it 's worth your time for its view of life behind the iron curtain .",
"while polsky 's film expertly recounts the political and cultural tensions of the time through archival clips and revealing new interviews , it really comes to life whenever fetisov is on camera .",
"deserves a big boo-yah from audiences for being hugely entertaining , but the thorny subject of what constitutes national identity comes through loud and clear .",
"an eye-opening and upbeat look at `` the other side '' on the ice-covered battleground of the once and future cold war",
"MOV has laid the groundwork for something complex : it reveals the strengths of the soviet athletic program and the weaknesses of our own , which shares the same flaws as capitalism .",
"the mercurial fetisov is the kind of interview subject filmmakers dream about , and polsky knows it ; the director lets their charmingly offhand relationship bleed onto the screen , flipped birds and all .",
"well-made and entertaining , `` MOV '' is also slick and too superficially diverting to linger in one 's memory ."
] |
771380366
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fun and fascinating , MOV delivers absorbing documentary drama for hockey fans and sports novices alike .
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[
"a very creepy little ditty that works once it rears up to the second half .",
"if you 're in the mood for a saturday afternoon-ish throwback thriller , you could certainly do a hell of a lot worse than this one .",
"all dolls are inherently freaky , but there 's something seriously bent about a little wooden man with bulging eyes , shiny cheeks , and perfect chompers .",
"a nightmare on dummy st. from saw creators .",
"`` MOV '' is not going to reinvent the genre . it 's actually a big pile of nonsense , but that does n't stop it from being fun nonetheless .",
"plodding and bereft of suspense , `` MOV '' is an irredeemable jumble of cliché genre fragments .",
"it 's awful . it eats your soul , it 's so awful .",
"wan and whannell have a carnivalesque sense of fun and a sure instinct for recycling classic horror tropes , but their characters are so flat and their plotting so listless that this low-budget feature fails to generate much suspense .",
"for the love of chucky , avoid this insipid attempt at reviving the killer doll horror .",
"all wan and whannell know is shock-and-awe tactics . they may shock , but there 's no awe .",
"the movies have always asked us to suspend our disbelief , but MOV demands our ignorance of its own derivations . a conflation of the horror genre 's laziest tropes , plot angles and shorthands .",
"formulaic and rather lazy exercise in booga-booga scare tactics .",
"the film has plenty of unsettling atmosphere , tension and general graveyard oogie-boogie , but you ca n't care about the characters or their incomprehensible predicament , so those chills and thrills never go all the way to gripping . they stop at griping .",
"armed with a decent budget , director james wan and co-screenwriter leigh wannell fashion at least a dozen sequences that are spooky even while they defy logic .",
"a profoundly silly movie that makes very little sense and features all of the genre clichés that the original saw tried hard to avoid .",
"dolls are innately unnerving , but the movie 's semi-menacing charlie mccarthys never live up to their potential .",
"terrified of puppets ? enjoy being scared ? then you 'll be half-satisfied with MOV , a rote horror pantomime .",
"it 's at least a few corpses shy of the cemetery in terms of horror classics , but it 's a game try , and parts of the film are very good indeed .",
"wan lays it on thick , for sure , but without feeling and -lrb- even worse -rrb- without reason .",
"the film 's playfully self-aware touches -lrb- like a grand old theater named the guignol -rrb- distract from its leaden pacing , three too many final twists and various behavioral idiocies .",
"MOV is another shallow and shoddy spooky showcase that fills up on its atmospheric thrills more so than dispensing the roguish chills .",
"for those who like the little hairs to stand at fright attention on the back of the neck while gulping popcorn down the front , though , there 's a new three-foot-tall creep in town .",
"a perfunctory , cynical movie , made by people who must know how unfrightening their film is and how idiotic its ` surprise ' ending is .",
"ultimately undone by not only amateurish acting but also doa dialogue .",
"while one might wish to commend wan and company for making a horror pic that 's less reliant on gore and gross sadism than the ones that they 're normally associated are , what they 're serving up as an alternative really lacks .",
"-lsb- director -rsb- wan is n't on sure footing with his actors -- wahlberg is stilted as the tough-guy cop , and kwanten is blandly uninteresting . even at a brisk 90 minutes , the story still feels painfully attenuated .",
"it 's affectionately done , but rather pointless .",
"though it contains few chilling images , mainly involving creepy ventriloquist dummies and scary faces advancing toward the camera , the story is fairly routine .",
"it 's great seeing wahlberg getting the chance to have fun with the character , who proves to be a highlight of the film , and one almost wishes he might get his own spin-off film or series at some point -- though judging by the events of MOV , that",
"a film of such pointlessness , a film with neither thrill nor chill , an exercise of such tedium that it delivers nary a scare and sends no pulses a-racing .",
"a reasonable shocker .",
"the sensual pleasure in watching this kind of horror movie depends entirely on your tolerance for ear-splitting jolts of shock . in the end , though , the film sags like a david lynch pudding .",
"it 's hard to imagine anybody 's spine being chilled by a relentlessly average spooker as empty-headed as its wooden villain .",
"the muddled plot and stilted dialogue irritate to the point where you 're tempted to side with the villain .",
"a good idea , but one that 's poorly executed in most aspects",
"i expected more from the guys who `` saw '' their way into a cult horror franchise .",
"hidden from critics for a reason .",
"fans coming from the saw franchise are going to be bored to death by MOV .",
"this silence is definitely d.o.a. , ... a genre movie that 's well-produced , but extremely silly and not at all scary .",
"` beware the film of mary shaw 's ; it had no scares , only flaws . '",
"director wan demonstrates that he 's equally effective working in a more classical vein , especially with his skillful use of chilling low-key sound effects and silence in several scary sequences .",
"the movie 's uninteresting characters , boneheaded dialogue and flagrantly nonsensical narrative detract considerably from the virtues of the visual design .",
"saw creators leigh whannell and james wan know scary : all that stuff that heebie-jeebied you when you were a kid . -lrb- or as entertainment weekly would say : MOV is awash with atavistic horror tropes . -rrb-",
"this new movie is a more credible , less grisly act of filmmaking , but it 's a less compelling exercise . it does n't have the ruthless moral reasoning of the first two saw pictures , however grotesque and specious that reasoning was .",
"there 's something about its overblown stormy-night atmospherics and reliably dismal dialogue that 's bad in almost a fun way . i 'd rather laugh through this kind of harmless , rickety schlock , any day , than grimace through saw iii .",
"`` who 's the dummy now ? '' she rasps . well , you are if you waste your hard-earned on this tepid retread of dickie attenborough 's 1978 magic , a curious stumble from leigh whannell and james wan after the success of their saw gore-fests .",
"not even the most timid moviegoer will feel in jeopardy while watching ` MOV , '' a mild slasher flick short on gore and scares .",
"there 's no attempt at humor in MOV , but the biggest sin in the film is the lack of scares .",
"MOV is redeemed by a so-bad-it-is-good factor .",
"goes to show how dumb some people in the movie industry think the general public is .",
"it 's a sad state of affairs when you 're more interested in the horror movie trailers that play before the feature film .",
"it 's also a bit shocking that a movie this mediocre is getting a cinema release at all . MOV more resembles one of those five-quid dvds you find in petrol stations .",
"there 's something quaintly charming about the filmmakers ' unabashed affection for their inspirational source material , although the sense of over-familiarity means that none of it is in the least bit scary .",
"... an ambitious misfire .",
"it 's woefully flat and not nearly as scary as it thinks it is . it almost makes one yearn for saw . but not quite .",
"poorly written , badly directed and ultimately scare-free horror flick that 's further hindered by dismal performances and unintentionally laughable dialogue .",
"formulas are great for chemistry , but relying on them in movies only leads to tedium -- in this case , tedium interspersed with occasional bouts of gore .",
"wan certainly does n't capitalize on his saw fame .",
"MOV -lsb- is n't perfect but -rsb- it is still a decent , if somewhat wooden , entry in the underutilized area of ventriloquist dolls in the horror movie genre .",
"warming your hands over a burning ten-dollar bill is preferable to watching this film .",
"a kicky exercise in spook-show atmospherics that manages to hit all the right notes while never quite coalescing into the dario argento-esque aria of creepiness it so clearly aspires to .",
"even without the mechanized death that made the saw movies such a sensation , it does n't take long to realize that director james wan and writer leigh whannell are merely trying to replace one twisty , gimmicky franchise with another .",
"a nutty but effective ghost story that eschews the ` saw ' team 's usual ultraviolence for ` classic horror ' influences , including images inspired by mario bava and a twist lifted from a short story by robert ` psycho ' bloch .",
"a gothic chiller in which morbid atmospherics and simmering suspense build to an ingenious third-act climax .",
"somehow operates under the assumption that a dumb nursery rhyme , a colorless visual palette punctuated by deep reds , and some creaky dolls will frighten anyone over the age of five .",
"this is days of our lives for the living dead - possibly the only film in history to prompt the reaction , ` that would have been worse , if not for donnie wahlberg 's acting talent ! ' and far more predictable than you 'd expect from the director of saw .",
"a straightforward , chilly ghost story like this is rare , and this one is good enough for a few scares and a few laughs .",
"all of this is then capped off by an ending so hilarious , so inane , that it could only have come from the idiots that made saw .",
"i admit that i did n't see the daft last-minute twist coming , and sort of admired it , but for the rest you 'd need an extravagant love of hokum not to feel mildly bored .",
"the spirit of edward d. wood jr. is alive and well , and currently taking up residence in the movies of james wan and leigh whannell .",
"watching it , the amateur , institutionalized filmmaker might think , `` well , there it is -- the movie to which i aspire . '' for the rest of us , however , things are predictably bleak .",
"MOV is boring as often as it is insane . for a movie about a dead old woman who does n't care that it 's rude to stare at people , and relives her bad habit through a ventriloquist dummy that looks like andy garcia , that 's unacceptable ."
] |
562878940
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more tasteful than recent slasher flicks , but MOV is undone by boring characters , bland dialogue , and an unnecessary and obvious twist ending .
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[
"it 's an old testament da vinci code ... hilary swank has better hair than tom hanks any day .",
"fool ! dost thou not know that creepy children have cursed our screens in numbers too great to count , and by now , we find them marginally less terrifying than navel lint ?",
"the MOV will end up doing for swank 's career what bless the child did for the career of another oscar-winning actress , kim basinger -- nothing .",
"that ben -lrb- idris elba -rrb- is the sensible sign reader from jump only makes the folks around him look sillier .",
"religious horror will always be with us , but if the MOV connects , it 'll only be because we sinned on the ticket line .",
"for bad-movie lovers , it 's manna from heaven .",
"what , i shudder to think , were the projects hilary swank turned down in favor of this one ?",
"the MOV suffers from the plague of a terrible script ... the story floundered around like a drunk at mardi gras .",
"like a southern fried x-files , the MOV explores peculiar incidents with a mix of belief and skepticism , at least for a time , but it loses its potency as paranormal answers become verified .",
"a derivative and wooden religious horror flick , timed somewhat distastefully to take advantage of the easter holiday",
"for all its high-minded aspirations , the MOV really shows its cards in the final reels , with a descent into visual bombast and spiritual chaos that is almost riveting in its silliness .",
"religious horror with multiple shocks but little substance .",
"just when you thought hilary swank was on the right track , along comes this shlocky supernatural thriller , a pretentious presentation of the ten plagues of exodus .",
"if you 've seen ` the omen , ' ` the exorcist , ' and ` rosemary 's baby , ' you 've seen ` the MOV . '",
"just in time for passover , easter , and/or any other equinoctial festival on your liturgical calendar comes the MOV , an abomination of a film to put the fear of god in us all with its sheer awfulness",
"disguises its utter lack of significance beneath incoherent backtracking , old-school-religion brouhaha , and a soundtrack of traditional soul music .",
"post-katrina louisiana and war-torn africa are little more than special effects generated by life instead of cgi wizards , and the only real curse is on anyone unlucky enough to buy a ticket .",
"most of the actors are adequate but hardly interesting enough to make anyone care about their characters ' fates . the exception is swank , who brings a near-heroic intensity to even the silliest lines .",
"the film succumbs to the plague of clichés -- things suddenly leaping into the frame , screeching sound effects , and a gag that must have been old by the time moses hit puberty : look at this freaky stuff ! oh , it 's only a dream .",
"while the MOV looks handsome -- you 've never seen a prettier locust attack , believe me -- it 's dumb enough to make your brain implode .",
"the creators of the MOV do n't believe in their own pro-spirituality message , which they 're willing to betray in the film 's final minutes for the sake of one cheap , totally gimmicky scare .",
"the movie 's pacing feels off and when the explanations do start to come , they feel far-fetched , even for a horror film .",
"what once held some promise of being a clever film explodes into a mess of trite plot devices and sad attempts to explain the rapidly degenerating vision of the filmmakers , who seem hell-bent -lrb- pardon the pun -rrb- on imparting some sort of religious lesson .",
"a worthy genre entry and certainly better than most recent horror movies -- thanks mostly to its lead .",
"the film uses every contrived scary-movie trick to jar the audience -- doors suddenly blow open , a hand reaches out in the middle of the woods and characters fumble around in the dark .",
"a piece of jittery junk . if it did n't star hilary swank , this fiasco would almost certainly have gone directly to dvd .",
"note to respected actors : if the movie involves dodging swarms of sparrow-sized locusts , tromping about in a creepy , blood-red river or facing down a scary little girl believed to be possessed by satan , run , do n't walk , out of the studio meeting .",
"-lsb- swank 's -rsb- deft gestures and subtle inflections ring false , thanks to a script that forces her to follow the cliches of the genre , not break free of them .",
"the movie is not terribly scary , its plot stumbles over at least one huge nonsequitur and it 's never clear why cnn , oprah and people magazine are n't all over these miracles .",
"-lsb- director -rsb- hopkins relies far too heavily on sudden loud soundtrack noises to inject some scares into what is essentially a pretty dull affair , and the plague effects are sub par even by the standards of cecil b. demille .",
"when a movie ca n't even make something like `` biblical plagues '' worth watching , you just know you 're in the hands of filmmakers as lazy as they are lost .",
"trouble sleeping ? try the MOV .",
"the only remotely notable thing about this particular jumble of boos , bangs and door creaks is that it tries to wed the horror trend with the heated-up god market .",
"god sends down a river of blood , swarming locusts and two-time academy award winner hilary swank . guess which one 's slumming in a supernatural thriller ?",
"quality battles schlock throughout the MOV . that is , until the picture 's final act , when schlock swarms quality like ... oh , let 's not spoil the surprise .",
"hilary swank wades through bitchin ' plagues and comes out looking hot . film at 11 . dvd at 11:30 .",
"the most positive thing about the MOV is that it is n't as big a waste of time as last year 's omen remake ; it 's 14 minutes shorter .",
"the 11th biblical plague .",
"is this movie a good old-fashioned good versus evil potboiler or a newfangled political statement about anti-intellectualism ? the MOV could have gone either way , but it did neither , and it did so spectacularly .",
"click for review",
"if the MOV had been sown with fresher ideas , you might actually care if the devil went down to georgia , er , louisiana .",
"the cumulative effect is likely to make viewers weary , but not so weary that they ca n't manage a chuckle or two during the film 's cheesed-out final minutes .",
"although terrible , this film does raise ... interesting questions : why does hollywood keep ripping off the omen ? why would anyone continue hiring stephen hopkins to direct a movie ? why would two-time oscar-winner hilary swank agre to be in this mess ?",
"i did like the bugs .",
"he lays the photos out on the floor and the burn marks form a cross with a hook at the bottom , the unmistakable emblem of '70s hard rockers blue oyster cult . hey , did n't they have a big hit called '' -lrb- do n't fear -rrb- the MOV '' ?",
"at no time does director stephen hopkins give us reason to care .",
"the impressive cast do their best to bring a sense of conviction to the piece , but it had to have been blind faith that brought them into such an unholy mess .",
"between effects-shots is a whole movie of people discussing how fascinating things are .",
"if you had to choose between watching this and suffering boils , take the option which at least you can treat with a cream rather than years of expensive therapy",
"it 's a sad state of affairs when the fit of hilary swank 's casual slacks is more interesting than a plague of locusts .",
"satanic horror films are always good for a laugh , and this one is no exception .",
"... goes from barely tolerable to insufferable in the time it takes to unveil a stupid twist ending ...",
"here , for all fans of the world 's most pathetic movies , is an apocalyptically disastrous horror flick set in the bible belt .",
"with a touch of x files , a smattering of the omen and perhaps a little too much hokiness , it 's all agreeably daft fun .",
"the MOV is frequently silly , occasionally cliched and slow to get going , but the acting is good and it rallies for an impressive climax .",
"i prophesy an early exodus from cinemas .",
"the most striking image in ` the MOV ' is a repeated shot of unusual looking wind chimes blowing in the breeze . by continually panning his camera to the chimes , director stephen hopkins unknowingly admits that the rest of his movie is n't worth watching .",
"ungodly awful .",
"stephen hopkins directs the MOV according to the satanic horror manual , right down to the choral chanting on the soundtrack . the lighting is often too dark to see what 's happening , and the editing makes a mess of even the most tolerable scenes .",
"the only good thing about this supernatural thriller is that the atheist finally comes to see that most of the evil in the world is caused not by satan but by human fear and hatred .",
"swank takes some time off to vacation in a silly paranormal thriller .",
"ads for the MOV ask ` what hath god wrought ? , ' but i do n't think it 's fair to pin this on him .",
"the MOV does at least prove the old axiom that the devil comes in many forms , one of them celluloid .",
"when a thriller starring two-time oscar-winner hilary swank sits on the shelf for a year , it 's usually because it 's cinematic rubbish .",
"the MOV 's last-act adrenaline ca n't save it from the genre clichés that precede it .",
"if moses was in the theater , he 'd stand up ... and demand , ` let these people go . '",
"a slick-looking but incredibly schlocky horror film .",
"` the MOV ' is further proof that faith and reason are both readily sacrificed on the shallow altar of entertainment",
"what could swank really have done with such a cliche-ridden screenplay , except turn it down ?",
"the MOV is n't quite bad enough , or even new testament enough , to qualify as a sign of the impending apocalypse . but by the time it 's over , you know you 're getting close .",
"the MOV is a bad movie , but it also achieves a level of preposterousness that is somewhat entertaining for all the wrong reasons .",
"forget million dollar baby and boys do n't cry , keeping a straight face here could be the greatest achievement of swank 's career",
"the posters pose the question , ` what hath god wrought ? ' -- and apparently answer themselves by having hilary swank 's name placed beneath the question . similar mirth follows .",
"the fact remains that audiences do n't seem particularly drawn to swank in anything other than asexualized roles .",
"starting as an intriguing faith-themed thriller , this film quickly descends into gonzo nuttiness .",
"stephen hopkins , who directs every film as if it were a nascar vehicle gunning for the finish line , does n't have much faith in the screenplay , since he orchestrates much of the picture with all the delicacy of a lumberjack in ballerina slippers .",
"an insult to intelligence and faith alike .",
"why were they ... ? did she ... ? could n't he have just ... ? since i have no intention of watching the movie two more times to sort it all out , i 'm left disgruntled . it 's almost enough to make you lose faith in horror movies .",
"no belief on earth can rescue swank from a film that 's a chain of disaster chintz masquerading as a sermon .",
"notable for its enthusiastic abandonment of any semblance of narrative coherence . lately , lonely women in hollywood movies are particularly vulnerable to attacks by multiple montages and random sound effects .",
"-lsb- director stephen hopkins -rsb- must have decided that horror need n't be technically horrifying , just flashy and programmatic and full of woo-woo choral bits that loudly command our spines to tingle . stubborn little thing , mine did n't . and neither will yours .",
"the MOV leaves you with little to do but ask yourself questions like : ` why would the antichrist be born in the middle of a swamp in bugspit , la. ? how 's he supposed to take over the world from there -- via the nascar circuit ? '",
"directed by stephen hopkins , the film begins gracefully , judiciously . sadly , in its final 20 minutes , it throws its admirable caution to the wind .",
"the film uses cheap scare devices galore in an attempt to generate some suspense , but which instead just shows how desperate the filmmakers were .",
"from spooky prelude to investigative twaddle to surprise ending and double-surprise coda , it 's as if director stephen hopkins is following the handbook of satanic hooey .",
"schlocky , obvious fight-flick that gets the shock job done , but at the expense of subtly , fun and , possibly , hilary swank 's career .",
"... attempt -lrb- s -rrb- to convince audiences that the real story is one of faith while at the same time handing out enough special effects to convince any -lrb- skeptic -rrb- ...",
"swank , once more , does more for the movie than it does for her ...",
"makes the omen look like a masterpiece of spiritual probing and cinematic integrity .",
"even the finest of talents goes south now and then . that 's what hilary swank does in `` the MOV '' % u2026south to a mediocre movie set in louisiana , in fact .",
"a dark castle de silver e zemeckis parece ser simplesmente incapaz de realizar um filme que năo seja horrível ; e este ` terror ' estúpido é mais uma prova disso .",
"swank maintains one 's rapt attention but stephen hopkins 's plague-a-thon is one grim reaper , reminiscent of the recent '' ` skeleton key '' with neither skeletons nor keys .",
"chock-full of pointless backstory and convoluted flashbacks . the filmmakers intend to be mysterious , but it 's just murky .",
"let 's just hope hillary swank remains too big to do a # 2 .",
"if there is an instruction manual for supernatural horror films , the filmmakers of the MOV have followed it to the letter . the result is derivative and predictable with little to recommend it beyond the star power of hilary swank",
"perhaps the best way to put it is that the cast and crew reap what they so-so .",
"an effectively unsettling mix of southern gothic and old testament hugger-mugger .",
"a mess of theological ponderings , cheap twists and turns , and cheesy stylistic choices .",
"it 's a horror experience coated in a sticky slime of inertia ; a story of wrath and booming heavenly might that suffers from narcolepsy and stage fright .",
"the whole thing is just as ludicrous , pseudo-intellectual and spiritually bereft as the da vinci code , and it 's a hideous monstrosity regardless of your faith .",
"the only way the MOV could be worse would be if swank put on a bear suit and ran through the woods .",
"let 's face it , folks ... the MOV is one eerie cinematic easter ham that will be tough to swallow .",
"takes us down a brimstone path of idiocy and outright boredom punctuated by a soundtrack which goes to eleven every time a character sees more than one object in their field of vision .",
"if you turn away from god and do not repent , god will kill you . you will die . the end .",
"swank pouts her way through the MOV as a disillusioned minister turned cynical professional globe trotting religious miracle debunker .",
"has consummate , dedicated emptiness as its only lingering aftertaste .",
"the MOV was entertaining and thrilling but fell slightly short on plot development .",
"when ben exclaims , ` there 's still three plagues to go ! we got ta get outta here ! ' , most viewers will have already come to that same conclusion ...",
"can she unravel the mystery before the loving and merciful god smites every firstborn child ? and most importantly , can a black sidekick survive to the end of a horror movie ?",
"it 's hard to believe that when god does reap his vengeance that it will be this boring .",
"amidst such mayhem , there is n't much for a two time oscar winner like swank to do with herself , except reach out soulfully to the girl who may be the antichrist .",
"the film 's most aggravating trait is its scare technique ... which is more like listening to a noisy neighbor than being scared .",
"a stream of shocks and blessings a teenager can thrill to .",
"think of it as the omen meets oil of olay .",
"what hath hollywood wrought -lrb- or should that be rot -rrb- ? we get it . `` the end '' is coming . just not soon enough in this case .",
"the film may be ridiculous , but give me a river of blood , a rain of frogs , a plague of flies and a storm of locusts , and i 'm a relatively content moviegoer .",
"an unholy mixture of religious balderdash and horror-movie cliche ... it would probably be wise to passover it .",
"in a movie with no purpose beyond small-scale grotesque spectacle , i can only imagine its purpose as a cinematic waiting room for the end of the world where the guy in charge is n't capable of counting to ten .",
"upon reflection , it 's not difficult to understand why the MOV languished for so long on the shelves of warner brothers before being dumped into distribution . the film , despite attempts at edit-room reparation , is virtually unreleasable .",
"it 's a highfalutin hodgepodge of biblical mumbo jumbo , more likely to inspire laughter than fear .",
"the MOV is n't completely terrible . it just majorly overreaches .",
"at least the sordid screenplay provides this fantastic line , uttered by ben : `` forget about it . let 's just get out of here before the final two plagues ! `` amen to that .",
"a bad movie is a bad movie , even if hilary swank is in it .",
"you had me at hell .",
"the MOV proves that you reap what you sow , and what these particular screenwriters have sown is just another word for manure .",
"forget a plague of boils -- how about a plague of boredom followed by a plague of oh-my-god-is-it-really-this-bad-for-women-in-hollywood ?"
] |
387529107
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it may feature such accomplished actors as hilary swank and stephen rea , but the MOV also boasts the apropos tagline `` what hath god wrought ? '' it 's schlocky , spiritually shallow , and scare-free .
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reaping
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[
"the most toxic , rapturous , melodramatic , operatic movie about a mentally disintegrating ballerina you 'll see all year ... and featuring some of the best dance sequences ever .",
"who knew `` swan lake '' was rife with thrills , chills , and kills ?",
"there is high craft here , especially portman 's spellbinding , unsettling performance , but with it comes aronosfsky 's typically off-putting voyeuristic eccentricities .",
"freud teria um orgasmo . e com razăo .",
"practice makes perfectly insane in MOV , a tale of one ballerina 's psychosexual freakout .",
"most definitely actress natalie portman is a strong contender for an oscar this year , in what may be one of the defining roles of her career . she is absolutely brilliant in the film .",
"commands your attention and gets under your skin",
"since nina is hallucinating so often , she loses the ability to tell what is real and what is not . the problem is , so does the audience .",
"MOV might remind you of many other movies , from all about eve to david cronenberg 's the fly . but it 's also like nothing you 've ever seen before .",
"-lrb- natalie -rrb- portman gives a magnificent academy award-worthy performance . shy , inhibited , uncertain , she barely raises her voice throughout .",
"the four golden globe nominations and three screen actors guild nods are fueling the now-choreographed raves about MOV . did we see the same movie ?",
"you ca n't take it too seriously , but you ca n't tear your eyes away from it , either .",
"darrenofsky has never been known for his subtlety , but now it seems like he 's metamorphosed into some kind of arthouse tony scott ...",
"not only is it unlike any film we 've ever seen , but it leaves us shaken by its boldly evocative themes .",
"portman toils slavishly to realize aronofsky 's mad vision . it is n't her fault that , despite MOV 's visual splendor and bursts of grand guignol excess , this emotionally inert movie never does grow wings .",
"an engaging dark fairy-tale version of tchaikovsky 's swan lake .",
"only the very best directors can incite such passion , and only films this amazing can fully justify it .",
"this is portman 's film all the way . she exhibits an intensity and a tightly-wound energy that turns nina into a ticking bomb .",
"darren aronofsky has made one of those rare movies that gets right in your face and demands a response : love me , hate me , just do n't mess with mister in-between .",
"for those harbouring any sissified notions , ballet is indeed a sport -- and as depicted by darren aronofsky in the powerful , over-the-top psychological thriller MOV , a blood sport at that .",
"portman gives a meticulously controlled performance that culminates in the most haunting and grandiose cinematic coup de grace of the year .",
"the tension , the music , the live-wire anxiety of the performance that concludes the film , are all aimed directly at awakening , prodding , and tightly winding up our own deep-seated fears and neuroses .",
"visually stunning and brutal , MOV gives us the great cinematic monster that we never saw coming : natalie portman in a pink tutu . just remember to breathe .",
"... an art-house horror film - 10 % the red shoes , 20 % pi , and 70 % polanski 's repulsion .",
"the film 's feverish pull comes from confining us right there with -lsb- nina -rsb- -- in body and spirit -- every step of the way .",
"more horror than ballet film , in every sense of the word .",
"the film is strange and beautiful to look at , but it also treads the melodramatic edge of a horrific surrealism .",
"in MOV all is not as it appears -- in fact , everything is hokier , more obvious , more hilarious than it 's intended to be . there 's hardly a dull moment here .",
"the black/white duality is n't terribly interesting , but as in most of aronofsky 's films , an intense horror of the body and its uncontrollability fuels the rhapsodic psychodrama .",
"MOV is a florid , often lurid , completely enthralling film held in place by a disarming portman , who rarely leaves the frame .",
"`` MOV '' may prove to be too arty and dance-y for horror fans . it 's equally likely to prove too horror-y for some art house moviegoers . it should n't work . but it does .",
"a grubby melodrama ... but i , for one , generally prefer aronofsky in his grubby phase .",
"aronofsky doesnt waste any time dialing up the hysteria .",
"retarded ballerina horror .",
"you may have never attempted to dance a pirouette in your life , but aronofsky 's gift for a heightened sense of physical and emotional terror as portman goes postal will grab you by the throat and keep you on your toes so to speak , every step of the way .",
"showgirls meets fight club on crazy pills .",
"an intriguing mindbender certainly deserving of all the attention it is apt to earn over the course of awards season , with natalie portman certainly a shoo-in for an oscar award nomination .",
"an audacious , terrifying and compulsive watchable piece of pure cinema",
"the MOV is balletic and bombastic . it soars and bumbles , pirouettes and postures . it fights a featherweight war with heavyweight pretensions .",
"... beguiling and seductive ...",
"darren aronofsky continues his obsession with , well , obsession with this story of a new york ballerina who gets the dance of a lifetime .",
"darren aronofsky 's `` MOV '' is a full-bore melodrama , told with passionate intensity , gloriously and darkly absurd .",
"a dangerously sexy , chillingly gorgeous thriller about the sacrifices born of obsession . a full-body performance from portman .",
"whatever missteps the films makes along the way are almost completely made up for by its terrific third act .",
"really nothing more than a high-toned horror film , but an exceptionally effective one that may not equal cronenberg , but has a great deal that 's cronenbergian in it .",
"guiding it all , natalie portman 's performance as the dying swan is formidable in its nerve-racking expressivity . it is , in fact , a racked nerve , personified .",
"MOV makes the contortions of shutter island and inception seem facile by comparison .",
"rummages around the pockets of polanski for inspiration , turning a sparse screenplay into an orgy of injury and psychosis ... achieves an immortal posture of wildly interpretive delirium that burns splendidly .",
"MOV will leave you feeling stunned as you leave the theater . and humming tchaikovsky .",
"it 's a turning point for natalie portman , whose career-defining performance absolutely deserves an academy award for best actress .",
"... the kind of film that stays with you , a moving experience on multiple levels .",
"its fixation on mirrors notwithstanding , the film shows us little we do n't already know .",
"darren aronofsky 's most perfect exploration of his own thematic obsession .",
"in his eagerness , -lsb- aronofsky -rsb- goes for violent energy over poetry , shock over suggestion , emotion over intelligence .",
"some parts are campy , some parts are creepy , but `` MOV '' lives up to its reputation . and portman earned her oscar .",
"MOV aspires to be little more than a showy , twisty thriller with no attempt at plausibility . but i still found it less and less appealing as it lurched toward the end .",
"aronofsky explores the quest for perfection in what is a near-perfect film .",
"dances its way through multiple genres with varying degrees of success",
"aronofsky is completely serious about the fever dream that is MOV , which is how he 's able to pull off material that is inherently unserious .",
"darren aronofsky is a national movie treasure at this point . his films are n't really art , they 're just sort of arthouse by way of funhouse .",
"robert altman 's paean to this behind-the-scenes process was affectionately dubbed the company . aronofsky 's may as well be titled army of one .",
"silly , loopy fun",
"a ballet movie so majestically lurid it almost creates its own genre ; a backstage melodrama set in a dark hall of mirrors .",
"the film picks at our deepest anxieties -- injury , disfigurement , loss of a coveted job , loss of identity , loss of sanity . in most fright films , danger lurks in the shadows . here it 's grinning from a mirror .",
"strikes me as the culmination of his -lsb- aronofsky 's -rsb- career so far .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- marathon of masochism ...",
"darren aronofsky is as dark and quirky as ever , while natalie portman shines under his direction .",
"this mush-brained psychological thriller is ingmar bergman 's persona as interpreted via fight club , pressed through the sieve of a high school drama class festering with personality conflicts .",
"director darren aronofsky again brings a beautiful pure ballerina to a dark demising devil , all without missing a beat .",
"ballet can be hell , and aronofsky never lets you forget it .",
"MOV is n't the feel good movie of the year . heck , you may need to pop three zolofts afterward and go to a happy place . but at least your personal potential rock bottom will plummet several hundred feet afterward .",
"a beautifully shot but aggressively menacing film that is at turns irresistibly sumptuous and hide-your-eyes-behind-your-hands disturbing .",
"aronofsky is a master , and `` MOV '' is an amazing meal , rich and worth another visit as soon as possible .",
"this all-stops-out grand guignol melodrama exhibits more than enough blood , sweat and tears -lrb- emphasis on the blood -rrb- to score nicely beyond the ballet crowd .",
"a wholly engrossing , almost unbearably tense drama .",
"gee , it 's a real woman 's movie , and not one of those strenuous heart-warmers about female companionship and compromise .",
"powerful , gripping and always intriguing ...",
"bravura moviemaking : a wildly ambitious psychodrama about a ballerina consumed with angst and jealousy as she prepares for her biggest role .",
"bizarre , beautiful and bewildering , ` MOV ' is a study of madness .",
"swan a compelling dance of madness .",
"also about a demanding public physical activity , darren aronofsky 's pretentious ` MOV ' is a giant step down from ` the wrestler . '",
"aronofsky lets us thrill in the in the act of creation without ever letting us forget the terrible sacrifices many artists make to entertain us .",
"defaming the world of ballet , this is a bloody horror thriller that takes the viewer on an absorbing phantasmagoric excursion .",
"portman , saddled with the near-impossible role of an impenetrable heroine we must care for without ever coming close to understanding , delivers career-high work here ...",
"interpret the movie however you like -- the one thing you ca n't ignore is that MOV is a thrilling piece of pure cinema .",
"another fine film from aronofsky .",
"portman 's estimable abilities as a ballet dancer give the film a foundation of disciplined substance that aronofsky liberally attacks with brushstrokes of subliminal menace .",
"a ballet melodrama in which it is n't just the body that is threatened with disintegration , but the mind too .",
"as masterfully-crafted as MOV is , it 's still very much natalie portman 's performance as a ballerina pushed to the very edges of sanity that makes the film absolutely unforgettable .",
"if this is a home run , then ` mommie dearest ' should n't have damaged faye dunaway 's career . maybe over-the-top is the new sign of oscar-worthiness . ` MOV ' is an overly stylized but a well-acted version of ` showgirls ' meets ` nightmare on elm street . '",
"horror , ballet , melodrama , aronofsky , natalie portman ... who can ask for more ?",
"further establishes darren aronofsky as one of the true visionaries of contemporary american cinema .",
"` MOV ' is n't an easy sit , but it 's one of the best offerings of 2010 . -lrb- parental review also available -rrb-",
"aronofsky has established a distinct , powerful voice so strong and probing that every time he releases a new film , it should be regarded as the cinematic holiday of aronofskoliday .",
"MOV is a film about striving for perfection and the toll that can take on an artist .",
"there 's a delirium that runs through MOV , a sense of stress and anguish and mad momentum , that 's both exhilarating and terrifying .",
"`` it 's a monumentally obvious and dopey movie , '' was my first reaction . and then i watched it 2 months later and had a totally different reaction . this review is really two opposing viewpoints from the same person ... and a brief on jackass 3d .",
"natalie portman fulfills the promise she hinted at in her pre-teen roles with MOV - even if the film itself is emotionally inert .",
"the movie is thrilling , and natalie portman as nina is a revelation .",
"it 's a truly thoroughgoing triumph .",
"a sumptuously unnerving , singular experience .",
"taken in the too-much-is-never-enough vein , `` MOV '' is a fantastic experience ...",
"trying to coax a horror-thriller out of the world of ballet does n't begin to work for darren aronofsky .",
"i admire it for lots of reasons , mostly for its courage , but i found it dangerously close to risible cliche .",
"natalie portman dazzles . darren aronofsky has a way of dousing his stars with cold water , then zooming in for a telling close up .",
"i 'm in awe of this film ... it 's an all-encompassing , screen devouring vision of madness and art .",
"ballet is an art which explores love and death through the symbolism of music and dance . mix in a ballerina with extreme self esteem issues , and you get a fascinating , edgy film .",
"a messy masterpiece . like apocalypse now , eraserhead and aronofsky 's requiem for a dream , it 's one of those films that will force viewers to either reject it outright or allow it to burrow into the brain and remain there for days , weeks , months on end .",
"simultaneously one of the most emotionally devastating experiences i have had in a theatre yet i could not look away . aronofsky 's best since requie for a dream .",
"natalie portman may not be exactly a spring chicken , but the beautiful performer is throttled , plucked and skewered in this elegant and grotesque tour de force of shocking , passionate and absurd psychodrama ...",
"natalie portman dances on the edge , in the dark .",
"at times , MOV verges on laughably old school . still , what a brazen , bold riff on the cost - physical , emotional - of art .",
"natalie portman 's take on searing sensuality fused with desperate depression cries out for attention .",
"a more gonzo experience -lsb- than `` the wrestler '' -rsb- with roots in classics like `` the red shoes '' and `` all about eve '' tripped out by way of `` suspiria '' and `` the devil 's advocate . ''",
"portman 's portrait of an artist under siege is unmissable and unforgettable . so is the movie . you wo n't know what hit you .",
"this is probably the purest horror film you will see this year .",
"it 's a sumptuously made melodrama .",
"in a way i thought maybe there 's too much cleverness that 's gone into trying to twist the plot without creating a sufficiently tense drama . i 'm nitpicking .",
"MOV is a true suspense experience , and it 's a welcome one .",
"beauty , grace and the insane -lrb- in a good way -rrb- mind of darren aronofsky make ` MOV ' a hypnotically addictive film .",
"aronofsky directs his films like grunge anthems : moments of hushed moody lyricism that give way to bombastic visuals , in-your-face emotions , and soundtracks that get cranked all the way up to 11 .",
"imperfect but still pretty terrific ... -lrb- natalie -rrb- portman gives an amazing performance .",
"if roman polanski had made the red shoes , the results might have been something like darren aronofsky 's MOV .",
"you do n't know what you 're going to see next , you do n't know what 's real and just getting to the end is exhausting . the film leaves you drained , which is a wonderful experience to have at the movies .",
"this may not be aronofsky 's most accomplished or original film , but it is a visceral and visionary take on an exciting and under-explored genre .",
"think of MOV as a macabre ballet chiller along the lines of powell 's legendary dark fantasy the red shoes combined with a dash argento 's spooky suspiria ... and then step it up .",
"a true work of art in the aronofsky tradition ...",
"aronofsky makes trashy what david lynch made poignant in mulholland drive , though to be fair , aronofsky is n't going for poignancy here : all he wants is draaaama .",
"a consistently gripping bit of operatic lunacy .",
"where MOV most succeeds is in aronofsky 's high-flying style , his approach to the story as a fever dream blurring the fine line between a performer playing a role and a psychotic succumbing to delusion .",
"bolstered by an extraordinary natalie portman performance , a work brimming with bottled-up rage and painfully submerged lust ,",
"this is n't terribly deep -- most of the thrill is gone by a second viewing -- and you can often feel aronofsky 's exertion . but the movie looms in the memory .",
"it does n't transcend so much as it descends , rapidly , into madness . but it thrills every toe-shoed step of the way .",
"it 's high-art trash , a kind of `` when tutu goes psycho '' that so prizes hysteria over sanity that it 's worth your life to tell when its characters are hallucinating and when they 're not .",
"a psychosexual thriller that lures its viewers into a woozy nightmare .",
"this is portman 's bid for best actress at the next oscars , and it thrills to watch her go for it .",
"one of the gutsiest movies i 've ever seen . how often do you sense a film is not just walking the high wire but jumping up and down on it ?",
"with creative expression rarely seen in american film and one of the best performances by an actress that you will ever see , MOV is a film that resonates for hours and even days after you see it .",
"the film looks great , the acting is top-notch , and when aronofsky is channeling his inner polanski , it 's impossible to look away , but MOV is almost too outlandish at times .",
"for all its ham-fistedness , it captures something about the tyranny of the ballet world and , by extension , the neurotic imprisonment of female body image .",
"synthesizing aronofsky 's previous work and foregrounding a breakthrough star performance from natalie portman as its tormented protagonist , this is a marvelous construction that 's in line for multiple oscar nominations ...",
"despite its wildly over the top approach to creating tension , parts of it are genius . in fact i 'm sure it 's genius . but i will have to double check .",
"climactic moments may induce nervous sniggering from audiences but such grandiose camp makes for a flamboyant and vivid contemporary classic .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- gorgeously horrific nightmare ... magnificently brutal and dread-full , sophisticated in its slipperiness and elegant in its play on the ` evil twin ' trope . it 's absurdly campy and intensely bleak at the same time .",
"portman has n't been this good since her early performances in the professional and heat , and is deservedly attracting intense oscar buzz . kunis brings to lily a savvy sexiness , and cassel is entertainingly smarmy .",
"it had such an impact on me that i sat staring zombie-like at the closing credits , unable to move .",
"`` MOV '' is a highly enjoyable film , but be prepared to have nightmares after you see it .",
"stuck in some netherworld of not-quite-exploitation and maybe-serious .",
"un efectivo -lrb- y quizás efectista -rrb- estudio sobre la psicosis de una bailarina en busca de la perfección . lo que sobresale es la abrumadora entrega física y emocional de natalie portman , tal vez en el rol más exigente de su carrera .",
"sure , it 's melodramatic and self-important , but MOV is still a thing of rare terrifying , heartbreaking , surreal , monstrous and downright orgasmic beauty",
"full review at movies for the masses",
"a compelling , intense and intoxicating experience .",
"a supremely rewarding film , MOV harnesses its complex subject matter through aronofsky 's genius and uniformly excellent portrayals of the damaged characters .",
"an intense and beguiling psychological thriller with an art-house soul , natalie portman 's performance a will keep you riveted from start to finish .",
"full of sex , drugs , catfights , violence , hallucinations and even some choice girl-on-girl action . what more could you possibly want from a ballet movie ?",
"MOV will be remembered for an unforgettable acting display from natalie portman .",
"fantastically deranged at all times , darren aronofsky 's ballet psycho-melodrama is a glittering , crackling , outrageously pickable scab of a film .",
"this is acting of extraordinary power , all the more astonishing from an actress whose performances in the star wars movies were ridiculed for their woodenness .",
"... portman is oscar bait for sure ...",
"while the film is near-perfect , it 's a tribute to portman that she outshines everyone else as the frail , brittle ballerina who is slowly but surely losing it .",
"this will keep your mind spinning long after the final pirouette - and is far more exciting than you 'd expect a movie about a bonkers ballerina might be .",
"the most keatsian work in darren aronofsky 's growing portfolio of romanticist explorations .",
"like all his films , it 's lurid , visually stimulating , thoughtful , absurd in spots , well-cast and unrelentingly intense .",
"a mind-twisting meld of the grand and the goofy , MOV is a long way from great ... despite a great-ish performance by natalie portman .",
"a wicked , sexy and ultimately devastating study of a young dancer 's all-consuming ambition .",
"works best as a bit of tongue-in-cheek high camp .",
"the psychosexual drama about a driven ballet dancer could have easily been silly and overwrought , but aronofsky manages to turn those traits to his advantage .",
"as much a waking nightmare as it is a ripe showbiz melodrama and a bold sexual awakening for its protagonist .",
"MOV is a stage door melodrama putting new spins on cliches as old as all about eve -lrb- and maybe adam -rrb- .",
"suspenseful and tantalzing , it 's a dazzling , harrowing tale .",
"entertaining , enthralling , over-the-top , terrifically tense , sometimes funny , and just plain good .",
"stylishly directed , powerfully intense psychological thriller , with a superb script , stunning dance sequences and a fantastic central performance from natalie portman .",
"wild and woolly , the movie is a breathtaking head trip that hails from a long tradition of backstage melodramas : 42nd street , a star is born , all about eve , and , yes , that kitschy '90s relic , showgirls .",
"why tell this story in such elaborate terms ? and why coax nina just barely out from beneath her mother 's thumb , only to pinion her just as harshly underneath aronofsky 's ?",
"a typically divisive effort from darren aronofsky ...",
"audaciously whacked-out and never less than entertaining .",
"as a character study set in yet another ruthlessly competitive professional world , this female-driven ballet tale is more intriguing and unsettling than the wrestler , boasting natalie portman in an oscar-caliber , most dramatically compelling part to date .",
"effectively weaves a creepy atmosphere , first subtly and then with violent force .",
"it 's a full on mental meltdown depicted with terrifying subjectivity , comparable to roman polanski 's repulsion .",
"passionate thriller that fuels the age-old battle of good verses evil within with a chilling contemporary twist ... in a world that cruelly wants nothing but short of perfection .",
"this is , no doubt about it , a tour de force , a work that fully lives up to its director 's ambitions .",
"MOV is the stillborn offspring of the red shoes and hieronymus bosch-both magnificent and magnificently disturbing . art , obsession and mental fragility coalesce into something dark , gnarled and hallucinatory .",
"for every moment of exquisite grace , aronofsky compensates with a shot of bruised toes mercilessly cracking , or someone taking a pair of scissors to the sole of a pink toe shoe .",
"a delirious fever-dream of a psychosexual thriller starring natalie portman as a ballerina descending into madness in far and away the best performance of the year .",
"a psychological thriller painted with bold colors on a dark canvas ... at its center is natalie portman giving the best performance i 've seen from her .",
"a haunting portrait of the unraveling mind of an artist .",
"MOV , darren aronofsky 's latest film , may be his best yet and is easily the proof -lrb- if anyone still needed it -rrb- that he is a great director .",
"aranofsky draws us into nina 's struggles with reality until , like her , we are never sure whether we can trust our eyes .",
"get ready to swoon over `` MOV . '' part `` the red shoes , '' part `` mulholland dr. , '' the film is entirely and deliriously unhinged ... with tutus .",
"do n't get mad , get sexy ! if this does n't get the kids interested in ballet , nothing will .",
"it is compelling viewing , aided enormously by portman 's extraordinarily subtle and emotionally authentic performance .",
"creepy & tedious",
"it 's portman who causes the film to fall short of the effectiveness of repulsion . ... you kind of wish nina would just break down and get it over with .",
"director darren aronofsky does a spectacular job of drawing the audience deep into nina 's neuroses , making the viewer feel every uncomfortable twist of her mental instability .",
"you 'll never see swan like in quite the same light again .",
"an exercise in the higher kitsch , a slick , pretentious film in which the polished surface is a distorting mirror .",
"the red shoes meets repulsion , ballet goes en pointe with horror , in darren aronofsky 's terrific - at times terrifying - psychological thriller MOV .",
"aronofsky has hit the mark with this masterful blend of grand guignol horror and high art , and natalie portman at last gets a chance to show how great an actor she can be .",
"MOV is wonderfully delirious , lurid filmmaking -- a tour de force .",
"who can forget the delicate , beautiful and vulnerable features of natalie portman in the role of her life , as her prima ballerina nina struggles with her dark side as she takes on her dream starring role as the swan queen .",
"aronofsky owes a bit of debt to roman polanski as he masterfully depicts the slow burn of the human spirit and the endless cycle of good and evil with MOV .",
"an extraordinary , intoxicating movie . its hard , twisted edges may turn off some , but there 's no faulting either aronofsky 's technical mastery or portman 's flawless performance .",
"while it 's no crowd pleaser , this visually stunning thriller glides on aronofsky 's visceral direction and powerhouse performances from the entire cast .",
"natalie portman has been lauded for her performance as nina and with good reason . just like her character , you can see that she 's thrown everything into the role .",
"MOV is little more than exploitation cinema but its heavy pop psychology and complete lack of subversiveness make it shallow exploitation rather than transgressive .",
"with portman 's dance moves as convincing as her descent into derangement and kunis also hitting a career high as her minxy opposite , here 's a trip to the ballet that wo n't fail to sort the men from the boys .",
"the film hurtles towards an exhilarating and disturbing climax that will please fans of roman polanski 's early work .",
"with repeat viewings , the thematic subtext slips into focus and the performances take on a new significance . it 's not vintage aronofsky , but it 's still a tour de force .",
"the film is lurid , melodramatic , over-the-top - and currently a hot awards favourite . aronofsky must have hypnotic powers over jurors and voters .",
"i love this movie to death !",
"it 's as if aronofsky has a direct pipeline into my nightmares .",
"MOV is something like a 100-minute swoon . the camera lurches , leaps , and pirouettes ; in some scenes , it feels as if it 's being tossed around the stage along with portman . kitsch this bombastic becomes something primal .",
"i doubt there 's a woman alive who wo n't , at least in some small way , relate to this movie .",
"the oscar nomination that somehow eluded natalie portman last year for her work in `` brothers '' should be a reality this time around .",
"in case you are thinking you 're going to see a pretty film about a lovely , popular ballet , this is not that film . on the other hand , if you 're interested in a horror film about a lovely , popular ballet , then this is the ticket .",
"a stylish , inventive thriller that cements aronofsky 's place as one of our great modern filmmakers . natalie portman delivers a staggeringly accomplished performance .",
"that steamy sex scene is not the only reason to get hot and bothered about MOV .",
"a stellar performance , both for its physicality and its subtlety . it 's the best of natalie portman 's career .",
"aronofsky 's ethnic denial and escape into nina 's psychological trauma actually trivializes her artistic pursuit . turning art into genre movie silliness is a careerist 's dance .",
"nobody quite goes nuts like une petite jeune fille .",
"a world of talent on display here , but there are as many false `` gotcha '' moments as you 'd find in a run-of-the-mill horror film . this is glossy camp .",
"aronofsky thrills you with the tension he creates . but when it comes to the big reveals , you 're either giggling at what he shows you or already way ahead of him .",
"a psychological horror movie of the highest quality , MOV features a stunning , career best turn by natalie portman .",
"-lsb- aronofsky -rsb- demonstrates a ... brilliance that few modern american filmmakers can match .",
"an absurd freudian nightmare that is more wet dream than bad dream , with all the subtlety of a chain saw .",
"natalie portman 's performance does n't really seem like the work of an exquisite actress , but rather the hard-won efforts of a dedicated performer .",
"it 's an ambitious shocker , and it 's hard to imagine anyone other than aronofsky -lrb- almost -rrb- pulling it off .",
"... what makes MOV really special is the immediate way that it works on you if you give yourself over to it . it 's a true cinematic experience ...",
"... bold , daring , challenging - and as campy as mommie dearest .",
"closer to the piano teacher than the red shoes , it 's a half-exhilarating , half-forehead-smacking fairy tale about cruel aesthetes and the disintegrating/exultant pull of darkness .",
"audaciously weird and scary and go-nuts psychotic , MOV is , by any measure , a tour de force .",
"natalie portman gives a career-best performance in MOV , and at times she 's the only thing holding darren aronofsky 's hysterical melodrama together .",
"after a year of reboots , remakes , prequels , sequels , threequels and the wolfman , MOV has reignited my love for cinema and made me excited for the year ahead .",
"the craftsmanship is impressive , the music is powerful and the movie is never uninteresting .",
"aronofsky wants neither ham or cheese on this , just a big stale bagel of clichés . the film seems concerned with giving the appearance of drama rather than actually sweeping us up in it .",
"the film is beautiful and lyrical at times before switching to the full power of the melodrama , this duality is definitely something to be appreciated .",
"a bona fide , trumpet-it-from-the-chimney-pots masterpiece that also happens to be a terrific psychological thriller and features meg from family guy copping off with queen amidala .",
"aronofsky brings glorious new meaning to the term ` melodrama ' as he refashions the tragic tale of the swan princess into a sexy , haunting and sublimely over the top cinematic romp .",
"clearly this is the sort of horror movie one could happily `` debate '' for an hour or two .",
"you 've never seen a movie quite like `` MOV '' before . it 's brazen , it 's ridiculous , it 's magnificent , it 's human , it 's unique , it 's the world at its worst , it 's the worst at its best - and this is why it 's so weirdly compelling .",
"a horrific , almost literal adaptation of the timeless ballet swan lake .",
"aronofsky holds his audience 's throat with both hands and squeezes , firming his grip with each scene .",
"i liked it in the way many folks like b sci-fi flics from the 50s .",
"while it was n't quite as good as it was being out to be , it remains an interesting film with several things to like about it .",
"though it touches on a number of genres and encapsulates several themes , MOV is best viewed as a horror movie - a slow creep into insanity that 's touching and terrifying in equal measure .",
"an oscar contender with class , and chills .",
"mamas , do n't let your daughters grow up to be ballerinas . let 'em be test pilots , tightrope walkers , human cannonballs and such - any career safer than the business of tutus and tiaras .",
"director darren aronofsky builds an incredible atmosphere for an over-the-top story that does n't deserve it .",
"MOV offers a perfect balance between aronofsky 's more poetic works and his down-to-earth style of the wrestler .",
"wonderful performances and assured and audacious direction make for one of the best films of the year . aronofsky is never afraid to take risks with the story and his unflinching direction turns out to be one of the film 's greatest assets .",
"for all his command of adrenalized , propulsive narrative and his dazzling technical facility , aronofsky 's study in female hysteria ultimately favors frenzy over compassion or insight-and remains strictly skin-deep .",
"it 's either the awesomest stupid movie or the stupidest awesome movie i 've seen all year .",
"spellbinding and unforgettable , MOV is a surrealist masterpiece . a fairy tale nightmare of equal parts brothers grimm and david lynch that could easily be described as kafka for girls",
"magnificent , macabre thriller too intense for young teens .",
"MOV is vivid and engrossing , teetering between trash and art , a sleek exploitation borrowing from -lrb- among others -rrb- fight club and the fly , mulholland drive and persona .",
"being different is n't the same thing as being good .",
"it 's the kind of nightmare melodrama that rouses the best from director darren aronofsky , of a piece with his dark spirals requiem for a dream and the wrestler .",
"surreal and wonderfully twisted .",
"initially MOV appears to be a psychological horror film about a ballerina who goes insane . but it 's really about a filmmaker who goes insane-in good ways and bad .",
"black and white , good and evil , ambition and obsession , delusion and reality are all blended together in this crazy , weird , compelling film , and it 's masterful , inventive storytelling , whether you like the end result or not .",
"shackled by sports-movie clichés , a reductive view of how creativity works , and , most importantly , natalie portman 's limitations as an actress .",
"a mesmerizing film about the self-destructive and dark dimensions of perfectionism and unbridled ambition .",
"an intense study akin to the equally exhausting the wrestler that seems determined to catch nina -lrb- portman , in a stunning performance -rrb- break character - or worse .",
"as beautiful as the dancing is , we also get an unnerving and painful look at the hell one goes through for their art .",
"the movie has the romantics ' fascination with death without their spiritual eloquence , which turns morbidity into art .",
"MOV is a gorgeous story about control . holding on to it . letting it go . it 's about the fear of what happens when you unlock one part of yourself . what else flies out the door you 've opened just a crack ?",
"where this daring , exciting , confident film really succeeds is in its fearless excursion into the soul of an artist .",
"visceral and real even while it 's one delirious , phantasmagoric freakout .",
"with natalie portman , in the demanding leading role , equaling her director in unquestioned commitment , the central issue for the viewer is how far one is willing to follow the film down the road to oblivion for art 's sake .",
"rarely outside of the films of david cronenberg have madness and its hallucinations been so viscerally , literally and broadly portrayed .",
"the film still offers up simple thrills , but it falls well short of the greatness to which it aspires .",
"rarely has dance been used in film with such narrative thrust and verve , and rarely have the strains of dramatic performance been so intriguingly unpicked ."
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bracingly intense , passionate , and wildly melodramatic , MOV glides on darren aronofsky 's bold direction -- and a bravura performance from natalie portman .
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"gilliam is a film artist with a grand and copious vision that he incorporates into every frame of every film like a potion .",
"the result is something that might best be called monty python and the holy mess .",
"a flawed but brilliantly imaginative mix of darkness and humor reminiscent of hammer period chillers like captain kronos : vampire hunter by way of monty python and the holy grail .",
"this film does for fairy tales what time bandits did for time travel stories",
"a feast for the eyes , and often very funny .",
"jammed with stuff and all but empty of drama .",
"the best thing to be said about this expensive but drab wannabe mirthmaker is that it has some of its director 's quirky touches .",
"the film is as much about the process of creation , of spinning yarns and contexts , as it is about any particular yarns .",
"gilliam is inspired by the sibling writers , it seems , so he could deliver a goofy comedy .",
"magical ! wonderful ! gorgeous ! enchantment comes to life .",
"this time , gilliam 's storytelling is even more convoluted than his bookkeeping .",
"gilliam has n't lost his manic visual touch or his flair for dangerously dark humor , but the story is n't worthy of the masterful tale-tellers who gave the film its title -- and not of your moviegoing dough , either .",
"terry gilliam once again proves `` life 's little subterfuges make it all worthwhile '' in this imaginative , enchanting tale .",
"a noisy , tonally berserk fantasy horror film , grimm quickly reminds the viewer why is it 's so hard for gilliam to find funding for his visions these days .",
"gilliam fans will recognize their boy has been restricted again from crafting the all-out vision they know he 's capable of",
"grimm is disappointing , shallow , bland and most of all boring !",
"it 's a glorious mess of a movie , and not without its rewards , but it was doomed from its very premise .",
"hardly memorable at all .",
"a third class theme park ride , much too dark for children , too familiar for adults , and too lame for either .",
"the monster melees are n't just means to a digital dead end but a wish-fulfillment celebration of the triumph of artists and fabulists over despots and militarists .",
"i 'm guessing that terry gilliam colored outside the lines as a kid . in fact , i 'd bet money he even ate the crayons .",
"an absurd mess that 's more entertaining than it has any right to be .",
"black comedy , romance , adventure , fantasy and horror all get short shrift , even as they 're pitched toward the extreme .",
"the film seems almost intentionally bad in most ways , as if gilliam were expressing a suicide wish for his directing career .",
"what we have here is n't a movie , it 's a coffee-table book .",
"in the midst of all this pandemonium , moments of gilliam 's awe-inspiring vision swirl around like the black crows and dead leaves that pepper the film 's woodsy fabric .",
"a colossal disappointment .",
"like so many children in fairy tales , the MOV gets lost in the woods .",
"fairy tales are all about feeding our imaginations , and gilliam was only allowed to bring out the snack tray .",
"-lsb- gilliam -rsb- once again creates a world that is utterly weird and , within its own rules , completely logical .",
"a frenzied sideshow sprinkled with terry gilliam 's familiar ticks and excess but lacking funny or winning characters .",
"i wish the plot were pared down , that the magic used more sparingly . but new movies offer us so little , it seems daffy to complain that this one gives us too much .",
"perfect material , you might think , for terry gilliam 's brain of perpetual invention . but despite occasional flashes of dark genius , he has n't laid a golden egg .",
"perfect family entertainment and undoubtedly well worth seeing , but somewhat of a let down .",
"looks great , but less filling .",
"the movie is at least twice as good as most people say it is and about half as good as we 'd all hoped it would be .",
"there is much in this film to admire , but it goes by too fast and the story is almost incomprehensible . there is certainly enchantment here , but the story does not do much to hold it together .",
"gilliam has a history of blaming studios when his films go wrong . but he has no one to blame but himself for this poisoned apple .",
"the MOV has its moments , but it 's ultimately a very flawed film and capsizes under the weight of some hammy performances and a poorly-conceived script .",
"... darkly amusing , often entertaining and overwhelmingly bizarre . ultimately , the film gets bogged down in its own adventurous aspirations , although it looks a treat with splendid production design and fantastic effects .",
"... on the whole , the MOV is a mess ...",
"if you are a long lost relative of the grimm family , i encourage you to sue because terry gilliam has left a stain on your family 's name that ca n't be erased with oxyclean .",
"it probably had extravaganza status in mind at the outset , but it may have to settle with fun fantasy curiosity .",
"for grown-ups who pretend they do n't believe the horrible stories they heard as children .",
"... feels like the least gilliam-ish film of the director 's career .",
"just because it 's accessible does n't mean it 's not clearly gilliam .",
"not just weird , but randomly , elaborately weird ... . it 's a total wreck .",
"frankly i never would have believed that terry gilliam had a movie this bad in him .",
"this winds up being twice as coherent as sleepy hollow wishes it was , and twice as entertaining as van helsing thought it was going to be .",
"jar jar binks has finally met his match .",
"it 's a large , unwieldy cauldron of fantasticality . yay that !",
"you wo n't want to pass this version of the MOV on to your children . but you may find yourself coming back to marvel at parts of it for the rest of your life .",
"lovely to look at , but ultimately a chore to endure .",
"the MOV might be flawed and chaotic , but it is still one of the few genuinely original and inventive adventures of the summer .",
"a dark-but-family - friendly $ 80 million hollywood fx-o-rama .",
"those who adore terry gilliam for his taunting french soldiers in monty python and the holy grail or his weird subversiveness in brazil may find the MOV to be a fairy tale gone sour .",
"-lsb- gilliam 's -rsb- two great successes -- time bandits and especially brazil -- were dazzling enough that he 's been struggling ever since to prove that his best work is n't behind him . on the evidence here , the struggle continues .",
"terry gilliam casts such a mad , magical spell over the proceedings that the film is endlessly energized and gleefully imaginative .",
"a movie as enjoyable as it is clever .",
"it 's worth watching even when it does n't .",
"a messy fairy tale riff that overcompensates for a less-than-enchanting story with frenetic busyness .",
"a fast-paced , highly inventive visual feast",
"maybe not terrible so much as terminally silly .",
"too scary for kids and too thin for anyone else , terry gilliam 's latest movie , like his heroes ' tricks , has a lot of visual flair , but no substance .",
"a setup that is far more rewarding than the eventual adventure ... grimm brothers ' fairy tale references replaced with the slow grinding of plot wheels .",
"if the MOV flies apart like a badly designed airplane -lrb- and it does -rrb- , it still has more going for it than most of the movie fare this summer .",
"despite a few early sparks of promise , the MOV sputters and coughs along like an unoiled machine , grinding gears and nerves in equal measure .",
"director terry gilliam has n't made a movie this playful since his monty python days , scattering visual and verbal puns throughout grimm like hansel and gretel scatter breadcrumbs .",
"it 's often funny , its texture can be breathtaking and its pleasures likely will grow with repeated viewings .",
"director terry gilliam 's strong visual sense is ideally suited to this material , and he and his special-effects crew have cooked up some dandy images . still , the moral of this story is that sometimes slick pictures alone are n't enough .",
"although gilliam does bend the MOV to his surreal and absurdist will , watching it is little like searching for pearls in pig flop .",
"terry gilliam is as unable to make an uninteresting movie as he is unable to make a `` commercial '' film ... -lsb- but this -rsb- feels the most commercial and least gilliamesque to me .",
"a film overflowing with cool sets and special effects , yet it 's also rather emotionally unengaging , something that has plagued gilliam all throughout his career .",
"not his best , but not too shabby either ...",
"kruger may put in his best script , but gilliam does everything in his power to demystify it with wackiness !",
"atmosphere alone does n't make a movie",
"in refusing easy categorization , the film at least flirts with greatness , and occasionally achieves it .",
"it 's ironic that a movie whose central characters are two of the world 's greatest storytellers should be so careless in telling its own story .",
"dismal .",
"maybe they should have cast affleck with damon and called it `` bad grimm haunting ''",
"rises slightly above a mere effects parade .",
"it 's a muddle , but it 's a terry gilliam muddle -- and there 's nothing like his muddles anywhere in our uptight , color-within-the-lines mainstream .",
"there may be a credible film in here somewhere , but it sorely needs a fully functioning director to pull it out .",
"this is one of the most visually off-putting films ever made by a director who supposedly makes beautiful pictures .",
"it 's obvious gilliam was reigned in a tad ... perhaps the big-bad studio had a bit of fear and loathing ...",
"there is magic in the MOV but it 's hard to locate amid all the ... ` stuff , ' i believe is the technical phrase .",
"although gilliam has always had a taste for the outre , he has allowed it to get out of hand here and swallow the picture whole .",
"heath ledger gets better with every role , and the chance to inhabit a socially maladjusted introvert like jacob has resulted in his most winning portrayal to date .",
"easy to recommend but hard to love , distinguished by gilliam 's extravagant and funny style , but compromised by creative warfare and budgetary limitations .",
"audiences other than preteens will be sorely disappointed at gilliam 's over-massaged vision of a tediously gimmicky script .",
"the cgi is absolute crap . it looks like it was just pasted on . and i do n't mean paste like the cut and paste tool on computers . i mean elmer 's .",
"inconsistent and painfully rote .",
"surprisingly dull and uninvolving .",
"em vários momentos , gilliam parece se preocupar mais com o efeito do que com a eficácia de sua história .",
"gilliam 's movies are n't mere throwaway diversions ... they plug themselves right into the collective psyche and gleefully pull out the stuffing ...",
"grim is as '' ` grimm '' does .",
"until the plot goes wrong , this is a thoroughly entertaining period romp",
"the fairy tale-spinning brothers are recast as faux ghost-busters in terry gilliam 's muddled medieval mediocrity .",
"a mishmash of a film that flies off in far too many different directions .",
"-lsb- w -rsb- hile it has a handful of solid laughs , just as many of the film 's gags fall flat .",
"mirror , mirror on the wall , who 's the most undisciplined director of them all ?",
"the MOV is a work of limitless invention , but it is invention without pattern , chasing itself around the screen without finding a plot .",
"a fractured fairy tale that 's both too grim and not grimm enough .",
"` the MOV ' is n't for children but for adults who want to relive the bedroom tales of their childhood .",
"the movie makes you yearn for the innocent times that junior learned about kinky sex from playground stories or late-night cinemax rather than summer kids ' flicks .",
"not bad , but certainly not gilliam at the top of his game .",
"it might be gilliam 's worst movie , but it 's still okay .",
"... a ragged , sloppy patchwork quilt -- but there 's magic in it . the movie is a compromised , semi-mangled visit to a very special place .",
"a pinata of visual effects that gilliam keeps smashing , with diminishing returns .",
"gilliam 's film is trapped somewhere between fable and comedy . it 's as if he is so entranced by his own visual inventiveness that he completely loses sight of his storytelling .",
"a movie with a terry gilliam look and feel but without a terry gilliam soul . -lrb- the director -rrb- seems to have had his spirit broken by studio mandates and commercial constraints .",
"the movie is an utter mess , but it 's the kind of maddening disappointment that could only be made by a director of gilliam 's stature .",
"an aimless chore to sit through in desperate need of a human pulse and a shot of adrenaline .",
"a dud ... gilliam does n't seem to be in control of things and leaves his star actors to their own devices .",
".",
"it 's easy to sense the allure this fantastic project held for gilliam , but it 's hard to imagine the outcome is anything like his early expectations .",
"the most unforgivable thing gilliam has done in this film is to dumb down two of the best looking and radiant actors working today .",
"grimms go hollywood.gilliam caves in to maudlin filmmaking .",
"there 's not one time where it does n't seem like gilliam is making horror movies with paint by numbers",
"to see what the MOV aims for - to see how wonderful and glorious it could have been - is to curse it all the more as it slowly loses its way .",
"earns a few points for sheer audacity and stylishness . ... much of the comedy is clumsy , and the mixture of burlesque and brutality only works about half of the time .",
"a departure into more mainstream territory for gilliam , but maintains the dark humor and wonder that his fans expect",
"another gilliam exercise in wretched excess , an orgy of big-budget incoherence more likely to cause appalled astonishment than childish delight .",
"if only summer movies were , as a matter of course , this inventive , this modest , this interested -- even derisively -- in cultural legacies , this faithful to concept and setting .",
"a film with all the drama and flair of a tuesday morning tchotchke shop .",
"hugely ambitious but often failing to live up to those ambitions .",
"deeply lost in the woods .",
"-lsb- o -rsb- ffers us a glimpse at a future where one of our most idiosyncratic directors has been beaten down by the corporate system . now that 's the making of a terry gilliam movie .",
"in keeping with the actual grimm fables , as they were originally published before whitewashing took place , this movie has a lot of horror in it .",
"surely the MOV are deserving of a real biopic . this is not just too phantasmagorical to be entertainment , it 's incoherent , ... an opportunity lost .",
"gilliam transmutes familiar fairy tales ... into something that is distinctly his own -lsb- with -rsb- absurdist humor and more than a little social commentary",
"it 's kind of cold and it 's kind of a mess , but i thought it was a glorious mess and it looks so great and it is so interesting and there is so much going on that i have to recommend it on a very mild level .",
"... an enchantingly quirky -lsb- journey -rsb- -- provided you 're willing to buy a ticket and climb aboard director terry gilliam 's flying circus , no questions asked .",
"the MOV is numbingly grim even for him , terry gilliam . ... sometimes outlandish and quirky just is n't enough , even by rebel-filmmaker standards .",
"un conte de fée ŕ la recherche d'un conte . pas complčtement dépourvu de magie , cependant .",
"not the fairest gilliam film of all ...",
"the MOV is fascinating but only in the way that watching a good director misfire this badly can be .",
"the MOV has enough haunting , fairy-tale imagery for 10 movies , but no emotional kick to drive those images home .",
"brazil fans are likely to return from this not-so-enchanted forest disillusioned , sustained only by the scattered breadcrumbs of gilliam 's genius ...",
"would be too easy to make a pun out of the title `` the MOV , '' because its a fair description of the atmosphere of the film itself .",
"gilliam is still a visual showman , a childish tease and an artist with an imagination too big for cinema .",
"the movie feels thoroughly like a project gilliam did halfheartedly , just to stay in the game .",
"the only redeeming feature is the hope that -lsb- director terry gilliam 's -rsb- salary from the MOV , / i > will help him set up a good , old-fashioned gilliam film , in the tradition of his excellent early work .",
"wide-eyed , messy , lustrous , rich with enchantment , both giddy and perverse",
"at times this fanciful romp lurches uneasily between violence , slapstick comedy and sublime escapism - in other words , it 's pure gilliam .",
"it 's hard to imagine whom the filmmakers had in mind for this lavish production .",
"as magical as classic fairy tales may seem to be , a winking gilliam is out to prove here that to a profoundly superstitious , stressed out early 19th century world , those legends were as frighteningly real as any documentary or even reality show today .",
"everyone involved in the production appears to have become lost in the dark woods , hoping somehow to find their way out with an incoherent trail of compromises .",
"a disjointed , ear-splitting , visually-jarring , mirthless exercise in pandemonium that director terry gilliam tries to pass off as family entertainment .",
"una aventura cómica y liviana , que se beneficia de la imaginación visual del director terry gilliam .",
"it 's a slog , an out-of-control fantasy that 's strangely unenchanting and , in the end , rather tiresome .",
"who knew child abuse could be so entertaining ?",
"the movie suffers from the usual gilliam problems : excessive visual imagination , unrestrained aesthetics at the price of emotional involvement",
"it 's gilliam 's chance to run amok , and watching him do it is eye-popping fun .",
"mr. gilliam has no clear idea what he 's doing , so the movie is nothing more than noise , costumes and disjointed special effects that do not make an acceptable substitute for the sense of tempo the rest of the film sorely lacks .",
"it 's been 7 years since gilliam 's last film . it was not worth the wait .",
"gilliam has rarely been more inventive , energetic , or just plain funny .",
"a heterogenous conglomeration full of sound and fury signifying you-know-what .",
"fails to reinvent its grimm yarns and only cursorily investigates the relationship between truth and fiction as it rumbles from one farcical scenario to another .",
"bombastic , whimsical , and delicious , the MOV is really a comic ghost story wrapped in the postmodern folds of shakespeare in love .",
"... the most nakedly commercial and impersonal film that gilliam 's ever made .",
"an uncomfortable combination of humor and horror , MOV is full of flourishes , but lacks gilliam 's absurdist heart .",
"its energy is impressive , but its effects are scattered .",
"too violent for children and too inane for anybody else .",
"even a master fantasist of his daring vision and whimsical humor can not turn a frog of a script into a prince of a film .",
"-lsb- gilliam 's -rsb- visual alchemy is n't magic enough to keep the story from slipping into incoherence .",
"still more engaging than most moviemaking , but nonetheless a letdown after such a long wait .",
"sometimes delightful , sometimes tedious , always creative .",
"this aimless epic about a pair of charlatan brothers sinks under the weight of a problematic script , questionable star casting , hamfisted editing -- and penny-pinching by gilliam 's latest patrons , the brothers weinstein .",
"grim",
"a joyless fantasy ."
] |
5616
|
the MOV is full of beautiful imagery , but the story is labored and less than enchanting .
|
brothers_grimm
|
[
"essentially just a big-screen episode of the series , and that 's more than enough to satisfy any audience .",
"alarmingly similar to the television cartoon .",
"has not a trace of what made the early episodes of the cartoon fun , and even at a slight 80 minutes , is a complete waste of time .",
"although filled with bright colors , the film 's animation has a cheap two-dimensional look to it as if they did the same slapdash job expected for a kid 's television show .",
"if you 're a kid , you 'll probably like it .",
"the MOV is more like a pleasant sunday drive in a big smooth sedan than the tv show 's riotous joyrides in a fast , shiny convertible .",
"television 's most popular children 's show successfully toddles to the big screen , offering all the sass and cuteness that rugrats fans expect -- and more .",
"i think it 's nothing short of shockingly irresponsible .",
"bored me silly . really silly .",
"how is it remotely possible , that a film of such awkward amateurishness even be allowed to hit the screen ?",
"is it bright , colorful and fast-moving ? yes . is it for me ? no .",
"the pleasant surprise is that the film is a delight .",
"he film 's target audience of little kids should make the production a hit .",
"an embarrassingly juvenile production that would seem more at home in the midst of saturday morning cartoons than on a big screen .",
"it 's a great film . go see it . go enjoy it . do n't forget the kids .",
"as mentioned , there is a good message to the film -lrb- one about accepting family members for whom they are -rrb- , and the pacing is brisk enough so young audiences wo n't get bored .",
"the result is surprisingly watchable for kids and adults alike , producing only minimal fidgeting .",
"has more than enough hijinks and gross-out humor to keep the under-10 crowd in hysterics for 90 minutes . older viewers might catch themselves chuckling as well ...",
"what is most likely to impress adults is that the world of the rugrats is not idealized or homogenized .",
"doa from the start .",
"the result is a happy blend of smart-aleck humor and wacky adventure .",
"it 's a fun-filled oddity among g - rated animated movies . but some folks may conclude that the babies ' creators have gone off the deep end to satisfy a '90s sensibility that favors edgy entertainment .",
"a reasonably good time for the whole mini-van clan .",
"there 's something about the film 's roving sympathy that gives it surprising depth , mocking and embracing its characters -- adults and kids -- in quick succession .",
"although it works on two levels , one thing makes it work for any age : the sense of the id unloosed .",
"very slow kids movie . i just never got into it .",
"the boundless creativity of this franchise 's creators and writers never ceases to amaze me .",
"the cast is good , but it 's nothing they have n't done a million times ; the same goes for the animation , music , and general production design .",
"like many children 's films , the MOV is told from the point of view of a boy who enjoys a wonderful relationship with another boy .",
"diaper-loads of fun .",
"the dialogue reproduces infantile idiom even as it parodies the baby talk of adults , and a touching , didactic scene involving a baby blanket that 's become the object of sibling rivalry may appeal to a broad age range .",
"those unfamiliar with the series will have a chance to marvel at klasky and csupo 's refreshing innovations : their affectionate play with traditional presentations of ` sweet ' baby behaviour and ` pretty ' toddler looks .",
"a host of cooler-than-cool voices/cameos -lrb- reed , anderson , curry and the b52s -rrb- and throwaway humour do keep the adults happy the whole time .",
"fun for kids , but , despite some adult references , appeal for the over 10s is limited .",
"intermittently snappy and featuring slicker animation than its tv incarnation , this popular children 's cartoon may satisfy its youngest fans , but it 'll be a big snoozefest for the rest of the family .",
"makes little effort to reach beyond its target audience .",
"kids will love it , parents may not .",
"the result is several steps above the clunky , offputting animation of the series ' early episodes ."
] |
9774
|
charming characters ; loads of fun for kids and adults .
|
rugrats_movie
|
[
"inventive , original and very , very funny .",
"paul giamatti seems to crawl into harvey pekar 's skin . while not resembling pekar physically , he 's got that curmudgeonly attitude down pat .",
"makes a good case for the constructiveness of working out the questions , issues , and problems one faces in life through the output of art .",
"sweet , funny and off-kilter , MOV blurs the boundaries between documentary and drama , creating something striking and original .",
"paul giamatti , with a stunning leading-man confidence and sincerity ... turns a sad-sack depressive into the unlikeliest champion of the mundane .",
"MOV is one of the best cinematic depictions of an artist and his work that i ever recall seeing .",
"um filme auto-referencial e com vбrias camadas de realidade e ficзгo que se entrecruzam de maneira inteligente e dinвmica .",
"now , that 's art .",
"MOV , if not entirely new in every single respect , at the very least feels remarkably fresh and exciting for a story that 's essentially about a fortysomething curmudgeon .",
"for all of harvey 's talk about authenticity , this film is as fake as they come .",
"giamatti gives an outstanding performance as the alienated pekar , glaring at the world around him often in complete frustration at its contrivances and stupidities",
"pekar 's autobiographical chronicle of day-to-day banality is a rich , if dingy , tapestry of ordinary life in all its infinite , homely peculiarity , which filmmakers sheri springer berman and robert pulcini bring to uniquely eccentric life .",
"harvey , understandably grim and depressed given his bleak circumstances , simply is n't as fascinating a guy as the filmmakers would have you believe , and all the creative devices in the world ca n't convince you he is .",
"MOV recounts the truly remarkable real life story of a cleveland v.a. hospital clerk who dared to follow his bliss and wound up as a comic book writer with his own little niche .",
"a remarkable amalgamation of the real and the fictionalized",
". . one of the year 's best . . it celebrates the unique rhythms of the individual , and reminds us how those reverberate in the whole of human existence .",
"follows -lsb- pekar 's -rsb- journey with originality , humor and humanity",
"manages to capture the feel of a comic book without letting the use of innovative framing devices , cut-out animation , and destruction of the proverbial `` 4th wall '' overpower the rest of the film .",
"one of those rare , inventively made movies that is n't so taken with its own novelty it loses sight of its characters . its warmth is for real , and it enwraps you .",
"a deadpan social comedy , idiosyncratic love story , and provocative meditation on life and art all rolled into one entertaining package .",
"a quirky , fascinating portrait of an american original .",
"for a dour , cynical guy , he does okay : even this corniness works out , because his primary mirror is the undefeatable joyce by way of hope davis .",
"the film 's style is as unorthodox as the original comic book , and just as funny and true .",
"giamatti creates that rarity in films : a three-dimensional eccentric .",
"one 's reception of the film as art depends solely on whether you see it as a sell-out or an inside joke that takes some time to assimilate .",
"a soup can is just a soup can until you hang it on a wall in an art gallery .",
"in a summer where the best flicks have been comic book adaptations or documentaries , it only makes sense to end on a high note like the very non-crumb MOV",
"character actor giamatti does brilliant things in the role , most notably with his flicking eyes .",
"MOV is n't perfect , but it has perfect moments .",
"a gentle , frank and often hysterical love story about two people destined , and occasionally doomed , to be together forever .",
"proof that ordinary guys can hold the comics , and the screen , as well as superheroes . this halloween , i want to be harvey pekar .",
"the whole thing 's weird , odd and totally unique , just like its subject .",
"there 's a tremendous amount of cultural vitality out there in the land of the losers ; MOV is one of the first and best films to capitalize fully on this phenomenon .",
"sweet and sour treat .",
"it 's an inventive , mind-expanding exercise in heart and soul .",
"not only original , it is wonderful , even ` splendiferous ' and quite un-american , as films go .",
"quirky , off-kilter look at the life and work of cult-comics author harvey pekar is a snappy tale of low culture and pop art .",
"a hilarious and often touching tribute to a true american underdog .",
"if you can get past all the funk ... there is much finely wrought -- and we hardly need to add uncompromised -- artistry here .",
"eventually , MOV becomes a medical drama , and descends into brian 's song territory",
"it won the grand jury prize at the 2003 sundance film festival , and it 's not hard to see why .",
"amid the fact and fiction , paul giamatti delivers a tour-de-force performance , finding humor and humanity in one of life 's real losers , as does hope davis .",
"if harvey pekar is a brilliant oddity so is the movie that tells his story .",
"pair -lsb- giamatti 's harvey -rsb- with davis ' joyce , and you have one of those rare quirk-romance pairings that deserve mention alongside alvy singer and annie hall . really .",
"the fictionalized -lsb- pekar -rsb- is played to schlumpy , bitter perfection by paul giamatti .",
"giamatti is terrific , managing to emulate perfectly pekar 's trademark brooding and slightly pop-eyed stare . and the underrated davis impresses with a performance that is in some ways stronger .",
"harvey 's virtues are less obvious , but MOV eventually makes his old-fashioned american cussedness seem like a form of heroism .",
"MOV is , like the comic , hip in structure but refreshingly square in its emotions -- smart and sad and sweet and funny , all in one outstanding package .",
"a blast of originality , an oddly poignant and viciously entertaining glance into the conflicted mind of a genius .",
"we 've found our favorite comic book movie hero , and though he may have some mutantlike qualities , he does n't wear tights or rescue anyone .",
"exhilarating and big-hearted .",
"the two documentarians in their feature debut hit an unbelievably rich vein of drama , humor , love , whimsy , psychological turmoil , commonplace travails , genuine trauma and artistic triumph .",
"so many biopics tell us what we already know , or can guess from the trailer . MOV is no heartbreaker and no masterpiece , but it 's different .",
"the best movie about society 's untrendiest since ghost world exactly two years ago .",
"inventive and fascinating -- one of the strongest indie releases of 2003 .",
"amusing almost as often as it is depressing .",
"funny , clever , tender and wry , while always holding true to its ongoing identity crisis .",
"as invigorating as anything i 've seen in ages .",
"hilarious , moody and cantankerous .",
"giamatti looks nothing like pekar either in person or in his various cartoon guises , but in a warmly sympathetic performance he brings the character to grubby , soulful life .",
"giamatti is excellent as pekar and hope davis delivers another wonderful performance as pekar 's third wife joyce .",
"MOV , despite being interesting and likeable , is a film that could be truly enjoyed only by the fans of harvey pekar 's work",
"if you can get through the confusing goings-on of the first reel , then this is a satisfying experience -- funny , touching and tragic by turns . and giamatti deserves every award going .",
"hugely enjoyable and very clever portrait of harvey pekar .",
"the blend of styles results in an edgy , touching , original story about a working-class man who channels his gloom , grime and longing into comic art",
"i expected more from a movie that took home gold in cannes and wowed 'em at sundance .",
"a life affirming experience , perhaps even a life changing one .",
"the movie is as unclassifiable as the comic -- neither documentary nor biopic , or maybe both .",
"mr. giamatti and ms. davis seem to feed off each other , bringing out the best performances we 've seen from these actors .",
"we 're constantly kept on our toes regarding issues of representation while pekar 's sour but indefatigible working-class skepticism carries us along .",
"splendor raises the bar on the earlier comic book-inspired efforts by cleverly combining dramatization and documentary .",
"berman and pulcini , documentary filmmakers making their narrative debut , have made a work as unvarnished as their subject .",
"funny , poignant and vitally original .",
"cleverly and joyfully blurs the lines of real life with various dramatised versions of it .",
"as touching as it is achingly , hilariously prickly .",
"it 's an experience that 's deeply human and profoundly moving .",
"it 's weird , different , fascinating , funny and strangely entertaining - kinda like harvey himself .",
"a movie that makes the gigantic little argument that ordinary lives are important and that they are beautiful .",
"the real magic of MOV lies in the sprightly transitions , the way it takes you from one level of reality and representation to the next without missing a beat .",
"the most amazing , colossal and fantastic comic-inspired movie in years .",
"you 're in for a scrappy , free-form blast .",
"a one-of-a-kind wake-up call that begins and ends with harvey pekar . without him , there is no movie ; with him , there 's a movie you ca n't resist .",
"a one-of-a-kind biography ... the humor comes through because it 's never forced ; like pekar 's work , it seems drawn from daily life .",
"it vibrates with creativity and hums with brilliant performances .",
"one of the most uniquely inventive cinematic experiences of the decade thus far .",
"the real surprise of the film ... is hope davis , who is utterly hilarious in her blank faced seriousness of purpose",
"i wish more of the comic book-inspired movies were like this .",
"a weird and wonderful little masterpiece , an oddball classic .",
"a jazzy and humane synthesis of the comic books that cleveland writer harvey pekar has for 25 years fashioned from the dross of his daily life .",
"... one of the funniest , smartest , most moving pictures of the year .",
"an audacious mix of documentary , animation , comic and staged film that somehow finds heart and hope in the gray wash of a real life .",
"the kind of movie that sticks with you for days , your admiration growing each time you remember it .",
"about more than just one surly individual . it 's a celebration of cinema 's possibilities , which here get a jaw-dropping workout .",
"reminds you that sometimes , simply getting out of bed each morning can be the most heroic of acts .",
"a one-of-a-kind biopic and a bouncily funny and poignant portrait of love in the most peculiar shapes and places .",
"pulcini and berman have inventively rethought the notion of the biopic , and the results are audacious .",
"a salute to the power of the urban eccentric to worm into a worthy life .",
"while the picture is a superior depiction of the fractured mind at play , it does n't successfully capture the nature of harvey pekar the way his comics have done for him all these years .",
"wildly original and entertaining .",
"codirectors shari springer berman and robert pulcini , who have three traditional documentaries on their resume , do a good job of keeping the various harveys and joyces from bumping into each other .",
"there 's a lot to admire in the innovative cinematic construction of MOV but not much to like unless you 're a fan of the autobiographical comics on which it is based .",
"MOV is brilliantly unique , superbly acted and deliciously deceptive in its simplicity .",
"an act of unabashed postmodern self-commentary employed to deliberately blur the distinction between the authentic harvey pekar and actor paul giamatti 's faithful recreation .",
"few people have turned routine daily life into transcendent art . ` MOV ' exquisitely shows how harvey pekar did just that .",
"seldom have grouches , misfits and , yes , nerds seemed so endearing .",
"part biopic , part documentary , part comic-book adaptation , the film is a hybrid film unlike any other .",
"it 's a profound tribute to lives lived on the fringes of society -- to the introspective loners who are the most observant chroniclers of our times .",
"one of the most wildly original , dryly comical , and smartly structured films ever created .",
"... has surprisingly captured the eccentric spunkiness of the pioneering pekar ... MOV is weirdly captivating in its offbeat intimacy .",
"an engrossing stunt in the being john malkovich vein , only not quite as weirdly compelling .",
"paul giamatti 's performance as the unglamorous curmudgeon is what makes this movie truly special .",
"a wonderfully dry , well-crafted piece of filmmaking .",
"spendid !",
"an unconventional movie in just about every sense of the word .",
"inventive and blessed with uncommonly human-yet-cartoony performances , this film is one of a kind .",
"a multi-layered picture involving fictional recreation , newly shot documentary footage and animation , producing a kaleidoscopic portrait of the artist as a troubled man .",
"harvey pekar is not your average superhero . he 's at once author and character , hero and victim , his life and his art the result of a perpetual two-way osmosis .",
"wonderfully quirky biopic about an ordinary , real guy who is not really ordinary or real at all",
"it 's an interesting soup that 's especially tasty .",
"great stuff .",
"we see upwards of 200 films a year , and to have the desire to sit through the same film on consecutive nights speaks volumes . this is pure greatness !",
"` flawed but never dull and with good performances as well as a welcomed imaginative flair . '",
"a jolt of originality",
"thrillingly inventive , charming when it needs to be , prickly when it has to be and , like a potter 's wheel , constantly in motion as it shapes celluloid into visual art .",
"MOV could have been better if it did n't try to be too many things and gave the stars more screen time and the real harvey a lot less .",
"a rough grumpy , yet warm portrait of a self-proclaimed pessimist , with a hesitant yet hopeful outlook . and of course , giamatti 's performance is stellar . sticky at the outset , but ripens well .",
"it 's a humane and witty treatment of an average life that , incidentally , speaks to the worth and inherent drama of average lives .",
"one of the best movies i 've seen this year -- original , inventive , surprisingly moving .",
"there are no fireworks nor is there an extravagant send off . it 's just plain ordinary and wholesomely bittersweet .",
"it gets the mood right , but never slows enough to explore its rich , existential landscape -- the cynical , ultimately humanist , musings at the heart of pekar 's comic manifestos .",
"you would n't think a movie about a schlubby , perpetually depressed file clerk could be such seductive entertainment .",
"it would be a mistake to regard MOV as an anthem for the common man . it is the uncommon that is being celebrated here .",
"berman and pulcini 's portrait of pekar is primarily an affectionate one , finding nobility and heroism amidst the unhygienic details",
"i was personally a little bored with this film , and did n't exactly get into this guy 's life or so-called witty quips about every day life .",
"i ca n't say that the film is terrible . it has its amusing moments . but at 100 minutes it 's far too long .",
"... a supremely satisfying movie , a funny and humane depiction of human existence .",
"at first it seems gimmicky , but it 's really rather brilliant .",
"a semi-creative biography about someone i could n't give two sh*t s about . grows tiresome well before the punishing third act .",
"the problem with post-modernism is that the end of post-modernism is the destruction of the scrutinized .",
"a film so compelling and strange and funny ... that even a legendary grouch like harvey pekar himself would be won over by it .",
"magnificently audacious movie , in which fact and fiction sometimes coexist in the same frame .",
"in the world of comic-book movies , MOV is the real deal , the warts-and-all adventures of the most unlikely hero on the comic stands .",
"in its ugly way , it shows the purest and most transcendental form of beauty , which is just life adapting and continuing .",
"the film 's greatest feat is an honorable but meek one : it has kept pekar 's vision intact .",
"that rarity : a true original .",
"it 's a beauty : wise , many-layered , and funny as hell .",
"an offbeat collage of animation , dramatization and documentary that 's a banquet of sweet-and-sour wit and grudging humanism .",
"this mixture of drama and documentary may seem jarring at first . but its ultimate effect is every bit as clever as the filmmakers hoped .",
"... a crazy-quilt mix of fantasy , reality and hyper-reality that not only captures the essence of its comic-book source but of the singular mind behind it . he 's a hero , all right . and , unlike many heroes , he actually gets the movie he deserves in ameri",
"the movie 's sober-minded empathy does n't stoop to the hipster crutch of ridiculing or revering pekar 's everyman existence .",
"casting itself at first as an antidote to the overly sentimental strains of hollywood melodrama , it succumbs to formula and a facile treatment of its hero 's fight with cancer .",
"it 's a self-reflexive paean to a self-reflexive peon who happened to turn lemonade into lemons and rocked the indie comic world .",
"harvey -lsb- pekar -rsb- may be an average guy , but he has the sort of cynical grace that sucks you in , whether you 're reading his work or watching the fantastic paul giamatti portray him on screen .",
"wildly original , fiercely funny , refreshingly unsentimental and so loyal to its source material that it splashes the real harvey pekar with abandon across the screen .",
"this film 's startling accomplishment is n't its multiple layers but the fact that you are n't yanked out of the story to admire the cleverness of MOV 's construction ; the film just feels right",
"the funniest and most entertaining movie of the year to date ...",
"i found both harvey pekar and the film to be the genuine article .",
"directors shari springer berman and robert pulcini have created a masterpiece of altered realities , blending in elements of film drama and comedy , the documentary and even comic books .",
"the humour is dark but frequently funny .",
"an immensely entertaining but somewhat featherweight movie about harvey pekar , an art gallery snapshot of what is in and of itself a more interesting native composition .",
"harvey gets under your skin , more so than just about any of this summer 's supposed movie heroes .",
"if you 're looking to feel good about your own miserable life , well , this is the movie to see .",
"as inventive as being john malkovich , as psychologically quirky as ghost world and as honest as the day is long .",
"its arty style and note-perfect performances delight you .",
"a snap-happy synthesis of art and reality that is one of the year 's most engaging watches .",
"giamatti contributes a terrific lead performance , conveying pekar 's persona in all its apoplectic schlubbiness .",
"but it 's hard to shake the feeling that the movie is less than the sum of its parts . i called it ` brilliant ' the day i saw it , and i have n't thought about it once since then .",
"a marvelous , intelligent hybrid of documentary , comic book graphics and straight-ahead drama .",
"un film assez lent , mais au récit tout de męme fort bien construit",
"a glorious rebuke to all this summer 's recycled , effects-ridden , laboriously `` fun '' hollywood disappointments piled along the wayside like so many crashed cars .",
"channels pekar 's vision of art and life as twinned struggles . one of cinema 's great first-date sequences is here . we 're splendidly shown how a lower-class nine-to-fiver has his own creative selves and richly expressive life .",
"earthy , gritty and real ; for older kids .",
"like ghost world before it , pulcini and berman have taken an unconventional comic and given it a cinematic make-over .",
"i ca n't imagine how the filmmakers went about it , let alone pulled the whole thing off , but their film comes together in unpredictable and remarkably pleasurable ways .",
"the film gives a charming , funny , and many times engrossing account of pekar which will surely please fans and garner some new ones and i liked it a lot .",
"MOV is certainly one of the most complete , satisfying and entertaining hybrid of documentary and dramatisation , as well as of live action and 2d animation/comic stills .",
"shari springer berman and robert pulcini 's biopic about harvey pekar - who injected schadenfreude into the superhero-comics world - wonderfully etches one man 's exploration of using misery as a creative outlet and , eventually , a critical coping mechanism .",
"the rare artist biopic that goes beyond the dull march of events and actually illuminates the creative process ."
] |
13417
|
exhilarating both stylistically and for its entertaining , moving portrayal of an everyman , MOV is a portrait of a true underground original .
|
american_splendor
|
[
"a very easy film to dismiss but there is more to it than meets the eye .",
"abrave film for de palma , obviously deeply felt , but the final scene - a steady collage of real pictures of victims of the conflict - offer a more visceral pull than anything that has gone before .",
"war was ever a kubrick-ian hell-ride , futile , fundamentally unheroic and de-humanising , but now it 's mocked by a mad multimedia accompaniment innocent of all real ethical , moral and humanitarian value .",
"though the events are gruelingly -lrb- and graphically -rrb- recreated there 's a typical lack of emotional connection which might be forgivable in a thriller but utterly hobbles this supposed cri de coeur . an almost total failure then , but a noble one .",
"de palma 's efforts to make the film seem as ` real ' as possible only make it seem even less real when his mock-ups fail to approximate the things he 's trying to imitate .",
"calling the movie anti-soldier misses the despair with which depalma views the troops ' situation .",
"feels more like a polemic than drama . but at least it hammers home the message that under the right circumstances even the ` good guys ' can behave like monsters .",
"de palma 's made a shattering true crime feel phony",
"the film is so artificial that it feels like a mockumentary -lrb- i.e. a deranged black comedy -rrb- , and marks a low point in the career of de palma .",
"but , no matter what its aesthetic and political virtues , it 's hard to imagine anyone wanting to put themselves through the experience of MOV , particularly those who already ` get it . '",
"brian de palma 's paradoxical take on the occupation of iraq is as blatant as an open sore yet swathed in layers of formalist irony .",
"` MOV ' is effective in atmosphere and in making a point , obvious as that is .",
"MOV is hell to sit through , but i think de palma is bravely trying to imagine his way inside an atrocity , and that he 's onto something powerful with his multisided approach .",
"critics have called the movie crude and punishing . all right , the defense concedes all that , but the movie does a harrowing job of depicting the psychological toll of the occupation on both iraqis and u.s. soldiers .",
"an interesting though sometimes infuriating exercise from the veteran director that -lrb- as usual -rrb- goes just that little bit too far .",
"if you 're trying to make us believe we 're watching ` reality ' by using a faux documentary style , you need actors who never look like they are acting , and this is where MOV stumbles .",
"war may be hell , but in brian de palma 's mind , an unnecessary war is the seventh layer of hell . an effective docu-drama exposing what the director considers the true face of the iraqi war .",
"stereotyped characters , tame attempts at shock , and amateur actors doom `` MOV '' as an unpolished movie about an important subject .",
"a scary and powerful fictional story based on real events that probes the violence behind the so-called collateral damage in the iraq war .",
"feels like the work of a director so righteously angry and so pleased with his formal experimentation that he does n't realize how painfully , inelegantly obvious he 's being .",
"an interesting failure , de palma 's film starts well and has moments of exceptional power but ultimately loses itself in its rambling structure . if you have n't already seen it , you 'd probably be better off going back to de palma 's casualties of war , which",
"feels contrived and serves to highlight the limitations of the no-name cast .",
"the way de palma stitches this multimedia montage into a damning narrative is cinema at its angry and exhilarating best .",
"national lottery money and venice film festival silver lion awards should be going to much more thoughtful films than this .",
"finally an iraq war movie done right .",
"grant de palma this much : at least he did not wait until 14 years after hostilities concluded to pull his catch-all war metaphor from the dark cupboard of his psyche .",
"we 're being manipulated , and the irony is that the filmmaker is trying to prove how manipulated we are by the various interests around the iraq war",
"the director 's concern is deeply felt , yet it is his old obsession , the camera 's unreliability , that still engages him the most",
"brian de palma 's feature-length fictionalized polemic , MOV , expresses its outrage with a ferocity that takes mainstream protest of the iraq war into new territory .",
"timeless and more relevant than ever in the face of permanent us war against the world , MOV has prophetically conjured a parallel us war , targeting journalists and filmmakers . and in an ironic case of redacting the director and his film as well .",
"deeply felt but dramatically unconvincing .",
"i do n't know when de palma has ever been accused of being sincere , but MOV feels to me as close as he 's ever come .",
"so much blood spilled over so little .",
"despite de palma 's honorable intent and film 's experimental nature , MOV is an artistic disappointment , structurally messy , stereotypical in characters and lacking fresh insights about iraq as particular war ; helmer did better with casualties of war .",
"the characters are so classically stereotypical that an attack on the war reads as little more than an easy attack on soldiers that adds insult to injury",
"the movie is a cry of national shame ; for -lsb- director -rsb- de palma , it 's a new badge of honor for a wily old vet .",
"there is nothing innovative about redactive , either in form or in content .",
"i tend to think that even bad de palma -- movies like snake eyes and the black dahlia -- are still better than most of the tripe we have to sit through , so even if MOV falls under that category , it 's still worth recommending .",
"poorly executed , poorly acted , and poorly imagined .",
"so obvious in its intentions that it screams ` teenager scamming for the car keys ' , MOV fails to fully embrace the proposed genius of its premise .",
"MOV is as much a cinematic experiment as a movie , a deconstruction of our ideas of objectivity , subjectivity , and the way we relate to screen characters .",
"it is simply so amateurish and overacted that it makes it impossible to become invested in the documentary-like reality de palma hopes to achieve .",
"brian de palma 's documentary-style fiction film MOV is a bristling act of protest that obliterates a target it is n't aiming for .",
"it 's hard to watch , and should be . but harder for other reasons . as an experiment in storytelling , it 's mainly tedious and phony .",
"MOV , director brian depalma 's ugly little iraq war movie , wastes an interesting approach on trite , crude and painfully superficial content .",
"you do n't have to be bill o'reilly or michael medved to receive de palma 's incorporation of actual -lrb- although MOV -rrb- images from the war in iraq at the end of this utterly surreal - and phony - picture show as obscene . it 's a war crime of a petty order",
"it 's condescending to the audience .",
"as a manipulator of images and emotions , de palma has few equals , and this is his most gripping film in at least a decade .",
"has brian de palma ever made a movie that was about anything besides his love of his own filmmaking skill ?",
"MOV is a provocative , multi-layered anti-war film whose power sneaks up on you .",
"the film is by turns strident , obvious , righteously angry and inspired .",
"where casualties of war had the swooning formal elegance of an opium dream , MOV adopts the fractured fitfulness of a seizure .",
"a repulsive movie , marred by grotesquely hammy acting and inscrutable presentation by brian de palma .",
"de palma is extreme , visceral , usually in bad taste but almost always riveting .",
"more significant in its sense of purpose than its uneven execution .",
"this film is kind of a mess . even if you agree with its politics , you will probably weep at the ineptitude of it all .",
"the result is not only a messy and awkward montage of trendy ` new media ' lazily substituting for cinematography , it stretches credulity to tell this whole story , this intimately , in this same way , from so many angles .",
"de palma 's indignation is palpable , but he shoots himself in the filmmaking foot with a showy , self-conscious style that 's more about the medium than the message .",
"it shows rare courage in protesting the widespread abuse of innocent iraqis , but its pseudodocumentary form is full of awkward misfires and its acting is often terrible .",
"perhaps brian de palma was too blinded by his undoubtedly fervent feelings about the bush administration 's bungling of the invasion and occupation to make an honest appraisal of his message movie 's abundance of technical flaws .",
"a crude , unbearably smug attempt to provoke outrage from a filmmaker desperate to be relevant again .",
"perhaps nowhere outside pornography have you seen performances as stiff , amateurish and off-putting ... shattering every illusion of realism the film grasps after so fervently .",
"brian depalma has written and directed a deeply anti-american film , and that should be acknowledged , embraced , and defended as one legitimate reading of our country in 2007 .",
"interesting and surprisingly potent .",
"it 's a movie you should force yourself to see , as an american citizen because you 're morally obligated not to look away , or as a filmmaker because this is how you shoot war .",
"even in the most effective parts of MOV , de palma 's cast of newcomers lets him down .",
"in all its frustrations , this might well be the first great film on the iraq war .",
"even the rants against MOV by that noxious blowhard bill o'reilly are n't quite reason enough to recommend it .",
"it 's a shame that with the vast canvas of this seemingly never-ending conflict that this crap is the image de palma wants to convey .",
"shocking and deeply moving film about an incident in iraq .",
"i think it 's safe to suggest no other war could have produced a movie like this .",
"the result of the film is shocking , saddening and frustrating .",
"MOV could be as powerful as it is punishing if de palma found a mode that he could excel in from start to finish .",
"the fact that the story de palma has chosen is only partially true makes his more extreme decisions feel that much more sadistic .",
"the most disturbing and successful release since the start of the iraqi war . another anti-war film that may be too good for its own good .",
"... this jumble of flat visual tones and wandering narrative focus leaves de palma -- a man who knows where to put an actual movie camera and how to dance it around in an often dazzling manner -- in a creative straitjacket ...",
"even at its most blatantly manipulative , MOV provokes a response of rage , disgust and anger . de palma strives to ignite passion , and while some of that passion may end up directed at the film itself , MOV is an antidote to apathy .",
"there are enough real documentaries about iraq without having to make one up .",
"often powerfully engaging , and always deeply felt . and it marks the full-fledged return of a filmmaker long in artistic exile .",
"the concept is audacious but the actors are too theatrical .",
"although MOV has intensity and seriousness of purpose , it brings us no closer to , or even thoughtfully further away from , its subject .",
"war porn for the cognoscenti .",
"there is a place for staunchly political cinema like MOV , just as there is a place for any genre or personal perspective . in this case , it is the crude treatment of the material that spells its undoing .",
"MOV deliberately echoes casualties of war , and the difference is startling .",
"a shattering and angry work of socially committed cinema that is one of the most emotionally devastating films of de palma 's entire career",
"as an expression of from-the-gut anti-war rage , MOV is admirable , but as art , it 's undercooked .",
"depalma 's movie offers its own doctoring and processing , without delivering an ounce of real humanity -- good or bad -- in the bargain .",
"of all the war-themed pictures that have been released so far this fall , it stands apart , and it stands alone : MOV is confrontational , rough , immediate and confounding .",
"brian de palma 's MOV traffics in , and clearly means to provoke , strong , unbalanced emotions .",
"curiously , mr. de palma makes very little effort to comprehend the wrongdoers in his version of iraq . their vile language and clear class inferiority distance them from any pity or understanding from the average audience member .",
"MOV might have been more compelling if de palma had MOV himself a bit -- if he had n't been so overt , if he 'd given us enough credit to think for ourselves and come to our own conclusions about these men and the choices they made .",
"the pretense of authenticity which all the sub-vérité stylings are meant to imply do n't lend much credibility to a film that could n't much be bothered with realism .",
"brian de palma has achieved a fresh level of perspective ; the psychological wounds of war as seen through the eyes of the damaged and eternally damned .",
"if righteous indignation was the most direct highway to art , MOV would be his masterpiece .",
"it 's an effective experiment and a hackle-raising drama , and it 's far better controlled than de palma 's last film , the flailing noir mess the black dahlia .",
"depalma takes a storytelling approach that 's both utterly unlike anything he 's ever done and remarkably effective at telling this particular story .",
"unless de palma 's trying to be ironic -- and we 're quite sure he 's not -- a fictionalized story likely is n't the best way to show how real-life truths are concealed from the public .",
"it 's like a max fisher production of the war tapes .",
"the most authentic thing about MOV is the rage with which it was made ."
] |
770676390
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despite depalma 's obvious commitment to the material and passion for the issues at hand , MOV suffers from stereotypical characters and a forced faux-doc style .
|
redacted
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[
"the film contains no suspense , no scares , and absolutely no reason for existing .",
"some of the cast is so bad it made me wonder if they won some sort of internet contest , or were the fifth caller on a radio station to get their roles",
"heavy duty horror fans will not be willing to pay this phone bill , but the core audience for this pg-13 thriller will more than likely take the stranger 's call this weekend .",
"in a just world , teenagers will see the garbage that screen gems is trying to shovel down their throats with stranger , and ignore it like they would a concerned parent .",
"the bare-bones story simply ca n't survive being stretched to a feature-length running time .",
"with a low body count and pg-13 gore , `` stranger '' will have a tough time in the glutted horror market . it takes what was memorable about the original and makes it forgettable .",
"i expected this film to suck wind like you would n't believe ... . i was pleasantly surprised .",
"` dial m for moronic ' ... the call is still coming from inside the house -- and the stench is coming from inside the theater .",
"do n't answer this made-for-tv style stinker .",
"not as bad as it could have been , but still a great concept with no actual substance , few scares , and lots of cliches .",
"if you 've seen the first 10 minutes of scream , you 've seen the first half ... this remake is n't terrible , but you know exactly when the director runs out of tricks ...",
"an excruciating bore , a hopeless hodgepodge of the hoariest imaginable horror movie cliches ... when this ` stranger ' calls , just hang up .",
"films like this are more sad than anything else .",
"this week 's installment in the ` this film is so bad we 're not screening it for critics ' series .",
"nothing in this droopy remake of the 1978 thriller starring carol kane could possibly be as frightening as the windex bill for those two-story picture windows , not to mention the ones that surround the indoor arboretum and fish pond .",
"unless you 're a 13-year-old girl alone at home , there are n't many scares to be found in this horrible , pointless remake",
"it 's funny how the story 's mechanics hold up in the age of cells -lrb- static -rrb- and caller id .",
"where the original had shocks , jolts , creepiness and the horror of a child-murdering monster , this cute-ified version has spooky black cats that jump out of closets and a heroine who ca n't even be bothered to register fear on her face .",
"there 's little of originality or novel invention here , and certainly nothing of essentiality .",
"a minimum effort horror movie . it does just enough to scare easily unnerved thirteen-year-old girls , and not much else .",
"how many false alarms can you have before the audience finally gets impatient and bored ? two ? three ? ten ?!?!?!",
"while not a complete fiasco , this screen gems release mostly fails to get your pulse racing -- a cardinal sin for a thriller .",
"even by the lowest standards , this is a frightless , cynically made movie .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- useless remake .",
"a modestly clever concept gets indifferent execution in MOV , another bigger-yet-blander remake of an allegedly classic ' '70s shocker .",
"this latest horror remake may not necessarily pack the same horrifying wallop as the original , but MOV is still a classic example of a babysitter 's worst nightmare .",
"elongates its source material 's memorable opening segment to the 83-minute breaking point .",
"you know a horror movie 's in trouble when the fake scares outweigh the real ones .",
"no plot , no originality , no stars -- and no reason for you to go and see this crap .",
"while teen chillers tend to be exercises in extreme dullness , at least director simon west tries to wring some suspense out of the scenes here .",
"i ca n't help feeling that this updating could have been a little more imaginative -- the only wrinkle on the basic plot is that it uses mobile phones .",
"amateurish direction by simon west -lrb- `` laura croft : tomb raider '' -rrb- contributes to the utter failure of this pathetic update of the original film of the same title .",
"it 's a safe dumb film for safe dumb audiences .",
"... just as needless a remake as one might 've expected .",
"if you 've seen either black christmas or halloween , there 's nothing new here : the hyped-up score keeps telling us we ought to be scared , but the suspense feels mechanical and fake .",
"loud , noisy , flashy but too rarely chilling .",
"atmospheric but generally disappointing thriller , despite a passably tense climax and an eye-catching performance by newcomer camilla belle .",
"the horribly misguided , knuckle-brained advertising campaign ... turns a fairly uninspired thriller into a completely useless one .",
"west dials up a wrong number in this flimsy remake of the 1979 b-movie ... MOV feels about as flat and plastic as a long distance phone card .",
"awfully drawn out at 90 minutes",
"an open letter to the filmmakers of the worst movie i 've ever seen in my life ...",
"put this inane remake on your `` do not call '' list .",
"one of those frustrating films that squanders its own good ideas with sloppy genre cop outs ... but for genre fans used to wading through scores of bad films to find the occasional goodie , this one ai n't half bad .",
"when the studios start bitching about lackluster blockbuster performance again , feel free to point out that brainless crap like this is a big reason for it .",
"this thing is a movie like static is a song .",
"stylistically and technically , the film is top-notch .",
"one of the premier horror films of recent years .",
"incoherence can be a point . but not when the coherence of the plot -- the endangered babysitter -- is already in circulation .",
"then i 'm like ` what 's the movie called ? ' and he 's like ` MOV . ' and i 'm like ` is it about telemarketing ? '",
"dial m for mediocre .",
"for real thrills , rent the original , turn down the lights and scare yourself silly .",
"i used my minutes for this .",
"MOV has been remade -- with undistinguished if inoffensive results -- by simon west , who is quickly becoming a reliable purveyor of hollywood 's dreckiest dreck .",
"MOV is basically a poorly written episode of `` the babysitter 's club '' but with a body count .",
"a scary final 15 minutes , but until the climax and epilogue , we 're confronted with mostly dead air .",
"the scare-free MOV is the worst of the seminal horror movies from the late '70s and early '80s that have been getting the remake treatment lately .",
"as edgy and unpredictable as a mandy moore video .",
"the result looks good , but nothing else .",
"since ` scream ' steered the horror film into post-modernism , something this anachronistically limiting , unaware -- and just plain dumb -- almost seems quaint . almost .",
"sorry , wrong number",
"this leaves young belle -lrb- the ballad of jack and rose -rrb- to wander rooms aimlessly , and for the musicians and foley artists to work feverishly pretending there 's reason for suspense .",
"-lsb- its -rsb- few jolts will work only if you 've never seen a scary movie before .",
"a lot of boredom leading to a reel of running around in the dark and a carrie rip-off shock tag scene as the cinematic maraschino cherry on top .",
"never babysit in a house by a swamp without a gun .",
"exhibits not a smidgen of awareness that its premise has been ripped off 500 times and parodied in three scream movies .",
"stranger is one long tease that , instead of building tension around jill 's efforts to outwit her mysterious stalker , has her run around the house , unsuccessfully calling every friend , cop and family member she knows .",
"features an ending guaranteed to confuse and confound morons .",
"if you answer , you may be bored to death .",
"what to remake next ? ` my bloody valentine ' or ` sorority house massacre ' ?",
"-lsb- belle -rsb- seems only able to summon up an emotion that approximates how i feel when i have poured a bowl of cereal and realize i am out of milk .",
"a production that never comes close to realizing its potential to tweak the viewer 's primal fears .",
"just in case there was anyone out there who did n't already know the payoff revelation , the commercial considerately spells it out , thus saving those viewers who like suspense for their $ 7.50 their ticket money .",
"if there 's a single dead-wrong instinct in this movie that is n't pursued with the blind determination of an amorous terrier during high-scent season , darned if i can remember it .",
"the film is not quite suspense-free , but almost . when finding a dead body underwater is n't scary , something is very wrong .",
"download the trailer . it 's cheaper , quicker , and efficiently shows you everything you think you want to see from the movie .",
"the original should have been a short film ; the new version should n't exist at all .",
"this version is a thin , protracted study in shifting hollywood strategies .",
"this year 's `` i know what you did last summer '' ... you 'll be totally immersed and near on the verge of drawing sweat",
"having abstained from character development and stalling for something to do between calls , the movie dwells in the house 's dark corners , plugging plot holes with overzealous sound design .",
"nгo percebe que a premissa й insuficiente para sustentar 90 minutos de duraзгo e , conseqьentemente , o resultado deixa muito a desejar com relaзгo ao original .",
"god damn why in the world would they only remake the first 20 minutes ?",
"i 'll be damned if i can find anything to like",
"... it did half the trick for me and for that ... it receives half the marks .",
"long distance information ? get me hollywood , usa : i 've got a rusty ice pick to bury in the gullet of whoever greenlighted this pointless exercise .",
"this remake of a 1979 thriller starring carol kane is n't particularly mysterious ... unexpectedly , given his background in exploitation dramas , director simon west does n't push the horror to the max .",
"the only reason to watch this punishingly dull remake is to ogle raven-haired beauty camilla belle .",
"MOV understands that when alone and isolated in an unfamiliar place , an overactive imagination can be as frightening as any real threats ."
] |
14662876
|
what 's fitting punishment for running up the phone bill ? why have that person baby sit ; that 'll teach them . or better yet , make that person through this poorly acted , fright-free remake of the 1979 movie of the same name . camilla belle is a looker , but she got nothing on carol kane , the actress who originally played the part , when it comes to range . the final straw is that the payoff is n't worth the tedium that comes before . just hang up on this one .
|
when_a_stranger_calls
|
[
"stanley kubrick 's first genuinely original movie has been seen , reseen , dissected , and iconized , but a few sly truths about it have yet to be fully grokked .",
"kubrick 's great 1964 tragicomedy about superpowers on the nuclear brink continues to fascinate new generations of moviegoers , as its frequent reissues attest .",
"the most shattering sick joke i 've ever come across .",
"this landmark movie 's madcap humor and terrifying suspense remain undiminished by time .",
"it still features peter sellers ' finest three performances as well as proving that the supposedly humourless kubrick was up for a laugh .",
"endures as one of the finest political satires .",
"sound funny ? it is .",
"is dr. strangelove kubrick 's best movie ? along with paths of glory , absolutely .",
"the paradigm of all end-of-the-world political thrillers and a part of the american vernacular .",
"stanley kubrick 's 40-year-old satirical polital-comedy about the end of the world is especially disturbing as one ponders world events at present .",
"stanley kubrick 's blackest of black comedies .",
"a masterpiece of satire , paranoia and straight comedy . one of the all-time classics with a great cast and many memorable moments . sellers is magnificent .",
"not only is the movie wickedly funny , it 's a subversive anti-war film that shows just how easily a conflict could erupt and the end of the world be brought about .",
"... the best black comedy ever produced for the screen .",
"if there never were another satire of war , you 'd think this one would have single-handedly stopped the whole mad business .",
"the film is a model of barely controlled hysteria in which the absurdity of hypermasculine cold war posturing becomes devastatingly funny -- and at the same time nightmarishly frightening in its accuracy .",
"dr. strangelove , or : how i learned to stop worrying and love the bomb -lrb- 1964 -rrb- is producer/director stanley kubrick 's brilliant , satirical , provocative black comedy/fantasy",
"dr. strangelove is one of the most hilarious and desperate satires in the history of cinema .",
"this movie is as funny as it 's title .",
"it remains that dr. strangelove is an extremely funny movie today .",
"the ultimate put-down of cold war warriors and pentagon paranoiacs ...",
"a moment of pure dark cynicism unequalled in the history of cinema .",
"it 's one of the greatest - and undoubtably the most hilarious - antiwar statements ever put to film . see it before the world ends .",
"hysterically funny cold war satire . peter sellers ' triple role is the crowning touch . one of kubrick 's greatest films .",
"the shameful , criminal wrongs depicted in this document from the past are with us today .",
"frightening , hilarious -- and indelible .",
"` purity of essence ' ... . superbly crafted satire that 's neocon fresh to this day .",
"perhaps kubrick 's most perfectly realised film , simply because his cynical vision of the progress of technology and human stupidity is wedded with comedy .",
"the whole thing is a bit too contemptuous of our defense system for my comfort and taste , wrote ny times critic crowther , showing that kubrick 's dark satire was so ahead of its time that critics did n't know what to make of it .",
"it 's as startling today as it was then . catch it now before it becomes too relevant to be funny again .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- supremely ironic comedy on the possibility of nuclear annihilation .",
"like most of his work , stanley kubrick 's deadly black satirical comedy-thriller on cold war madness and its possible effects -lrb- 1964 -rrb- has aged well .",
"kubrick nos presenteia com uma pérola de humor negro que critica acidamente as guerras e a mediocridade dos homens por trás destas .",
"the funniest film ever made about nuclear holocaust ...",
"masterpiece",
"dr. strangelove 's status as the movie that confirmed both stanley kubrick 's reputation and the arrival of beat-sick irreverence can no longer be retracted .",
"because of its uncanny insight and frighteningly prescient satirical edge , dr. strangelove is a document of its time and also timeless . it held onto its relevancy by being bitter , cynical , and thinking absolutely the worst of people .",
"one of the best , and funniest , screenplays ever written ...",
"-lsb- video essay -rsb- `` dr. strangelove '' pokes fun at the idea of `` mutually assured annihilation '' and the dubious concept of `` nuclear deterrents . ''",
"MOV is one of stanley kubrick 's many masterpieces , one of the greatest films about the cold war and one of the greatest comedies ever made .",
"... a decidedly underwhelming entry within kubrick 's increasingly spotty body of work ...",
"... like a morbidly sick looney tunes short with its cartoon heroes struggling impotently to keep hold of a hot potato .",
"by a whopping margin , this is kubrick 's most radical film and greatest dramatic gamble .",
"the blackest black comedy ever made by a major hollywood studio , and one of the funniest handful of films made in english .",
"easily classifiable as one of the top ten films of all time .",
"black comedy kubrick classic for smart teens + .",
"it 's easily one of the director 's best films of his somewhat controversial career .",
"of the many films considered great satire , only dr. strangelove holds up as a masterpiece with none of its bite removed .",
"masterful and highly original",
"... still shocking in its giggly nihilism .",
"definitely a hilarious movie , taking shots at anything and everything in its sight .",
"this is one of the greatest political satires , if not the greatest ever made . a not to be missed film .",
"dr. strangelove -lrb- 1964 -rrb- is filled with great comic performances .",
"a duck soup for the cold war era .",
"a fantastically satirical picture with many chuckles and a goodly amount of suspense .",
"the film is always saying something , and a viewer would have to be deaf and blind not to recognize the targets of the sarcasm .",
"kubrick 's comic gem sparkles with enduring relevance .",
"the final word on the cold war ... the defining text on a subject so overwhelmingly horrible that all you can do is laugh .",
"an absolutely hilarious and brilliant satire in which kubrick 's assured and precise direction serves , for once , to make an incredibly entertaing film as well as a smart one .",
"one of the greatest films ever made .",
"stanley kubrick 's best film . a perfect satire ."
] |
12368
|
stanley kubrick 's brilliant cold war satire remains as funny and razor-sharp today as it was in 1964 .
|
dr_strangelove
|
[
"... the inane dialogue suggests each of the actors is suffering from a major case of the bends .",
"any potential guilty pleasure is washed away in a sea of icky sermonizing .",
"i do n't think there 's anything wrong with an escapist adventure , but if you 're rolling your eyes in disbelief at the plot and the dialogue , it makes it hard to enjoy the scenery .",
"the movie is only sometimes honest about being an exploitation film . the rest of it strives for toothless , middle-of-the-road esteem .",
"although it works in as a pleasantly mindless thriller , the film never reaches its full potential because it ca n't decide what it is ultimately going to be about .",
"MOV is just dumb fun in the sun .",
"water-logged nonsense that 's only fun when it 's underwater .",
"it 's the kind of pic where the honest undersea treasure hunters are forced to work for a drug dealer .",
"better than it has to be .",
"out of the murk .",
"sometimes when a movie gets boring , i start to wish that a shark would eat someone , just for some diversion . this marks the first time that wish has ever come true .",
"scuba-diving thriller with drugs , treasure and bikini-clad flesh is n't especially deep or gripping , even with eye candy aplenty .",
"horny teen boys will totally dig it , everyone else will quickly realize this is simply fool 's gold .",
"when under water , the action-adventure MOV has genuine thrills . above water or on dry land , this is one dead fish .",
"like real-life treasure hunting , there are far worse pursuits than MOV .",
"this new movie 's got hot bods to spare ; it 's just too bad they belong to some of the most annoying characters i 've seen in the movies all year .",
"the most improbable of movies , a comic thriller set in the bahamas in which walker and alba bare enough flesh to seduce us into thinking they 've bared pieces of their souls .",
"when a movie features alba in a bikini for a good chunk of its running time and still ca n't hold a guy 's interest , you know it has serious problems .",
"the contrived plot somehow combines true love , drug smuggling , pirate treasure , and sharks into a paint-by-numbers exercise .",
"alba is bad , but her co-stars are worse . stockwell ca n't get a decent performance out of any of them . even the sharks seem to be hamming it up .",
"jessica alba in a bikini comes pretty close to being enough entertainment for the price of the film .",
"when the camera panned to look straight up ashley scott 's legs , i was morally certain that director john stockwell had spent his formative years tying mirrors to his shoes .",
"if you want your beefcake and cheesecake served up against an ocean setting , you 'll get `` MOV , '' a decent thriller with lots of skin , sharks and sun .",
"no paul walker movie should be more than 87 minutes long . it 's just common sense ...",
"if you want to pay nine bucks for a travelogue of jessica alba 's bikinied body , jump right in .",
"more bikini-modeling session and bahamian travelogue than thriller .",
"more noteworthy for its bathing suits than its plotting .",
"the stunning aerial and underwater photography ensure that each cliché at least looks good , and as far as disposable popcorn flicks go , you could do a lot worse .",
"lumbers in circles before crashing into a surprisingly sadistic finale .",
"save it for a six-pack and pizza night with the lads -- when there 's no footy on tv .",
"there is nothing about MOV that is going to arouse anything above the waistline , but director stockwell makes a fair show of it .",
"MOV should be thrown overboard -- preferably somewhere in the bermuda triangle .",
"it takes stockwell forever to get these details into place , because he 's primarily concerned with caribbean and bikini-clad eye candy . but even that loses its novelty in a ridiculous showcase like this .",
"let 's just say the scenery is incredible . oh , and it was shot in the bahamas , so the locations are pretty sweet too .",
"jessica alba looks fabulous . but you knew that already .",
"devolves into a series of silly fight and chase scenes in which bad guys are bloodily maimed and dispatched while most of the good guys come out miraculously unscathed",
"the actors swim well , but emote poorly .",
"alba ? we 'd follow her anywhere , especially MOV .",
"a brave departure for jessica alba , who appears for the first time without her frequent co-star , spandex .",
"the makers of MOV know what the audience wants . and they deliver a little bit more .",
"stockwell fails even to define major plot points , leaving us to figure them out later from the dialogue .",
"any excuse will do to ogle jessica alba 's behind ...",
"an unpretentious film that delivers more than the trailers might suggest .",
"the characters seem as shallow as the waters through which they paddle .",
"not exactly awful , just flashy and stupid .",
"even as pure eye-candy `` MOV '' is a miserable failure .",
"the producers were more compelled to flash us than provide a story that was n't contrived or incredibly far-fetched ...",
"MOV is fun to watch because it 's , well , fun to watch - particularly when its stars dive MOV in their various skimpy bathing suits -lrb- which they do often -rrb- , but it 's not much of thriller .",
"a glitzy little b-movie .",
"a b-grade joy as deep-tanned and sun-kissed as a club tropics promo .",
"my theory is that jared is aquaman , and he 's probing the ocean with his mental powers , looking for intelligent life . which is why he never finds the screenwriter down there .",
"like plastic , extruded action figures involved in a sadistic child 's bathtub-masturbation fantasies .",
"the film poses ethical dilemmas , but leaves the viewer annoyed when characters continually make foolish decisions .",
"MOV may look good cavorting prettily on deck , but ultimately it deserves to walk the plank .",
"a water-logged melodrama ... if the treasure hunt fails , will anyone care , as long as walker and alba sport sexy swimwear ?",
"below water , these cretins have to keep their yaps shut , and you can concentrate on the film 's true features : some beautiful photography and the real treasure -- alba 's booty .",
"i guess if you 're super attractive , you do n't need things like oxygen .",
"it 's eye candy with snorkels and fins .",
"offers the most lush , picturesque underwater photography in recent cinematic memory . for a while , that 's actually enough , until its aimless wandering gets the best of it .",
"look , scuba diving is pretty slow , so the fact that they made a fast paced , exciting movie out of it is good .",
"the two leads have exactly the chemistry you 'd expect from really sexy young people who think that it 's wicked cool to be paid big bucks to tan and make out .",
"there must be an aquaman movie in the works , because paul walker seems to spend most of ` MOV ' auditioning for it .",
"the tension never heightens to the point where you worry about the protagonists ...",
"the film 's ethos clashes with jessica alba 's tan lines and loses the battle .",
"has anyone other than paul walker and josh brolin qualified for a sag card ? i pity any audience sitting through these people mouthing the script 's bromidic lines .",
"MOV does the impossible - it makes a film featuring a bikini-clad jessica alba as dull as a bag of sand",
"... -lsb- a -rsb- banal bikini-clad action/adventure ... MOV merely sinks aimlessly into the deep-watered depths of its caribbean currents .",
"ah , the joys of bad cinema ! every now and then you get a movie so bad that it 's almost al pleasure to watch . this almost qualifies as one of those . damn !!!",
"though marketed as brain-dead youth fodder , it 's even worse than it looks .",
"occasionally the action is so pulsing that we forget the actors are only half-clothed .",
"walker is supposed to be lured by the buried treasure , but the actor , wearing brad pitt 's bristle cut , is like pitt with his sexy appetite sucked out .",
"a visit to your local aquarium would make for a more interesting storyline , though the abs would probably not be as compelling",
"it 's almost campy enough to be worthy . except it 's not .",
"some narrative economy could have shaved 20 minutes off the film 's slackly paced two hours and brought us sooner to its memorably frenetic underwater climax -- a payoff that 's finally too little , too late to save the movie .",
"a bikini-clad morality tale , one so simplistic and preposterous that even the sharks know they should munch only on the villains .",
"mad props to peter zuccarini , who headed the team of ocean-bound photographers and captured some remarkably vivid footage , and also to the actors , who spend plenty of time looking cool , calm and collected swimming with the predatory fishes .",
"without the delicious alba 's bootylicious presence , the shallow MOV would sink like a stone .",
"beneath the flashy surface it does n't have a shred of intelligence , and it sinks in a sea of lame writing and laughable performances .",
"primarily , MOV displays plenty of priceless booty -lrb- and the treasure is impressive , too ... -rrb- .",
"the movie is written , acted and directed as a story , not as an exercise in mindless kinetic energy .",
"undeniably exciting and much better than a movie with this many young , buff bodies should be .",
"there are n't nearly enough preposterous thrillers that involve gorgeous young stars wearing very little clothing .",
"writer matt johnson lays on more villains and more chases and more twists , but instead of giving the film more depth , it just turns it increasingly sillier and sillier until it drowns in its own contrivances .",
"at least this impromptu beach ` fashion show ' is more watchable than the rest of the movie , which eventually turns into an improbable adventure-thriller filled with groan-inducing dialogue and equally groan-inducing performances .",
"this one tells a hoary tale of caribbean salvage operators dedicated to hunting sunken treasure on the ocean floor . but the true salvager is the guy behind the camera . john stockwell has already flashed his talent for rescuing b-material .",
"never makes it to so bad it 's good , stalling instead at so-bad it 's bad .",
"they manage to throw in every possible underwater peril -lrb- except for giant squid -rrb- - it gets to the point of being ludicrous , then keeps on going .",
"some movies are train wrecks . this one is chum .",
"manages to create a winning caribbean vibe that stretches into a fun popcorn flick .",
"it does n't take long to realize that the only thing this movie 's diving for is dollars -- yours .",
"this is about as standard a collection of thriller clichés as has ever been committed to film . still , the settings are amazing -lrb- above and below the ocean -rrb- , while paul walker and jessica alba look better in bathing suits than ought to be allowed .",
"in its favor , the treasure-hunt adventure has some modestly good underwater scenes , complete with interesting fish . still , a trip to the aquarium would probably be livelier .",
"every time -lsb- alba -rsb- dives into the ocean , you expect to see her bobbing back up to the surface like an old plank .",
"if the serious critic in me were n't fighting to be heard there 'd be an extra two stars to give out .",
"a brainless , forgettable thriller that quickly sinks without a trace , despite an attractive cast and gorgeous photography .",
"-lsb- the film is -rsb- ... so bad that i found myself almost nodding out during long scenes of alba swimming underwater in a skimpy suit .",
"not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination , but certainly one that offers enough eye-candy and cheap thrills to entertain ...",
"reminsicient of nothing more than several wealthy persons ' salaried vacation trip , MOV is an absolutely merciless chore of a movie .",
"there is not one redeeming quality to this movie",
"... there comes a point at which MOV becomes just overwhelmingly silly ...",
"a rather ludicrous story about sunken treasure and illicit drugs , MOV has as its main attractions the beautiful bodies of paul walker and jessica alba .",
"MOV is a fine-looking , often boring , eye candy palace to visit . until the languid turquoise sea churns into a crimson tide , that is .",
"the cast is little more than the sum total of golden skin , firm flesh and blindingly white teeth , but in a film that demands them to be half-naked and soaking wet most of the time , looks trump technical acting skill every time .",
"alas , there is no treasure , buried or otherwise , but only fool 's gold in the silly script .",
"not a thriller so much as an extremely violent swimsuit calendar .",
"too long at 110 minutes , the movie gets a lot more complicated with its array of peripheral characters . but it 's never very deep on characterizations .",
"buff bods . fantastic fish . silly thriller twists , trolled along at a leisurely but increasingly suspenseful pace . some funny lines and a shark attack or two . did we mention there are buff bods ?",
"our two couples argue , they go to discos , they say ` bro ! ' some more . amanda declares more things ` hot ! ' they dive . they run out of air .",
"somewhat silly but reasonably entertaining .",
"whom do you root for when everyone is sleazy ?",
"the only good acting is done by the sharks .",
"an enjoyable , gorgeously photographed aquatic adventure whose stars are blissfully bodacious .",
"it 's pretty to look at , but so low-voltage and instantly forgettable that it 's hardly worth anyone 's time .",
"a soggy adventure best suited to dvd-rental desperation .",
"ultimately , MOV is n't nearly as bad as it looks .",
"it is an extraordinary cinematic achievement to take a story combining pirate treasure , drug runners , killer sharks , an airplane crash , car chases and jessica alba in a bikini , and turn it into an exercise in tedium .",
"... lurking underneath the sleek and fashionable veneer is a not half-bad little morality play .",
"watch as millions of dollars are hurled at us in the form of bad special effects and an impenetrable labyrinth of a story that i can not imagine a single soul caring about .",
"MOV is such a smorgasbord of action , clichés , and bad acting , that it will make your head spin in ways john stockwell was n't counting on .",
"we should just throw pretense to the wind and call this one jessica alba in a bikini . they 're certainly not paying for her acting skills .",
"laughable in a lumbering and boring way .",
"a film so boring , overextended and endlessly moronic that my high school called to downgrade my gpa for having sat through it ."
] |
8264
|
even the endless shots of bronzed beach babes and buffed dudes ca n't keep this soggy scuba flick 's plot from drowning .
|
into_the_blue
|
[
"what a wondrous vision MOV is ! and what a mess .",
"visually striking .",
"exquisite , a near-perfect blend of action , romance , fantasy and philosophy , finely acted and beautifully filmed by director john boorman and cinematographer alex thomson .",
"few directors have the visual imagination of john boorman .",
"john boorman 's magnificent and magical MOV is , to my mind , the greatest and the richest of screen incarnation of the oft-told tale .",
"epic king arthur saga with illicit affairs and brutality .",
"for all its audacity , a misguided folly .",
"it 's like an excruciating renaissance festival in a drug fog .",
"one of my favorite films of its year , and far and away my favorite of this type of film . -lrb- and , yes , i include peter jackson 's lord of the rings films in that assessment . -rrb-",
"... romantic and brutal , lyrically beautiful yet grittily realistic .",
"the film based on la morte d'arthur by thomas malory does actually remind one of passages from that novel . poetic .",
"the result is almost always the handsomest of films to behold . storywise it has its moments , too , although it never quite achieves the difficult blend of grandeur and madness for which it strives .",
"excessive but occasionally inspired , MOV gives us grimy lumbering knights , gloomy castles , slithering dragons , mesmerizing magic , and -lrb- of course -rrb- the struggle between good and evil .",
"despite moments of high style and wit , -lsb- MOV -rsb- too often substitutes mayhem for magic .",
"give boorman credit for the loopy grandeur of his imagery and imaginings , for the sweet smell of excess , for his heroic gamble that a movie can dare to trip over its pretensions -- and still fly .",
"the search for the holy grail and the final battle are simply stunning sequences , and , while the dizzying pace leaves scant time for proper characterisation , nicol williamson , nigel terry and helen mirren make their mark .",
"perhaps the best-ever filmed version of the arthurian legend .",
"there is humor here -lrb- in the form of a vaudeville merlin , played by nicol williamson -rrb- as well as a diminution of scale that seems intended to help audiences through the thornier byways of boorman 's vision .",
"remains the definitive big screen telling of the arthurian legend .",
"a work of hideous myopathy",
"MOV is both sober and laughable .",
"somehow it combines legendary material both visually and audibly that hooks me every time .",
"... one of those great miracles in filmmaking ... it 's concept of arthur and the landscape that surrounds him is a benchmark for fantasy as we know it .",
"english film director john boorman 's stunning and spellbinding dramatization of the arthurian myth .",
"a darkly grand and gothic look at the arthurian legends . one of boorman 's -lrb- several -rrb- masterworks .",
"beautiful rendition of king arthur milieu by the master filmmaker john boorman .",
"boorman picks through the murky haystack of arthurian legend and finds a golden needle",
"so far the most honest and most powerful on-screen depiction of the ancient and universal legend .",
"mr. boorman takes these myths very seriously , but he has used them with a pretentiousness that obscures his vision .",
"the film is kind of simple in its plotting , but what 's cool is the design .",
"ambitious and soaring ... -lsb- but -rsb- there is n't much beyond the show"
] |
13073
|
john boorman 's operatic , opulent take on the legend of king arthur is visually remarkable , and features strong performances from an all-star lineup of british thespians .
|
excalibur
|
[
"every time an m16 with teflon-coated bullets fires , an angel gets his wings .",
"there 's a fumbled excuse that `` god got tired of the bullshit '' and decided to wipe out humanity . in this regard , the audience will probably be on god 's side .",
"if you 're really that hard up for yet another apocalypso horror show , you 'd could do worse than renting 1995 's the prophecy , which at least had the good sense to cast christopher walken as the angel gabriel .",
"essentially a b-movie dressed up with a-level special effects , MOV looks spiffy but sounds bad with a lot of overwritten dialogue scenes and predictable action .",
"i would prefer to think that MOV was written by a final draft program possessed by pat robertson 's subconscious .",
"the down time between action scenes is deadly dull and the film 's hoary cinematic shorthand -lrb- i.e. , a young black man enters the film to the sound of hip-hop and fights with his baby mama -rrb- is more terrifying than anything else served up .",
"would-be supernatural thriller ... tries too hard to play b-movie material serious and goes straight to hell by the ... second act .",
"movies do n't get much more wick wick wack than this amusingly god-awful -- and yes , that 's god with a capital ` g ' -- horror-action spectacle that alternates between outrageous camp and sobersided sanctimony as it slouches toward cable immortality ...",
"this feature debut by writer-director scott stewart may sound like an enjoyably goofy theo-horror romp , but it 's a serious penance .",
"the screenwriters ... do n't have anything remotely like the training , talent , or the apparent inclination to do anything with this material that is in the least bit entertaining or insightful .",
"goofily entertaining , especially when the cast is n't speaking , this rip-roaring blasphemous diversion is worth a gander or two , especially for those who enjoy bug attacks , exploding crucified humans , grossly expandable limbs , and loads of gunfire .",
"MOV will have you wishing for the end .",
"i 'm quite confident jesus would hate this movie .",
"anne rice was right ; angels are just as hot and just as deadly as those bloodsuckers from twilight and true blood .",
"god could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he 'd only have taken the words to ` you ca n't always get what you want ' to heart .",
"winged things are flitting in two movies , one of which is aimed at adults and the other which is aimed at children . neither of them is worth seeing .",
"there 's a lot going on , a lot of theology , a lot of bad horror movie effects .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- mediocre picture .",
"a love story and a quest for faith gurgle in the background , but it all fades to exploding stomachs and the archangel gabriel 's chainsaw .",
"it 's terminator plus dogma times supernatural as set in a stephen king novel reinterpreted by someone without a sense of humor or knack for dialogue operating on a low budget . but god help me , i liked it !",
"i have n't had more fun since eight legged freaks .",
"more apocalyptic twaddle , this time the setting a scuzzy diner named paradise falls - groan - on the edge of the mojave desert .",
"if you like biblical tales and fancy a bit of action mixed with angelic references this will be worth a rental . the main message is , have faith . but be warned , this film will test yours .",
"at the end of the day - or should that be end of days - it boils down to nothing more than a glorified apocalyptic zombie movie .",
"a series of set pieces offer individual moments of self-satisfied gratuity , but collectively add up to precious little .",
"if it was n't taking itself so bloody seriously one could at least laugh with it , but as it stands MOV is a film that one ca n't help but laugh at .",
"entertainingly trashy thriller , elevated by strong performances and some gleefully over-the-top moments .",
"that flat middle chunk is the problem , the only thing keeping it from being a respectably stupid b-movie .",
"angels we have heard on high . coming down to kick our sorry butts . god ca n't make up his mind whether he wants humans to survive like they did after the great flood . the battle of the ages singles down on a pregnant woman about to give birth to a holy",
"there 's nothing wrong with being preposterous , but this guilty pleasure thriller has a tendency to be pretentious as well .",
"`` it 's a labored , darkly photographed , cringingly acted hodgepodge of fanciful geek-bait genre ideas and hideous connect-the-dots scripting . who knew the end of the world could be such a screaming bore . ''",
"inane dialogue , a bad , derivative storyline and evil angels make up this overblown , poor-man 's would-be terminator in which an exploding upside-down crucified man is one of the low points . just when you think the film could n't get any worse , it does .",
"heaven help these fallen angels .",
"a bold faced rip off of the `` terminator '' films ...",
"a few minutes shorter , and an ending that does n't outright quote the beginning of the movie , and we might have had something here .",
"... a disappointingly uneven and thoroughly pointless horror effort ...",
"there are so many things that could have been done with this premise that the movie simply does n't do . does n't even think of doing .",
"an utterly ludicrous entry in the biblical-horror subgenre .",
"why spend your money watching an extended trailer ?",
"i really enjoyed this stupid movie .",
"angels with machine guns ? it was probably great fun to make ; just do n't expect to have quite as good a time watching it . as a piece of action horror it suffers from an identity crisis .",
"the movie is close to a guilty pleasure but it is also a very silly , crummily-scripted mess with no idea how to get from one sequence to the next in that way they call ... storytelling ?",
"the first time , god did it with a flood . now he 's doing it with creepy monsters who can only be repelled with deafening fire from sexy weapons . at least it will keep you awake .",
"bettany 's job : rescuing the modern mary , a skanky waitress , and saving her unborn child . our job : holding back the laughter .",
"apocalyptic sci-fi movies are becoming regrettably common , and MOV is the daftest yet .",
"more than a little silly , it veers between high camp and supernatural hokum as an overqualified cast gives the portentous , bible-based action far more conviction than it deserves .",
"first-time feature director scott stewart is a former ilm special effects wizard who 's been given the keys to the store and it shows . there 's little sense of narrative cohesion - or any explanation for the moments of madness .",
"ilm visual effects wizkid turned director scott stewart has -lrb- literally and metaphorically -rrb- thrown up the world 's dullest horror actioner , although its premise and beginning do at least offer some promise .",
"by the tedious climax , the desert setting was reminding me a lot of resident evil : extinction , except this is n't as good .",
"despite the religious trappings , MOV is an old fashioned shoot - 'em - up with satisfying gunfights , a pacey plot and barely a dull moment . dumb fun .",
"whoever is responsible for the final cut must get the brunt of the blame . sadly , a far better , more cohesive picture probably exists somewhere on the cutting room floor .",
"... just because i enjoyed -lsb- the terminator -rsb- does n't mean i want to sit through a witless dinner-theater retread of the movie featuring a cast that is capable of much better .",
"beneath its superficial religious facade , MOV is really just a run-of-the-mill zombie flick . a biblical ` i am legend ' .",
"MOV makes absolutely no sense and while the action scenes are cool , the dialogue bits in between are way too drawn out and boring . the ending is so unsatisfactory .",
"a dramatically muddled but surprisingly involving bible-themed fantasy thriller ...",
"bettany 's presence keeps MOV from becoming just another zombie variant .",
"alas , after a brisk start , the script turns out to be a rough and humorless beast slouching its way towards utter ludicrousness .",
"god 's given up on the human race and plans to wipe it out . again .",
"when all is said and done , MOV is all talk and no `` do '' , a prude film with some seriously wasted potential . it 's boring , slow-paced and takes itself way too goddamn seriously .",
"the finished product is shockingly bad ... an exercise in futility . spare yourself the agony .",
"celestial tosh of less than biblical proportions .",
"the sort of confused mess liable to provoke an apocalyptic cull of humanity by any rational supreme being with an interest in cinema .",
"MOV has the audacity to set itself up for sequels without giving the audience enough compelling reason to care about this first installment .",
"could have been t2 with seraphs , or assault on precinct 13 crossed with revelations . instead , it 's a lazy genre bore . does n't bode well for priest , the next stewart/bettany film in the pipeline .",
"oh , what a wacky bunch of stereotypes in this diner ! there 's a rich guy , a black person and even dennis quaid !",
"in the end , you 're left wondering why the almighty has so much trouble disposing of a small group hiding out in a diner and why paul bettany signed up for such a pointless venture in the first place .",
"ah well . at least we know paul bettany 's mortgage is covered .",
"strangers thrown together by fate are trapped inside an isolated diner as zombies converge outside % u2014 an army sent by god to clean out humankind .",
"it 's up to the archangel michael -lrb- paul bettany -rrb- to save the human race - or at least the denizens of a desert diner - after a disappointed god loses his temper and sets off the apocalypse .",
"while entertaining -- and you do get the angel explodo -- it does stretch its silliness factor just a bit much .",
"where many a movie falls into a vat of cheese is when it tries to show us `` the other side . '' the angels ' barracks turn out to look like the loft of an industrial-sized stable .",
"parental content review",
"-lsb- has -rsb- at least a semi-awareness of the ridiculous hooey it 's slinging ... a b-movie that 's almost as much fun to laugh with as it is to laugh at . note : i did say almost .",
"MOV may traffic in signposts of the apocalypse , but the whole affair mostly indicates that we 're in the movie wasteland that is january .",
"i am dubious about the theological underpinnings of MOV . and i do n't even believe in this crap . i generally like my fantasy to hang together in some sort of semblance of sense , however .",
"there are no orgies of planetary destruction ; the action almost never leaves the diner , which may be just as well , since a short scene in heaven looks as if it were filmed on the set of a community college shakespeare production .",
"MOV has the good sense to mimic a classic but otherwise makes no sense at all .",
"i 'm not sure who the target audience is for MOV - it 's too talky for the action crowd , and anyone who knows the bible will find it ridiculous",
"it 's one of those movies you just want to hate , you just have to hate because deep down , you know it hates itself .",
"an incoherent flick positing , amid all the apocalyptic mayhem , that the almighty is out of touch with his/her inner deity",
"a ridiculous piece of hokum that is far more fun than it has a right to be .",
"a cartoonishly grim supernatural thriller that could stand a lot less talk and a lot more thrills .",
"even if you overlook the lousy lighting , awkward editing , and uneven acting , there 's so much talking -- and so little story -- that your mind is likely to wander .",
"in the end , MOV is damned not by god but by dopey and long-winded dialogue , its inherent cheesiness , bland characters , and a very confused take on the almighty .",
"while it 's hard to give the movie a whole-hearted recommendation , MOV is better than it should have been due to stewart 's attempts to not make it into just another high concept video game existing merely to set up a franchise .",
"the goofiest plundering of the bible since christopher walkin 's ` prophecy ' pictures ... a combination of horror movie cliche and pseudo-religious mumbo-jumbo that proves a pretty fetid brew .",
"just a random cast playing caricatures of themselves , who are occasionally interrupted by half-baked otherworldly attacks . movie over . shrug .",
"if you 've seen it in the endlessly running ads , you 've `` seen it '' in the film itself",
"director scott stewart , a former special-effects man , has not made a film for the ages , but he has made a decent piece of mindless entertainment .",
"MOV is usda prime fail .",
"a faith based shoot 'em up of biblical proportions , with god guns and angel wing weapons of mass destruction . while god 's sidekick , a brit and possible obstetrician , wards off an entire planet of pro-abortion busybodies in his midst .",
"end of the world much ? as yet another twist on the apocalypse , MOV could have done with a lot less pontificating and much more action to mask the muddled plot .",
"it 's something of a mess , unsuccessfully combining elements of night of the living dead with the terminator .",
"out of the 8 characters that could save the world , i wished 7 would just die and get the apocalypse over with .",
"MOV is hellishly bad .",
"films with angels as characters usually fascinate me , but ` MOV ' is not one of them . its story makes no sense , and the movie 's religious theme rings false .",
"it 's a wonderful life where every time you hear a whelp ring out , another angel gets his head blown off !",
"if you wanted to see a new movie about a dude sportin ' a six pack and fluffy white wings , you could do worse than MOV . and by doing worse , you could see dwayne johnson snatching spent molars in the family attraction , the tooth fairy .",
"for maximum enjoyment concentrate on the action and let the theology slide .",
"a holey mess ."
] |
770784236
|
despite a solid cast and intermittent thrills , MOV suffers from a curiously languid pace , confused plot , and an excess of dialogue .
|
legion_2010
|
[
"shrill and shallow , ` MOV ' would make anyone wince at the thought of matrimony .",
"a paean to friendship and conspicuous consumption that is just simply wrong . on a number of levels .",
"MOV makes sex and the city seem like jane austen .",
"there 's a good deal of potential squandered in this strained comedy , which suffers from lazy writing , miscalculated acting , perfunctory directing and general bad timing .",
"you want to see anne hathaway in a worthy vehicle ? check out `` rachel getting married . '' you want to see kate hudson in a worthy vehicle?rent a time machine .",
"often unimaginative , asinine and bland , even if you 're willing to check your brain at the door and suspend your disbelief for 90 minutes .",
"a movie best left at the altar .",
"do n't bother to rsvp to MOV .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- funny , self-consciously frothy piece of good-natured escapism .",
"eighty-eight minutes and 14 seconds of pure , unadulterated piffle .",
"candice bergen does her best to carry this insubstantial , insulting film , but it 's not nearly enough .",
"the timing of this picture 's release is unfortunate , as is the picture itself .",
"all it takes is a bride scorned to turn a stock movie character into a raving caricature of emotional instability .",
"nothing shocking , nothing original , nothing amazing and nothing special , but you can have a few laughs along the way .",
"after last year 's `` 27 dresses , '' 20th century fox has decided to once again make another bridal-themed movie aimed at female audiences who are in the mood to see a movie but have no apparent desire to see a good one .",
"a stale story badly told",
"watchable comedy , enlivened by strong performances from hudson and hathaway and a decent script that is n't afraid to make the central friendship the most important relationship in the movie .",
"a lively tone and sharp performances help bring this rather thin comedy to life",
"while the premise is as flimsy as a brides ' veil , kate hudson and anne hathaway make this girls-only comedy about two girls , two weddings and a friendship in crisis , into a moderately enjoyable , if forgettable affair",
"hathaway should be embarrassed , and hudson should ask hathaway what it 's like to still be capable of feeling embarrassment .",
"finds sharp laughs in the nooks and crannies of the formula",
"unless skirmishes in the bridal registry department or catfights in yards of tulle sound like fun , opt for peaceful resistance to MOV .",
"... only hudson has been stumping the talk shows on this one . hathaway appears to be hiding in her closet until it blows over and everyone gets back to remembering her previous film .",
"MOV takes every ugly stereotype about women and weddings and dumbs them down even further .",
"that poor vera wang gown has to carry the movie , and that 's too much to ask of any dress . right now , the wang is probably calling up the green gown from atonement , asking how to get fixed up with a better script . i wish it luck .",
"movies thrive on smackdowns . `` clash of the titans . '' `` alien vs. predator . '' `` freddy vs. jason . '' rocky vs. apollo creed . and now , bridezilla vs. bridezilla .",
"a shrill , mechanical comedy dedicated to the proposition that a wedding that does n't take place at the plaza hotel is scarcely worth having at all .",
"two shallow women friends become enemies in this unappealing comedy .",
"gary winick directs way too broadly for this thing to ever have a chance and any semblance of reality or believability is just tossed out with bridal bouquet .",
"predictable , lazy and as overprocessed as kate hudson 's hair , this thoroughly joyless movie also possesses a deep nasty streak , making it loathsome when it might have been merely annoying .",
"setting feminism back at least a century , embarrassing a potential oscar nominee and insulting the very idea of romance , MOV is every bit as awful as it sounds .",
"MOV could have been a clever , incisive satire of the bloated and maddening wedding industry ; unfortunately it takes an old-fashioned stance far out of place in this modern world .",
"not knowing what to expect , the battle between hudson and hatheway was fun to watch but i would not waste money to see it in theatres . wait for the rental !",
"the film wanly tries to build a case for their two very different , yet complementary , personalities but falls back on slapstick . the filmmakers make thankfully swift work of the tale in just under 90 minutes .",
"with artifice as layered as the tiers of a marzipan cake , this resembles nothing so much as a stale rock hudson-doris day comedy : you know that eventually the combatants will recognize they love each other the most .",
"it 's been awhile since a movie has been this stridently insufferable while pulling off that moviemaking trifecta of combining bad directing , bad writing and bad acting .",
"some of this might have passed for uproarious in a tv sitcom , although probably in an earlier decade than the one in which we 're dozing through this movie .",
"it 's a chick flick ; nothing wrong with that . but it 's also a chick flick that makes its chick characters -- and by extension its chick audience -- look like hateful , backward toddlers , and there is something wrong with that .",
"as if to assuage the anxieties of the millions of same-sex couples deprived of the right to wed in this nation , here comes MOV to make the entire institution of marriage look almost as awful as last year 's dreadful 27 dresses did .",
"even if the slapstick were brilliantly choreographed , the movie 's view of marriage , women and , for that matter , men would probably sink it to oblivion .",
"a story so ludicrous and soft-centred that none of the actors has much of a chance , and both comedy and romance seem stifled at birth . everyone concerned seems to have given up halfway through . you ca n't blame them .",
"it is widely assumed that eddie murphy hurt his oscar chances by following his dramatic turn in ` dreamgirls ' with the graceless ` norbit . ' ` MOV ' is just as abysmal , though it spares us the prosthetic fat suits .",
"if you see anyone trying to flog this as a dodgy dvd in the pub , report them to the police . it really is criminal .",
"imaginative it ai n't but , in all , it 's an agreeably girly accompaniment to a box of maltesers . you might also want to take along some earplugs .",
"even at this early stage of the year , MOV is certain to rank among the ten worst releases of 2009 .",
"a dopey if largely painless romantic comedy",
"a jaw-clenchingly unfunny insult to both sexes and everyone 's intelligence , it redefines the term ` bridal shower ' .",
"the movie makes a ridiculous ass of itself , but as a run-for-the-hills endurance test for straight men everywhere , it 's almost fascinating .",
"our deepest condolences to hudson as the ironically named `` liv '' . her dead eyes and rouged cheeks suggest she 's bypassed the wedding and gone straight to the funeral .",
"it is a shame that filmmakers and audiences alike have let romantic comedies devolve into trite mediocrity and banal predictability . the genre deserves far better than MOV and its ilk .",
"hudson and hathaway are totally wasted in this lame retro comedy , which is seemingly a critique of the wedding industry but in actuality ends up endorsing every element related to lavish nupitals .",
"MOV is also a missed opportunity for a crackerjack comedy , dropping any hint of mean-spirited delight to kitten play with mundane nuptial wish-fulfillment and half-realized romantic nonsense .",
"they 're real , dimensional humans , not wedding-obsessed fembots .",
"the movie ends with the door wide open for a sequel ; one ca n't imagine anyone involved jumping at the thought .",
"hathaway and hudson , both natural charmers , are reduced to female stereotypes in this outdated comedy .",
"here 's the biggest problem with MOV : as simple as the premise is , we do n't buy it for a moment .",
"MOV is being released early in january , typically a stomping ground for bad movies . in this way , it has been perfectly placed .",
"you could n't give this bride away . pedestrian comedy of friends at war balances on a petty framework , with shallow , unlikeable and archaic characters .",
"kate hudson and anne hathaway , who play the would-be brides , are good actors and quick-witted women , here playing characters at a level of intelligence approximating hal 9000 after he has had his chips pulled .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- shiny sitcom pilot that looks like something yanked from nbc 's shelves circa 1989 .",
"you could do worse in hollywood 's dumping ground .",
"the resolution of the film 's dilemma is not only absurd and unbelievable , but is further humiliating to the two actresses .",
"this comedy about female best friends whose bond is shattered when their weddings fall on the same date occasionally displays a desire to explore the nature of friendship and love , but unfortunately such moments of insight take a backseat to increasingly",
"the funniest bridezilla moments are in the trailer ; if you 've seen that , you 've seen the movie .",
"sex and the city for the american girl set , but a decent chick flick .",
"with a title like `` MOV '' you 'd expect some explosive comic moments of wedding sabotage and subterfuge , but instead you get a clunky formula romantic comedy , even by hollywood standards .",
"MOV could have been your typical cartoonish , early-winter wedding comedy . although it certainly has moments like that , it 's not as wacky as most of its ilk . guess the bad news is that it 's not much of a comedy .",
"MOV is absolutely harmless in the worst kind of way .",
"no cues are needed to understand the plot , which feels computer-generated and barely serves to sustain an hour and a half running time .",
"director gary winick has long since abandoned his cool cred from tadpole and 13 going on 30 and given himself over to the dark side of making glossy amusements that are about as deep as staring into a snow globe .",
"a crass , despicably sexist piece of hollywood trash .",
"one week into 2009 and we already have a contender for worst film of the year .",
"the most lamentable thing about the dismal MOV is the total absence of fatalities .",
"hudson 's performance is so distractingly rigid you 'd think she were impersonating keanu reeves in the day the earth stood still .",
"MOV pretends to be a satire of wedding mania , but since there 's virtually nothing else to the movie , the satire comes depressingly close to endorsement .",
"as romantic as the dollar dance and as funny as the quips from a hokey wedding dj .",
"MOV tosses out stereotypes about female materialism and cattiness with all the giddy gusto of a newly married woman flinging the bouquet at her single girlfriends .",
"will make you hate brides .",
"it 's a picture that never comes to life before the `` death do us part . ''",
"appallingly simple-minded .",
"plain and simple , this is a paycheck -lsb- for anne hathaway and kate hudson -rsb- and a waste of their time , your time and mine .",
"hudson has only herself to blame for agreeing to the script and a hairstyle that makes her look like a cross between hilary duff and a shrunken head .",
"never quite bitchy enough to be enjoyable .",
"while it may be tempting to write off ` MOV ' as harmlessly mediocre , this race to the altar also falters by trafficking in female stereotypes .",
"there 's more cheer to be gained from staring outside at a bleak and desolate winterscape in the twilight of a shortened day than paying good money to endure this example of cinematic offal .",
"i now pronounce you mildly amused !",
"... feels like the work of someone who hates chick flicks and is n't all that fond of women in the first place .",
"a light-hearted comedy romp that is not meant to be taken seriously",
"having its wedding cake and eating it too , this malevolent catfight catastrophe in chick flick lite clothing , satirizes that nuptial consumer orgy , while gorging on the excesses of matrimonial materialism .",
"reptilian , hateful stuff , biologically engineered to disrespect -- with maximum efficiency -- the precise demographic to which it targets itself .",
"it 's like the whack-a-mole of everything reasonable people hate about so-called ` chick flicks . ' -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
"MOV will ensnare the fairer sex like an evil goddamn tractor beam and there 's nothing you can do about it . if you must go see it , take a book . or some cyanide .",
"MOV renders its women characters as stereotypes only capable of approaching the world the way a character from a prime-time tv show might .",
"there are no pleasant surprises in this partly-boston-shot gary winick film .",
"the movie shows that life can be messy and how unrealistic it is to expect everything to be perfect on `` the biggest day in a girl 's life ''",
"enough to make one yearn for the comparatively rich complexity of home improvement .",
"it 's a movie that mistakenly believes that we should want to like these people .",
"the leading ladies do n't provide any memorable moments other than the obvious visual gag of a cat fight between two women in wedding dresses .",
"if MOV is any indication of what 's to come , please let last year linger a little longer .",
"MOV never gets off its high-concept stool long enough to explore what makes weddings so exciting and nerve-racking and treacherous . it flounders instead in juvenilia and bitchiness .",
"MOV is hell at its most banal -- like watching a dull sitcom with a broken remote .",
"it would be depressing to think that people like this might actually exist . but it 's also a little depressing to think that movies like this actually exist , so you can never be too sure .",
"wedding comedy amuses , but has inconsistent messages .",
"it 's apathy incarnate . it 's the bride of floppenstein , a c-minus , a soggy , sad thing floating in a lukewarm limbo of sentimental mediocrity .",
"if anyone asks you if you want to see MOV , remember the right answer : i do n't .",
"the idea of a revenge comedy is n't necessarily a bad one , MOV simply fails at it despite having the formidable duo of kate hudson and anne hathaway , who in their own distinctive ways usually command the screen .",
"you leave this chick flick disaster feeling like an escapee from a pow camp .",
"yeah , MOV is only a chick flick , but chicks deserve better than this .",
"as vacuous and disposable as hollywood comedies come . i 'd say it 's preferable to rabies , but having never had rabies , i ca n't be sure , can i ?",
"anything you need to know to avoid wasting your $ 12 is in the unpromising trailer .",
"all in all , it 's a good girlfriend movie and a decent date-night picture .",
"even if you can get past the boneheaded premise , the picture feels halfhearted in its construction .",
"in these recessionary times , it 's not just misogynistic to assume that intelligent women turn into feral dogs at the sight of a tiffany gift box , but it 's also beside the point .",
"the writing in MOV is brittle and backbitey , and so are the characters .",
"in the end , the movie owes its mild success to anne hathaway , who makes it watchable .",
"MOV takes the burgeoning anne hathaway wedding-movie subgenre from the sublime to the despicable .",
"are n't we -lsb- women -rsb- adorable in all our irrational shrieking harpy juvenile shallow materialistic glory ? we so are !",
"how bad can a movie be , with goldilocks hudson and cinderella hathaway ? so excruciating that hudson 's sunshine ca n't warm it and hathaway 's rose redolence ca n't mask its stink .",
"MOV is a retrograde comedy that makes women look like shallow , scheming , selfish creatures who worship consumerism and fret about their hips .",
"excruciating , pointless , spectacularly unfunny , sometimes offensive , hapless stab at a chick flick",
"it 's hard to warm to these superficial women who learn the error of their ways in such an unconvincingly hasty fashion .",
"as hathaway and hudson plan their perfect days and plot to destroy each other , like a gown-clad version of one of those old mad magazine spy vs. spy comics , MOV pauses to ask the very important question of what happens when you focus on your weddin",
"... a hopelessly predictable comedy whose positive attributes are ultimately outweighed by its negatives .",
"parental content review",
"i have a request of hollywood : please stop now . if you ca n't come up with a funnier bridal comedy than MOV , leave the subject alone .",
"MOV - bridezillas in dire need of valium",
"mere months ago , anne hathaway participated in rachel getting married , a film brimming with life . now here she is in a film with virtually no life at all .",
"anne hathaway has a few shining moments in this bridal face-off but getting to the altar is still a tiring slog .",
"when did chick flicks become so suffused with hatred for womankind ? surely a movie about girls and aimed at girls should n't make us feel so bad about being girls ?"
] |
770784043
|
MOV takes the already wearisome concept of battling bridezillas , and makes it thoroughly insufferable via a lazy script and wholly detestable characters .
|
bride_wars
|
[
"the humor is one-dimensional , but carrey and mcgregor paint every millimeter of that dimension purple .",
"the rails could have come off phillip morris in so many ways , it 's a miracle that the film sticks together as well as it does .",
"phillip morris is n't a perfect movie by any means , but it 's irresistibly self-assured in its weirdness .",
"there 's plenty of sweetness at the core of glenn ficarra and john requa 's bold , bleak little comedy MOV .",
"there 's something terribly romantic about the bond that develops between ewan mcgregor 's and jim carrey 's gay lovers in a con-man story not far removed from a great film like `` catch me if you can . ''",
"carrey relies little on his physical theatrics to bring russell alive , for which we are grateful . that toned-down approach results in one of the comedian 's most complex performances yet , even if the shadows from previous roles creep in .",
"the movie , at its best , is compellingly odd , which is also the most accurate description of carrey 's performance .",
"... a warm , witty work of unassuming delight that just so happens to be about two men in love ...",
"wacky but mature comedy examines a love with no limits .",
"with his manic glare , ferociously eager smile , hyperkinetic body language and talent for instant self-transformation , mr. carrey has rarely been more charismatic on the screen .",
"a story about love that truly binds in an outrageous way and what one man would do to make sure he would not have a broken heart . it 's adorable and will have you laughing along the way .",
"it would have worked much better as a gritty drama about the most toxic non-violent criminal in texas history .",
"this is n't great farce , but it 's more than good enough . and carrey is more than good enough in it .",
"laugh-out-loud hilarious one moment and darkly tragic the next , MOV ' tone is wildly uneven , never quite sure of what sort of movie it wants to be-and i loved it for it .",
"an amusing , frustrating and wildly uneven comedy farce that i just ca n't imagine is going to play well to most anyone but a number of film critics who might admire the pic 's derring-do . -lrb- parental review also available -rrb-",
"proof that just because a story is strange and seemingly unlikely does not inherently make it worth the telling .",
"at best , MOV may be hailed as a necessary step in hollywood 's fearful crawl toward sexual evenhandedness ; the film upholds the constitutional right of every gay man to be as much of a liar , a crook , and a creep as the rest of us .",
"steven russell is a slippery character that the film never fully gets its hands on .",
"carrey makes the role seem effortless ; he deceives as spontaneously as others breathe .",
"a darkly comic caper movie that 's also a frenzied gay romance ... not perfect , to be sure , but distinctive .",
"carrey is exuberant and , of course , funny in his most layered role to date .",
"carrey is truly great in one of those rare risky roles that prove he can do more than pull faces , although the frank portrayal of an alpha male who is also `` gay , gay , gay , gay , gay '' is sure to make some percentage of his fan base squirm .",
"it 's somewhat appropriate that the movie nearly debuted on dvd stateside since it 's worth a rental for carrey but too frustrating for the cost of theatrical admission .",
"the role is a good fit for carrey , who manages to dial down his usual mug-a-minute schtick while still being funny , capturing the manic , paranoid heart fluttering beneath russell 's trust-me exterior .",
"the romance between them is touching at its best moments , corny at its worst .",
"it finds the humor in an unlikely love story , and it resists any temptation to play it straight .",
"it 's funny because it 's true . that 's the idea behind the mad-love story MOV , which gets its kicks by being much stranger than fiction .",
"as a romantic comedy , it 's better than any of the half-hearted , interchangeable flicks that normally dominate the genre , in part because of the smart laughs , but mostly because it refuses to play to genre conventions .",
"perhaps the most disappointing aspect of MOV is its inability to maintain the high level at which it begins -- a withering lampoon of wholesome , middle class values .",
"there 's plenty to scratch your head about here . is it a drama ? a comedy ? and if it 's a farce , what 's it making fun of ?",
"it 's confused and confusing , by turns hilarious and off-putting . in short , it 's awfully hard to love i love you philip morris .",
"jim carrey gives it his all . the con makes this movie worth seeing even if you never feel the love .",
"yes , some familiar carrey tactics are on display , but the star 's performance has real heart - it 's easily the best thing he has done since eternal sunshine of the spotless mind .",
"a charismatic little underdog of a movie .",
"carrey fearlessly gives it his best shot , but this fundamental schizophrenia strong-armed me out of the film , and left me feeling like mcgregor 's more grounded performance existed in another movie entirely .",
"the trouble is that , while carrey is transforming himself into a guy who fills a hole in his soul with a big big love , ewan mcgregor is barely skimming the surface of his -lrb- admittedly underwritten -rrb- nice-guy role .",
"it 's satire , but not quite funny enough ; a love story , but not quite sincere enough .",
"a delirious comedy that remains on track largely thanks to jim carrey 's goofy but grounded performance .",
"stranger danger than fiction , MOV has all the makings to be one of the year 's most successful , certainly enjoyable , films .",
"another fantastic performance by carrie , not be mention mcgregor . living proof that the only difference between fact and fiction is that fiction has to make sense .",
"-lsb- e -rsb- asily one of the best comedies of the last several years .",
"jim carrey succeeds but the film is too mean-spirited and its supporting players too one-dimensional to make this story worthwhile .",
"even when the movie 's doing something stupid , you just bemusedly shake your head and dive right back in , forgiving everything , even if you do n't know why . is n't that what love 's all about ?",
"despite its title , it has nothing to do with cigarettes . but its star , as he once famously said on screen , is absolutely `` smokin ' . ''",
"... it 's the film 's fearless go-for broke style which makes MOV such a success .",
"jim carrey brings dynamo force to the story of a brilliant con man and the guy he loved",
"ilypm is quite good and it 's a shame that this film was shunted around the backburners for so long .",
"above all , it is the wonderful performances of jim carrey and ewan mcgregor as a couple of misfits for whom love is everything , that stay with us",
"i 'm describing MOV as an inferior version of catch me if you can . it 's trying to tell a similar story in a similar vein but it just does n't work .",
"inspirada en una increíble historia real , esta comedia de jim carrey no es para nada la típica comedia de jim carrey , aunque haga uso de sus habituales recursos histriónicos . una comedia romántica absurda , irreverente y gay .",
"i do recommend it for the adults among us .",
"an amusing and weirdly affectionate ride . anyone want to sign up for the free steven russell movement ?",
"-lsb- the -rsb- elaborate cons may be fascinating , daring stuff , but the heart of the picture is the romantic relationship , which is squeezed out to the edges .",
"a satisfying and often very funny film .",
"the latest in a series of fact-inspired , cartoonish movies -lrb- ` ed wood , ' ` shattered glass ' -rrb- about self-invented american strivers driven to practical insanity as they simultaneously rebel against and desperately grasp at the american dream .",
"carrey and mcgregor are fascinating as prison lovers , but the dark tone and explicit sexuality make for a confusing film that also tries to be funny . it rarely succeeds .",
"the gay prison love story flimflam man genre is under-served . at least in mainstream movies . and jim carrey is happy to bounce in and amend that .",
"carrey veers more toward in living color mimicry than eternal sunshine of the spotless mind soulfulness . that approach completely undermines a love story that 's already being told in a slipshod manner .",
"slapdash , invigorating screwball romance",
"following nearly a year of woeful foreign runs and film-fest screenings , the jim carrey gay-love comedy finally presents itself for our inspection . i can hear you asking : why ?",
"russell was a fascinating character and a real puzzle box ; but the filmmakers have turned his life into a broad farce with one wocka-wocka gag after another .",
"it 's a jokey , flirty pile of wink-wink to let the audience know these two heterosexual actors are pretending to be in love just to get a laugh .",
"jim carrey gives one of the nerviest , boldest performances of his sporadically brilliant career .",
"smirking and awkwardly insincere , it revolves around the shocking scams of a bizarre sociopath .",
"it 's hard to tell who the film is designed for , since it may be too juvenile for gay audiences and too gay for carrey 's straight fans .",
"MOV is first and foremost a romantic comedy -- and a more effective one than any to hit theaters in 2010 .",
"a few words of warning : MOV has nothing to do with the powerful tobacco company or the man it was named after .",
"... a minstrel show of gay stereotypes .",
"lots of hilarious antics , but not a comprehensive film .",
"if nothing else -- restores jim carrey to a semblance of his former glory .",
"you have to hand it to jim carrey . he could take the easy paycheck time after time in bland movie after bland movie , but he keeps on running down these weird roads and that 's where he winds up doing his best work .",
"leaving aside the extent in which the premise of MOV is essentially very sad and serious , this is overall an extremely funny and at times very sweet romantic comedy .",
"but truth be told , no film has conveyed true love quite as convincingly in a very long time .",
"a remarkably strong debut ...",
"it 's a joy to see carrey used in a way that revels in his schizophrenic nature while also trying to make some authentic emotional sense of it as well .",
"jim carrey is the narrator ... transforming what could have been a cliched con man comedy , generic jim carrey-character comedy or run-of-the-mill gay coming-out comedy into something smarter , sweeter and downright giddy .",
"you could n't make this story up , as the truth proves to be stranger than fiction .",
"this is the most interesting role carrey has had in a long while .",
"carrey reminds us here ... that he can be a genuinely passionate actor able to skillfully combine comedy with pathos when he is removed from the hollywood machine , which strives to turn him into a cartoon ...",
"i like the outre screwball flavor of the piece ; it feels a little like steven spielberg 's catch me if you can crossed with one of john waters ' gently transgressive cult movies .",
"it sustains a tone of compassionate hilarity in which oversize romantic gestures coexist with gigantic scams .",
"... a brave and funny film that is worth seeing , especially if you are looking for something original .",
"this is catch me if you can with two middle fingers raised in the air .",
"reining in carrey may have smoothed out the film .",
"sort of like a darker , weirder catch me if you can",
"the movie , written and directed by john requa and glen ficara of bad santa fame , is all over the place . but it 's also outrageously funny .",
"carrey and mcgregor are awfully cute together . one of the great strengths of MOV is the matter-of-fact way it handles their relationship .",
"jim carrey gives his all -- which is certainly not nothing -- in this wild carnival ride of a film .",
"a skilled effort of constant surprise , led wonderfully by jim carrey , who gives a blessedly respectful performance that mingles pleasingly with laughs and shock .",
"with uneven if generally charming results ... -lsb- it -rsb- straddles the fine line between outrageous farce and heartfelt romance .",
"directors john requa and glenn ficarra , who wrote the wickedly hilarious bad santa , assume a mocking tone that falls flat . they aspire for a cleverly offbeat vibe , but it feels forced and calculated .",
"let 's just be friends , phillip morris , ` k ?",
"that the same-sex relationship is treated nonchalantly , like any more conventional hollywood romance , is appreciated , but that is roughly where the praise must unfortunately end .",
"laugh-out-loud funny at moments and surprisingly touching in others , MOV has the potential to be a dark horse contender come awards season .",
"such an endearing oddity that you have to wonder exactly for whom it was made . but i 'm glad they did nonetheless .",
"-lsb- both -rsb- stars prove to be enormous fun in a gay love story played straight in a thoroughly crooked context - a comic crooked context , mind you ...",
"at a time when audacity seems to be slowly draining out of mainstream filmmaking , it 's refreshing to see a movie thats this bold and unpredictable and naughty . i love you , phillip morris ranks as one of 2010 's tastiest surprises .",
"`` MOV '' not only blasts gay stereotypes back decades , it could actually make people wish for a third ace ventura movie .",
"though carrey seems to be giving his heart to steven 's romance with phillip , and pouring a lot of sweat equity into very vigorous sex , he never gets beyond his jim carrey-ness to let us discover the character .",
"there 's never been a movie like this one . that 's not to say it 's all good or all bad , though it 's never indifferent ."
] |
770782173
|
this fact-based romantic comedy has its flaws , but they 're mostly overcome by its consistently sweet , funny tone and one of the best performances of jim carrey 's career .
|
i_love_you_phillip_morris
|
[
"one of the most underseen guy movies ever",
"weird and smoothly engaging . harrison ford does some great -lrb- non-hero -rrb- work here .",
"harrison ford gives one of his best performances in this underrated film .",
"it 's easy to forget how well harrison ford can play an unlikable character .",
"it 's a testament to ford 's talent that we actually care what happens to him , because in a lesser actor 's hands , we 'd be hoping that some cannibalistic natives would eat him .",
"meandering film that does n't really seem to know where it 's going or what it is .",
"examines the consequences of a father 's egotism on his family .",
"a stretch for ford , but worth it . unique and fascinating character study ."
] |
11308
|
harrison ford capably tackles a tough , unlikable role , producing a fascinating and strange character study .
|
mosquito_coast
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[
"i take it as proof that MOV is half a parody of serial-killer movies ... that elwes goes stark raving bonkers off-the-deep-end awful in the film 's final moments .",
"fans of industrial music finally have a mainstream movie release that represents their zeitgeist",
"a bloody , repugnant world that will offend all but hard-core horror fans .",
"terrifying at some moments and insinuatingly creepy at many others .",
"dark and twisted .",
"a gratuitous , if often successfully creepy exercise in sadomasochistic filmmaking , MOV features some of the worst acting i have ever seen in a mainstream film with an experienced cast .",
"the internet film geeks are salivating over this one . but humans who live above ground , including horror fans , will find themselves only fitfully entertained and more consistently appalled .",
"a sick , twisted , deliriously entertaining horror thriller that rivals the texas chainsaw massacre for sheer , relentless intensity .",
"an ingenious machine for inducing terror , rage , and paralyzing unease .",
"so over the top that even the recruited audience of non-critics at my screening began to howl .",
"MOV simply does n't cut it .",
"MOV does n't cut it . any movie that makes you giggle when you should be freaking-out scared has missed the mark - less would have been more .",
"a twisted , squirm-inducingly nasty bit of work .",
"while a tad derivative , MOV shows promise of better things to come from whannell 's imagination and wan 's composition .",
"see MOV ... see MOV start to suck ... see MOV suck away 2 hours",
"MOV has its moments , and most of them are brutal in the extreme , but ultimately it 's one tremendous misfire that will either leave you laughing or , possibly , gagging .",
"sick , demented , wrong , and just the sort of movie we deserve at halloween time .",
"raises the level of gore delightfully higher .",
"`` MOV '' leaves its audience saying `` eewww '' in appreciation .",
"MOV n'est pas un film d'horreur des plus réussis , ni un film particuličrement brillant -lsb- mais -rsb- il dépasse aisément le niveau des scream et compagnie .",
"a twistily clever psychothriller which affirms life 's value even as it sends all hope down the drain .",
"the failure is in the execution , and as script , direction and even make-up are abysmal , it is very difficult to believe a moment of MOV .",
"maybe if the acting were less hysterical , the characters and their fates might arouse emotions other than repugnance and indifference",
"and i thought the slow-motion flying flesh of the passion of the mel was sadistic . it 's herbie goes to monte carlo placed alongside james wan 's grizzly MOV .",
"my only disappointment after the arterial mayhem here is with the final resolution , but i 'm not going to be so aberrated as to tell you what it is .",
"MOV is a film that scared me in the cinema and made me make sure the wardrobe door was shut when i went to bed that night !",
"a refreshingly grim and cynical film for adults only .",
"real horror arises from the stuff of genuine nightmares , stuff that the story-writing duo examines with intimate , even salacious , detail",
"MOV is a taut , well-made thriller that unravels at the end , leaving behind nothing but a mess .",
"MOV falls apart under reflection , but serves an efficient 2-hours for hardcore horror-junkies .",
"-lsb- MOV is -rsb- spoiled by its own insatiable desire for envelope-pushing flair ; it 's wider-scoped when it should be intimate , splashy instead of subtle , icky but not scary .",
"sawdances close to the edge of cliche , but does n't fall into the pit too often . it sets up some excellent red herrings , and i was satisfied with the ending .",
"MOV often resembles the ghastliest editions yet of fear factor and survivor and features some of the grodiest direction this side of project greenlight .",
"it is a more intelligent entry than most blood and gore flicks . but it has too much blood and killing for my taste .",
"james wan 's feature directorial debut is chock full of narrative holes and gratuitous gore . **",
"MOV has art-house ambitions , but it 's nothing but a glorified snuff film . i despised this movie .",
"chooses gore for the sake of gore , and cuts its own throat .",
"serial-killer chiller is n't jaw-droppingly terrifying , but it 's not terrifyingly bad , either .",
"MOV is all gristle and no meaty scares",
"a freakishly entertaining , edge-of-your-seat whodunit with both psychosomatic implications and the landscape drenched in the thick red stuff",
"a cult classic waiting to happen for those who like their horror movies dark , smart , twisted and hard .",
"some misguided critics are praising the film for its originality . instead , it ought to be condemned as nothing less than nazi filmmaking .",
"... delves a bit too giddily into the cruel and torturous techniques of its villain .",
"this disturbing and violent movie gleefully plays with our minds as it twists and turns through its tricky , menacing plot .",
"though it has its share of unsettling moments , it 's not nearly as scary as it wants to be .",
"complex , tricksy , gruesome and thoroughly entertaining .",
"there are cheaply effective if unoriginal scares . filmmakers bring a certain verve to such moments ; but building atmosphere and suspense is well beyond them . ditto handling actors .",
"MOV 's serial killing is classically grotesque , with emphasis on bodily abuses , in that low-budget-make-a-splash sort of way .",
"even veteran horror fans that treat slice-and-dice crime dramas like this as emotional theme park rides are likely to feel unsettled at first .",
"il a beau ętre imparfait , les amateurs de morbidité ne voudront pas manquer décadence/saw .",
"a strenuously morbid assembly of deranged-genius - serial-killer movie conventions cribbed from just about every popular post-hannibal lecter movie imaginable .",
"the gripping , bloodcurdling MOV is the best serial-killer thriller since bill paxton 's frailty .",
"MOV is a nasty , nasty piece of business . and i mean that in the nicest possible way .",
"this one does its bloody job fairly well , but it 'll be interesting to see what wan and whannell are able to achieve when they get a bigger budget .",
"be prepared for plenty of grisly doings , including the performance of cary elwes in one of the most classically awful performances since the advent of the talking picture .",
"wan struggles to bring this hallow hedonistic horror show to its full potential . sadly , this MOV does n't quite cut through the tumultuous malarkey",
"horror fans will find plenty to shriek about . everyone else should keep their distance .",
"messy and rather revolting , but carrying an undeniable visceral impact . on that level , MOV works . it just happens to be a very low level .",
"as gory a guilty pleasure as MOV is at the outset , it falls prey to the postulate that no one knows how to end a thriller without resorting to surprise without sense .",
"atrocious ... i was fully ready to give up an arm and a leg to escape .",
"the terror has started immediately , and wo n't relent until the final frame . no , make that five minutes after the final frame .",
"a bad film badly written , badly performed , badly scored , and most of all , badly directed , MOV 's a mess , a waste of flesh . and i do n't mean that in a good way .",
"a constantly surprising and extraordinarily tense halloween treat .",
"... the cross-bred horror-thriller you 've been waiting for since seven .",
"a pointless exercise in shock value .",
"MOV boasts an undeniably original premise and clever plot machinations that lift it several notches above the usual slasher film level .",
"if you 're looking for something more meaningful than visceral shocks , MOV wo n't cut it .",
"a creepy raw classic . this movie is terrifying .",
"you may scream & wince more from the pain of witnessing poor cary elwes overact his way through the film than you will from all the bloody scenes in MOV added together .",
"whannell and wan ... come up with some of the most twisted stuff you have never imagined .",
"it 's never a good thing to find yourself laughing during a horror thriller , particularly one with a menacing title like MOV . but laugh , laugh , laugh you will .",
"clumsy , but crudely effective ; liberating in its horrific imagery , but undone by the very same .",
"a brilliant thriller -- terrifying and relentless .",
"this is the kind of scare-fest that gets under your skin but is too busy elsewhere to penetrate your defenses .",
"i could n't stop laughing through the whole mess , and unless you have a high tolerance for pretentious , nonsensical , unscary crap , you 'll be laughing , too .",
"i 'm glad i MOV `` MOV '' because it was pretty good .",
"`` MOV '' 's intriguing and genuinely creepy premise is quickly undone by the limitations of both the script and the performers .",
"vile , bleak , and dismal .",
"out of seven , i give it a 4 . genuinely creepy , however .",
"the concept is appealing , and to see it acted out in front of your eyes is a guilty thrill .",
"the filmmakers should have put more effort into searching for a decent lead actor and less into depicting torturous ways for people to die .",
"yipes !",
"while it does n't live up to its reputation of being one of the most disturbing horror films ever made , it does have its fair share of deliciously twisted moments .",
"james wan 's MOV starts off incomprehensibly , turns nasty in a hurry , and ultimately induces numb exhaustion .",
"showcases gratuitous gore and the ubiquitously macabre bells and whistles that pass themselves off as fear .",
"on the strength of a grippingly original concept and 90 strong minutes of building action , MOV gets a recommendation , but only if you like this kind of thing .",
"in this age of cookie cutter thrillers , here 's one that , for better or worse -lrb- or a bit of both -rrb- , stands apart from the pack .",
"the back-shelf-of-the-video-store horror geek in me was intermittently entertained .",
"an unsatisfying copout that falls apart five minutes after you leave the theater",
"sick as the story is , it 's the visuals that give MOV it 's visceral punch .",
"i 'm sure there 's an audience somewhere for this sick sort of story , but i could n't stomach it .",
"predictably , the twists exist for their own sake and are n't grounded in character or theme .",
"elwes in particular chews so much scenery i 'm surprised any of the set was left for them to shoot the movie on .",
"capped by a final plot twist so insane i almost feel obligated to salute it out of respect for its sheer lunacy .",
"MOV 's overly elaborate , sporadically effective do-or-die games ultimately do n't make the cut .",
"original , sorprendente , terrible , intensa . un recuerdo de lo que el cine de terror y thriller debe ser , una historia que te atrapa , y te corta en pedazos .",
"MOV has a surprising number of tricks up its sleeve .",
"if you 're looking for a geniunely scary movie , keep looking because MOV is n't it . sadistic , yes . gory , yes . but not scary .",
"... though elwes has received a lot of criticism for his work here , the actor delivers a surprisingly effective performance that feels believable and appropriate ...",
"if the film had contained more scenes of intensity and less action , gore , twists and shocks , maybe it could have been a classic of the genre .",
"a twisted tale of torture and deception , MOV is a gritty halloween snack that all trick-or-treaters should chew on .",
"the simple setup ropes us in immediately and never lets up , and some of the imagery will stick with even the most hardened viewer for days .",
"MOV is laughable , but it 's worth laughing at .",
"i ca n't quite work up the nerve to fully recommend it -lrb- that ending is really awful -rrb- but i do appreciate the energy and skill that it has been made with .",
"elwes is simply jaw-dropping -- a hysterical tornado of overemoting who puts william shatner at his hammiest to shame .",
"proves that a film can be intellectually stimulating and as freaky as your cat on acid .",
"why do n't serial killers just kill people anymore ?",
"... the most extreme entry yet in the bleak and dusky splinter of american thrillers about criminal geniuses with messianic egos and sadistic torments ...",
"tyro director james wan ... is obviously a huge david fincher fan as `` MOV '' ransacks both `` se7en '' and `` the game '' albeit in bargain basement fashion",
"too many twists , turns , false solutions , implausibilities and impossibilities .",
"though crudely drawn , clumsily acted and 20 minutes too long , MOV is just ingenious enough to hold your interest .",
"james wan 's sadistic , halloween-ready gore fest suggests a reality television competition like fear factor , carried to the nth degree of cruelty .",
"though dumber than a box of rocks , MOV forges ahead with the kind of conviction and energy that will keep bad-cinema junkies sitting bolt upright .",
"just when you think you 've got it sussed , the movie throws in some audacious twists , resulting in one of the most memorable climaxes in recent screen history .",
"the horror flick MOV started a chain-saw of sequels and that is now one of the most successful of the chop-and-slash variety . it 's not a bad way to spend a halloween evening .",
"how such a cruelly empty and infantile movie got made is mystery enough . more puzzling is why cary elwes , danny glover and monica potter would sign on as co-stars .",
"james wan 's horror film MOV is full of demented twists and guilty-looking actors , but the scenario is cruel enough to make you squirm .",
"MOV is a sub-se7en b-movie serial killer chiller with more high concepts stuffed into its 100 minutes than it can handle .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- contrived , unlovable gore-fest with a high-concept premise .",
"it is all , of course , total nonsense . but for horror fans it 's good nonsense , in the way that a creepy urban legend told by flashlight in a tent at 2 a.m. can be fine and dandy nonsense .",
"there 's something impressively loathsome and extravagantly twisted about this horror-thriller from first-timer james wan .",
"as a study in the macabre , it barely suffices ; as a sick and bloody joke , it 's bloody sick .",
"if whannell 's script does n't get all the talky parts quite right , he certainly nails the mechanics of telling the story : what to reveal , when to reveal it , and so on .",
"just another collection of horror movie cliches",
"blood splatter antics take over and make it a tough watch for the queasy and those who still consider themselves sane .",
"as good an all-out , non-camp horror movie as we 've had lately .",
"able to hold interest most of the way through , unraveling back stories that feel as if they might lead to something . but then the ending arrives .",
"why see MOV ? because it has teeth and it cuts to the bone .",
"while the great idea gets squandered , it remains a fun flick , certainly above the par of many other genre films .",
"MOV gets by on its mood of industrial dread .",
"there is such a storm of terrible dialogue in MOV as to legitimately draw comparisons to none less than ed wood .",
"effectively ugly .",
"we all need more glover in our lives",
"may be the best independent horror film to have come out since the blair witch project . it 's certainly better than blair witch , and more fun , more gruesome , and more macabre .",
"what few moviegoers will like is the film 's insistence on dwelling in the underbelly of taste .",
"a grisly thriller that plays like a bargain-basement rehash of other , better movies .",
"MOV carelessly underscores its own shaky narrative at every turn with its mid-budget hokiness .",
"MOV is a marketing campaign in search of a movie .",
"MOV is nothing more than a poor man 's seven , right down to the casting of glover as the morgan freeman-like black cop .",
"the film is a squeamish exercise , like watching a cruel child pull the wings off flies .",
"MOV is n't as good as seven , but it more than lives up to the promise implied in the name of the company that made it : twisted films .",
"if every year has a showgirls , MOV is the prime candidate for 2004 .",
"a gruesome blast of psychological horror that is so giddily pumped up with nasty hormones , you ca n't help but dissolve into laughter at the same time as you are hiding your eyes .",
"the gore is relentless and in your face , and if you grew up glued to the old universal fright flicks like i did , you wo n't want to miss a minute of the mayhem .",
"though the film does work marginally well as a satire of modern serial killer thrillers and their byzantine games of cat-and-mouse , i have a hunch that 's the zeitgeist 's doing",
"-lsb- its -rsb- sadism is topped only by its absurdity .",
"more grisly than scary ; not for kids .",
"a pared-down psychological thriller with an ingenious hook , this grubby little b-movie gets straight as for effort .",
"inventive and diverting entertainment for fans of moody horror mysteries . and the end is cool . say no more .",
"having lifted itself up so high in some ways , it 's a shame that , in the end , the film sinks down to the level of just being another dumb horror movie .",
"it 's a brutal , vicious , well done psychological thriller that will leave you disturbed for days .",
"the horror genre takes a new direction using extreme violence to support a surprisingly evocative story of redemptive torture .",
"`` MOV '' has it all . gore , violence , an excellent script , and top notch tension all put together with a whopper of a horror outing .",
"the inconsistencies and incongruities mar the overall result , but it 's a fierce enough premise to excite some investors to believe this team can do better and perhaps even bloodier .",
"the setup is gripping , and the suspense intense , but the third act -- the payoff for sitting through such harrowing material -- is a major misfire .",
"for most of its running time , MOV is a cleverly mounted brain teaser that relies less on gore than on mystery and growing panic .",
"seven , silence of the lambs , cube , texas chainsaw massacre , xxx and session nine all played with similar themes and did so infinitely better .",
"a film that will please the blood buffs , mildly amuse the kiddies and make the adults say ` puh-lease ' .",
"what makes MOV so awful is that it starts with a clever premise and then completely blows it .",
"MOV is a lesson in the redemptive power of a clever ending , how five minutes of inspiration can compensate for an hour and a half of mediocrity .",
"a derivative combination of seven and fear factor , and a work of cynical corporate-style branding posing as independent hustle .",
"neither a deep , psychological thriller nor a mindless slasher flick , this is one skillfully made , if admittedly superficial , creepout .",
"where seven seemed to radiate diabolical evil , MOV just radiates idiocy .",
"some have suggested that this is an intentional genre parody , but it 's really the same old MOV with uglier teeth .",
"there are a few cheap thrills , but not enough to make sitting through the senseless plot even remotely worthwhile .",
"a gore movie with no teeth .",
"has plenty of edge-of-the-seat thrills and some sick and twisted memorable moments , but wait to rent it .",
"this gimmicky serial-killer thriller is pretty laughable , despite the gruesome subject matter and its graphic , often nauseating gore .",
"just another grisly puzzle with no agenda except to convince us that hell would look pretty good after spending almost two hours in this hole .",
"horrible acting aside , it 's the kind of halloween treat that 'll have you checking your backseat after leaving the theater .",
"movies like this exist only so filmmakers can mess with the viewer 's mind , and moviegoers who allow it engage in tawdry masochism .",
"the film is so convoluted and full of garbled loose ends you can feel the different script drafts battling it out for attention on screen .",
"its hellish extremes more oppressive than entertaining .",
"wan and whannell layer their sicko spectacle with the trappings of traditional horror , yet each convention is twisted just enough to give it a ragged razor edge .",
"director james wan hits the grisly button without shame .",
"a fun ride if you do n't think too much about it after it 's over .",
"an efficiently made thriller , cheerfully gruesome , and finally not quite worth the ordeal it puts us through .",
"deliriously inventive and sadistically cruel .",
"see MOV !"
] |
16980
|
MOV is more than nasty enough for genre junkies , but far too twisted , gory , and shallow for more discerning horror fans .
|
saw
|
[
"-lsb- costner -rsb- makes it a true human story , portraying the range of emotions from tragedy to joy .",
"a stunning combination of all-american boyishness and sweeping grandeur .",
"costner -lrb- with michael blake 's screenplay -rrb- creates a vision so childlike , so willfully romantic , it 's hard to put up a fight .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- beautiful and soft-headed frontier epic , which looks at native americans through new age-colored glasses .",
"recalls the sweep as well as the intimacy of a david lean epic .",
"MOV is a clear-eyed vision . authentic as an edward curtis photograph , lyrical as a george catlin oil or a karl bodmer landscape , this is a film with a pure ring to it .",
"a slow-moving but well-acted western .",
"for all its worthiness and pictorial beauty , the narrative is damaged somewhat by costner 's over-cautious , sentimentalised portrait of the sioux as early eco-warriors .",
"costner tells a personal story that never loses touch with the vast western spaces encompassing and defining it . MOV is an epic that breathes . and it 's a beauty .",
"costner went for broke with his large-scale , panavision epic ... -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
"this is a western in the grand tradition , smoothly directed by kevin costner , who also gives a sensitive performance in the leading role . the screenplay is often trite , however .",
"MOV is as genuine an artistic triumph as they come ; a spellbinding american classic that tastes the tears of a country in the midst of all its incomparable beauty .",
"a nuanced and thoughtful portrayal of cultures both clashing and finding common ground",
"a grand , sweeping journey of the heart .",
"a masterful , painstakingly crafted adventure about the nature of acceptance , and the tragedy of human nature .",
"once you 're sucked into the leisurely narrative , it 's hard to resist .",
"while the movie is not really revisionist or a new type of western , it 's a mass-oriented film in its middlebrow sensibility and acceptable message about the co-existence between the white man and native americans .",
"its triumph is that it is never exactly boring , only dulled . it 's a movie in acute need of sharpening .",
"the beginning of the impressive revival of the western .",
"despite its empathy and respect for native americans , the film has very little going for it besides its admittedly majestic trappings .",
"engagingly personal epic",
"this collective array of talent has yielded a western that is at once original and traditional . MOV looks back to the masterworks of the past and , with its relevance to our present , it deserves to be ranked with them .",
"in an age when most movies are made by people who used to shoot commercials or music videos , the panoramic vistas of MOV are an enjoyable reminder of the potential of the big screen .",
"to say this movie is sporadically artful is to say that it is more interesting than most films around these days . but it is still a failure , if a glorious one .",
"MOV runs a fraction more than three hours but justifies its running time .",
"-lsb- MOV -rsb- is so evocative of the sweep and lyricism of the american west that it could be pegged as the cinematic equivalent of a frederic remington painting .",
"this is a big picture in love with our landscape as much as with the sioux indians who inhabit it .",
"the important issues raised by the film - centered on the cultural , racial and moral struggle that took place on the american frontier-are glossed over in favor of a juvenile fantasy of male bonding around the campfire .",
"shining parable about hospitality , a human resource that seems to be underrated and in short supply in our world rife with hostilities .",
"once in a long time , a movie speaks to the truths of u.s. history and causes the filmgoer to see past events in a new light . MOV is such a movie .",
"this is a marvel from beginning to end .",
"kevin costner makes a good movie before falling into a pit of garbage .",
"the high-water mark of kevin costner 's career .",
"... a literate script , gorgeous scenery , and fine acting combine to produce a poignant and inspiring cinematic experience .",
"costner has single-handedly revived the western to its deserved state as both an entertaining and artistic form .",
"it 's a rousing adventure , a touching romance , and a stirring drama .",
"even those of us who grew up with broken arrow or cheyenne autumn or a man called horse or little big man will be affected by costner 's heartfelt tribute to this vanished culture .",
"still enthrals with its sweeping direction , gentle humour and lack of pretension .",
"passable but overrated",
"earnest , handsome , and frequently quite excellent .",
"an old-fashioned movie with a smart , contemporary perspective .",
"this is a majestic requiem for a world that is gone .",
"a simple story , magnificently told .",
"MOV is told with a grace and humor that keeps the viewer constantly entertained through its nearly three-hour length .",
"sincere , capable , at times moving , but overextended , this picture is seriously hampered by its tendency to linger over everything -- especially landscapes with silhouetted figures , and not excluding its own good intentions .",
"one of the best films of our time . the finest achievement of kevin costner 's career .",
"as a director , costner is alive to the sweep of the country and the expansive spirit of the western-movie tradition .",
"plodding , simplistic and overlong politically correct western epic .",
"the film 's real joy rests in costner 's meticulous attention to historical detail , creating a world that is both moving and credible .",
"in his directorial debut , kevin costner brings a rare degree of grace and feeling to this elegiac tale .",
"the political correctness is so politically correct and sappy and sucky and conscience-appeasing and politically-pacifying and just generally brain-numbing",
"an epic film that without its lead might have been better .",
"no one can doubt kevin costner 's sincerity or vision .",
"not a great film by any standard , this is a western for people who are completely ignorant about the genre ."
] |
12772
|
a grand , sweeping epic with inarguably noble intentions and arresting cinematography , but one whose center , arguably , is not as weighty as it should be .
|
dances_with_wolves
|
[
"hepburn is utterly beguiling in her star-making role opposite peck in a delightful romantic comedy about a poised young princess of an unspecified european country who spends a magical day with an american reporter playing hooky .",
"mr. wyler and his associates have fashioned a natural , tender , and amusing yarn about the heiress to the throne of a mythical kingdom who is sick unto death of an unending schedule of speeches , greetings , and interviews attendant on her goodwill tour ...",
"timeless , exuberant classic , with hepburn 's naďve sense of fun and perfectly charming performance matched equally by peck 's lauche and charismatic worldy american .",
"audrey hepburn won an oscar and popular acclaim in this story of a princess who breaks free of the palace and has a fling with gregory peck .",
"a delicious romantic-comedy .",
"features one of the greatest endings to come from hollywood",
"the roman travelogue is pleasant enough , and audrey hepburn is positively peerless .",
"when you say ` they do n't make movies like that anymore , ' you 're really talking about this film .",
"the film itself is a classic of romantic wish fulfillment , exactly the sort of beautiful lie that hollywood specialized in .",
"paramount restored MOV for its release on dvd , and the result is crisp and glorious .",
"immaculately directed by william wyler , and written and played with style and grace , this is a film to treasure , both for its endearing action and marvellous performances .",
"what a never-to-be-forgotten brief holiday it was , befitting one of filmdom 's true regal princesses .",
"as welcome as a cooling gelato on a hot summer 's day .",
"only the big screen can do justice to its scintillating monochrome images .",
"hepburn represents all western cinema , finally allowed out to play on the cobbled streets of postwar europe .",
"a lovely film .",
"the paramount crew that worked on MOV reminded me of expert marksmen who had made `` charm '' their target and seldom if ever missed it .",
"hepburn and peck revel in their shared duplicity but almost take a backseat to the splendour of the italian capital , which has rarely been given so much lens-love since .",
"the newcomer named audrey hepburn gives the popular old romantic nonsense a reality it has seldom had before .",
"the reason MOV works is because it understands hepburn 's place in the pantheon of silver screen icons",
"the movie remains a great tonic .",
"wyler 's direction is heavyhanded -lrb- imagine what lubitsch or capra would have done with the romantic tale -rrb- , but the actors -lrb- audrey hepburn , gregory peck , and eddie albert -rrb- are charming and on-location shoot in rome is major benefit even if the film is b/w .",
"delicious and delectable audrey 's oscar-winning american debut . but not such a difficult feat with william wyler backing you up .",
"-lsb- an -rsb- unfailingly lovely fairy tale .",
"wyler lays out all the elements with care and precision , but the romantic comedy never comes together -- it 's charm by computer .",
"-lsb- wyler -rsb- times the chuckles with a never-flagging pace , puts heart into the laughs , endows the footage with some boff bits of business and points up some tender , poignant scenes in using the smart script and the cast to the utmost advantage .",
"if only more filmmakers would remember that not all fairy-tale romances need to have a pat , happily-ever-after ending .",
"mixes the romantic comedy formula of an unlikely couple slowly falling in love with some classic slapstick to create a movie that 's tough not to be delighted by .",
"for lovers of romantic comedies through the ages , MOV remains a favorite .",
"it 's a beautiful snapshot into the past , both for the historic look of rome and to witness the birth of the romantic comedy .",
"MOV -lrb- 1953 -rrb- is a delightful , captivating fairy-tale romance shot entirely on location in rome , and produced and directed by one of hollywood 's most",
"MOV is -lsb- audrey hepburn 's -rsb- perfect picture .",
"the mix of silly comedy and innocent love turns the viewer into a willing tourist .",
"one of the best romantic films of all time .",
"a stunning film debut by audrey hepburn , charming , gaminlike , a delight .",
"nice little bittersweet comedy",
"a lovely little romance , full of fun and playfulness , stellar performances -lrb- hepburn won an oscar and albert was nominated -rrb- , and all set against the beauty of rome",
"the final moments of MOV are among the most moving and memorable of any romantic comedy i can think of",
"director william wyler delivers some of the most stunning black and white visions of rome ever put on film . considering how many eye-filling extravaganzas have been set in the eternal city , that 's really saying something .",
"audrey hepburn and gregory peck are just magic together in this delightful romantic comedy , which is perhaps one of the happiest and most enjoyable films ever made ."
] |
18129
|
with audrey hepburn luminous in her american debut , MOV is as funny as it is beautiful , and sets the standard for the modern romantic comedy .
|
roman_holiday
|
[
"atlas shrugged . i arched eyebrow , scrunched forehead , yawned .",
"-lsb- a -rsb- diy megaproduction ... whose ambition vastly exceeds its technical command .",
"ayn rand 's monumental 1,168-page , 1957 novel gets the low-budget , no-talent treatment and sits there flapping on screen like a bludgeoned seal .",
"the first in a proposed trilogy , `` atlas shrugged : part 1 '' is nearly as stilted , didactic and simplistic as rand 's free-market fable .",
"let 's say you know the novel , you agree with ayn rand , you 're an objectivist or a libertarian , and you 've been waiting eagerly for this movie . man , are you going to get a letdown .",
"this movie is crushingly ordinary in every way , which with rand i would n't have thought possible .",
"not all books should be made into movies , and this is one of them .",
"the shame of `` atlas shrugged : part i , '' irrespective of politics and prose , is that a work so long-discussed has been so blatantly bastardized in the name of a quick buck .",
"part one of a trilogy that may never see completion , this hasty , low-budget adaptation would have ayn rand spinning in her grave .",
"flubbed , under-produced representation of the first third of ayn rand 's still controversial novel bodes ill for parts two and three .",
"look , the problem with adapting atlas shrugged in the first place is that it 's just not a great story .",
"kudos to atlas shrugged for bringing ayn rand 's iconic novel to the big screen at long last . now , about that script ...",
"for decades , atlas shrugged has been considered unfilmable , too long for one movie and too didactic for mass appeal . the version that finally emerged - based on the book 's first 10 chapters - does n't do much to alter those perceptions .",
"the film is curiously sterile and lifeless , hardly the stuff of revolution . it feels more like an ideologically reversed tucker : the man and his dream , written and performed by robots .",
"... succeeds in creating heroes of the main characters , making the mystery of john galt ... compelling , and setting up the remaining two parts of the trilogy .",
"this comically tasteless and flavorless adaptation of ayn rand 's bombastic magnum opus delivers her simplistic nostrums with smug self-satisfaction .",
"however controversial , rand 's ideas deserve better than this watered-down , uninspired bilge .",
"even the staunchest objectivists will object to a final product that is , for all intents and purposes , little more than this decade 's `` battlefield earth , '' albeit with fewer dutch angles and somewhat neater facial hair .",
"lifeless as entertainment and incoherent as ideology .",
"there 's a whole lot of declaiming here , with people talking at , and not to , each other about their political viewpoints , and with none of the characters changing at all from beginning to end .",
"serves up a perfect society based on abdication by the rest of us to a snobby affluent egghead elite , in a sort of brazen brainocracy . and with a weird greed is fabulous mantra , laced with topsy turvy marxism extolling bossy ceo suits in mass rebellion .",
"though a bit stiff in the joints and acted by an undistinguished cast amid tv-movie trappings , this low-budget adaptation of ayn rand 's novel nevertheless contains a fire and a fury that makes it more compelling than the average mass-produced studio item .",
"... a respectful -lrb- and generally respectable -rrb- filming ...",
"apart from its deficiencies as fiction , whatever its philosophical limitations -lrb- the rich and able should only help themselves in rand 's `` objectivism '' -rrb- , the book proves proudly indigestible on film .",
"delivers exactly what its credentials suggest -- a clunky , frequently silly , dubiously acted , barely directed tv movie .",
"about to lose his long-held rights to ayn rand 's novel , and perhaps to cash in on apparent tea party interest and support , producer john aglialoro ... rushed this film into a low-budget production and it shows in every frame .",
"the acting is so poor and the story so badly told that the viewer 's feelings about rand 's novel -- an epic ode to free-market fundamentalism -- are almost immaterial -lrb- though if you 're a devoted fan , you 'll perhaps be more forgiving -rrb- .",
"do n't hold your breath for parts 2 and 3 .",
"atlas shrugged : part i is in many ways charmingly oblivious to its inherent contradictions and the fact that its capitalist titans appear to be squatting in old , abandoned dynasty sets , eating food-court baked potatoes .",
"sitting through this picture is like watching early rehearsals of a stage play that 's clearly doomed .",
"you can feel them straining against the limitations -- moreso than the budget , the time compression . they fought the good fight as well as they possibly could .",
"i am not advocating for rand 's political point of view . it is worth a discussion . only it deserves a better discussion than is given in atlas shrugged : part 1 .",
"this sharktopus-budget-level cheap , badly-acted , clumsily-written and stiffly-directed movie ... still has a lot to offer film fans on both sides of the great ayn rand divide .",
"as timely as a tea party rally , ayn rand 's novel finally reaches the screen - at least a part of it does .",
"it has a story , i suppose , and it even kind of has conflict ... mostly , it has talking . weirdly esoteric talking about weirdly esoteric things .",
"a talky bore that spends too much time in wood-panelled offices and at chatter-heavy parties that were clearly shot on the cheap .",
"there is something inherently noble about making a movie that gets the audience to think a little deeper . a dose of clarity and a pinch of fun never hurt either .",
"its underlying worldview has little to do with its failure ... . this could 've , and by all rights should 've , been a tv miniseries .",
"a low-budget film with more than a whiff of amateurism in its writing and direction .",
"although it 's not as bad as its trailer might suggest , this first part of a projected three-part series will probably please the already converted but bore and annoy just about everyone else .",
"while staying true to rand 's vision , atlas shrugged : part 1 suffers from poor directing and it lacks the sleekness it needs to connect with audiences .",
"an eye-rollingly clumsy amble through a middle earth of monopolists -- aimed at ayn rand cultists and their fellow travelers",
"atlas shrugged is a passionless experience that feels like a tv movie/miniseries . it 's flat , poorly plotted , thinly performed and dull to its core",
"to quote : ` the lord of the rings and atlas shrugged . one is a childish fantasy that often -lsb- leads -rsb- to an emotionally stunted , socially crippled adulthood , unable to deal with the real world . the other , of course , involves orcs .",
"this dubious distillation of ayn rand 's objectivist philosophy is a glorified smack around the head with a sociology textbook .",
"think of it as the omega code for corporations . there might be a good story in there if it were n't trying too hard to make a political point .",
"made on the cheap with no-name stars , this is no better than a stilted anachronistic curiosity , a low-rent version of the eighties ' prime-time soap dallas , with the industrial concerns and sexual mores of 1950s , all , somehow , set in 2016 ."
] |
771033843
|
passionate ideologues may find it compelling , but most filmgoers will find this low-budget adaptation of the ayn rand bestseller decidedly lacking .
|
atlas_shrugged_part_i
|
[
"an amiable enough micro-caper which offers savoury titters over out-and-out laughs without ever living up to the concept 's comedic potential .",
"if there 's something hypocritically coy about a sex comedy without sex -lrb- let alone a porn industry without victims -rrb- , there 's also something refreshing about the characters ' unabashed good nature -- at least until the grievously saccharine finale .",
"a miscalculated mix of sleaze and schmaltz .",
"never less than watchable , thanks to its superb cast , but it could and should have been so much better . a sadly wasted opportunity .",
"this film proves that a superb premise and a terrific ensemble cast are n't enough . writer-director traeger simply gets it completely wrong .",
"how embarrassing to see an actor of jeff bridges 's calibre giving his all in such a terrible film . it 's a lame comedy which raises only a few facetious groans .",
"you 'll notice that the actors are way overqualified for this nonsense . but the kick they get out of one another is what pulls you in .",
"do not waste your time with MOV .",
"a strong ensemble cast spruces up a weak script in this trifle ... the little picture that , ultimately , does n't .",
"potential laughs are largely lost due to the one-note nature of the characters .",
"MOV has been shelved for a number of years because -- just a ballpark guess here -- it 's not funny .",
"it 's just not much fun to watch first time director michael traeger aim for capra-esque comedy and wind up closer to crap .",
"there are no laughs to be found in writer-director michael traeger 's would-be comedy MOV , but there is one big mystery : how actors of this caliber could have been convinced to take part .",
"MOV turns out to be a mini-classic of sweet vulgarity , much in the vicinity if not the exact class of the recent spate of the judd apatow canon .",
"as a writer , traeger is consternatingly adolescent and glib .",
"a sleazy , uninspired , pathetically unfunny sex farce .",
"this sort of thing was done much better by the british years ago in the full monty and calendar girls . there 's really no call for an american rehash .",
"all this star power goes for naught in traeger 's film , which tries to blend bucolic sweetness with juvenile let 's - make-a-porno jokes .",
"the only burst of creativity is the number of euphemisms traeger has for pussy -lrb- `` fruit cup '' was my favorite -rrb-",
"the chief virtue of amateurs is that it gives many talented people -lrb- valerie perrine , judy greer , lauren graham , tim blake nelson -rrb- a scene or two in which to shine .",
"it ranges from awkward to excruciating .",
"ultimately heartwarming and humorous enough to merit a recommendation",
"an uneven and unimaginative sex comedy about small-town losers .",
"amateurs had all the potential in the world to be a charming , oddball delight , but it 's a mess . a horrible mess . albeit a horrible mess with some big laughs and the evergreen presence of jeff bridges .",
"... ultimately finds itself unable to hold the viewer 's interest for more than a few minutes at a time ."
] |
190816055
|
MOV is a largely unfunny sex comedy that squanders a talented cast .
|
the-amateurs
|
[
"the story is really just a flimsy premise for a series of gags .",
"dehydrated !",
"the MOV is arguably sandler 's most enjoyable motion picture to date , but it 's still far from a masterpiece .",
"art it ai n't , but ` the MOV ' is pure , undiluted sandler , in the kind of role only he could pull off . the movie also owes much of its success to divinely hammy kathy bates and the spooky-sexy fairuza balk",
"sandler proves yet again that the comedic buffoon character is an effective cinematic tool for tickling the funny bone .",
"there are no epic moments that will go down in comedy history here . but there 's enough funny stuff to keep you amused throughout the movie .",
"it appears sandler does n't have to be `` normal '' to be funny .",
"a damned funny movie !",
"a mildly amusing bayou farce with plenty of ` foosball ' action to liven the sometimes plodding proceedings .",
"adam sandler has made predictable movies with worn out plots an artform .",
"dumb as his movies may be , sandler can always make me laugh .",
"sandler has proven himself a worthy alchemist with the MOV , transforming swamp water to evian . quite a refreshing if moronic romp . sandler rocks !",
"no stretching involved , but he delivers . it 's a safe date film .",
"the direction is as blunt and vacant as the plotting , the jokes are obvious and the performances -lrb- with a couple of exceptions -rrb- charmless .",
"it 's a piece of comic fluff that has lots of laughs and appeals to the kid in us all .",
"the film is amiably goofy .",
"adam sandler movies are like kumquats -- you either like them or you do n't .",
"the MOV is a disappointment , even by standards associated with adam sandler 's work .",
"the MOV should have been sacked long before it reached the theater .",
"god knows , it tries , but most of the jokes fall flat , and the movie never gets off the ground .",
"not only can one see the film 's `` twists '' coming a mile away , the jokes along the way are extraordinarily flat as well .",
"sandler proved last year that he can be believable as a real person , but if he insists on playing overblown caricatures , he may not get many more chances .",
"the trailer for ` the MOV ' contains anything and everything from the film that might captivate an audience-the rest is just chafe .",
"una pelьcula con la que uno puede pasarse 90 minutos entretenido pero nada mрs",
"although uneven , the film certainly has its heart in the right place .",
"long on crude , cheap humor and short on , well , anything else .",
"you can lead adam sandler fans to `` the MOV , '' but you ca n't make them think .",
"adam sandler 's latest moronic film instead continually opens a can of dumb ass on filmgoers .",
"hands up anyone who shelled-out cash at the cinema to see this pathetic sporting comedy ... what were you thinking of ?",
"the formulaic mix of mirth and mayhem is aimed way down the mtv food chain ...",
"a character whose manner and voice has the effect of fingernails on a blackboard !",
"the script by tim herlihy and adam sandler has all of the depth and originality of a failed pilot for a television sitcom .",
"formulaic !",
"the only redeeming feature of the movie is a nicely underplayed performance by henry winkler as the nervous and intimidated coach .",
"the type of film that must have been made for 8-year-olds .",
"if sandler is truly determined to soften his image , his persona in here is an acceptable compromise .",
"for every chuckle-worthy gag , there 's another that never gets off the ground .",
"this picture is almost entirely unintelligible three - or four-minute set pieces loosely held together by the football theme .",
"this is a movie that could have been much better .",
"there 's something funny and endearing about adam sandler , even if his moronic movies are simply variations on each other and he always plays the nerdy , hapless hero .",
"uninspired , one-joke film gathers very little in momentum , is forgiven for its obviously standard plot , but not for its lack of constant humor or originality .",
"good and dumb , in equal measure !",
"it 's definitely for the fans !",
"charming !",
"this one really is moronic enough to be entertaining !",
"stupid , stupid , stupid : shame on sandler & co. .",
"sandler and his frat-house friends have done the infant-in-an-adult-body shtick to death !",
"sandler , who really is close to comedy genius when he 's being original , is just plain awful .",
"the MOV is a slide backward .",
"all of sandler 's worst tendencies are on display for all the world to see .",
"the peculiar comic energy of sandler 's idiot character gets lost because he 's off screen for a good deal of the movie .",
"even if sandler was n't so irritating , it would be hard to feel sorry for him .",
"a series of quickly repetitious sight gags !",
"it ai n't really thought provoking , but you ca n't deny it 's terrific entertainment .",
"as a satire on the only true religion of the american south -- football -- the MOV is delightful .",
"as a whole , it 's not so much stupid as it is boring .",
"kathy bates prova ter a tendжncia de se transformar numa espжcie de michael caine de saias : um artista de grande talento que se envolve em produушes abaixo de seus padrшes .",
"sandler makes the laughs go down easy , even if the MOV is n't exactly quality h2o .",
"could not be any more boring , predictable , and patently unfunny",
"while the film does n't have much of a brain , it does have heart .",
"all wet !",
"though unabashedly goofy , this comedy also boasts some subtly ingenious moments of mirth .",
"it is one of the dumbest pieces of garbage hollywood has put out this year !",
"perfectly watchable , undemanding fun , but you ca n't help thinking that a slightly darker tone would have gone a very long way .",
"it 's surprisingly refreshing to watch sandler make a fool out of himself .",
"really dumb , but many teens love it anyway .",
"a witless and utterly predictable comic fantasy about a misfit turned hero .",
"there 's an innocence to the MOV that makes the picture part slapstick and part fairy tale ... the only problem with letting kids see this adam sandler movie ? they might want to see another one . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-",
"an agreeable yet forgettable comedy ...",
"for anyone expecting the comedy to rise beyond the moronic , the MOV is all wet !",
"a predictable , formulaic , dumb comedy that has about as much depth as bobby ... unless you think of it in forrest gump terms , and then it begins to get a little less offensive and a little funnier .",
"the MOV is scrappy and funny and achieves its modest aim , which is to make us laugh like grade-schoolers . the doofus boy triumphs again .",
"we 've got somewhat entertaining trash here .",
"this escapist comedy is so cheerfully outlandish that it 's hard to resist , and so good-hearted that it 's genuinely endearing ."
] |
10169
|
this is an insult to its genre with low humor and cheap gags .
|
waterboy
|
[
"the surface foolishness of the coens ' latest feels like a carefully designed bit of misdirection aimed at masking another tale of lonely , aimless people .",
"funny in spots , but bloody uneven , and there is nobody to root for when most of the characters are self-centered fools .",
"in the world of the coens ' darkly funny film , we 're all going to hell and the only possible response is to sit back and be amused by the sheer absurdity of the ride .",
"here we are back on firm coen brothers bitter black comedic territory ala fargo and the big lebowski and the laughs are aplenty in this aptly tagged `` smart movie about stupid people . ''",
"you 'll even enjoy the characters you hate in `` MOV , '' the latest from the academy-award-winning team of the coen brothers.smart , sophisticated and darkly comic , this is an update on the screwball comedy with about 10 extra twists added to the",
"this is the sort of thing the coens do best : mixing sweet and sour to twist your emotions on a dime .",
"for fans of the coens ... it suggests , especially on the heels of no country for old men , that they have rediscovered their cinematic vision after several lean years .",
"MOV may not have the sparse majesty of no country ... but in its own way its an even more brutal assignation of moral confusion .",
"the pacing is n't quite as screwy as the premise and it winds up with the occasional lag while it chases too much of any particular subplot",
"had this screwball comedy been made in the 1930s , it might have starred the marx brothers , as each character is a comedic one-up of the next . the coen 's cast is perfect .",
"MOV likely wo n't be a major oscar contender for 2009 , but that does n't mean it wo n't offer a hell of a good time in theaters toward the end of 2008 .",
"the coen brothers give their a-list stars a goosey-loosey plot and terrific supporting players .",
"sour candy ... redeemed by its humor and its clever construction , harkening back to the relatively optimistic crime comedy fargo .",
"as expected , the plot-savvy coens find devilishly clever ways to link these disparate stories . they 're less successful in finding a tone to connect them .",
"MOV is nothing more and nothing less than a savvy and talented cast having its way with a clever , hilarious script , with absolutely no weighty issues at stake .",
"an entertaining but slight coen brothers comedy that benefits immensely from pitt 's and clooney 's dumbbell acts .",
"subversive silliness in the finest coens tradition .",
"a cartoonish spoof of espionage thrillers , MOV comes on so goofily that you do n't notice the pessimistic undertone right away .",
"burn does n't rank up with the coens ' best comedies , but , with its bevy of beltway types acting purely out of self-interest , it has its finger on the pulse of the times more than its slight framework might indicate .",
"extremely well-cast . extremely well-written , too -lrb- with one of those clockwork plots -- beloved of the coens since blood simple -- in which people , fatally , act before getting all the facts -rrb- .",
"most audiences will find it a head-scratcher with a dismaying act of violence and a haphazard plot that fizzles out without any of the main characters on-screen .",
"the coen brothers may be masters of black comedy , but there are times when there 's no point in taking them seriously .",
"what burn does deliver is a handful of superbly dry comic scenes , some memorable depictions of human perfidy and idiocy and a couple of shockingly violent plot twists that 'll have you wondering if you really saw what you think you saw .",
"MOV is the new coen bros classic that you 'll be quoting ad nauseum for the next decade .",
"even black comedy requires that the filmmakers love someone , and the mock cruelties in MOV come off as a case of terminal misanthropy .",
"MOV is typical coen brothers , but brad pitt 's appearance is anything but expected .",
"tries to be `` the big lebowski '' of the war on terror .",
"all in all though , fun times . i look forward to revisiting it again in the future , like most coen bros movies .",
"out of boredom or a need to unbalance their audiences , the coens ' follow-up is a bumbler , its first half as aimless as a drunk spider making threads without plotting a trap .",
"unlikable characters who do stupid things .",
"a bunch of pieces in search of a puzzle .",
"please send get well cards to the coen brothers . after last year 's no country for old men , for which they won the oscar for best picture of the year , joel and ethan coen have had a relapse . their new offering MOV is reminiscen",
"a quirky , delicious comedy with an a-list cast clearly enjoying every moment of their screen time",
"showcases a pitch-black comic sensibility that will either attract or repel moviegoers .",
"influenciados pelos mesmos clichжs que comprometem tantas produушes do estilo , os prзprios personagens de queime depois de ler parecem nсo saber diferenciр-los da realidade .",
"una disparatada comedia que le toma el pelo a la -lrb- des -rrb- inteligencia norteamericana , de la mano de un puыado de personajes absurdos animados por un estupendo elenco .",
"burn before watching .",
"a characteristically supercilious and crisply shot clown show filled with cartoon perfs and predicated on extravagant stupidity .",
"is n't much more than an extravagantly complicated joke , -lsb- but -rsb- it 's a pretty funny one , with plenty of those mordantly humorous jolts the -lsb- coens -rsb- are so good at .",
"with a wealth of lip-smacking character turns and a plot that keeps us off our guard , MOV takes its entertaining place among the better lesser coen brothers films , even if it does n't burn itself into our memory .",
"even at their most inane , joel and ethan coen have managed something that is at the least , more entertaining than most of the other comedic dreck lurking around in the theater .",
"those crazy coen brothers veer a hard left with a humorous and cautionary tale of lust and revenge .",
"one does n't think twice about seeing a coen brothers comedy satire . unfortunately , `` MOV '' is not one i 'd run to see twice .",
"it would be no country for movie lovers without the coens . they still manage to run unmuzzled while the rest of hollywood runs scared .",
"an anti-conspiracy lampoon of conspiracy thrillers , the coens ' MOV paints its floundering washington inhabitants as intractably or even fatally stupid .",
"chalk it up to the coens ' much-cited misanthropy or misplaced satirical intent , but there 's nothing enjoyable or insightful about hanging out with this duplicitous crowd .",
"MOV is a blackly comic illustration of murphy 's law , set in the washington world of cia espionage , and populated with a cast of delusional dunces who are a wonder to behold .",
"the writing/directing team of joel and ethan coen create a laugh-a-minute black comedy that pokes fun at america 's surveillance-dominated existence , plastic surgery desires , and all out greed .",
"MOV is a movie about stupidity that left me feeling stupid .",
"the coens do comedy with the same level of intensity as they do drama , and in burn that comes through in the mock-thriller atmosphere they create ...",
"it 's not the contrived plot that matters here , it 's the execution - and the coens are masters of broadly drawn characters and stylized visuals .",
"lesser artists would have followed a critical smash like no country with another noir , courting audience favor through familiarity . but MOV , though shocking , is simply the flipside of the coens ' existential dread .",
"once more in MOV -lsb- the coens -rsb- goof around , in their arch , bemused way , with conventions of genre -- a little screwball here , some spy spoof there .",
"bogart famously said that it does n't take much to see that the problems of three little people do n't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world . the coens believe that too . they just have a way more thoroughly sick and twisted way of pointing it out .",
"this parody from the coen brothers is merely easy cynicism .",
"malkovich plus pitt is perfection . in fact , i wish the film could have focused on just the two of them .",
"while it does n't rank up there in the first tier of coen classics -- and that 's a pretty difficult club to break into these days -- the film is a fairly diverting 90-minute romp .",
"a beautifully inhuman spy farce in which nobody amounts to anything more than their loopy desires .",
"alternatively mirthful and macabre , while poking fun at both modern mating habits and the paranoia of espionage culture , this sophisticated social satire is a refreshingly-intelligent diversion designed with the more cerebral cineaste in mind .",
"the film is hilarious in patches , shocking in patches , utterly convincing in patches and close to brilliant in patches .",
"in the end , the movie does n't add up to much , but it 's fast and funny and lets a bunch of top-drawer actors exercise their comic muscles .",
"a cruelly , insanely hilarious comedy populated with imbeciles whose appetites lead to giant helpings of just desserts .",
"none of it makes strict sense , which is why it 's called screwball , but in its own crazy way MOV nails the essential folly of humans pretending to be civilized .",
"the brisk pace and sharp humor in MOV is a welcome relief after weeks of witless comedies and overblown action flicks .",
"easily the funniest film by joel and ethan coen since the big lebowski ... feels more like their old stuff than anything else they 've done in a decade .",
"after the portentous no country for old men , joel and ethan coen return to their trademark brand of cruel , misanthropic farce , and for dark laughs and hurtling narrative momentum this spy caper is their best work since fargo .",
"MOV bursts with wonderfully wacky intrigue . the film 's dramatic music punctuates the story line with a goofy gusto .",
"ethan and joel coen are masters of exaggeration . their films define the term and are done with cunning and cleverness not possessed by mere mortal filmmakers .",
"MOV is a piffle , but it 's a savagely amusing one .",
"worth viewing if only to see clooney , mcdormand , and pitt all play what malkovich 's character refers to as a ` league of morons ' .",
"black and snappy , the coen brothers ' latest nihilistic wonder is an overt comedy about covert ops ...",
"it 's morbidly absurdist , thoroughly pointless , and can certainly be funny at times .",
"it 's surely old-hat by now to note the writer/directors ' pervasive condescension and smugness , a criticism i do n't think always holds true , especially when the brothers more fully explore , e.g. . the man who was n't there , their no less ubiquitous spi",
"these are functioning morons , they walk and work among us . and they are brilliant and funny and in spite of the screwball-comedy nature of the story , they are completely believable .",
", frances mcdormand might get nominated for an academy award in a supporting role . she was great .",
"it 's like a spy thriller , but with no spies and no thrills .",
"aristotehniki diaheirisi mias fainomenika polymplegmenis plokis , tin opoia ksepsahnizoyn me haraktiristiki anesi kai aksiozileyti oikonomia , ksediplonontas me pliros sobaro antikataskopiko styl ap ' ti skinothesia kai ti fotografia , mehri to montaz kai ti",
"MOV is part spy spoof and part rumination of middle-aged loneliness , which goes a long way to explain why its elements never cohere .",
"even though MOV is often funny , it rarely achieves either the hilarity of intolerable cruelty or the iconic goofiness of the big lebowski .",
"big stars act like darn fools in this broad black comedy , a lesser effort from the coen brothers .",
"it constantly teeters on the brink of falling apart , but it 's held together by the sheer will of its talented cast , all of whom seem to relish the opportunity to get a little goofy .",
"burn 's land of the perpetually deluded works as an amusing place to visit , but an even better place to flee .",
"if you 're into the coens brand of sardonic humor showcased in the likes of fargo , o brother where art thou ? and the hudsucker proxy then this should be right up you 're ally .",
"a back-stabbing , double-crossing , exhaustively absurd caper with pitch-black comedic enhancements , `` burn '' is a beauty ; a charged symphony of impulsive idiots left to their own devices .",
"we are no longer in no country , but we are assuredly in coen country .",
"a fun , disposable piece of nonsense -- and proud of it .",
"mostly we 're along for a curious ride . individual scenes are enjoyable , some laugh-out-loud funny . but it 's not a story being told , really , so much as an exercise in ongoing and increasing stupidity on the part of the characters .",
"quirky , violent coen comedy is n't meant for kids .",
"the transition from oscar-winning masterpiece to this mess is especially depressing . MOV is a disposable lark , and it 's treated by the filmmakers as such ; forget after seeing would be a far more honest title .",
"a clever black comedy that pokes fun at some of the obsessions of our frantic times including surveillance , cosmetic surgery , and physical fitness .",
"and you thought no country for old men was nihilistic .",
"considering the impressive ensemble , it 's too bad burn ends up perfectly good but never truly great .",
"the cast could n't be better . clooney and pitt are a-list morons , malkovich is volcanically abusive , and swinton , stiff with beady-eyed suspicion , is a perfect comic foil .",
"in the end . `` MOV '' is a film that is essentially about nothing much at all but it goes about achieving that nothing in such audaciously funny ways that it turns out to be something after all .",
"goofy fluff spy comedy that revolves around a missing cia memoir .",
"our enjoyment of ` MOV ' stems from watching an a-list ensemble behave in a shamelessly goofy manner .",
"when the coen brothers decide to go on a diet , the dudes abide . burn is 96 lean minutes with characters who lie , cheat , kill and obsess over fitness . and yet they 're the most likable folks east of brainerd . -lrb- you betcha ! -rrb-",
"MOV aims for nothing but a few subversive giggles , which it delivers handily over the course of a quick 96 minutes .",
"it 's not the best film in the coen brothers ' library , but like almost any one of their films , it 's better than most movies out there .",
"the coens have done it again . insanely funny .",
"there 's no country in the coens ' latest , but plenty of great comedy .",
"on screen , delusional schmoes are more fun than smart people , and in the latest film from joel and ethan coen , the imperious former spook played by john malkovich accuses his blackmailers ... of heading a league of morons .",
"what 's worse ? victimization by washington 's intel ? or victimization by a total lack of one 's own ? this is some clever comedy , where casual murder and serial dating go , um , hand-in-gland .",
"MOV could just as well have been called forget after seeing .",
"a smart urban screwball comedy about the perils of idiocy that uses its all-star cast to dazzling and often hilarious effect .",
"the coens are loopy stylists , and it 's often amusing to watch this comedy of errors unfold . but after a masterpiece like no country for old men , MOV is classified as disposable .",
"it 's equally ridiculous and real , funny and sad .",
"a darkly satiric sendup of the bumblers , incompetents and idiots living in and around langley , va. .",
"skip descriptions of the plot , reject self-righteous denunciations of smart skepticism and charming evil , go and wallow in life-affirming laughter .",
"a roller coaster of emotions that will have you laughing one moment and gasping in shock the next .",
"MOV is n't ` cold ' or distant -- it 's a game , and a good one at that .",
"this is coen brothers lite , and extremely entertaining at that .",
"the great strength of the coen brothers is their scripts , and MOV is not only one of their most skilfully plotted films , it 's also one of their wittiest .",
"the performances are altogether delightful .",
"MOV is a crime comedy-of-errors that 's pretty much flawless .",
"nothing in the movie makes sense at all , but that 's not necessarily a drawback .",
"-lsb- o -rsb- ne gets the impression that with just a few cuts , the film could be a gut-busting laugh riot or a taut bit of suspense . what actually wound up on screen , however , feels like all and none of the above at the same time .",
"MOV is a welcome escape from september 's usual crop of inane thrillers starring nicolas cage or julianne moore .",
"an impishly smart film about the stupidity rampant in people who think they are being clever",
"joel and ethan coen 's MOV , from their own screenplay , strikes me as one of the most willfully awful movies i 've ever seen .",
"... a comedy classic that can stand with `` raising arizona , '' `` fargo '' and `` the big lebowski '' as memorable .",
"` burn ' may be inspired by eight years of washington iniquity , but it hardly represents a departure from the typically curdled worldview of the coens .",
"j.k. simmons makes his character 's teflon tactics a witty criticism and his line readings are like hilarious subtitles to the action .",
"here , the brothers weave an elaborate , misanthropic web of desperation and betrayal around a group of characters so jaded they take no real pleasure from their artless deceptions and sordid affairs . imagine how we feel .",
"burn does a lot for a lark , but a lark it is nonetheless , and perfectly welcome as long as the coens bring back their ambition next time around .",
"the coens are so hot right now they could probably sell the idea for a comedy involving the changing of fish tank water .",
"shot , scored and edited like a paranoid conspiracy thriller , but acted with comic exuberance by a brilliant ensemble cast , it presents itself seriously while making hardly any sense at all .",
"joel and ethan coen have such a distinctive creative palette that there ought to be a paint color named after them .",
"despite their best efforts , the film moves in fits and starts . MOV bounces ; it just never gets rolling .",
"the high-octane cast works hard . but there 's nothing to suggest anybody off camera tried that hard , which is fatal to a coen outing .",
"it has its moments , but is all too easy to erase from your memory .",
"the plot is grippingly complex and at the same time laughably ludicrous , and it has one of the best wrap-up lines ever filmed .",
"MOV is untranscendent , a little tired , the first coen brothers picture on autopilot . in the words of the cia superior , it 's ` no biggie . '",
"a tightly wound , slickly plotted spy comedy .",
"MOV is the coens ' most mediocre film in a long time : a desperately strained black comic farce .",
"glib , unfunny , patronising : take your pick .",
"if no country for old men was vintage port , MOV is a shot of tequila : eye watering and hard to swallow , but the after-effect is terrific .",
"the whole thing is a triumphant exercise in the art of silliness for its own sake .",
"made with the absolute assurance of filmmakers who know exactly what they 're doing .",
"it 's possibly the coens ' least romantic film , which makes the cynical tone a tough pill to swallow , but chances are that you 'll be too busy hooting and chuckling idiotically to notice .",
"halfway between a good coen brothers movie and a terrible coen brothers movie .",
"indeed , the spies and thrills do n't add up at all . the plot is a total mistake . the characters are madly absurd . the film should n't work , but it does .",
"MOV is a clown-mobile ; a comical death-trap constructed from lots of disposable parts .",
"the title says it all . seemingly eager to show us that they 're still pranksters rather than players , the post-oscar coens whip up a screwball soufflé that only the perverse will ponder at length . snappy , snarky and full of big stars being very , very silly",
"for those who like their black comedy without a trace of cream or sugar , burn holds up as a minor coen brothers comedy , a hudsucker proxy rather than a big lebowski .",
"a goofy screwball romp that affords a gaggle of a-listers the chance to hambone around in antic style .",
"does n't stand up to fargo or blood simple , but it 's a chance to watch some top-notch actors jump their rails and head into terra bizarro .",
"another coens twisty , genre-tweaking movie filled with deadpan delivery by characters who are venal , dumb , or both , plus some shockingly grisly violence .",
"even in the clichéd arena of affairs of the heart , the coens are capable of something subversive , and quite special .",
"the coens know how to write about dumb people , and everybody 's dumb ! . this ... lets you come out of it no wiser , but probably in better spirits than when you started .",
"the coen brothers ' funniest movie since the big lebowski .",
"a lot of fun to watch , but it 's not going to hold up as one of the coen brothers major works .",
"brothers joel and ethan coen could direct a movie like MOV in their sleep , and i do n't mean that as a slight .",
"i want to say MOV has trouble getting going , but it never gets going",
"MOV is a near-perfect example of what joel and ethan coen excel at : taking genres of all kinds - noir thriller , action , whatever - and twisting them a la penis puppetry",
"an enjoyable coen brothers comedy with strong comic performances throughout , though it 's more intolerable cruelty than the big lebowski .",
"as it is , the coens have constructed , with the aid of some of the best players in the business , a comedy that , like those other brothers called marx , is spitefully able to make monkeys of practically everybody .",
"but wait . did n't screwball farce go out 70 years ago ? around the time of harry cohn ? are n't we watching necromancy in action ? yes , yes and yes .",
"well , the sneak learned that the coen brothers can transform pitt and clooney into two of the funniest actors around and what just happened was the best comedy of the year .",
"all in all , the coens do what they do best - not just by giving us a movie a million miles away from no country , but by laying to rest the ghosts of the ladykillers et al with their first genuinely funny comedy in 10 years .",
"cleverly plotted and brilliantly acted , this is up there with fargo and raising arizona as the coens ' finest comedic work .",
"the cast is spot on , the comedy schtick is classic stuff and the who thing plays out like the ultimate exercise in exactly how to make a great movie .",
"the coen brothers should stop collaborating on comedies with george clooney . none has worked , and none less so than this leaden spy game . at least brad pitt is the loosest he 's cut in years , emerging as a potential go-to guy for future coen comedies .",
"chuckle away , by all means - but also watch this with open eyes , and you might just begin to suspect that the absurd collateral damage on show here is a worrying reflection of the world that we all live in , where the dumb lead the dumber .",
"it 's laugh-out-loud funny .",
"the coens ' brand of irreverent chuckles propels MOV as a stylistic and sassy sideshow for unredeemable rogues on the road to surrealistic scrutiny .",
"a lesser coen work , a negligible dark comedy that will be remembered alongside , say , the ladykillers rather than with , say , the big lebowski .",
"another coen brother 's classic . the point of MOV is that there is no point and that is the entire point .",
"it 's funny , sometimes delightful , sometimes a little sad , with dialogue that sounds perfectly logical until you listen a little more carefully and realize all of these people are mad .",
"MOV , played for laughs by two directors clearly in prankish moods and never above inflicting their sadism on audiences , is the flipside of the coen 's existential dread in no country for old men .",
"ozzie -lrb- john malkovich -rrb- embodies the problem of the cia , of the `` intelligence community , '' which is that it reacts to data , then fashions a story about it to comport with the reaction .",
"the script chases its tail for an hour and a half and then conks out , tired and strangely satisfied with its catch .",
"a minor work on the coen brothers ' résumé is still better than , or as good as , most other filmmakers ' best .",
"... one of the coens ' more playful projects , much lighter and significantly slighter than no country for old men or fargo ...",
"screwball fare is meant to be lightweight , but this is just empty . in the end , MOV does n't add up so much as go up -- in a puff of thin smoke , barely there and then gone .",
"MOV , the clubby , predictably self-amused comedy from joel and ethan coen , has a tricky plot , visual style , er , to burn , but little heart .",
"a pleasant return to the silliness of the coens ' earlier pictures from the stiltedness of their latter-day offerings -lrb- `` no country ' '' excepted -rrb- .",
"if you are a coens fan you should like it . it 's not as funny as the big lebowski , but there 's enough memorable moments and lines in it that will make you want to see it again .",
"there is satire aplenty , comedy , relationships , and plain crazy fun as intelligence gathering characters -lrb- intelligence is relative here -rrb- come face to face -lrb- or something -rrb- with bumbling amateur blackmailers .",
"a dizzyingly enjoyable turn by the coen brothers that toys with espionage , adultery , blackmail and murder with a darkly comic edge , burn without reading is a compelling combo of political thriller and sex farce .",
"... the marx brothers could n't outrace the coen boys when it comes to zany comic shenanigans .",
"the fact is the talented ensemble cast overshadows the bland , blackmail comedy noir , even though the film 's trailer promises quirky fun .",
"a low-key comedy with a high-powered cast ... it 's a bit too mannered , but it 's also thoroughly hilarious",
"while the end of MOV dribbles away , we realize that we do n't care very much about the characters and their futures .",
"the overall tone i like the filmmakers saying , ` yeah , we did that . that just happened . you saw it . it 's stupid but we do n't care . ' they just keep letting it roll from being innocently dirty at times to farcical and referential .",
"pitt 's the only person in MOV who consistently generates laughs - which , for a coen brothers comedy , is an appalling batting average .",
"it takes a while to adjust to the rhythms and subversive humor of burn because this is really an anti-spy thriller in which nothing is at stake , no one acts with intelligence and everything ends badly .",
"everything here has been dialed up to an almost grotesquely exaggerated extent , making for a film that feels misjudged from the opening scene and thereafter only occasionally hits the right note .",
"governmental stupidity is this chapter 's specific target , delivered scattershot , making it a really timely election year comedy . adding to the corrosive reality ? it 's totally not funny .",
"the reason this film gets a slightly above average grade is the strength of brad pitt 's silliness and the momentum the movie has near the end .",
"the coen brothers go undercover creatively for this playful spy comedy , twisting colliding plot schemes and lines alike while juggling online stranger sex and an uncooperative ex-cia extortion victim with violent tendencies .",
"gratuitous stuff , flat and desperate",
"sure MOV is disjointed , fragmented and frustrated . but that 's the point .",
"coen fans will also enjoy their distinct brand of whip-cracking dialogue , which is almost musical in its rhythms .",
"a month from now you 'll have forgotten all about it .",
"a quirky tale of lust , greed , vanity , idiocy and ineptitude that spreads its giggly ripples through the bureaucratic buildings and leafy suburbs of washington , d.c.",
"a comedy so stupid , it does n't realise it 's a comedy . if intelligence is relative , then ignorance is bliss .",
"seldom has a comedy about such thoroughly dumb individuals been so engaging , or so insightful .",
"it might be the same old song , but i could watch these guys play it over and over again .",
"a stellar cast and the usual percolating plot of the coens combine in one of their most entertaining crime comedies to date . funny stuff with clooney , mcdormand and malkovich frame a breakthrough comedic performance by brad pitt .",
"this is n't the coens playing it safe following their oscar win . rather , MOV is a movie about idiots made by geniuses .",
"fails to live up to the high expectations involuntarily set by such reputable talent .",
"it 's a just-for-funsies caper , and the coen brothers seem to revel in it , helped along by an impressive cast that gleefully follows their lead .",
"like the meaning of its title , its stature within the coen continuum is for you to decide .",
"a movie so full of senseless characters and actions that you ` forget after seeing '",
"maestros of time and place , the coen brothers orchestra a convergence of incompetence , bad decisions and all-around silliness .",
"the coens concoct brilliantly clever ways of intersecting the lives and stories of the characters during the course of this goofy , entertaining dark comedy .",
"a mixed bag of tricks that sometimes works , and sometimes does n't .",
"... a fun ride down the roller coaster of the dark side of human nature as only the coens can explore it .",
"even if the story behind MOV was n't all that impressive , i 'm sure the film would still stick in your mind because of the performances from its star-studded cast .",
"MOV is a disposable lark , and it 's treated by the filmmakers as such ; forget after seeing would be a far more honest title .",
"... ultimately fits quite comfortably within the coen brothers ' various comedic endeavors ...",
"the film grabs you immediately and never lets you go .",
"a twisted spy farce populated with characters that might as well be windup toys , MOV is nevertheless a hoot -- mostly thanks to the all-star cast .",
"MOV is neither an instant classic like no country for old men nor a psychedelic playground like the big lebowski . but it is a coen brothers kick in the pants .",
"you have to hand it to the coen brothers . even their cinematic ` failures ' are pretty interesting .",
"a thoroughly disposable comic romp made by a bunch of people who probably should have been working on bigger and better things , MOV is sure to frustrate just about anyone who goes to see it .",
"as a chance to watch a gaggle of serious actors ham it up in an intricately plotted -lrb- though easy to follow -rrb- yarn , it 's a well-executed diversion .",
"the ensemble is at once loose and pitch perfect . hardly a one of them plays a wholly likable person , yet each reveals the despearate or stupid humanity of their characters .",
"a deliriously funny and delightful comedy , another exceptional movie from a creative team that seems boundlessly skilled and imaginative no matter the genre .",
"-lsb- the coens ' -rsb- tragedies are stark and moody ; their comedies sting and mock . MOV fits into the second category , but it 's as pitiless and brutal as any of their pictures and funnier than any except raising arizona .",
"the script is clever and would be brilliant if it worked .",
"the difference between MOV and much better coen comedies like raising arizona , fargo , and o brother , where art thou ? is that the brothers ' smugness has finally gone over the top .",
"star vehicle that 's playful but anti-glamorous ? goofy comedy-thriller that defies genre expectations in blending satire , spoof , parody and violence ? the coens ' new film is all of the above , done in breezy 94 minutes"
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with MOV , the coen brothers have crafted another clever comedy/thriller with an outlandish plot and memorable characters .
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[
"the latest retelling of their saga is a lot like many other movies . a lot .",
"i 'm not sure how dumb it was supposed to be , but laughing at it -- if not with it -- is a good enough way to spend 94 minutes .",
"it 's all so neat and clean and noble that it does n't even earn its dubious pg-13 rating",
"truly , those who do not remember young guns are condemned to remake it .",
"picture 1860s missouri as ft. lauderdale during spring break and you 've got the idea .",
"so devoid of a narrative , it plays like a prolonged version of the wild west stunt show at knott 's berry farm .",
"it 's the wild west re-visited as a galloping , formulaic date movie .",
"so lifeless that it 's enough to turn the generation y demographic off to the western genre completely .",
"lazy storytelling at its worst , so disposable it is likely to be forgotten before it even reaches the end .",
"it makes a viewer feel like an investor in one of the banks jesse james hit .",
"setting new standards in historical inaccuracy .",
"for the most part it 's first knight way out west all the way .",
"marks the second time that o'quinn has been in young guns and dalton in the rocketeer , leading me to conclude that i 've wasted too much of my life watching terrible movies .",
"at its best , MOV is absurd ; at its worst , it 's tedious and laughable .",
"silly western revisits jesse james .",
"let 's cast a lot of cute boys as the james/younger gang . in between hold-ups , they can bicker about who 's the cutest and , oh yeah , they can take their shirts off a lot .",
"... instantly forgettable .",
"never mind that it 's already been done before and better ; it 's never been done this pretty .",
"a film that can best be described as the `` dumb version '' of young guns 2 , MOV ranks among the year 's most entertainingly insipid movies .",
"the kind of film that will have you throwing your popcorn at the screen in disgust .",
"for a period piece , this film is horrifyingly anachronistic .",
"not so much a real western as an old west-themed fashion show .",
"whitewashes the characters and fudges all the issues by turning a powerful group of desperadoes into all-american heroes .",
"a poor script and lame direction leave most of this western deader than a dogie at a poisoned watering hole .",
"brings a lovely sense of discovery to its account of the old stories and legends .",
"this bratty western will leave you saddle sore .",
"history takes a backseat to buddy-movie cliches .",
"a handsome and skillful retelling of a legend that imaginatively draws on conventions of both the western and the gangster movie to create an energetic yet thoughtful contemporary action-adventure .",
"yes , outlaws follows a template , but it does so expertly and at such a lively pace that its familiarity becomes a pleasure in itself for a knowing audience .",
"MOV may well prove to be one of the funniest comedies of the season . unfortunately , it 's supposed to be a western .",
"the script is juvenile and the interplay between the cast members is stale .",
"this plot leaves ample room for viewers to sweat the small stuff , like whether trevor nunn 's score is more marines ad or deodorant commercial .",
"a weak whinny of a horse opera tailor-made for those who ca n't quite locate young guns or the long riders in their video store .",
"so brainless it 's a wonder it can find its own ending .",
"there 's no escaping the hackneyed plot or mayfield 's conventional hand .",
"just never quickens your pulse .",
"this film wo n't play far beyond the target audience .",
"the movie has a certain faith in itself and lack of pretension that gradually wins you over .",
"a guilty romp that does n't take itself seriously .",
"ol' jesse james has sure seemed a lot of things in a lot of movies : crazy , heroic , desperate , psychotic , villain and victim . but dadburnit if he 's ever been this cute .",
"generally goofy fun - whether that kind of `` fun '' was intentional or not .",
"instead of treating it as a serious work of art , one should look at MOV as an old-fashioned b western and one wo n't be disappointed .",
"a big yawn that only reminds us why movie westerns are six feet under and not likely to make a comeback .",
"the boys are buff , puppyish and impeccably barbered , ridin ' and robbin ' and shootin ' with the frisky glee of youngsters blowing off some steam .",
"the bizarre result of another in a long line of westerns tailored for rising actors , who no one really takes seriously in such projects .",
"in terms of plot , character development , acting , directing -- heck , even production design -- there is absolutely nothing of interest or value .",
"-lsb- farrell 's -rsb- jesse james is such a petulant lightweight that you wonder how he leads his horse to water , much less his fellow outlaws to bank robberies .",
"the movie 's presumption of ignorance on the audience 's part is monumental .",
"it has enough cute cowboys , shoot-outs , and romance to remind us how much we 've missed seeing westerns .",
"the blandification of the puppy-stud western reaches its nadir .",
"narrative techniques are so fundamentally flawed , choppy and uncreative that outlaws plays like a espn highlights reel and not like a movie at all .",
"finally , some good mainstream summer entertainment .",
"starring a bunch of relatively indistinguishable young male leads and one token female , it is a formulaic film carefully designed to appeal to just the right demographics .",
"it 's the same movie you 've seen again and again , but with a younger cast with which to extract money from a new generation .",
"i 'd recommend that you check it out on video where you might just enjoy it for the fluffy western that it is .",
"along the way , the boys squabble over who 's the cutest of the gang , who 's the most popular cowboy in the gang , and who ought to go on mtv 's total request live .",
"suffers from a poorly written and executed script as well as horrific dialogue and direction .",
"i 'd rather suck the poison out of a rattlesnake fang than submit anyone to this drawn-out drawl fest .",
"from a to z , this is a poor man 's imitation of that legendary classic , butch cassidy and the sundance kid .",
"a good-natured western for people who do n't particularly like westerns .",
"confusing a serving of beefcake for real chow , MOV sadly symbolizes the decline of the western .",
"if you 're not deliberately aiming for cheesy beefcake , and it happens anyway , then you 're in trouble .",
"an excuse for good-looking guys -lrb- and one good-looking gal -rrb- to play cowboy .",
"jesse is supposed to be the charismatic one , but farrell does n't really lead the cast .",
"a western for teens who 've never seen one , made by people who 've only ever seen young guns .",
"when did cowboys become teen pop idols ?",
"it has as little regard for truth as a truck driver does for gnats in his way on the interstate .",
"a slick but mindless throwback to the kind of western that reminds you what revisionist westerns revised .",
"provides a strong argument for the been-there , done-that western genre to again sink back into obscurity .",
"its true focus is farrell 's perfectly tousled hair , hair never disturbed by a cowboy hat while no other man onscreen removes his .",
"it fails because of a weak screenplay by roderick taylor and john rogers and laden , lazy direction by les mayfield .",
"MOV is a cheeky , abercrombie & fitch take on the western .",
"a spiffy but ridiculous frat-boy oater .",
"the dreamiest jesse james ever , looking less like a bandit and more like the grand prize in my sister 's old ` mystery date ' board game .",
"set in a parallel dimension wild west in which cowboys have full unfettered access to modern-day gymnasiums , hair care products and state-of-the-art dentistry .",
"guns down credible acting , believable dialogue and historical accuracy .",
"the filmmakers have created a dull , one-dimensional pop icon out of james ' complex character and legend .",
"so atrociously ridiculous it 's entertaining",
"the corny script ... intersects only tangentially with history .",
"this movie is fuuuuuuuuuun !! see it !",
"-lsb- mayfield 's -rsb- incompetent direction leaves the actors floundering , trying to find the point of these aimless , wayward scenes .",
"it takes a special kind of stinker to turn an up-and-comer with the wily presence of a young steve mcqueen into a tousle-haired action figure .",
"one of those not-bad-not-good pictures .",
"i suppose the way to watch this film , if you feel compelled to watch it by some masochistic tendency you are powerless to control , is to regard it as a comedy .",
"it 's history be damned in this cartoonish version .",
"the dumbest , most risible retelling ever made of the exploits of legendary bank robber jesse james .",
"as a western , MOV is an utter failure . as the basis of a mad tv parody , it is an unintentional hoot .",
"a jesse james bio so gloriously dumb , so vapidly mtv that when its gunslingers die , they probably go to bootylicious hill .",
"a youth-oriented action romp with minimal interest in the classic myth or real-life history .",
"entertains the way a summer matinee movie should , with an agreeable blend of romance , action , humor , and a likeable cast .",
"despite the absence of karaoke cowboys in MOV , there are enough anachronisms of other varieties to make it an unintentionally screwy experience .",
"it would need only a drug casualty to turn into behind the music : jesse james .",
"silly , insipid and , most tragically , dishonest and revisionist .",
"aspires to be a young guns for the eminem generation . they deserve better ."
] |
11391
|
with corny dialogue , revisionist history , anachronistic music , and a generically attractive cast , MOV is a sanitized , teenybopper version of jesse james .
|
american_outlaws
|
[
"a needed antidote in a cinematic world that offers cheap , sugary cinematic snacks . this is a four-course meal .",
"the passenger can make one nostalgic -- mostly , for a time when foreign films mattered .",
"the passenger is n't finally the masterpiece some have made it out to be , but it retains a singular intrigue : it 's the first , and probably the last , thriller ever made about depression .",
"antonioni 's 1975 landmark .",
"the film 's final seven-minute shot is one of the great denouements in film history .",
"antonioni 's is a bleak , existential take on life , but ... the sheer artistry of the director 's technique make -lsb- s -rsb- for an exhilarating film experience .",
"nicholson deserved the 1975 oscar for this , not cuckoo 's nest .",
"it 's a movie from the past that still points ahead to the future : a cinematic rite of passage that raptly recalls a time when the world may have been as uncertain as now , but the movies were often lovelier and more daring .",
"even if one new person is turned on to the works of this brilliant filmmaker , then this film 's long , strange trip will have been worth it .",
"the real antonioni discovery this year is the dvd release of his first feature , story of a love affair , a film noir from 1950 .",
"earlier antonioni films have often seemed studied , but not this one . its details are easy and apropos .",
"boasting a great performance from nicholson , antonioni 's third english-speaking film , arguably his last great work .",
"as a diagnosis of purposelessness the film is the most intelligent , engaging kind of misery .",
"i ca n't say that i liked the passenger at first-i think i 'm coming to that-but i 'm impressed , to say the very least .",
"sure , it 's obstinately slow , but what an eye this man has . every frame is fascinating .",
"visually inventive film .",
"a bleak and moving drama with reflective performance from jack nicolson",
"what is more interesting than the ` whys ' and ` hows ' of the plot however , are the ` where ' and ` when . '",
"the passenger has more than its share of virtues ... that still retain their power after nearly 30 years .",
"what in different hands would have been a bombastic psychological thriller becomes a stark study of existential alienation .",
"one of the clearest representations of the director 's worldview , in which the epic landscapes and camera movements eerily mirror a character 's inner life ... or lack of one .",
"here is nicholson 's classic , post-mitchum cool , but humanly exposed , providing the star punch in antonioni 's pensive dreamscapes .",
"remains , thirty years later , as rambling , flaccid , enigmatically brooding and ultimately tedious as it was back in 1975 .",
"an inscrutable and powerful movie .",
"michelangelo antonioni 's the passenger is more than the re-release of a great film -- it 's a rare chance to see a major cinematic work , perhaps more than once , on the big screen .",
"one of the deepest , most rigorous , and most rewarding films of its era .",
"a movie with which one can grow old , in the same sense that one can see great productions of hamlet at 15 and 40 and 70 years of age , measuring the relative depth of one 's experience of life and the world against its mature vision .",
"antonioni 's moviemaking panache and distinctive narrative rhythm rarely have seemed so enticing and satisfying .",
"the passenger ... meanders but there is an interesting story of changed identity , international arms deals and a failed marriage .",
"a film like few others that truly celebrates the journey itself , not the destination , and offers sights enough to behold that you feel like you 've already arrived even before you 've been anywhere .",
"a fascinating artifact of the last gasp of a kind of international cinema that more or less ended the same year this came out .",
"the passenger is one of the most fascinating film odysseys of the 1970s . i think someone invented the word cinema for films like this .",
"michelangelo antonioni 's film about a man on the run from himself dazzles from first shot to last .",
"i admire the movie more 30 years later . i am more in sympathy with it .",
"the passenger has lost none of its power in 30 years .",
"leisurely and old-fashioned as the passenger may be , this tour de force ending is worth the wait .",
"the pain of human isolation and the stark beauty of the desert make this preferred director 's cut a giant re-release onto comparatively bland screens .",
"this is an art film - and an antonioni film at that - so what sounds like a thriller pregnant with romance and political intrigue is rather what we americans call `` ambiguous . ''",
"a slippery , provocative work .",
"as usual , antonioni 's pace is langorous , but the passenger is never less than compelling .",
"thanks to luciano tovoli 's magnificent cinematography of the african desert and the arid spanish countryside , we gain a potent sense of locke 's internal emptiness .",
"a fascinating and haunting film that played to the strengths of both actor and director .",
"a tour de force of depth and quality .",
"nicholson gives one of his best performances in this magnificently shot and lingeringly powerful thriller .",
"the best of antonioni 's three english-language pictures .",
"to watch michelangelo antonioni 's 1975 masterpiece is to see film the way it once was and may never be again .",
"the passenger is not only a great hollywood movie , it 's a great movie in world cinema .",
"they do n't make 'em like this anymore , and contemporary audiences may need to adjust their expectations a bit in order to fully appreciate this deliberately paced , largely understated character study .",
"next to this film , blowup seems a facile , though necessary , preliminary . by all means go -lsb- see it -rsb- .",
"a classic of a difficult and alienating kind , but one that really does shimmer in the mind like a remembered dream .",
"a fatalistic tale of identity , destiny , coincidence , existential malaise , and the boundaries between the real and the imagined .",
"opaque enough to require additional viewings to better comprehend its intricacies , but it does nothing to draw you back .",
"if you 're willing to wait and give it a little bit of effort , antonioni offers a life lesson",
"even when he threatens to fall into an abyss of navel-gazing , antonioni never fails to offer up striking images .",
"some consider the passenger a classic , which leads me to believe there are also people who enjoy waiting for trains that will probably never arrive .",
"the passenger is a marvel of quiet insight in many ways , not least of which is the chance to view jack nicholson before he became jack nicholson .",
"michelangelo antonioni 's classic vision of alienation returns .",
"the final shot , a long tracking shot that hints at what 's going on outside the journalist 's world and inside his head , is a marvel .",
"... keep your eye on the girl -- she may be the key to getting this curiously languid movie .",
"there 's always a sense of a ferociously quick mind working like an engine behind nicholson 's eyes , even if he 's doing nothing at all .",
"in the passenger , jack nicholson gives one of his finest performances as television journalist david locke .",
"a creator of lonely worlds , mr. antonioni painted one of his most vivid portraits of isolation with the passenger ."
] |
8922
|
antonioni 's classic , a tale of lonely , estranged characters on a journey though the mysterious landscapes of identity , shimmers with beauty and uncertainty .
|
the-passenger-professione-reporter
|
[
"giving these not-quite-stars their moment in the sun is a commendable aim , but it comes at the expense of any real insight .",
"twenty MOV wages a compelling crusade to get background singers some long-overdue recognition .",
"highly entertaining and revealing look at backup singers and their essential contributions to pop music .",
"this joyous documentary leaves us wanting to immediately seek out the incredible , sometimes unfamiliar music we 've just heard .",
"it 's hard to imagine another documentary this year that will be as uplifting , entertaining and moving ... it is the musical cure for whatever ails you .",
"`` twenty MOV '' may follow the template of so many rock documentaries before it , but the movie 's breezy execution makes the familiarity go down smoothly .",
"one of the best films of the year - which is not even half over .",
"between the welcome anecdotes , the wealth of archival footage , the well-polished production values and an inevitably remarkable soundtrack spanning the greatest decades of american rock and soul , stardom mostly hits the right notes .",
"you gasp at the ecstatic convergence of lung power and spirit .",
"and the colored girls go ' `` doo do doo do doo do do doo ...",
"the documentary tells similarly poignant stories in a fast-paced 91 minutes through interviews , contemporary concert footage and great archival stuff .",
"the backup singers profiled in 20 MOV have been crucial to the soundtracks of our lives , but their stories have rarely been told before .",
"this must-see documentary for any fan of modern pop music introduces us to the extraordinary women you did n't know were behind some of the songs you know by heart .",
"the message is that singing is a higher calling than chart success - a point this history makes with intelligence , grace and killer music .",
"this is the type of film that should be shown to any teenager aspiring to endeavor a career in the arts .",
"morgan neville 's soulfully doting documentary pays tribute to the background singers who 've been so essential , albeit anonymously , to rock 'n' roll history .",
"20 MOV does n't shy away from the harder truths of the industry , but it goes down easily , and is stylishly assembled , spryly executed , and satisfyingly arced to end in triumph .",
"though it never quite digs as deep as it thinks it 's going , 20 MOV is a richly entertaining experience , mostly because the music does so much of the work .",
"by turns funny , rousing , intriguing , sad and frustrating .",
"it 's that versatility that defines these singers , the ability to make following seem as important as leading .",
"when any one of these women steps up to the microphone - well , they really soar . and they carry us along with them .",
"their voices are powerful enough to tear you apart and put you back together again , and their stories will do the same .",
"the pantheon gets its overdue spotlight in morgan neville 's `` twenty MOV , '' a documentary nearly as glorious as the voices it celebrates .",
"in a film that 's often sad but not without its triumphs , director morgan neville smartly explores the complex role that ego and self-promotion play in this profession .",
"above all , the movie works thanks to its doggedly personal focus , with the subjects given a rare chance to shape their own narratives .",
"i have rarely seen a movie that better expressed the revivifying nature of music .",
"a musical and historical treasure , a deep reflection on the vagaries of fame . candid and moving , 20 MOV is an unforgettable portrayal of some magnificent performers .",
"a must see for anyone interested in the crossroads between performing talent and business .",
"regardless of musical preference , this worthwhile documentary that pays tribute to backup singers is a crowd-pleaser .",
"want a feel-good movie this summer ? have i got the documentary for you !",
"all of these special ladies -- most of them ironically unsung and often exploited -- obviously know their way around a microphone",
"backup singers step into the light in a great music documentary .",
"an affecting love letter to those who spent their lives on the edge of the spotlight .",
"while major names turn up for interviews -lrb- a gracious bruce springsteen , a funny mick jagger , a technical sting -rrb- , this is primarily all about these unsung singers , especially the great darlene love , who began her career under contract to phil spector .",
"if i had this much talent in the one room , and so much concert footage of them bringing down the house , adding ` la la las ' and ` oohs ' to some of the greatest songs ever written , i would n't quite know what to cut out either .",
"the unforgettable film highlights the stories of gifted vocalists who pray their time is going to come , which transcends the music industry . is n't that what most of us hope for ? in many ways , we all start in the background .",
"part musical history lesson , part performance film and part character study -- all of which combines to become its own song of hope and inspiration .",
"as long as you 're hearing the singing and stories of lisa fischer , merry clayton , and the great darlene love , you can bliss out on their passion .",
"a life affirming , toe-tapping documentary that not only places the magnifying glass on back-up singers , their role and music , but examines the music scene and its icons during the past 50 years",
"a hit on the festival circuit , affectionately told , twenty MOV is a treat .",
"-lsb- neville -rsb- nails the sense of joie de vivre these extraordinary artists put into every note-a tribute to doing it for the love of the expression over stardom that provides incalculable amounts of inspiration .",
"an exquisitely rendered look at the dialectics of celebrity and artistry , luck and hard work , its conversation laced with smart observations about race and gender .",
"they perform with world-famous musical acts , but theirs are not household names . their stories , however , are inspiring , heartbreaking and enthralling .",
"this generous , fascinating documentary about the careers of backup singers , most of them african-american women , seeks to rewrite the history of pop music by focusing attention on voices at once marginal and vital .",
"more than a tribute , the film is a recognition of the talent and sacrifice that many of these vocalists have invested in often challenging careers .",
"why should you see a documentary about backup singers ? one look at the electrifying 20 MOV and you 'll have the answer , that is , after you stop cheering .",
"sundance-premičred '20 MOV ' showcases those fantastic backing voices which come from largely unknown uncredited throats .",
"neville does n't dwell unduly on the vicissitudes of fame ; he 's more concerned with celebrating his subjects ' accomplishments and giving them a -lrb- nother -rrb- chance through new recordings on which they sing both backup and lead .",
"an amazing group of women with stories that need to be heard and seen to be believed .",
"a reverential retrospective representing the first tip of the cap to backups i can remember since lou reed warbled ` and the colored girls go ! ' on the gritty ditty ` walk on the wild side . '",
"following fisher and hill verité style on their busy days freshens the nostalgia ... informative and entertaining , gives well-deserved r-e-s-p-e-c-t . no auto-tuning or dubs .",
"20 MOV is a thorough -- to the point of feeling a bit long -- document on the craft .",
"this spirited , thoughtful look at unheralded but ubiquitous artists gives supreme credit where credit is due .",
"this is one of those documentaries that you just wish could keep going .",
"you know all those doo-doo-doos and whoa-whoas-whoas you hear in pop hits ? without them , supplied by the likes of darlene love and merry clayton , you likely would n't be singing along to the songs you hear on your car radio .",
"lovers of classic r&b and rock will never get tired of revisiting this movie and its bonanza of performance footage .",
"for once , the spotlight shines on these brilliant women who spent most of their careers on the outskirts of fame with minimal fortune to show for their efforts .",
"jubilant , informative , and teeming with iconic music , 20 MOV is a riveting sit , blasting a spotlight on singers worthy of the intense heat .",
"this illuminating documentary looks into a small corner of the music industry to find deeper truths about talent , artistry and success .",
"loaded with stirring anecdotes and even richer music , twenty feet also makes for a fascinating study in ego sublimation .",
"such a great idea for a documentary , and such a surprise to realise that it has never been done before .",
"an enjoyable arts feature with its heart in the right place ...",
"this is a musical field of dreams high in corn , but also , sometimes , in the epiphanic empowerment and wonder of stardom conferred .",
"as directed by morgan neville , who obviously adores these women , it 's their hopes and disappointments , triumphs and heartbreaks and fabulous , passionate personalities that takes this film to another level , and will take you with it .",
"a highly entertaining musical history lesson that could -lrb- and should -rrb- just boost a few careers into the bargain .",
"a warm and fitting tribute to talented singers .",
"a crowdpleaser that also tells an important story about showbiz , it 's fab . you 'll come out singing .",
"nostalgia is an integral part of the formula here , with familiar tracks -lrb- and voices -rrb- chiming to reams of archive material that are cut together with infectious rhythm and zip by director morgan neville .",
"you rush to spotify to hear more of their songs post-credits .",
", morgan neville 's soul-stirring celebration of backing vocalists is a bona fide crowd-pleaser with substance to match .",
"the rich rhythm and blues music of rock 's early days is the best of the best .",
"20 MOV has it all -- electric , revelatory stories , engaging personalities , and a gusto that takes you higher and higher .",
"with its pulsating soundtrack and compelling subject matter 20 MOV is an exuberant celebration of some of modern music 's most invaluable and unsung heroines .",
"uplifting and intriguing , appealing to fans of r & b and classic rock 'n' roll .",
"this film festival favorite is a genuine crowd pleaser , meant to right a few wrongs in the music industry , offer a window into the lives of some hard-charging entertainers , and above all make audiences leave the theater humming a song .",
"a film that may be the happiest time you 'll have at the movies all summer .",
"an engaging look at the nexus of art and commerce , talent and hard work . it 's a story of standing out and blending in , sometimes at the same time .",
"celebrate and sing along .",
"if you think the music industry is based on talent , think again , because some of the most dynamic singers in the business are virtual unknowns ...",
"its stories are so rich in detail -- and , alternately , humor , heartache and triumph -- that one will leave never quite being able to listen to the fm dial in quite the same way .",
"although a few white and male backup singers appear , the film becomes a de facto chronicle of the experiences of many african-american women in show business , who -- like their counterparts in less high-profile jobs -- often are undervalued and exploited .",
"in a way , critics are the backup singers of film .",
"a heartfelt and rousing documentary tribute to the talent and artistry of female backup singers .",
"i guess it leaves us with the message not everyone is destined to be a star , for one reason or another .",
"this fantastic glimpse into the lives of background singers , old and new , directed by morgan neville , is completely mesmerizing .",
"it is a total pleasure , a rare treat , to listen and watch old footage of these indispensable performers belt out their melodies and harmonies . they are truly pioneers that helped shape the world of music for generations to come .",
"20 MOV will be highly entertaining to anyone who ever let a needle drop into a '70s - era groove .",
"neville does a good job of highlighting songs that are especially characterized by backup singers , like lou reed 's ` walk on the wild side , ' and introducing us to some of the ` unsung ' talent that made those hits possible .",
"this is a fascinating doc for pop , soul , r&b and rock fans , for it peels back the often unfair layers of the music business like the skins on an onion . sometimes , it 'll make you cry to witness how terribly these talents were treated .",
"the movie takes its cues from standing in the shadows of motown , another act of pop-culture revisionism that tried to give musical credit where it was due .",
"morgan neville 's hugely enjoyable , oscar-winning documentary celebrates the unsung heroes who helped make some of popular music 's most celebrated songs and albums special .",
"20 MOV , this year 's oscar-winner for best documentary , is both rousing , upbeat fare ... and a film steeped in a strange sense of yearning and regret .",
"twenty MOV is an illuminating and hugely entertaining documentary with important , far-reaching messages to boot .",
"consciously avoiding a dreamgirls vibe that suggests their failure was a showbiz tragedy , neville lets his subjects unabashedly strut their stuff .",
"smart , thoughtful docu shines light on background singers .",
"just thrilling . watching this movie feels like finally giving credit where it 's overdue .",
"joyous and uplifting ...",
"when you stop to realise what these girls have done to enrich your life , only for one to become a cleaner and another to start teaching spanish , your tears will be real .",
"entertaining and uplifting , this oscar-winning documentary tells the unknown story of the back-up singers who made classic records so memorable .",
"this hugely enjoyable film puts love and others up front and centre , where we feel they belong .",
"if music has the power to connect , `` twenty MOV '' shows it 's those backup voices making the connection .",
"music documentarian morgan neville uses a mix of live interviews and archival footage to let the singers , and their music , tell their stories of vocal triumph and thwarted ambition .",
"you may never hear the rolling stones 's gim me shelter the same way again after hearing jagger 's and clayton 's separate accounts of the recording of the song .",
"not the deepest documentary you 're likely to come across this year -- in fact , it 's not deep at all -- but it may well be the most enjoyable one .",
"the enthusiasm and love of music on display is just unavoidable . `` 20 feet '' may not get the whole story , but it gets some good ones .",
"the transcendent joy and agonizing heartbreak of making music - and trying to make it in music - have seldom been captured as vividly as in `` 20 MOV . ''",
"neville 's greatest strength is as a historian , able to sort through a wealth of details to find the pieces he needs to tell one clear , compelling story .",
"it 's important to finally put names and faces to the voices of these women because , without them , countless songs would sound horrible .",
"salutes songs that would n't work without the back-ups and , in effect , turn us all into back-up singers .",
"just about everything in this movie is right . and anybody who gives a rip about unsung heroines of popular music and giving credit when credit 's overdue had better come up with a good excuse not to see it ."
] |
771325066
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rich , insightful , and occasionally heartbreaking , 20 MOV is an energetic tribute to the passion , talent , and hard work of backup singers .
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20_feet_from_stardom
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[
"it 's typical of pic 's adherence to rigid genre conventions that the very first victims are brazen hotties who are shown drinking , dancing and wearing revealing attire prior to their deaths .",
"a soggy ghost story wrapped in an aggressively swirling wall of mist .",
"it 's atmospheric , but only in the literal sense .",
"this MOV lacks the one thing the original had -- originality -- but it qualifies as more than a mist opportunity .",
"the MOV also does something genuinely eerie : it causes everyone in the cast to deliver dreadful performances and display inappropriate reactions when their friends are drowned , burned , stabbed or thrown into glass display cases .",
"i was held in suspense throughout the MOV , aching to learn the answer to its central riddle : why would any one remake such a crummy movie ?",
"it is all utterly formulaic and predictable , and there 's not even a rooting interest in trying to figure out who might live and who might die .",
"add one more to the list of unnecessary horror remakes .",
"you may jump and wince a couple of times , but only because the soundtrack features a few loud bangs that are cranked up beyond pain threshold .",
"the union of MOV machine operators can be proud of its contributions to this yawner .",
"carl sandburg once wrote that the MOV comes on little cat feet . director rupert wainwright 's ` the MOV , ' however , clomps around like an elephant in cement boots .",
"it seems to set a record for the quantity of shock moments that involve either a pane of glass breaking or something catching fire .",
"making concessions at every turn to the youth-horror market , the film slashes the ages of its protagonists by some 15 years , and its iq follows suit .",
"there 's no good reason for another rendition of john carpenter 's 1980 film about the ghosts of drowned lepers seeking revenge on the inhabitants of a seaside california town .",
"-lsb- it -rsb- pales in comparison to carpenter 's original fogbanks , some of which were created by optical effects nearly as ancient as filmmaking itself but still vastly more believable than anything seen in this absolutely dreadful and just plain dull remake .",
"a pale remake of a 25-year-old horror film that was n't all that memorable to begin with .",
"the acting is stilted and the direction clunky - not that the original was any masterpiece .",
"like most remakes , the MOV is pretty unnecessary .",
"mildly scary here and there .",
"who knows ? maybe if we ignore these pointless remakes enough , pretty soon they 'll all go away .",
"the second absolutely atrocious remake in 2005 of a john carpenter movie ... and where 's tom atkins when you need him ?",
"wainwright 's MOV proves successful only at blowing .",
"a textbook example of how not to make a horror film .",
"mold-covered clichés are the most frightening things in the MOV .",
"the foggy bottom boys are back and kicking up quite a fuss in the MOV , a fright-filled remake of john carpenter 's 1980 horror thriller .",
"a film riddled with missed opportunities for good clean scares .",
"yes , there 's `` something in ` the MOV , ' '' all right . another weekend of low box office proceeds and more dismal reviews for yet another unnecessary , poorly made remake .",
"lock your doors . bolt your windows . and for heaven 's sake , stay away from the multiplex .",
"horror remakes like this one paint all the others with a huge and objectionable brush , because this flick absolutely stinks of half-hearted effort and assembly-line cynicism .",
"like watching a cut-rate roger corman rip-off of a big hollywood film , only the tables are ironically turned . the big budget studio version seems pale in comparison .",
"hollywood is a remake junky and we 're its enablers . how long before the studio system has a fatal overdose ? the MOV could do it . moviedom , you need help .",
"... enduring the MOV is like trying to swim effortlessly through a giant bowl of dripping and sticky pea soup-it 's messy and just as pointless .",
"proof that maybe even moviegoers should sue",
"the MOV is a bore , laden with unspectacular special effects and dreadful acting from television-trained youth who do n't have the experience to truly deliver the goods .",
"a movie where everyone 's last breath ends in a scream . where is adrienne barbeau when we need her ?",
"irredeemably irresponsible .",
"maggie grace can be snobby-scared , or snobby-haughty , or even snobby-injured , but she ca n't seem to leave that snobbyness behind , no matter what is chasing her .",
"a plot that has been reworked into something resembling crudely made hash",
"it 's rather refreshing to encounter an almost quaintly retro thriller that depends more on tension and suggestion than on gross-out effects .",
"simply , irredeemably , insufferably boring -- the one thing a horror picture just ca n't survive .",
"we 're meant to be unsettled by digital spectres , reckless mack trucks , and rotting old pirates who look every bit as terrifying as the guy on the fisherman 's friend cold-lozenge box .",
"`` we got ta go ! '' poor nick -lrb- tom welling -rrb- says this a few too many times in the MOV .",
"it attempts to apply too much logic to the events going on that it distracts the viewer from pleasure and replaces it with boredom .",
"although it 's rehash , it 's not that bad ... wait to rent it .",
"even foggier than the disappointing original .",
"if you want to be frightened , do n't bother with this remake .",
"that john carpenter , credited here as a producer , had a hand in diminishing his own legacy would be tragic if any of this mattered .",
"best-viewed through actual MOV .",
"pale wb-style hunks and hotties and a ` funny ' black guy whose sole purpose is to say words like ` dawg ' confront a cgi mist that looks like it could be erased with a couple of mouse clicks .",
"another remake bites the dust .",
"a dull , stupid , boring picture , inferior in every way to the john carpenter film it remakes , but it 's bad for the same reason a lot of effects-driven movies are bad .",
"... the latest in a long line of needless horror remakes . .",
"a mediocre remake of a 1980s horror movie of the same name which was n't that good to begin with .",
"if you are a fan of the original film , this remake might interest you . it 's not badly made . but why was it made at all ?",
"the actors do their best , under the circumstances . welling makes an engaging lead and grace employs her trademarked wounded , fragile look -lrb- that serves her so well in lost -rrb- to good effect and wanders around in her underwear a lot .",
"so concerned is the film with contriving at least one gratuitous jump-fright every five minutes that elements like character and story soon become lost in the MOV .",
"the production values are above par , but as in carpenter 's original , seeing ghosts is less scary than imagining them .",
"yet another anaemic horror retread starring a cast of good-looking tv totty .",
"a lousy remake of a not-so-good john carpenter film .",
"these studios just do n't know when to quit while they 're ahead .",
"a boorishly bland supernatural action thriller .",
"never will you wish more fervently for an adrienne barbeau cameo , just for old time 's sake . your prayers will be in vain .",
"even the geography of the film does n't seem to make sense .",
"do n't be afraid .",
"with dialogue as dorky as the words new screenwriter cooper lane stuffed in their mouths , none of the hapless cast members could have sounded convincing ."
] |
8762
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the MOV is a so-so remake of a so-so movie , lacking scares , suspense or originality .
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fog
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[
"radcliffe appears game enough to continue in the iconic role he has grown up with . so do watson and grint , although the exuberant let 's - put-on-a-show sparkle of youth has , sadly , drained from all three .",
"cinema often requires the sacrifice of facts for feelings , a reality that leaves this barely satisfactory affair clinging to its literary predecessor for life support .",
"the first 2007 mega-budget summer blockbuster that 's actually worth a damn ... four sequels into this saga , it finally feels like we 're watching a bona fide , honest to god movie .",
"it 's about no child left behind . the government tries to sanitize the classes and standardize tests so that the kids wo n't actually learn anything threatening .",
"a severely streamlined , stiff series low . aside from imelda staunton 's spirited performance and daniel radcliffe 's typically impressive stoicism , this adaptation reduces j.k. rowling 's zesty prose to lumpy , gray porridge .",
"snape says it all right in the book : ` you have no subtlety , potter . '",
"it 's a cut-rate harry potter , but not necessarily a bad one .",
"a dark , grim , serious film , with little of the joy or whimsy that animated the first four movies .",
"though critics often denigrate today 's overuse of special effects , more of those are needed as the human interactions are a crashing bore .",
"spectacular . harry potter is a true movie phenomenon . this one seals the deal . if you were n't hooked before , you will be now .",
"this chapter was designed to peak our interest in what unfolds in the next installment .",
"except for radcliff and staunton , nobody gets more than an extended cameo .",
"`` look at me ! , '' harry screams in anger early in the film . a command i highly recommend .",
"decent ... but it simply lacks the spark , novelty and , dare i say , magic that made the earlier pics enjoyable and entertaining",
"a constant , highly engaging entry in the harry potter saga .",
"brought me straight back to one of the most enduring of childhood feelings : boredom .",
"an exercise in patience and loyalty to have to sit through , at least for fans of the past two films",
"every single potter film is magical . now they also seem to be getting more intelligent also .",
"... more satisfying than the last , but still not up to the gold standard of cuaron 's harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban .",
"there is a sense of being rushed throughout the film without any real dramatic urgency ; it is more like a speed-tour through the narrative 's greatest hits , with each scene beginning a little too late and ending a little too early .",
"mostly hogwarts .",
"thanks to imelda staunton 's wickedly funny performance as the pink-suited fascist dolores umbridge , order of the phoenix presents a satisfying -- but far from perfect -- chapter in harry 's continuing struggle against evil .",
"there is a lot of story here , complex and compelling .",
"once again , the series has produced a winner : an intriguingly complex , visually dazzling , multilayered fantasy-adventure of the first order .",
"it 's the familiar faces that help make phoenix the best potter movie yet . director yates , who is expected to return for the next installment , continues the shift away from set design and toward performance .",
"while the film does n't have the imaginative magic of the prisoner of azkaban or the chummy warmth of the goblet of fire , it 's a serviceable bridge to the story 's final chapters .",
"yates is wise not to stuff too many characters into this yarn , and plays everybody well , if sparingly . he ca n't offer a sense of completion -- more movies to come , you know -- but he offers a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting transition .",
"unremittingly bleak , occasionally brilliant .",
"-lsb- the fans -rsb- have a lot invested in harry potter , and far from running out of steam it seems the series is willing to take them to new and unsettling places .",
"the story , obviously , is darker and more mature , and the film itself understands more than the others before it what it means to be harry potter .",
"this is storytelling come to life .",
"partly due to its intensity , order of the phoenix is better than the first four in the series . also credit a much tighter , meatier script and better acting .",
"perhaps the most wonderful thing about the harry potter phenomenon has been watching every aspect of it grow and mature over time . the series is in good form .",
"fans of death-obsessed kid lit may rejoice .",
"the level of magical eye candy is noticeably lower ... -lsb- yet -rsb- no longer is harry just the boy things happen to , but the boy who acts . it 's a welcome step forward in a wunderkind boy of destiny on the road to true heroism .",
"order of the phoenix is the shortest harry potter movie so far , but feels like a james michener miniseries .",
"less flash , more grit , the order of the phoenix is definitely the most introspective of the harry potter movies .",
"despite its structural flaws , it often delivers the goods .",
"-lsb- its -rsb- magic still remains -- deep and abiding , with enough strength to take us through another serviceable harry potter adventure .",
"not only the darkest , most sinister -lrb- it comes very near to qualifying as a horror picture -rrb- and most mature of the films , it 's the most tightly structured .",
"acaba soando mais como preparativo para os acontecimentos dos dois últimos capítulos de uma série que , de um modo ou de outro , ainda năo trouxe motivos reais para desapontamentos .",
"the story falls flat .",
"an emotional and involving installment in this hit or miss series",
"with a script heavy on exposition almost completely devoid of sustained action sequences , harry 's latest is long on spiel and short on spells .",
"exciting fifth movie finds harry angry , brooding .",
"casting a cinematic spell , `` MOV '' rises to the top of this season 's fantasy entertainment .",
"o kinimatografika agnostos david yates , deyteros bretanos skinothetis tis seiras kai me kainoyrio senariografo , bgainei san o pio diabasmenos sta biblia tis rowling , katafernontas na ksehorisei me akribeia ta nimata ap ' ta selidotoybla tis pubobias syggra",
"definitely a much darker story than the first four , it is also richer and more compelling . -lrb- it 's also the first one i really liked . -rrb-",
"the good outweighs the bad by a wide margin , but just not quite enough to make this the best harry potter movie ever .",
"grossly misfired where its predecessors had so -lrb- seemingly -rrb- effortlessly gone before . i was taking the high quality of the potter movies for granted , like a pixar or an aardman movie . bring back steve kloves ! crucio !",
"hogwarts instructors behave suspiciously -lrb- as usual -rrb- . the youngsters spy on secret meetings -lrb- as usual -rrb- , then break the rules for the greater good -lrb- as usual -rrb- . it all comes down to a showdown between wizards -lrb- as usual -rrb- .",
"unlike the star trek films , the harry potter films excel in their odd-numbered outings . MOV is lighter and quicker than `` goblet of fire '' and ten times more enjoyable .",
"order of the phoenix , for all its shortcomings , does make clear the sense of loss and struggle that comes with maturity .",
"although order of the phoenix is not a great movie , it is a pretty good one , in part because it does not strain to overwhelm the audience with noise and sensation .",
"familiarity is not quite breeding contempt for harry and his friends and enemies . but it 's starting to breed indifference .",
"the most striking aspect of MOV is its contrast between the hormonally and supernaturally tormented teenager at its center and the modestly well-made and easygoing picture unfolding all around him .",
"this is my least favourite of the series , despite the fact that the exquisite reality and detailed production design is as intricate and marvellous as ever .",
"an entertaining marvel of invention and storytelling . the series ' reigning achievement and one of this summer 's smartest and most invigorating releases .",
"this series is growing up with moody blockbuster urgency . more emotionally wracked with each new entry , the potter franchise has become a mainstream fantasy metaphor for adolescent crisis . it 's rebel without a curse .",
"david yates has taken the potter challenge head-on , making one of the first potter movies to greatly improve upon the original book .",
"a movie much more in the mode of a conventional thriller than previous potter outings .",
"the film is nearly nothing but plot , with mostly facile performances and a pacing that could , incredibly , be called slapdash .",
"in declaring my mere like for order of the phoenix and not all-out love , i risk having an inbox full of tween-penned emails -lrb- ghost-written by parents -rrb- suggesting i do a certain something with the blunt end of a broomstick .",
"... you leave the theater with a sense of anticipation for the next harry potter installment , something i have n't felt in quite some time .",
"this movie feels less like a plot-point checklist than the last one did , and there 's enough visual razzle-dazzle to entertain those who have n't read the book and might miss a twist here or a turn there .",
"it 's kind of like `` star wars : episode i , '' perhaps the weakest chain in the link but necessary as a transition to the next two installments .",
"yates does n't miss a beat -- harry is still angry and conflicted , and the world around him appears to grow even more unfair .",
"harry , it 's not anger or voldemort . it 's testosterone .",
"but for full fledged fantasy that does n't skimp on the imagination or the intrigue , MOV is a brave , exciting entertainment .",
"besides alan rickman , who threatens to walk off with every one of these films , staunton is a great evil hogwarts dictator this time around .",
"up until now i thought that no-one could top cuaron 's azkaban , but i think yates might just have done it .",
"yates proves himself an able caretaker of the universe that rowling and the previous directors have built up .",
"phoenix manages to top that potential in an immense way , compacting the longest `` potter '' book into the shortest film yet , streamlining the urgency into a tasty pudding fan and non-fan should positively respond to .",
"the results may be darker and less family-friendly than previous installments but this ambitious take comes as a welcome shot in the arm for a series that could just as easily be running on fumes at this point .",
"the magic is back . and it 's darker this time around .",
"as the number of pages gets higher , the movies are having a tougher time squeezing them all into one cohesive narrative .",
"... the summer 's first sequel that requires no apologies .",
"the second best harry potter movie .",
"a rousing adventure that includes harry potter 's first kiss , his encounter with the odiousness of order , his feelings of loneliness in the face of an indifferent world , and his slow realization of the support of his friends .",
"complex , meditative & inspired in the way it allows tug-of-war fantasy ideals to be combined with elements of human drama and political intrigue .",
"one thing is for certain : this is the darkest of the potter films to date .",
"we do get terrific work from the all-star british cast , and the special effects are as seamless as ever .",
"yates ' vision for delores umbridge is simple : she is to leave no wizard behind .",
"projecting great emotional depth , daniel radcliffe shows his growth as an actor in this most serious harry potter adventure so far .",
"the special effects continue to be masterful , but villains are given a new twist , and order of the phoenix is all the more fun because of it .",
"the new harry turns out to be one of the best entries in the series -- mostly because of a villain who is the scariest and funniest heavy to date .",
"the latest workmanlike entry in what must be regarded as an unprecedented film series has plenty of flaws , but also the franchise 's reliable draws .",
"there 's a really good one-hour movie here , but you 'll have to blast through 138 minutes to find it .",
"the fifth in this unthinkably good franchise is the darkest yet and features fine work from a new writer and director , as well as a supporting cast which is nothing short of magical .",
"both slow and hurried . a lot of fine actors get little screen time , but it gets the job done .",
"get ready to start getting ready for movies 6 and 7 , because that is the purpose , but if harry 's first kiss is the most anticipated event in this movie , what more are we to expect in the next couple movies ?",
"although it 's a little scattered and some plot points go by so quickly they may not be caught by those who have n't read the books , it 's still one of the better harry potter movies .",
"harry 's got quite a lot on his plate this time around and that 's both the strength and weakness of order of the phoenix .",
"j.k. rowling has a spirit of plenty . on page and screen , her vision is a deliciously human -lrb- not just mythic -rrb- triumph of fancy , a spreading of soulful wings to lift us high .",
"yates leaps into big-budget cinema like a kid in a candy store , packing in nearly every compelling image from the 870-page source material .",
"performances are more mature , the soundtrack -lrb- by nicholas hooper -rrb- less grandiose , and yates executes some thrilling set-pieces .",
"it 's clear that MOV has left the dewy-eyed awe of childhood magic and entered the brooding angst of adolescent powerlessness .",
"british television director david yates and screenwriter michael goldenberg have made a surprisingly coherent film from rowling 's sprawling , 800 pages-plus novel . but at times it 's still a tough slog .",
"by focussing the story on harry -lrb- a leaner and slightly meaner daniel radcliffe -rrb- and his exploits , yates dispenses with many of the novel 's subplots and is able to push the story forward , ominously foreshadowing the dark times to come .",
"the older these kids get , the darker and more engrossing the harry potter movies become .",
"this is a darker , more tormented harry potter than we have ever seen onscreen .",
"for all the action -- and there 's plenty of it , even if it 's only a portion of what was crammed into rowling 's 870 pages -- the most important stuff is what takes place in harry 's head .",
"occupies the middle ground among the potter movies , not as good as the third and fourth but better than the first and second .",
"more suspense than the other films in the series ... and an improvement upon the book from which it was adapted .",
"now that harry has ditched childhood , it seems high time the franchise also dispatches with its immature and draggy literal-mindedness .",
"in a series this good , there 's bound to be a mild low point and it seems certain that order of the phoenix is it .",
"the director , peter yates , pastes on the chiaroscuro , but under it is the summer-camp flatness that 's always been the franchise 's trademark",
"the franchise staff -lrb- ostensibly led by brit-tv director david yates -rrb- dive right in , smooshing rowling 's biggest book into the shortest film and treating the rich subtext -- as well as much of the text -- as dispensable .",
"for the most part this adaptation , scripted by michael goldenberg and directed by david yates , a british television veteran , is a marvel of compression that moves along at a brisk pace without ever feeling rushed .",
"además de la afortunada dirección , el que este episodio tuviera un buen resultado , era de esperarse . con un presupuesto elevado , la mayor parte del elenco repitiendo y el talento histriónico de emma thompson , alan rickman , ralph fiennes , helena bonham ca",
"if you 've read all the books and seen all the movies up to this point , you may not mind the extra weight . but a newcomer to the potter chronicles making his or her acquaintance with this film may be forgiven for wondering where the magic is .",
"the movie is at times brilliant with a powerhouse performance by imelda staunton .",
"what is lost is the texture and richness that permeated j.k. rowling 's fifth entry in the series . ... the movie , as most films do , sacrificed narrative for action .",
"installment five boosts his -lsb- harry 's -rsb- rebellion to enjoyable levels of british pique .",
"to dwell on a few weaknesses would be to neglect the obvious point - that harry potter is older , bigger and darker than ever . and no one would want to miss his journey .",
"there is a lot to see , a lot to enjoy in phoenix .",
"a sombre and at times curiously sober movie , handsomely designed as always , atmospherically lit and confidently performed .",
"MOV is one of those rare films that exceeds the source material .",
"a sadly shortened version of the j.k. rowling novel . order of the phoenix suffers greatly from its truncated length and absence of screenwriter steve kloves .",
"MOV is the most rousing of the potter films so far , and certainly one of the best .",
"staunton magnificently personifies the banality of evil as umbridge , all steely resolve and poisonous sugar .",
"with its fifth cinematic outing , the harry potter film series has ascended to another level .",
"la adolescencia le sienta bien a harry potter y sus compańeros en esta quinta entrega de la serie , en la que hay emoción , romance , humor , fantasía , terror y extraordinarios efectos visuales .",
"there is the fact that this -lsb- movie -rsb- is a watershed of backstory , revelations and plot clarifications before heading into the two remaining chapters . so while phoenix is a necessary film , it 's quite possibly the least enjoyable of the lot so far .",
"suspenseful and dark , this new harry potter is a stylish transition of the franchise on nearly every level : its mood , its plot , and most dangerously , its audience .",
"a first-rate film focused on wonder and character development instead of special effects and catchy one-liners .",
"there 's still enough suspense built into the saga to keep us watching , but after five installments , this dazzling box office wizard is slowly running out of tricks .",
"anyone expecting a rebirth of the harry potter film franchise in its fifth installment will find a disappointing dearth of cinematic magic .",
"just as harry has grown into a leader of his hogwarts classmates , radcliffe has become the man who drives this series .",
"it seems that love and friendship are qualities worth rattling your wand over . en route , we can once more ooh-and-aah at the franchise 's impressive array of acting talent .",
"it is dark , it is more grown up , and its approaching end can be felt .",
"easily the darkest of a series that has grown increasingly dim , phoenix rises to the occasion , even if it does n't fly quite as high as the previous two installments .",
"david yates and screenwriter michael goldenberg have successfully pared the unwieldy book down into something that works well enough that this film places third in my personal best of potter movies list .",
"this is a gangly , confusing sprawl , and yet there are enough patches of beauty scattered throughout that it 's impossible to reject it wholesale .",
"the movie works the way a harry potter movie ought to . it 's not perfect -- a few ends remain loose , a few characters get shafted -- but it 's very good .",
"dark as pitch : unsettling , unsettled , unresolved , and utterly remarkable .",
"after the exceptional quality of the last two installments , ... a letdown . this chapter of the story feels like it 's just biding time .",
"the movie 's all set-up and no payoff , merely a placeholder until the series ' next cash cow moos into theaters .",
"characters are given less room than usual to grow and shine , and despite its relatively short running time , the film occasionally goes through the motions of telling a story rather than actually doing so .",
"this is n't as much a full chapter in the seven-part series , but rather the set-up for the last two films",
"the childish fun and wonder of the early potter movies has turned into high school fear and loathing . ... a downer of a wiz kid flick .",
"while i definitely like the movie , i do n't think MOV is the best film in the series because it 's essentially all middle . in and of itself , the film does not really provide any kind of payoff .",
"the script just does n't work unless you 've got a cliff 's notes version of the novels there with you .",
"i miss the youthful sense of magical discovery found in the earlier book , but love how the story has evolved into a complex drama .",
"harry 's cinematic leap to manhood is not unlike the wizard himself -- spellbinding .",
"it wo n't win new fans , but as potter movies go , this is the most filmic of the lot , suspenseful and action-packed .",
"efficiently trimmed from a nearly 900-page novel , the latest harry potter film adaptation is an especially absorbing entry in the series .",
"the storytelling seems occasionally disjointed , but ... for all the special-effects wizardry , that touch of film magic never surfaces . there 's fireworks and action and much swooshing about , but this interim installment seems stuck in one nightmarish gear .",
"there is nothing wet about daniel radcliffe as a grown-up wizard . as with emma watson and rupert grint as hermione and ron , his acting has improved out of sight since harry potter and the philosopher 's stone .",
"a series that was in danger of becoming an adventure playground for digital trickery - `` not another miraculous monster or flying thingummybob '' , we protest - exhibits , for once , a strong plot with a satirical edge .",
"yates paces the film at a clip that makes this , the shortest in the series so far , seem even shorter .",
"` voldemort is on the move ! ' said sirius . ` you mean he whose name must not be spoken is relocating from the location he must not originate from to the place which must not be his destination ! ' said harry .",
"the order of the phoenix is formulaic and lacking in depth , and does not make the most of the intensity in the fifth instalment of jk rowling 's epic story .",
"order of the phoenix is entertaining enough , but it feels like a stopgap , a stepping stone to later , greater thrills .",
"phoenix has great production value , some nice special effects , some good acting , but overall impact wanes more than waxes . long on time , short on internal struggle .",
"another jumble of special effects , plot shards , celebrity cameos , and sometimes-impressive imagery",
"this story did n't feel as disjointed as it 's previous chapter .",
"like previous potter installments , the danger is ever present and palpable , but now harry is in dire need of his friends and it is intellectually refreshing to see a group of troubled youth rally together against the forces of evil .",
"i have a dirty confession to make . i 'm a professional film critic and MOV is the first film in the series that i 've seen .",
"stodgy rather than sweeping , with precious little of the wondrous excitement conjured by alfonso cuaron in harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban .",
"a strangely relaxed and frequently funny installment . to my thinking , it stands right behind harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban as the best in the movie series .",
"despite the smooth transition of the wondrous potter mythology from rowling 's pen to the screen -- thanks to the efforts of several talented filmmakers -- the gradually unfurling plot remains grounded in routine .",
"it 's action-packed , darker , more epic and thankfully schmaltz-free . and it 's the best harry potter film yet .",
"on the screen , the stories , now in their fourth set of hands , feel uncomfortably fractured . thank heavens for books .",
"to their credit , new director david yates and new screenwriter michael goldenberg never lose the heart of the tale . even in the midst of an incredibly thrilling magical battle of whippeting wands , flashing light and furor , they focus on harry 's inner war .",
"did i mention that , for all its portentousness , this is the best harry potter picture yet ? in some ways , it improves on j. k. rowling 's novel , which is punishingly protracted and builds to a climactic wand-off better seen than read .",
"weaves the beginning of the series ' backend into maybe the best of the series to date leaving us in a state of anticipatory bliss of how it will all end .",
"order of the phoenix feels a little too complacent at times , though it has moments of visual wit , and it does n't soft-pedal the dark mood that has eclipsed the series .",
"it 's inspiring to see harry and his friends come into their own , organizing impromptu self-defense courses when their official curriculum is lacking , and pointedly crushing when they realize just how hard it is to fight city hall .",
"it feels like charlie brown getting ready to kick the football that lucy 's holding . he 's sure she 's going to pull it away once again , but charlie gives it another try anyway , because it 's there , and who knows , maybe this time will be different .",
"it feels like a placeholder , not because little happens but because so much plot must be served in order to set up subsequent events that there 's no room for the gentle human moments that anchor rowling 's heroic fantasy epic to the everyday world .",
"whatever happened to the delight and , if you 'll excuse the term , the magic in the harry potter series ?",
"given a choice between this and the navel-gazing of the novel , i 'll take the short ride on a fast machine .",
"MOV is the work of a confident storyteller making an assured movie debut .",
"the darkest j.k. rowling adaptation yet , literally as well as thematically : even a zooming broomstick ride along the thames is shot as if through a pall of gloom .",
"harry potter fanatics will have a field day pointing out the numerous omissions from the book .",
"director david yates , who is new to the potter franchise , moves the story along briskly , at the expense of texture and nuance .",
"though it feels a bit understated from time to time , `` harry potter and order of the phoenix '' is a solid , enjoyable addition to the harry potter franchise .",
"it 's frickin ' harry potter .",
"the end may be in sight by now , but we 're still not sure if it 's a light at the end of this particular tunnel we see or the cold headlamp of some hell-bound train , bearing down on magic and muggle alike .",
"if this is as bad as the potter series gets , it 's a pretty good low-water mark .",
"snape even gets some extended scenes ... and is no longer a peripheral eccentric presence but rather he 's now showing shades of coloring beyond his dour black .",
"to a non-potter fan like me , MOV comes across as a standard action thriller and not a piece with any depth .",
"for almost the entirety of order of the phoenix , we see much the same thing we did in goblet of fire .",
"thinned down from the series ' longest book , phoenix ca n't shake an episodic feeling that makes it difficult to develop momentum .",
"feels more like a race than a film .",
"it 's magic , harry , but not as we know it .",
"this fifth movie is where fans who understand the intrinsic darkness of the series will stand up and be counted .",
"this is a movie that 's bound to satisfy most of those who have read the book , and a good many who have n't , too .",
"spicy new additions imelda staunton and helena bonham carter stop the familiar flavours from growing stale , while daniel radcliffe finally gets his act -lrb- ing -rrb- together .",
"pure magic .",
"saved by a wonderful performance from imelda staunton as sadistic teacher dolores umbridge , this pink-loving disciplinarian provides the best laughs , such as the plates on her wall adorned with moving cute kittens .",
"if yates and goldenberg have n't given the story shape , they have given it pace - something missing from the bloated and -lrb- to my disenchanted eyes -rrb- dreary book : even if the moments do n't always connect , few of them are dull .",
"and so the harry potter saga continues . it 's essentially deeply conservative , with battles , and crashes , and giants and explosions and is shaping up to be an extraordinary real-time experiment for daniel radcliffe .",
"kids grow up fast these days - possibly a bit too fast .",
"continuing the increasingly darker , more adult trend of the series , the film version is swiftly paced , engrossing and often thrilling .",
"-lsb- the filmmakers -rsb- keep order of the phoenix consistently involving . but it 's radcliffe who truly shines here .",
"yates lacks a steady grip on the shape and rhythm of the film .",
"the psychological struggle between harry and his nemesis -- riveting on the page -- is less so on screen .",
"-lsb- t -rsb- his may be the best straight-up horror movie of the year -- i was riveted by the sinister sophistication of it .",
"-lsb- the filmmakers -rsb- have transformed j.k. rowling 's garrulous storytelling into something leaner , moodier and more compelling , that ticks with metronomic purpose as the story flits between psychological darkness and cartoonish slapstick .",
"there are plenty of clever , magical effects in the film , but yates zeroes in on the real stuff : the question of whether these kids can come to understand their powers in time to battle for the future of humanity .",
"it would be impossible for any director to jam that much story into a 2 hour and 18 minute picture , but the elisions favored by yates and screenwriter michael goldenberg are particularly unfortunate .",
"for all its gloominess , order of the phoenix is , in several ways , the best potter picture yet .",
"it all feels a little safe . the movie 's full of spells , all right . but where 's the magic ?",
"a fruitcake-of-a-movie dense with exposition and woefully short on payoff .",
"basically , it 's the little rascals to the rescue in a flick dressed up as a mystical fable replete with medieval mumbo jumbo and some cool , state-of-the-art special f/x . otay !",
"... not much of a stand-alone picture but , rather , a transition from one major story strand to the next .",
"a deliciously dark affair , brimming with impressively gritty performances but still managing to balance magical wonder with breathless excitement .",
"those who like their potter black will find much to appreciate .",
"there are moments when this otherwise enjoyable film , though nicely made and through no fault of its own , feels like a chore to be got through before the main course .",
"yates ramps up the adrenalin and menace while adding new layers of emotional anguish befitting the adolescent years now reached by the teenage protagonists .",
"MOV is a gripping , evocative movie . david yates has two great strengths to apply to the project . he is cinematically adept , and character is a priority for him .",
"whether you will enjoy order of the phoenix relies , i suspect , largely on whether or not you are a harry potter fan to begin with .",
"the harry potter movies that are based on j.k. rowling 's novels have gotten progressively darker with each entry , and order of the phoenix may quite possibly be the darkest one yet .",
"with the supremely evil valdemort having put in an appearance at the end of the previous film , you might think it would be time to circle the wagons and start planning some defensive strategies ... but you would be wrong .",
"there 's a nagging feeling of dad trying to rush the family on a vacation . if you hurry this much , you 're bound to miss something and that keeps the potter films away from greatness .",
"though it may be blasphemous to say so , this is one movie that is superior to the book .",
"the longest and weakest of the potter novels becomes one of the better film adaptations of the series .",
"only true fans of the books will notice many of these shortcomings , but i must hope that this was a fluke or misstep , not a sign of things to come .",
"good , but not great . fans expecting more than simply ` good ' would be disappointed ...",
"dark , malevolent , and serious , this harry potter was created by its new director , scripter and composer as a waking nightmare .",
"order of the phoenix , the best of the series so far , has the laughs , the jitters and the juice to make even nonbelievers wild about harry .",
"the whole hogwarts faculty is so beautifully cast , it reinforces the american impression that in britain great actors must be piled up on the side of the road in heaps .",
"potter 5 -lsb- is -rsb- not just a ripping yarn but a powerful , poignant coming-of-age story .",
"possibly more dirty harry than the usual beloved kid bestseller bespectacled wonder wizard , as a dark side kicks in and harry 's soul is on the line .",
"although marred by some inept editing by mark day , the order of the phoenix is the first of the series to resound as a multifaceted narrative that understands its own intentions . it is intelligent .",
"t 's the ` angry harry ' movie , and radcliffe does n't waste the opportunity to apply some of the acting lessons he 's absorbed lately . it 's his best performance , to date by far .",
"the darkest and most menacing by far of the five -lsb- films , -lsb- phoenix -rsb- is also the only series entry outside of the third that feels like the product of a vivid cinematic imagination and not just a slavishly faithful transposition .",
"yates , especially given the sinister subject matter on hand , does a rather workmanlike job of traffic-managing the action . but some of the magic effects are indeed magical .",
"truth be told , it 's the lad 's many onscreen allies that prove the film franchise 's richest draws . -lrb- thank you , alan rickman , for your wonderfully embittered turn as severus snape . -rrb-",
"boils down rowling 's brick-thick novel into a fat-free , fleet-footed adventure ... although rowling 's readers may be disappointed to find that much of the story 's color has been sacrificed in the name of economy ...",
"this is the bleakest potter installment to date , and under david yates 's choppy direction , maggie smith , emma thompson , brendan gleeson , and david thewlis have little more than walk-ons .",
"engaging and beautiful .",
"worth seeing for imelda staunton and the impressive effects ' work but it frequently feels rushed and lacks the drama and excitement of the previous two films .",
"phoenix reminds us that effects-laden blockbusters can also have heart and soul .",
"the story is told with bracing efficiency and clever humour , and features solid acting from the expanding cast .",
"not a bad way to spend an afternoon , but even in a summer of uncommonly weak blockbusters , casual fans can probably find more thrilling ways to spend two hours",
"director david yates , the first brit to helm the series , invests `` order of the phoenix '' with a very sinister tone from his opening frames ...",
"the metaphors are all implicit and have a lot to do with just growing up and facing unpleasant realities , but they increasingly contribute to the feeling of nervousness and unease creeping into the series .",
"it 's accomplished , but par for the course : a bloated , basically watchable light show ."
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it 's not easy to take the longest harry potter book and streamline it into the shortest hp movie , but director david yates does a bang up job of it , creating an order of the phoenix that 's entertaining and action-packed .
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harry_potter_and_the_order_of_the_phoenix
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