[ { "movie": "yu_gi_oh_the_movie", "reviews": [ "yu-gi ouch ! rare is the movie experience as painful as it is here", "if your pulse quickens when you hear lines like , ` not so fast ! i still have two cards face down , and they 'll bring down your life points to a measly 1000 ! ' , then yu-gi-oh is the movie you 've been waiting for all summer .", "a feature-length sales pitch aimed at kids .", "kids will eat yu-gi-oh ! the movie up . the rest of us will have to wait for the translation .", "the latest kiddie con job to float over from tokyo .", "a shabby , joyless , 90-minute slab of ` advertainment ' designed to sell booster packs for a popular trading-card game .", "watching it is vaguely like watching someone explain how to play poker when you have never played it and in fact have no intention of ever playing it .", "it was mostly over my head but the kids in the audience knew what was going on and loved it . if you see this movie , take a kid and let him guide you through it .", "although the movie is n't bad , would n't kids probably have a better time playing yu-gi-oh themselves than watching others play it , cartoonically ?", "a treat for the fervent young fans who remain , and a true test of devotion for their accompanying parents , who may need all the help they can get figuring out the storyline .", "feels like a 91-minute infomercial selling the popular collectible-card game .", "there 's nothing inspiring about yu-gi-oh ! the movie , unless you count the way it compels kids to continue to support the yu-gi-oh franchise .", "nothing in yu-gi-oh ! will make the inscrutable more scrutable , as it were . and anime being anime , this one could be nap-time for accompanying adults .", "a fantasy kitsch tale .", "like harry potter , shrek and spider-man , it will become part of the currency of grade and middle school conversation .", "yu-gi-oh translates from the japanese into ` intense migraine in elders . '", "yu-gi-oh ! the movie , a hyperventilating feature-length advertisement for japanese trading cards , would be hilarious if it were n't so dreadfully cynical .", "i suspect even children will be sophisticated enough to understand that a film should feel more alive than a trading card .", "looks like ` transformers on speed : the autobots take japan . '", "tecnicamente limitado , o filme n\u0433o \u0439 esteticamente melhor do que uma anima\u0437\u0433o produzida para a televis\u0433o .", "a feature-length anime commercial .", "it 's a lot like hearing the play-by-play account of a heated game of bridge . only not half as gripping .", "it 's essentially an advertisement for a similarly titled trading card game .", "the popular kiddie cartoon show comes to the big screen , looking exactly like a tv cartoon blown up to colossal proportions .", "more infomercial than movie . for series fans only .", "feature-length animated movie based on the television series , and manga comic book of the same name , is like watching a japanese video game being played on a movie screen .", "a 90-minute advert in search of a storyline .", "the artwork has the familiar saucer-eyed look of japanese anime but with a scuffed angularity that 's a long way from hayao miyazaki 's sublime magic .", "effectively a strategy guide and commercial in vaguely filmic form .", "only fans of the series will be able to follow the largely incomprehensible plot -- and the bog-standard animation wo n't win it any new ones .", "-lsb- b -rsb- eyond the clear aim of getting kids to separate their parents from cold hard cash in exchange for ... yu-gi-oh game cards ... the film is thoroughly incomprehensible ...", "while this probably constitutes a good tutorial in the trading-card game 's lingo and lore , it 's tremendously boring to watch an animated series in which most of the fighting does n't even involve combat , just characters looking at cards .", "like the gods , the trading cards are capricious , with ever-changing rules and strategies so intricate that only yu-gi-ohlogists will fully enjoy this adventure .", "unless you are one of the japanese phenomenon 's army of devoted young followers , much of the film 's story line and machinations will be greek , or at the very least egyptian , to you .", "with yu-gi-oh ! , a japanese animated film , the line between entertainment and advertising has been emphatically erased .", "no one without a working knowledge of the fabulously profitable manga-turned-gamer phenomenon will find it easy to enter here .", "yu-gi-oh ! will make you go ugh !", "the only thing missing is a 1-800 number flashing on the bottom .", "adults : if your child forces you to go to yu-gi-oh ! , remember that there 's no law against ipods in movie theaters .", "with the possible exception of espn-televised poker , watching somebody else play a card game is incredibly boring .", "toward the movie 's climax , the characters start spewing clich\u00e9d drivel about the power of friendship , lines that will make all but the youngest viewers shudder .", "much of the movie is devoted to the boys dueling card-to-card . and so most the dialogue , forgive me fans , sounds something like this : `` i 'm going to thwart your egyptian god cards with my rare metal dragon card ! ''", "a pay-for-admission commercial for its own empire , it stretches the definition of a movie into something so ugly as to be unidentifiable", "yu-gi-oh ! is so flat as to make the card game on which it is based seem positively three-dimensional .", "i sacrificed 90 minutes of my life points to sit through this and nothing i can summon is going to make up for that .", "it 's a painful , ponderous experience that 's not helped by being weighed down by lengthy explanations of the esoteric duelling rules .", "this is n't even a movie . it 's a commercial .", "this may be the first mainstream movie to have more in common with an infomercial than a screenplay .", "the artwork by director hatsuki tsuji and his team of animators is sharp , but it pales before state-of-the-art cgi .", "the characters are thinly sketched ; and the sense of adventure is mediocre at best", "this lousy animated feature not only looks like bargain-basement tv animation blown up to big-screen proportions , it also feels like a round or two of the trading-card game .", "it 's a pretty deep dive off the high board in the world of anime , but there 's no depth there .", "the film is simply part of a synergized income stream , more deft revenge upon us for having won world war ii .", "this cartoon based on the popular and complicated card game might as well be written in another language .", "yu-gi-oh ! the movie keeps the kid-friendly spirit of the show while raising the stakes enough to justify a serviceable big-screen treatment .", "a feature-length promotion for the trading cards your kids will beg you to buy all the way home .", "some of the dialogue is unintentionally funny . early on , for instance , the narrator bellows : ` even eternity does n't last forever . '", "games should n't be movies . yu-gi-oh ! is the -lrb- barely -rrb- living proof .", "from the endless product placement to its attempt to reel viewers in with free trading cards at the door , it all adds up to a 90-minute commercial .", "the imagination and audacity behind the game are wildly fascinating , and the same is true of the movie .", "i took one for the team this week ... if your kid is a yu-gi-oh fan , then god help you .", "the quality of the animation certainly has n't improved and the dialogue is typically basic and repetitive .", "no doubt its small fans are thrilled , but even young kids will have to be pretty undemanding to enjoy this mess .", "various other minuses for the uninitiated -- the changing powers of the cards , the intricate strategies of the participants , the almost-lethal nature of gameplay -- are great pluses for aficionados ." ], "summary": "do n't watch the tv show or play the card game ? then this movie is not for you .", "id": "10953" }, { "movie": "volver", "reviews": [ "the late fran\u00e7ois truffaut was frequently described as a filmmaker who loved women , but not even monsieur truffuat could come close to se\u0144or almod\u00f3var in his intelligent , perceptive and creative appreciation of women in MOV .", "almod\u00f3var retorna ao mundo das mulheres com seu talento e sensibilidade particulares e , no processo , retoma tamb\u00e9m sua habitual paleta de cores , cuja intensidade \u00e9 proporcional \u0155 dos sentimentos que representa . ''", "-lsb- almod\u00f3var 's -rsb- once-kitschy obsession with color and surface continues to deepen into a big , bold , almost painterly style .", "it 's very moving , it 's beautifully done .", "cruz is glorious to watch here , all voluptuous emotion and energy , a sure fire best actress nominee .", "almodovar delves deep into the darkness of a woman 's maternal instincts , finding alternate humor and harrowing emotion in one of the year 's most fascinating films .", "almod\u00f3var is still one of the few directors worth watching just for how he uses color on the screen . but the pleasures have always run much deeper , and now they run deeper still .", "though its humble pleasures give cause to pause and reflect on the spanish filmmaker 's occasionally overpraised output , MOV is a diverting melodrama ...", "you do not want to miss this one .", "crammed with outrageous turns of fortune and quicksilver shifts in tone , almodovar 's film is held together by performances so subtle and complex it 's hard to single out only one as exceptional .", "MOV -lrb- literally , ` to return ' -rrb- finds spain 's favorite cinematic son pedro almodovar at the peak of his powers .", "one of the few artistic highlights in cannes fest , MOV finds almodovar in top form with a personal movie that celebrates powerful mothers , while paying tribute to italian neo-relaism and the strong heroines played by anna magnani and sophia loren .", "richly entertaining fantasy from a cinematic master .", "cruz has never been better or looked lovelier . the same could be said of almodovar -lrb- well , at least the talent part -rrb- .", "almodovar treats even the most eccentric of the film 's females with compassion , empathy , affection and appreciation . he seems almost to envy them , like a kid who longs to be one of robin hood 's merry men .", "MOV is far from a paint-by-numbers , mad lib of a movie , but rather a fresh and touching exploration of family , tragedy and second chances .", "in this hand-stitched , gentle giant of a film , return is recovery -- by its very nature -- and all ghosts are friendly if you 'd only let them in .", "the spanish master brings his own story to the screen with intense emotion , vivid characterization -lrb- so rare in too many of his colleagues -rrb- and a marvellous sense of magic ...", "even if MOV sounds too high-concept for you , know that almod\u00f3var is smart enough not to rest on laughs alone , extending his premise to dark , though occasionally tidy psychological territory .", "almodovar 's latest is an emotionally rich film about forgiveness , atonement , and second chances that either sex can relate to .", "it feels like a chabrol film .", "pedro almod\u00f3var gives penelope cruz a great woman 's role that recalls the classic performances of italian actress anna magnani .", "comedic soap opera meets ghost story in `` MOV , '' a haunting and often surprising story about a woman who faces challenges at every turn .", "the way that almodovar 's resilient women rise above their traumatic pasts to serve one another and their community is a microcosm of idealized reality that welcomes scrutiny .", "this is a movie about mothers and children that dispatches with the usual goopy sentiment . MOV reassures us that you can go home again -- if only in the movies .", "the characters in MOV are complexly drawn , with intricate relationships and motivations . even the theme of death is more than it seems on the surface .", "richly evocative .", "red , in every conceivable shade , is , not surprisingly , a key color in MOV , a movie about the towering virtues of high heels and the indomitable power of good old 35 mm celluloid .", "will leave you with a smile on your face and a tear in your eye that cinema can be this gorgeous and glorious .", "what a run this millennium for pedro almod\u00f3var : one strange and fabulous feature after the next , each in a different style , each so deftly controlled that you hardly register its subversiveness until after you 've been hooked by its story .", "... the film , against my wishes , left me unmoved .", "one of almod\u00f3var 's more subdued works , ` MOV ' mixes genres but in the end achieves neither serious drama nor serious comedy .", "the mad spark which is almod\u00f3var 's alone is only improving with each passing film", "MOV admittedly remains a rather slight work , neither as flashy nor as wildly unpredictable as his past few films , preferring instead a quieter elegance and more intimate tone than almod\u00f3var 's more elastic marvels of screenwriting architecture .", "touches the heart with its wonderful portraits of spanish women whose nurturing and loving powers are a stay against the powers of violence and death .", "mildred pierce won joan crawford an oscar , and almod\u00f3var 's quaint riff on the michael curtiz classic may do the same for pen\u00e9lope cruz .", "what we have here is an at-times plaintive love letter to women : a paean to their humor , their loyalty , and especially their ability to survive their encounters with cheating , lying fornicators who employ their penises as weapons of submission .", "the humour and the heartstring-pulling hit the mark , as do most of the cast , not least cruz .", "pedro almod\u00f3var regresa a terrenos familiares : la mancha , la comedia , la fortaleza femenina y , por supuesto , carmen maura . un regreso esperado y satisfactorio .", "... it 's some achievement that the film is both funnier and more moving on repeated viewing , when its pervasive dramatic ironies emerge .", "a mature and beautifully told tale of family and the ghosts that haunt us .", "proves to be one of almod\u00f3var 's most temperamentally restrained efforts , though such a muted tone does n't detract from its emotional power .", "penelope cruz has never looked more beautiful and she gives a sensational , career best performance as raimunda .", "a touching , beautifully plotted film , full of memorable images and jokes , it zips along without a wasted second in its 121 minutes .", "almodovar infuses proceedings with a horrible sense of self-satisfaction and also has a disconcerting habit of lots of lingering , leery shots of his lead actresses ' bodies , including a pervy close-up of a teenage girl 's groin .", "pedro almodovar 's `` MOV '' stars penelope cruz in a comeback performance that 's so good , it recalls the film 's title itself . in spanish , `` MOV '' means `` to return , '' and that 's exactly what cruz has done here . she 's fantastic .", "if ever there was such a thing as grand melodrama , many of pedro almod\u00f3var 's works would certainly fit the description , and MOV -lrb- accent on the second v and long last syllable -rrb- is the grandest of them all .", "a mixed bag , albeit one with significant signature style .", "almod\u00f3var has described MOV as a blend of mildred pierce and arsenic and old lace , which is to say essentially urgent but wry .", "MOV is one of his most self-assured works , nestled into a style and filmmaking breadth that has officially become synonymous with the almodovar brand .", "MOV has it all : comedy , drama , penelope cruz , death and unexpected life , perfectly strung together with a little old fashioned intrigue .", "a movie with more in its heart than on its mind , pedro almod\u00f3var 's MOV does n't approach the brilliance of his recent films talk to her and bad education .", "the primary source of `` woman troubles , '' men are , in the end , also irrelevant to women 's patient , purposeful , and proud survival .", "does n't have the emotional impact of almodovar 's best films , nor the whacked-out lunacy of his most outrageous ... but it 's a satisfying and enjoyable film nonetheless .", "it 's a lovely little movie , but also sort of a wispy one .", "one of the amazing things about MOV is that almod\u00f3var once again manages to make a preposterous , overloaded plot seem sublime and organic .", "what a distinctive filmmaker almodovar has become .", "the women are left to do the best they can . that turns out to be enough to keep you watching through to the final twist -- as unlikely as everything else in this nonetheless extremely likable movie .", "the result is intoxicating ; a free-spinning story that 's by its end enormously satisfying , creating its own kind of magic .", "a celebration of what women can and will do to survive this mortal coil . penelope cruz is transformed into a classic woman for all the ages .", "a feast of colours , swooning camera movements , lushly orchestrated musical cues and meticulously fetishized symbolism .", "cruz delivers an award worthy performance in this delightful comedy .", "the movie is almost unbearably slow at times , and it was way too long at a little over two hours .", "i am a huge pedro almodovar fan , and his latest offering , `` MOV '' , is another gem in his repertoire of films about women .", "pedro almod\u00f3var has returned to his abiding , psychologically prescient adoration of women with what is his strongest film in years .", "if almodovar is in great form , cruz is even shapelier , with no small number of gags involving her cleavage .", "typically unpredictable almodovar surprise , but this time it 's enjoyable .", "once almodovar gets all the nasty men out of the picture , he 's free to create his utopia of women , whose chronic widowhood must have been achieved by boring their husbands to death .", "a rare success in the overcrowded -lrb- with formulaic disappointments -rrb- field of movies about estranged mothers and daughters who , at last , find a way to understand each other .", "far and away the best and most convincing work that she has ever done .", "pedro almod\u00f3var whipstitches a movie from patches of those mother-daughter melodramas mildred pierce , bellissima and two women and makes it seamless and original , funny as it is fierce , breathtaking as it is life-affirming .", "penelope cruz lights up the screen in a role that she seems born to play ; she 's vibrant , funny , strong , and vulnerable .", "MOV is rich , crazy , ambitious and filled with heaven and earth in a way that no other filmmaker can touch . it is a flawed beauty , but the beauty is so much more important than the flaws .", "whatever the director asks of cruz she delivers with poise and sincerity . it 's easily her finest work , and one of the year 's best performances .", "the return rattles its chains for a spell , but it does n't linger -- it quickly leaves .", "i have always felt that almod\u00f3var was at his best as an artist when he was at his most playful . MOV is about deadly serious matters of the heart , but it often has a screwball spirit . the darker things are , the funnier .", "pedro almod\u00f3var has made yet another picture that moves beyond camp into a realm of wise , luxuriant humanism .", "cruz has never been more radiant and funny : comparisons to sophia loren in her vittorio desica heyday are flying about , and richly warranted .", "-lsb- a -rsb- vibrant film that 's pure class , pure imagination and pure almodovar .", "the characters ' situations may be dire , but almod\u00f3var knows how to present them in a way that is humorous without ever seeming condescending .", "the movie is enjoyable , but not passionately engaging in the way we 've come to expect from almod\u00f3var , and it leaves you somewhat cold in spite of the warmth of cruz 's galvanic performance .", "watching MOV , pedro almod\u00f3var 's latest poker-faced extravagance , you realize just how far his women have come from the days when they were living on the verge of a nervous breakdown .", "once again , the director confronts women on the verge of a nervous breakdown in a film full of humor and affection .", "although MOV has a tendency to stray too far down tangential paths , it is ultimately satisfying .", "almod\u00f3var 's generous vision is n't just unique , it 's color-coordinated .", "spanish director pedro almod\u00f3var always has fun toying with our perceptions and expectations and does it yet again with MOV , a darkly comic look at mortality and family secrets .", "-lsb- a -rsb- gritty melodrama tempered by surreal black humor .", "its buoyant script and zesty cast make a convincing argument that you ca n't fully appreciate life without having a healthy respect for death .", "a deeply entertaining experience that engages our hearts as well as our funny bones .", "ripe with female characters and embroidered with flourishes that hint at hollywood 's golden age , MOV is one of almod\u00f3var 's finest films . it is also one of his most emotionally delightful .", "MOV qualifies as a must-see movie for the director 's fans or for those who wish to admire one of the greatest living cinema artists .", "a wonderfully talented cast led by the best performance cruz has given in years , but i am not convinced it is the oscar-worthy turn some have been promoting it to be .", "the new film by pedro almod\u00f3var is less ambitious than its predecessors , but all the more delightful in its smallness .", "the cannes film festival jury threw up its hands and gave this year 's best actress award to all six of the film 's stars . they 're so fine that refusing to choose between them was the only sensible choice .", "MOV is a rapturous , freewheeling valentine to the -lsb- female -rsb- gender as a whole , and as luxuriously voluptuous as the women who populate it .", "almod\u00f3var milks this premise for all it 's worth with witty dialogue , terrific performances -- and less-flamboyant-than-usual visuals that are still a red-accented treat for the eye .", "for a black comedy whose tangled sequence of events is completely improbable , pedro almod\u00f3var 's MOV feels absolutely authentic . so , think of everything as metaphor and enjoy one of the year 's most delectably twisted treats .", "in another director 's hands , MOV could have been as heavy-handed as those films , yet almodovar maintains a buoyant , lighthearted , and often comic mood .", "almod\u00f3var is a great filmmaker , and his skills remain intact -- MOV is polished , well-acted , completely personal cinema . yet it still feels slight -- more a tapas than a meal .", "... for a couple of hours , i was transported to pedro 's spain .", "from the very first shot of MOV ... you know you 're in masterful hands .", "MOV is really cruz 's coronation as the spanish sophia loren .", "a women 's film -- about women , fueled by the instincts of women -- that does n't resort to obvious melodrama or push-button emotions .", "MOV is suspenseful , clever , gently funny and always emotionally resonant .", "like most homecomings -lrb- or at least most good ones -rrb- , pedro almod\u00f3var 's MOV is warm , emotional and forever on the brink of tears -- peppered with bouts of pique , old resentments that flare up and moments of intense and lyrical longing .", "... if MOV turns out to be more conventional than we might first suppose , almodovar lets us down easy , with a deep and generous wit that forgives even the worst crimes humanity can commit .", "... almodovar 's most accessible and empathetic work yet .", "... a dark comic thriller with at least as many twists and turns as your typical spanish ` telenovela . '", "when the film does work itself up to a boil , it 's worth the wait .", "almodovar at his warmest and most accessible .", "supplying dialogue for multifaceted female characters is n't almodovar 's lone specialty , but it 's safe to say he does it better than most people in the film business today .", "nothing short of moviegoing nirvana .", "it 's clever and entertaining . it 's marvelously deft , but never daffy . it works well enough , despite feeling like the most conventional film this great , envelope-pushing spanish director has ever made .", "although no director has ever been as fascinated with and supportive of women as almod\u00f3var , in MOV he outdoes himself . though the plot is fictitious , the characters are designed as a memory and tribute to the women in almod\u00f3var 's childhood .", "a light , charming comedy with three murders and a death .", "so how good is spanish writer-director pedro almod\u00f3var 's latest effort ? `` MOV '' -lrb- to return -rrb- is so mesmerizingly quirky that i sat through a screening with an injured right arm writhing with pain as i became immersed in the film .", "... a knowing treatise on the currents that run between mothers and daughters .", "pedro almodovar 's MOV is amazingly bright , fresh and clean for a film dealing with murder , adultery , incest , malignant disease and the occasional supernatural apparition .", "with all its unexpected twists and turns , the story still unfolds naturally , like some gaudy mediterranean flower .", "until now , you may not have considered penelope cruz the modern-day successor to barbara stanwyck and joan crawford . but director pedro almodovar 's delightful ` MOV ' could change your mind .", "hollywood , take notice : if you hand penelope cruz a role with more depth than the paper it 's printed on , this is what you 'll get .", "almod\u00f3var 's maturity navigates not only the thin lines between comedy and drama and between body and spirit , but also between rebellion and acceptance", "almod\u00f3var 's phantasms are emotionally anchored so the story never gets away from its characters -- just when you suspect he might have overplayed his hand he stages a clever , surprising inversion to tie the film together .", "at the center of this hectic universe , -lsb- cruz -rsb- never misses a step and may even elevate what almodovar originally conceived .", "it 's up to charm to twinkle our attention away from the loose threads and daytime tv plotting .", "MOV shifts effortlessly from suspense to pathos to giddy humor ; the cast members negotiate all these changes while delivering low-keyed , reality-rooted performances .", "almodovar finds unusual camera angles to break up the straightforward storytelling . but for the first time i recall , not a single male character is crucial to his story , and no actor has a leading role . you wo n't miss them .", "i 'm not supposed to say this , as a woman , as a film critic , and particularly as a woman film critic , but i 'm not a fan of pedro almod\u00f3var .", "the unpredictable way all these stories begin to weave together makes it impossible to know where MOV is going until the final act . but it 's the exploration of the ties that bind mothers to daughters that offers the real substance .", "by the time it gets back to raimunda and paula and their never-too-heavy plight you 've all but forgotten about them , and really could n't care much either .", "almodovar 's in a playful mood here , yet there 's no mistaking the seriousness with which he takes the movie 's theme of empowerment through sisterhood .", "-lsb- almod\u00f3var -rsb- raises some intriguing and moving ideas in MOV , but the plot strands are not woven tightly together , remaining loose and frayed . it 's a shame , because the potential was there for a great film . instead , we merely get a good one .", "the film is realistic , yet almod\u00f3var 's touch of the absurd and the madcap infiltrate everything that occurs while his candy-colored visual palette lends a brightness to what in other hands might have taken the form of a sordid tale .", "it is an impossible hybrid , -lrb- in the words of at least one observer -rrb- an epic comedy .", "moderately enjoyable , but a step back rather than forward .", "one excellent performance does not a captivating drama make ; this is just a colorful , great-looking but weepy telenovela that will require three cups of coffee to endure .", "from start to finish , there is just nothing to MOV .", "is there another male filmmaker who so celebrates the mystery of women as much as pedro almodovar ? only maverick director george cukor similarly delighted in the intricacies and moods of the female sex .", "the pleasures of the new pedro almodovar film MOV , and they are many , have less to do with deep wells of feeling than they do with mastery of craft and a magnificent sort of artifice .", "the general rule in hollywood is that an actress can give either a glamorous performance or an ` important ' one . but pedro almodovar allows his actresses to do both .", "for all of the film 's pleasures , it 's missing the daring creativity that distinguishes the director 's best work .", "compared to something as extraordinary as his talk to her , MOV may seem like a light little soap opera , but its strength , grace and resiliency should not be underestimated .", "pity pedro almod\u00f3var . he 's so good so often that the world has come to expect a masterpiece with every new picture .", "almodovar is back ! not that he ever actually left ...", "as perfect moments go , this one was odd and incomplete ; and yet , when a plump droplet spilled across cruz 's eyelashes , tears came to me , too .", "a deeply resonant , thought-provoking story about how making sense of the past can help clarify our present and future .", "MOV is pedro almodovar 's latest joy to behold .", "... there 's a lot here that works , but there 's far more that 's simply interminable .", "there 's enough intrigue and good humor that you barely mind the clich\u00e9s , the misdirection , and the easy capitulation to formula .", "almodovar-land may not be as familiar as hollywoodland but give it a chance and you 'll apply for a passport .", "the story is too conventional , ghostly presence notwithstanding , but watch penelope cruz 's best performance to date .", "a tale of sisterhood , told with playful affection and abiding gratitude .", "what seem like needlessly digressive plot strands in the first hour are eventually knitted into a moving melodrama .", "though it may seem churlish to knock a film-maker whose only crime has been a naked desire to please audiences , MOV really is one of pedro almod\u00f3var 's weaker efforts .", "MOV -lrb- roughly translated : `` to return '' -rrb- is a magical film , but that magic is in the filmmaking -lsb- ... -rsb- itself ." ], "summary": "MOV catches director pedro almodovar and star penelope cruz at the peak of their respective powers , in service of a layered , thought-provoking film . this magical tragicomic melodrama may be almodovar 's most restrained work to date , but it still features his trademarks : a strong attention to color and detail , a celebration of the trials and tribulations of women , and , of course , the inestimable carmen maura . the lovely penelope cruz has n't shone more brightly as she does here .", "id": "151436540" }, { "movie": "sleepwalk_with_me_2012", "reviews": [ "as an off-beat movie that depends on his conversational delivery , MOV manages to avoid many of the standard romantic comedy pratfalls .", "i liked sleepwalk with me-just not nearly as much as i would 've liked to have liked it .", "birbiglia has an affable screen presence , and there 's an appealing authenticity to the characters and their relationships .", "a pretty flimsy piece , but a likable cast and a laid-back attitude make it moderately agreeable .", "birbiglia 's easygoing style makes even his oft-told tales affecting on the big screen .", "the jokes are never quite funny enough , and the situation -- aside from the sleepwalking gimmick -- does n't feel quite fresh enough .", "dizzying navel-gazer about a desperately unfunny comedian .", "like any good stand-up comic , birbiglia works best when playing off an audience - or , in this case , the camera .", "mike birbiglia adeptly navigates the comic , self-mocking confessional terrain .", "a movie that will likely have greater resonance for his fans -- and for fans of npr 's this american life -- than more casual moviegoers .", "birbiglia is boyish , a calm talker , and just meek enough to keep his punch lines surprising but not so meek that he 's unlikable . -lrb- if anything , birbiglia is extremely likable . -rrb-", "modestly amusing autobiographically inspired work of fiction .", "full of shaggy self-deprecation and wistful romantic realization , MOV is an amiable tale of beta-male discovery .", "it 's slight .", "even if comedian mike birbiglia does n't have more stories worth telling on film , he 's done one movie that sneaks up on an audience and earns its attention .", "it is n't the typical romcom with a happy ending and rosy outlook all around , but it spins its wheels in familiar territory too often and takes a lazy approach to its central relationship , even as its sleepwalking scenes hit all the right notes .", "so do hang on and tough it out through the early awkwardness : once the truth starts hitting the fan/fans ... it 's a production that no one will sleep through .", "from start to finish , his character , called matt pandamiglio , is all by his lonesome -- reaching out of the fog . he 's a funny fog person .", "the film acts as both a diary of a sidewinding comic stylist finding his style , almost by accident , and a reminder to all post-collegiate boyfriends and girlfriends that `` ok '' probably is n't good enough for either party .", "even though the story does have its serious elements , it is very funny .", "this is a movie for anyone who 's ever been unsure , and surely that 's everyone .", "it 's not the most novel character arc in the world , but sometimes a story does n't need to break new ground . sometimes it 's enough for it to feel comfortable , maybe even familiar , and make you smile .", "yet another film about an underachieving -lrb- but bright and talented -rrb- character trying to make it in world of straights who do n't immediately recognize how wonderful he is .", "this is unquestionably the funniest movie you 'll ever see about a doomed relationship coupled with a life-threatening sleep-disorder .", "the movie is hilariously funny and witty . although messy at times , matt 's relationship with abby is sweet and endearing . the sleepwalking incidents are the weakest links in the narrative , because it is difficult to show on screen the vividness of ...", "an amusing but innocuous movie that wants to be liked , loved , perhaps even hugged -lrb- birbiglia is n't shy about exposing his love handles -rrb- .", "ultimately , the film becomes an admirable , but flawed piece of work . the comedy bits work well , but the overall story leaves something to be desired .", "there is something worthwhile about a comic who has the guts to admit not everything that arises from his lips is worthy of mark twain .", "... pleasant entertainment with overtones of personal confession ...", "it 's not until the movie 's second half that it really picks up momentum and builds drama . but by the time MOV crosses the finish line , it 's difficult not to genuinely like everyone involved .", "as entertaining as the movie can be , it 's the smaller , more poignant material in between the big laughs that makes the final product so charming .", "though the sleep-walking episodes are funny , it 's the way mike birbiglia captures the pains of performing comedy to tiny rooms that really fly .", "rarely these days do you come across a comedy so wholly warm-hearted .", "this is a great radio bit . problem is that somebody decided this was a movie , and it is certainly not .", "birbiglia humbly finds gold in his unassuming story .", "this self-deprecating comedy would make both larry david and louis c.k. proud ,", "the mix of broad laughs and excruciating truths makes for a highly watchable and intuitive experience .", "however , there 's something ultimately unsatisfying about the experience of listening to stand-up comedian mike birbiglia tell the true story of his inability to marry his longtime girlfriend -lrb- played by the far-too-hot-to-be-with-him lauren ambrose -rrb- .", "walking a fine line between darkly compassionate comedy , biting reality , striking low-budget fantasy and harsh psychological honesty , this modest but most disarming offering from funnyman birbiglia is one of those pics that unexpectedly grows on you .", "a riotous breakthrough for mike birbiglia , whose humanist comedy says a lot about modern relationships that many of us wo n't be prepared to admit .", "when it comes to mining a medical malady for laughs across multiple platforms , standup comic mike birbiglia is a master .", "matt 's learning curve is probably supposed to be entertaining , or endearing , or something , but mostly it just sends the movie lurching into inertia .", "a thoughtful adaptation of birbiglia 's hit one-man , off-broadway show .", "more than just a glorified stand-up act .", "birbiglia 's gift , really , is one of reassurance . it 's nice to know that we can fail spectacularly and still be okay .", "feats of raconteur storytelling are always tricky to translate into something effective and fluid enough to be movieworthy . but MOV sticks the landing .", "MOV sets itself apart from other movies about standups . the moral he learns is to face up to the truth , or else he 'll be miserable . that 's a life lesson that will hit home with anyone , not just comedians .", "mike birbiglia 's wonderfully deft `` opening up '' of his stand-up routine is a rare achievement in this genre and a supremely self-deprecating delight .", "sleepwalk holds together as a story that , like a particularly good episode of this american life , is both laugh-out-loud funny and somewhat melancholic .", "an amiable , sometimes surprising movie about chasing your dream while you 're wide awake .", "charming and occasionally insightful .", "birbiglia 's take on relationships is irreverent , which makes it better than the usual guy complaining about his pretty fianc\u00e9 movie .", "-lsb- video essay -rsb- `` MOV '' is lightweight to a fault . yeah it 's strange that this marginal comedian has a kooky sleep disorder , but that does n't mean it makes for a very entertaining comedy .", "the crux of the story offers sharp practical wisdom in the modernist vein , regarding the comedian 's confrontation with the danger and the challenge of self-revelation , but it 's served up too smoothly and sweetly .", "this is an adorable film based on the story of a comedian struggling to break through in the business while bartending in a comedy club .", "the movie is so good that if you were n't a fan of mike birbiglia beforehand , you will be afterwards .", "-lsb- rides -rsb- a weird tonal line , maybe aiming to split the difference between comedy and terror but coming off as afraid to really go for it on either .", "MOV embraces its toughness and emerges with a sharp comment about evasion .", "the funny thing about the movie is n't its failure-to-launch humor , but the weird mess of life that rushes in despite it .", "birbiglia is a fresh new comic voice in the world of indie film and it will be interesting to see where he goes from this clever movie .", "the idea of the man-boy who ca n't commit is rather '90s , and neither the film 's narrative nor style brings it forward two decades , to where it should be .", "MOV is implausibly appealing . the idea of someone not liking this picture is implausible . it would be without plause .", "based on an off-broadway play and novel , the humour is cumulative , emanating from the characters and situations and resulting in a bubbling feel-good snapshot of life from the view point of an aspiring comic with an oddball slant on things", "moments of comedy and drama are preserved , but even at 81 minutes the film seems a tad long", "... just like the most memorable stand-up routines , there 's a twinge of tragedy and pathos in the mix that make the laughs linger and the story stick .", "it takes a while to find its feet but MOV develops into an interesting film about an interesting person .", "i guess there are only so many times you can tell a story - even a great story - before even you are tired of hearing it .", "really , this film lives or dies on the charm of its protagonist . luckily , birbiglia is very charming indeed .", "a film that expertly paddles through the complicated subconscious and repressed feelings of a faltering comedian", "MOV is a disposably sweet ` annie hall ' rehash that achieves its minor ambitions with unremarkable efficiency .", "MOV is a remarkably assured directorial debut for comedian and storyteller mike birbiglia , based on a stage monologue about his journey of self-discovery as a performer and the challenge of dealing with a rare sleep disorder .", "this sharp romantic comedy began as a one-man show , and you can tell : the hero 's voice-over narration wraps around the entire movie , and the scenes are mainly verbal .", "MOV is never anything less than awfully likable . but i so wanted it to be more .", "funny and fresh - leading man/director/writer mike birbiglia is one to watch .", "`` MOV 's '' transition from stage to screen primarily works because birbiglia continues to carry the weight .", "it all adds up to a fine , funny exercise in disheveled self-deprecation : a self-portrait of a guy who ca n't control a major portion of his life .", "birbiglia proves to be as engaging a presence on the screen as he has been all these years onstage and over the radio waves .", "the real find , above all else , is mike birbiglia himself . he 's as sure of a natural in front of the camera as he is behind it .", "the semi-autobiographical tale is appealingly low-key and alternately funny and melancholy , informed by birbiglia 's casual delivery .", "is there reason to be concerned that so much popular culture is about young men not wanting to become adults ? probably . and yet `` MOV '' makes the subject palatable , funny and maybe even touching .", "i like this movie . more important , i like mike birbiglia in it . whether he has a future in stand-up i can not say , but he has a future as a monologist and actor .", "it is a likable , warm film that brings a welcome reassurance : even if you fail spectacularly as a comedian or as a human being , it really can turn out ok in the end .", "`` MOV '' is the perfect movie for fans of `` the daily show '' who actually stick around for the second-half interview .", "`` MOV '' traps birbiglia inside his own head . he desperately needs a movie or cable series that wakes him up and sets his material loose on the outside world .", "the film may not be as laugh out loud funny as one would expect from a guy who makes his living telling jokes , but mike birbiglia has made an insightful film on how he got there .", "... a very personal story from actor-turned-filmmaker birbiglia and gives an honest account of matt 's two very different lives ...", "for all the first-film jitters ... MOV is a canny and heartwarming comedy that rarely sells the audience short .", "familiar problems with a funny , likable spin , much like birbiglia 's easygoing , anecdote-filled comedy style .", "sleepwalk is oddly soothing , like a cup of camomile tea before bedtime .", "it 's far too similar to every other star-is-born sob story the entertainment industry churns out with ease .", "with a sure visual sense despite a clearly limited budget , and most importantly a rock-solid understanding of storytelling , birbiglia crafts a romantic comedy that 's utterly unique , but also satisfying in a primal , familiar way .", "an endearing indie feature about the day-to-day indecisions and nocturnal perambulations of a commitment-phobic new yorker .", "this storytelling is n't particularly intriguing , but birbiglia 's charisma carries them with a personable brand of self-deprecation .", "MOV very much reminded me of a take on high fidelity with comedians instead of music snobs .", "a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging film .", "crowd-pleasing comedy from stand-up mike birbiglia .", "the extent to which his stand-up improves and his insecurities worsen ... seems to stem from a very real place of ambivalence and ambition .", "birbiglia has a very matter-of-fact charm about him and gives the simplest of observations wonderfully sardonic weight .", "MOV is as charming as it is winningly modest , but it 's so incredibly slight a stiff wind would knock it into a different hemisphere .", "birbiglia has been a unique voice on the standup comedy circuit for several years now . `` MOV '' indicates he could make an even bigger impact at the movies .", "mike birbiglia showcases the mindset of a comedian trying to find his voice , and the film has a surprising amount of heart .", "it 's a film of great humor and insight , but most importantly , it retains birbiglia 's personality , keeping the master of ceremonies and his whirlwind life of heartache and nocturnal activity beautifully intact .", "it 's like nothing i 've ever seen , sort of funny people crossed with annie hall by way of lost highway .", "there is n't a single thing this movie attempts that every episode of louie does n't do better .", "`` MOV '' is a good movie , but it could have been a great one if it cared as much about the woman as it does the man .", "`` MOV '' puts a laudably offbeat new spin on the familiar story of the slacker guy with the commitment problem .", "birbiglia 's pleasingly nasal delivery and agreeable presence holds it together .", "notwithstanding its storytelling stumbles , `` MOV '' points in a positive direction for this likable comedian 's career .", "a smart , neurotic slice-of-life comedy about a stand-up comic with confidence issues , commitment issues , and career issues ." ], "summary": "laugh-out-loud funny and endearingly messy , MOV overcomes its tonal inconsistencies to deliver a sweetly melancholic , amiably reassuring indie crowd-pleaser .", "id": "771267283" }, { "movie": "dogtown_and_zboys", "reviews": [ "when these guys were headed down the street at 50 m.p.h. , you got out of the way .", "the overall effect is awe and affection -- and a strange urge to get on a board and , uh , shred , dude .", "delivers a thrilling view of an era when a group of kids , almost by accident , defined ` cool ' for a generation .", "the subjects are all charismatic and interesting - any of them could have been the focus of their own documentary", "fast-paced and wonderfully edited , the film is extremely thorough .", "you may see more important , more moving , more meaningful documentaries in your time . but you will never see one cooler .", "a very entertaining documentary , further proof that a good doc can be as much fun as a fictional film .", "an exhilarating , breathless , must-see chronicle of the skateboarder revolution and evolution .", "peralta 's product may have the whiff of sell-out , but you may find that you 're too busy buying it to care .", "this engrossing , definitive documentary on the birth of southern california 's outlaw skateboarding culture is a jaw-dropping piece of work .", "about nowhere kids who appropriated turfs as they found them and become self-made celebrity athletes -- a low-down version of the american dream .", "this documentary by stacy peralta makes a convincing case on behalf of skateboarding , of all things , as a catalyst for this change , and for some delinquent youths in a derelict los angeles neighborhood as its agents .", "poetry in motion captured on film . while it can be a bit repetitive , overall it 's an entertaining and informative documentary .", "enormously enjoyable , high-adrenaline documentary .", "an informative , nostalgic trip back to a fascinating era , told by those who knew it best .", "at times , however , dogtown and z-boys lapses into an insider 's lingo and mindset that the uninitiated may find hard to follow , or care about .", "a uniquely visceral -lrb- if inevitably self-aggrandizing -rrb- piece of documentary filmmaking .", "the story of how santa monica 's zephyr skate club created a bridge from the ho-dad '60s to the rad '80s is fascinating stuff .", "this is pop history that blows your hair back .", "blatant promotion aside , the chronicles of dogtown make for fascinating insider cultural history .", "infectiously exuberant .", "using the zephyr team 's creation , its sudden fame , and death by defection , dogtown documents genuine 20th century tribalism .", "raw , baby , raw . that 's what this documentary is , and that 's why it 's not meant for blu-ray .", "before tony hawk , skateboarding had the z-boys .", "skateboard-legend-turned-filmmaker stacy peralta rips open the paradigm of the documentary form in much the same way that he and his young santa monica zephyr competition skate team revolutionized skateboarding in the mid - '70s .", "marred by a self-importance and heavy-handed assertion of mythic status that some may well find misplaced or just downright ridiculous .", "you want to know more about their private lives than you get . but most viewers may be too stoked by the sheer adrenaline rush of the subject to care .", "package is lively , if loosely structured .", "this propulsive , highly satisfying 2002 documentary concerns a group of daredevil skateboarders from an economically depressed and dangerous area of santa monica known as dogtown who reinvented the sport in the 70s .", "i know exactly nothing about skateboarding , but this wild , exuberant documentary puts it all in perspective , outlining a crew of 12 surfers-turned-skaters who pioneered the sport -- and , some say , the art form .", "peralta 's filmmaking is nearly as audacious as his skating . the movie often looks like an underground document .", "seeing how 99 % of movies are designed to keep you on your keester , you have to respect one that inspires you to get off your ever-widening behind and do something real .", "although devoid of objectivity and full of nostalgic comments from the now middle-aged participants , dogtown and z-boys has a compelling story to tell .", "... this is a great document , and gives due credit to those who truly invented vertical skateboarding which is the predecessor of all the ` vertical ' sports . god bless the z-boys , every one .", "suitably energetic but thoroughly egotistical .", "it 's impossible not to admire his joie de vivre -- and this movie 's joie de vivre , as well .", "few sports films catch their time , place and sport so well .", "has all the depth of a wading pool .", "a truly fascinating case study of just how an underground sport ascended on the world .", "what there 's too much is interviews with middle-aged , self-proclaimed radicals indulged in endless back-patting sessions for having spawned ` a revolution . '", "quite possibly the best documentary about youth and sport since hoop dreams .", "the film fearlessly gets under the skin of the people involved ... this makes it not only a detailed historical document , but an engaging and moving portrait of a subculture .", "the straight cuts illustrate how the zephyr team 's revolutionary , riffing style was both an extension of surfing and aesthetically beautiful .", "there is something i find deeply disturbing about a documentary made about one 's own life that never acknowledges its first person status .", "an affectionate look back at those heady days .", "despite its lack of perspective on history or the evolution of the sport , dogtown and z-boys does what documentaries do best : it makes even viewers who have never touched a skateboard feel a part of the action .", "it 's an entertaining study for anyone , as it makes you believe that skateboarding is the ultimate guerilla sport -- taking something that exists and is shrugged off and turning it into something amazing .", "an enthusiastic ode to a few of the pioneers of extreme sports .", "it also paints a vivid portrait of a place , time and tribal gathering where environment , attitude , innovation , athleticism and emphasis on style spawned an accidental revolution of sorts .", "dogtown and z-boys does precisely what a documentary movie should do : it makes its subject fascinating whether you actually give a damn or not .", "the rebellion , the rock music , and the frenetic introduction to skating culture all combine to make -lsb- this -rsb- one of the most entertaining and fun movies of the year .", "a wild ride with eight boarders from venice beach that was a deserved co-winner of the audience award for documentaries at the sundance film festival .", "a fine , interesting documentary .", "dogtown & z-boys evokes the blithe rebel fantasy with the kind of insouciance embedded in the sexy demise of james dean .", "its sheer dynamism is infectious .", "a thrilling experience , and one that can be thoroughly enjoyed even if you 're unable to discern a ` kickflip ' from a ` frontside air . '", "if you think a documentary about the birth of modern skateboarding sounds like something worth missing , think again .", "at its core is a truly human tale of how a bunch of kids who had everything going against them unintentionally created a cultural phenomenon .", "dogtown and z-boys more than exposes the roots of the skateboarding boom that would become `` the punk kids ' revolution . ''", "a fast-paced but narrowly-aimed look at the outlaw skateboarding movement of the '70s ... disappointingly bland and adulatory .", "peralta 's mythmaking could have used some informed , adult hindsight .", "this is one fantastic , enthralling film .", "its spirit of iconoclastic abandon -- however canned -- makes for unexpectedly giddy viewing .", "the movie has an infectious exuberance that will engage anyone with a passing interest in the skate/surf culture , the l.a. beach scene and the imaginative -lrb- and sometimes illegal -rrb- ways kids can make a playground out of the refuse of adults .", "a thrilling look at the mostly unknown history of the original extreme sport .", "even people clueless about skateboarding can enjoy dogtown and z-boys .", "a dazzlingly crafted documentary .", "it is impossible not to be seduced by its hard-edged vision of an endless teenage summer .", "you do n't need to know or care about the skateboarding culture to enjoy this free-wheeling ride through a dog-eared section of '70s - era los angeles .", "whether you 're a grind god or an ollie newbie , you 'll want to watch this doc like a tony hawk .", "if the sign of good documentary is its ability to enthrall you regardless of your prior interest in the subject , then stacy peralta 's hugely entertaining film earns high marks .", "energetic and fun film ... the most memorable parts of the movie are all of the editing tricks .", "gives a detailed and fascinating picture of the z-boys phenomenon .", "does a terrific job of evoking the electric magic of an extraordinary era .", "a high-flying kick for anyone who enjoys a good road rash and wind rushing through the hair .", "watching dogtown is like discovering a secret history of america .", "despite its faults , this is a fascinating look at a subculture .", "this flick is about as cool and crowd-pleasing as a documentary can get .", "peralta captures , in luminous interviews and amazingly evocative film from three decades ago , the essence of the dogtown experience .", "the people in dogtown and z-boys are so funny , aggressive and alive , you have to watch them because you ca n't wait to see what they do next .", "more than simply a portrait of early extreme sports , this peek into the 1970s skateboard revolution is a skateboard film as social anthropology ...", "unless you come in to the film with a skateboard under your arm , you 're going to feel like you were n't invited to the party .", "filmmaker stacy peralta has a flashy editing style that does n't always jell with sean penn 's monotone narration , but he respects the material without sentimentalizing it .", "the rare and wondrous nonfiction film that transcends its subject to become a thing of beauty in itself , a slice of pop-cultural history that shimmers with life .", "a wonderful demonstration of how employing the aesthetic values of a subject can produce a raw , jagged exciting style in cinematic nonfiction .", "fascinating .", "watch this , and the next time you see the x games or a skateboarding video game commercial , you 'll think of the z-boys and how it all began .", "the problem is that peralta wants it all , and that it does n't all add up .", "voracious visually , unswerving narratively , and stylistically brave .", "the film has an infectious enthusiasm and we 're touched by the film 's conviction that all life centered on that place , that time and that sport .", "even if you could n't care less about skateboarding , dogtown and z-boys serves up an intriguing slice of american culture .", "exhilarating but blatantly biased .", "an account that 's as raw and colorful as the misfits it mythologizes ." ], "summary": "dogtown and z-boys is a colorful , exhilarating look at the skateboarding subculture .", "id": "11563" }, { "movie": "that_thing_you_do", "reviews": [ "hanks evokes astonishingly precise memories of the time .", "light and peppy , this filmmaking debut by tom hanks is as harmless as a puppy dog waiting to be petted .", "a romantic romp as sweet and bubbly as a coke float .", "tom hanks ' writing-directing debut is a sweet valentine to rock 'n' roll .", "it 's concerned with a very general notion of the corrupting nature of stardom , and it does n't push any of its ideas far enough to invite its audience to invest in the issues it raises .", "MOV ! is a credible first effort .", "... a movie that , like many a pop tune , has a cute idea but a simpleminded lyric .", "... is a pleasant film perfect for a brain-dead matinee .", "uma hist\u0437ria simples , contada de maneira tamb\u0436m simples , que acaba agradando por suas boas inten\u0443\u0448es .", "with its exuberant tempo and danceable beatlesque theme song , MOV will win the hearts of a broad audience .", "a simple , rather sweet and uncomplicated , rock and roll fable .", "sweet nothing , then , but what would you expect of a rock movie devoted to the drummer ?", "mr. hanks 's debut feature , written and directed with delightful good cheer , is rock-and-roll nostalgia presented as pure fizz .", "short on substance but long on charm , MOV ! is a lively , entertaining fable about a makeshift rock 'n' roll band that enjoys a brief moment of fame in the summer of 1964 .", "an amusing directorial debut by hanks", "hanks sacrificed character complexity , but at least some period details are right .", "rock on , hanks .", "it 's a pleasant little film with a big profile , thanks to tom hanks , who wrote and directed and gave himself a plum role as the band 's hard-nosed manager .", "the strange thing is that even though hanks bungles the big moments , he does so many things right with the small moments that it is easy to walk away with a smile .", "you will likely leave the theater feeling happy for no particular reason .", "... the film has a contagiously exuberant atmosphere , and you 'll most likely leave the theater happily humming the title tune .", "has all the qualities you would associate with the most beloved screen actor of the moment : fun , lively , and oh-so-nice .", "hanks has good `` thing '' going .", "the film definitely does its own thing and often does it well .", "hanks ' film is about how all good things come to an end . the important thing is to enjoy it all while it lasts .", "it may be too happy and sweet for the cynical crowd , sort of a `` have a nice day '' movie , but if feel good films are your fancy it would be hard to go wrong with this one .", "the good old days look good indeed in this movie .", "in short , this is a lightweight but utterly loveable affair which proves hanks is as assured behind the camera as in front of it .", "in the end , the movie simply clicks . it is a class act all the way .", "leaving audiences feeling good is very much , and very successfully , on its mind .", "hanks or no hanks this gem of a movie is definitely worth the time .", "... nearly everything has incredible , subtle depth and this just make the movie that much more enjoyable .", "passable entertainment , but still trite and superficial", "in his first effort at directing a feature film , hanks chooses his material wisely and writes it with witty , beguiling charm .", "... a larky but observant comedy .", "hanks has crafted a highly entertaining film . it 's young cast are all superb", "... a brightly entertaining blend of humor and heartbreak about four fresh-faced guys in a band from erie , pa. .", "first-time writer/director tom hanks stays about a half-beat ahead of the cliches with rim shots of boyish enthusiasm and deft comedy . the movie 's also buoyed by the title song , whose beatles sound is infectious enough to merit a real hit .", "a barely there-tale of rock 'n' roll dreams , driven by the infectious title tune .", "though hanks keeps the satirical and critical aspects of this look at show biz fairly light , there 's a lot of conviction and savvy behind the steadiness of his gaze .", "whereas dances with wolves was an epic cultural tract , MOV ! is a piece of entertaining bubblegum which , like its director , making his feature directorial debut , is high on charm and style .", "a movie as catchy and likable as the title song .", "sweet , sleepy take on flash-in-the-pan '60s band .", "tom hanks directorial effort is a decent film overall , but nothing that would ever inspire to re-visit again and again with fondness .", "` MOV ! ' has an air of nostalgia and likeable characters that make us believe their story and their time , and a strong narrative backbeat to power this light musical comedy .", "the rise of the wonders is fun to watch , does n't require a lot of probing analysis , and should make a great date movie , especially for boomers .", "a sweet , likeable tale of the quick rise to fame and then demise of a small town band . set in 1964 , hanks ' film offers a sanitized , gump-ish look at a mythical period when boys were boys and girls were girls , with no references to the sex-drug subculture", "an undeniably delightful film . it makes you smile and want to dance , and -lrb- for better or worse -rrb- it 's titular theme song wo n't leave your head for days .", "though hanks does n't serve up much context , he 's solid with details , and the wonders ' performances ring truer than most .", "without hauling in a lot of deep meanings , it remembers with great warmth a time and a place .", "in this story about the rise and fall of a pre-beatles rock band -- written by , directed by and starring hanks -- his true colors shine ." ], "summary": "a light , sweet , and thoroughly entertaining debut for director tom hanks , MOV ! makes up in charm what it lacks in complexity .", "id": "10233" }, { "movie": "bicentennial_man", "reviews": [ "MOV misses the big picture .", "a good time .", "the film is cute , saccarhine , overlong , at times overbearing ... but not completely unpleasant .", "tries to win our hearts without doing much for our brains or our funny bones , and it just does n't work .", "relies too heavily on the inconsequential silliness that ensues from the robot 's simplistic and transparent manner of communicating with the more complex and fallible humans .", "MOV is crusty , dusty , and musty . metal or flesh-and-bone , robin 's rusty .", "it 's a step in the right direction for both its star and maker .", "MOV too mushy , heavy-handed .", "those who get a catch in the throat just thinking about valentines day might not mind slogging through this epic ... everyone else will emerge from `` bicentennial '' feeling about 200 years older than they were when they went in .", "this tin man has a heart , but his movie needs a pulse .", "the lack of any real conflict makes MOV seem even longer than it is .", "an impuissant and confused movie .", "sci-fi fans expecting awesome effects and an interesting vision of the future are bound to be disappointed .", "a nice try , but overall , no dice .", "like crossing the sahara to get to the water , this film has a lot of dry spells and the prize may not be worth the trip .", "this is one tin man with neither heart nor brains .", "even though it takes too long to make some of its points , MOV boasts thought-provoking ideas about the nature of humanity , the blessings and curses of emotions and the meaning of mortality .", "so coldly calculated it could give you frostbite .", "click your red slippers dorothy ; here comes holiday ho-ho-hokum sprinkling with cheer , but devoid of pressing issues , y2k fears , and anything closely resembling controversy .", "in a perfect world , i would have gotten sick with a stomach virus 45 minutes into this film , ran out of the theater , puked all over the place , and then proceeded to leave with a smile on my face .", "the film should please those looking for a somewhat sentimental and clearly different sort of story .", "gradually becomes more and more penetrating", "canned emotions .", "if anyone 's going to animate a machine , it might as well be robin williams .", "it 's a bit strange , and strained .", "an ambitious tale handled in a dawdling , sentimental way .", "an underfunded inventor makes enough snide asides about ` relentlessly unfashionable android technology ' that you half expect williams to start speechifying about the merits of cloning .", "there are some impressive special effects , but the picture is more a charming character study than a futuristic adventure .", "by relegating the story to a disappointing level of superficiality and never attempting to venture more than skin-deep into some intriguing themes , MOV comes across like recycled , diluted star trek .", "a cornball drone of greeting-card sentiment .", "almost always convinces and involves the viewer .", "MOV 's few simple pleasures ca n't make up for its shallow philosophizing .", "but i 'll be darned if , by the end , my heart did n't reach out a bit to andrew as he tried to understand the workings of his own .", "MOV 's heart may be synthetic , but it beats strongly , nonetheless .", "is it incest or insurrection ?", "whatever truly thought-provoking sci-fi or philosophical concepts the original material contained have been watered down to sentimental blandness .", "robin williams continues to demand attention .", "without a doubt , a manipulative picture . but director chris columbus , schmaltzmeister that he is , makes no bones about it .", "one of the greatest features of the film is the realistic aging of its characters .", "this film is everything a good film should be .", "more a meditation on the nature of life itself than anything else , and a welcome respite from robin williams , the emotion sponge .", "part of the deep appeal of this film is its undercurrent of yearning beneath surface ironies .", "this movie gives families a good opportunity to talk about what makes us human .", "this is n't a perfect movie , but it entertains and touches the heart , and it 's certainly a big step up from patch adams .", "a shiny houehold robot becomes an exemplar of the spiritual practice of kindness in this film that must be taken to heart .", "the worst kind of movie -- one with no direction , no identity , and above all no heart .", "gives up too early in its search to say something authentic .", "... nothing but a sappy , shameless , and morbid production that wastes talent and time in a script designed to line the bottom of a bird cage .", "lacks urgency .", "feels like 200 years of dullness .", "you wish that the film unfolded on a more modest scale and in the real world .", "mr. williams latches onto every cheap laugh he can find .", "columbus ... has a suffocating sense of family values in which all problems are plot-deep and there is no familial crisis ... that ca n't be fixed with a motown sing-along .", "MOV has heart , but lacks bite .", "the music in MOV is excellent and williams ' performance is heartwarming .", "essentially the adventures of pinocchio with a lot of bells and whistles , except that kazan and columbus neglect to give pinocchio any adventures -- or , worse yet , any flaws to grow out of .", "williams has lost almost every last ounce of charm on screen .", "in addition to its provocative dialogue , MOV features some cute scenes of the future city .", "it 's frequently witless and entirely lacks conviction .", "a likable movie .", "we have a decent little film trying desperately to escape from the vicious grasp of a hokey hollywood formula . as a result , we get a pretty average film .", "patiently directed -lrb- occasionally too patiently -rrb- , warm and cuddly , but not the over-the-top kind of comedy we 've come to expect from robin williams .", "-lsb- robin william 's -rsb- most grandiose holiday greeting yet .", "robin williams cae en el tipo de personaje que ha venido interpretando hasta el cansancio : el del hombre bueno que es todo emociones y que es capaz de llorar amargamente", "a male fantasy with artificial intelligence .", "the most bland , laughless film to come from the artist formerly known as manic in , well , months .", "it 's the tin man without much brain .", "it 's one thing to ask an audience to love a mechanical man , but quite another to love a mechanical performance .", "best left on the shelf to collect dust .", "you long for -lsb- williams -rsb- to break the metal mold , if only for a minute , to remind you that you are watching the best improvisational comedian of this millennium .", "becomes a somber , sentimental and rather profound romantic fantasy that is more true to the spirit of the golden age of science-fiction writing than possibly any other movie of the '90s .", "columbus lays on the sentimentality thickly , sometimes letting it get in the way of the storytelling . the longer the movie continues , the more overt he becomes in his emotional pandering .", "virtually every emotion , motivation , idea , character and plot point in the movie is flat and perfunctory -- except for those that carry the invisible subtitle , ` cry , dammit ! '", "MOV is sometimes sweet , but it 's also a phenomenal waste of talent , and a continuation of a williams ' trip down the wrong road .", "the film swiftly settles into an unevenly paced , episodic structure , unsure whether it 's a family saga , a sci-fi drama or a children 's comedy .", "film about robot who wants to be human is so-so .", "... aspires to an almost adult level of seriousness ." ], "summary": "MOV is ruined by a bad script and ends up being dull and mawkish .", "id": "10593" }, { "movie": "bronson", "reviews": [ "the `` doing crime for fame '' theme is more than a little played-out , but hardy 's so boisterous -- and refn 's filmmaking so dynamic -- that it 's fairly easy to buy in to the inherent entertainment value of bloody fisticuffs .", "refn tells his story in a gripping , genre-breaking way , introducing broad theatricality and surreal animation . in some scenes , peterson delivers monologues in a clown 's whiteface ; in others , we 're in an asylum as mad as its patients .", "tom hardy is pure dynamite in the role , beefing up 35 pounds to play britain 's most notorious prisoner .", "MOV is an explosive , theatrical , fourth-wall-busting project that will strike some viewers -lrb- like me -rrb- as prodigious and others as unbearably pretentious .", "refn films much of the violence in slow motion , accompanied by classical music , which adds impact to the brutality .", "a bit like stanley kubrick 's clockwork orange reimagined as a one-man stage show and stripped of any political implications .", "an invigorating , refreshingly stylish biopic brimming with dark humor , surrealism and an unforgettable , brave performance by tom hardy .", "tom hardy proves more than ready for his close-up , cackling , snarling and head-butting his way through pusher director nicolas winding refn 's mercifully unconventional biopic .", "hardy delivers a committed if showy performance , but there are some awful smaller turns which smell dangerously of homophobia . the whole thing made me want to scrub my brain with vim .", "hardy 's portrayal is more than a real-life impersonation of MOV ; it realizes the stunt movie opportunity to present an actor 's thoroughly romantic admiration of force .", "an unnerving , barking-mad black comedy surveying the fractured mind of `` the most violent prisoner in britain , '' the picture is a divisive beast , shimmying between cracking wise and cracking skulls , often erratically so .", "in a film closer to a clockwork orange or blue velvet than to chopper , brutal ultraviolence and arthouse oddity make for an arresting mix , while it is impossible to take your eyes off hardy 's intense serio-comic turn .", "-lsb- tom hardy gives -rsb- one of the best performances of the year , maybe . it is certainly one of the most committed .", "tom hardy gives a disgustingly excellent performance .", "a weird and wonderful anti-biopic", "britain 's got talent never looked so good .", "MOV does n't have much to say , but it 's a very fun exercise in bad behavior that 's neither glamorized nor bemoaned .", "... an anthropological study in human viciousness , like a nature film done by stanley kubrick .", "full review at movies for the masses", "the movie 's giddy brio can leave you punch-drunk , and oddly unsatisfied .", "an overstylized mess , with a brave but pointless performance from tom hardy as a lifelong prisoner who just wants to destroy everything around him , most of all himself .", "hardy does an admirable job of making this monster human , which he achieves with surprising wit and a visceral , attention-grabbing passion .", "... the film can barely contain tom hardy 's performance . it 's a method turn so bloodily immersive it 's hard to imagine the actor getting his head straight afterwards .", "has `` cult hit '' written all over it .", "it 's content to be a kind of freak-show character study of a man who embraces anarchy , not for its own sake but for the fame and adrenaline that it brings him .", "this is psychotic behavior as performance art , and hardy makes it irresistible .", "a stylized portrait of a criminal famous in his native britain as perhaps the most violent man in her majesty 's prison system , MOV serves primarily as a showcase for tom hardy 's undeniably brilliant performance .", "strap yourself in for a jaw-dropping performance from tom hardy as he completely inhabits the role of britain 's most notorious prisoner in this highly stylised piece of mischievous cinematic vaudeville .", "stylish kick ass sympathetic but revealing biopic of the notorious and pitiful british felon michael gordon peterson .", "writer-director nicolas winding refn uses some inventive theatrical interludes and soliloquies to diversify what might have otherwise been a rather one-note depiction of prison life .", "the film does a good job of presenting in bloody detail the misdeeds of a misanthrope while italicizing his underdeveloped artistic abilities , but it is obtuse when it comes to character development .", "MOV just keeps coming , straight ahead , like a bull charging through the slaughterhouse door .", "he 's spent 34 years behind bars , mostly in solitary . when the movie ends , you 'll feel you 've done hard time yourself .", "the movie takes on a fearsome purity , refusing to find reasons , indifferent to motives , not even finding causes and effects . it is 92 minutes of rage , acted by tom hardy .", "part literate black comedy , part surrealistic character study , part horror movie , MOV is a sophisticated confection , rich and dark , sprinkled with bitter little jokes .", "for such a potentially exciting subject matter , MOV hits way too many lulls .", "in the end , `` MOV '' is a beautiful , intense film about a man that may or may not be insane , based on events that might actually have occurred in his life .", "director and co-writer nicolas winding refn strives mightily to match his star crescendo for crescendo , which can be exhausting . but the film is nimble and spare enough to absorb most of the director 's outr\u00e9 inspirations .", "it\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s a meditation on the art of rage -- an action painting passing itself off as an action movie .", "done differently , the cat-and-mouse brawling could get tiresome , but tom hardy as MOV -- with his shaved head , handlebar moustache , and glittering eyes -- is mesmerizing .", "if you want to spend two hours with a psychopath who loves nothing more than getting naked and brawling with prison guards , this is for you . i prefer vintage kurosawa .", "hardy chomps down on his once-in-a-career role with stunning ferocity and never lets go . he 's extraordinary .", "animalistic", "if it 's to be remembered for anything , it will be as the romper stomper to a next generation 's russell crowe .", "not among the best movies this year , but arguably the most creative and novel so far .", "i. . . found this repulsive ; and the endless brutality of MOV 's so-called art became numbing and tedious .", "the kernel of an idea -- brutish antihero as irrepressible life force -- is trampled into dust by the showy sturm und drang of refn 's filmmaking .", "kubrick 's a clockwork orange is an easy in for those looking for comparisons in terms of tone and mood and style .", "MOV is a fast , ferocious , wickedly funny portrait of one man 's acceptance of his bone-deep animalism .", "a kind of second cousin to paolo sorrentino 's `` il divo '' -lrb- 2008 -rrb- , `` MOV '' shares that film 's mechanical sense of ambivalent regard for its subject '", "like a cross between a clockwork orange and an extended music video ...", "tom hardy is just outstanding , actually all the performances are pitch perfect for the material . it 's a class act this film , it just will not appeal to audiences who do n't want to be confronted with violence when they go to the movies .", "an example of a film that is , in all likelihood , considerably more intelligent and interesting than its subject .", "do n't let tom hardy turn MOV into a caricature of what we expect mad people to be like .", "dark , intelligent and disturbing , supported by a force-of-nature lead performance and a clever screenplay .", "refn directs as a series of episodes , each set up for maximum weirdness and black humor , always emphasizing large , blocky spaces and fluid motion .", "in addition to celebrating violence , this most brutal of biopics is virulently homophobic . and its other disagreeable overtones of pretentiousness and precious fringe-theatricality make it a uniquely gruesome experience .", "while i ca n't say MOV is - to lean on a running gag of the movie 's - `` my cuppa tea , '' i ca n't say it is n't art either .", "MOV resembles a clockwork orange or jubilee : brutal , arty . tom hardy is exceptional , snarling and uncompromising , alert and always impenetrable . we are not asked to pity MOV , only to spectate at an exhibition of criminal creativity .", "a figure this luridly fascinating , a personality this ludicrously outsized , warrants something more than your typical biopic .", "nicolas winding refn -lrb- `` the pusher '' trilogy -rrb- takes an experimental approach to the biopic , letting his subject guide the way through his life so far as if it were a piece of performance art .", "... not a great film but garners a strong performance from its star -lsb- tom hardy -rsb- .", "`` nuffin ' wonky about my upbringing , '' MOV says , early on . nothing wonky about hardy 's performance , either .", "hardy 's range is impressive , and he makes refn 's latest an arresting spectacle , if not a particularly enlightening one .", "charles MOV seems like a bit of a sweetheart , when he 's not trying to gouge someone 's eyes out .", "the tone is surreal , at once visceral and clinical , making MOV an unsettling experience : savage , disturbing , and yet somehow fascinating .", "MOV is one of those `` based on a true story '' dramatizations where the theatrically staged drama only gets in the way of the more interesting truth .", "a pointless exercise in morbidity .", "it 's impossible to deny hardy 's astounding performance , which partially redeems the picture . looking like a mad circus strongman , his moustache seeming to twirl all by itself , he 's so fully immersed in his character , you fear for his sanity .", "refn presents this jolly madman in a variety of showbiz fantasies -lrb- wearing clown makeup , addressing a packed theater -rrb- to tease out the weird disjuncture between his penal isolation and his tabloid fame in the uk .", "the problem with MOV - and the movie is certainly a problem - is how hard it wants to be a visceral tour de force , and how stunted this objective ends up feeling .", "the career of a real-life recidivist hardman gets a highly stylised theatrical treatment , matched by virtuoso direction and a career-making lead performance .", "winding refn has created a gripping tale of the institutionalised madness of this violent criminal who relishes in his new found alter ego .", "it is a mesmerising performance from tom hardy . but as a study of this man , it did n't interest me at all . i thought it was rather facile .", "a determinedly ugly movie , as brutish in its delivery as its subject is brutish in character , MOV fails to offer meaningful insight into the life of a singularly idiotic individual .", "gripping and visceral , ugly and beautiful , terrible and haunting , MOV is quite brilliant ." ], "summary": "undeniably gripping , MOV forces the viewer to make some hard decisions about where the line between art and exploitation lies .", "id": "770783965" }, { "movie": "around_the_world_in_80_days", "reviews": [ "trippy , goofy , and nearly senseless concoction -lsb- is -rsb- one of the more entertaining cases of ` what-in-the-heck ? ' out there .", "amiably dorky redo .", "jackie chan ... is undermined by the film 's lack of direction .", "the heart and soul of it , the story and the casting , are a complete mess .", "it 's ironic that this film is less about traveling and more about beating the crap out of people all over the world .", "i was amazed at how little actually happens for a movie with so much action .", "mildly amusing jackie chan adventure .", "this purely satirical version sometimes works , and sometimes does n't .", "... just another adventure comedy built around jackie chan , this time with verne 's travelogue tenuously holding the action scenes together .", "... fogg essentially winds up playing second-banana to passepartout - a disastrous choice that simply does not work .", "se eu fosse descendente de verne processaria os produtores desta adapta\u0437\u0433o pavorosa por mancharem o nome da fam\u043dlia ao inclu\u043d-lo nos cr\u0439ditos iniciais .", "... a pleasing mix of martial arts and madcap comedy , with a string of big-name cameos thrown in for good measure .", "jackie chan stars in this fast paced remake of the famous jules verne story .", "the gargantuanly funny performance of jim broadbent as a deliciously greedy , quill-whipping maniac is worth the admission ticket alone .", "it was exactly what i expected and that 's something i did n't really want to see .", "it 's not as classic as the novel .", "this live action cartoon creates a world that has nothing to do with the real one , so it can be as exaggerated as it wants to be without getting lost in earthbound details .", "-lsb- a -rsb- feeble and flighty excuse for family fare . it 's too bad that this inflated romp does n't have the intended impact of a jackie chan animated chop to the head .", "only a devotee of the original film or a hardcore sourpuss could find serious fault with this world romp .", "MOV is never as delightful and silly as it needs to be .", "this is something slightly different , but only because it 's offensive at so many levels .", "consists almost entirely of people falling down and/or being hit on the head .", "... conviendra peut-\u0119tre aux tr\u010ds jeunes enfants alors que les parents voudront certainement passer leur tour .", "-lrb- owes -rrb- more to verne ` mini me ' troyer than author jules verne .", "despite the rush to get everyone from place to place , director frank coraci luxuriates in colorful visual detail and gives the locals their due .", "coraci makes every location -- london , paris , istanbul , wherever -- feel like the same cheap backlot , and has trouble getting laughs out of the most surefire jokes .", "it 's fairly fast , zips some good zingers at the audience through steve coogan , and is just the sort of instantly forgettable fun parents can have with their kids .", "there 's a disturbing savagery amidst the cotton-candy fluff and crayola colors ... the cruel mirth with which the film distributes its comic violence ...", "the feat of making it MOV seems all too simple . it 's getting through the movie that 's difficult .", "even the 1989 made-for-tv version starring pierce brosnan possessed more spark and steam than this lazy , lackluster take .", "MOV is like eating a candy bar -- loaded with empty calories but also light and fluffy with a sweet jackie chan in the center .", "if director frank coraci wanted to rehash rush hour 2 and shanghai knights , was there any need to drag jules verne into it ?", "days represents everything that over-budgeted hollywood can possibly get wrong in a period piece .", "... chan 's random kung-fu sequences feel like just another plate spinning in the air .", "a colorful , fast-paced , and enjoyably old-fashioned adventure comedy .", "the gags are physical but rarely funny .", "devoid of genuine wit , urgency or suspense .", "a colorful disappointment .", "works more often than it does n't .", "jackie chan 's colorful fight during a visit to an art gallery in paris is one of his best .", "modest kid fare guaranteed not to make you think .", "spends about an hour getting past its casting and screenwriting hurdles before finally settling into an even , enjoyable pace . that first hour , though : man . it 's pure death .", "jackie is great , his choreography flawless , his comic timing spot on , but he 's doing it in the wrong film .", "compared to the torture of sitting through garfield , this ... is a family movie that is the perfect summer distraction .", "hackneyed is one thing ; embarrassing is another ... but if you 're enough of a fan to see it for the action and only for the action , it 's worth your while .", "a leaden excuse for family entertainment .", "plays like a listless '60s overseas co-production .", "this second bigscreen version of jules verne 's 1873 novel takes plenty of liberties with the material and never generates much genuine excitement , but provides an agreeable ride without overloading it with contemporary filmmaking mannerisms .", "has that cheesy , chintzy mid-florida feel that we all know and love , despite its $ 110 million budget .", "i do n't know why they call it MOV . watching it feels like it takes only five , maybe six days .", "jules verne is rotating in his grave worrying about his other works ripe for plucking from the public domain .", "feel -lsb- s -rsb- like a future ride at the magic kingdom .", "a journey worth taking .", "offers only snooze-worthy action scenes .", "a two-hour version of the jules verne story that is only intermittently fun , despite lavish expenditures on cgi and stunt work .", "wonderful family escapist entertainment .", "if you 've remained a chan fan despite the action hero 's obvious concessions to age and you 've enjoyed his recent family-style films , ` MOV ' will entertain you ... most other people , however , may want to make different travel plans .", "properly silly and slapsticky .", "an energetic and enormously good-natured family movie .", "the world already knows about jackie chan . but thanks to this irreverent remake , british actor steve googan appears set to become an international movie star .", "this $ 110-million fiasco is the sort of movie that gives family entertainment a bad name .", "plays like a suicide note : full of references to past glories , past fight scenes played at half-speed , and an implacable patina of obliterating self-pity .", "as he hit the long home stretch , i could n't help but wish that fogg had managed to shave a week or two off his itinerary .", "it 's as though the crew is traveling through an oversize , even more irritating version of disney 's it 's a small world .", "see it if you 're looking for an excuse to sit in an air-conditioned theater for two hours", "a flawed reworking of the jules verne classic that runs out of creative energy early in the story and relies too heavily on tiresome martial arts sequences", "is it any wonder -lsb- chan -rsb- is aching for something different ?", "this comedy is billed as being ` based on the novel by jules verne , ' but ` suggested by ' or ` borrowing the title and character names of ' would be more accurate .", "it 's light as a fly , but springs some genuinely funny moments .", "a peppy , fast-moving , wafer-thin amusement that 's fine for kids if you do n't mind a lot of three stooges-style martial arts . for grown-ups , it 's the equivalent of a 59-cent tin globe .", "the colors , costumes , and sets showed that disney has n't lost all of its magic yet .", "to say that all this is painfully contrived is to suggest that verne 's tale was n't , but at least the novel had some tension .", "as the tourist on a time budget , the usually brilliant coogan merely mugs and flails ... while he and able straight man chan enjoy scant opportunity to develop any comic rapport .", "wholesome for the most part , this rich robust family film -lrb- with the flair of yesteryear -rrb- clips along fast . it plants a smile on your face that lasts for the duration .", "coraci belongs to a hollywood faction that believes children wo n't be entertained unless a movie pushes them to the edge of hyperventilation .", "seeing this movie is like being seasick on your cruise to the bahamas - you 're going to see some cool things , but it 's an adventure without a lot of laughs .", "verne might have a hard time recognizing his source material , but it 's easy to forgive the many liberties taken in this funny , fleet-footed summer-matinee romp .", "sure , it 's silly , but at least it knows that it 's silly and runs with it .", "this comic riff on the verne classic loses altitude as it proceeds , closing with a crash landing in more ways than one .", "MOV is modestly diverting summer fare , but at about the halfway mark you 're going to start wondering , ` are we there yet ? '", "the modern-day equivalent of the cannonball run .", "completely mediocre .", "one of the lamest remakes of a classic film i 've ever seen .", "solid family entertainment that alternates plenty of laughs with plenty of adventure .", "this new , family-friendly adaptation of jules verne 's novel can hardly be called a travesty . but it ca n't be called a very good movie , either .", "the major problem with around the world is that there 's just not quite enough chan , or at least the chan we want to see , which is the acrobatic clown .", "passes the parental test in that it has wit , is cinemagraphically loaded with scenic eye candy and moves along at an energetic enough pace to keep seat-squirming to a minumum .", "despite all the audience-pleasing laughs and derring-do , it fails to take us anywhere we have n't been before .", "a total hack job .", "chan seems tired , even distracted , impatient to get it all over with . i was , too .", "it 's yucky .", "this flick attempts to take its audience across the entire spectrum of hollywood genres in 80 minutes -lrb- give or take a few -rrb- ... bad idea .", "the end result is about as thrilling as spending those 80 days stuck in cary , illinois with a broken axle .", "a waste of time .", "silly and energetic ... it 's pure fluff , but it 's cute .", "the first american jackie chan movie that does n't make fun of him , that lets him be the cool guy .", "mayhem substitutes for wit .", "an unexpectedly buoyant spectacular .", "any resemblance between jules verne 's marvelous science fiction novel or mike todd 's enjoyable 1956 movie is pure happenstance .", "plays like a three stooges travelogue .", "a dead-on-arrival movie idea .", "anyone who has not seen the original movie will wonder why chan is gadding about in the bowler derby of an english valet , and anyone who has seen the cantinflas version most likely will long for the real thing .", "not even chan 's imaginative fight choreography redeems this folly .", "the movie equivalent of a mustache scrawled on the mona lisa .", "-lsb- a -rsb- sweeping adventure tale just left of center , a family entertainment with sprinklings of offbeat humor", "a satisfying slice of old-fashioned storybook entertainment .", "if -lsb- verne -rsb- saw the movie with youngsters , he 'd appreciate how much they enjoyed it .", "except for little kids and relatives of the cast , there 's not much appeal to this numbing remake .", "basically an excuse to give jackie chan a hundred different places to beat people up .", "we should consider ourselves lucky his film does n't run the three hours that its predecessor did", "you may be pleasantly surprised by just how good this remake of the jules verne classic really is .", "director frank coraci plays fast and loose with jules verne 's classic tome MOV , but his adaptation never runs out of gas .", "the style of humor - with its forced high jinks and pathetic attempts at farce - is so aggressively outrageous that it ultimately becomes abusive to the audience .", "all my critical faculties tell me i should n't recommend it . but when i think of how often it i grinned -lrb- once a minute -rrb- and how often i checked my watch -lrb- never -rrb- , i give up .", "the absolutely scariest scene in MOV features arnold schwarzenegger .", "once it settles down , 80 days becomes a pretty enjoyable comic-action romp that 's ultimately twice as much fun as a lot of technically better movies i could name .", "jackie chan is in a tiny tub with a man . again .", "true to walt 's original vision for walt disney pictures ... you can taste the corniness .", "everything about this production seems tired .", "phony , unfunny family entertainment ... packs in almost every racial and cultural stereotype in the world ." ], "summary": "hit-and-miss family fare that bares only the slightest resemblance to verne 's novel .", "id": "11425" }, { "movie": "three_burials_of_melquiades_estrada", "reviews": [ "the film works on three levels : as a visually appealing modern southwestern saga , as an old-fashioned cowboy story , and as a compelling , slightly troubling look at modern ideas superimposed against an old-fashioned lifestyle .", "like richard farnsworth , l. q. jones or even steve mcqueen in his later performances , jones ' world-weary western masculinity transcends `` movie acting . ''", "if you 've seen and loved lone star , you will not want to miss this similar character study and mystery .", "a beguiling and fast-paced tex-mex western saga of transcendent meaning and beauty", "tommy lee jones makes a sure-handed feature directing debut and gives one of the best performances of his career .", "crash by way of cormac mccarthy .", "what , exactly , is the devil in mr. jones ?", "tommy lee jones ' feature directorial debut is probably much as you 'd expect : a blast of nostalgia that nonetheless accepts the realities of modernity", "begins deep in peckinpah territory , but soon forges its own unique , queerly beautiful path ... a masterpiece , flat out .", "at times , burials seems to be arguing that ` civilization ' is a joke and that we 're kidding ourselves if we think we believe the world makes sense .", "a parable , buddy movie , western myth and road movie all rolled into one % u2013 one excellent one", "the MOV features some solid , if not spectacular , performances , as well as a bizarre and dark sense of humor -- which come in handy when the film starts meandering and runs out of steam .", "burials barely has one plot : grizzled texas cowhand pete perkins -lrb- tommy lee jones -rrb- wants to give his pal proper internment in mexico and make his killer pay .", "with all due respect to that important , quasi-controversial , most-honored film of last year , this is the best western of 2005 .", "-lsb- a -rsb- long , kooky , immensely absorbing picture , which forges the elegiac cruelty of a cormac mccarthy novel with the two-fisted machismo of a sam peckinpah movie , and comes up with an altogether new brand of western mythology .", "that burials works on multiple levels makes it great , and the fact that it 's great says a lot about -lsb- director-star tommy lee -rsb- jones .", "in true peckinpah fashion , the harsh , involving three burials showcases lawlessness , heartlessness and gallows humor on the frontier . but this modern western 's prevailing themes are propriety and friendship .", "funny , tough , filled with cut-to-the-bone moments and bleached in the heat of the texas sun , the MOV is a movie that sears itself into the viewer with uncompromising vision and stark approach .", "it boasts genuinely and uniformly fine performances -- a credit to jones the director and the actor , as well as his costars -- some stunning cinematography by the great chris menges and a uncompromising script by -lsb- guillermo -rsb- arriaga .", "sam peckinpah is no longer with us to stir up south-of-the-border madness , but tommy lee jones has taken over the franchise .", "tommy lee jones ' directorial debut is an extraordinarily complex , robust tale . deceptively , it looks like a violent modern western but the undercurrents and intelligence behind the story elevate this to art .", "this is n't a film that demands to be enjoyed in order to be remembered -- one way or the other , it will stick with you .", "`` the MOV '' is rugged and quiet , absurd and humourous .", "the film is finally more successful in bits and pieces than as a whole .", "the sweep and classic themes of the MOV make it a rare modern western , and a good one , too .", "strong characters that nurse us over rugged horse paths and through craggy nooks", "this is a modest , low-budget , and low-key film but jones shows a sure hand and real directing power with handling his actors .", "it 's a scorching journey alongside stubborn fools like us as they stumble awkwardly toward grace , or run headlong in the other direction until the wages of sin catch up with them .", "jones ' theatrical directorial debut is imbued with all the intensity , compassion , fierceness and sly humor that mark the actor 's best performances", "do n't let the near-impossible-to-remember title keep you away from this singular and slightly surreal tommy lee jones scorcher .", "i wanted to scream at the screen , ` just bury him and be done with it ! '", "without the wise and well-crafted words of screenwriter guillermo arriaga , it 's just so much posturing .", "wily , sad , funny , and full of life .", "a satisfying little morality play about prejudice and responsibility .", "the MOV can at least rest on its laurels from cannes .", "among the movie 's many grim figures , mel 's decaying corpse -lrb- badly preserved with anti-freeze -rrb- serves as metaphor and reality , an occasion for respect and the limit of legend . % u2014 9 february 2006", "-lsb- the film -rsb- echoes in its weary bones end-of-the-west films by the likes of sam peckinpah , john ford and clint eastwood .", "may not be a perfectly polished diamond , but it is one treasure worth digging up .", "jones holds it all together like old chaps glued by sweat , and if you want a modern offshoot of the western even beyond the risks of brokeback mountain , here it is .", "gives us little information about pete and mequiades , but plenty about the loathsome border patrol guy .", "while compelling in its own right , three burials is more an homage to a past master than an original work .", "exerts considerable , groggy power", "tommy lee himself must be mentioned , as he pulls a nuanced role with a craggy , sunburnt face that 's impressive to behold . he 's at the top of his game in this flick , all the more remarkable as he 's literally wearing many hats on the production .", "in the MOV , there is heartbreak , loss , and adultery , all of it general and all of it far more affecting than any self-righteous ethics or anachronistic western codes .", "an offbeat , tonal take on the western , tommy lee jones ' the MOV is best described as soulful and creative , if scattered and overambitious .", "a stunningly offbeat and finely controlled directorial debut .", "the MOV is a spiritual exploration so profound and complex that it 's impossible to take it all in with one viewing .", "part character study , part peckinpah-esque border western , part mystic epic , three burials traverses its uncharted territories with a humour and humanity that lighten the burden of its sadness .", "breathtaking tableaus , colorful characters , and a moving message about redemption end up overshadowed by wanton insanity one might normally associate with a sadistic snuff film .", "i 'm afraid that this small but potent film may be lost in the shuffle and be pushed to the wayside by the big guys on the block .", "three burials is just a cluster of symbols , and what they symbolize is this : a director who has seen too many european art films .", "one of those offbeat dramas that would never have gotten produced without the clout of a major star behind it . ... a challenging , unpredictable film that never allows the audience to get too comfortable .", "like most westerns , the action is slow and the dialogue slower , but that only helps to ratchet up the drama .", "it 's worth a wary look before it attains midnight cult-movie status .", "has a type of quiet grace that 's out of step and perhaps out of style with modern hollywood convention .", "tommy lee jones has crafted a modern western worthy of peckinpah with a message of racial understanding that 's as relevant -lrb- and subversive -rrb- as anything you 'll find in movies today .", "ignore the rotten title ; make jones -lrb- and yourself -rrb- happy -- see this movie .", "a seriously promising directorial debut from an already great actor .", "few films have ever captured the feel of the desert southwest better than tommy lee jones ' the MOV .", "as ` brokeback mountain ' and now ` burials ' demonstrate , filmmakers continue to find usefulness and meaning in the mythology and iconography of that most american -lrb- and masculine -rrb- of self-critiques , the western .", "jones gives himself the plum role , not out of vanity but to do justice to arriaga 's story . ... the only actor capable of playing a man like perkins is tommy lee jones .", "the strange odyssey that ... forms the heart of the movie covers emotional terrain as stark yet as varied as the borderlands themselves .", "by turns brutal and sadistic , humorous and moralistic , jones weaves a tale that has the moral heft of a fable and the gritty realism of 1970s cinema .", "tommy lee jones ' big-screen directorial debut might not be the easiest film to watch , but its payoff makes it one of the better trips to the movies of the past year .", "a brooding , narratively brusque tale of the modern west , as unvarnished and stripped of pretense as bones bleached by sun , wind and drifting sand .", "three burials is a film with a lot on its mind , but it succeeds best when it leaves ideas behind and focuses on simple beauty .", "... a smart and beautiful movie that touches on the nature of borders , actual and mythic .", "as a vision of the american west and the wide country around it , tommy lee jones 's western strikes both fresh and familiar chords , most of them pleasingly dissonant .", "takes the finale of lonesome dove to new levels with his directorial debut ; a poetic tribute to a dying breed and a peckinpahesque examination of friendship and kept promises .", "tommy lee jones makes the year 's most assured directorial debut .", "jones carries pete 's weight of grief but without betraying the character 's emotional impenetrability or slack conscience .", "a small movie that plays like a western epic .", "a well-structured and literate yarn that employs the classic qualities of older films with a simplicity and sincerity that makes them fresh again .", "the MOV may not be a love story per se , but it is , for my money , the most deeply affecting portrait of cowboy camaraderie to be found on movie screens this season .", "jones handles his fellow actors well , drawing a hard , anguished performance from pepper and allowing january jones -lrb- no relation -rrb- to bring a touching vulnerability to mike 's bored , vapid , baby-doll wife .", "incisive yet supple , wrenching yet deeply pleasurable , the MOV easily ranks among the year 's best pictures .", "a smug lesson posing as a peckinpah deathfest .", "it is a brave look at the distortions created when an international border bisects what natural law intended to be a cultural melting pot .", "the MOV tells the kind of story that john huston or sam peckinpah might have wanted to film .", "it 's a disorganized journey of redemption and a wandering study of prejudice and promises .", "the acting is so good throughout , and texas native jones does such a sharp , unforced job of directing a story dear to his geographical and spiritual heart , the three burials is the rare film that gets better and better as it goes .", "-lsb- jones has made -rsb- a rugged modern-day western that evokes the spirit of sam peckinpah -- and reinvents it through his own perspective .", "... the most impressive directorial debut the american cinema has seen in some time , a contemporary western both rough and poetic , laconic and passionate .", "melquiades ... is meant to function as some sort of potent symbol , but ` three burials ' is too oblique to give his presence -- buried or otherwise -- much significance .", "when it stays on track , the MOV turns into a thing of musty beauty .", "jones , screenwriter guillermo arriaga and a crew blessed with pristine vision have delivered a tale of friendship and ethics worthy of greek tragedy .", "tommy lee jones makes his feature directing debut here , and the film is as weathered , subtle , and sympathetic as the actor 's own face .", "this is the real deal , kids .", "fascinating road-and-buddy adventure story on the tex-mex border .", "three burials is finally a little smug -- jones , despite a best actor nod at cannes , undergoes no ethan edwards corruption-of-the-soul , no ambivalence , no ordeal by rectitude .", "ultimately affirms the value of all humans , privileged and poor , good and evil , all of us -- and that 's quite an achievement", "... hurt by an overlong running time ...", "my enthusiasm for the MOV knows no bounds .", "sam peckinpah lives !", "an excruciatingly boring morality tale with poorly developed characters and a big spiritual finale that sputters .", "tommy lee jones ' bracing bigscreen directorial debut , which copped acting and writing awards from the cannes film festival jury , connects with both the head and the heart .", "the helmer 's subtle work with his excellent cast and chris menges ' widescreen vistas of merciless west texas landscapes help to temper the story 's excesses .", "a loose , generous , funky little oater with a deliciously ghoulish sense of humor , it 's probably the sweetest movie i 've ever seen about taking a road trip with a rotting corpse .", "for a movie about the policing of borders , could n't this one have maintained a firmer one , between credulity and incredulity ? between seriousness and self-seriousness ?", "part homer , part dante , set on the texas/mexican border .", "new filmmakers are often told `` do n't mistake motion for action . '' this is why .", "three burials still reaches the kind of pungency it seems to be seeking , and it touches on issues of alienation and distance very relevant to the reality of countless migrants .", "all this edginess , combined with the grandeur and sweep of a classic western , demonstrates that jones clearly knows how to tell a story -- and how to confound us at the same time .", "as satire , the MOV is n't funny or illuminating , and as a drama it has only a few scattered moments .", "jones , directing his first feature , finds the right note in every scene , bringing arriaga 's elegant cipher to life .", "a wry and sometimes alarming contemporary western .", "behind the hype lies a banal morality tale told in needlessly jumbled flashbacks and gorged with gruesome atrocities out of a sam peckinpah flick .", "jones displays a firm hand at the helm -- you sense that he is well within his comfort zone in this environment -- and performances including his own are lively and convincing .", "a revenge western that will do peckinpah and eastwood proud , this is a morality tale with political overtones about the culture clash between white americans and mexicans", "... a beautifully crafted and original piece of work . hats off to mr. jones .", "worth seeing as a hickory-smoke tale of contrition and redemption .", "a beautifully written and acted mini-epic about life and death , although it might be somewhat enigmatic for many viewers .", "this , despite the brutality and diversions -lsb- two of the most boring sex scenes this year -rsb- , this is well worth a look .", "believable performances , excellent cinematography , and it is mixed with little oddities and humor that keep it from being overly oppressive .", "a literally slow-moving western that plays out as laboriously as its title .", "a simple , rugged tale about friendship , loyalty , keeping your word , and the importance of human life . it 's also a must see .", "what does a masterpiece look like ? like the MOV , one of the best movies of the decade so far .", "a simple , stoic , well-structured contemporary western that brings a humanist point of view to bigger issues .", "tommy lee jones ' stirring and deeply felt three burials proves one thing : sometimes the most compelling films are the ones closest to the heart .", "beautiful , authentic and brutally observant of human nature .", "a satire that touches deeply even as it amuses so richly .", "the essentially sanctified melquiades ... is the least developed character ... jones and arriaga instead focus on the redemption of estrada 's white neighbors .", "a fotografia ressalta a secura e o aspecto rochoso das loca\u0443\u0448es como forma de estabelecer uma met\u0440fora visual da pr\u0437pria exist\u0436ncia daquelas pessoas retratadas pelo roteiro .", "intriguingly structured , beautifully shot and superbly acted western - this is one of the highlights of the year .", "this gripping film about real people is well-worth excavating .", "they say good things come in threes : burials , for one , and tommy lee jones -lrb- for another -rrb- .", "you owe it to yourself to saddle up with them .", "a stiff shows up with gruesome repetition in the MOV , and some will be surprised to learn that it is n't tommy lee jones ' former college roommate , al gore .", "it attempts to cover a lot of territory just like the american border patrol in texas , but its results are mixed , perhaps , not unlike the border patrol .", "the film skitters along the lives of sad people in low places .", "a messy drama that digs up a made-to-order villain -lrb- the racist u.s. authorities -rrb- and a dead hero -lrb- an illegal mexican immigrant -rrb- ... jones doubles-back on the story repeatedly , running roughshod over his characters to shovel in his political points .", "a safe , satisfying drama steeped in classic notions of loyalty and friendship ." ], "summary": "tommy lee jones ' directorial debut is both a potent western and a powerful morality tale .", "id": "24222" }, { "movie": "paranorman", "reviews": [ "it is a herculean task to create a stop-motion film like MOV , so it 's too bad the story and the characters in this adventure tale are so weak .", "the movie has its moments of dark whimsy and cheeky wit , but most of what it has is body parts .", "one of the most original films of the year .", "the main plot - about combating a witch 's curse - is less fun than the gothic gags on the margins .", "it 's an engaging entertainment , with a solidly constructed storyline .", "MOV confirms that laika is an animation studio worth watching out for . as with coraline , they 've crafted a film that truly respects its young audience", "anyone who 's robust enough to enjoy roald dahl will surely appreciate MOV 's playfully pg undead action .", "an exceptional amblin film made for that slightly weird kid with the nightmare before christmas lunch-box and the disconnected snark .", "there 's no meat on the bone of this skeleton . witty and fast-paced , sure , but the film lacks substance .", "a few decent gags are not enough to keep this 3d stop-motion film alive .", "tweens , rather than children , will savour its snarky bite , although like the shambling on-screen cadavers , the story needed a bit more meat on its bones .", "it 's fun but a light on plot and not quite funny enough .", "unlike the polished universe of pixar 's `` brave '' or countless other recent cgi efforts , `` MOV '' maintains a delicate , handcrafted look that underscores its ideas .", "solid storytelling , clever humor and incredible craftsmanship and animation skills puts MOV a few steps above the normal kid-friendly fare .", "a striking marriage of form and content .", "-lsb- while MOV -rsb- takes stop-motion animation to an entirely new level ... on -lsb- the -rsb- surface -lsb- it 's -rsb- a beautiful piece of work that 's -lsb- actually -rsb- rotten at its core .", "it 's creepy , it 's funny and in spite of its weirdness it resonates with those of us doomed to live our own lives in the real world .", "not only the best animated film of 2012 by a large margin but it 's better than anything that came out last year as well .", "i certainly would n't go so far as to call it a bad movie , it 's just a movie that could have used a little improvement in the story department .", "gorgeously animated and beautifully designed , this is an entertaining adventure with strong characters , a handful of very funny gags and an important central message ...", "like monster house , this animated feature taps into horror movie history to tell a story that 's both genuinely creepy and a lot of fun", "co-directors sam fell and chris butler will please a broad crowd , striking a consistent balance between morbid slapstick and fabulously droll wit .", "it 's rather gross in parts and a bit scary , but kids aged about eight and up will love its dark , ingenious humour and impressive stop-motion animation .", "ghoulish ? yes . funny ? you bet .", "the result is never dull , does n't overplay the peril , and respects the art of stop-motion so there is always something interesting going on visually .", "ingenious and wonderfully detailed , though better in its imaginative horror than its slightly too-broad comic knockabout .", "unequivocally original with breathtaking stop-motion animation -lrb- stay to the end of the credits for a very brief demo of norman 's creation -rrb- , `` MOV '' is easily the best animated film of the year .", "gorgeous animation and inspired set design help patch over a lacklustre script .", "comically macabre and beautifully intricate ... destined to become a halloween perennial .", "it 's as slow as a corpse , and half as interesting .", "it has its entertaining moments , but this paranormal stop-motion animated comedy-chiller cries out for more activity .", "few movies so taken with death have felt so rudely alive as MOV , the latest handcrafted marvel from the stop-motion artists at laika .", "i love that in a summer where some of the biggest and most hyped films have disappointed , a small under-the-radar charmer like ` MOV ' has the ability to surprise completely .", "MOV is one of the best films of the year , animated or not .", "the story may be thin , but the project , a feat of stop-motion animation , is made with generous care by the same impressive laika studio artists who conjured up the gorgeous coraline .", "as a summer movie for the kids : protect your progeny . nightmares and bedwetting are bad . but teaching your kids to take death casually is just bad parenting .", "MOV , despite some uninspired trailers , is exactly what it wants to be - a family movie that does n't pander , pushing boundaries without being inappropriate .", "-lsb- video essay -rsb- fans of aardman 's handcrafted style of animation will find much to enjoy in this wonderfully stylized stop-motion comedy-horror-thriller ...", "the tagline for the film reads `` you do n't become a hero by being normal , '' and the film mostly lives up to that assertion , but only up to a point .", "films like this are few and far between - emotional , exciting , and endearing .", "the impoverished story line and murky amber tone make for a slightly depressing experience .", "stories about real heroes of this kind are very rare in movies today , but this is one of those rare stories , and it is to be cherished .", "MOV has a unique look that 's equal parts old school and cutting edge .", "incredible animation unfortunately paired with a preachy , recycled story and unpleasant character design .", "good stop action animation but the storyline and characters all have a been there done that feel .", "... contains an appealing hero for kids and provides a nostalgic kick for adults .", "a sumptuously rendered and freakishly fun monster story for kids that should have been saved for halloween .", "the film avoids the pandering of many animated features , bringing an acerbic edge and a thrilling intelligence to its story .", "quite probably the most sophisticated stop-motion feature ever made .", "rankin/bass never made me feel so detached .", "... if you 're any kind of animation or graphic art fiend or even mild enthusiast , the visuals are sure to stagger you . MOV is an extrasensory delight for sure .", "with infinite warmth toward its characters , whip-smart humor and a plea for human compassion that feels especially necessary these days , MOV is a movie worth wrapping yourself up in", "as beautifully crafted as any pixar or aardman picture and as funny and emotionally satisfying as the best of them ... another laika triumph .", "new supernatural tale from the stop-motion studio behind coraline is a rollicking good time until its jarringly somber and earnest final act .", "truly , this is one animated film that would work just as well as a live-action movie .", "animation is stunning ... voice cast would n't need to be stellar if the writing were better . instead , film climaxes with a lengthy sermon on the psychology of bullying . whee !", "in any given year , it would stand as a lovingly crafted animated endeavor made up of equal parts creepiness and caring , mercifully spare in its use of potty humor and pop-culture references . in 2012 , it ranks as one of the year 's best .", "an animated marvel ... oscar worthy .", "this is the kind of grim fairy tale , equal parts midnight-movie macabre and family-round-the-hearth compassionate , that scars in all the right ways .", "butler called it `` john carpenter meets john hughes , '' and that does just about sum MOV up , though the actual math still feels a little fuzzy .", "a genuine emotional core at the heart of this glum young outsider 's world . especially as to just how otherworldly adults can seem in a solidly cartoonish universe from the ground up , and all those magnified bulging bellies and backsides surrounding him .", "an inventive and visually engaging melange of coraline , monster house and a nightmare before christmas that , its own small way , is also a salvo against modern-day sociocultural nastiness .", "might be described as the little brother of its predecessor from 2009 , ` coraline . ' it 's ruder , rowdier , somewhat dumber and a good deal more gross and obvious than its sister ; but smarter and more likable than the average movie .", "balances visual wit and genre reification with genuine pathos and generous humor", "i appreciate any flick that so capably merges survival horror with throwbacks to '50s b-movies .", "comes so damned close to perfection that many will be willing to overlook its obvious flaws . and that 's great .", "the look of the film is great , and the anti-bullying message works . this would be a fantastic introduction to scary movies for the kids .", "`` MOV '' took a huge risk on a scarier concept , and it paid off enormously .", "-lsb- a -rsb- clear-headed and touching film about finding your own purpose , accepting others as they are and , most importantly , forgiveness .", "MOV is created with stop-motion animation rather than computer animation , and so it has a much warmer more organic feel ... it 's almost as if the textures and tone make the story spookier .", "it 's filled with clever detail , both old-school and state-of-the-art .", "butler and fell are diehard fans of the horror genre and they have peppered the film with an endless array of subtle homages and gags .", "what works about `` MOV '' is its subtle interweave of the stoical and the heroic .", "`` MOV '' is brilliantly animated with an amazing cast and clever writing . it 's the animated film horror fans have been waiting for and the one `` frankenweenie '' is probably aiming to be .", "it delivers a potent , multipronged fable that touches on meaty themes , from bullying to dealing with death . it also delivers an especially resonant message about not succumbing to a cult of fear .", "though the narrative is slender , the stop-motion animation is impressive and the concept of a small-town hero original .", "clever and sweet , funny and spooky ... the best animated movie since toy story 3 .", "the quick-witted script and visual puns -lrb- check out norman 's bedroom -rrb- make this a zombie movie for kids , but one parents can enjoy .", "gleefully twisted fairytale about a small medium with large problems . if only the script were as deeply textured as the beautiful stop-motion animation .", "-lsb- a -rsb- darkly charming , at times forlorn , snarky little movie that both kids and their wised-up parents will love .", "it 's a major studio release with the charm and personality of a hand-crafted art project .", "beautifully rendered in 3-d stop-motion animation , the film combines ghoulishness and hilarity in a way that suggests evil dead 2 for the nickelodeon set .", "visually vibrant animation and terrific use of 3-d .", "if it stumbles a bit , it 's during an ending where the movie over-explains its themes , but that ending is also surprisingly emotional - and the multimedia animation technique and subtle use of 3d are pretty remarkable .", "in the wake of toon hits like brave and the ice age & madagascar sequels , this charming and often very funny piece is bound to get lost in the crowd . but in the chance it makes it to blu-ray/dvd by halloween , it 's a sound choice to pop into the player .", "the results are breathtakingly chilling , but it 's easy to wonder what heights MOV could have reached by doing one thing that well throughout , instead of 10 things at once , haphazardly .", "spooky story about an adolescent medium 's morbid `` sixth-sense '' encounters ... perhaps it should be pg-10 , not pg .", "a smart , contemporary monster movie that does n't talk down to its young or adult audience .", "-lsb- t -rsb- he animation is divine . highly detailed , purposefully designed , imaginatively executed , it is more vivid that reality itself , delighting in imperfections and sight-gags while also attaining heights of pure terror and from the most unexpected sources", "the script is smartly written , offering plenty of loving jabs to the horror genre ... it 's heart 's in the right place , even if that place happens to be outside of its ribcage", "what 's truly marvelous about the stop-motion fantasia MOV is the way it acknowledges adolescence as a daily horror show .", "i admire its character and production design , which achieve the kind of look that sets stop-motion animation apart from cgi .", "stop-motion ` MOV ' as ghoul as it gets .", "the folks at laika seem to be making an art form out of good-naturedly scaring the underoos off of pint-sized viewers while simultaneously delighting their parents .", "a thoroughly delightful movie that will entertain kids and adult horror buffs alike .", "for a movie grounded in fear , MOV stands out as a movie for audiences young and old that 's truly fearless .", "the originality of the script saves the experience , along with widescreen splendor , but there 's a lot about MOV that 's unsettling , and it 's not all tied to the boy 's interest in gore and ghostly pals .", "cool-but-creepy monster flick is too scary for little kids .", "not as daringly , disturbingly original as coraline , but the dialogue and visuals are peppered with wit ... most of the characters are one-dimensional stereotypes drawn without much affection .", "if `` MOV '' were a recipe , it would be roughly three parts funny , two parts tender , one part scary and one part sad .", "any misgivings about the plot are eased by the handcrafted visuals . catch it in 3d if you can .", "a really enjoyable amblin-like adventure comedy that will make for a fantastic halloween family double feature with the nightmare before christmas .", "from a visual standpoint , MOV has set the bar for stop-action animation .", "good movie but a horror movie for children ought to be more fun . kids also like creepy and missing is that nice dash of the willies they love so much .", "what was the last animated movie you could relate to german expressionist cinema , alfred hitchcock , night of the living dead and b-movie horror of the 1950s ? that 's right -- none .", "this swell stop-motion animation operates on a wavelength similar to that of laika 's debut feature , coraline , with assured character comedy counterbalanced by a solemn sense of macabre wonder .", "employs stop-motion animation to provide hand-crafted appeal to the clever and surprisingly scary story of a massachusetts town whose witch-hunting past catches up with it on its 300th anniversary .", "chances are most kids , and most adults , will find `` MOV '' perfectly horrible in the best possible way .", "if the story lacks the consistent psychological depth of coraline , another tale of an outcast finding solace in a parallel world , amends are made during the lovely climax .", "`` MOV '' is never less than entertaining , but you 'll have to follow it into a strange purgatory between two opposing genres .", "for the most part , it 's a brisk , funny and engaging movie that does genuinely exciting things with little bits of string and wire and such .", "a clear and solidly entertaining effort from start to finish . -lrb- full content review for parents also available -rrb-", "norman 's world is a visual and technical marvel , but the plot drags down in elongated chase sequences and a third act fizzle .", "the emotions -lsb- the film -rsb- raises are quite complex and mature and MOV handles them in a refreshingly unironic fashion .", "`` MOV '' finds a way to make this night of the living dead play essentially as a comedy ...", "`` MOV '' has plenty of rambunctious thrills to give the kiddies goosebumps , while older connoisseurs of stop-motion animation will appreciate the laika studio 's inventive visuals .", "the spirit of great stop-motion animators like george pal and ray harryhausen lives on in MOV , and not just as a ghost : it 's so real you could almost reach out and touch it .", "the story , an amusing if not especially fresh tale involving a witch and some puritans , is principally a vehicle for the movie 's meticulously detailed pictorial beauty , which turns each scene into an occasion for discovery and sometimes delight .", "it 's rare to find a movie brimming with this much talent that finds a way to so consistently kill its own narrative momentum .", "it 's not just pixar that kicks ass in animation . there 's magic in MOV , a small miracle in stop-motion 3d from the wizards at laika .", "it celebrates the gothic outsider in familiar fashion , though it does so with a wisdom and gentleness that burton seems to have lost .", "a colorfully macabre stop-motion animation comedy that embraces the sociopolitical allegories of george a. romero 's zombie pictures and reworks them into a feature-length episode of `` scooby-doo . ''", "like its hero , this smart , funny and beautifully animated film achieves great things by daring to be different .", "the inner horror fan is accessed via the child inside in this quirky stop-motion animation treat", "norman -lrb- kodi smit-mcphee -rrb- loves zombie movies , monster movies , and all other kinds of movies about dead people , the grosser and gooier the better .", "funny , frightening , exciting and extremely thoughtful about the nature of the conflict at the core of the film , MOV is a standout feature animation .", "bristling with energy , here 's a delectable 3d film that 's inventive , funny , devilishly ghoulish , loaded with splendid effects and a heartfelt story at its core", "i still liked MOV and it deserves to be seen for its wit and the work of its passionate animators .", "MOV demonstrates - as did films such as coraline , the corpse bride , wallace & gromit and the nightmare before christmas - that stop-motion animation has a texture and warmth that ca n't -lrb- yet ! -rrb- be replicated by computer .", "MOV is style , substance , -lsb- delicious -rsb- brains and a huge -lsb- cold dead -rsb- heart .", "kids who can handle the bumps should find much to love in this beautifully animated ramshackle parcel , one that 's packed full of detail , humour and positive messages .", "an extremely strange blend of genres and styles , MOV somehow manages to pull it off ... sort of .", "movies that set themselves firmly against bullying are great , but ones that play to horror fans are even better .", "MOV is ambitious and inventive , marvelously conceived , but the bulk of its value lies within the movie 's open-minded philosophy .", "the thrilling finale is a terrific blend of heartfelt emotion , surreal visuals and inventive ghostly spectacle , and the film 's timeless message is put across in wonderfully ghoulish and surprising ways .", "MOV treats its viewers with respect , and is all the more wonderful for it .", "it 's sort of like what the goonies might 've been , had the goonies been beautifully animated and not terrible .", "sweet , morbid , funny , clever , and occasionally brilliant .", "the only thing animated about it is the animation , which is so spectacular that you begrudge the script for not being equally inspired .", "i ca n't imagine any kid who enjoys halloween -lrb- i mean the holiday , not the movie -rrb- not being delighted by MOV .", "-lsb- c -rsb- inema is nothing if not a fluid creature that has the power to affect us based on any number of variables . the climactic action sequence of MOV is too busy from a visual standpoint , but its message shines loud and clear .", "is there such a thing as a gateway drug for horror films ? if so , MOV might be just the ticket .", "MOV , blessed with otherworldly animation , ca n't escape the demons of story .", "the world of blithe hollow exists in real space . the residents have real bags under their eyes , real bellies at their belt buckles . ugliness alternates with rapturous beauty ...", "blithe and hollow", "a morbid film but gleefully so .", "it may be the most fun you 'll have with ghosts and zombies all year .", "easily the most ambitious and creative animated film this year .", "simply put , it is no less than the most confident , fully realized , and just plain imaginative stop-motion animated feature since 1993 's holiday classic `` the nightmare before christmas . ''", "`` MOV '' expertly balances scary and funny elements of the story , with a surprisingly heartwarming conclusion .", "humor depends on character , context and continuity , none of which is in abundant supply in `` MOV . ''", "beginning with a zombie-movie-within-a-zombie-movie , this sweet retro paean to kids who love their monsters also has a message for kids about tolerance and bullying .", "an entertaining and visually attractive family-friendly story .", "laika , the animation outfit behind 2009 's marvelous stop-motion adaptation of neil gaiman 's coraline , scores another one for the dark side with this endearingly sweet and spooky-ookie ode to the living , the dead , and the in-between .", "a kids ' film horror fans can sink their teeth into ...", "kids will be very frightened and then end up sympathetic to zombies .", "... this is truly edgy for children 's fare .", "it 's probably a tad too scary for really small humans , but anyone from seven upwards will find MOV 's adventures firmly stick in their braaaiiinnns .", "charming stop-motion lumps chase a witch", "for moviegoers who tend to look down their nose at horror films , MOV offers proof positive that the genre that gets us screaming can also have real substance .", "a savvy , intelligent , well-crafted animated horror comedy for kids should also appeal to adult horror fans as well .", "... not so much creepy as simply unpleasant ...", "MOV proves that laika entertainment has some great talent , great ideas , and a bright future telling dark tales about uplifting and insightful life lessons .", "dismal , yet profound and pungent ... -lsb- m -rsb- ake -lsb- s -rsb- its points in ways more sharp and brutal than other ` children 's ' films ..." ], "summary": "beautifully animated and solidly scripted , MOV will entertain -lrb- and frighten -rrb- older children while providing surprisingly thoughtful fare for their parents .", "id": "771242305" }, { "movie": "once_upon_a_time_in_america", "reviews": [ "a lazily haullucinatory epic that means to encapsulate approximately 50 years of american social history into a single film .", "the perfect swan song for leone .", "pure cinematic bliss .", "hugely complex , achingly sad and splendidly gorgeous .", "at its restored 229-minute cut , leone in his directorial swan song proves in its first half-hour how he 's the master of cinematic hypnosis .", "masterfully edited .", "seeing what leone always intended is like getting your dirty glasses washed .", "the film seems to be too ambiguous for its own good . but somehow it holds together , and becomes a masterpiece , and a wonderful little exit piece for the genius mr. leone .", "while the godfather delivers certainty and a comforting dramatic resolution , MOV delivers a profound kind of mystery .", "every gesture is immediate , and every gesture seems eternal .", "leone is less interested in arousing an audience 's easier emotions than in presenting , at a dispassionate distance , the horror of two men warily walking toward each other on a tightrope suspended above the snake pit of their , deepest compulsions .", "handsomely mounted beyond a shadow of a doubt , but as the final statement in leone 's career , it mostly makes me think of how fantastic his westerns were .", "sergio leone 's cut is wonderful ! avoid the butchered theatrical version unleashed in the u.s. -- i actually walked out on that indecipherable mess .", "spaghetti western master sergio leone turns his eye toward an american gangster epic spanning 50 years with surprisingly positive results .", "a disappointment of considerable proportions .", "in a post the godfather world , for leone to even consider taking on an epically scoped new york gangster film took tremendous courage if not foolishness , coppola had set the bar at an impossible height .", "the film slips easily back and forth in time , dancing between the decades , often making the connection from one era to another solely by means of brilliant cuts that work like magic .", "sergio leone shot the film with such style , grace , and patience that it is impossible not to get caught up in the story .", "great scene follows great scene with inventive direction for almost four hours .", "as one would expect from leone , the film is a brilliant stylistic accomplishment .", "visually stunning , rich in detail , and filled with outstanding performances .", "a cinematic masterpiece .", "a obviedade da meia hora final compromete o impacto do filme - que , ainda assim , impressiona por sua escala \u0436pica , por suas elegantes transi\u0443\u0448es de tempo e \u0437timas atua\u0443\u0448es .", "i 'm as big a fan of misogyny as the next guy , but how did this hateful and often tasteless godfather ripoff become a classic ?", "haunting , thematically complex .", "there are times when we do n't understand exactly what is happening , but never a time when we do n't feel confidence in the film 's narrative .", "while leone 's vision still has a magnificent sweep , the film finally subsides to an emotional core that is sombre , even elegiac , and which centres on a man who is bent and broken by time , and finally left with nothing but an impotent sadness .", "sergio leone 's swan song is an undisputed masterpeice , a self-reflexive crime-gangster epic with towering performances from de niro and tuesday weld .", "here was a filmmaker who specialized in pure , blistering images , and this operatic earthiness just does n't play as well as the horrifying , salacious stuff .", "a work of tremendous intellectual depth and emotional range", "sergio leone explores the seamiest byways of urban americana through the story of two gangsters who start their partnership as brooklyn kids in 1921 and tragically end it in the late '60s .", "a striking tale of loyalty , love , friendship and ambition , once upon a time is a work of technical beauty and sombre emotion .", "just gasp at the scale , at the immaculate period reconstruction and at that incredible opening with its endlessly ringing phone .", "the film , photographed by tonino delli colli , is striking to look at , especially its new york street scenes , which were shot in manhattan , montreal and a back lot near rome . the acting is stunning .", "while sergio leone 's `` MOV '' is not quite the masterpiece that some make it out to be due to its excess , there are still plenty of things to recommend about it .", "adding 22 minutes only enhances leone 's brilliant saga of guilt and betrayal", "sad and vast yet compelling throughout , this remain leone 's most towering achievement .", "sergio leone 's languid , lovely and lengthy ode to lower east side mobsters -lrb- more specifically , mobster films -rrb- ..." ], "summary": "sergio leone 's epic crime drama is visually stunning , stylistically bold , and emotionally haunting , and filled with great performances from the likes of robert de niro and james woods .", "id": "13113" }, { "movie": "final_destination_2", "reviews": [ "fd2 , despite some imaginative fatalities , is less a movie than a slick video game .", "a gory good show for fans of r-rated horror mayhem .", "they 've run the idea to staleness with only two films .", "the movie mandates complete gullibility and vacuous attention in order to work on any level .", "it 's a soulless affair that has little of the panache and intelligence of 2000 's final destination .", "bloody , graceless and surprisingly effective .", "it 's a race to find out who 'll get into number three and this is good enough to rate one .", "the carnage should leave horror fans laughing , groaning and squirming in their seats .", "opens with a horrific traffic accident , which seems apt since what follows is the cinematic equivalent of rubbernecking .", "suffers from the same rancid dialogue and acting problems as the original but with a much funnier pulse .", "entertaining enough to make you forget that you 're watching little more than death warmed over .", "it has a sense of humor ... but in the end is overwhelmed by its silliness .", "it 's gory . it 's fun . it knows how silly it is .", "it 's some sort of classic .", "once you get past its supremely nonsensical title , MOV , a smooth and sharp slice of teen-gothic cheese , is kind of fun .", "the formula is so rigid that no matter how clever the variations , they 're still fundamentally predictable : any character around long enough to acquire a name is bound to wind up resting in pieces .", "innovative offings are about the only thing MOV has going for it .", "just a series of grand guignol skits played for mean-spirited laughs .", "where else have you seen a death scene that involved a leaking aquarium , a crane , pigeons , a mobile , a sheet of glass and nitrous oxide ?", "the movie is a real jolter for horror fans who like the charge of gory images but also demand a certain level of intelligence in the proceedings .", "the measure of it comes down to whether you can buy the idea of 100 minutes devoted to just how creatively people can be sliced , diced , broiled , crushed or dismembered .", "it 's like death and ingmar bergman sitting around playing six degrees of kevin bacon .", "it 's hard to root for a heroine ... who wails , ` it 's a sign ! nora and tim are going to be attacked by pigeons ! '", "surprisingly good of its kind ... if you like gross-out gore , that is .", "we do n't want logic or complex characterizations in a horror flick - we want to see violent death and dismemberment on the most in-ventive and disgusting scale imaginable , right ? on its own terms - elusive as they might be - ` MOV ' delivers", "the film does mostly follow its predecessor?s routine , a wise choice ; although it has become a less enticing , second lap around the same track .", "history has shown us - quite brutally at times - that sequels are often little more than shameless cash-ins . ` MOV ' conforms ruthlessly to this trend .", "ali larter is a fine performer and all , but when she 's the big celebrity guest star of a movie , you know there 's desperation in the air .", "same concept , more fun ... if you 're the kind of moviegoer that thinks creative carnage and watching frantic , screaming people die horribly is fun .", "the most well-rounded character in this movie is death himself .", "fully aware that this is a rehash of what was supposed to be a one-trick pony , the filmmakers have upped the ante by delivering some gratifyingly gruesome death scenes .", "premoni\u0437\u0433o 2 certamente n\u0433o \u0439 t\u0433o tenso quanto seu predecessor , embora seja igualmente divertido .", "it 's filled with scenes laden with irony and coincidence that the audience can anticipate and snicker at with just a bit of nervousness .", "gets more convoluted and thus less involving as it goes along .", "` make no mistake , without the slicing , dicing , filleting , and pureeing , this flick is a recipe for boredom . but like its predecessor , i was expecting a bloodless teen snorefest and got something several sanguineous degrees better ! '", "decent at best this is a lighter , campier , but gorier sequel to the original .", "now that the ground rules have been established for the final destination movies , the fun lies in seeing the inventive ways in which the writers dispatch the various characters in the sequel .", "gruesome , ridiculous , really bad waste of time .", "just the fact that it manages to keep the viewer involved despite the plot 's general ridiculousness makes it the most effective vancouver-shot horror flick in years .", "perhaps you ca n't cheat death in MOV , but apparently you can kill originality .", "albert einstein ... noted , ` god does not play dice with the universe . ' -lsb- t -rsb- he makers of ... final destination ... have ... decided that death likes to play mouse trap .", "one by one these people get bumped off , one by one the people in the audience laugh their asses off .", "even more than part 1 , the real stars of this movie are the elegantly choreographed freak accidents .", "... a wet wick of a film never able to ignite .", "one of the rare horror sequels that actually helps the movie that inspired it .", "if that 's what you came for , you wo n't go away disappointed .", "as grisly as the movie is , you have to admire its twisted invention and the way it plays the audience like a piano .", "once you get past the immediate question of how many ` final ' destinations there can be -lrb- what 's next , the really final % u2013 no fooling % u2013 destination ? -rrb- , this is an efficiently trashy horror flick of the creative death school .", "`` MOV '' is , in a word , a hoot .", "as a half-hour `` twilight zone '' episode , it might have been able to hold your attention , but at almost one-and-three-quarter hours , it just tests your patience .", "death pretty much takes a holiday .", "the killings are n't exactly slapstick , but they 're surprisingly close , and some of them turn out to be fiendishly funny .", "how the movie-going public has n't become bored senseless with such tediously low-standard , so-called scary movies is beyond me .", "if my mini-anxiety attack driving home following the film is any indication , MOV if nothing else , may just give you nightmares for days afterward at the mere thought of getting onto the highway .", "and when a group of folks narrowly escapes dying in a particular order , expect them to be knocked off , one by one , in the exact sequence they would have died originally . in other words , not only is death relentless , it 's also anal retentive .", "this sequel to the surprise 2000 horror hit final destination takes scream and squirm levels to new highs .", "MOV repeats just about everything from the first installment , only with tighter plotting and more enjoyable chills .", "what a novel conceit : take exactly what 's wrong with modern horror movies -lrb- i.e. boredom and predictability -rrb- and flip the proverbial script on 'em . the beauty of the final destination flicks is that anyone can die at any time - and often do .", "part of the fun here is anticipating the rube goldberg-style machinations by which death catches up with its targets .", "that there is an audience for a movie in which innocent people suffer hideous accidental deaths is troubling enough , but that a group of creative people chose to direct their energies on this repulsive spectacle simply provokes disgust .", "the filmmakers clearly set out to make a film that featured lots of footage of really disgusting annihilations , then threw together a haphazard script and hired a few hot actors to play the corpses .", "it 's sick , stupid stuff , and intentionally so .", "with most every ounce of effort and imagination going into figuring out ` creative ' ways to kill the various characters , the film is otherwise an empty exercise in brutal and sadistic horror humor .", "a sloppy and graceless but fun sequel that serves to illustrate the difference between having a great story and a good screenplay . still : a matinee idol in a world of false pin-ups .", "when a horror flick gets tedious , it 's doa .", "` MOV ' exploits the universal fear of death -- but it does so with a creepy , creative flair .", "... one of the most purely enjoyable films out there right now .", "with every killing played for comic effect , MOV negates terror because it 's not concerned with survival .", "it 's simple , but effective .", "it skillfully accomplishes the horror genre 's most basic goal : scaring the hell out of you .", "the sequel repeats exactly the far-fetched plot of the original , complete with elaborate chain-reaction deaths visited on the hapless characters and equally elaborate mumbo-jumbo about the fabric of death 's continuum to try to keep the suspense up .", "in director david r. ellis 's feeble and rancid offering MOV , we 're treated to more of the same nonsensical gory goings-on . this disjointed display of recklessness is bluntly overwrought , blatantly numbing and downright laughable .", "the moviegoers most likely to enjoy this aggressively stupid sequel will be those lovers of over-the-top gore effects who cheer out loud when a character is sliced into three pieces that slowly slide apart .", "let 's not even get into the awful script or the numbingly awful performances .", "though the complicated carnage is competently filmed and staged , the acting and the dialogue are often risible enough to make you wonder if the film is n't a spoof brought you by the folks from scary movie .", "if you think of all this as an elongated three stooges short with bones breaking and membranes splashing , maybe it will go down easier .", "you 'll gasp , you 'll flinch , you 'll cringe , but mostly you 'll scream .", "-lsb- an -rsb- uncomfortable combination of giggle-inducing absurdity and disgustingly graphic visions of death .", "it turns the squirm factor up to 11", "the inventiveness of the death scenes is n't quite enough to compensate for the dullness of the rest , but it comes close .", "it contains some of the most brain-dead people a screenplay has ever produced .", "definitely not for the squeamish !", "gory , disgusting and stupid . ... but , heaven help me , it 's entertaining .", "it does n't matter that the logic is nonexistent and the characters lack little more substance than paper dolls . this is a funny lark for lovers of cheesy horror .", "MOV '' is a real scream . this sequel to the surprise 2000 hit will jolt you yet tickle your funny bone with its audacity and grand flair .", "the premise is thin , the deaths are very graphic - this would be unbearable if it did n't add up to comic value .", "joyeusement morbide .", "while some of the slaughters one-up amanda detmer 's bus-to-body experience from the first movie , you 're basically just waiting for the next nonbeliever to die .", "MOV does n't pretend to be anything other than a robotic repeat of the first film .", "what is most shocking about director david r. ellis ' clever and extremely gory film is that it 's one of few horror sequels to outdo the original .", "takes a good idea from the first film and pounds it into the ground , not to mention decapitating , electrocuting , skewering , blowing up , incinerating , drowning and gassing it .", "the audience in a very direct way becomes that invisible cold wind that announces the arrival of doom -- MOV is almost interactive .", "`` MOV '' may not be on the level that its creepy , unnerving and effective predecessor is , but what it lacks in thrills it nearly makes up for in delicious-if gratuitous-absurdity ." ], "summary": "this sequel is little more than an excuse to stage elaborate , gory scenes of characters getting killed off .", "id": "13166" }, { "movie": "back_to_the_future_2", "reviews": [ "a rush job from filmmakers who should have left well enough alone .", "satirically acute , intricately structured and deftly paced , it is at heart stout , good and untainted by easy sentiment .", "an entertaining but hollow picture .", "another fantastic voyage in a thoroughly entertaining contraption .", "this is a sequel for sequel 's sake - all title , no content .", "the effects are even better than in the first film , and the actors certainly enjoy themselves in a baffling array of roles .", "fans of the original should relish going back to back to the future .", "glum , claustrophobic and often oppressive .", "a surprisingly oppressive , rapid-fire , noisy , gadget-filled action picture lacking the emotion of the original film .", "the most important point is that the new film is fun .", "after a few good scenes , the plot gets too tricky , and the filmmakers keep walloping us with one chase scene after another .", "a dismal and mean-spirited sequel to one of the best movies of the 1980s .", "one-half a very bad movie and one-half a very good movie", "the movie is fun , mostly because it 's so screwy .", "lackluster yet benign time-travel sequel .", "taken as a pair , the first two films ask a number of unresolved and unresolvable questions about causality , order , and intention ; and taken as a pair , they 're also a hell of a lot of fun .", "the one thing the film got right was the crushed effect the media 's growing omnipresence has had on human existence .", "see website for more details .", "solidly entertaining .", "an ambitious film that fails to recreate the warmth or excitment of the first back to the future .", "has the spirit , but it lacks the heart of the original film , and more importantly , much of the humor .", "the idea and the execution is so good that you could applaud .", "does n't surpass the original , but tosses a whole lot of gee-whiz gizmos and concepts at the screen . it 's a whole lot of fun .", "the latest must-see , peer pressure , carve the logo on your head , designer blue jean experience .", "cleverly plotted , but commercially overloaded .", "the film ultimately relies on too many cheesy make-up routines in which characters play their older -lrb- and female ! -rrb- selves which makes it not exactly the best movie in this series .", "part ii incorporates both the staple features of the first film and , at its base , a more mature theme . the film is ridden with questionable violence , and contains an awkward moment of oedipal frustration .", "unfortunately , the story is not as novel or as funny the second time around .", "it manages to be giddily and merrily mind-boggling rather than confusing .", "sure , -lsb- back to the future ii -rsb- has a clunky first act - which takes place in a hilariously overblown futuristic society - but the film knows just how , and when , to entertain us , and it does so in spades .", "there are definitely aspects of laziness to the script -- jokes which have n't been fully considered , simpleminded characterizations , subplots which have no life outside of the narrative -- but at the same time the movie has a spirit of exploration and daring ,", "zemeckis ' fascination with having characters interact at different ages of their lives hurts the film visually , and strains credibility past the breaking point , by forcing him to rely on some very cheesy makeup designs .", "by the end , you may feel that you 've just sat through a feature-length commercial for both part one -lrb- which has to be seen to make this sequel comprehensible -rrb- and part three -lrb- a trailer for it literally ends part two -rrb- .", "the film works best through its magnificent technical achievements -lrb- the visual effects received an oscar nomination -rrb- and the inherent charm of fox , lloyd and , especially , the delightfully menacing thomas f. wilson .", "the relatively quaint and simple time travel arc from bttf gets far more confusing and , in some ways , more fulfilling .", "it turned off most viewers , but fascinated me .", "a weak , convoluted attempt to cash in on the original 's charms .", "it 's impressive entertainment , and best of all , it never degenerates into spielbergian sentimentality : you can laugh , be thrilled and think without feeling embarrassed .", "uneven but still enjoyable , delivers a darker scenario than the ending of the first film would imply .", "` de volta para o futuro 2 ' \u0439 uma continua\u0437\u0433o \u0430 altura do original e merece ser visto - antes que o velho biff altere tudo novamente .", "more frantic , noisy , and overproduced than funny" ], "summary": "back to the future ii is far more uneven than its predecessor , but its madcap highs outweigh the occasionally cluttered machinations of an overstuffed plot .", "id": "23533" }, { "movie": "im_not_scared", "reviews": [ "-lsb- i 'm not scared -rsb- is a nicely crafted coming of age film by salvatores and he deftly shapes the story into an appealing package .", "connects everything in a lovely and terrifying way .", "salvatores ' classically illustrative treatment should open arthouse doors for the visually sumptuous production .", "it offers a fresh , stylish , and considerably more intelligent treatment of familiar genre material .", "i 'm not scared is n't a perfect film , but petriccione 's cinematography and cristiani 's performance make it well worth seeing .", "odd coming-of-age movie is gorgeously shot and emotionally involving , and features some truly exceptional performances from its young cast .", "a well-crafted cross-breed that utilizes cruel power-plays of both youngsters and adults to support the ominous mood of a first-rate thriller .", "a beautiful , exciting and challenging film about survival and a child 's cold realization that adults do n't always have the right answers .", "haunting and suspenseful .", "rana 's anxiety , stacked on top of that of the politically tense region , creates a pitched emotional drama made more gripping by its real-world setting .", "excels at interpreting the peculiar currency of childhood .", "nature and animal imagery dominate salvatores ' stark , moody film , which suffers from an overreliance on mutely beautiful imagery to express its themes .", "this spare and haunting italian thriller is about innocence lost , and how a small world can be made smaller when you 're alone in it .", "salvatores and director of photography italo petriccione 's gentle , meditative approach ... masks the menace laying within the seemingly peaceful village .", "proves once again how accomplished italian cinema is at seeing the world through a child 's eyes .", "the performances are all terrific . each one suggests an entire story that we can only glimpse .", "the director reminds us that not all films require a breakneck pace or ridiculous twists to be effective .", "this pleasant italian offering is a suspenseful and heart warming story of a heroic 10 year old boy who risks his own life to save another .", "by far the most gorgeous slice of sunlit sadism so far this summer , i 'm not scared also manages to be oddly sweet : a boy 's life , with treachery .", "hauntingly beautiful -- when it 's not harrowingly disturbing .", "cristiano is completely believable as michele , and , as the confused kidnapped boy who believes he has died and that michele is an angel , mattia di pierro is unforgettable .", "yet another sad tumble from promise into violation , from the white-heat of bliss to the ashes of banality .", "a well-mounted movie , i 'm not scared is good but it seems even better because of its evocative setting .", "it 's the kind of stomach-churning bedtime story that encourages us to be afraid , without ever being able to reassure us , like a parent , that it 'll all be okay in the end .", "both atmospheric thriller and heartbreaking coming-of-age tale .", "makes bland international entertainment out of specific historical trauma .", "a visually magnificent film in which the camera will help you remember just how the world looks to children .", "a beautifully shot and compelling blend of thriller and coming-of-age drama .", "watching it is like being lost in somebody 's richly moody campfire story .", "a reminder of true childhood , of its fears and speculations , of the way a conversation can be overheard but not understood , of the way that the shape of the adult world forms slowly through the mist .", "the primal intensity of emotions and settings takes the story well beyond generic elements .", "a collection of juxtapositions : bucolic countryside opposite jangling nerves . innocent childhood opposite a boy subjected to unspeakable horror . love opposite fear .", "a small movie but , like the thematically similar to kill a mockingbird , it leaves with you a sense of children 's vulnerability and their incredible resilience .", "salvatores remains admirably literal throughout the story , but his camera evokes all kinds of mystical possibilities .", "a good story told with energy and efficiency .", "an italian drama that restores the overused phrase ` loss of innocence ' to something meaningful and memorable .", "an accomplished and evocative thriller from italy .", "this is a different sort of horror film , where the known is infinitely more frightening than the unknown .", "unlike most boys in films these days , michele is n't your typically cloying blabbermouth . he is a quiet kid with a strong sense of imagination .", "... one of the purest movies you will see , unhindered by the conventions of cinema and built completely on the essence of feelings .", "what is excellently captured in salvatores 's film ... is the look and feel of those long-forgotten freeform summer days of childhood .", "the muddled motivations of the film 's adults to one side , scared scores -- and even soars -- when looking at the world through the eyes of its 10-year-old protagonist .", "delicado em seu retrato da inf\u00e2ncia , peca apenas pela conclus\u0103o frouxa , quando o pr\u00f3prio filme torna-se infantil .", "`` i 'm not scared '' suffers from ill-conceived staging and sluggish pacing . the film 's theme that altruism and ignorance are punished is a careless postulate drawn from a kidnapping spree in italy during the late '70s .", "this is a visually stunning film , an intelligently consummated marriage of genres resulting in a movie that is , if not unique , at least very special .", "harmoniously blends elements of a coming-of-age story , a crime drama and a mystery together in something of astonishing power and scope .", "... a fascinating , if frustrating , look at the relative lack of power and security and place a child has in our modern world .", "few movies evoke the wonder and terror of childhood as this film does .", "a lyrical throwback to such movies as ren\u00e9 cl\u00e9ment 's forbidden games -lrb- 1952 -rrb- and other works of the humanist european cinema of a half century ago .", "visually striking and exceptionally performed by old and young alike , i 'm not scared plucks the nerves .", "a remarkable italian drama that elevates a thriller to the artful level of deeply affecting drama .", "a middle-brow work posing as an art film .", "those who stick with it will be richly rewarded .", "this sounds like prime fodder for a fast-paced thriller , but the movie is actually something more special : a tender-hearted rumination on the loss of innocence among children .", "-lsb- it -rsb- first catches your attention -lsb- with -rsb- the crime ... but what you 'll remember long after is the terrible dilemma of a young boy being forced to face the real world .", "to watch gabriele salva-tores ' i 'm not scared is to be whisked into childhood .", "a terrific attempt to express a young boy 's moral awakening using intense colour schemes , wide-angle lenses and unforgiving close-ups", "the beautiful photography will have you booking flights to sicily , while the unsentimental rites-of-passage drama ca n't fail to touch your heart .", "brilliantly shows the frivolity of childhood and the joy of summertime -- an effectively contrasting background against which to set a kidnapping drama , you must admit .", "it 's the exchanges between cristiano and di pierro , children caught up in nasty business they ca n't understand , that hit you in the gut .", "a fierce , frightening and deeply moving study of childhood .", "an engaging italian film about a pint-sized hero in a poor small village where the adults are acting very strange and hiding something .", "with a graceful confidence salvatores has made a movie in which good and evil flow into each other as easily as day and night .", "cleverly structured and smartly acted .", "with its unique perspective on both the coming-of-age and thriller genres , the movie deserves to be seen by a wider audience than the one that normally frequents subtitled movies .", "well-scripted story about the end of innocence .", "with a taste for dark lyricism , the director delicately emphasizes the contrast between surface innocence and subterranean danger , and between grown-up secrets and boyhood bravery .", "acted in one flavor of broadly sliced prosciutto , and marred with familiar digital punctuation , i 'm not scared need n't be prepped for hollywood recycling -- it is its own homogenized remake .", "an eloquent coming-of-age tale about a young boy with uncommon courage", "offers a startling mix of genres : a memory piece drenched in nostalgia for a lost childhood , clothed in the form of a thriller that grabs you by the throat .", "... perfectly captures kids at play , as well as something related , but darker .", "a coming of age story with some very interesting twists . the film moves a little slowly but it does engage you .", "in the end , its elements come together with the kind of genuinely thrilling , deeply satisfying climax that even the better hollywood movies just ca n't seem to pull off anymore .", "a thriller of conviction , class and deceptive simplicity .", "both a spooky reverie about childhood and a slow-burning suspenser in which conspiracy and betrayal shake the foundations of a boy 's life .", "reminiscent of the live-action disney films of the 1970s - if wes craven directed one .", "a virtuoso piece of dark storytelling .", "loss of innocence ? yeah , maybe . but there 's so much more at play here that it seems absurdly reductionist to stick i 'm not scared with such a clich\u00e9d label .", "rivet -lsb- s -rsb- attention to its expertly woven storyline with appealing and believable characters about whose fate it is impossible not to care .", "a thriller , but a gorgeously lyrical one , an entrancing exercise in hyper-realism ... like a cinematic dream , hazy and suggestive , atmospheric and moody , almost operatic .", "certainly a heartfelt film but it 's also melodramatic and weighed down by heavy-handed direction and a sappy musical score .", "taps into the terrifying rush and excitement that accompanies a child 's loss of innocence : the dislocating realization that the world is not the safe , neatly ordered place it once seemed to be .", "lovely to behold and almost as lovely to reflect upon .", "salvatores draws strikingly unsentimental performances from his young actors , all making their film debuts , and juxtaposes the petty meanness of children with the calculated cruelty of desperate adults to haunting effect .", "at the bottom of it all lies nothing more than a by-the-numbers hollywood thriller .", "few movies purporting to chronicle loss of innocence convey its jolt and sadness as effectively .", "-lsb- it 's -rsb- so perfectly written and paced .", "... salvatores has made a film reminiscent of spanish masterpiece , the spirit of the beehive .", "agreeably gripping coming-of-age thriller .", "io non ho paura reveals the reasons children ca n't help but be afraid , despite the efforts of most adults to protect them .", "this satisfying adaptation of a popular novel is mostly an artistic reflection on youthful loss of innocence .", "although this visually dazzling movie from italy takes on many of the characteristics of a conventional thriller , it refuses to go for cheap , vicious shocks .", "powerfully and palpably capturing the isolation , confusion and unnameable fears of childhood ." ], "summary": "a well-acted and thrilling coming-of-age tale that captures a child awakening to the frightening world of adults .", "id": "770678574" }, { "movie": "mr_deeds", "reviews": [ "slackly directed , but there is n't a mean bone in its body -lrb- even the bad people are n't all that bad -rrb- , and its good nature rubs off on you .", "in `` mr. deeds , '' there is no ambition , no pretense whatsoever ; it is inexplicably proud of its forgettable nature . ''", "surprisingly sweet and , dare we say it , old-fashioned .", "it ranks among -lsb- sandler 's -rsb- better work . frank capra would not approve , but he 's not rolling in his grave , either .", "it 's not that the gags are n't funny here and there ... it 's that they do n't add up to a movie , or really pretend to .", "makes the capra film , labeled cornball by some even in 1936 , seem like shakespeare .", "while brill 's direction is crisp , herlihy 's jokes are n't much .", "a half-good update of mr. deeds goes to town .", "what 's next ? rob schneider , dana carvey and sarah michelle gellar in the philadelphia story ? david spade as citizen kane ?", "comically flat and flawed on many levels .", "adam sandler is to gary cooper what a gnat is to a racehorse .", "mr. deeds is , as comedy goes , very silly -- and in the best way .", "fortunately for sandler and audiences , it hits more often than it misses .", "mr. deeds is n't bad for an adam sandler film , which is as backhanded as a compliment can get .", "sandler has none of coop 's magic .", "with the sandler company in full force once again , one certainly ca n't accuse deeds of straying from formula . it 's the formula itself that is highly suspect .", "though it 's enjoyable , you ca n't help but feel the squandered situations and talent , flattened by mediocre writing and direction .", "the otherwise good-naturedness of mr. deeds , with its embrace of sheer goofiness and cameos of less - than-likely new york celebrities ... certainly raises the film above anything sandler 's been attached to before .", "anyone who has responded to the sweet side of adam sandler 's growing comic screen persona is sure to be delighted by mr. deeds .", "it 's crippled by a complete lack of chemistry between the two leads .", "sandler 's poorest film to date .", "there 's a price to pay for the guilty pleasure steven brill 's film affords -- a relentless process of dumbing down that tells the audience it 's cool to be a doofus .", "the plot is moth-eaten , the jokes lame , the action sequences idiotic to disgusting , and the whole adds up -lrb- or subtracts down -rrb- to a complete waste of time .", "no amount of spastic-colon jokes , cartoon violence or good-buddy cameos -lrb- al sharpton , john mcenroe -rrb- can distract from the fact that gary cooper -lsb- sandler -rsb- ai n't .", "a very stupid film that 's almost watchable but does n't really have any reason to exist .", "when you 've already made something as execrable and universally loathed as little nicky , why stop there ?", "a remake so bad it will make your gums bleed . orphanage fires are funnier .", "the film delivers as promised on most levels ; however , it does help to be an adam sandler fan to begin with .", "the only saving grace about mr. deeds is its functioning as a wise and timely cliche ' : money ca n't buy everything -- especially for a clunky comedy with no spirit or no spark .", "... perpetuates -lsb- sandler 's -rsb- penchant for idiotic , schoolboy humor , misunderstood-nice-guy characters , and plots which insult the intelligence of anyone over 12 .", "he 's still the same persona in every movie .", "adam sandler comedy is more of -- and less than -- his previous `` little guy makes good '' films .", "sandler strives for an awkward blend of sight gags , comic violence and smarmy sentiment that might even have sent capra himself retching to the nearest lavatory .", "it 's not his best , but it is far from his worst .", "sandler -lrb- reminiscent of his wedding singer character -rrb- is sweet , touching and very funny .", "sandler is ready to be himself again , which means veering between his usual devilish savant and a newer post-adolescent gentleman .", "the story is predictable , the jokes are typical sandler fare , and the romance with ryder is puzzling .", "sandler has never seemed less inspired and merely goes though the motions in a bland movie that limply recycles bits from his other films .", "a surprisingly funny movie .", "sandler 's gonzo charisma keeps this weightless souffl\u00e9 from levitating too often out of the laugh zone .", "an unfunny , careless piece of trash riddled with directorial , editing and acting mistakes .", "perfunctory is the word .", "capra 's deeds was n't all that good to begin with , and modernized casting here does n't improve on it .", "boba . sosa e innocua hasta morir ...", "no good deed goes unpunished - and punishment you shall feel after watching mr. deeds .", "adam sandler is not funny . nothing he does is funny . his movies , with a couple exceptions , are n't funny .", "nothing in it adds up logistically or comedically . it appears to have been photographed by volunteer carwash attendants .", "mr. deeds has more impromptu punchouts than a source awards get-together .", "although the premise opens doors to many comic opportunities , the film resorts to cheap , random jokes that do not grant sander the right material to explore .", "if this disposable tissue has one wild card , it 's john turturro , who 's simply fab as a spanish butler with a foot fetish .", "if your expectations are very low , there are some decent laughs and the film makes for a guilty pleasure .", "if you 're over 25 , have an iq over 90 , and have a driver 's license , you should be able to find better entertainment .", "i may be too old for adam sandler movies , but it seems to me that he 's getting too old for them , too .", "mostly terrible , a shambles of a comedy that looks as if it was shot by a tabloid news crew .", "this is a terrible movie in its own right , tasteless and condescending -- if sandler 's character is an everyman , than the everyman of today is a boorish jackass .", "fans can rejoice that mr. deeds is a close third behind happy gilmore and the wedding singer on sandler 's list of quality credits .", "a witless and wafer-thin remake .", "sandler 's worst effort to date .", "sandler does n't do much we have n't seen before , although he 's wisely scrapped the annoying showboating he did throughout `` little nicky , '' in which he insisted on trying to upstage everyone else onscreen .", "it 's a film that is n't there , 91 minutes of celluloid without a movie .", "neither charming nor funny and risks disappointing even the most ardent sandler fans .", "comparing frank capra 's mr. deeds goes to town and adam sandler 's new remake is like viewing a rolex against a cheap knockoff .", "... nicely fills the void between special-effects blockbusters and predicatable thrillers while still being something you can send your kids to .", "it 's neither as sappy as big daddy nor as anarchic as happy gilmore or the waterboy , but it has its moments .", "what 's surprising about mr. deeds , a remake of capra 's mr. deeds goes to town -lrb- 1936 -rrb- , is that it tries to be as earnest as its predecessor .", "capra 's ... common crowds too often degenerate into mobs ... . we like the mild mindlessness of the re-make a bit better .", "while it is n't nearly the equal of the original , sandler 's deeds is an entertaining time-waster with a couple of great laughs and many more chuckles .", "no longer can a classic movie go silently into the volumes of film history without someone thinking up a sequel or remake .", "films like big daddy and the waterboy aggravated me by being actively obnoxious ; mr. deeds is merely bland .", "typical adam sandler fare , but pretty entertaining nonetheless .", "this heavy-handed , dimwitted , dumbed-down version ca n't decide whether it 's a parody , a slapstick comedy or sappy romance . rent `` mr. deeds goes to town . ''", "directed with the panache that only the creator of the mighty ducks can bring to your project , mr. deeds is a poorly made and charmless affair .", "frank capra played this story straight . but the 2002 film does n't really believe in it , and breaks the mood with absurdly inappropriate ` comedy ' scenes .", "mr. deeds '' oddly enough is enjoyable while it follows capra 's outline . only when it goes its own way in the third act does the comedy fall apart .", "the story is only a loose thread formed to link a string of comedic pearls .", "this movie would n't be worth paying to see even if you had 40 billion dollars .", "never decides whether it wants to be a surreal farce , a satire , a romance , an homage or all of the above .", "it virtually defines a comedy that 's strongly mediocre , with funny bits surfacing every once in a while .", "it 's all a saggy , inept mess .", "utterly predictable , thoroughly sentimental and -- worse -- not all that funny .", "how could adam sandler , of all people , remake capra ? well , shoddily , as it happens .", "this is a remake which will vaguely satisfy the sandler faithful and have capra fans gritting their teeth .", "sandler barely expends any energy trotting out the `` average dude who shakes up stodgy high society '' schtick , and director steven brill and scripter tim herlihy follow lazy suit .", "the star and his numbskull cronies piss on capra 's grave with acrid insincerity .", "the end result is n't dreadful , but it is patchy .", "pretty awful , but teen sandler fans may like it .", "just another sandler movie , nothing more , nothing less .", "click to read review", "peter gallagher must 've been hard up for cash .", "anyone with an iq over 85 should stay away .", "there are about four laughs in the thing , and that 's not good when you 're adam sandler ...", "just another dumbed-down comedy , although it aspires to social satire", "the problem is that sandler just is n't as fresh or as funny as he used to be .", "so incompetently filmed that they ca n't even manage the production values of dude , where 's my car ?", "nothing about this movie works .", "` god help us , but capra and cooper are rolling over in their graves . '", "sandler 's still owns the deeds to sweetness , sentimentality , and sitcom skill .", "sandler ai n't no gary cooper . with his rumpled clothing , boorish behavior , and his circa 1952 jerry lewis haircut , he comes across more as a pathetic 30-something who never got past hanging out in shopping center parking lots with his `` buds . ''", "there 's a sense of genuine , naive good will accompanying the material that almost , but not quite , makes up for the far more than occasional lapses of successful comedy .", "it is a movie that is so dumb it 's funny . unfortunately , it is also a movie that will make you wish you went to see something else .", "the second tier performances in mr. deeds are worth the price of admission .", "overall , ` deeds ' proves that sandler 's comedy is showing it 's age . while not as horrid as ` little nicky , ' ` deeds ' remains outside of sandler 's circle of great comedies .", "returning aggressively to his formula of dimwitted comedy and even dimmer characters , sandler , who also executive produces , has made a film that makes previous vehicles look smart and sassy .", "mr. deeds is not really a film as much as it is a loose collection of not-so-funny gags , scattered moments of lazy humor .", "too whitewashed and generic ... it 's like watching chris rock in bad company .", "` if you 've seen the original ... steer clear of the new knockoff , lest your heart be broken . '", "let 's cut to the consumer-advice bottom line : stay home .", "there 's nothing funny about this .", "so painfully and relentlessly unamusing , so chockablock full of desperate mugging and witless silliness where truly funny stuff should be , that it appears to be work of people who never made another movie comedy .", "adam sandler is an extremely likable man who knows his limitations and works within them .", "it 's not just that the movie itself is wicked awful , it 's that mr. deeds brings out the worst in adam sandler .", ". . there were a lot of elements in the film which just did n't work at all . .", "look who 's out of the courtroom and on the big screen in what may be the worst performance of her career , it 's alleged kleptomaniac winona ryder !", "a surprisingly sweet picture , it is n't quite funny enough to be able to recommend it , but it is n't a bad film .", "it 's filled with charm .", "this is very much of a mixed bag , with enough negatives to outweigh the positives .", "i 've never seen -lrb- a remake -rrb- do anything as stomach-turning as the way adam sandler 's new movie rapes , pillages and incinerates frank capra 's classic ...", "mr. deeds goes to town updated for the big daddy crowd .", "foul , putrid cesspool of a movie .", "the people who made this movie ... -lsb- crammed -rsb- so many product placements into the action that you feel like there should be an 800 number at the bottom of the screen .", "yes , the acting is atrocious -lrb- possibly the worst i 've seen this year -rrb- , the romantic chemistry non-existent and the morality struggle endured by ryder 's reporter laughably manufactured .", "this is sandler running on empty , repeating what he 's already done way too often .", "people who just call 'em as they see 'em need only note that this remake of one of frank capra 's most famous pictures is a perfectly dreadful film and leave it at that .", "see it with someone you love ... or at least someone who enjoys sandler .", "a lost puppy of a movie aimlessly in search of approval .", "it 's all over . we 're doomed . hightail it to a bomb shelter , if you can find one . otherwise , just insert your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye .", "sandler is back to form in a movie that has its share of over-the-top moments , but is likable for its underlyingly sweet love story .", "you 'll laugh , hard too , and in this world , why would you want to turn down an opportunity like that ?", "anyone who can count to five -lrb- the film 's target market ? -rrb- can see where this dumbed-down concoction is going .", "frank capra 's 1936 classic mr. deeds goes to town is bashed senseless by adam sandler 's particular brand of classless bombast .", "the picture is a primer on what happens when lack of know-how mixes with lack of give-a-damn .", "what would i do if i inherited forty billion dollars ? first of all , buy out adam sandler 's contract and put him in more movies like ` the wedding singer . '", "mr. deeds could have used another round of editing and some beefed up comedy", "`` mr. deeds '' is suitable summer entertainment that offers escapism without requiring a great deal of thought .", "formuliac , but fun .", "i loved the laughter , but i hated the boredom in between the laughs .", "turturro is fabulously funny and over the top as a ` very sneaky ' butler who excels in the art of impossible disappearing/reappearing acts", "it 's sweet , harmless , dumb , occasionally funny and about as compelling as a fishing show .", "lacks almost everything that made the 1936 movie an enduring classic : idealism , heart , social and political savvy , convincing romanticism , robust ensemble acting and humor .", "` mr. deeds ' turns out to be the perfect vehicle for sandler , a common man 's comedian who fits quite nicely in a farce celebrating common wisdom .", "a leftover casserole of sandler 's previous films in which his performance seems detatched and bored .", "a surrealistically bad movie , one of those astonishing clunkers you watch agape at its awfulness .", "i 'm just too bored to care .", "the latest adam sandler assault and possibly the worst film of the year .", "i ca n't recommend it except to die-hard sandler fans , and even they will have to admit that this is one of his lesser efforts .", "all in all , this baby makes you ever more eternally grateful for amc and tcm on the cable . that 's where the real movies have gone to hide .", "the projectors in the theater practically shut down with boredom .", "it 's still adam sandler , and it 's not little nicky . and for many of us , that 's good enough .", "you do n't have to be a tree-hugging pacificist to be sickened by the constant sight of sandler putting his fists and boots to someone , or of others imitating his psychotic behaviour .", "in addition to the lame retreading of the original film 's underlying fish out of water plot , the performances help sink this effort .", "it 's nothing more than a money maker for the filmmakers and a pointless star vehicle for sandler .", "it has finally happened , a small miracle of miracles : i actually like an adam sandler comedy .", "a stink bomb of a movie ." ], "summary": "this update of capra does n't hold a candle to the original , and even on its own merits , mr. deeds is still indifferently acted and stale .", "id": "11234" }, { "movie": "iraq_in_fragments", "reviews": [ "because -lsb- director -rsb- longley uses a technique that forgoes interviews and voiceover commentary in favour of observation and revealing juxtapositions , his movie puts you both in the chaos and just above it .", "what MOV lacks in fresh reportage or sending a political message , it makes up for with unique insight .", "the first third is so intense -- a masterpiece in miniature , really -- that audiences may not have much emotion left for the rest .", "MOV ... appears to be asking a simple , but often unmentioned , question : oh yeah , what about the people of iraq ?", "bafflingly , the threats in an occupied country consistently come from within , not without or overhead : what has the effect of the us occupation and hussein 's vicious rule been on these people ? offers a fragmented , obscuring picture of iraq .", "too bad james longley could n't have broadcast this insightful documentary immediately after he shot it in 2003 and 2004 .", "visually , the director 's flair is impressive . but longley 's clear intention of using children 's faces to better tug at our heartstrings would be more admirable if it did n't feel as shamelessly staged .", "the film is both gritty and lyrical , showing how tanks share the baghdad streets with donkeys as well as the quiet beauty of the kurdish countryside .", "the film is terrific at providing a kaleidoscopic sense of life unfolding , with imaginative editing and colors that seem to leap off the screen .", "the technique is more expressionistic than naturalistic , but it makes the film far more vivid and emotionally satisfying .", "a timely , lyrical and candid look at daily life in a post-invasion iraq .", "in the end , the movie is more than the sum of its fragments . the montages are intense , the images ravishing . the movie is tactile . when you finally feel this place , you understand just how little you understand .", "a heartbreaking assessment of iraq 's reconstruction from the point-of-view of its intended beneficiaries .", "james longley 's haunting , oblique film , MOV , presents a collage of images , sounds and characters in an intimate , partial portrait of an unraveling nation .", "working with v\u00e9rit\u00e9 patience and no scripted narration , longley looks and listens , with nonjudgmental sensitivity , as sunni , shiite , and kurdish iraqis explain their colliding , intractable , invaded worlds , and their rising frustrations .", "it 's head and shoulders above the rest in its clarity , intimacy and poetry , and it illustrates the dreadful predicament america has created in iraq , which drove so many angry people to the polls on tuesday .", "people talk about the country being split into pieces , but there 's not much shown to articulate how , when or why that is the case .", "brings back nothing journalistically substantial from the war front .", "raw and powerful .", "a visually startling , patiently observed and deeply humanist film .", "style comes occasionally close to taking precedence over its heartfelt humanistic intentions , yet the film 's deep respect for human resilience and hope ultimately renders cynical accusations of touristy condescension moot .", "an engrossing award-winning documentary about the chaotic and bloody situation in iraq as seen through the eyes of sunnis , shiites , and kurds .", "-lsb- director -rsb- longely 's real strength lies in his ability to draw from the observances of children .", "-lsb- director -rsb- longley shows a poetic , almost elegiacal artistry . after two years , he might not understand the iraqi people fully , but they have won his heart and mind .", "visually arresting and deeply disheartening , james longley 's impressionistic documentary explores the pain of a shattered country by homing in on a few tiny shards .", "longley 's access to public and private developments in the wake of the u.s. invasion of iraq is often stunning .", "the imagery is poetic and beautiful at times . meanwhile , the haunting legacy of the documentary is that people still are being pulled apart by religious differences and ethnicity .", "james longley 's MOV is a visually stunning documentary that looks at that country through the eyes of its own people -- a novel enough approach at a time when everyone else has had their say .", "told in tones both wondrous and horrible .", "... a beauty and a richly textured palette rarely seen in such video documentaries .", "watch the evening news and you get a view of iraq from high above the wreckage . in this fascinating doc , director james longley shows us how things look on the ground .", "james longley 's sundance-winning documentary puts the camera uncomfortably close to scenes of abuse , violence , terror , cynicism and racial hatred amid the rubble of u.s.-occupied iraq . but at the same time , its texture is frequently beautiful .", "there are embedded journalists in iraq , and then there is `` MOV '' director james longley .", "there are some striking images , but the film is less useful for not having any commentary on the confused events depicted .", "what makes MOV so distinctive is its impressionistic and at times lyrical imagery .", "a work of beauty as well as horror , MOV is one of the best of the many documentaries to come out of that ruined country . it 's powerful , enlightening and necessarily depressing .", "in a series of stunningly filmed sequences , longley and his camera seek out the real lives outside the frame of conventional tv news , and he succeeds in creating both compelling journalism and superb images .", "there 's something of a period quality to this beautifully photographed documentary snapshot of iraq in transition .", "the film provides specifics , details of hectic life among ruins , faces filled with dread , desire , and defiance .", "... this one demands to be seen .", "in addition to the interesting camera work , the documentary 's undeniable appeal comes in how close longley gets to the characters , who are all male . they speak openly of the past , the u.s. forces , the uncertain future .", "a vivid , poetic evocation of life in post-invasion iraq that works both as impressionistic collage and candid portraiture .", "of all the documentaries to come out of the current war , MOV is the least violent and perhaps the most disquieting .", "documentary filmmaker james longley -lrb- gaza strip -rrb- has a flair for cinematography and editing and a poetic sensibility that informs both these talents .", "much of what is captured will be familiar for viewers of frontline or other recent documentaries .", "when the war is long gone , this deft construction will persist in relevance , if not for what it says about the mess we once made , then as a model of canny cinematic construction .", "what justifies the film , and makes it compelling , is the corresponding subjectivity of its iraqi narrators , who lend this movie not only their voices but their eyes and ears .", "shot over three years , this is one of the more considered and insightful iraqi documentaries - although some may find its stylistic contrasts a little self-conscious and distracting .", "a remarkable example of the conjunction of a burningly topical and newsworthy subject with a brilliant filmmaker .", "MOV opens a window on the world of the war 's casualties in a narrative triptych that 's profoundly haunting and often ravishing .", "the frequently gorgeous footage , culled from some 300 hours shot over a two-year period , provides ample compensation for any narrative .", "this visually sumptuous movie richly deserves the cinematography , editing and directing prizes it carried off at sundance last january .", "a documentary of stunning immediacy and marvelous images ...", "although the film does n't make any earth-shattering discoveries , it at least attempts to put a face on an ` enemy ' that few americans have considered .", "longley 's journalistic discipline is as impressive as his artistic eye : he 's content to show , not tell .", "longley is a strikingly effective director", "the film is unusual among iraq documentaries for its impressionistic , frequently gorgeous cinematography and for its structure : it 's split into thirds , one about a sunni -lrb- the boy -rrb- , one about a shiite mob , and one about the quiet kurds up north .", "the struggles -lsb- documentary filmmaker james longley -rsb- recorded in his dazzling MOV are n't battlefield conflicts , but the personal , religious and political efforts of iraqi citizens to reassemble their shattered lives .", "director james longley does n't say anything new about the politics of iraq , but he leaves us with a vivid impression of its people , its places and its seemingly irreconcilable contradictions .", "by turns tender and shocking , MOV strikes a rare balance between impromptu fluidity and feature-film narrative control , in the process resisting both partisanship and predigested points of view .", "james longley 's devastating documentary MOV has neither narration nor obvious political ax to grind , but it manages to tell us something about iraq that we are n't getting or ca n't get from standard news coverage .", "we 're used to seeing iraq through the lens of washed-out digital video , so it 's striking how sumptuous and elegantly-composed the shots are in `` MOV . ''", "MOV sometimes feels random , but it is a well-crafted , thoughtful study of the dueling divisiveness and hope that will define the region long after foreign troops leave .", "stands up as a classic war documentary , in its unusual poetic form and by its extraordinary access to the lives of ordinary iraqis .", "-lsb- an -rsb- evocative , heartbreaking documentary told from three disparate but equally compelling perspectives : the sunnis , shiites and kurds ." ], "summary": "a stylistically bold , humanist take on the difficulties of post-invasion iraq .", "id": "157954279" }, { "movie": "paprika", "reviews": [ "satoshi kon 's glorious visuals are the driving force of a rather strange and surreal sci-fi experience that 's often hard to follow .", "in MOV , a gorgeous riot of future-shock ideas and brightly animated imagery , the doors of perception never close .", "sit back and enjoy the detail-rich visuals while appreciating the unfettered imagination at work in constructing them .", "an animated fever dream sure to haunt long after the lights have come up .", "all i can say about MOV ... is : whoa ! and , i mean that in a good way , a very good way .", "could -lsb- director satoshi -rsb- kon 's fanciful cure for the blockbuster blues have come along at a better time ?", "MOV tries to do too much and does n't do any of it especially well .", "despite the jumble , kon 's eye-popping , surreal mastery of the japanese dream is awakening .", "the anything-goes dream logic is confusing , and the question of why , late in the game , the nighttime fantasies start becoming real , is left mostly unexplained .", "a spectacular experience , full of bizarre , frightening and beautiful dream logic .", "... the experience is as beautifully baffling as any that you 'll have wide awake .", "-lsb- a -rsb- dizzying , ambitious excursion into the subconscious .", "kon rarely cares about the stagnant old real world that his films so frequently transcend . his characters fuss endlessly about fantasy 's gripping , consuming power , but he himself seems blissfully unconcerned with where his gorgeous illusions take them .", "the movie keeps flooding us with strange , scary imagery .", "soulless characters in remarkably flat animation talking epistemological gobbledegook among watered-down psychedelia .", "with a conventional invade-dreams/bend-reality plot , it 's a bit of a bore .", "watching anime is like hearing a foreign language in which you are fluent but not native : however much you believe you understand , you can never be sure you totally get it .", "offers both eye candy and mind candy -- it 's a thoughtful visual treat .", "solely as a magical mystery tour of sights , sounds and surrealism , however , it 's a unique animated blast to the senses .", "MOV fills me with such overwhelming enthusiasm as to leave me gibbering .", "its visual collision of mindscapes , films within films and dreams within dreams cascade into a dizzying rush that easily washes away the humdrum dialogue and somewhat sketchy plot .", "the animation shows brilliant imagination by the filmmakers .", "plays like the end and the beginning of japanese cinema : it contradicts itself and contains multitudes .", "though it 's not quite up there with the cream of anime feature films , MOV is a distinctive , quality addition to the genre .", "reality and fantasy leak into each other in short-circuiting jolts in kon 's cosmos", "i ca n't claim to have followed the story line of MOV any better than i did pirates of the caribbean , but this mind-blowing , adult animated adventure from japan is half the length and maybe five times as much fun .", "MOV expands your notion of what animation can achieve . you wake from it as if from a dream : spooked , provoked and exhilarated .", "smart , electrifying , and proudly unhinged , this japanimated gem definitely belongs in the fold , and might even win over a few older art-house patrons with its very adult , transhumanist premise of interactive dream therapy run amok .", "my advice ? enter your own dream state , and surrender your brain .", "this is without question a unique and superior achievement .", "whatever it is you 're looking for -- comedy , horror , parades of singing frogs and dancing kitchen appliances -- you 'll find it in satoshi kon 's anime adventure , a jaw-dropping feat of imagination .", "the latest eye-popping and surreal anime from satoshi kon -lrb- tokyo godfathers -rrb- .", "MOV offers a breathtakingly surreal journey . it 's a film that may serve up mass destruction and ponder some nightmarish scenarios , but underneath it has a warm humanity and humor that 's utterly endearing .", "does n't do much to free itself from the trappings of the anime genre , which one supposes is n't necessarily a bad thing for actual anime fans . but for the rest of us ? that 's more nightmare than dream come true .", "a relentlessly hallucinatory experience that only just manages to leave a dozen or so left-brain cells intact , enough to more-or-less support a plot .", "as a showcase of the limitless power of the imagination , MOV never fails to delight the eye and engage the mind . we are never sure exactly whom we should be cheering for , or even if we 're rooting for real characters or their avatars .", "this one jacks you into cyberspace , involving you psychically and physically .", "style 10 , substance , maybe 2 .", "what keeps the picture percolating is the stream of hallucinatory images , both nightmarish and oddly alluring , that kon conjures .", "the movie bombards us with so many overlapping fantasies , it 's hard -- and in many ways , beside the point -- to keep up with the plot . it 's best appreciated by assuming something of a dream state ourselves and enjoying the giddy flow .", "MOV stays in your mind as pure freedom and pure exhilaration .", "MOV , while certainly not suitable for kids , manages to capture the childlike , helter-skelter chaos and curiosity of the human mind better than any other animated film .", "a masterly example of japanese anime , intended for adults .", "manages to create a comfort zone for both tarzan and freud .", "the mostly 2-d animation is top-notch quality , and it is a fascinating idea .", "visually fantastic , logically flawed and incredibly dull . just like your friend 's dreams .", "MOV adds quite a dash of spice to the anime genre and offers a fun ride .", "MOV is yet another incoherent anime that 's more interested in its warmed over visuals than in indulging in any kind of storytelling or character work .", "MOV is for dyed-in-the-wool anime fans only . others will likely see it for what it is -- a pretentious piece of animated nonsense .", "-lsb- satoshi -rsb- kon mixes visual beauty with disorienting perspectives for a cautionary tale about machine-influenced soullessness and the persistent japanese popular love of the cute .", "some have suggested that taking drugs first would enhance the experience , but really , i do n't see how hallucinogens could make the movie any weirder than it is .", "you could sit through the film two or three times to nail down the details of the story , but the film is n't interesting enough to warrant a second look .", "for an alternate set of exciting alter egos , see satoshi kon 's MOV , a brilliant anime feature .", "that the supposed bad guys are actually intent in preserving the sanctity of dreams adds to the disorienting exhilaration of kon 's best work yet .", "you stagger out of this one both grateful and ready for a deep and dreamless nap .", "MOV is a fertile delta of forms and colors , wildly inventive , shape-shifting , jiggly with fat jokes .", "while the story may make this kon 's least inspired film , the animation is his most inspired .", "is it sci-fi ? fantasy ? idiocy ? mostly it 's a droning mess -- pretty to look at but confounding to the point where you just do n't care any more .", "the \u00fcber-dream is both gorgeously animated , in kon 's shimmering , hyperreal style , and sickeningly scary .", "the animated blast of the summer - a rowdy , racy , brilliantly executed sci-fi psychedelic head trip that may just blow you away .", "a slick , accessible and thoroughly entertaining piece of japanese anime .", "fiercely provocative , MOV shames hollywood 's use of animation as a kiddie pacifier .", "kon is a spectacular filmmaker , although not quite of the same warm , humanistic nature as hayao miyazaki .", "as valentines to the power of cinema , big dreams and the inner child go , it does n't get much more exhilarating than this .", "just go with it , drink in the rich and innovative images , and wish that you could remember your own dreams as well as you 'll remember `` MOV . ''", "simply the most refreshing piece of cinema i 've seen this year .", "an intelligently written piece that only falters during the finale , where kon sacrifices the film 's logic for an explosive ending .", "the idea of cinema as irrepressible bogeyman might be kon 's own confession .", "becomes far more enthralling ... the more one simply surrenders to the awe-inspiring beauty of kon 's images of flesh , metal and unhinged mental delusions .", "overflowing with dazzling images , many of which walk that thin line between beautiful and terrifying .", "we 're so used to current cautious commercial formulas , it comes as an enjoyable shock to see something like satoshi kon 's japanese film , MOV , which reminds us that with animation , almost anything you can imagine can be represented .", "kon marries visual dazzle to unblinking pop existentialism in ways that make viewers ' heads hurt so good .", "-lsb- an -rsb- above-average japanese anime sci-fi pic .", "... a distinctive experience .", "the standard stuff of b-movies comes to life under kon 's playful imagination .", "as a purely sensory experience MOV is a spicy dish , but one that does n't deliver much nourishment for the mind .", "if less thematically dazzling than millennium actress , it 's suffused with a giddy sense of the seething , mutable landscape of the mind .", "especially for fans who understand how movies are put together , MOV grabs you from the get-go in a series of flowing images and transitions that follow the skewed logic of a dream , jumping from a three-ring circus to a swinging jungle vine .", "if an animated scattershot clusterfuck tweaking under the influence of a determinedly japanese mindset sounds like a good way to substitute a cinematic drug experience for the real thing , then go right ahead to satoshi kon 's overflowing excess .", "a film that should appeal to more than just devoted fanboys .", "kon signe son effort le plus ambitieux \u0155 ce jour et rejoint les katsuhiro ` tomo et hayao miyazaki dans les rangs des cin\u00e9astes d'animation les plus importants de son \u00e9poque", "MOV probably wo n't win many converts to anime , but the faithful should be satisfied .", "as anime goes , it 's not the most freakish of entries , but it 's one of the more surprising and scintillating .", "this is how post-modernism should always behave : like an acid trip narrated by derrida ." ], "summary": "following its own brand of logic , MOV is an eye-opening mind trip that is difficult to follow but never fails to dazzle .", "id": "351527066" }, { "movie": "1213718-did_you_hear_about_the_morgans", "reviews": [ "adorable if adulterous and agnostic salad-fancying nitwit city slickers save their marriage with the help of a god-fearing , meat-eating ` sarah palin ' and her sheriff husband in what could be described as ` green acres ' in red state drag , plus guns .", "MOV ? if so , you might wish you had n't .", "a comedy with mostly likable , broadly drawn characters ; tart , nonthreatening social satire with sharp enough teeth to leave an impression while not breaking the skin ; and well-timed , modestly sophisticated repartee .", "mostly it 's an invitation to spend an easy 108 minutes with some very likable folks -lrb- grant , sam elliott , and mary steenburgen -rrb- as they amble through a laid-back fish-out-of-water comedy .", "so now you can say , indeed , you have heard about the morgans , smile politely , and move on to the next movie playing at the multiplex .", "predictable , leaden , unfunny and unnecessary .", "clich\u00e9-ridden , stereotype-stuffed and clunky at every inevitably false turn , it 's so bad that star hugh grant , usually the most relaxed of actors , actually seems to be in pain throughout the film .", "as much as these two characters talk , there 's little worth sharing with the wider world beyond hey-you-slept-with-somebody .", "fish-out-of-water romcom is teen-friendly but a real snooze .", "yes , comedies thrive on broad strokes . but selling americans lame images of one another as if we have n't traversed the country -lrb- if not in actuality , via television and film -rrb- is dispiriting .", "not even the estimable comic chops of hugh grant and sarah jessica parker can lift it above the level of ordinary .", "a fish-out-of-water story with a bit of a freshness issue .", "grant 's familiar , pained and rueful expressions start to look like an actor 's commentary on the film , not a character 's response to events within it .", "like sitting under the dentist 's drill for 100 minutes , there 's not a single , solitary laugh in the whole damn thing . in fact , it 's a film so bad you actually start to feel sorry for the stars .", "the trouble with his new film , though , is not its lack of grit , but its lack of ambition and originality . it 's one of those films that you 've seen before - even before you 've seen it .", "perhaps this new decade could be the one in which female audiences are treated as something other than a dumping ground for the lazy , complacent idiocy that has passed for chick flicks of late .", "the jokes come thin and slow , the thrills are non-existent .", "the cinematic equivalent of throwing buckets of money at a house with no foundations . the worst thing is , and sadly for cinema , this house shows no sign of falling down any time soon .", "a hellish rom-com bereft of chuckles and charm . a good screwball comedy should have laughs , heart , sexiness , rapid-fire banter and , most importantly , chemistry between its two leads - MOV ? has not one of these things .", "considering how rarely grant works , you 'd expect genuine excellence in the scripts he picks . we 'd expected more than this merely serviceable , not very believable hollywood romcom .", "we 've seen this a hundred times before ... only better .", "parker and grant sleepwalk their way through a flatline comedy in which old jokes can be seen coming a mile away .", "you know the line about what a bear does in the woods ? not only is that wittier than all of MOV ? , it describes the movie as well .", "it 's not great art , but it has a certain goofy effervescence , mostly thanks to hugh grant .", "did you hear about MOV ? really , you do n't want to .", "this alleged screwball comedy is almost laughless . it 's one of the most surprising comedy duds of the year .", "there are countless moments throughout the film when writer-director marc lawrence pauses for a laugh line , but the jokes hang there for an eternity while grant winces apologetically , like he 's just shattered a dish .", "it would be acceptable if all this fakeness lead to something legitimately funny . instead , we 're left bemused and bored .", "always fully aware it need not involve big words or ideas to offer light entertaining fare even if there 's only so far you can take such a predictable premise .", "might have been called witless protection , if that title had n't already been taken -lrb- damn you , larry the cable guy ! -rrb- .", "MOV ? has no room for surprises .", "toss this one on the ever-growing pile of failed hollywood romantic comedies , and wish grant and parker better luck next time .", "this ultra-mild frolic follows the ` fish-out-of-water ' comedy formula so closely its lack of surprise is almost , well , surprising .", "hugh , what a stinker ! mediocre sit-com humour does n't help an unoriginal premise and a star pairing with less believable chemistry than a pebble and another slightly smaller pebble . where 's a straight-to-video distributor when you need one ?", "potro % u0161eni hugh grant i antipati % u010dna izvedba s.j. parker u komediji koja je trebala biti slasher horror", "you 've seen it before , and you 'll see it again . in one way or another ` MOV ? ' is the same old fish-out-of-water story that 's been put to film dozens of times .", "to end my assessment on the level of the film 's writing , you 'll wish you never heard about the morgans . -lrb- ha ha ha -rrb-", "the mediocre material gets a boost from a hardworking grant , who uses his trademark bumbling formality to deliver dry commentary and wring out the most laughs possible .", "i wish i could answer ` no ' to the movie 's title question .", "despite a breezy premise , this rom-com displays lazy filmmaking at almost every level of the production", "in a silly way , it is entertaining , the mismatch is actually weirdly plausible , and try as i might , i could n't be grumpy about it .", "parker is better , injecting a note of rawness and authenticity into an otherwise misconceived subplot about adoption . even she ca n't fake any curiosity in , yet alone sexual chemistry with , grant .", "parental content review", "the movie does n't just quickly run out of its fish-out-of-water jokes but does n't have any unique or funny gags in its arsenal the moment the couple from new york city lands in wyoming .", "a fish-out-of-water comedy that flops around on the dock for a while before eventually , and mercifully , expiring .", "a painful failure , lumpish and crude .", "an exercise in foregone conclusions so dreary as to hardly qualify as comedy .", "there 's no sense of affection . no passion , even when they fight . their dialogue rings hollow . these two are n't believable and their relationship is a black hole . who cares ?", "a somewhat amusing yet trite example of the modern-day screwball comedy .", "the jokes were old when `` green acres '' was new .", "this is what happens when you throw reliable talent at an awful script .", "it does n't pretend to be an awards contender , and yet , oddly enough this year , it 's far more entertaining and astutely written than the majority of recent releases that are .", "sweet and funny , this is more suitable for a tv movie than a big screen feature", "there 's a scene where hugh grant confronts a grizzly bear and i 've never rooted so hard for a predatory mammal .", "yes , i 've heard about the morgans . i 've heard about matthew mcconaughey morgan , debra messing morgan , gerard butler morgan , renee zellweger morgan , john cusack morgan and kate hudson morgan . all the damn morgans .", "the movie is like a car wreck in which no one is injured but the onlookers .", "with less edge than soup , MOV ? is a proud , plain , rom com .", "you 've already heard every joke it has to tell .", "a friend in hollywood told me last summer to expect a lot of `` recession '' movies - movies contrived to provide all those involved with a quick paycheck - in the coming months and i 'm guessing this is what he meant .", "where are billy crystal and the rest of city slickers gang when we need them ?", "the cast is in such fine form that everything seems funny .", "while it fails on nearly every conceivable level , as a textbook case in everything contemptible in the studio system , MOV ? is as good as it gets .", "grant and parker ... are so boringly civil that there must have been a marriage guidance counsellor standing just out of shot .", "while at times the pair sparkle and most importantly have chemistry , entire scenes are laugh-free zones as far as the dialogue is concerned .", "let down by a script that 's not funny enough and a plot that 's so formula it came from a baby 's bottle .", "writer-director marc lawrence 's film delivers some halfway decent lines for grant to gobble up gratefully enough up until this point , but from here on in it gets worse and worse .", "neither good nor bad . scales dizzying new heights of okay . aims for mediocrity ... and nails it .", "punishingly lame and containing little romance to compensate for the absence of comedy .", "`` hair balls are prettier than what 's coughed up here . ''", "disappointing romcom with a lazy , predictable plot , irritating characters , lacklustre performances and painfully unfunny set-pieces .", "morgans not worth hearing from .", "... a lightweight but entertaining comedy deftly performed by some old hands .", "it 's clearly parker 's movie , and that 's a shame .", "grant has never been less charming and parker never less fashionable or more grating than they are as paul and meryl morgan .", "it 's as if the film is a no-humour zone , and any attempt at a laugh gets sucked into a cinematic vacuum of mirthlessness .", "trades on hugh grant 's charm , sarah jessica parker 's fan base , and the general good will of the audience . at least one of those three has been sorely tested by the time the end credits roll . possibly two", "here 's yet another movie that should be neither seen nor heard .", "the romantic-comedy equivalent of a genetically-tweaked slab of meat , an over-engineered counterfeit whose marketing tells us a lie every instinct we have disputes .", "in one of those perfect cinematic storms , everything is wrong about this film , from screenplay to casting to performances and especially directing .", "the romantic pairing of grant and parker has no zing , the script is dead in the water and if we were asked us whether we cared about the morgans , the answer would sadly be no", "if you are expecting a pleasant evening of escapism , you will be cruelly fooled . the editor responsible for the trailer is clearly a genius .", "hugh grant and sarah jessica parker ply their cute trademarks -lrb- his befuddled british grimace , her la-di-da new york sass -rrb- like grim , incompatible partners in a hollywood business deal .", "forget witness protection , with this one you need protection % u2014 ` witless ' protection .", "intimates crime as the ultimate aphrodisiac , when it comes to rekindling doomed conjugal bliss . move over , viagra and sex toys .", "hugh grant and carrie bradshaw -lrb- yeah , i know -rrb- go to the woods . it 's by the numbers , harmless and almost without charm .", "bland , charmless and witless - trust me , you do n't want to hear about the morgans .", "most bad comedies plod from scene to scene . this one plods from sentence to sentence . grant and parker stand around as if they 're waiting for someone to yell , `` cut . ''", "hugh grant and sarah jessica parker are assigned to a witness protection program , flown to wyoming , and installed in a one-horse town where there are no bistros , art galleries , department stores , or funny jokes .", "i grant you hugh grant and sarah jessica parker evoke charm in the right screenplay . this is the wrong screenplay .", "it 's a pity there 's no witness protection program for movies that commit crimes against audiences .", "the clich\u00e9-ridden dialogue is delivered with no feeling or conviction and a predictable ending leaves you wanting more . the supporting players are given little to do , but outshine the marquee names .", "a really dumb romantic comedy with the trendy storyline of someone falling in love with somebody who has been betrayed .", "lawrence clearly has a talent for the genre if he can write a story that includes a murder , not one but two bear attacks ... and a climax at a rodeo and make the whole thing feel unforced .", "... the uptown , house-hawking , vegetarian meryl gets to flex ms. parker 's typecast , cosmopolitan dependency act ...", "did you hear about the worst rom-com of 2009 ? it 's this one !", "where is richard curtis when you need him ?", "not even the clumsy title bears any evidence of inspiration , which actually makes it a nice fit for writer-director marc lawrence 's dud of a script .", "this is a film that does roughly the same thing for the concept of star-powered romantic comedies that tiger woods has done for the concept of marital fidelity .", "if it was n't for hugh grant , MOV ? would be competing for worst comedy of the decade . instead , it 's just in the running for worst comedy of the year .", "MOV ? is about as stereotypical as a stereotypical romantic comedy can get", "sometimes it 's unpleasant , sometimes it 's insincere , and for long stretches it 's boring . there are good parts , too , but they all come in the first 10 minutes .", "a smug , new-york-is-the-center-of-the-universe comedy that does n't have enough humor to compensate for its misplaced sense of superiority ...", "it 's hard to imagine why you 'd want to pay to be talked down to and coddled like a baby .", "it 's a thoroughly delightful throwaway -- the kind of movie for which cable tv was made .", "i 'm not sure what entertainment itch morgans is supposed to scratch , but as an obnoxious , poorly performed , and distastefully executed comedy , it 's near the bottom of the barrel for 2009 .", "it 's not just the sound of crickets you hear watching this movie . it 's the sound of dead crickets .", "why is n't there a federal program to protect people from witnessing movies like this ?", "you see , city folk are like this , and country folk are like that .", "hugh grant and sarah jessica parker are supposed to pass for a married couple , but they have all the chemistry of two actors who just met and shook hands moments before the cameras rolled .", "a serviceable but uninspired romantic comedy with a familiar fishes-out-of-water backdrop .", "this fish out of water rom-com is predictable and sappy but the contrast between new york and wyoming , filmed with fine production values , makes for some interest .", "lawrence 's recycled observations of the virtues of rural life , his struggles to find something funny about local `` types '' -lrb- an unworldly doctor and his na\u010fve-nitwit nurse -rrb- , his `` grizzly encounter '' scene , are painful to watch ." ], "summary": "it gets a certain amount of mileage out of the inherent likability of its stars , but with an unfunny script and a lack of onscreen chemistry , MOV ? falls flat .", "id": "770805258" }, { "movie": "queen_of_earth", "reviews": [ "hell is other people - especially the ones who know you best - in alex ross perry 's acidly funny and unnerving portrait of a psychological breakdown .", "this dual character study , featuring a balls out performance from moss and an eerie one from waterston feels like so many other movies , everything from `` 3 women '' ... to `` rosemary 's baby '' and `` repulsion , '' yet defies coming into its own focus .", "almost subliminally upsetting , `` MOV '' touches viewers ' primal fears by continually messing with worries embedded in our subconscious .", "... the result is an earth-shattering performance in a film that solidifies perry 's place among the most exciting filmmakers working in american cinema today .", "ms. waterston , a modigliani in motion and often in black , easily holds your attention , but it is ms. moss , with her intimate expressivity , who annihilates you from first tear to last crushing laugh .", "not all of MOV gels perfectly , but when it does , it can be breathtaking .", "it 's a midnight movie that turns out to be a rainer werner fassbinder chamber drama .", "... both a self-conscious homage and a frustrating dither .", "those new to the helmer 's grainy , consuming , self-absorbed worldview are welcomed with a chilling portrait of disintegration , cementing perry 's reputation for unflinching , raw nerve work .", "perry 's movie may not be easy to watch , but that does n't mean you should n't .", "this is a lovingly rendered , feel-bad chamber piece chock-full of elliptical psychodrama .", "writer-director alex ross perry conjures such a strong atmosphere around his characters -- and elisabeth moss and katherine waterston are so powerful in the leads -- that one gets sucked into their emotional conflict .", "`` MOV '' is one of these special , mold-breaking occasions , dipping itself into grotesquery with such sneaky abandon it frequently catches one off-guard in the best way possible .", "it may sound unpleasant to watch , and there are moments of discomfort , but perry and his performers draw you into this raw chamber piece .", "while the film might seem like an actors ' showcase -lrb- it is that , too -rrb- , to deem it exclusively as such would undermine perry 's command of tone and structure .", "watching MOV , you realize that every single aspect of its production is reflective , meant to refract or clarify the dual personalities at its center .", "alex ross perry continues to find new ways to make bitter break-ups strangely enjoyable .", "is alex ross perry america 's best contemporary filmmaker ?", "it 's rare when a psychological drama gets us into a character 's head without tricks or a voiceover . this drama from alex ross perry burrows so deep that it 's scary .", "a standout star turn from elisabeth moss enlivens and deepens alex ross perry 's extended roman polanski homage .", "-lsb- a -rsb- delicately calibrated portrait of dissolution which points to the versatility of writer/director alex ross perry .", "throughout the film moss traverses an astonishing range of emotions , from bliss to complete mental disintegration . she is fascinating to watch even when the film turns into a frustrating head-scratcher .", "interesting , arty riff on early polanski and bergman 's persona .", "it is a character study of a woman 's decent into madness that is not a pretty picture but a potent one .", "privileged , self-obsessed , and unsympathetic , every character was purposefully unlikeable to the point it was used for humour .", "every beautiful , resonant image in writer-director alex ross perry 's film is fraught with neurotic , diaphanous riddles .", "`` MOV '' is a cold picture and may be a little obscure for some audiences , but watching this thrilling new filmmaking step and an auteurial voice grow is exciting stuff to witness .", "this is vigorous , frightening , electrifying stuff . even minor perry outclasses most contemporary majors .", "a solid stab at channelling its influences into the horror of modern self obsession", "a startlingly audacious departure for the writer/director that also feels like a natural progression for an auteur in the making .", "an open wound , moss is terrific , yet MOV feels a touch brittle and precious , like the swirly pink-hued script perry employs for his end credits .", "the film is n't a thriller per se , but it has the tension and atmosphere of one , only with emotional violence substituting for the physical kind .", "tautly written and performed with intensity , MOV is n't afraid of portraying unlikable characters , exposing their flaws and insecurities to the viewing audience .", "queen is as much about the bitterness of women as it is about the cruelty of men .", "for some viewers , the acidity level of perry 's movie will be too high to stomach . for others-anyone who thinks that there are too many warm hugs in strindberg , for example - `` MOV '' awaits .", "MOV is an unnerving , intense experience , but you ca n't turn away from elisabeth moss .", "the bitterly hilarious barbs that defined -lsb- alex ross perry 's -rsb- prior work have curdled into something darker than black comedy -lrb- but not totally without humor -rrb- .", "psychological horror ensues , and how . i 'd hate to reveal a single teardrop in this sharp chamber drama . it 's all chill , no pill . the sun shines bright behind that vale of tears .", "perry may never make a movie for the masses , whoever they are . but his truest work burrows into weird , blackly comic places few other filmmakers would dare explore .", "the filmmaker creates a bitter , chilling mood , the score 's strings less musical instruments than choking devices .", "-lsb- perry 's -rsb- gracefully disturbing execution conveys a tangible sense of the emotional violence and attrition that can underlie seemingly placid social surfaces ...", "it 's that tension - will catherine really go off the rails , and how far will she go when she does ? - that makes `` MOV '' such a transfixing experience .", "its effects will stick with you , even if you do n't quite understand them .", "MOV is one of the least recommendable films of the year . this is a film that chooses to ride a tidal wave of agitation and bitterness instead of portraying any sort of amusing or enticing qualities .", "... throws acid on its off-putting characters and their hopeless situations and rubs moviegoers ' faces in it rather than offering any substantial insight or depth .", "if you 're gon na go hard to the closeup , you 're gon na want to work with a face like elisabeth moss 's .", "well made , written , acted and crafted , it 's the sort of movie that does n't go down easy , takes no prisoners and leaves you hoping your own life will never resemble theirs .", "`` MOV '' is n't a laugh riot , not by a long shot . but it is a good movie , and a fascinating study of descent .", "a good try at a difficult story but a lack of character development leaves us in a vacuum .", "the film would be nothing but a hollow exercise if its hollowness were n't so hauntingly precise .", "anchored by incredible performances from elisabeth moss and katherine waterston , this is one of the most mesmerizing pictures of the year ." ], "summary": "led by a searing performance from elisabeth moss , MOV is a demanding -- and ultimately rewarding -- addition to writer-director alex ross perry 's impressive filmography .", "id": "771413838" }, { "movie": "how_high", "reviews": [ "for better or for worse , MOV knows what its audience wants and serves it to them , straight up , without any sort of moral or ethical chaser .", "despite the comedy 's reliance on drug humor , first-time director jesse dylan is actually less interested in getting high than in seeing how low he can go .", "the jokes are n't funny , the characters are n't fully developed and poor editing only makes a humorless story confusing .", "silly , sloppy , and liberated from any sense of pacing or plot", "sinfully tasteless cinema was everywhere in 2001 - but this movie is so bad it 's freudian .", "as it stands , a movie like MOV does nothing more than perpetuate the belief that marijuana is enjoyed solely by idiots .", "not all the gags work , not all the gross-outs serve the greater good , but MOV is funny , quick , and the very definition of a pleasant surprise .", "you 've seen it before .", "this is one clumsy cannabis comedy that could n't give the late timothy leary a natural high worth experiencing ! nip this `` joint '' session in the bud !", "can they go any lower ?", "maintains a consistent level of a swaggering , semi-anarchic silliness reminiscent of '70s youth-skewing comedies .", "too lazy to be a comedy , too conventional to be a head movie .", "less outrageous than simply desperate .", "feebly crafted in virtually every way imaginable -- directing , cinematography , acting , scriptwriting .", "features a fine mix of several generations of comic talent plus a terrific soundtrack from its stars .", "a bad saturday night live skit blown up to feature length that will make some viewers long for the far funnier days of cheech and chong back in their day .", "the proceedings are n't quite as annoying as expected , but it has been sloppily made , and feels about twice as long as its 91 minutes .", "its unremitting coarseness and utterly amoral attitude will be excruciating for most viewers to sit through .", "a hip-hop cheech and chong picture crossed with animal house that 's about as cheerfully vulgar as you might expect .", "it begs the response that seems to have been the moviemakers ' mantra : ` whatever . '", "MOV does n't look like a movie somebody made . it looks like a movie somebody hallucinated and put up on the screen .", "MOV is n't just the title of this new ganja comedy , it 's a question of how chemically altered you should be before you walk into the theater .", "this marginally funny cannabis comedy only proves how funny cheech and chong movies were in their day .", "the chemically-induced farce scrapes the bowl for cheap laughs from sight gags and sporadic jokes .", "the biggest problem , ironically , is that even though the plot and the action center on smoking pot , it 's not enough of a stoner flick .", "the fact is that this movie has no real plot , paper thin characters and totally unfunny jokes .", "most of the movie is simply a series of sex-and-drug adventures as method man and redman romp through campus and play pranks on the dean .", "mark this one down as a matinee for fans of method man & redman or of weed itself .", "the idea sucks on paper , and it does n't get any better when it 's on the screen .", "bling bling !", "comes blanketed in a toked-up haze through which no one seems able to read their cue cards .", "totally witless .", "lowbrow , vulgar , and certainly formulaic , it 's also creative , absolutely hilarious , and ... knows better than to shoot over its audience 's heads .", "even when aiming low , MOV is too stupid or stoned to hit many marks .", "in small doses , the movie 's outlandish , unapologetic gross-out humor works ... taken in all at once , though , MOV can be daunting .", "either you find this stuff funny or you do n't . i do n't .", "as for redman and method man , neither should give up his day job in music .", "if -lrb- it had -rrb- hung on to the consistency of comedy ... `` MOV '' might have been funny enough that its pointlessness and incongruous storytelling would n't have mattered .", "if ever there was a movie whose message we did n't need , it 's jesse dylan 's MOV , which glorifies drug usage .", "cheech and chong they ai n't .", "there 's ... enough cheery mockery to amuse even non-tokers .", "a string of gross one-liners about ho 's , white-man university , ho 's , marijuana , ho 's , the sexual inadequacy of orientals , ho 's , amazingly clueless white people , and ho 's .", "aims low but smacks the funny bone considerably more often than it misses .", "the infectious high spirits amid its cartoonish chaos compensate for the film 's bald deficiencies and gag-inducing gags .", "a spottily amusing showcase for rappers method man and redman .", "like its lead characters , this movie is smarter than it sometimes acts .", "a slapdash collection of tired drug jokes , fish-out-of-water clich\u00e9s , projectile vomiting and gross-out humor .", "this chaotic mess of a film ... has the disjointed quality of a stoned-out fantasy .", "sample what you want . doze through the rest .", "i doubt that method man and redman , the two joint-puffing stars , would watch their own movie without chemical assistance . for that matter , i expect they had plenty while making it .", "i could feel whole chunks of my brain dissolving , my cinematic standards being lowered , and my desire to send a check to norml grow as i watched this movie and loudly laughed my ass off .", "method man ... proves to be a likable performer as he tosses off and wanders through MOV 's gags .", "a hip-hop comedy that succeeds even when MOV tests how low it can go ." ], "summary": "MOV is a sloppily constructed stoner movie filled with lame , vulgar jokes .", "id": "13565" }, { "movie": "10008991-informers", "reviews": [ "the MOV becomes that rare movie that is so tedious it dares you to keep watching .", "brazenly befouling cinemas with its sub-soap-opera acting , melodramatic dialogue , and thoroughly unlikable characters .", "this just felt like a bunch of people in 1980s l.a. with blonde streaks in their hair listening to wang chung .", "gorgeous people and some well written dialogue are n't enough to make this a movie you should see .", "... a dreary , loosely connected parade of drug - , drink - and sex-sodden lost souls .", "imagine `` crash '' with a social disease and you pretty much have `` the MOV '' in a nutshell .", "filled with narcissistic twits who never say or do anything of consequence or interest .", "life is a bitch and then you go to l.a.", "despite a terrific ensemble cast , the MOV suffers from an uneven , chaotic screenplay with forgettable , poorly developed characters while none of the actors or actresses get a chance to shine . it never really gels into a sharp , compelling or e", "if you do n't require anything more profound ... in your movies , then the MOV may well be a satisfying experience .", "characters become real enough to draw you in , yet are not deeply drawn enough to make you care .", "people sometimes had ordinary , reasonably polite conversations , even in the '80s . not absolutely all the talking was affectless mumbling , angry recriminations , drug deals or tv news about ronald reagan .", "i do n't find the MOV to be without interest -- unlike most critics -- but neither do i find it successful enough to recommend it .", "sublimely awful , director gregor jordan 's adaptation of bret easton ellis ' dystopic vision of '80s era los angeles bounces between a slew of unlikable reckless characters .", "there 's plenty of incident , but not much plot . as befits a tale of absolute self-absorption and unconscious revelation , the MOV often seems to be telling on itself .", "a rancid load of swill called the MOV , from a depraved 1994 book by bret easton ellis , is , like the soloist , a look at the underbelly of l.a. , but the resemblance ends there .", "perhaps the only use this film has is to give philosophers who sit through it some way of experiencing what eternity truly means .", "an ugly , blank slate of a film , one that feels like a rough outline for one of the better ellis adaptations .", "-lsb- features -rsb- a ludicrously concocted , thoroughly unconvincing narrative and the pervading sense of style supplanting substance .", "gregor jordan and bret easton ellis take no prisoners in this uncompromising , expertly crafted shocker about hedonism in early - '80s l.a.", "imagine absolutely fabulous without edina and patsy , or dynasty without alexis , and what have you got ? the MOV .", "much of it remains purposefully pointless , and ellis and jordan never attempt to reframe the dead-eyed hedonism and solipsism that makes these characters very hard to care about .", "the MOV proves once again that ellis 's stories are difficult to realise for the big screen and perhaps best left for the printed page and the imagination .", "watching people live such vacuous , clone-like lives of privilege and decadence , it 's impossible to feel anything for them .", "none of the characters are particularly appealing and it ultimately fails to engage on an emotional level .", "the film has a slick surface sheen and evocative soundtrack -lrb- simple minds , a flock of seagulls , etc -rrb- but those are just incidental pleasures in a languid condemnation of soulless excess .", "director gregor jordan seems to have gone into reverse since his 2001 buffalo soldiers , aiming for the la rondeau of altman 's short cuts but missing all the vital ingredients - wit , humanity , charm , nuance and meaning .", "bret easton ellis pens a mean tale , in all adjectival senses . his prose is artfully maleficent ; he is a laid-back severus snape of the sex-and-drugs generation . you need a smarter directing hand , though , than gregor jordan 's .", "a chilling , brutal film that is a lot more than the sum of its one dimensional parts would suggest .", "what an a-list cast : mickey rourke , winona ryder and kim basinger . interesting enough , all stars of the eighties , which is exactly where this movie should have stayed .", "if the MOV does n't sound to you like a pleasant time at the movies , you are right .", "an outbreak of '80s nostalgia is the best explanation for the MOV , a worse movie based on a worse bret easton ellis book .", "the MOV is a beautiful picture of misery , but the surface quality is never penetrated to satisfaction . in the end , it 's a mess of smeary mascara , mix tapes , and hair mousse in search of connective tissue .", "in spite of the title , the MOV does n't get below the surface of the era of reaganesque excess to tell us anything new . but it 's way cool to look at .", "excels in the mysterious tension found when someone who does n't care talks to someone who does .", "the MOV should be more aware of its own unsavoryness , and revel in it a little . as it is , the movie is far too weighty , as though it were honestly trying to convey some kind of cautionary message .", "perhaps the film 's biggest mistake is that after more than an hour of proving how pointless and vapid these characters are , it leaves us with a parting shot indicating we should care about what happens to them . we do n't .", "the result turns the novel 's cynical satire into a facile morality play , in which these privileged children want to be told the difference between right and wrong .", "occasionally , some fool gets the idea that his literary wretched excess would make for a good film .", "the MOV is the kind of movie that , upon leaving the theater , provokes the urge to take a shower .", "there is a weird , almost comic absence of insight and perspective here . but it is a joke without humour and without a punchline .", "this self-penned adaptation of his 1994 short story collection - a period piece set in 1983 los angeles - has supposedly been cut to ribbons , and it shows .", "a lurid , soapy , moralistic melodrama so mucky you 'll need a shower .", "directed by gregor jordan , ellis 's aimlessly dissolute collection of stories just does n't hang together as a coherent whole .", "for diehard ellis completists only .", "it 's an empty shell entertaining a nasty streak of misogyny , a single note ensemble piece that 's very much less than zero .", "jordan gives all this an entirely appropriate sheen and the cast play well through glazed eyes . the film will fascinate those who love to see the tormented lives of those who seem luckier than the rest of us .", "failing to work on so many levels , the MOV operates as a time capsule of 1983 and a time when substance was negated in favour of style . sadly , this movie is severely lacking in both of those departments .", "this film is bad - really , really bad .", "a star-studded mess .", "a nihilistic , narcissistic , knuckleheaded move about nihilistic , narcissistic knuckleheads , the MOV might have been an interesting exercise in satire , if it only had a sense of humor . which it does n't .", "the dialogue is laughable . lines are spoken so languidly that the actors seem bored . shattering revelations are delivered in the same monotone as casual patter .", "it 's a movie with altmanesque pretensions , but under gregor jordan 's flat-line direction amounts to flipping through an out-of-date fashion magazine , one that barely spurs the energy to point and laugh .", "this sprawling , wanna-be short cuts tale is so over-the-top and so insufferably unpleasant that it makes even his infamous `` american psycho '' seem tame by comparison .", "ellis , director gregor jordan and a cast that 's hollow but only occasionally empty , manage to anticipate excess ' hangover , a headache we 've become intimately familiar with -- all over again .", "tmz with phony gravitas . ellis ' stories had more oomph before drug-crazed screwups like britney spears , lindsay lohan and amy winehouse became the center of the internet news cycle .", "in the buff naughty boobs 'n buns bad parenting sex and drug addiction romp . and a weird cry for help cinema probing wasted la youth without adult supervision in sight . though with sly hints on where all those hallucinatory hollywood plots arise .", "ellis ' book , though a grim read , had a satirical edge to it that made it darkly enjoyable ; the movie is simply dark and dull . and vampireless , more 's the pity .", "the piece had better have something fresh to say . the MOV does n't , nor does it seem to want to .", "there 's no real structure to jordan 's film , so stories haphazardly begin and disappear without ending", "heaven protect us from any more bret easton ellis versions of tales of the empty lives of los angeles .", "brad renfro in his last movie role , playing a wannabe film actor who sprays out filthy perspiration like a collie emerging from a sewer . it 's possible this role killed renfro .", "rating less than zero on the sophistication scale , the MOV is thus a totally faithful adaptation of bret easton ellis ' novel -- and an accurate look at early '80s - era los angeles .", "imagine american psycho with less violence but more nudity , transplanted from new york to california and stripped of all self-awareness . that 's the MOV .", "... a ninety-eight-minute snooze-fest .", "bleak , boring and bloated .", "it has a good cast and a terrific 1980s soundtrack -lrb- devo , simple minds -rrb- , but it also has the superficiality of a tv soap . the MOV is not so bad that you ca n't sit back and enjoy it , but nor is it good enough to go and see .", "in structure and location the film resembles robert altman 's short cuts , though it 's much inferior and far less interesting .", "while it 's an occasionally unsettling piece - and comes with a big-name cast - the story never goes anywhere .", "we may not care about these cokeheads , but only rarely does jordan fall into knee-jerk retribution .", "do some blow . curse humanity . convert to nilhilism . reread american psycho . but do n't for the love of god and cinema see the MOV .", "the MOV delivers a muddled message .", "the MOV is grimy , nasty and graphic in its depictions of excess , and those are its good points .", "remember the '80s ? after sitting through the MOV you may wan na burn your rubik 's cube and `` where 's the beef '' t-shirt .", "an aimless mess . but at least the mess is sexy and exciting .", "just because your characters are vacuous , less-than-zero types , it does n't necessarily mean that the tone and structure of your movie has to adopt the same conditions .", "it 's haute trash , faux crash , a series of interlocking plotlines which are meant to convince the viewer that something more profound is taking place . it is n't .", "parental content review", "i wish they 'd kept the vampire . i wish they 'd given him a rocket launcher .", "this is nothing more than short cuts with shortcuts", "open endings work for some movies , but a story this depressing needs some resolution .", "has an air of detachment and sadness , enhanced by the movie 's being set a full quarter century ago . like new cars in an old movie , these people may glow with youth , but we watch them in full awareness of the beaters and wrecks they 'll become .", "the movie has more dead scenes than a monday night in magnitogorsk .", "ellis 's big notions are less insightful than they pretend to be .", "though name actors and the involvement of a cult author may eventually get the MOV attention , there 's nobody who loves the '80s enough to knowingly pay good money to suffer through all 98 minutes of this .", "the performances run the gamut from twitchy to catatonic , and the stoned stiffness of the actors seems to have less to do with the affectlessness of the characters than with their own confusion .", "the MOV is such a wretched piece of garbage that there 's a certain amount of guilt attached to even writing about it .", "a grim , open-ended study in smooth surfaces , skin and 25-year-old pop-culture references .", "there seems to be no point to this derivative bret easton ellis retro-wallow . it 's all sex , drugs , rock 'n roll and boredom - with the emphasis on boredom .", "an awful film about an awful time .", "is there an easier target for satire than hollywood ? or a duller one ?", "it 's by far the most slack , ho-hum movie ever made from ellis ' material .", "aesthetically pretty , subjectively ugly , and emotionally incisive , the picture celebrates the passing of a not-so-innocent era and mourns the victims left in its wake .", "the MOV is a movie so seamy it makes you want to take a bath afterward . rarely has so much sin seemed so boring .", "it 's actually pretty funny if you do n't feel the need to care for or sympathize with anybody onscreen .", "this one 's a certifiable soul-sucker , dining out on its characters ' venalities while wagging a finger at the horror , the horror .", "ellis does n't create a single authentic moment or sympathetic character in this lurid pastiche of disconnected vignettes .", "it 's almost a relief when one of the characters comes down with a deadly disease .", "gregor jordan 's pointless adaptation of a bret easton ellis book is successful only in the sense that it accurately mimics the emptiness of its subject .", "the film is as flat as the hollywood sign , with beautiful young people , all blonde , mostly naked , trying desperately to get up the energy to order something else from room service .", "repulsive 80s flashback ." ], "summary": "as miserable and insipid as its protagonists , the MOV fails to provide anything to think about after the sheen of fake blond is gone .", "id": "770785473" }, { "movie": "to_sir_with_love", "reviews": [ "it beat dead poets society to the punch by over two decades .", "sentimental reflections on an inspirational teacher are often the makings of weak dishwater films , but in james clavell 's to sir , with love , a strong cast and an unforgettable title song make this an undeniable classic .", "sydney poitier at his best ; teens and up .", "even the weak moments are saved by poitier , who invests his role with a subtle warmth .", "one factor in the picture 's popularity and its sustaining charm is the tuneful title song , which was a top hit for lulu and is heard throughout the film .", "sidney poitier stars in an excellent performance .", "incessant cockney street market vignettes and shots of london buses seem to suggest that it was all primarily intended for american consumption anyway .", "a cozy , good-humored and unbelievable little tale .", "sidney poitier is a beleaguered english teacher in this multi-cultural mr. chips", "generally effective comedy drama with standout performances .", "the film has gone in and out of fashion , but it 's old enough now to return to it with a clear eye , and see the strength beneath the kooky sentimentality .", "good performances elevate the material .", "the charisma of poitier and the energetic performances of a groovy-looking cast of high school hellcats -lrb- some of whom look like they 've repeated year 12 at least 5 times -rrb- compensate for the shortcomings .", "poitier is good , but the film is memorable mostly for the song .", "well-meaning tripe ." ], "summary": "while it 's a bit dated and overly schmaltzy , to sir , with love remains compelling because of sidney poitier 's outstanding performance -- and the catchy theme song is a classic .", "id": "17055" }, { "movie": "real_cancun", "reviews": [ "who 's to say what is appropriate since the only pov the filmmakers have is the one where dead presidents are staring back at them .", "you could argue that the MOV is n't worth shelling out seven bucks for when you can get the same thing on tv , and you would be right . but it sure beats fear factor : the movie .", "reality land is a village built on lowest common denominators -- the cheapest , the dumbest , the wildest -- that bunim and murray well know often leads to the most fun .", "this is a youth comedy without humor , a porn web site without porn and reality without a trace of the real .", "surprisingly dull , a tired rehash of those cheesy spring-break movies from the 1980s .", "the simple fact of the matter is that there is nothing new here .", "strip away the glittery facade and turn down the music , and what 's left is very little substance .", "there 's a case to be made for the MOV as a document of the mating dance as well as an unintentionally poignant film about the brevity of youth .", "i do n't want to say that the MOV , is boring , but i fell asleep on my arm during the last 45 minutes and chewed it off rather than wake myself up .", "for some of us there is a certain anthropological appeal to the mating rituals -lrb- not to mention the actual mating -rrb- on display here .", "real , all right . real stupid . real predictable . a real dud .", "politically incorrect , gleefully tasteless and extremely entertaining .", "a few of the people we meet appear to be so brain-dead , you wonder how they manage to breathe without assistance -- and this is before they hit the bar !", "even with the wet t-shirt contests and faux drama , the MOV does n't deliver a whole lot .", "it 's fascinating stuff to watch , as well as enlightening -lrb- especially if you 're a parent paying for college tuition -rrb- .", "if you let yourself be immersed in its irrelevance , it actually has some enticing moments , which to some moviegoers might be the nipple-pierced twins ' incestuous striptease .", "some nebbish 18-year-olds may be inspired by alan 's transformation into a party animal . others may find it sickening .", "difficult to believe these these kids , mostly in college , have ever cracked a book . full of life and fun .", "the MOV is , i believe , the sixth sign of the apocalypse -lrb- the seventh comes june 13th with the release of the american idol spawn from justin to kelly -rrb- .", "an exploitative piece of low-ball , high profit movie making that 's not as titillating as some might be expecting and not very good beyond all of that .", "more closely resembling a `` girls gone wild '' video than a work of traditional cinema , `` the MOV '' delivers a unique brand of glossy sex appeal , thanks to a fairly developed array of variously sordid characters .", "no matter how ` real ' things appear , scenarios and story arcs are relentlessly imposed upon the partay-cipants so as to finesse a narrative as crudely overdetermined and howlingly predictable as any studio-manufactured fiction .", "if you 're a fan of reality shows you 'll probably enjoy this movie . but do you really want to pay $ 10 to see something that you can watch on tv for free ?", "there 's an interesting story in every person -- that 's why ` reality tv ' is so popular .", "grown-up adults who are honest with themselves will find themselves yearning to relive their youth .", "an exercise in bad taste .", "cancun is our collective punishment for enjoying jackass : the movie so much .", "a lot of hard bodies with soft heads -- vain , shallow , vacuous , selfish , stupid , and well on their way to being puffy , pathetic drunks by the age of 40 .", "... i found it fascinating .", "the possibilities , endless as they may be , never explode into the realm of bacchanal .", "may be more at home on a television screen once it goes to dvd , but it is admittedly a lot of fun all the same .", "an artificial contrivance that does n't tell you much that you did n't already know , but does so loudly and garishly .", "`` girls gone wild '' meets `` the real wold '' in miniature , with snoop dogg 's seal of approval .", "with its shimmering cinematography , the MOV is better at hiding the city 's grimy exterior than at being fun to watch .", "... one tequila shot experiment gone terribly bad ... this 97-minute cheap thrill is a stilted and juvenile sociological misfire that 's every bit as tedious as it is tacky ... -lsb- a -rsb- fruitless fleshy fable", "it 's a document of the decline of western civilization , and no , it 's not because everyone in it drinks , has sex , and parties but because when asked if someone could film it , they said yes .", "perversely , disturbingly entertaining , and as much of a glimpse into the dark depths of human nature as a dostoevsky novel .", "with a strangely irritating editorial sensibility , the filmmakers work desperately at juicing up a narrative , but mostly meet with failure .", "never has the word `` real '' been used in a more liberal way , because this reality movie seems to have a tighter script than american pie - or at least one cloned from it .", "terrible , explicit movie -- beware !", "true exploitation filmmaking . watching it is getting fleeced .", "it 's not quite the end of civilization as we know it , but it 's not a good sign .", "as if we needed feature length versions of mtv 's `` the real world , '' served up this weekend is two hours of cancun hysteria . is it real ? yup - real dumb .", "a 90-minute confessathon minus the bleeped-out cuss words and pixelated breasts .", "though it does deliver naked breasts and binge drinking , `` cancun '' also spins a surprisingly funny tale . seriously .", "like the average spring breaker , i enjoyed every minute of it , but felt totally despicable the minute it was over .", "shoddy craftsmanship and uninteresting subjects ... sink this spring-break movie faster than an outbreak of leginnaires ' disease on a vacation cruise liner .", "the need for writers who can create character and excitement remains unthreatened by efforts to dredge drama from dullards by saturating their environment with cameras and microphones .", "it actually works as a sometimes funny , occasionally scandalous , but mostly involving narrative .", "delivers what it 's intended audience wants in large doses ... boobs , booze , and hooking up .", "rw vet and director rick de oliveira 's well-placed music and snappy cuts stir up plenty of action , once again proving that edited reality is often stranger -- and funnier -- that fiction .", "that no one survives with a shred of dignity should n't come as a surprise .", "a surprisingly funny , engaging , and entertaining 90 minutes of almost real entertainment , which in a way comes closer to resembling john hughes ' the breakfast club than the usual survivoresc reality crud .", "those who sit through this mindlessness get the booby prize .", "works , in its sleazy-chintzy - lively way , as a documentary version of the american pie films with a character for everyone in the target demo to claim as his or her own .", "somehow the movie -lrb- which could easily have been titled dude , where 's my underwear ? -rrb- managed to scrape up 16 college-age kids who are so callow they make this fantasy lifestyle look unattractive .", "at best -lsb- the MOV -rsb- is 90 minutes spent with a group of mind-numbingly uninteresting exhibitionists who would have served themselves , and america , better with a half-hour on the jerry springer show .", "who 's more shallow , the people who want to be in a reality movie or the people who pay to see one ?", "purports to be reality tv 's first major incursion into the movie world , but this is n't just loathsome cinema ; it would be terrible television , too .", "the quick cuts , swooping aerial shots , and images of wet t-shirt contests do n't change what this is - a bunch of self indulgent 20-year-olds massaging their egos on camera .", "... scene after scene of flirt , tease , posture , preen , rebuff . i 've seen animal shows on discovery that present their subject material with less clinical detachment .", "whether you see it as a more-raunchy the real world or a toned-down girls gone wild , the reality of this reality movie is it 's nothing we have n't seen before .", "a fascinating document about the hollowness of contemporary youth culture .", "hardly qualifies as a movie .", "although filmed in cancun , it might as well take place in the less appealing regions of the jersey shore , as the camerawork is so dingy and the entire production lacks the appealing gloss of the real world as it appears on mtv .", "unfolds with the same simplicity as any multitude of teen films that are honest about being fiction .", "if you want a movie in which teenagers have a lot of sex , then rent a larry clark film . these `` real '' documentaries contain far less truth than christopher guest 's `` mock '' documentaries .", "few truly compelling stories and disappointingly little debauchery ensue .", "what good documentaries have that the MOV sadly lacks is a good story .", "spring break is meant to be wild and self-serving , packed with embarrassing , even shocking , memories . but when six camera crews follow every step of it -- ` dude , too much information ! '", "the unscripted result is undeniably entertaining , though calling it ` reality ' is a bit of a stretch .", "while some may find the film off-putting like the other tv reality shows , the film itself is quite appealing and funny and should make a boatload of money from individuals who want to venture into someone else 's world .", "a hopelessly , shallow ` reality ' movie .", "this is the kind of fare that would be at home on late night cable , where its repetitiveness and mindlessness might offer channel surfers a cure for insomnia .", "like the end of most long vacations , it felt good to be going home .", "as forrest gump once intoned , stupid is as stupid does . stupid does it up big in the MOV .", "it 's all smarmy in a voyeuristic way that makes you want to reach for the lysol as you sit there watching it ...", "somewhere between jackass with girls and an r-rated version of mtv 's the real world ... better than the bachelor , joe millionaire or american idol .", "six , if you must know . that 's how many pairs of breasts get bared in the MOV .", "when young people get drunk and chase the opposite sex , funny things ca n't help happening ." ], "summary": "the footage is predictable and rather tame , and most of the people are uninteresting .", "id": "15787" }, { "movie": "coyote_ugly", "reviews": [ "an authentically spirited popcorn movie .", "MOV is a howler .", "you wish that nearly everything but the two main characters had been scraped and replaced with a new and much improved script .", "gina wendkos ' screenplay manages to make `` flashdance '' seem plot-heavy by comparison . ... we see the lovely faces of perabo , miko and moynahan and the swinging hips and stomping feet of three anonymous dance doubles .", "solamente es recomendable ver en uno de esos d\u00edas en los que no hay absolutamente nada que hacer . para dar pena ajena .", "as slick and mindless as one might expect ...", "there were certain aspects that i loved ... . it had to do with hot , sexy women dancing on a bar in a wet t-shirt contest .", "sexist , shallow and silly . teens + .", "the cast fleshes out the cliches exuberantly and with little irony , which is something of a relief .", "a movie about a bunch of effortlessly attractive , empty-headed people who manage to constantly have fun at even the most menial of jobs ... give me some reason to care !", "MOV is neither bad enough to be a cult film , nor good enough to be interesting .", "i would n't necessarily recommend MOV to anyone , but i would n't use the dvd inserts as toilet paper either .", "what an amazingly bad movie this is .", "all hope is lost .", "the movie should appeal to anyone who likes films as mushy and unsurprising as baby food .", "what talent ! what brilliance ! what complete , utter bulls ** t !", "it 's `` cocktail '' meets `` flashdance . '' and boy is it ugly .", "MOV 's main flaw is that it just is n't bad enough .", "the picture is only pretend-sexy .", "the result is underwelming .", "the father-daughter subplot packs all the emotional heft of madonna 's papa do n't preach video .", "a really awful story that feels ripped from the bold and the beautiful .", "formulaic to the extreme .", "ugly is kind of like an all-night drinking binge - it 's a fun blur while it 's happening , but you 'll barely be able to remember it the next day .", "the performers nearly sabotage the effort .", "jerry bruckheimer will prudishly remind us that enjoying this stuff -- the very stuff that puts cash in his wallet -- is a very bad , bad thing . give me a break .", "the film seems to have been made for no other reason than to prove that 2000 was a lousy year for movies .", "this is one of those films that you feel ashamed you saw .", "it 's a terrible movie .", "a more than decent debut .", "fabulously bad , thuddingly sexy and brilliantly stupid .", "a rather likable and very sweet-spirited story .", "piper perabo , in the updated jennifer beals role , is sweet and charming .", "i would probably recommend this movie to anyone who does n't mind being titillated for little bits and pieces .", "with all of its contrivances , clich\u00e9s , and preponderance , MOV might have well been taking place on mars .", "a shameless but very watchable piece of youthful romantic fantasy .", "makes self-debasement in pursuit of self-fulfillment not just legitimate but fun .", "turning on to a bar movie like MOV is not possible unless you enjoy being in one .", "i 'm left to wonder if this movie might end up seeming like cocktail with girls instead of tom cruise . not that that 's an inherently bad thing .", "it does have an infectious spirit .", "yes , there 's lots of eye candy to go around , but you have to endure suave , non-descript dorks hitting on them , which includes the viciously awful dialogue .", "plot gets in the way .", "a movie that 's the ` follow your dream ' equivalent of singing karaoke along with a dvd of flashdance .", "manages to create interesting situations that hook onto its attractive main characters with ease .", "we get the same old small-town-girl-in-the-big-city-seeks-fame routine .", "when movies are this bad , it 's almost hard not to recommend them .", "MOV is so filled with movie cliches and focus-group-tested ideas that it 's hard to believe it happened any other way .", "the acting is amateurish , the dialogue is painful to hear and the plot is about as spontaneous as the republican national convention .", "this story is so tired i was shocked someone took a writing credit .", "more like coyote awful .", "its inability to follow through simply underscores the filmmakers ' cynicism and gutlessness .", "everything about MOV is taken from the clich\u00e9 catalog .", "sappy story about a struggling songwriter set in and around a manhattan bar that certainly is n't in the meat-packing district by accident .", "a mangy dog of a movie .", "before the opening credits are even done rolling , MOV establishes early on how bad it .", "its view of women as objectified but unavailable sex toys is so retrograde it would be maddening if the movie were n't such an utter piece of fluff so conceptually barren it might as well be a music video .", "a scarily stupid mix of flashdance superficiality and small-town-girl-conquers-the-music-biz cliches .", "a soundtrack pretending to be a story .", "turns out to be a duel between the tawdry and the maudlin , and the latter is , unfortunately , victorious .", "MOV may be the most disappointing movie of the summer .", "the kind of excrescence that makes you wonder if the taliban , the french and all the other foreigners who whine about the awfulness of hollywood `` product '' might actually have a point .", "meretricious excuse for an inspirational tale .", "it goes down easy , like a wine-cooler shot with a chaser of yoo-hoo .", "simple-minded , trashy , and a masterpiece .", "a talented young cast in service of a project that 's every bit as shrewd as it is shrill and silly .", "does jerry bruckheimer have the same nagging feeling of deja vu as he compares each new screenplay to those that have gone before ?", "it 's no picnic .", "piper perabo , who already used the adventures of rocky and bullwinkle to prove she ca n't act , solidifies it here .", "MOV is profoundly stupid , earnestly inept at conveying a story and hellbent on wallowing in its shallow emotional manipulations .", "the thin plot , which makes soap operas seem profound in comparison , has an utterly predictable conclusion .", "a homogenized and humdrum cinematic .", "a simpering love story .", "it looks like a big-budget version of a miller 's genuine draft commercial ." ], "summary": "well , the women in this film are incredibly attractive and flaunt that fact quite a lot . unfortunatly , that 's all there is to the film . the script is almost as big a joke as the charactors , and everything else follows the same path . if you 're looking for a tease then see this flick , otherwise stay as far away as possible .", "id": "10913" }, { "movie": "walk_hard", "reviews": [ "a sharp parody worthy of mad magazine . -lsb- it -rsb- runs through every tired showbiz biopic plot point with a shiny new skewer .", "so is it a satire or a spoof ?", "it 's not pee in your pants funny , but it does have it 's moments and for the most part it works .", "if only for the music numbers , this movie deserves a standing ovation . much of the credit goes to john c. reilly , an actor with a rubbery face and the voice of an angel .", "tone is crucial here , and kasdan and apatow manage a good balance , delivering silly and often crude comedy combined with sincere performances and a sense of smart craft .", "the result is a film that has a few winning and entertaining moments , but ultimately feels like a will ferrell comedy and/or a ` saturday night live ' skit that managed to grow out of control", "at very best , someone will recognize the good work here by the star of the show , john c. reilly ... what 's taking so long ? give the man an award already !", "this gleeful skewering of american popular music works because of the talents of director jake kasdan and a cast led by john c. reilly .", "it may be utter nonsense from start to finish but at a time when your moviegoing choices are limited to deeply serious oscar bait and silly family froth , its appearance comes as a raunchy relief .", "very funny when focused on being a parody , but goes for the cheap laughs and shock jokes too often", "like the drunk guy who squeezes your arm and tells the same joke over and over until you laugh , goddamn you , laugh !", "the only gale-force laughter in later scenes comes when the hero meets the beatles .", "throughout his entire acting career , john c. reilly has always played second fiddle , and his choice in movies has never really allowed him to show off his comedic talents . that is , at least , until now .", "the entire film has three repetitive jokes : dewey cut his brother in half , dewey ca n't smell , and he 's going to take drugs . so it 's kind of amazing how well the film works .", "awfully uneven , sometimes not funny at all , but john c. reilly is so goofily sincere and jake kasdan and judd apatow include enough comedic gems to make it worthwhile .", "... starts out brilliantly playing with the tired tropes of musical biopics before utterly losing its way .", "fantastic fun", "MOV brings the funny and a keen observational sense", "como s\u0431tira \u0430s in\u044ameras e formulaicas cinebiografias de m\u044asicos c\u0439lebres , o filme funciona maravilhosamente bem . pena que recaia com tanta freq\u044c\u043ancia na par\u0443dia , que peca por um exagero que embara\u0437aria at\u0439 mesmo o trio zucker-abraham-zucker .", "john c. reilly does dewey cox as a hilarious stoner , beer gut middle-aged teen , with a touch of imus . move over , britney spears .", "with a fearless sense of silliness and a savage swipe at the conventions of the genre , it forges a brilliant parody that is relentlessly funny and musically acute", "MOV would be funny anyway . it 's just even more amazing because it 's so right about the musical biopics . if they need a cheesy quote from me , i 'll say MOV rocks hard .", "reilly is fantastic , the music is right on , and the commentary is obnoxiously accurate , so while MOV may not go to 11 , it 's definitely worth a seven or an eight .", "... an off-and-on thing ... but it 's on more than off ...", "is MOV funny ? sure ; very much so , in places . at least i think it is . it might just be the date movie talking .", "-lsb- it -rsb- restores the good reputation to the genre spoof , which has been so long sullied by juvenile garbage like scary movie .", "this is a glorious tribute to the shape-shifter , a film that captures all the clich\u00e9s of the musical biopic , then rises above them .", "MOV is the kind of movie that you want to love and not just like , but liking it is good enough .", "MOV : the dewey cox story may have its share of flat spots , but it 's also a very canny send-up of the tried-and-true genre of showbiz biopics .", "MOV does n't know when to quit .", "raunchy , often hysterical parody of overplayed musical biopics ironically sags just when its targets do but hits several right notes thanks to the sturdy presence of john c. reilly as a none-too-subtle riff on the man in black .", "the songs are as great as the story is cute and imaginative .", "apatow proves he knows how to reach audiences with a truly funny film aimed at adults who love their r-rated comedies to have some real bite .", "that savory mix of satire and sentiment that worked well in apatow 's two summer hits is largely missing here .", "MOV is a disposable film that offers its share of small pleasures and amusements .", "MOV is apatow 's undistinguished -- in fact , shamelessly derivative -- contribution to the mockumentary genre .", "that the picture walks and sometimes crosses the line into the products it parodies is a measure of its zealous thoroughness and also its central pitfall .", "never stops sprinting from its snickering start to that big finish .", "reilly has an absolute sincerity - especially in the many musical numbers - that 's essential for something this goofy .", "rolls out a procession of one-liners , toe-tappingly hilarious songs , stunning sight gags and dead-on parodies , all with tear-inducing humor , providing an easy ride to comic bliss .", "-lsb- judd -rsb- apatow has always told loose and improvisational stories , but the work he 's done here with -lsb- director jake -rsb- kasdan just feels lazy and unfinished .", "does n't produce belly laughs so much as steady smiles of recognition over how accurately it 's nailing its target .", "when they run out of clever ways to be funny , they fall back on their old standbys : crude , rude , nude , and lewd , which just shows that they did n't have enough material .", "after ` superbad ' and ` knocked up ' , judd apatow has now pulled off the movie equivalent of the triple crown .", "there are a few too many lazy jokes played off dewey 's last name , but not nearly enough to wipe that grin off your face .", "in a season filled with so many feel-bad movies , do n't underestimate the appeal of something as silly as MOV .", "its comic riffs are simple jingles that always seem to outstay their welcome .", "writer-producer judd apatow , star john c. reilly and director jake kasdan eviscerate the genre gleefully .", "MOV limps soft .", "the comic brilliance of MOV is so ingrained in its subject matter that it probably wo n't be appreciated until years after the fact .", "-lsb- a -rsb- razor-sharp dissection of the new archetype of modern mythology -- the rock star -- and how we interact with him on a societal level ...", "offers a few inspired moments in a sea of mediocre gags , fumbled opportunities and that great foul among contemporary comedies -- unnecessary grossness .", "milks the pat formulations of its brethren , such as walk the line , for all the laughs they 're worth . and then some .", "it 's the role of a lifetime for reilly , who plays cox from a teenager to an old man -lrb- older actors playing kids are a running joke -rrb- .", "for half an hour or so , MOV : the dewey cox story is hilarious . problem is , the movie lasts an hour and a half .", "judd apatow can do no wrong , apparently .", "reilly , imitating early beatles , johnny cash , bob dylan and brian wilson , shows more range than ever in the role that should catapult him into the a-list .", "there 's a laziness to the entire affair , as if the writers never went further than a first draft and never found anything unfunny enough to trim or remove .", "MOV is 100 minutes of fun , and for pure , uncomplicated enjoyment , it 's the movie to see right now .", "MOV is one of those fish-in-a-barrel comedies that mine a rich comedic vein but manage to come up with few genuine gems .", "in many ways outrageous % u2013 but not outrageous for long enough % u2013 MOV has tremendous appeal and entertainment value", "the musical biopic gets a much-needed smackdown in the fitfully hilarious MOV", "the latest from the apatow comedy factory abandons the relative realism of ` knocked up ' and ` superbad ' for mad magazine-esque , ` airplane ! ' - style spoofery ...", "goes through the motions of a satire with numerous references to pop music history , but remains flaccid throughout .", "knocked up hurriedly , you feel , in between apatow 's other projects , MOV is the feted writer-producer 's first fumble . as spinal tap 's nigel tufnel might have put it , this one only goes to two-and-a-half .", "reilly , one of our best supporting actors graduating to star status , finally bound for glory .", "the one area where ` MOV ' does manage to hold its own against classics of the genre such as ` this is spinal tap ' or ` sweet and lowdown ' is the music , all of which is expertly written and performed .", "john c reilly just about holds together a funny but patchy comedy that puts a ten-megaton bomb under the cliched rock biopic - and never detonates it .", "for all of the care and creativity put into MOV 's original songs , the rest of the film feels less inspired and maybe a little lazy .", "... this is the best batch of songs written for a comedy since paul williams penned the tunes for `` ishtar . ''", "MOV is n't merciless -lrb- except for maybe one wicked sequence with the beatles -rrb- , and that 's because it so loves what it 's sending up : the pleasure , ego , and sheer exhaustion of what happens behind the music .", "the tricky thing about parody movies is that the jokes get old fast and they 're hit-and-miss . MOV is guilty on both counts . how lucky that when the jokes do hit , they kick major ass .", "cox rocks and apatow 's streak continues in this spot-on biopic parody .", "in a spoof that contests all the visual and thematic cliches of hollywood musical biopics , from elvis to buddy holly to ray and walk the line , reilly finally gets a lead role , which he plays with gusto .", "the pugnacious john c. is gifted and knows no bounds . walking hard , for him ... effortless .", "hey , bay-buh ! there 's a whole lot of funny goin ' on in MOV . it 's got sex and drugs and elvis and giraffes and members only jackets .", "it 's kind of nice to see -lsb- john c. reilly -rsb- get a showcase role like this .", "it 's afraid to leave its comfort zone , and its primary joke wears thin in a hurry .", "raunchy biopic parody is n't for younger teens .", "call me a cynic , call me a curmudgeon , call me perverse -- i loved every moment of dewey cox 's story .", "the glory of the movie is reilly 's performance , which is executed with a perfectly straight face and no hint of self-consciousness .", "cox rocks .", "reilly is recklessly funny .", "there are certainly a lot of laugh-out-loud moments , which is more than can be said about a lot of alleged comedies .", "MOV runs down quickly , and suffers further from having the wide-eyed and weightless reilly as its star .", "this one pokes some fun at the conventions of the musical biopic genre instead of just replicating famous scenes from other films , and that 's a much more satisfying way to go because it actually has a perspective on the topic .", "paul rudd stole this performance in the beatles sequence and had to be one of his best comical pieces to date . the only reason i could recommend this film is to see this scene .", "the genius of jake kasdan 's fourth and best film lies in the fact that it starts out as a very faithful spoof of walk the line but then slowly evolves into something much cooler .", "a pitch-perfect musical comedy that at long last moves the talented john c. reilly up the billing ladder from second banana to top banana .", "borat 's influence shows . perfectly mocks the fantasy of johnny cash 's cinematic life story . the man in black 's fans will be furious .", "the film gets some mileage out of mocking fatuous biopic conventions .", "a rambunctious and funny musical spoof of musical biopics starring john c. reilly .", "do n't MOV , run to see this .", "this burlesque of biopic cliches flounders from one setup to the next without the engine that drives the genre : a strong central character .", "... not all the bits -lrb- among them a `` yellow submarine '' - like acid trip -rrb- work equally well . fortunately , there 's a general exuberance and fondness for the musical material that eases the rough spots .", "making parodies can be easy , but kasdan , apatow and their wonderful cast take their jobs seriously .", "reilly is well-cast in this hit-and-miss spoof of both rock singers and american social history from 1950 on .", "MOV : the dewey cox story has a good beat and you can dance to it , though mostly you 'll probably just tap your foot .", "nothing can prepare the senses for MOV , a parody feature that stumbles around like a maniac , ruthlessly ripping apart the conventions of the musical bio-pic but leaving plenty of breathing room to enjoy a little insanity of its own design .", "... almost entirely devoid of elements designed to hold the viewer 's interest .", "merrily deconstructs the conventions of the genre with subtlety and -lrb- where required -rrb- blatant outright mockery .", "a filthy little pic that seeks to shock and offend it 's audience throughout .", "i 'm glad the artform that zucker-abahams-zucker brought us in the 1980 's survives . it 's gotten raunchier , meaner , maybe rougher , but it lives on .", "kudos to the hilarious dance moves of john c. reilly and paul rudd 's fabulously goofy take on john lennon .", "MOV offers a quantity of laughs that few comedies could match .", "one of the awards season 's silliest -- and most satisfying -- surprises .", "good ensemble acting , a sometimes laugh out loud screenplay ... great music and staging and a solid performance by john c. reilly are all good reasons to see MOV .", "a dismal indulgence .", "some laughs , but you expect more from apatow .", "this biopic rocks - well , the first half does .", "in many ways outrageous -- but not outrageous for long enough -- MOV has tremendous appeal and entertainment value .", "the end of a golden run for judd apatow .", "another comedy winner ; if you have to ask why , it 's because it involves the knocked up guy . hilarious - even the beatles bit , this looks set to be a hit .", "who knew that judd apatow , the master of sex comedies , also spoke jive ?", "a perfect storm of incompetent idiocy that might kill off mockumentaries altogether .", "you 'll laugh hard during `` MOV . ''", "MOV is not making a mockery of the music or the musicians . it only playfully takes the teases the filmmakers and the conventions that have developed in telling these tortured artists ' stories . it 's only matinee price because it is occasionally a l", "MOV looks and sounds so much like a real musical biopic that you could make a good drinking game out of naming all the movies that get spoofed .", "a bawdy , rib-tickling , anything-goes spoof of such recent music biopics as ray and walk the line , and here 's the kicker -- it 's actually a better movie than both of those .", "-lsb- an -rsb- erratic , but enjoyable goof from the judd apatow hit-making machine .", "apatow and director jake kasdan deliver a fair number of laughs , though nearly every good idea is pressed into service as a running gag . the biggest disappointment is their survey of rock history , which has all the depth of a time-life book .", "`` MOV '' is a spoof with wit as well as heft .", "reilly is likably goofy , which goes a long way to redeeming the film .", "while `` MOV '' makes for a fine soundtrack , it 's less entertaining as a movie .", "a movie you can simply walk out of , say ` that was really funny , ' and go back to your day .", "john c. reilly is not anyone 's idea of a leading man -lrb- which is part of the spoof , people -rrb- .", "an snl sketch may have been a better vehicle for such a spoof . on the big screen , it ends up having a film life of its own becoming a music bio pic in order to sustain .", "the songs -lrb- written by a slew of artists , including reilly , apatow , and kasdan -rrb- are genuine , ridiculous , and often very funny .", "it 's a one-man show telling one-joke , but it 's a damn talented man and it 's a pretty funny joke .", "MOV is funniest in its first half , when you 're not quite sure where it 's going , and drags in the second , by which time you realize it 's going nowhere .", "at least it 's not as bad as it could have been .", "in a season loaded with serious films about war and loss , there 's bound to be an audience out there looking for some undemanding holiday laughs .", "this smart new spoof works because its makers ... obviously love the genre they have so much fun sending up .", "instead of sending everything over the top at high energy , like top secret or airplane ! , they allow reilly to more or less actually play the character , so that , against all expectations , some scenes actually approach real sentiment .", "jake kasdan and judd apatow lampoon the entire genre of the true-story biographical movies and fall nothing short of brilliant all the while .", "chances are , after seeing MOV , it 'll be years before you can sit through a serious musical biopic and maintain a straight face .", "it 's the flintstones vitamin of spoofs ." ], "summary": "a parody that pokes fun at rock stars and reductive biopics alike , this comedy sings in large part because of stellar performances and clever original music .", "id": "770675029" }, { "movie": "one_true_thing", "reviews": [ "streep shines !", "streep 's work elevates what is otherwise a middling melodrama that 's part coming-to-terms-with-your-family story and part ` few-months-to-live ' plot .", "streep 's performance mesmerizes , but it is zellweger 's engrossing portrayal as the selfish daughter that sells her as a serious hollywood actress .", "MOV has the most honest , layered and authentic family dynamic of any american movie in recent memory .", "instead of being just about coping with cancer , it tells an interesting story about a young woman coming to terms with the fact that her parents are not who she always thought they were .", "even director carl franklin ... ca n't prevent MOV from descending into chick-movie hell .", "the film is helped , by wonderful performances by two of the top talents in the business in streep and hurt , and zellweger stays right with them .", "MOV demonstrates that the power of simple things , the transcendent nature of the ordinary , can make for riveting filmmaking .", "thanks to carl franklin 's clever direction , which always stays real close to the characters , what could have been a tv movie-of-the-week becomes a thought-provoking and touching film .", "brings extraordinary honesty and keen emotional pitch to the family drama .", "a heart-affecting film that challenges us to confront some of the myths and meanings we have constructed about our parents .", "a well-oiled machine manufactured to tap our welled-up ducts .", "zellweger gives a rich performance !", "an emotional drama !", "a lot less black-and-white than it could have been .", "pumps new life into the dying-nobly-of-a-horrible-disease genre", "it 's a sad film that deals with tragic events . but the appeals to emotion are wholly honest and not the least bit crude .", "the MOV to remember about this film is how worthwhile it is .", "poignant , heartfelt and moving ...", "we 're here for the acting , and we get it .", "the actors are all phenomenally affecting , and carl franklin 's direction and declan quinn 's camerawork make the most of the little moments that pass between people .", "its strong cast and restrained direction lift it above the kleenex .", "the film rests firmly on the shoulders of streep and , to a lesser degree , zellweger . their performances , and carl franklin 's understated direction keep the tears and life-affirming revelations from congealing into chicken shmaltz for the soul .", "carl franklin 's understated direction keeps the tears and life-affirming revelations from congealing into chicken shmaltz for the soul .", "probably wo n't appeal to teens .", "the script shifts audience sympathies about quite adroitly , though it 's a pity all the men had to be such humbugs .", "there is n't one schmaltzy moment in the entire film , and any tears the viewer sobs into their hankies are well-earned .", "streep , zellweger , and hurt are outstanding .", "there 's a lot of oscar timber here ...", "one of those rare films -- a movie that is genuinely sad and moving without being melodramatic , sentimental or hokey .", "the movie ultimately belongs to streep , who illuminates the extraordinary soul inside an everyday woman .", "as finely wrought a drama as one could ask for .", "streep 's performance will probably secure her another oscar nomination .", "MOV is real enough to be a film you can believe in .", "streep manages to transcend the material and outshine her other fellow cast members to such a degree that you wish they and the material were at least as good as she is .", "honest , perceptive and moving !", "streep is luminous as the hypermaternal kate .", "it 's streep to the max !", "in a time when most movie families are hopelessly dysfunctional , it is refreshing to see one that does n't quite fit the mold .", "heartfelt acting and imaginative filmmaking transform soap-opera into an affecting screen experience .", "franklin is a rare , undeniable talent whose special abilities again shine through .", "a convincing but restrained melodrama , at times attaining true emotional power .", "typical meryl , as streep streeps her way through another wintry family crisis movie .", "streep and hurt , two of the best gestural actors working , let the showboating tics fly fast and thick .", "franklin seems ill-suited to this cast and this material .", "unfortunately , director carl franklin paces the film with a dirge-like rhythm . and its lengthiness is hardly mitigated by william hurt 's lackluster performance .", "renee zellweger , in particular , is captivating ; she is irresistible as an actress , while meryl streep is luminous , perceptive , and courageous .", "how effective can a tear-jerker be if you 're waiting for them to be jerked ?", "zellweger and especially streep both bring their roles to vivid life with a multi-dimensional blend of warmth , vulnerability , and underlying strength .", "yes , meryl streep is phenomenal again !", "streep 's performance makes the movie worth seeing .", "MOV celebrates the very things you do n't miss , or even know exist , until they are gone .", "meryl streep is an actress of such transcendent skill and sympathy that she regularly elevates her material , taking it up several notches and giving us feelings , insights , feelings and textures the original writer may have just missed expressing .", "superb cast , excellent performances , well-written script and great direction !", "sensitively written , fluidly directed and expertly acted !", "it is the craftsmanship that elevates MOV above the level of a soaper .", "although the plot rarely excels , the actors bring enough to their roles to transform this motion picture into a satisfying weeper ." ], "summary": "solid performances lift this drama to a higher level .", "id": "14183" }, { "movie": "dukes_of_hazzard", "reviews": [ "one big , uninspired failure .", "the MOV better have a big opening weekend . once the dukes remake hits thousands of movie screens , it 's got to win its own race .", "the MOV is a movie that makes you feel unclean as a result of having seen it .", ".", "certainly not the worst of the endless stream of tv remakes , but given the unassuming , easy charm of the original , still wide of the mark by a country mile .", "after about 20 minutes , you 'll start wondering just how many times we 're going to see our two moronic leads doing handbrake turns and going `` whoooo-hooo '' . i counted at least 30 .", "it 's a film made specifically and entirely for the purpose of extracting money out of unsuspecting customers ' wallets , all marketing plan and no artistic vision .", "seems to take pride in being as loud , obnoxious and moronic as humanly possible .", "satire by satirists who just do n't get it -- approaching the silly outlaw charm -lrb- which satirized itself in the tv show -rrb- with the subtlety of an f5 tornado in a trailer park .", "mental garbage , a picture that 's so foul we question its reason for existing .", "crass and obnoxious where the show was affable and even rather sweet-natured .", "super troopers , club dread , and now this . chandrasekhar can not be stopped .", "b-movie pabulum within an a-level marketing plan .", "it 's dumb as rocks and thoroughly unnecessary .", "big dumb fun . you can actually feel yourself getting stupider while watching it - but it 's such a sunny , upbeat , eager-to-please movie , the silliness becomes infectious .", "remember : friends do n't let friends go to the MOV sober .", "a black hole of a movie without anything original to do or interesting to say . that it is n't outright terrible only makes its utter pointlessness all the more glaring .", "the plot involves the boys ' attempt to thwart hogg 's secret plan to turn hazzard county into an open coal mine , but it 's really just an excuse for endless car chases .", "with no plot , character or dialogue worth experiencing , let alone remembering , the film merely occupies space on the screen and hopes for the best .", "stupid enough to make smokey and the bandit part 3 and cannonball run 2 suddenly seem like paragons of wit and high comedy .", "the film is marginal for what it is -- a takeoff on a farce . there are only so many layers of sendup until the movie simply spins in the mud , kicking up gravel but going nowhere .", "too much blah-blah , not enough ` yeeehawww ! '", "a weird , moonshine-and - marijuana-fueled yee-haw fest based on the '80s tv show .", "straight viewing could result in brain damage .", "whether you find all this inane or offensive will probably depend on whether you buy the dukes ' defence of ` never meaning no harm ' ; either way it 's pretty hard going .", "jay chandrasekhar -lrb- of the unfunny comedy troupe broken lizard -rrb- directs without wit or style .", "instead of the promised lighthearted tone of the tv series , the big screen update avails itself of its pg-13 liberties and comes stuffed with a barnful of profanity and enough marijuana references to satisfy even the most stoned out cheech and chong fan .", "the only thing the MOV has in abundance is hate .", "n\u0103o \u00e9 apenas sem gra\u00e7a ; \u00e9 , tamb\u00e9m , moralmente ofensivo , sendo povoado por personagens desprez\u00edveis , ignorantes e preconceituosos -lrb- o que inclui os ` her\u00f3is ' -rrb- .", "it 's got a few laughs and some impressive car chases , but mostly , it 's just a puzzling jumble of gags and exhaust fumes .", "-lsb- jessica simpson -rsb- literally could n't act if her life depended on it - she appears to only be there to provide eye candy and , frankly , she 's not all that attractive in the first place .", "a spirited , high energy romp that is naught but yee-haw nonsense , the MOV is a rev a second .", "comes reasonably close to -lsb- being -rsb- finger-licking good .", "it 's either hell being a hillbilly or a hell of a lot of fun being a hillbilly . here , it 's hell .", "`` the dukes '' are back ... and the film happily hits the right balance between stupid and fun : you know , everything we loved about the television show .", "a gigantic disaster", "escapist entertainment , but little else .", "it boasts a few good laughs , a few cool action sequences and a few gratuitous eye candy shots that will have nick lachey punching holes in a wall .", "it 's not intolerable or offensive so much as it is just plain stupid .", "this foolhardy hazzard upgrade may be appealing to its tv fans . or it could just remind you how ridiculous it was the show ran for six seasons in the first place .", "there 's a stink coming off the big-screen MOV that even fans of the tv series -lrb- 1979 to 1985 -rrb- wo n't be able to shake out of their nostrils .", "ca n't decide whether it 's saluting the series or spoofing it . ... the yee-haws start to give way to yawns ...", "over here , dukes . park the general lee in the weeds between the big-screen beverly hillbillies jalopy and the mchale 's navy pt-73 .", "when a movie 's misogyny is battling its racism for screen time , you know the project is in trouble .", "` when i sit down , i say , when shall i arise and the dukes be gone ? and i am full of tossings to and fro unto the ending of the movie . ' -- not job 7:4", "will the boys fall into boss hogg 's trap ? how will they get past the roadblock ?", "it 's simple , kinda crass and more fun than jumping into the creek while daisy is skinny dipping .", "a comedy that knows just how smart to be about just how dumb it is .", "there were two big boobs i wanted to see in this movie , and they were n't johnny knoxville and seann william scott .", "the remake truly represents the most evil of hollywood ideals , and tarnishes a south-of-the-border television treat that is still standing over 25 years later .", "i really did n't mind MOV . it 's just a whole movie of almost getting somewhere but staying a little bit behind .", "considering how funny it could have been -- either as a faithful big-screen adaptation or as a winking parody -- this sloppy mix of both styles is a disappointment .", "anyone who does n't love the dukes and their repetitive adventures wo n't find much of interest , and anyone who does is better off watching old episodes on cmt .", "injecting enough solid laughs and car chases to make dukes precisely what it is - an uncomplicated friday night distraction .", "two dudes and a cool car is n't a lot to base a tv show -lrb- much less a movie -rrb- on , and it 's no more substantial here .", "this is n't the hazzard county i remember .", "bo and luke duke were better off when they were replaced by two other unknown cousins for a season than they are being played by seann william scott and johnny knoxville .", "for some reason people in massachusetts are supposed to be ashamed of being educated , but the people of georgia are to be proud of their rural morons .", "the MOV aims awfully low .", "the MOV is a cheap , greasy time at the multiplex .", "broken lizard ... brings a subversive streak that sneaks some genuine humor into what would otherwise be an assembly-line collection of car chases and frat-boy ogling .", "... intentionally mindless and as reckless as an open moonshine jug left on a steaming heater ... shamelessly uneven and not very smart about its heralded idiocy", "at one point in the film , scott turns to knoxville and says , ` there 's a lot of smart people out there . ' with the MOV , warner bros. is apparently banking on the opposite to be true .", "has some of the same fratty energy as wedding crashers .", "half the jokes land on the screen like dead armadillos .", "meanders from one overblown action sequence to the next , without bringing along for the ride the goofy charm of the show on which it 's based .", "hard to imagine a movie more mind-numbingly pointless and instantly forgettable .", "not even a sexy , toned and blossomed blond can distract from the vapid ugliness that is the MOV .", "park your brain in the garage , shift gears into stupid and put the pedal to the metal . then maybe , just maybe , you might find some funny moments in the MOV .", "mindless piffle .", "for a movie that posits itself as a celebration of rebel excess , dukes is pretty tame .", "witless film .", "a lunch box in cinematic form : another half-assed excuse to slap a label on something and shill it to the crowd .", "the MOV feels like hollywood 's last idea , a wan desperate wave of red meat redneck humor marketed to red state america .", "-lsb- an -rsb- episodic , cartoony romp .", "a series of rowdy antics instead of a sustained storyline , the MOV is all about the car .", "there 's no reason for these good ol' boys to be in a movie this bad .", "why fans of the series would pay good money to see something they can see free in tv reruns escapes me .", "the MOV is the latest evidence that , for hollywood studios at least , there can never be too much of a mediocre thing .", "broken lizard 's biggest mistake is to update this story to the present .", "flatter than a two-lane blacktop , the movie is awfully unfunny , which it compensates for by being awfully loud .", "in the age of media immediacy , well-connected computer systems and helicopter pursuits -- to say nothing of the same watchful government that spawned the patriot act -- all this seems nonsensical .", "the storyline is so dumb and predictable it would n't have even made the grade for an episode of the original tv series .", "fans of the television show will find a lot to like here . so will fans of the broken lizard comedy troupe .", "purports to be a remake of a tv show but is more accurately a remake of jessica 's vapid modeling career .", "in lieu of a movie , we get a series of car chases rudely interrupted by the occasional smattering of dialogue .", "amazing . incredible . unbelievable . astonishing . painful . all these words come to mind in just the first 10 minutes of viewing this film , none of them in a good way .", "bo and luke are played by scott and knoxville with a backwoods brio that makes ma and pa kettle look like alfred lunt and lynn fontanne .", "... neither the frantic slapstick nor the we-don ` t - know-what - to-do-so - let 's - have - another-car-chase sequences alter the movie 's gear-grinding desperation .", "simpson recites her lines as though english were a language with which she is completely unfamiliar", "filming jessica simpson 's *** is easy , but the car was always the real selling point of the show and it 's no different here .", "nowhere to be found here is any of the goofy charm of the original .", "great it ai n't , but it entertains for stretches .", "even by the lax standards of tv show adaptations , though , this one is a disappointment .", "so loud , so long , so dumb .", "you ca n't blame the millions who will fantasize about gen. sherman burning the movie 's negative , but when it comes to the home market , this will be a good one for its target audience to pass out to .", "the film 's ambitions are so low that it 's hard to imagine how it fell short of them .", "delivering exactly what it promises -- car chasing , girl gazing and yee-hawing -- it takes the high road to low art by remaining faithful to the tv series that spawned it .", "the MOV is just plain awful .", "the good-ol ' - boy humor mostly is dated and redundant , the low-tech car stunts are unlikely to thrill today 's jaded audiences and the plot -- the dukes saving the county from being turned into an open-pit mine -- is a yawner .", "in stiff competition for the lamest thing ever put on celluloid .", "haws follow hees as hayseeds rip around in fast cars , churning dust and making faces very close to the camera .", "who can forget jessica simpson ? you will , if you 're lucky .", "hillbilly heaven , if you even want to go there .", "you ca n't say those involved in the film did n't have fun -- sure looks like they had a blast . shame is as an audience we ca n't say the same .", "this must rank as one of the most hollowly formulaic hot-weather blockbusters ever let out of the can .", "the movie goes extra lite on the comic fluff , while doing the usual heavy handed thing when it comes to hayseed caricatures .", "there 's really nothing to enjoy here other than a lot of stale dialogue , and a pitiful grab for a franchise .", "the MOV only works during the chase sequences , and just sits there the rest of the time . there are some moments of inspired visual lunacy , but that 's it .", "if rubber-burning car chases and short shorts are your thing , this is the summer remake for you .", "good , stupid fun .", "... you ca n't say the movie is n't lively , like a big old-fashioned warner bros. cartoon .", "do n't bother with this movie . if you 're just itching for more dukes , stick to the original series on dvd .", "even as the film tediously tends to its arbitrary plot , chandrasekhar displays almost oneiric reverence for the iconography of the tv show .", "heck , suck the exhaust fumes from a 1969 orange dodge charger . but whatever you do , no matter how big a fan you were of the show , do yourself a favor by skipping the movie .", "a lapdance , a fifth of cheap whiskey , and a lube job would offer the same elements and be a hell of a lot more fun .", "bound to make you smile , even if you do feel guilty about it afterwards .", "... offers the same nostalgia value as using the theme song as your ring tone .", "the balladeer always sang that the mountain might get the duke boys someday . with this movie , they crash the general lee into it and explode .", "it 's every bit as bad as you thought it 'd be . only worse .", "a lame-brained , outdated wheeze .", "it 's as dumb as a bag of hammers and as cheesy as , well , macaroni and cheese . but it 's a movie that knows how inconsequential it is at the outset and does n't care much whether you can party with it or not .", "as a salvo in the culture wars , MOV is a dud , and as an actual movie it does n't rate much higher .", "this is one unusual case in which aiming for a middling c grade turns out to be a-plus work .", "features low-rent humor and high-speed chases .", "a decent-enough rambunctious southern-drive-in sort of time-waster .", "bringing this hit tv show to the big screen must have seemed like a good idea at the time . too bad it did n't work out .", "car crashes !!! wowzers ! then we get to see daisy in a bikini in order to sexually harass the cops . how cute !!!", "the MOV does such a textbook job of pandering to bubba q. public that it ought to run for political office .", "should be called dukes of hazardous to your health if you 're forced to watch it .", "there 's just not much going on in these 106 minutes of ai n't - it-cool quasi-nostalgia .", "burt reynolds fired his agent after boogie nights . if he has a lick of sense in his head , he 'll kill his agent after MOV .", "assuming that someone was determined to remake this mediocre but iconic tv show , this is probably as good as it 's going to get .", "after the first chase scene , it 's obvious that scott and knoxville do n't have enough charisma to carry the film , or to even make anarchic destruction and evading the law into something if not sexy at least endearing .", "prepare to witness an amazing feat of filmmaking : shocked and delighted will you be to see real hollywood actors and real musicians outperformed by your favorite inanimate objects !", "herbie for adults .", "with a hideously fake tan and an eerie smile , simpson recites her lines with a chipper hollowness that makes it seem like she has just barely memorized them .", "like most movies based on old television shows , dukes is all concept , with a few jokes written into its crevices .", "it 's a negation of cinema . you would actually become a better , more complete person by not watching it .", "as h.l. mencken said , `` no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the american public . ''", "i could barely make out a word of the ` dialogue ' them there duke boys kept a-hollerin ' over the roar of the general lee and their movie 's soundtrack of ineptly edited swamp rock .", "dumb , mindless filmmaking at its most mediocre . but so was the tv show .", "if this is how bo and luke translate to the big screen , i 'd hate to see the movie versions of coy and vance .", "like being stuck in the middle of a nascar race ... without a car .", "stupid , meandering , generally unfunny attempt .", "basically it 's like a rural south edition of jackass . but not as funny .", "one broken down lizard", "it all backfires worse than the general lee before a tune-up by cooter .", "forget the drill core , the dukes should have had willie nelson 's blood analyzed , because every time that guy has a blood test science adds a new element to the periodic table .", "fan -lsb- s -rsb- of the ... tv series ... -lsb- will -rsb- likely want to see this just to find out if it 's a travesty ... -lsb- others , however -rsb- will surely wonder what they 're doing watching this movie .", "the biggest hurdle for the MOV is that the humor is extremely hit-or-miss .", "... a barely-entertaining light action adventure with glimpses of the fun that could have been had .", "a coupla times this here 's kinda funny . but the rest of the time it 's dadburn dumb", "folks from this side of the mason-dixon line may be more forgiving of this sometimes fun , if often mindless , bit of entertainment .", "even as a non-fan of the series , i am fairly certain that the original was never quite as low as this obnoxious celebration of stupidity .", "i hated this movie . it represents everything that 's wrong with the studio system .", "movie-goers would be better off spending their movie ticket money on the dvd box set of the television series .", "the MOV is a movie in the sense that it is composed of recorded events , gets projected on a screen , and can be viewed as a continuum .", "this movie is hazardous to your entertainment health", "a raunchy hazzard . lame-brained but unpretentious fun .", "sure , it 's simple but for a longtime MOV fan , it 's a funny and nostalgic dose of southern comfort .", "motorheads who want nothing more than a handful of chase sequences may enjoy the MOV , but everyone else should observe the cautionary yellow flag .", "a movie about absolutely nothing -lrb- eat your heart out , seinfeld -rrb- , based on a show made when your target audience was n't even born yet . and they say hollywood is running out of ideas ." ], "summary": "a dumb , goofy , and vacuous adaptation of a tv show where plot is simply an excuse to string together the car chases .", "id": "1971" }, { "movie": "american_president", "reviews": [ "neither bad nor unwatchable , the MOV is nevertheless the second straight disappointment from director rob reiner .", "when it comes right down to it , high office does not guarantee high comedy .", "the MOV becomes a pretty darn entertaining and affecting movie after its first simpering 20 minutes .", "a well-modulated charmer .", "painless fun .", "great entertainment .", "got the same zip as when harry met sally .", "frothy .", "the MOV will make you laugh and make you smile . but it probably wo n't make you change your vote .", "you ca n't dislike this movie , but you wo n't be swept away by it either .", "rob reiner seems to have found his calling .", "the image of a chief executive as moonstruck single guy taps something buoyant and touching in our collective democratic imagination . and douglas , wearing a fast-break smile in place of his usual frown , strikes a tender rapport with bening ...", "the MOV is a bright , witty romantic comedy with really good dialogue , but at the same time it is a statement about politics , and about politicians , some who are idealists and some who are opportunists .", "douglas and bening are both wonderful .", "apart from its too-obvious political bias , the MOV has romance in its heart , smarts in abundance and class to spare .", "an extremely savvy observation on politics in the media age .", "good romantic comedy . some funny irreverence about the white house , and a well-meaning political message .", "predictable and pc , but fun .", "light , fluffy romantic comedy , well acted by michael douglas .", "a genial and glossy middle-brow rom/com blended together with corny capra-like political drama .", "as the 1995 film veers away from the romance , into definable -lrb- and dated -rrb- political issues , it loses some of its magic .", "witty , wise , and idealized political romance .", "a potentially good adult romance is undone by a preachy left-wing agenda .", "part romantic comedy , part capra-corny political drama , this movie exudes so much sympathy , it sweats .", "glorious romantic comedy .", "sorkin starts his west wing warm-up with a winning political rom-com .", "leve , divertido e gratificante .", "registers as a polished and delightful romantic comedy about soulmates .", "genial and entertaining if not notably inspired .", "genial middlebrow fare that coasts a long way on the charm of its two stars .", "with great looks , a dandy supporting cast , a zinger-filled screenplay by aaron sorkin and mr. douglas twinkling merrily in the oval office , the MOV is sunny enough to make the real presidency pale by comparison .", "the casting is inspired , with uniformly crisp performances all around .", "so-so fantasy about what a more courageous bill clinton might have been like .", "while there are a lot of funny lines in the film , well-delivered by an all-star cast , the film 's politics are funniest of all .", "a shrewd new depiction of ` office sex , ' as well as an utterly positive view of the idea that a president 's character is important .", "peppered with terrific performances from a bevy of familiar faces .", "a super cast injects it with teddy roosevelt vitality .", "as bustling and impassioned as the best sturges and capra movies .", "michael douglas is plausible as president , and he delivers yet another solid , if unmemorable performance .", "` capraesque ' has inevitably been affixed to the MOV , but that phrase , with its implications of facile hokum , does n't do the film justice .", "charming but flawed leftist romantic comedy .", "director rob reiner strikes a good balance between drama and old-fashioned love with douglas and bening suitably understated in their roles .", "essentially a by-the-numbers hollywood romance in the dopiest melodramatic tradition .", "simplistic , full of stock characters and easy solutions to difficult problems , and i absolutely loved it ." ], "summary": "a charming romantic comedy with political bite , rob reiner 's MOV features strong lead performances and some poignant observations of politics and media in the 1990s .", "id": "10129" }, { "movie": "alone_in_the_dark", "reviews": [ "thanks for the surgical enhancement , tara reid . as i always say , if saline made you a great actor then sean penn would have gills .", "actually has an entire group of adults call out to a lost comrade , ` marco ! ' what does he expect the audience to do when they hear that ? i mean , come on .", "-lrb- christian -rrb- slater and -lrb- tara -rrb- reid share quite possibly the most awkward love scene ever recorded on film .", "-lsb- a -rsb- n instant classic of cheeseball cinema , an orgy of overblown dialogue and hammy overacting , 90-some-odd minutes of cheap-looking , jaw-dropping incoherence ...", "they say that even ugly babies have faces their mothers love , but this is truly a film that not even hardcore genre fans could appreciate .", "on the short list of worst movies ever made .", "there 's a point in the movie where it 's best to stop trying to make sense out of this unintelligible story ... right after the opening credits .", "perhaps hoping to be a sort of hybrid matrix meets indiana jones meets alien , unfortunately , MOV is just a bad movie .", "worse than you can imagine ... see 1997 's the relic instead .", "... asking the viewer to accept tara reid as a scientist is pure insanity , requiring a staggering leap of faith that i ca n't even begin to contemplate .", "reid delivers her lines as though she is calling for another round of mai tais for the house .", "MOV is n't going to set the world on fire , but it largely succeeds with what it has to work with . just do n't take it seriously and you 'll have a fun time .", "obvious dry humping to inappropriate music does n't cut it in a horror flick - at least give us some skin .", "so far off the scale bad that the only possible reaction is to laugh at it -- and i do mean at it and not with it .", "there are some stupid films that rock , if you turn your brain off and enjoy them . MOV is n't one of these , though it is very stupid .", "MOV co-stars perpetual party-girl tara reid as an archeologist . that alone should give you some clue as to how bad this movie is .", "as video game adaptations go , even pong : the movie would have a lot more personality .", "none of it hangs together enough to make a coherent narrative .", "lame monster movies like this adaptation of the popular atari video game are scary for all the wrong reasons .", "the horror . the hor-ror !", "there 's nothing even remotely entertaining about this film -- audiences should stay home and play the original -lrb- or one of its numerous sequels -rrb- on playstation instead .", "the late gene siskel once devised a simple method of measuring a film 's worth : ` is this film more interesting than a documentary of the same actors having lunch ? ' ` MOV ' does n't come close to matching that standard .", "any chance for suspense is thwarted by gratuitous violence , heavy-metal-propelled action sequences and laughably flat dialogue between characters who are barely more developed than in the atari version .", "christian slater and stephen dorff , the reigning princes of hollywood schlock , join forces in this brain-dead adaptation of a popular video game .", "MOV pourrait figurer dans un dictionnaire en exemple frappant de ce que signifie insipide .", "better than expected , but , considering the reputation of its author , this is n't much of an achievement", "this is pretty close to one of the worse movies that i 've ever seen and having to recap it is making my brain bleed . .", "eu devia ter suspeitado de algo quando meu aparelho de dvd pareceu se recusar a rodar este filme . e posso jurar que ele pediu um cepacol depois que a tortura chegou ao fim .", "MOV offers ample evidence that house of the dead helmer uwe boll should put down his joystick -- quickly , before anyone else gets hurt .", "this is definitely for people who 1 -rrb- love the video game , 2 -rrb- think slater and dorff are eminently watchable , no matter what bad flick they 're in and 3 -rrb- are wearing industrial-strength ear plugs .", "this horror film , spun off from an old atari video game , is so inept on every level , you wonder why the distributor did n't release it straight to video , or better , toss it directly into the trash .", "laughably bad .", "i laughed . i was bored . i could n't believe my own eyes .", "the three stars have seen better days , but i 'd like to think they could still do something classier and more dignified than this . like gay porn .", "a hokey , recycled collection of mumbo-jumbo that unabashedly steals from a multitude of other horror films .", "as silly as it is stylish .", "if nothing else , MOV proves that it 's possible to ` dumb down ' a video game .", "if you took the 100 worst ideas ever conceived for a science-fiction film , rattled them around in a lotto tumbler and spilled them out onto the screen at random , you could not produce a more asinine hodgepodge than MOV .", "it 's just the most inept filmmaking you can catch in theatres right now , or probably all year long .", "for as busy as this movie is , you 'd think it would have more going on . instead , it 's just a big , chewy wad of badness .", "remember to get your bets in early as the razzie winner for 2005 .", "has just about everything a snarky bad movie lover could want -- that is , except a guy and two robots sitting in the bottom right hand corner .", "it 's never good when the audience starts laughing as soon as the movie begins -- and nothing has happened .", "you start hoping that ashton kutcher is going to come out and tell them they 're punk 'd , because you just ca n't believe this is for real . you feel sorry for these actors ...", "boll 's vague x-files rip-off is n't scary or exciting , but inadvertently he 's made a movie funnier than a lot of the purported comedies hollywood cranks out .", "as long as director uwe boll is given money to make films , we are guaranteed at least one unintentionally uproarious gut-buster a year .", "little of MOV makes earthly sense , but it at least knows how to be bad in original ways .", "how uwe boll manages to scrape together enough investment money to give wing to this type of overblown , amateurish gibberish is truly a mystery of the cosmos ...", "some concepts are meant to stay in the gaming console .", "as an audience-participation midnight movie , MOV has potential .", "the acting is awful and amateurish .", "a laugh-out-loud turkey .", "never trust a movie that opens with a written introduction scrolling by that 's longer than the collected works of tom clancy .", "too stupid to watch , too loud to nap through , MOV shows just how tenuous plan nine from outer space 's hold on that ` worst movie ever ' title really is .", "ultra-violent , hyper-mindless and bruisingly loud , MOV makes its video game predecessors look like masterpiece theater .", "it does n't even qualify as ` so bad it 's good , ' although by that standard it does have its moments .", "MOV is no better than whatever you might pick up while wearing a blindfold at blockbuster , even if you happen to reach into a trash can .", "MOV is amateurish at best and asinine at worst .", "there is a reason to fear being MOV : it 's this movie .", "no subtext , no moral , no cultural observation , no substance ; if it had calories , they would be empty", "the film is filled with hilariously bad performances , expository dialogue and production values that suggest it could have been a low-budget film-school project .", "it 's tempting to call MOV one of those movies so bad that it 's almost good . but that might send the wrong signal to hollywood .", "so poorly built , so horribly acted and so sloppily stitched together that it 's not even at the straight - to-dvd level .", "frighteningly bad cinema is the only thing scary about MOV , which gives video-game movies an even worse name , if that 's possible .", "tara reid responds to the camera like she 's just caught a paparazzo ; every line of dialogue begins with , ` hey guys , ' be it ordering lunch or reacting to mortal danger .", "MOV presents splatter fans with garden-variety gore , and gives action-horror fans loud , unscary special effects rather than genuine suspense or bang .", "i did n't see director uwe boll 's zombie dud house of the dead , but on the evidence of MOV , he belongs in the pantheon of hopelessly inept directors .", "quite possibly one of the worst movies of the decade .", "quite possibly the worst of the year . definiately the worst of the month .", "MOV does n't even deserve the indignity of going straight-to-video", "dear MOV , ... it 's time for me to start seeing other movies . but i will think of you always , when i sit at the movies , MOV , without you .", "chances are , you 'll probably find yourself alone in the theater too .", "one of the worst movies ever made .", "horrific and horrible", "if you find yourself alone in MOV , run away as fast as you can . not because this sci-fi horror movie is scary , but because it is so stupid .", "if someone recommends you see MOV , assume that person hates you or at least dislikes you .", "believe it or not , it is possible to inspire decent cinema from the roots of nintendo or playstation . but you ca n't do it with pong-caliber talent .", "woefully murky and meaningless ... the world 's most durable and heavy duty flashlight could n't bring an ounce of brightness to the underwhelming MOV", "saying uwe boll 's MOV is better than his 2003 american debut house of the dead is akin to praising syphilis for not being hiv .", "... films like ` battlefield earth ' and ` the adventures of pluto nash ' await a film of this magnitude because it gets awfully lonely on the island of misfit movies .", "unconvincing leads , nonsensical plot , dumb staging -- this movie has it all .", "trying to rehash this plot is like trying to describe a jackson pollock painting while drunk", "veers tantalizingly close to being one of those movies that is so bad it 's good , but in the end , it 's so bad it 's just ... bad .", "director uwe boll -lrb- house of the dead -rrb- has made a cottage industry out of this kind of junk . maybe it 's time for him to close up shop .", "the film looks like it was made for $ 1.05 with its murky cinematography , sloppy special effects , and cheap sets .", "once the poorly staged mayhem erupts , there 's no disguising the fact that it 's all been a pointless buildup to 40 minutes of running , shooting and screaming , and you 've wasted whatever time and attention you devoted to following any of its minutiae .", "dreadful .", "MOV is so awful , anyone who spends 10 bucks seeing it ought to get 11 bucks change and a written apology from the director and cast .", "if you are MOV with MOV , be sure to bring chewing gum -- it will provide entertainment .", "a film so mind-blowingly horrible that it teeters on the edge of cinematic immortality .", "... 96 minutes of pure torture ...", "utterly lost by its end , you can just sit back and let yourself be hijacked by the movie 's outrageous dialogue , hyperventilating performances and all-around commitment to overkill .", "a violent and incomprehensible piece of gibberish .", "-lsb- t -rsb- he filmmakers have no more ability to tell a story than to create three-dimensional characters . they do n't so much end the film as hit the reset button .", "the most entertainment comes from watching slater and dorff and trying to figure out who 's got the biggest forehead .", "in this chintzy video-game blow-up , christian slater battles zombies and transmogrified beasties , revealing the horror of a once-promising career turned miserable .", "there 's plenty to snicker at .", "i 've heard of the suspension of disbelief , but tara reid as an archeologist ?", "maybe the only people who can explain this flick 's nonsensical plotline are those who squandered their youth mastering the atari video game on which it 's based .", "-lsb- uwe boll -rsb- makes things on the cheap ... so people keep giving him money , even though he does n't seem to know how to point a camera at his actors , let alone operate it .", "this is jaw-dropping , awe-inspiring , ` i-can ` t - believe-someone - made-this-crap ' badness we 're dealing with .", "if anyone were pondering what ed wood would be like today if he were armed with foreign financing and computer effects , look no further than uwe boll .", "you need an actor who can make the words sound smart , and reid wo n't be winning a nobel prize anytime soon -lrb- she 's proof that alcohol kills brain cells ... with a vengeance -rrb- .", "terrible beyond belief , like the worst 1940s serial ever made . as for slater and dorff ... well , they 've been in worse movies -- wait a minute , no they have n't .", "as predictable as watching a bag of microwave popcorn pop and as terrifying as a herd of dust bunnies", "director uwe boll -lrb- is -rrb- a latter-day ed wood who fancies himself a cross between action-sytlish john woo and b-movie horror-ific john carpenter .", "grab your funniest smartass friends and have a good time ripping this piece of crap to shreds . i know i did . but if you 're looking for a good movie , stay away !", "somewhere , ed wood is resting pretty comfortably right now .", "the title is reasonably fitting , since i very nearly was MOV when i saw it .", "when the giant , intelligent bees of the future sift through the ashes of our civilization , they will find MOV , and they will understand . it 's so bad it 's postmodern .", "the garish editing and stilted , exposition-only dialogue induce the frisson of an america 's most wanted re-enactment that pays unexpected , sidesplitting returns .", "wow . what an aptly named movie .", "attains a level of awe-inspiring velveeta dunderheadedness .", "if ed wood had the opportunity to fall under mtv 's influence , plan nine from outer space would have looked like MOV .", "it 's only january , but i ca n't imagine any upcoming film replacing ` MOV ' as my leading candidate for worst movie of 2005 .", "anyone who chooses to watch this film will probably be MOV as most theaters will be empty" ], "summary": "inept on almost every level , MOV may not work as a thriller , but it 's good for some head-slapping , incredulous laughter .", "id": "14064" }, { "movie": "gunnin_for_that_1_spot", "reviews": [ "the slow-motion footage of these athletes showing off their macho skills is generously underpinned by rumbling hip-hop . great nightclub wallpaper .", "this is just a dull promotional video .", "ok , so it 's not quite as searching as hoop dreams , but it 's hugely enjoyable all the same and boasts - as you 'd expect - a terrific soundtrack .", "unlike the 1994 basketball doc hoop dreams , which investigated collateral issues of education , race and money , this merely sets a twitchy hip-hop soundtrack to an unenlightening parade of eager sporting wannabes .", "a ho-hum basketball documentary .", "beastie boy adam yauch 's basketball diary is of limited general appeal .", "spot provides the basics with foot-tapping , head-bobbing flamboyance , providing the viewer with a serious helping of heart , soul , and scorching basketball action blended up into a taut , explosive documentary .", "the extraordinary athleticism and skills of these teenagers , all prime prospects for eventual nba stardom , makes this a game you really want to see .", "to concentrate on the film you have to be a basketball fan , or just a basket case .", "although this is never less than watchable , you ca n't help feeling that it would have been a better film if they 'd waited a year or so and actually included details of the players ' futures .", "the film is well shot and edited , backed with a bouncy hip-hop soundtrack and full of pep .", "a cool look at superstars-to-be paying respect to harlem 's rucker park on their path to hoops greatness .", "director adam yauch tricks up this eclectic look at all-star high school basketball with so much cool high-def camera work and showy editing it 's sure to satisfy the film 's target youth audience 's appetite for zippy visuals and swift pacing .", "beastie boy adam yauch shoots and scores with this documentary that follows eight elite high-school basketball players showcasing their skills along with 16 other prospects in an all-star game at harlem 's -lrb- in -rrb- famous rucker park court .", "call it hoop daydreams : a whiz-bang frolic through the lives and skills of eight high-school basketball players who dribble , pass and shoot their way into the ultimate city-park game .", "would be more at home on espn than the big screen . but b-ball fans should enjoy it in either venue .", "gunnin ' for that # 1 spot is an on-the-fly record of a memorable moment in basketball history .", "a conventional exercise in documentary storytelling , not a rich and incisive assessment of youth and sports cultures .", "as sports movies go , gunnin ' never feels the slightest bit hokey , and serves up sportscenter-worthy clips in high style , along with the unmistakable feel of real life .", "the film covers the game 's highlights with great flair .", "gunnin ' for that # 1 spot is a basketball documentary where the climactic game looks like a hong kong wire-fu epic .", "i daresay the results would inspire eisenstein himself to proffer an affirming nod from the great beyond .", "a spunky , impassioned and resourceful doc on the cutthroat world of us college basketball made for a pittance by adam yauch .", "at the heart of everything there 's yauch , directing with remarkable authority for someone who 's pretty new to the director 's chair .", "in the opening section of the film , we get to know them through interviews , game footage and scenes of family life . it 's here where the film shines , giving us a glimpse into what it 's like for young athletes being groomed for the nba .", "as a tribute to the game and its accessibility to all , gunnin ' is hard to beat .", "a funkier , shallower version of 1994 's hoop dreams , beastie boy adam yauch 's doc follows eight high school basketball phenoms as they head to harlem 's asphalt mecca , rucker park , to take part in 2006 's elite 24 tournament .", "it 's a fly-on-the-wall look at eight prodigiously talented kids hooking up to play ball in the big city , and as such , it 's a great deal of fun .", "shining a light on eight of the brightest stars in american high school basketball , gunnin ' for that # 1 spot is a refreshing and thrilling reminder of why we watch and why they play .", "gunnin ' is everything the fatuous , condescending hoop dreams was not .", "an impressive feat on every level as yauch brings an unbridled passion to shining a spotlight on some of the country 's finest young basketball players in a way that can be appreciated by anyone and everyone .", "as each player 's run through the same routine-hometown meet-and-greet , biographical sketch , hasty interview-the burden of the formulaic structure starts to wear .", "adam yauch , beastie boy turned documentarian , turns in a crisp , insightful , but emotionally distant look at the best high school basketball players of 2006 with gunnin ' for that # 1 spot .", "although it is n't a particularly deep look at the world of pressures and performance anxieties faced by high-school phenoms , gunnin ' is a welcome treat to anyone who follows the game closely .", "after the gimmicky audience-shot concert film `` awesome ... , '' beastie boy adam yauch proves he can make a comprehensive , state-of-the-art docu of interest to basketball aficionados .", "hip-hop and basketball have never been so uninspiringly brought together as they are in beastie boy adam yauch 's kinetic but shallow chronicle of the buildup to the first annual boost mobile elite 24 hoops classic .", "although much of its archive footage from high school games shows up blurry , pixleated or in an otherwise raw form , it nonetheless clarifies the abilities of thoroughly committed young players executing their most impressive basketball skills .", "it 's as much a snapshot of the contemporary basketball scene as it is a love letter to the famed uptown court .", "easily the best movie of its kind since steve james ' hoop dreams ." ], "summary": "beastie boy adam yauch proves his worth as a director with gunnin ' for that # 1 spot , a fun-filled chronicle of the top high school hoopsters of 2006 .", "id": "770728301" }, { "movie": "the_girl_who_kicked_the_hornets_nest", "reviews": [ "much of it still plays like bad thomas harris ...", "a pick-up after the second film , if not as assured as the first . rapace sets a high watermark for rooney mara in david fincher 's remakes .", "one final course of europudding that may leave audiences feeling less satisfied than simply tired and bloated .", "it 's a brisk conspiracy thriller about the moral deformations wrought by sweden 's neutrality during the second world war and the cold war , and the role of leftwing journalists to bring out the truth from a labyrinth of national intrigue .", "a more apt title would be ` the girl who sat quietly in a dimly lit room ' .", "this is the most disappointing end to a trilogy since sam raimi 's spider-man 3 .", "anyone who has invested in the trilogy will savour the mixture of dread and anticipation as the cat-and-mouse game reaches a stirring conclusion .", "a bunch of evil old men get their comeuppance in ` the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest , ' but the girl who messes with their nest does hardly anything at all .", "the third and worst of stieg larsson 's trilogy is poorly directed , under-energised and unthrilling .", "a compelling mix of 70s-style conspiracy thriller , courtroom procedural and psychological drama ...", "i said hurrah for the books ; i repeat it for the movies . and most of all , i say hurrah to larsson for the extraordinary scope of his accomplishment and legacy .", "larsson is renowned for his attention to marginal details , which gives his prose a rambling , one-thing-after-another pace that many readers find soothing . onscreen , the lack of acceleration makes for one of those long scandinavian winter nights .", "where `` the girl with the dragon tattoo '' had taught criss-crossing subplots of boundless significance , the final act of the trilogy is little more than a tepid courtroom drama with some willy-nilly spectacle thrown in for good measure .", "alfredson 's empty aesthetics mimic hollywood conventions but merely exacerbate the hollowness of this entire affair .", "the widely anticipated , blazing climax of the swedish trilogy .", "mostly talk and little action ... actress noomi rapace remains a strong presence as lisbeth and is worthy of end-of-the-year awards consideration for her memorable work in the trilogy .", "the movie features a great finish , where three movies ' worth of subplots and characters dovetail into a breathtaking climax and final confrontation that is positively soul satisfying .", "full review at movies for the masses", "the girl who makes us wish we were anywhere else .", "is the millennium trilogy over ? can we go home ?", "as well as being conventional , the girl who kicked is also confusing , dull and grubby -lrb- do we really need to see examples from a child-porn site ? -rrb- .", "the powerful performances by the leads , unobtrusive direction that is exemplified in a beguiling courtroom clash , and larsson 's deftly interwoven fabric of treachery and compassion all ensure that we are left yearning for more .", "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest falls back on the formula which has brought the series this far , that is , inflicting trauma and abuse on lisbeth .", "this remains watchable thanks to nyqvist and rapace but the lacklustre direction , lack of pace and bloated script ensure that it 's closer to the mediocre nature of the second film than the brilliance of the first .", "as ever , rapace steals every scene she 's in , maintaining lisbeth 's moody enigma whether she 's lying on her sick bed , making a memorable court entrance in full punk regalia , or taking care of family business .", "the final film based on stieg larsson 's bestselling thriller trilogy opens with a whimper but ends with a bang .", "punk-goth computer hacker lisbeth salander is such a fabulously spiky character ... that it 's a crying shame her film adventures should conclude so limply .", "... could be read as the passion of lisbeth salander , as she undergoes a kind of secular crucifixion at the hands of the swedish establishment ...", "it always is a challenge to convert a dense novel to the screen , but hornet 's nest starts so slowly that it has a lot to overcome when it finally reveals some surprises in the last third of the film .", "more than the other two , this is rapace 's movie ; michael nyqvist 's ever-rumpled blomkvist has less to do , and their main scene together is just a tantalizing glimpse at the end ; a brief , poignant reminder that we 've come to the end of the road ...", "sometimes the girl we love is there , and other times the film chases bad guys who might as well be the bogeyman for all we care .", "an extremely satisfying ending to the story of lisbeth salander , the tough swedish cyber punk that actress noomi rapace has turned into an iconic new age heroine .", "hornet 's nest proves that even foreign trilogies are not immune to the curse of the disappointing third film .", "... not saying that this is bad film , it is just not nearly as intense and intriguing as you 'd expect after watching the original .", "it 's predominantly a court procedural and a very redundant one , since all we 're doing is re-capping what happened in the first two films and waiting two and a half hours for the verdict .", "there 's simply no urgency to the proceedings .", "... seems like a teleplay , all talk and extreme closeups with exactly three action scenes in 148 minutes . noomi rapace does nothing but look remote ...", "hornet 's nest is talky but indisputably terrific , and it ends in a dazzling display of courtroom fireworks . rapace is hot stuff in any language . oscar , take heed .", "the film huffs and wheezes under the strain of its narrative baggage .", "criers and the soft of heart need not apply", "anyone who has read larsson 's novels will be sympathetic to filmmakers trying to pare down and distill these books .", "although its procedural quality requires an acquaintance with the previous works , it neither refers to nor acknowledges them . rather than refresh the mythology for new arrivals , it preaches to the converted .", "as superb as the swedish actress noomi rapace has been up to this point , there 's nothing she can do to bring craft or excitement to the act of texting .", "a rousing , grueling , almost operatically scaled finale to the series .", "there was no chance that the film adaptation of the third book in stieg larsson 's internationally bestselling millennium trilogy would be as strong as the first .", "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest comes close to self-parody at times ... -lsb- but -rsb- the final chapter has its satisfying turns .", "unlike the girl with the dragon tattoo , which can stand on its own , the other two films need to be seen as a set . neither is complete without the other .", "since the heroine spends half her screen time recovering from brain surgery , rapace has less to do than in the first two movies , but she 's striking in full punk regalia during a tense courtroom sequence .", "while the events are fascinating and entertaining , the film itself is less emotionally involving or viscerally thrilling .", "the gap between this and dragon tattoo is pretty big -- this wo n't be on my '10 best ' list and tattoo might -- but as the rest of the story , it does nicely .", "at 142 minutes , it 's long with some confusion , but the luminous presence of its star noomi rapace makes it well worth the journey", "it 's a story with something to say and a powerful way of saying it", "the third and final entry in stieg larsson 's enormously successful series is perhaps the least thrilling , but it 's easily the most satisfying .", "lisbeth salander , played by noomi rapace , spends most of the story constrained -- first in the hospital , then in prison . what fun is that ?", "finale of dark subtitled swedish trilogy still very violent .", "director daniel alfredson goes through the motions of the exposition-heavy plot with more efficiency than excitement ...", "lisbeth salander remains the riveting centerpiece of the two films that follow on from dragon tattoo , but , alas , her continuing story has been winnowed down in a way that makes it -- and her -- feel smaller than before .", "semi-satisfying , if you can keep up .", "while the least satisfying instalment in the trilogy , this still throbs with a slow-burning tension and provides an appropriate farewell to a compelling series .", "seeing the first two films -- the girl with the dragon tattoo and the girl who played with fire -- will make the third film more satisfying .", "for me the most deadening aspect of these films is the presence of michael nykvist as blomqvist ; he seems to have a personality by-pass , and remains expressionless at all times , no matter what 's going on .", "they can not overcome completely the redundant , static nature of much of the novel , but they put up a good fight .", "its seems as if the production has taken a bullet to the brain just like its heroine .", "the best thing that can be said about the excruciatingly dull , badly made closing chapter in this punishingly bad swedish crime trilogy is that it really whets the appetite for the upcoming american version .", "this film ends up being more of a courtroom drama , and yet it 's almost as equally thrilling as the first film in the series .", "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest does n't exactly give the millennium trilogy the explosive send-off it deserves , and stacked against the other two movies in the series , it 's perhaps the weakest story of the three .", "unlike its two predecessors , the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest boasts a briskly-paced opening half hour that proves effective at immediately drawing the viewer into the movie ...", "will make no sense to those who have n't seen the first two or read the books", "one of the knottiest , talkiest tangles of celluloid to roll into theaters this year .", "the reason to see this film is -lrb- as always -rrb- noomi rapace , who has brought lisbeth to life for fans of the larsson trilogy . she and annika hallin , who plays her lawyer , are the main attractions here , gripping to watch .", "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest is too akin to the tidying up of a television-series finale - albeit a very classy franchise with fine characters and able performances .", "as the end credits of this last dour swedish snooze-a-thon started rolling , i clapped my notebook shut as if it were the last day of school . huzzah ! bring on david fincher . please .", "if you have n't seen the first two films , do so and then see this one . if you have seen them , chances are you 're already in the ticket line . hornet 's nest has such a sweet sting .", "much of the problem can be traced to the villains of the piece : the snakes in the establishment are a bunch of really old white guys . now this may be true to life , but it 's hell on drama .", "it lacks a certain cinematic depth and scale , and plays out more like an epic episode of law & order . there are plenty of smart plot turns to follow , but at this length , the minutiae of the case begins to get a little tedious .", "with its `` son of frankenstein '' climax , complete with shambling monster , murky pool , ropes , ladders and lofty ledges , `` the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest '' is a fitting conclusion to the nordic saga of goth heroine lisbeth salander .", "despite having less action and more talk than the first two thrillers in this trilogy , noomi rapace 's acting and jacob groth 's score enhance the tension .", "despite being packaged as a thriller , `` hornet 's nest '' lacks the urgency and suspense of the previous films .", "the final , deeply satisfying conclusion to the trilogy of swedish thrillers based on stieg larsson 's bestselling novels .", "expunging the clich\u00e9s , coincidences , flat dialogue and dull exposition will present a challenge for director david fincher as he begins to remake the films in hollywood .", "an overgenerous helping of recapitulation , a long procedural that 's more about lisbeth 's persecutors and protectors than about her .", "the main thing that storyline reveals is that steig larsson 's books simply are n't very well-plotted .", "a trilogies ' worth of seemingly disconnected characters and random plot points merge into an utterly satisfying climax .", "the story grows thick with deadly assassins , bent medicos , excitable bikers , a considerable amount of courtroom cat-and-mousery , and a heavy-duty nail gun that 's put to startlingly inventive use .", "note to self : when masterminding evil conspiracy with connections to high government offices , store incriminating documents on a laptop without a wireless modem .", "` hornet 's nest ' wraps everything up in a nice bundle , even if it takes far too long to get going ; the last two movies could have easily been condensed down into one stronger movie .", "feels like the concluding chapter it is , with neatly tied loose ends and closing remarks , though it unfolds as something of a secular passion play .", "fans will presumably get what they came for ; what anyone else gets out of it is hard to say .", "hornet 's nest is n't particularly stylish . its allure lies with salander , whose mohawk , spiked dog collar and goth makeup belie an introverted yet brilliant mind .", "the ending at least offers some satisfying comeuppance , but it 's a bit of a chore getting there .", "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest is mostly an epic rehash of the tale larsson has already told , and that makes it , at two hours and 28 minutes , the first movie in the series that never catches fire .", "the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest is far less than the girl with the dragon tattoo , but it is superior to the girl who played with fire .", "the last installment in the millennium series of swedish films reveals the dangers of zealots in high places of power and prestige .", "lisbeth stuck in a confined space is like superman trapped in a phone booth : it 's a blueprint for a mighty boring superhero movie .", "nearly two and a half hours have been filled with the clickety-clack of laptops , extremely polite interrogations and the feverish researching of -- wait for it -- a multipage magazine article .", "the swedish trilogy trundles to a wobbly finale that 's heavy on plot and cheap theatrics , but light on the dark , mesmerizing energy that made the first film so watchable .", "like the first two millennium movies , this final installment feels thoughtlessly put together , its script unpruned and rushed through , all to capitalize on the staggering worldwide popularity of its dead author .", "is lisbeth salander the most fascinating female character of all time ? ... an outstanding underdog story , an exciting suspense tale and a thought-provoking legal thriller .", "when your series ' most compelling character remains mute and largely on the periphery of the action -lrb- albeit all decked out in punker regalia , including a big mohawk -rrb- , something is seriously amiss .", "this 148-minute movie is best appreciated if you have already watched the first two movies or read the books . it is not intended to be a standalone film . neophytes will find themselves lost and confused without sufficient background to fully appreciate ...", "the series is quite satisfying as a whole , in the manner of the type of well-made , limited-episode crime program that might appear on amc or hbo .", "moves along at a brisk pace .", "at its conclusion you 're nowhere near where you started , nor are you waiting for the twist to drag you back to the beginning to tie up all narrative threads in one neat bow .", "it 's enough to see rapace 's salander smile , however tentatively , however briefly , however unlikely . those white teeth framed by black-on-black everything ? they bite .", "the millennium trilogy follows a similar pattern as the matrix trilogy , and that 's not a compliment .", "the european equivalent of the matrix revolutions , this third chapter finds a once-vibrant saga largely coasting on the fumes of its well-regarded predecessors .", "the matrix : revolutions of the millennium trilogy .", "while rapace remains a strong and captivating actress in the title role , the film is remarkably bad . in fact , it 's easily one of the year 's worst movies . boring beyond belief .", "... something of a dull disappointment , but does ultimately bring the saga of epically abused computer genius lisbeth salander to a satisfying close .", "it 's a rather wobbly blend of courtroom drama and loose ends tied , albeit rather leisurely .", "alfredson is merely interested in repeating the highlights , recreating the best moments of the book but also the worst , resulting in a film that hits with precision as often as it seems to drag endlessly .", "dark and glacially paced way to wrap up a trilogy", "usprkos toga to je larsson i kod nas ario i palio po knjiarama , hrvatski distributeri dosad nisu imali razumijevanja za vedsku trilogiju", "lifeless , talky series wrap up that induces more of a sense of submission than finality , stumbling through a complicated terrain of exposition without a desirable wallop of blistering suspense .", "reasonably satisfying , generating some genuine suspense on its way to a. . . conclusion in which the villains finally get what they deserve .", "who wants to spend most of a movie without its best character ?", "daniel alfredson recaptures the provocative appeal of the superior first film -lrb- which he did n't direct -rrb- that was strangely missing from the second -lrb- which he did -rrb- .", "so what has happened is that this uptight , ferocious , little gamine lisbeth has won our hearts , and we care about these stories and think there had better be more .", "the last of the iconic larsson trilogy struggles to keep up the edge but is good entertainment nonetheless .", "... a dull summation of the more compelling back story from the first two films .", "at least it manages to avoid repeating the most tepid mistakes of its immediate predecessor .", "-lsb- m -rsb- ost deliciously realized is the fleshing out of the cold warriors in the swedish intelligence service , whose plotting reaches into the hospital , the police , and the court .", "noomi rapace 's performance as the unforgettable lisbeth is likely to stand as a landmark among the decade 's films .", "whatever its failings , hornet 's nest allows us to say goodbye to beloved characters . that is , unless those rumors of a fourth millennium book prove true .", "it 's only our investment in these fascinating characters and in wholly unraveling the mystery of lisbeth salander 's awful past that keep it compelling .", "noomi rapace , once again , is superb as lisbeth salander ...", "dull , disappointing , vengeance-filled conclusion to stieg larsson 's intriguing swedish crime trilogy .", "hornet 's nest has a steady , bulletlike trajectory ." ], "summary": "slow and mostly devoid of the stellar chemistry between its two leads , the girl who kicked the hornet 's nest is a disappointingly uneven conclusion to the millennium trilogy .", "id": "770854178" }, { "movie": "crank_high_voltage", "reviews": [ "both exhilarating and exhausting , it falls just short of a fever pitch .", "click for full review", "waking up in the aftermath of a meth-lab explosion might be less disorienting than watching this . and if you think there 's no room for more , neveldine/taylor are probably a weekend and a bag of crack-filled pixie stix away from proving you wrong .", "see this f % $ & * ing movie , mate .", "basically the co-writers and co-directors mark neveldine and brian taylor sneer at any kind of rules , decorum or morality . anything goes , as long as it 's within the realm of exploitation-level `` b '' moviemaking .", "yet another d.o.a. for the add era .", "plays it to all heights if idiocy where suspense of disbelief is no longer an instrument to the entertainment .", "feels like shock for shock 's sake instead of something morbidly inventive like the first one .", "copping to how unrealistic your movie is by excusing it -lrb- no , no , it 's a video game ! -rrb- , rather than running with it , is a mistake that taylor and neveldine never recover from .", "... an agreeable companion piece to its admittedly superior predecessor .", "it knows what it is , almost mindless and totally kick-arse . in fact , it 's my favorite of the crankporter flicks .", "if you 're 14 to 18 , hopped up on hormones , fresh off your daily dose of ritalin , and ready to have your short attention span verbally and visually assaulted , you 'll be in for a toxic trip .", "MOV delivers everything it promises -- if it were a politician , it 'd have my vote .", "have you ever chugged three red bulls right before a game of grand theft auto ? this add-infused action sequel ... is a bit like that . except even less family friendly .", "crank : high voltage is a real celebration of the phrase `` why not ? '' . it 's big , loud and brainless - and it 's all the more glorious for it .", "the constant escalation to -lsb- the filmmakers ' -rsb- inventive insanity is so breathtaking , it 's like a slap in the face to the tired hacks who make the glossy hidebound junk that passes for an action movie these days .", "bigger , dumber and even sicker than the rotgut original ... i had a blast , but do n't say you were n't warned .", "so gross , brutal and just plain bad that i may never want to see another jason statham movie .", "what you really get here is the same movie all over again -- only more so .", "the directing and writing team of mark neveldine and brian taylor have between them a boundless imagination , constantly topping one absurdly overstated moment with another , even more absurd .", "adrenaline-propelled and outrageously offensive , it 's a cinematic video game that 's neither coherent nor credible .", "grisly , gory , over-the-top action-parody is n't for kids .", "... just as sloppily caffeinated as before , with an extra layer of scummy race jokes .", "the only shocking thing about it is how dull and predictable the whole enterprise is .", "like its predecessor , crank : high voltage is speedball cinema , a pure narcotized rush of blistering action , odious stereotypes , and shock-for-shock 's - sake nastiness .", "it 's so amped up that high voltage suffers its own energy shortage well before the finale . it 's also every bit as stupid as it sounds .", "not everyone has a taste for gun-wielding strippers and godzilla parodies , but for those who do , MOV is like a 1,000-volt shot to the heart .", "crank : high voltage promises something outrageous and then over-delivers , permanently deflowering and deforming the mind of anyone lucky enough to be in the audience .", "there 's not enough here for me to recommend it without reservations to anyone outside of that narrow target audience .", "this movie is tarantino on speed , and without focus and style . it is in-your-face and proud of it with no apologies .", "writer-directors mark neveldine and brian taylor have written their own set of action-comedy challenges , and they slam-dunk pretty much every one .", "as usual , statham anchors the proceedings with his simmering charisma and impressive physicality .", "for all its add editing , it 's a joyless slog .", "the result , an eye-popping strobe of flesh and blood , is as visually stunning as it is absurdly offensive , sure to thrill some while leaving others in a state of outrage-induced catatonia .", "stick two fingers up at the moral majority ... then shove them in the high voltage socket and get ready to have your socks blown off .", "proof that you can make good movies based on video games , as long as you do n't bother making a video game first . juice us up for crank 3d .", "this fest of violence , breasts , sex , swearing and dodgy plot turns can only be enjoyed if you do n't take it seriously .", "crank : high voltage is all over the place and not as good as the first flick but still finds a way to deliver the entertainment , shock value and action . check it out !", "not quite as much fun as the from-nowhere original , but still , y' know , fackin ' shocking .", "william blake may have once stated `` the road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom '' but i 'm guessing that if he ever had the opportunity to see the `` crank '' films , he might have had second thoughts about that .", "the chaotic onslaught of gruesomely violent and graphically sexual exploitation is so ugly and ceaseless this time that it eventually numbs , and then bores , the viewer .", "watching this movie is like trying to survive on red bull and skittles . it might keep you up for a little bit , but before too long , you 'll just want to throw up .", "it is as much influenced by looney toons cartoons and russ meyer movies as it is by the anarchic new wave of action films . and it was edited , apparently , by someone with add .", "the whole film is a series of frenetically-edited action sequences and bizarre set-pieces roughly stitched together to form some kind of whole . it 's been made with tongue firmly in cheek and is often funny for it .", "the admirably unrestrained taylor and neveldine just about manage to sustain the charge in this fizzing battery of a movie , which only starts going flat towards the end .", "if your idea of quality entertainment is a steady diet of video games , porn and mountain dew commercials , crank wants your business !", "imagine a gonzo collaboration between jean-luc godard , michael bay and tex avery on a weekend meth binge , and you begin to get an idea of what writer-directors mark neveldine and brad taylor have up their sleeves .", "every element comes together to create a piece of gonzo genius we wo n't soon forget ... i dare you not to love every minute of it .", "they 've cranked it up another couple notches for crank : high voltage , with mixed results .", "yes , it 's supposed to be dreadful , but it turns out that `` crank : high voltage '' is genuinely insufferable ... surely something so gleefully disgusting should n't have to work this hard to make an impression .", "tasteless , trashy and totally over the top , crank : high voltage might also be one of the year 's most inventive movies . sometimes , nothing exceeds like excess .", "crank : high voltage , starring jason statham as a man with a machine instead of a heart , is boorish , bigoted and borderline pornographic .", "in crank : high voltage , statham just looks miserable , as if appearing in this lousy picture just sucked all the heart right out of him .", "a self-consciously crazy action romp which overdoses on cartoonish violence and non-pc comedy .", "you 're liable to watch the whole thing with an expression of bafflement on your face , surprised , delighted , and alarmed by what you 're seeing .", "if someone was charged with creating a graphic , bizarre cartoon for adults , that someone might conceive of ` crank 2 : high voltage , ' one of the most insanely outrageous movies ever made .", "better not operate any heavy machinery after an eyeful of crank : high voltage", "the movie feels like a form of aversion therapy designed to take the fun out of dumb .", "it 's a hyperactive , relentlessly violent and po-faced mean s.o.b. - and i guarantee you 'll 3/4 every minute .", "crank : high voltage is the superior of the two films not because it knows it 's a second helping of something that is all empty calories , but because it 's simply more than the other one .", "this crank sequel fails to live up to the original in every way and that one did n't exactly set a high bar to begin with .", "the stath is pretty much the most bankable name in action movies today , and his unhinged work in high voltage , indulging in an explosion of murder and mayhem with gusto and glee , should certainly see him retain that title .", "brash , outrageously inane and chaotically crafty , crank 2 : high voltage is unapologetic in its sheer penchant for graphic-induced ribaldry as its charismatic calling card .", "thanks to statham , it 's often tremendous fun - and sometimes just surreal -lrb- check the geri halliwell cameo -rrb- - so it 's too bad its demeaning , indefensible attitude towards women and casual racism leaves such a sour taste in the mouth .", "crank 2 : high voltage is still an entertaining sequel but it lacks the spark of the original film and never quite reaches the same delirious heights ." ], "summary": "crank : high voltage delivers on its promises : a fast-paced , exciting thrill ride that does n't take itself too seriously .", "id": "770740096" }, { "movie": "fruitvale_station", "reviews": [ "`` an emotionally grounding character study as well as a sobering manifestation of social injustices that surround us .", "the real power of MOV is in reminding us all that whenever we hear about a death -- random , accidental , foreseen or otherwise -- that lost life belonged to a real person , with complications , loved ones , enemies , flaws , hopes and dreams .", "while jordan is responsible for making oscar grant come to life , coogler deserves equal if not more praise for having so successfully created a sense of the world he lived in .", "well intentioned and reasonably well constructed , MOV seems to exist for the sole purpose of making what should be an obvious point : oscar grant did n't deserve to die , and the officer who shot him in the back had no right to do so .", "powerful and disturbing.michael b. jordan is brilliant . it shows us we ca n't change the past but with movies like this perhaps we can make a better future .", "without ever being forced or false , and with an amazingly honest eye and ear for detail , writer-director ryan coogler 's drama about a young man 's final hours is one of the most extraordinary films you 'll see this year .", "the movie is modest in its ambition and powerful in its reverberations . it takes oscar grant 's story and makes it universal - and transforms a sometimes awkward and obvious movie into a work of art .", "-lsb- ryan -rsb- coogler is n't exactly an invisible hand . he pokes and prods his audience at every turn : neither the false moments nor the powerful ones leave much mystery about how we 're supposed to feel .", "captures the fear that seems to drive too much of race relations in this country , that blend of unease and false assumption that kills communication and leads to tragedy .", "the fact that ryan coogler 's film about oscar is being released just as the nation is gripped by the zimmerman trial makes this already stunning picture all the more pungent .", "though the film 's ending is no mystery , the personal details are what make this story so absorbing and so moving - more so precisely because his fate is already known .", "coogler 's goal is clear - to put a human face on grant , to make him recognizable .", "`` MOV '' will emotionally move you and simultaneously make you appreciate the filmmaking abilities of ryan coogler and michael b. jordan .", "it 's a heartbreaking story that is so emotionally powerful that , while i may not want to see again , if it 's on i wo n't be able to help but see it 's tragic conclusion again .", "bart allowed coogler to shoot on location , and the young filmmaker , working with a score of actors and a crowd of extras , shows more competence in placing the camera coherently than many action directors with access to multimillion-dollar budgets .", "there 's great soul to the work , which gives a complete picture of a young man 's life in microcosmic form .", "` MOV , ' is one the most endearing and profound films that echoes the essence of humanity . ryan coogler 's feature debut gives michael b. jordan a career making performance .", "coogler shows the storytelling maturity and restraint to keep the focus squarely on the characters , not so much on the actual act of bloodshed itself but the wounds exacted upon the direct victims , witnesses , and families alike .", "the closeness of family and the feeling of community comes across as genuine in every scene ...", "many will respond to the film as a gut-level human interest piece , but it 's as curtailed and nuance-free a character study as it is a political polemic .", "MOV 's arrival in theaters corresponds with the outcry over the trayvon martin case . but fruitvale did not need added relevancy to be remarkable .", "MOV is a heart-rending stop ; just remember that the line does n't end there .", "was oscar grant going to turn his life around ? we 'll never know because of a pointless act of violence .", "coogler 's take quietly serves to show grant as a human being , with his flaws and redeeming qualities , and not just as a face in a newspaper obituary .", "... a palpably low-key premise that 's employed to continuously engrossing effect by first-time writer/director ryan coogler ...", "` MOV ' is a movie people are going to be talking about and it 's a conversation you do n't want to be left out of .", "you wonder if coogler would have felt freer had grant somehow lived that night , if the director were n't put in a position where he felt the need to honor the dead by bringing him to dramatic life . but he believes in his ambition .", "many recent movies so cavalierly dispense thousands upon thousands of ammunition rounds , you can sometimes forget the effect that one bullet can have on human life .", "a tragically relevant and incredibly important film that deserves all the attention it can get from american audiences .", "we feel the death on the platform so acutely not because it 's a stupid act of randomness , but hardly untypical racist violence , but because we 've come to love this man .", "MOV shows us the last day of a young man , whose life was like a lot of young men 's , who was shot in the back by public servants , his face against a cold subway platform .", "empathy and authenticity keep you on the edge of your seat at MOV .", "`` fruitvale '' was made with respect for the details of oscar 's life , good and bad , because they help us understand what was lost when he died , unarmed and afraid , on a crowded train platform .", "this is n't a movie that grabs you by the throat , it 's one that sneaks up on you and gets under your skin . MOV is an authentically raw motion picture that i wo n't soon forget .", "beautifully human at every level , and visually poetic without a hint of pretense , MOV is n't just one of the best films of the year , it may well be the most important .", "an eloquent memorial for a man who barely experienced life , and a haunting reminder of how quickly it can be lost .", "what 's presented here is good , and it 's an important film to see for its coverage of the subject matter that unfortunately is still making headlines . -lrb- full parental review also available -rrb-", "michael b. jordan -lrb- the wire and friday night lights -rrb- plays oscar with the heart and compelling charm required to make us feel close to him .", "benefits immeasurably from its piercing lead performances , stumbling only in its over-eagerness to make its points .", "it 's a story of one young man 's tragedy , a story that resonates with so many other tragedies . oscar grant was n't some mere symbol ; this film makes him flesh and , unfortunately , blood .", "the actual events already serve as a parable of race in america , but coogler 's dramatization does them justice .", "although coogler surely wants his movie to serve as a weapon against racially charged police brutality , he 's smart enough , and sensitive enough , to know that this is above all a human tragedy -- and not a political rallying point .", "MOV 's wrenching power lies in the specificity of its storytelling and the ordinary human warmth of the world it conjures .", "from the moment the arrest begins , the film is blunt and stunning , a completely absorbing , protracted nightmare .", "coogler 's film is shaky , sometimes literally slipping out of focus even as its own vision remains resolutely blinkered .", "a noble effort to contextualize the life of a man who would become famous for the way that he died .", "galvanizing , tense gritty-indie , brilliantly acted by jordan and spencer . very much worth watching even though the too-neat , manipulative screenplay undercuts it artistically .", "`` MOV '' is about what we can imagine when we cast our gaze across the longstanding divides in this persistently , cancerously segregated american society .", "`` MOV '' is a potent dramatic chronicle of contemporary american life , crackling with energy and possibility , made with the cooperation of grant 's mother and girlfriend .", "in the end , what is the meaning of the film ?", "as the film plays out , the audience is likely to be overwhelmed by anger and the inability to stop what is coming . opportunities for the story to take a different turn and avoid tragedy loom , leaving a haunting impression .", "it 's funny how the bloated , overly lengthy studio blockbusters have far less impact than 90 minutes of a relatively brief , cgi-free ` little ' movie such as ` MOV . '", "a powerful acknowledgement of existence", "this dramatic story is told in a fair and balanced way , supplemented with excellent acting .", "one of the year 's best films .", "after seeing MOV you should come away with the impulse to muse on the life behind the next tragic homicide in the news that sparks debate ...", "without emotion-tweaking music or too much fictional streamlining and highlighting , he captures a sense of the random and pointless horror of a young man shot in the back while laying on his stomach", "as grant , michael b. jordan 's stunning good looks and immaculately restrained acting affects even those who do n't want to be manipulated-who want to watch this story with unfogged eyes .", "the slow first hour is more than compensated for by the half hour climax that leaves one in tears .", "it 's hard not to watch MOV with a coiled dread ... yet , coogler 's greatest achievement may be in reminding us that grant was a work in progress with people who loved him in spite of his flaws and because of his hopes .", "the film is both personal and universal . jordan can be so touching , and his intimidating ferocity is palpable . this is an important picture with a breakout performance .", "at a time when the multiplexes are crowded with coarse comedy and inept spectacle , here 's a homegrown movie that honors its subject and the medium .", "raw , real and memorable .", "the performance by michael b. jordan is authentic and convincing , and helps us stay engaged in a film that wants to be mundane until its explosive finale .", "in the wake of the trayvon martin verdict , this compassionate film reclaims the humanity of victims transformed into political symbols and provides context for those who think the media and not zimmerman 's bullet ` injected race ' into the martin killing .", "yet , despite being aware of the outcome , the movie is , in its own profane and streetwise manner , a warmhearted and soulful story of a young man 's journey toward self-discovery and determination .", "an impressive launch for the film 's young writer-director and a signal that the movie 's leading man will be a major presence in american film .", "there are scenes that were certainly fabricated for the movie , but the emotional truth behind them feels real .", "an utterly moving and rich slice-of-life fable .", "stunning , timely look at the killing of an unarmed man", "... takes tragedies that have inflamed a nation - from fruitvale to sanford , fla. - and brings them back down to human scale .", "a good first film but not quite deserving of the hype . the best parts have nothing to do with oscar grant 's murder but the quotidian tale of survival by a young man with the best of intentions .", "does something more radical ... humanizes the protagonist", "it 's an unflinching , 360-degree character portrait .", "assured directorial debut of the 26-year-old ryan coogler .", "make no mistake : there 's a rage and wrenching sadness here , but ryan coogler has filtered it via a story packed with lingering grace notes .", "well-meaning , naturally acted , horrifically unbalanced ... whatever its objectives , the film comes across as an emotionally exploitative , crudely manipulative prayer .", "the best thing coogler did was cast michael b. jordan as oscar and octavia spencer as his mother wanda and surround them with an entirely credible version of life in oakland 's black community .", "when it reaches that harrowing , inevitable finale , it inspires fury and confusion much like spike lee 's signature work did two decades ago .", "riveting , emotionally charged drama , with powerhouse performances to match . jordan is a revelation .", "despite its credibility issues , the film is still able to deliver an emotional finale .", "it rings true . there is no manipulation or theatrical construct that deflect from the story 's core ; the film ensures oscar 's legacy remains and that we feel as though we have got to know this young man whose loss is a senseless tragedy", "thank goodness ... for the performances , all powerful and compelling , from michael b. jordan as oscar to the wonderful octavia spencer as his mum and melonie diaz as his gf sophina", "the air of impending disaster -lrb- we open with the notorious mobile phone footage -rrb- culminates in a harrowing final act that is both chilling and heartbreaking .", "brilliantly observed and very moving .", "even if every word of coogler 's account of the last day in grant 's life held up under close scrutiny , the film would still ring false in its relentlessly positive portrayal of its subject .", "if you leave the film with dry eyes , you 're a hell of a lot stronger than me , or than anyone in the eccles theater the night i saw the film .", "a viewer may have a heavy heart in wondering precisely just what was fact and what was fiction but there is little doubt at how emotionally effective coogler 's version of the story actually is .", "with a sympathetic and not too heavy hand , MOV takes its audience through the constant challenges to black family life - poverty , debt , crime , and the prospect that an encounter with the police can have deadly consequences .", "michael jordan 's grant is remarkably sympathetic , and his story develops in a way that adds an awful note to the opening scene , as the arc creeps slowly and painfully towards the final , fatal moment .", "one has the sense of a man being slowly , surely written back into being .", "it 's a gentle film , with deep reservoirs of empathy and understanding . and so terribly sad .", "as well as being a superb piece of filmmaking and writing that tells an important story of what happened , it 's also a thought-provoking tribute to what could have been .", "-lsb- MOV -rsb- has a profound emotional impact by keeping things simple .", "coogler 's realistic debut recreates grant 's final day with affection , refusing to cast him as either saint or sinner .", "there 's a sincere clarity that michael b. jordan achieves from beginning to end . raw and proficient in delivery , his performance places him near the top of the most exciting actors to watch .", "flawed though it is by overstating the obvious , MOV is also sensitively acted and well-intentioned .", "you might expect a film about the real-life shooting of a young black man by a white cop to burn with outrage and fury , but writer-director ryan coogler 's MOV is notable for its restraint and compassion .", "with his debut feature , writer-director ryan coogler recreates a real-life event with remarkable artistry .", "fruitvale is easy to see as something more than a movie - a diagnosis , perhaps , or a part of that sticky vortex we call the zeitgeist .", "where it could have been angry ... the film is instead clinical ...", "in naturalistic and unforced strokes , he allows grant to exist as a complex , even contradictory human , inviting the audience simply to sit with his life , his loss and what they both meant .", "a devastating portrait of the fallibility of man and the importance of appreciating what one has while it 's still here .", "michael b. jordan portrays oscar grant as a complex and real person , making MOV more than just the story of a death . in fact , it 's one full of life .", "sober , even-handed and quite moving .", "there 's plenty of riveting drama , including a gut-wrenching climax that elicits a powerful emotional resonance .", "by using a fly-on-the-wall approach , coogler is able to tell his story in a straightforward style that gets the message across without seeming preachy .", "one of the most powerful and socially relevant movies of the year .", "MOV sums up oscar 's life , but the act of summing up can tell us only so much , since a young life is still a maze of promise and indecision .", "michael b. jordan wins you over completely before the devastating finale . those pulse-quickening moments at MOV capture the chaos , confusion , fear and hate that provoked the perfect storm for tragedy .", "compelling and exasperating ...", "it 's not a perfect movie . but you will cry your eyes out anyway .", "a harrowing film worth seeing and honoring for boldness and insight .", "for a movie about an unjust death , `` MOV '' is bursting with the colorful , messy striving of life .", "a restrained but forceful picture that captures some of the texture and detail of one human life .", "fruitvale is outstanding , a telling portrait and testament to the life of one man and the complicated relationships to race and class that still exist within america today .", "when the full impact of grant 's death comes to the fore for the people closest to him , fruitvale generates tears to express the same rage found in the protests following the tragedy . it makes the cause personal .", "coogler , who grew up in the same neighborhoods as grant , evokes a tangible sense of place , and his staging of the climactic incident hits like a fist in the gut .", "coogler immerses us in this life , so that when it 's cut short , you wo n't just weep , you 'll cry out in protest . MOV is great political filmmaking because it 's great filmmaking , period .", "a runaway powerhouse film packed with emotionally-gripping performances , outstanding direction and a script that challenges viewers like few other films have this year .", "not just jordan , but everyone from the likes of octavia spencer and melonie diaz to the crowd of bart-passenger bit players hit it convincingly , consistently .", "if coogler were not as sure a directorial hand , or the film less gripping , that weight might be too much for it to bear . but , despite some imperfections , they 're both up to the task .", "the intimacy of debut writer-director ryan coogler 's approach to the film and the no-frills , believably real quality of the main performances combine to drive the senselessness of oscar 's killing home with visceral impact .", "critically , MOV serves as a morality tale that reminds us not to dismiss anyone without first knowing the full story behind the scenes . every life has value .", "writer-director ryan coogler 's -lsb- film is an -rsb- assured and evenhanded debut .", "MOV is centered around a tragic event with a powerful message , but just lacks the momentum to actually be impressive .", "MOV nos lembra de que somos todos oscar grant .", "as a biographical drama MOV works , though you 're not going to pick up anything about the actual shooting that you do n't already know .", "michael b. jordan is simply brilliant in his portrayal of grant , whom coogler presents as a generally happy , if complex and somewhat troubled young man .", "a viscerally wrenching experience , filled with foreboding from the first frame but stylistically naturalistic .", "strives only for an emotional response rather than an intellectual one .", "many directors have trouble accomplishing something like this even when they 're throwing character development in your face . to be able to succeed by using a standard `` day in the life '' approach makes it all the more incredible , and makes it a must-see .", "a star-making performance by michael b. jordan .", "oscar grant had friends , he had a sister and a mother and a grandmother , a girlfriend , a child . in concise measures , MOV shows us these connections , these bonds .", "even though we know where this dark road travels , the remarkable MOV still manages to be both sorrowful and suspenseful while also celebrating a life only half-lived .", "writer/director ryan coogler 's debut feature , MOV , is one of those first films that announces that a major talent has hit the scene .", "grant 's ordinary life seems eminently dramatic even without its place in history .", "a gut-wrenching , emotional powerhouse of a film , politically and socially resonant while also standing on its own as a compelling and often-heartbreaking story", "coogler could 've settled for an enraging , full-throttle melodrama , designed to boil your blood from beginning to end . but `` MOV '' is better , more heartbreaking , than that .", "an exceptional dramatic feature propelled by strong performances across the board .", "MOV , is impressive for a debut , and displays the unimpeachable intent to involve us all in the human story behind a headline . and it certainly displays great promise from its director and accomplished performances from its cast .", "MOV will rock your world -- and , if the life of oscar grant means anything , compel you to work to change it .", "if you are n't choked up at the end , you may have some kind of problem .", "the compelling true story of a 22-year-old african-american whose effort to turn his life around was cut short by the unnecessary violence of a trigger-happy policeman .", "the movie is the model of decency and respect , and does honor to a life unjustly ended ; it offers few surprises but is nonetheless shocking .", "a narrative based on a tragic true story conventionally told", "sensitively performed and laced with some forceful , quotidian grit , the film evades the larger questions behind a scandalous shooting death .", "-lsb- video essay -rsb- bookended by footage of the killing , as recorded on cell-phones by innocent bystanders , `` MOV '' is a cautionary reminder of how predictably unpredictable law enforcement officers in america are .", "whether oscar grant deserves to be remembered as a martyr or a provocateur , this poignant portrait of him as a flawed free-spirit is moving enough to be remembered come academy awards season .", "a shrewd script and career-launching performances drive a tragic modern story that carries heavy social weight .", "as a first feature for writer/director ryan coogler , it 's pretty remarkable . as a star-making vehicle for michael b. jordan , it 's a slam dunk .", "MOV does work , but it 's marred by problematic writing and direction .", "an impressive debut by ryan coogler .", "potentially blunt dramaturgy turns to something profound -lrb- and not perfumed -rrb- in implication .", "a captivating film ...", "anchored by what deservedly proved to be a breakthrough turn for jordan , MOV is a devastating and detailed celebration of life .", "a tragic , grievous subject matter handled delicately and efficiently .", "a deeply moving drama played out on the small stage of ordinary people 's lives .", "it 's ragged around the edges , but this remains a stirring tribute to grant . and coaxed by the assured coogler , jordan delivers a performance that will long be remembered .", "this chronicle of a death foretold celebrates an individual 's efforts to do better even as it laments his - and his nation 's - difficulties in moving on .", "MOV intends to investigate a troubled soul at the very moment of its awakening , but rarely does it feel authentic , and worse , it comes up frustratingly incomplete .", "it 's a film to make you weep with sorrow and anger , and one of the most necessary films of the year .", "some of this narrative feels cliched , but coogler and his actors make it work by leaning toward understatement .", "`` MOV '' is n't just a story of one family 's tragedy , but a wounding snapshot of a society struggling somewhere between melting pot and battlefield .", "... a movie as direct and devastating as a point-blank bullet to the back .", "the story draws power from the simple rhythms of a day spent with family , friends and strangers .", "ryan coogler 's powerful film about the death of oscar grant , the trayvon martin of 2009 . the seeming random nature of the incident makes it all the more horrifying .", "`` MOV '' uses objectivity without sacrificing perspective to remind us of the obvious , in case we 've forgotten : that what happened to oscar grant should n't happen to anyone .", "together , star and director get you to look at , and think about , a flawed young man you might not give a second thought if you saw him on the street .", "MOV is a gut punch of a movie . by standing in solidarity with oscar , it becomes an unstoppable cinematic force .", "whatever role prejudice have played a part in the shooting - oscar and his friends were black , and the officers were white - MOV refuses to turn the incident into a statement on race and divisiveness .", "coogler immerses the viewer in grant 's world , creating empathy for his struggles while also examining the realities that limit his options .", "... an emotionally devastating feature film debut ... yet for all its mastery of foreshadowing amidst the minutiae of daily life , coogler and jordan have sanctified their protagonist just a bit too much to make the film truly great .", "in its modest way , the film reminds us that nobody 's life is really that special -- but that we all still deserve better than what happened to oscar grant .", "ryan coogler does a remarkable thing with his first feature film . he makes it look like he has been in the business as a director for years .", "a sad , touching and subtle film .", "just ... no . this is heartstring-tugging hooey .", "it 's an emotive film about an emotive incident , but an unmolested account of grant 's demise could have had so much more impact .", "jordan does n't beg for our sympathy and is all the more magnetic as a result . the finale is devastating .", "the film 's version of grant has been carefully calibrated to be just nice enough to scare up empathy and just mischievous enough to take some polish of his character .", "it focuses on its subject 's humanity and assesses the tragedy on a personal rather than explicitly sociopolitical level . however , the way in which it fleshes out oscar 's character makes it an acutely political work .", "the problem with MOV is n't that it is so dense with foreboding but that foreboding is the only register it has .", "coogler 's spare , sombre style serves the story well , skillfully avoiding cliche and formula to soberly rage against a grave miscarriage of justice .", "the emotionally wrenching MOV does n't feel like a call-to-arms so much as a call against them .", "there is something almost spiritual in the eerie importance that all the ordinary , banal facts of a life achieve under scrutiny , as time is running out .", "why is goodhearted liberal cinema sometimes so dumb ?", "made with assurance and deep emotion , `` MOV '' is more than a remarkable directing debut for 26-year-old ryan coogler . it 's an outstanding film by any standard ." ], "summary": "passionate and powerfully acted , MOV serves as a celebration of life , a condemnation of death , and a triumph for star michael b. jordan .", "id": "771324998" }, { "movie": "last_king_of_scotland", "reviews": [ "whitaker is astounding in this role , moving easily between the happy charm that made amin champion of his people , and the madness that led this infamous dictator to kill almost half a million of them .", "so often the gentle giant , whitaker changes tack here with an intimidating display of girth and guile , mixed in with the outward signals of untouchable nuttiness .", "whitaker is mesmeric as the bombastic despot , perfectly capturing his oddly comic but ultimately brutalistic nature .", "whitaker commands his scenes as effectively as he did in clint eastwood 's film about charlie parker .", "amin , rather discomfitingly , is a marvellous monster .", "this is a thoroughly enjoyable , confident , dramatically satisfying movie from macdonald , and incidentally another triumph for peter morgan , for whom the period now seems to offer any amount of rich material .", "whitaker fully captures the menace of the man who murdered more than 300,000 of his fellow citizens , but also - and this is the difficult part - his humour , charm and charisma .", "it seems certain whitaker will get that oscar nod for superbly conveying amin 's weird mix of buffoonery and cold-bloodedness .", "starting as a lively adventure , this film slowly twists into a haunting and unforgettable thriller , using real life events to tell a devastatingly powerful story .", "there 's a nihilistic and unmistakeable whiff of apocalypse now about the last wild reel , and the carnage left over by the israeli raid on entebbe airport .", "a stinging rebuke to both do-gooder white-man 's - burden fantasies and the disingenuous , africa-exoticizing movies that promote them .", "forest whitaker 's performance as idi amin is so good it 's scary .", "provides a vivid snapshot of uganda and a tour-de-force portrayal of a creature who is all the more horrifying because his evil is so recognizable , and so chillingly embracing and warm .", "mcdonald gets the relationship between the two central characters so right , makes it so fascinating , that more historical detail would have been a distraction .", "this politicized faustian tale is a provocative and shrewd blend of fact and fiction in the case of a naive doctor seduced into amin 's political apparatus , but film suffers from problems of other political-horror sagas told from strictly white pov .", "an extraordinary piece about naivete caught up in terrible events .", "whitaker is a commanding force as he navigates the line between charmer and monster .", "forest whitaker checks in with his most powerful performance since tackling charlie parker in bird .", "a spellbinding safari into the mind of his excellency the madman .", "... whitaker 's superb work remains the highlight of an otherwise routine effort .", "historical fantasy rules in hollywood 's africa .", "whitaker does n't so much play the ugandan president and charismatic monster , deposed in 1979 and responsible for an estimated 300,000 deaths , as he lights a slow fuse on a highly complex bomb .", "pit stop for white liberal guilt and neocolonial pillaging", "whitaker pulls off a spectacular thespian coup that has oscar-winner stamped all over it .", "captivating hyper-realism , a taut political thriller , and the performance of the year .", "the MOV will no doubt be picking up an armful of gongs come award season , and rightly so ; it 's not only lovingly shot and acted , but it evolves into one of the best thrillers of recent memory too .", "film postaje daleko mra % u010dniji nego % u0161to su to njegovi autori imali u plan", "it 's whitaker that kept the film alive when everyone was handing him best actor statuettes", "its ultimate effect is that of shallow self-congratulation .", "whitaker portrays amin as funny , vulnerable , tender and enigmatic -- all without ever letting us forget he was a maniacal monster .", "whitaker is on fire , and as long as he 's onscreen , king keeps you riveted .", "the MOV , and especially whitaker 's performance , provide insight into the troubled psyche of one of history 's most terrifying leaders .", "although last king is faithful to the novel , it is superior in almost every way .", "-lsb- whitaker -rsb- puts in one of the most amazing acting performances of the year making amin appear to be equally likable and detestable all at the same time", "it 's a curious piece of work , part biopic , part history lesson and part hitchcockian thriller . unfortunately , macdonald is not skilled enough to meld the three .", "-lsb- forest whitaker inflects -rsb- the character with a recognizably human complexity without soft-pedaling his essential barbarity . it 's an arresting performance .", "the performances are universally strong -- though the documentary-like realism is hampered by the fact that the story revolves around a fictitious character like garrigan .", "this role is the pinnacle of whitaker 's film career . it is the type of performance that belongs alongside classic characterizations from hollywood 's past .", "this is a powerful film . it is beautifully written and expertly acted . it should not be missed .", "this is director kevin macdonald 's first feature film , yet along with cinematographer anthony dod mantle , he has produced a motion picture that will become an instant political classic .", "by the end of this remarkable , uneven film , we believe that through whitaker we have come to understand the very nature of power and corruption .", "forest whitaker that is nothing less than formidable and that most likely will merit an oscar nomination .", "forest whitaker gives a titanic performance as the general ... and as he seduces the naive young man into his murderous regime , director kevin macdonald unpacks the ignorance and arrogance that still characterize the west 's attitude toward africa .", "recommended for the work of forest whitaker alone , even if the gifted actor was restricted by a screenplay which squandered a golden opportunity to imbue his character with a complex range of motivations and emotions .", "the compression of time is a stiff reminder that we are watching , after all , a movie .", "in a remarkably restrained piece of acting , whitaker gives us a likable totalitarian madman whose bluster appears more amusing than terrifying .", "forest whitaker 's mesmerizing performance as idi amin drives kevin macdonald 's adaptation of giles foden 's 1998 novel about the dictator 's reign of terror , which left uganda 's once-thriving economy in ruins and at least 300,000 of his countrymen dead .", "forest whitaker shatters abstraction and replaces it with flesh , blood and unspeakable charm .", "... an intriguing hybrid of robert penn warren 's all the king 's men and joseph conrad 's heart of darkness ...", "an uneven film not entirely successful in juggling its very different tones , but ... whitaker 's performance is so good that it makes the picture almost insanely watchable .", "graham greene it 's not ... whitaker 's striking work aside , the MOV is insipid , obvious movieland history .", "a dominant whitaker lords over this flawed mixture of history and intrigue .", "see the movie for whitaker alone : he 's possessed by evil and possesses it wholly , rendering the film -lrb- and everyone in it -rrb- his plaything .", "a good movie elevated by whitaker 's pitch-perfect performance .", "great as whitaker is in this juicy slab of oscar bait , macdonald 's movie does n't have much to offer beyond a pair of stunning performances , propulsive editing , fantastic scenery and the heartbeat rhythms of african music .", "it 's whitaker who grabs your attention and sends chills down your spine , as he twists seductive charm into depraved power . he 's electrifying , a classic example of a performer who takes a moderately intriguing movie and elevates it to must-see status .", "in addition to a very engaging script , forrest whitaker and james mcavoy amazingly express the tension and the camaraderie shared by amin and garrigan .", "whitaker 's acting resurrects the dictator and his deeds with stunning immediacy .", "starts well , but trips over preposterous plot developments as it pushes toward its climax .", "having cut his teeth on documentaries , kevin macdonald acts as if a shaky-cam aesthetic alone is enough to fuel dramatic tension .", "whitaker 's riveting and deserved oscar-nominated performance pretty much dominates -- almost to the point of overpowering -- this fictionalized drama , based on giles foden 's novel .", "la pel\u00edcula vale la pena sobre todo por la imponente actuaci\u00f3n de forest whitaker , igualmente encantador o amenazante en la piel de uno de los dictadores m\u00e1s sanguinarios de \u00e1frica .", "two terrific performances cap this interesting historical perspective on ruthless dictator idi amin .", "whitaker 's incendiary and incandescent performance dominates this movie as much as helen mirren 's performance defines the queen .", "exalando um carisma mais do que apropriado ao personagem , -lsb- forest whitaker -rsb- busca seduzir n\u0103o apenas nicholas , mas tamb\u00e9m o espectador .", "it 's a deconstruction of idi amin 's persona , played with such dedication by whitaker the surrounding narrative feels without purpose .", "there is surprise in whitaker 's step , with a curtain of menace running beneath it . his is one of the fiercest , least predictable performances of 2006 , so fully on edge that he becomes the movie 's edge .", "the four highly diverse leads are uniformly excellent .", "whitaker brings us close to amin , yet he never allows us to actually become comfortable around the man . his amin is capricious and unpredictable , a personality that can seem volcanic one moment and vulnerable a few minutes later .", "a devastating morality tale that shows just how easy it is for a well-meaning outsider to become lost in a culture he does n't understand , and to find himself seduced and corrupted by taking very small and seemingly reasonable steps .", "featuring vivid supporting performances from simon mcburney and gillian anderson , the MOV is one of 2006 's best films to date .", "whitaker 's dedicated , nuanced performance is excellent and lifts the film from some unsteady early moments .", "... if whitaker does n't get an oscar nomination there is officially no justice .", "we see idi amin through nicholas ' eyes and it 's a shocking transformation ... he starts out as the people 's hope for a brighter future and turns into the nation 's nightmare .", "whitaker 's performance is absolutely spellbinding -- and should land him his first oscar nomination .", "in the MOV and through director kevin macdonald 's contrived broad strokes , amin is at first a sitcom character on the receiving end of sophomoric fart jokes , then a despicable villain .", "if this genius turn by whitaker -lrb- he starred in bird and the crying game -rrb- does n't earn an oscar nomination , then those little statues will lose what little meaning they have .", "with an unsympathetic everyman as our stand-in and an evil despot at the center of the story , the MOV struggles to win our hearts .", "approximates through its fictional lead character -lrb- a white doctor who spins a globe , closes his eyes , and plops his finger on uganda -rrb- what it might be like for , well , members of the national board of review to be air dropped into the middle of africa .", "whitaker 's boundless performance demands attention and the safest bet in town at this pre-nomination time is that it will earn one .", "it 's only the brilliant performance by forest whitaker , which keeps this film from turning too maudlin .", "amin 's story is so thick with drama , terror and bloodshed , why create a fictional character to serve as a vantage point ?", "whitaker and mcavoy inhabit their roles so fully that the film around them transforms into a major document of 1970 's cultural myopia .", "whitaker is formidably compelling as a man whose quixotic temperament and larger-than-life persona both fascinate and repel .", "the MOV belongs to forest whitaker . he is the key to making this faustian bargain work .", "the movie 's real power , and true greatness , comes from whitaker . whether or not it 's forgotten at awards season , it 's guaranteed to be remembered for a long time to come .", "this is n't a history lesson , it 's playing god co-starring idi amin with scully instead of mulder .", "a tour de force performance by forrest whittaker makes this idi amin biopic a compelling , challenging , edgy film .", "the key achievement , in this vividly shot and superbly cast drama , is to make us fear for the slightly contemptible garrigan but feel mostly for ugandans , even -lrb- a little -rrb- for amin .", "the subject is really garrigan , the embodiment of the west and its naive habit of looking at the third world and seeing what it wants to see .", "whitaker is so good as to ensure that anyone who sees the film will never forget amin again .", "a fascinating look at a violent and disturbing chapter in africa 's history .", "the film belongs to whitaker , who in a career best performance charms , rages and murders his way into the history books .", "as amin , the actor holds every scene he 's in with a kind of explosive gravity .", "macdonald has delivered a masterful tragedy , told in his characters ' wary eyes .", "whitaker 's performance dispels most of one 's objections . he is terrifying in a way that we recognize not from old movies but from life .", "there must come a reckoning , and in the MOV , the loss of innocence consumes the whole final hour , during which time whitaker appears less often , his screen time stolen by an increasingly weepy mcavoy .", "a compelling , though somewhat problematic , story set deep inside idi amin 's brutal dictatorship in uganda .", "macdonald knows how to hold our interest , and he gives his movie a dizzying sense of momentum , not unlike the mad whirl that surrounds amin .", "whitaker 's portrayal illustrates amin 's complexity -- a study on human nature , rather than an indictment .", "whitaker 's chilling , charismatic take on uganda 's general idi amin in the MOV stands up there with the great depictions of unhinged dictators like antony hopkins ' hitler in the bunker or christian clavier in the ` napoleon ' mini-series .", "hard to believe that an actor previously renowned for his gentleness could play such a monster , but the transformation is seamless .", "it observes the insanity of amin through the eyes of a corrupted soul , leaving just enough space between fact and fiction to flesh out a fascinating motion picture .", "whitaker shows him as a man who sees his own actions as perfectly rational . he is not a cartoon villain , but a dangerous madman ...", "without the force of whitaker 's presence , scotland is a mediocre , predictable and fitfully engaging tale .", "forest whitaker 's performance is n't worth the greatest-of-all-time hyperbole , but the actor is so evil , afraid and human in the role that he turns even a fart joke into nuance . his unpredictable , unstoppable force prevents the film from failing .", "at its heart of darkness , the film is about the lure of power . it 's a condemnation of all the dictators ' men over all time .", "-lsb- g -rsb- etting lost in all the well-earned love for whitaker is his costar , james mcavoy , the primary focus through which whitaker 's starburst prisms into its brilliance ...", "a smart , searing thriller with blistering performances from mcavoy and whitaker . like the best graham greene script graham greene never wrote .", "whitaker shifts from jovial teddy bear to maniacal bull in an instant , at once displaying the intimidation and charisma of an evil but undeniably colorful figure .", "forest whitaker 's portrayal of the blood-soaked ugandan dictator idi amin in kevin mcdonald 's the MOV is mesmerizingly brilliant", "a shrewd commentary on misguided western excursions into the ` dark continent . '", "an adequate thriller redeemed by forest whitaker 's sensational turn as idi amin .", "the MOV is wrenching to sit through , but in the end , it does n't leave you with quite enough to think about .", "whitaker dynamically gets his teeth into amin , capturing the schizoid conscience of a would-be king . given whitaker 's dominating presence , it 's practically a coup that macdonald would keep him waiting in the wings for half the film .", "the sheer force of whitaker 's performance guarantees that he remains the central focus even when he 's not in front of the camera . paradoxically , you ca n't take your eyes off him , even when he 's not there .", "this is the sort of movie worth seeing for the performances alone .", "rare is the actor who can accomplish an instant transformation from beast to buddy , but whitaker makes it look easy .", "watching garrigan squirm in his gilded cage has its charms . but whitaker is the one to keep your eyes on , and his work is the stuff of oscar gold .", "through its very specific story , the movie illustrates how absolute power can corrupt those who wield it , resulting in a man who , once ensconced as a nation 's leader , uses all his available resources to ensure his own survival .", "a terrifically engaging biopic of 1970s ugandan dictator idi amin , who is played with the sort of extraordinary yet restrained force that only great actors like forest whitaker can manage .", "we are in awe not that the character is so wildly unstable , but that whitaker has made such a wildly unstable character seem so natural .", "-lsb- director kevin macdonald -rsb- captures the energy and exuberance of a young nation in the throes of optimism and works it into a foreboding frenzy .", "the MOV is a parable shocking in its truth , jolting in its lack of sentimentality , shakespearean in its vision of the doctor 's catastrophic flaw .", "the movie uses a fictional device to get up close and personal , but i 'm not sure the fictional device works .", "... may be seen as this year 's `` hotel rwanda , '' but ... its viewpoint from inside the palace walls makes it more intimate , and therefore oddly , less devastating , drama .", "a solid dramatic thriller in its own right is lifted into higher territory by superb performances , intriguing subject matter , and impressive direction", "a chilling story story of how men become corrupted by power and are capable of the most horrendous evil imaginable .", "forest whitaker 's towering performance as idi amin is frighteningly realistic , in his portrayal of the larger-than-life violent , madman dictator president of uganda .", "the film itself is not as impressive as whitaker 's performance .", "though the film is mostly fiction , idi amin was the real deal , and whitaker revels in the role .", "whitaker 's riveting performance as the unraveling amin is where this film wants to be ; instead we 're stuck with garrigan 's jesus christ pose , and the expected out that amounts to little more than , `` forget it , nick . it 's africa . ''", "the horror , when it finally moves to the centre of the screen , gives us amin 's barbarity in close-up -- and he 's still smiling .", "compositions are dense with beautiful and brutal images ; and when the camera wobbles and the cuts become frequent , the freneticism is justified by the increased fracturing of amin 's sanity and garrigan 's security .", "whitaker is electrifying -lrb- i hate it when critics use that word , but seriously , it applies -rrb- , but the film itself is merely agur for his performance .", "forest whitaker 's intense , studied performance shows amin not only as a madman responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of his countrymen , but as a charismatic figure capable of winning hearts and minds", "the MOV , fitting its brutal subject , is not an easy film . yet in the realm of movies that depict seductive , evil men of power who easily smile as they kill , it 's a bloodstained achievement .", "the colonialist spirit is alive and well in the MOV , a return to the pandering celluloid depictions of african turmoil that insist on putting a white face on black suffering .", "forest whitaker , uncorking the power that he usually holds in check , gives a chilling , bravura performance as ugandan tyrant idi amin .", "a masterfully skewed twist on a connecticut yankee in king arthur 's court ... macdonald has really made his mark as a filmmaker .", "a thunderous performance by forest whitaker as ugandan dictator idi amin informs and ignites the MOV so far beyond its limitations as both a biopic and a political thriller that he becomes the movie itself .", "i ca n't think of a better actor to toggle between media-savvy jester and stone-cold killer than forest whitaker , who , even dressed in a kilt , conveys serious menace along with mania .", "it would all be for naught without whitaker , who makes amin fun , funny , vulnerable and poignant while never letting us forget his murderous monomania .", "this is not hyperbole . this is how good whitaker is : he actually makes you feel sorry for idi amin .", "featuring an extraordinary , oscar-worthy performance by forest whitaker , this gripping drama interweaves historical fact with fiction into an edgy , eye-riveting tale .", "few films this year have been as suspenseful as the MOV , which is due in large part to the tour de force performance of forest whitaker .", "as storytelling , it could use some fine tuning , but it keeps its dark premise close to its heart at all times .", "whitaker carries the film on his broad shoulders , creating a realistic and frightening portrait of one of the world 's most elusive and notorious figures .", "it 's mean girls , with more bloody warlords", "kevin macdonald 's queasily enjoyable fiction film creates a portrait of the ugandan dictator idi amin from inside the palace walls .", "both an enthralling examination of a horrific time and an adrenalin-filled thriller full of wry humour .", "as idi amin , whitaker embodies the spirit of a smiling , deranged , murderous fool . amin is a child with power and guns and a devastating to watch paranoia and inferiority complex .", "director kevin macdonald brings his experience as documentary filmmaker to bear on the film , giving us a burnished portrait of uganda 's descent into hell that is heavy on location photography , handheld jerkiness , and zooms .", "whitaker ... supplies this pulp bogeyman with a human face and heart , enlisting - for moments at least - our empathy as well as our horror .", "-lsb- t -rsb- he movie 's emphasis on nicholas 's misadventures , as if the audience could n't get into the story of uganda without an educated , white , middle-class european as a protagonist , is a huge let-down in its own terms .", "mr. whitaker and mr. mcavoy head a first-rate cast that helps the MOV to illuminate one of the many dark chapters in recent african history .", "last king powerfully explores the duality between congeniality and brutality .", "powerful academy award caliber performance by whitaker .", "the history of idi amin is an intriguing story , but this film tells us too much about its fictional european and not enough about the politics of uganda under an all-too-real tyrant .", "flamboyantly chaotic vision of hell that certainly wo n't encourage african tourism", "whitaker creates one of the most indelible screen portrayals of recent years .", "forest whitaker has been one of our most interesting actors for 20 years , and he gives the performance of a lifetime in the MOV .", "powerful drama with whitaker 's performance a career peak .", "his sleepy eyes hinting at buried malevolence ... whitaker 's amin will make you flinch in your seat each time he appears .", "forest whitaker makes the case for a best-actor oscar or , even better , a best-actor designation from ny film critics online .", "forest whitaker shines in this high voltage portrayal of the maniacal and maniacally charming ugandan dictator idi amin .", "one of the best films of the year with its depiction of the dynamics of power in politics and the dangers that ensure when paranoia overtakes a leader and those around him .", "the film as a whole measures up to forest whitaker 's performance . that 's high praise indeed .", "whitaker has done some surpassingly gentle and rueful work in the past , but for this role he has transformed himself -- he 's either sprawled in a stupor or alarmingly mobile , throwing his big body around the room as if it weighed nothing .", "the film is phenomenally well directed by kevin macdonald and edited by justine wright to bring out every bit of scary volatility in the most casual interactions .", "forest whitaker gives a masterpiece of a performance , the kind of incredible acting that crosses the line into just being .", "idi 's got da bling !", "the MOV is n't for everyone , but for those who can stomach its brutality , it offers a compelling look into how such a popular leader became known as one of africa 's most vicious dictators of the 1970s .", "i would never sit through it again , but for those of you who want to see every movie nominated for an academy award , you 'd might as well go ahead and see this one now .", "last king is a wonderful compendium of facts and greater truths . also , a hell of a good movie .", "as a metaphor , the fictional nicholas makes clear the insidious means by which the west , and in particular , the caucasian west , exploits and abuses its privilege ." ], "summary": "forest whitaker 's performance as real-life megalomaniac dictator idi amin powers this fictionalized political thriller , a blunt and brutal tale about power and corruption .", "id": "287865404" }, { "movie": "better_luck_tomorrow", "reviews": [ "those looking for the gangster movie seen in the tv spots will be seriously disappointed .", "a fairly provocative look at teenage life , featuring the kinds of multidimensional characters that are n't typically included in movies aimed at the high school crowd .", "... its bolder themes and naked ambition heighten the sense of disappointment towards the film 's end when it fails to deliver on its initial promise .", "the picture 's relative uniqueness is what intrigues and compels , marking MOV as important , if not ultimately entirely successful .", "a powerful and unpredictable film .", "reviewers seem surprised that a young asian-american filmmaker has been reading bret easton ellis and watching quentin tarantino , when in reality the opposite would be startling ...", "justin lin 's biggest accomplishment is providing a stereotype-shattering insiders ' view of the angst and rage of a group of asian teenagers ...", "-lsb- i -rsb- f the story has some rough edges , well , it 's a first film .", "does n't settle for easy thriller plot twists .", "at times lin 's story slides into crime cliches , but whatever he lacks in plotting he makes up for in style and brute emotional force .", "MOV is an inventively delivered cautionary tale about some smart and upwardly mobile asian high school students who , bored with their lives , embark on a course of violence and self-destructiveness .", "it tries to stuff in so many different subjects and genres that you 'll stop caring about what start off to be interesting characters .", "a vibrant film which follows a trajectory yet somehow surprises at every turn .", "what began as vibrantly original devolves into something suspiciously tarantino-like , strained through the hollow nihilism of bret easton ellis .", "it 's a long way from long duk dong .", "if ` tomorrow ' has the feel of an afterschool special , it 's a surprisingly good one .", "the story gets as melodramatic as anything in amy tan .", "-lsb- a -rsb- piercing portrayal of american teenagers who are for the most part good-looking , smart , funny -- and almost completely lacking in morals .", "smartly photographed and edited , it manages to walk the difficult tightrope strung between the typically loopy coming of age film and a simmering disaster in the making .", "all too caucasian in its tired devotion to the bloody , boneheaded tropes of quentin tarantino and bret easton ellis .", "like go meets boyz n the hood , this good-teen - gone-bad thriller crackles with wicked authenticity .", "this is a different kind of street-gang picture , one that improves your vocabulary even as it teaches fatally bad study habits .", "what helps lin 's feature-directing debut is his insight into the dark side of living up to ` model minority ' stereotypes in a materialistic culture .", "an accomplished technician and an adept director of actors , lin does n't have a distinctive visual style but he does have the advantage of being as smart as he is slick .", "there 's a sting to this film that gets to you .", "justin lin 's look at overachievers who achieve bad things is a thriller , a social satire , a character study -- and one of the year 's best .", "not just a thriller , not just a social commentary , not just a comedy or a romance , but all of those in a clearly seen , brilliantly made film .", "a shrewdly tense piece of storytelling .", "being simultaneously proud of and embarrassed by one 's scholarly perfectionism is a trait i find particularly identifiable to young , male asian-americans . MOV draws on this trait for its strength .", "though MOV is the work of an intriguing new talent , there remains something amiss about a movie so desperate to legitimize its own daring .", "it 's as smart , as sharp and as compelling as filmmaking gets .", "it makes you think about the clich\u00e9d pictures of asian kids in the popular imagination and how painful it must be for them to carry the burden of perfection .", "it springs from such a good idea that it can be forgiven many faults .", "lin starts with the stereotype of the asian-american kid as clean-cut , hard-working and industrious and turns it on its head .", "the cycle is designed to resist breaking : even when you think you 're out , you 're in ; if you 're ben , overachieving and banging on the side , you 're caught coming or going .", "with none of the smarmy voyeurism that taints larry clark 's teen exposes , MOV manages to get at the truths and the traps of a high-strung segment of today 's youth .", "perpetuates another stereotype : the one about affluent suburban teens who have everything they could ever want but so lack a moral compass that even murder seems like just another extracurricular activity .", "director justin lin 's dark twist on the coming-of-age tale is a waft of fresh air .", "you do n't have to be an honor student to take this ellis-esque expos\u00e9 over the rules of attraction any day .", "the dialogue is school-hallway hip -lrb- mtv has a hand in distributing this -rrb- , the humor consistently dark and the stereotypes ready for the puncturing .", "mtv -lrb- which bought this movie out of sundance -rrb- believes the target audience to be high school and college students . i would argue that it 's anyone in search of a well-made , thought-provoking motion picture .", "feels nearly as hollow and unknowable as its characters ' hearts .", "if this is what lin can do for the hollywood equivalent of pocket change , we ca n't wait to see what 's possible when he has an actual budget at his disposal .", "it 's as if ferris bueller morphed into goodfellas , and , knowing the transition did n't work , the director tossed in some run lola run to pick up the tempo .", "for asian-americans , the perception of their culture takes a new turn in `` MOV '' , director justin lin 's wonderful bold new film that is well acted by an amazing ensemble .", "... a worthy movie , but it should n't be the best one justin lin ever makes .", "led by a novice cast and director , MOV is a fascinating and absorbing look at the self-destructive ambition of high school life .", "unique , highly entertaining , completely uncompromising and terrifically acted .", "it 's not a perfect work ... but it is so filled with energy , angst , talent , authenticity and passion that it stands heads above most supposed youth-culture releases .", "a savvy , seductive and observationally vivid bit of popcorn culture that is every bit as brainy as its characters .", "um filme do qual martin scorsese pode se orgulhar .", "you could have replaced everyone in this movie with the cast of some lily-white show like dawson 's creek and nobody would notice the difference .", "provides both a searing satire of modern suburbia and provocative insight into the malignant maturation of generally well-meaning and privileged kids .", "there 's something refreshing about the violation of ethnic stereotypes , especially when the stereotype is politically correct and the violation is more than a simple counterstereotype .", "it is amusing and entertaining , and more than a little thought-provoking .", "a enerally absorbing look at a slice of society normally taken for granted , both in life and onscreen .", "justin lin succeeds in shocking audiences with a story that breaks the mold ...", "MOV , a corrosive , insightful study of the pressure-packed lives of suburban high school students , brings a new variant to gangster movies : gangsters with perfect sat scores .", "MOV breathes new life into a familiar story : coming of age in high school .", "spends more time avoiding asian-american stereotypes than it does making sense of its characters and plot .", "has an optimistic outlook that uses pessimistic results in a manner fitting for a film of such solid morality .", "intriguing but dramatically thin .", "incisive -lsb- and -rsb- cautionary .", "very disturbing but often enthralling .", "beyond its mangled morals ... better luck is a riveting and stylized ride from a director with great promise .", "the director sacrifices finesse to run around in the baggy duds of a lurid gangsta flick looking for street cred .", "an impressively authentic portrait of teenagers who , given too much money and freedom by absent parents , have confused maturity with a veneer of sophistication and blase amorality .", "starts out like an asian-american version of the breakfast club , but quickly turns more towards boyz n the hood ... shows what can happen when rich kids at private school and smart kids at public school get bored .", "the movie could end up being the asian american version of the breakfast club .", "although this movie shows lin 's promising moviemaking sensibilities , its point of view feels coldly amoral and dismissive .", "starts with the right intentions but quickly unravels .", "like his characters , lin may be an overachiever and the strain of trying to do too much shows .", "the problem is that lin is just as seduced by gangster trappings as his characters .", "until director/co-writer justin lin navigates that pivotal final turn , MOV has a vitality and novelty rare in any youth movie .", "most of writer-director justin lin 's shapeless movie is as bland as the neighborhood .", "sublty captures the mood of the fast-track contemporary california teenager and saturates it with poignant black humor .", "... consistently in over its head .", "while its characters are specifically asian american ... the film really speaks to all young people , about dangerous games and their disturbingly untidy consequences .", "about how incredibly stupid the smartest of kids can be , which is inherently watchable .", "although directed in a pop-smart style that eschews dark , deterministic melodramatics for an unsettlingly sunny tone ... the film also frustrates for having come so close to being something truly challenging .", "as teen angst films go , this is as good as any .", "a funny , smart , fearless movie .", "a film that merges cocaine , ivy league , college applications , the asian american experience , dark comedy and high school drama while maintaining a personal tone and likable lead characters is just too impressive to knock .", "worth a look-see for fans of crime comedy .", "marks lin as a talent to watch .", "despite giving in to melodrama 's nagging demands , lin displays an arch , nervy style that could serve him well in the future .", "solid performances by the cast and lin 's expressive storytelling techniques combine for an absorbing twist on this coming-of-age tale .", "lin never gets on a soapbox , and these characters could have walked out of any high school in the country .", "shen and tobin are particularly good as the straight-laced , handsome ben and the half-mad virgil .", "there is a moral ambiguity to the film that could disturb some viewers , but the film 's clever plotting and intriguing characters will stay with you well after leaving the theater .", "lim 's premise is a great idea for a short film , but while he makes several serious points about racial profiling and tokenism , there 's not enough story here for a full-length feature .", "the movie so credibly taps into the confusing emotions of adolescence that nothing these kids do ever seems less than spontaneous and uniquely individual .", "makes the grade with its youthful pace , sly sense of humor and comments on racial stereotypes .", "lin 's assured and electric tale of good kids gone bad might be just another run-of-the-mill exercise in flashy adolescent nihilism were it not for the cleverly atypical way in which he confronts the material .", "director justin lin `` gets '' the essence of the kids and deftly handles their story with sharp editing edgy camerawork darkly funny script -lrb- some lines are priceless -rrb- and an excellent punk-pop soundtrack .", "... lin infuses even the most cliched aspects of the screenplay with a sense of style that 's never overbearing ...", "mean streets meets the chess club .", "disturbing and enlightening , MOV is one of the few contemporary films guaranteed to make you think . and it wo n't let go .", "the film really rumbles in the undercurrent of race and identity that lin sketches in the margins of their lives ...", "what 's most impressive about this movie is how familiar , rather than how different , everything feels .", "a coming-of-age film that takes the clich\u00e9 of wanting to be cool and gives it a very particularized spin .", "every generation produces its own version of the graduate . chalk up MOV , justin lin 's smart , sometimes raw comedy-drama , as a contender for today 's teens .", "it does n't offer audiences easy answers familiar to dozens of mtv-style teen comedies ." ], "summary": "a promising work by lin , the energetic MOV is disturbing and thought-provoking .", "id": "14423" }, { "movie": "still_alice", "reviews": [ "moore 's performance is exquisitely nuanced - the only thing worth remembering about this otherwise tone-deaf weepie .", "still still hums with humanity in the person of moore , whose towering performance shows a staggering technical proficiency while never losing a whit of emotional resonance .", "this thoughtful movie ... raises an issue any of us might face .", "jullianne moore is devastating without italicizing anything", "when she wins the academy award , i 'm just going to pretend it was for todd haynes ' 1995 masterpiece , safe , and leave it at that .", "the focus on alzheimer 's might be off-putting , but do n't let that stop you from seeing julianne moore in MOV .", "as films about people with devastating diseases go , MOV is understated , thought-provoking , and written and directed with a steady hand .", "a horror movie for gentlefolk : its methodical terrors -- memory loss , disorientation -- seem all too likely , especially for mature moviegoers less worried about things that go bump in the night than the fall of night itself , so to speak .", "i 'm saying it could have been more worthwhile and aware than it is . as for the film , it has two strong performances and enough grace notes to make that a solid yes , you should see this .", "a mind is a terrible thing to watch waste away and rarely has the horror of losing one 's inner self to alzheimer 's been conveyed as precisely and powerfully as it is here .", "it uses enormous and expressive tricks for obvious but fairly effective external signs for subjectivity in the story . -lsb- full review in spanish -rsb-", "while the relationship between moore and stewart 's characters is interesting , most of the film follows well-traveled roads .", "a sympathetic look at mental decline in a middle aged woman .", "moore turns alzheimer 's drama into acting master class .", "more sincere than convincing , MOV is the rare picture that earns plaudits for its star dimming , not glowing . in a real sense , moore gradually disappears from her own movie .", "MOV is not an easy film to watch , but it is a movie well worth seeing .", "a brilliant performance by julianne moore manages to overcome some melodramatic pitfalls .", "julianne moore 's lead turn is towering and momentous , the work of an actor whose awe-inspiring natural talent knows no limits . watching her in this role provides a thrill that not even some of the best action films could hope to attain .", "a very fine screenplay based on a novel written by a neuroscience researcher with a phd from harvard who obviously knew the territory , including the life-style of its mandarin lead character toppled by alzheimers .", "the finely nuanced script takes a sensitive look at this disease and its effects , not only on the person afflicted , but also on family members who have to deal with it .", "it 's a quietly harrowing portrait of a family losing the woman they know -- and a woman losing herself .", "it 's the kind of performance that does n't just support a film , it gives the film its breath of life .", "heartbreaking and convincingly told it may be , MOV only hints at the desperation the disease leads to , shying away from depicting the true horror of alzheimer 's .", "moore 's own face starts to become as bare a cupboard as her mind . it 's more than the no-make-up look . first , lines of doubt and fear map her face . then starts to come a blankness like infantilism .", "moore plays the descent into dementia with notable subtlety . there 's no grandstanding .", "the reality of alzheimer 's may be even harsher than its presentation here but that would surely make a film that would only dismay its viewers .", "MOV is unquestionably well researched and sincere in its intentions , but at times it feels a little schematic .", "-lsb- moore -rsb- almost carries the film beyond disease-of-the-week blandness , but both sarah polley 's away from her and michael haneke 's amour mined deeper and more surprising material from the familial fallout .", "never once veering into heavy-handed sentimentality , it 's a film to break your heart .", "while moore has deserved an academy award for years ... the surprise is stewart , who has left the twilight zone and burst forth as a creature of brutal honesty on screen .", "the material has n't been properly reimagined for cinema .", "co-directors wash westmoreland and richard glatzer keep the film simple and straightforward , cutting to the core of the matter without the need to tug at the heartstrings .", "in the wrong hands , this is the stuff of disease-of-the-week sentimentality , but MOV stays away from that terrain by focusing less on the illness than on the emotional effects it has on all involved .", "competently directed , and delivered with the expected emotional beats , `` MOV '' achieves its modest goals , but one wishes it had a grander vision .", "thanks to this brave and gutsy actress ' overwhelming candor and sincerity , you go away feeling educated , enlightened and more compassionate than you can possibly imagine .", "the rare film possessed with the courage required to shine a light into that abyss knowing full well that down is the only way out .", "a caring and compassionate portrait of a linguistics professor stricken with early onset alzheimer 's . carried home into our hearts by julianne moore 's mesmerizing performance .", "the filmmakers and their lead actress never make a misstep ; their approach is both clinical and deeply intimate , and the emotional journey feels true and resonant .", "MOV becomes more and more engrossing as it progresses ...", "it 's one of those rare films that makes you think and gives you a debate to have with your loved ones . a deep , human movie that does n't shy away from baring its soul and the vast complexities that come with it .", "-lsb- this -rsb- film will mean a lot to a lot of people - not just anyone whose life alzheimer 's has affected , but anyone whom it could affect , ever .", "this is an effortlessly excellent film , about a horribly hard subject .", "`` MOV '' provides a valuable lesson in empathy and understanding , with a message for all of us in accepting what we 've lost , and celebrating what has n't yet gone .", "julianne moore 's stunning turn in the deeply emotional drama MOV is head and shoulders above anything else achieved this year .", "julianne moore is wonderfully good as alice and her performance will bring a tear to many eyes .", "for my dad , who died of complications from alzheimer 's . this is the movie that needed to be made .", "moore is the real reason MOV works . she 's so natural and free of vanity . she does n't telegraph the tragedy of her situation . it 's a quiet performance and the uncertainty of how present alice is undercuts everything , even the joyful moments .", "moore gives a controlled portrait of emotional implosion ...", "... a performance beautifully coloured with varying shades of emotion that also makes clever use of -lsb- moore 's -rsb- porcelain looks to evoke the vulnerability of the eponymous alice .", "this is an affecting and thoroughly worthwhile film on a very contemporary topic - with some larkinian reflections on what will and wo n't survive of us .", "an absorbing portrait of one woman 's interior landscape .", "julianne moore gives the performance of her career -lrb- no mean feat , given the strength of her previous work -rrb- in this heartbreaking yet life-affirming tale of a woman determined to hold onto her identity while under attack from a debilitating mental disease .", "julianne moore and kristen stewart 's artful consideration of familial friction acerbated by disease , and vice versa , nearly saves MOV from the banality of its lifetime-movie execution .", "`` MOV '' is hampered by both an unimaginative script and ordinary direction , but it 's a serious oscar contender . why ? because julianne moore is in the lead .", "all of the actors clearly know they are there to support moore . this is alice 's story and no one else 's .", "moore 's portrayal of 50-year-old alice howland , adapted from lisa genova 's 2007 novel , is one of the best of her career .", "losing your mind is a terrible thing to watch , but the splendid acting in `` MOV '' makes it worth the pain .", "MOV is a movie that addresses a nightmarish circumstance with calm , compassionate sensitivity .", "MOV is rarely anything short of compelling , in part because its sense of progression and scale offers such a distinctively unsentimental take on the terminal-countdown tearjerker .", "julianne moore is extraordinary at revealing the gradual loss of memory and confidence , and at showing the hulk of physical persistence that remains after intellect and reference have gone .", "moore has been a fine actress for a long time and `` MOV '' gives her a remarkable role , and the space to truly live it .", "MOV is so busy being compassionate that it forgets to be anything else .", "you bet your ass that julianne moore is overdue for academy love . she 's supremely gifted , possessing the beauty of a true star and the intuitive technique of a true actress .", "a film that benefits from ms. moore 's lovely performance , yet suffers from glib contrivance and predictable writing .", "MOV is a searing portrait of one of the least understood , most frightening plagues of this century .", "sorrow-laden and moving , MOV is n't gratuitously grim nor is it easily sentimental . there 's humor here -- vaguely gallows-like , perhaps but also earned .", "moore 's performance , with all its subtleties and nuances , demands recognition , even if it 's the only thing about `` alice '' worth remembering .", "while -lsb- MOV -rsb- is bleak and incredibly serious , it mostly avoids cheap sentimentality , managing to educate without becoming an after-school special .", "the great strength of the film is that it never resorts to cheap sentimentality . the facts themselves are hard enough , crushing enough .", "MOV is accurate and compassionate , and anyone who has known someone with alzheimer 's will appreciate the film 's sincere intentions .", "movies about slowly dying characters almost never leave us feeling ennobled or uplifted - they make us feel like suckers .", "thanks to some intuitive direction from the filmmakers and a truly inspired performance from julianne moore , MOV articulates the very specific type of loss that alzheimer 's and other cognitive disorders represent .", "do n't be surprised to find yourself suddenly obsessed with forgotten names and misplaced keys .", "it 's moore who really brings the film home . it 's in her expression when the doctor gives his diagnosis and pessimistic prognosis . it 's in the way she looks at her family , knowing there will come a time when she wo n't recognize them .", "the triumph of MOV is that it 's not about an illness ; it 's about a person .", "even though glatzer and westmoreland 's film occasionally flirts with three-hankie , disease-of-the-week lifetime-network clich\u00e9s , it mostly rises above them thanks to a pair of stunning performances . one that 's pretty much expected , the other less so .", "MOV is as powerful as it is crushing . ms. moore delivers a performance that will endure .", "profoundly eloquent and empathetic , elevated by julianne moore 's restained , delicately nuanced performance .", "in this adaptation of lisa genova 's novel , one is left wondering why anyone would want to be alice to begin with .", "this is one of moore 's defining performances , and it is a brave one .", "it does have a predictable trajectory -- how could it not ? -- but it 's certainly not movie-of-the-week fare .", "but , sadly , it 's not a good movie .", "in the absence of the anger and the wildness that are crouched and caged within this most terrible of themes , `` MOV '' is worth watching , for the sake of julianne moore .", "-lsb- moore 's -rsb- performance here as the deteriorating alice is restrained and analytical in a way that allows us to see through her eyes .", "the older you are , the more sensitive and receptive to the script 's somber material you will likely be .", "we 're all familiar with the hollywood clich\u00e9 that playing a character with a disease or disability is an attention-grabbing ploy for oscar glory , but what is remarkable about julianne moore 's performance is just how subtle and un-showy it is .", "the subject matter may be tough , and the end-point inevitable , but the message we take away is defiant and ultimately uplifting .", "julianne moore 's terror at watching her own emotional and intellectual life slip away is palpable , and much scarier to me than any slasher movie .", "julianne moore shows us that she is still in her prime , playing to every subtle nuance of the degenerative disease with precision and respect .", "MOV certainly has a superb lead performance in julianne moore , but directors richard glatzer and wash westmoreland focus more on the situation than the story .", "not only are there not enough good , smart roles for women , the movies that do contain those roles are too often one-dimensional .", "julianne moore does all the heavy lifting in what otherwise feels like a tv movie .", "when it 's not fending off an attack of the glums , MOV comes down with a big case of the prims .", "writer-directors glatzer and westmoreland have written a rich , multi-layered screenplay that works equally well as family melodrama and as a meditation on language , identity and mortality .", "the toll the disease takes on the life of a brilliant linguistics professor is superbly detailed by julianne moore in a career-high performance , driving straight to the terror of the disease and its power to wipe out personal certainties and identity .", "julianne moore guides us through the tragic arc of how it must feel to disappear before one 's own eyes , accomplishing one of her most powerful performances by underplaying the scenario ...", "-lrb- julianne -rrb- moore ably displays the frustration and fear that most likely is a daily occurrence for most alzheimer 's victims .", "this is not an easy film to watch but it 's relevant , courageous and full of grace .", "it 's well cast and generally much more sincere than sentimental .", "attempting to describe the level of tragedy contained in moore 's performance in the film 's third act brings to mind the limits within alice 's chosen field of study . because no words do it justice .", "while a fine showcase of a great screen actor 's talents , and an admirable depiction of an all-too-common disease , it is a grind , and one wonders if the filmmakers had an audience in mind .", "moore 's performance as an early onset alzheimer 's patient is arguably her best . and , that takes into account four earlier oscar nominations . she is due .", "as lyrical as angels in america may be , it hijacks the focus .", "julianne moore deserves all the accolades but the movie wants tears and never quite earns them .", "MOV will be remembered for moore 's efforts , with her performance one that audiences wo n't forget .", "it 's heart-breaking to watch , made all the more poignant by julianne moore 's largely subdued , deeply moving performance .", "not since jeff goldblum succumbed to a purely sci-fi disease in ` the fly ' has watching a great actor gradually lose it being so gutting .", "if only the movie deserved moore 's precision work , and if only there were more to this character than the cheap irony of a language professor losing her words .", "the combination of a brilliant lead performance and a respectably honest portrayal of alzheimer 's make MOV affecting , even during the times when it feels as though it needs a little more plot .", "simple and direct , rather than a discovery .", "inherently heartbreaking and miraculously pure , glatzer and westmoreland gift their leading lady with a blank canvas and she returns the favor by pouring her soul on to it .", "MOV is heartbreaking but it does n't earn its tears through easy emotional manipulation .", "for a film about early onset alzheimer 's , this is a remarkably wry , honest and even hopeful drama , anchored by another staggeringly sensitive performance by julianne moore .", "for all the movie 's honesty , the reality of alzheimer 's disease is a lot worse than what you see in `` MOV . '' perhaps directors richard glatzer and wash westmoreland made a calculation as to how much an audience can take . they were right .", "a beautiful movie at times , tapping into a pure experience that 's gracefully handled by the production , allowing the work to be educational , dramatically satisfying , and , of course , utterly heartbreaking .", "thank god julianne moore got an oscar nod for her new film MOV .", "it is impossible not to be affected by this devastatingly sad portrait of a woman , whose reliance on memory and its compilation to communicate in her role as professor of linguistics at columbia university , accentuates the intensity of her loss", "there 's a difference between a great performance and a great performance . julianne moore 's turn as a professor afflicted with early onset alzheimer 's easily qualifies as the latter .", "paradoxically , even when pulling its emotional punches ` MOV ' ca n't entirely escape the limitations of the disease-of-the-week genre , but largely as a result of moore 's extraordinary skill it largely transcends them .", "`` MOV '' is much too clear-eyed to hold out false hope , but it 's a moving testimonial to going down with grace .", "ultimately this is a movie built around moore 's performance , and she does n't disappoint .", "if it did n't star julianne moore , it would be well worth skipping . but the exceptional way moore plays alice , a renowned columbia university linguistics professor with early-onset alzheimer 's , lifts the film above its morose potential .", "sensitive , compassionate storytelling .", "moore is sensational -- all the reason anyone might need to see this film , which unfortunately offers little else to command our attention .", "without moore 's uncompromising , brilliant work , this would be a mediocre film , so the way she elevates it into a work of art is nothing less than astonishing .", "a decent film that 's emotionally raw , worth seeing if only to see how one of the masters of her craft single-handedly manages to rescue -lrb- along with the help of her castmates -rrb- a film from being a maudlin mess into a watchable , moving piece of cinema .", "the movie is harrowing , as any story about alzheimer 's should be , but moore gives it an extra layer of gravity and heartbreaking inevitability .", "a modest drama , but moore 's heart-wrenching and oscar-nominated performance makes this a must-see .", "while it 's no surprise that moore is so good , `` MOV '' has an unexpected trick up its sleeve : the sweetly gentle performance of kristen stewart , as alice 's actress daughter lydia .", "in MOV , julianne moore delivers a heartbreaking , emotionally astute portrayal of a woman disappearing in full view of her nearest and dearest .", "it 's a heartbreaking performance by moore , who never forgets she 's portraying a woman whose professional success has been built on intellectual rigour and self-discipline .", "the kind of movie that exists solely to facilitate a great performance in the lead role , and julianne moore provides one .", "`` MOV `` might sound maudlin , or more on the frequency of a made-for-tv movie than what it is . but this is not only sensitive material handled with tact , it 's also sensitive material bolstered and braced by moore 's stunning performance .", "MOV works and , at times , with assured , depressing clarity .", "julianne moore is the main reason to see `` MOV . ''", "a realistic , heartbreaking look at a savage disease so eloquently exhibited by moore given the proper respect by its filmmakers .", "julianne moore , as dr. alice howland , evokes the heartbreaking reality of this dreaded condition . yet through it all , she is `` still '' alice , and that 's why moore is a lock for the academy award .", "glatzer has cited ozu as an influence , and MOV honors the japanese master 's serenity unto nothingness .", "MOV lives or dies on moore 's performance , whose portrayal is nuanced yet never maudlin .", "a performance as perfect as moore 's deserves to be seen .", "this middlebrow drama presents the heroine 's mental deterioration calmly and sensitively , though it feels pretty thin on the whole .", "the movie 's most expressive element is moore 's face , slowly moving from engagement , flecked with worry , to disconnection and blankness .", "MOV benefits from solid acting down the line -- kristen stewart is especially fine as moore 's struggling actress daughter -- but it exists in a rarefied world of privilege unknown to most alzheimer 's patients .", "julianne moore is n't merely good in the lead role . she 's devastatingly , heartbreakingly good , and she 's a big reason why MOV is as moving as it is .", "after showing the audience how much alice has to lose , the film shows her losing it . julianne moore 's finely honed , affecting performance makes her an oscar frontrunner .", "yes , julianne moore will win the oscar . and yes , this in one depressing film .", "julianne moore delivered the best performance by an actress in a leading role throughout the duration of 2014 . only wild 's reese witherspoon and two days , one night 's marion cotillard came close .", "there 's a directness to the production that might feel blunt were it not elevated by moore and baldwin 's heartbreaking duet performance ...", "at times -lrb- moore 's -rrb- subtleties feel like a rebellion against the potentially cheesy directions taken by the screenplay .", "julianne moore 's oscar clip will likely be an instance of high drama . but she 's at her best during the still moments in between .", "`` MOV '' provides a valuable lesson in empathy and understanding , with a message for all of us in accepting what we 've lost , and celebrating what has n't yet gone .", "the film is hobbled by a naff , tv-movie aesthetic and jarringly mawkish score . yet moore gives us raw heartache , running the gauntlet from fear to fury to powerless frustration , before she 's barely there at all .", "simultaneously rawly realistic and airbrushed .", "the tearjerker of the year .", "if only the movie were as good as -lsb- moore -rsb- and stewart are .", "julianne moore is devastatingly good , charting alice 's decline with subtlety and grace . it 's just a slight disappointment that her oscar-worthy performance is not just the crux of MOV , but also the film 's entirety .", "moore 's performance is gutsy , subtle and oscar worthy", "glatzer and westmoreland do n't need to stack the emotional deck on alice 's behalf ... they just leave the camera on moore 's beautiful but increasingly faraway face , and our tears come on their own .", "it 's a way better movie than it ought to be , but not good enough to escape its pulpy , mendacious roots .", "moore handles the role beautifully , emphasizing alice 's fastidiousness and dignity as they unravel against her will .", "with a combination of power and grace , julianne moore elevates `` MOV '' above its made-for-cable-television trappings , and delivers one of the more memorable performances of her career .", "overall `` MOV '' feels rather incomplete , but the blemishes are overshadowed by some tender and potent moments , a lovely score by ilan eshkeri and julianne moore 's fantastic performance ." ], "summary": "elevated by a gripping performance from julianne moore , MOV is a heartfelt drama that honors its delicate themes with bravery and sensitivity .", "id": "771387088" }, { "movie": "drunk_stoned_brilliant_dead_the_story_of_the_national_lampoon", "reviews": [ "worth watching if only for the wonderful clips from the various `` lampoon '' stage shows , and an almost endless parade of covers and comic strips .", "a generous and briskly entertaining look at the american humor magazine 's legacy .", "the funniest documentary since the aristocrats .", "director douglas tirola and his many interview subjects make a strong case for the lampoon itself as genuinely transformative .", "douglas tirola 's upbeat doc on national lampoon already feels essential for celebrating a hard-fought moment of american comic subversion .", "it mistakes touch-and-go navel-gazing for comprehension , as if speaking to as many subjects as possible produces an inherently compelling take .", "the laughs come from the vintage bits , and there 's a little missing context . but any documentary that humanizes chevy chase is a movie making miracle .", "douglas tirola 's source material ... is chock-a-block full of the magazine 's oft controversial articles , art work and , most famously , the cover art", "full of magic and promise", "the doc is a bit more loony than the recent snl film , but it 's still just a bit too tame - i.e. lots of talking heads - to truly represent its subject .", "what makes drunk stoned brilliant dead feel particularly vibrant is how the lampoon 's specific art direction is put to use .", "tirola finds great archival material , some lively and insightful interviews , and does an entertaining job of reminding us how important national lampoon was in the development of modern american comedy .", "the movie is an orgy of boomer self-congratulation -- yet it lacks even that movie 's ironic notation of how a bastion of white-male privilege managed to pass itself off as radical .", "a slick documentary , and a vital reminder of the power the magazine once held as it welcomed comedic geniuses and lovable miscreants to help create monthly doses of lethal mischief .", "if you think there is nothing funnier than putting a sacred cow in a blender and hitting the pur\u00e9e button , this is the movie for you .", "tirola 's documentary is brisk and entertaining , if not especially thoughtful . but then neither was the magazine , whose militant bad taste spawned `` saturday night live '' and so much more .", "we can only imagine with glee what these comic geniuses could have done with some of today 's political and cultural figures .", "the jazzy drunk stoned brilliant dead is filled with talking heads you actually want to listen to .", "the tone is sharp and freewheeling , the craziness is infectious and the pace is cocaine-quick .", "pack rats of a certain generation will all but run to their attics after seeing `` drunk stoned brilliant dead . ''", "filled with anecdotes and information about this irreverent satirical magazine and the people who made it what it became , with archival film and interviews , i was captivated .", "it 's mostly for nostalgic fans of the magazine .", "funny like its subject but not nearly as daring .", "energetic , laugh-stuffed and very colorful .", "it 's dispiriting that a film about a humor magazine that broke and rebuilt the forms of both humor and magazines is itself so staid - and so lacking in sociologic sweep .", "drunk stoned brilliant and dead is a reminder that the nl 's reach , scope and legacy is rich and varied ; indeed it might be thought of the putrid petri dish where an entire generation of north american comics were cultured .", "film allows for viewing the full extent of the nat lamp comedy empire , with rapid-fire montage of ... boundless energy to offend everyone and everything for 30 years .", "douglas tirola 's loving doc captures the anarchic '70s college satire magazine that became a comic force .", "an ambitious attempt to follow how the various alumni and side projects of one scurrilous publication variously gave us animal house , the simpsons , saturday night live and the breakfast club .", "talking heads , rock n ' roll spirit , and animated elements of the magazine come to life in comedic form . there 's certainly nothing wrong with this approach , but it 's certainly becoming formulaic .", "-lsb- both -rsb- a glorious celebration of the lunatic fringe -lrb- led by wild-child doug kenney -rrb- and a cautionary tale of the destructive impact of fame and fortune .", "unsparing about the ravages of time , cocaine and lorne michaels , tirola 's film also does what was previously considered impossible : it makes chevy chase seem like a human being .", "a frenetic , rough-edged , unapologetic tribute to the lampoon , featuring some amazing archival footage , nifty bits of animation and dozens of straightforward talking-head interviews that crackle and pop .", "whiplash-inducing . considering all the scenes of the staff working in a pot haze , the filmmakers might have benefited from taking a hit or several .", "offers a great oral history of the publication 's rise and fall , as told by dozens of people who were actually there .", "a poignant documentary for a time when nostalgia runs rampant , satire 's under fire , and comedy 's experiencing its own renaissance .", "whether you 're familiar with the lampoon magazine or just a fan of comedy in general , this is a thoroughly enlightening and entertaining homework assignment .", "pretty rock n'roll , aiming for a fun aesthetic that 's right in line with the brand", "what it lacks in specificity it more than makes up for in the articulate emotions of the interview subjects and the remarkable array of archival material .", "the film is uproarious , not for what its many talking heads say but for its astonishing procession of brilliant , boundary-breaching illustrations and captions ...", "aesthetically it 's meat-and-pototatoes , but what meat and potatoes - all giggled reminiscing and crazy anecdotes , peppered with racy and cutting sights and sounds .", "if only drunk stoned brilliant dead was a fraction as intelligent or entertaining as its subject .", "a must-see documentary for comedy fans ! more than a simple recounting of lampoon history , drunk stoned gives a strong sense of the players involved .", "it 's an engaging and entertaining film , filled with funny anecdotes expertly related .", "while drunk stoned brilliant dead is a nostalgic look back at some of the most celebrated funny men and women in the genre , it is one with a sense of finality . what once was will never be again : the industry has forever shifted .", "this is just about hanging around talking about the glory days , and as far as reminisces go , you could do worse than the group of people who put out the funniest work of the '70s .", "douglas tirola 's doc about the satirical bible 's rise and fall is fascinating , funny , smart , juvenile , tragic , and likely to offend just about everyone . it 's a must-see for anyone who cares about comedy .", "douglas tirola 's celebration of the '70s comedy institution does n't know when to put on the brakes . nevertheless , its enthusiasm proves infectious ." ], "summary": "drunk stoned brilliant dead might not be the definitive doc national lampoon fans are waiting for , but it 's still almost as transgressively funny as the magazine in its heyday .", "id": "771411944" }, { "movie": "the_angels_share", "reviews": [ "as heartwarming and uplifting as any tale could be that features vicious beatings and grand larceny .", "whether robbie pulls off his caper should be left for the audience to discover . but loach 's great cinematic switcheroo goes off almost without a hitch .", "a fairy tale with its feet firmly on the ground .", "director ken loach 's latest glimpse of the u.k. underclass is really two rather different movies , either of which i would 've enjoyed on their own . but they do n't really fit together in any satisfying or even logical way .", "charming enough to satisfy even the trenchant-commentary crowd .", "a lark , but it 's a serious-minded lark , addressing issues of class and culture , the haves and have-nots .", "lead actor paul brannigan , the product of glasgow 's working-class east end , is a natural .", "while it has some likable characters , particularly its charismatic lead , it 's impossible to shake the feeling that we 've seen this movie before .", "the angels ' share is a stellar bit of activist cinema with a light touch .", "the usual loachian elements are all in place , but there is a gentle spirit at work here as well , and not just the alcoholic spirits around which the plot revolves .", "as unlikely a fable of redemption as any that hollywood might deliver , elevated by loach 's insistence on naturalism .", "they 're a fun bunch of tart-tongued scots , and if their adventures do n't amount to anything of thematic significance , watching them is a pleasure .", "mingling the peaty scent of scottish street life with a distilled take on unemployed , at-risk youth , director ken loach serves up a surprisingly upbeat cocktail thanks to a subplot involving rare whisky .", "despite its ultimate sense of optimism , the glasgow-set dramedy nevertheless carries a sense of foreboding . and yet , that might not have been the intention .", "with this shaggy-dog tale of four petty glaswegian criminals and their improbably successful scheme to steal the world 's most valuable whiskey , loach turns na\u010fvet\u00e9 into a sort of moral philosophy .", "... a low key and rather marvelous , sweet-natured heist movie", "probably the first ken loach film you could call ` jaunty . '", "modest in scale , expansive in emotions , this movie is a rarity : a contemporary tragicomedy .", "the film is cocktail of comedy and heist with a large shot of social realism .", "slipping back and forth between drama and comedy , the angels ' share initially seems shaggy and unstructured , but that 's part of its appeal .", "there is love , laughter and whisky galore in ken loach 's unusually joyful comedy drama about delinquent scottish youths defying the odds society has stacked against them .", "some may find the tendons of the story a little slack occasionally , but for me loach and laverty are speaking with an engaging dramatic voice .", "like a subtly blended malt , this mixes light and dark to create one of loach 's most life-affirming tales . funny , frank and it wo n't give you a splitting hangover .", "this is british comedy at its warmest and most pleasurable ; cask strength , unfiltered and neat .", "much like a stiff drink at the end of a long day , `` the angels ' share '' gets the job done , but you 're probably not going to remember it in the morning .", "loach 's realism lends an easygoing , ramshackle quality to the film that smoothes over any lack of tightness .", "-lsb- ken loach -rsb- and his longtime screenwriter , paul laverty , find a good balance between drama and wacky character moments .", "the title , by the way , refers to the distillation process : the 2 % of whisky that evaporates in the barrel is known as `` the angel 's share . '' i 'm afraid there 's more than 2 % evaporation going on in loach 's latest .", "if you want to look for it , you 'll find a layer of metaphor -lrb- the distilling process as a symbol of the characters ' evolution -rrb- and social-realist commentary amid the gentle , life-affirming laughs .", "drink it up !", "the result is a sometimes gritty , occasionally charming highland hybrid , but the final balance feels slightly off-kilter .", "loach takes us through the mysteries of whisky making , exploring the subtle tastes and scents in ways that will have audiences wishing they had a dram at hand . but a glass also serves more symbolic purposes ...", "a surprisingly warm and heartfelt film about a flawed criminal struggling to start a new life after the birth of his first child .", "ken loach walks on the lighter side", "the scenes where the angels ' share unexpectedly becomes a surprisingly-tense and innovative heist movie are much more fun than the averagely tiresome bank robbery drama .", "ken loach goes full-on feel-good with this enjoyable , rough-edged and well acted comedy drama that 's by turns moving , suspenseful and laugh-out-loud funny .", "nowhere in the movie is reality short-changed for story effect .", "another likeable but uneven comedy in the vein of looking for eric , -lsb- loach 's -rsb- 2009 film starring eric cantona .", "the time is ripe for a great ken loach film . if only ken loach was up for making one .", "newcomer brannigan is a real find , though his dramatic weight is splendidly countered by the scene-stealing maitland who provides one of the film 's two unforgettable , ca n't - believe-he-did-that moments .", "brannigan is an engaging lead and henshaw offers light relief , but director ken loach , famous for his social realism , and regular writer paul laverty struggle to find a balance between the film 's comic and serious elements .", "a wee heart-warming dram of scots spirit ... a rich fermentation of the best of british comedy filmmaking with a greater social agenda .", "a whimsical crime caper comedy in the ealing vein about a bunch of delinquent glaswegians who pull off a very unlikely heist - think whisky galore with sweary neds instead of twinkling hebridean islanders .", "it is an uplifting tale of redemption with a hint of politics , which is not overstated .", "ken loach 's latest cannes fest entry is a light , amiable scottish fable -lrb- with dark tones to be sure -rrb- about how the discovery of whisky can change one 's life .", "like good whisky , loach is mellowing and becoming subtler with age - though a swift chug still has a bit of a kick .", "the angels ' share is often hilarious , always hugely charming , and carries a wholly appropriate social message .", "oddly structured like a whisky tasting , this film cycles through moods from the first taste to the full flavour to the final kick .", "it 's the glaswegian specificity that makes this contrived heist comedy mildly enjoyable .", "the angels ' share is loach at his most playful and invigorating .", "an amiable comedy about young glaswegian roughnecks discovering the world of whisky , `` the angels ' share '' finds helmer ken loach and long-term screenwriting partner paul laverty in better , breezier form than their rebarbative prior effort ,", "something 's gone wrong when a would-be cheerful comedy leaves you feeling as if a condescending finger has been wagged in your face .", "loach and laverty never fully resolve the yin and yang : the blood and the banter . but it 's still rewarding to see these filmmakers exploring a different ton .", "a heartwarming , social-realist fairytale with enough rowdy humour and sweet sentiment to appeal to loach 's dedicated global followers and beyond .", "the feel-good comedy of the summer . who knew ?", "there is politics underlying every aspect of this funny , warm-hearted , deftly plotted film , and we fervently wish for the caper planned by this endearing quartet to succeed .", "it has a spellbinding heft of charm , carrying itself just like a fine whiskey - warm , a little sweet , and unequivocally a joy to return to time and time again .", "the redemptive path is paved with laughter and charm , mixes mirth with tears beautifully", "if i had to make a comparison , i 'd say it is an unlikely pairing of green street hooligans and sideways .", "finds room for some well-earned warm fuzzies .", "the spirit and the flesh are willing in this mischievous , bittersweet comedy in which single malt whisky , an ex crim and second chances come together in an interesting blend", "ken loach does hope ' could be the headline a fleet street sub might slap on a review of the angels ' share , in which a young scot accidentally finds salvation and a way out of his trapped life of crime and misery", "-lsb- loach 's -rsb- latest collaboration with screenwriter paul laverty proves the pair can pull off a genre entertainment with aplomb when in the mood .", "the film has a rough and ready look , but the charm of its battler characters shines through and there 's plenty to relish here , even though the plot gets more and more improbable the further it proceeds .", "loach brings a warm-hearted poignancy to this feel-good tale of the more disadvantaged in society who , miraculously , find redemption .", "i loved this . i walked out of this film just really filled with delight . ken loach is such a socially conscious filmmaker .", "scent , fine acting , plus superb cinematography carry you through . however , you ca n't help but feel you 've been cheated out of a truly devastating drama by folks in search of something more commercially palatable and , consequently , less plausible .", "ken loach 's breezy scribble about lowlife redemption and drunken buffoonery is n't so much heavy-handed as it is charmingly weightless .", "-lsb- its -rsb- fleeting slapstick tendency wins out , regrettably diminishing the film 's social consciousness in the process .", "loach 's best film since the wind that shakes the barley .", "this is as close to a feel-good film as -lsb- director -rsb- ken loach gets , yet he never loses sight or touch with the reality he is so brilliant at capturing on camera .", "the angels ' share is the charming story of four scottish criminals who find redemption - if not exactly rehabilitation - through alcohol . it may not seem like the typical logline for a heart-warmer ; it seems about right for a ken loach flick .", "loach 's realism always carries a distinct sense of humor , volatility and , most alarmingly in this hypercapitalist new century , a socialist passion for the people .", "although some of the accents are so thick it 's difficult to understand the dialogue -lrb- where are the subtitles when we need them ? -rrb- the performances feel genuine .", "i 'm not suggesting the angels ' share is a chock full of bellylaughs , but it 's the first loach film in some time that lacks the sensation of having a plastic grocery bag pulled over one 's face .", "ken loach comedy about young glaswegian reprobates fighting for a second chance has charm aplenty , but suffers from occasional portions of cheese and a hard-to-swallow premise -lrb- whisky-tasting as gateway to a better life -rrb- .", "some good laughs and a passable air of bonhomie do nothing to cover up the fact that the angels ' share is totally lightweight and distractingly underdone .", "while there 's no ignoring the social ills that haunt robbie 's hopes , the movie 's optimism serves as a cheeky , and surprisingly inspiring , retort .", "watching it is like receiving a hard slap in the face from someone who expects you to laugh it off , even though the sting lingers .", "-lsb- mr. loach -rsb- has gone and directed a comedy from a script by his longtime collaborator paul laverty , and it 's so delightful that his fans will be clamoring for more .", "loach films have been funny while making their point before -lrb- see `` riff raff '' -rrb- , but this one is imbued with a little bit of magic ... those offended by four letter words should be warned that even the voice of god slings a heavy dose of them here .", "graphically observant about the ease with which young men starved of opportunities can turn their energies inward to destroying themselves and one another .", "loach coaxes an endearingly poised performance out of nonprofessional brannigan , and largely sells these scuffling characters as neither hopeless nor heroic-just terribly human .", "just how is one supposed to react , in 2013 , to a non-ironic use of the proclaimers ' '' -lrb- i 'm gon na be -rrb- 500 miles '' in a musical montage ?", "the plot thickens , but the mood grows lighter .", "unexpectedly , and blithely , amusing .", "sweet-natured and high-spirited , it 's a fanciful fable with a wee dash of magical realism .", "this is one of the most likable movies so far this year .", "although the english director ken loach has been making socially conscious movies for close to 50 years , this shaggy comedy unfolds like the work of a young man on a lark .", "the film itself vaporizes before your eyes , but it 's likable . given its unstable mishmash of thuggery and whimsy , that 's something of an achievement .", "like the spirit it celebrates , `` the angel 's share '' is a neat little jolt of pleasure - and guaranteed to leave you feeling just a mite warmer .", "while a few farcical moments fizzle , it 's mostly charming .", "`` the angels ' share '' leaves a warm glow .", "with the angels ' share , ken loach expertly combines a handful of genres which congeal into an often funny , always charming affair that serves as a salute to whisky to boot ." ], "summary": "the angels ' share is a surprisingly delightful , uplifting comedy that successfully blends a charming story of redemption with bits of dark humor and a social message .", "id": "771303117" }, { "movie": "ajami", "reviews": [ "it has a complex , elliptical structure that uses unconventional filming techniques to tell a bleak and fatalistic story conveyed with an unnerving sense of verisimilitude .", "good intentions are one thing , of course , and good writing and filmmaking another . MOV is lucky to have all three .", "MOV brings its audience into a world where the cultural conflict is fierce , emotions run high , yet the hopeful vision of peaceful coexistence shines through the cracks .", "observing the ominous nature of violence and its crushing aftermath , MOV is a striking raw nerve of a feature film , holding to a steady path of dread , but keeping the story on its toes by jolting back and forth through locations and time .", "a brutally honest , harrowing and provocative glimpse into the cycle of violence in the middle east .", "extraordinarily accomplished and deeply provocative , the film 's appeal among sophisticated filmgoers should remain strong throughout oscar season and beyond .", "hollywood -lsb- may -rsb- think that MOV is making a political statement ... given the partnership of the directors . unfortunately , it 's not enough to make this a memorable film .", "this is vividly challenging , utterly inclusive and heartfelt cinema . it 's not only gripping to watch , but it 'll open your eyes to the intractable human conundrums behind the blood-stained headlines .", "the specifics of the plot in MOV are n't as important as the impact of many sad moments that build up one after another . hatred is like the weather . you do n't agree with the rain but still you get wet .", "shani and copti -lrb- who costars as a hipster druggie -rrb- elicit moving performances from their nonprofessional actors , who ground the somewhat breathless action in a streetwise realism .", "a bold and serious film about the frail threads that keep -- or fail to keep -- a society from falling apart .", "like an israeli amores perros crossed with city of god .", "an urgent , immediate , jarring-but-fluid , multicharacter portrayal of arab life in an israel ghetto .", "aside from its honesty , i just think it 's a really gripping narrative .", "do n't worry if you miss some details ; this is the kind of movie that rewards a second viewing .", "MOV is n't a downbeat film , though it is a relentless one . it is alive with energy , if only the energy devoted to survival .", "gripping , gritty tragedy of complex families who cross at the wrong place at the wrong time . misunderstood intentions and attitudes sadly lead inexorably to violence .", "there are hints at the sort of collective punishment so often rained down by palestinians and israelis upon one another , but really there are far broader concerns here in what is , in effect , a drama of divisions", "a poignant drama set in the tense multi-ethnic community in jaffa , israel , where dreams are regularly shattered by violence , poverty , and religious strife .", "complex like its nation 's own ethnic and cultural stew , this is bracing cinema even while its implications are distressing in the extreme .", "... deft filmmaking and storytelling by the tyro directing team . i can not wait to see their follow up works .", "has an honest urgency born from the filmmakers ' very specific personal histories .", "it 's a film that rewards close attention , involving disparate characters whose lives intersect over the course of several chapters .", "it 's an admirable achievement , taking simplistic , old-fashioned material and passionately adapting it to make it urgent and relevant .", "copti and shani are promising talents , but they 're a bit too clever for their own good .", "filmmakers scandar copti and yaron shani , who also wrote the story , effectively show how , in a tinderbox fueled by racial and religious suspicions , quiet lives can be upended by mere chance , and how constant , random violence feeds upon itself .", "it 's an admirably even-handed portrait of life in an occupied ghetto that is bounded by checkpoints . everyone we meet is a more or less honorably motivated victim of circumstance .", "a compelling drama about prejudice and folly .", "it does place the audience squarely amid the myriad horrors of a land and a conflict predicated , it appears , on little more than an age-old blood feud and joseph heller 's concept of catch-22 .", "the fact that these two israelis from opposite camps worked together to make this movie is as important as the movie itself .", "as complex as paul haggis 's film `` crash , '' this one may be confusing the first time around but affords the viewer an emotional picture of life in one of israel 's toughest neighborhoods .", "MOV has an appealingly rough-edged , authentic feel to it , thanks to some strong location work and the fact that the cast is drawn largely from non-professionals and real life locals .", "a terrific and well-realized first film , one that allows you into a world that very few outsiders have a chance to see and allows you to marvel at the storytelling skills of these two filmmakers .", "more impressive as a formal exercise than as a means to deepen our understanding of the characters or their situations .", "the combustible movie has had a strangely unifying effect on audiences worldwide ; it deserves to find traction where it counts .", "untidy , despairing , oddly exhilarating .", "you emerge from MOV moved and also a little worn out , but mostly grateful for the heart , craft and intelligence the movie has shown .", "israel 's 2009 academy awards foreign film entry has been getting good buzz and deserves most of it .", "rarely has the tinderbox nature of the middle east been so accurately lensed , on such an intimate scale , as in scandar copti and yaron shani 's powerful MOV .", "the complexity might require a second viewing , but there is compensation in the realistic acting by a cast of non-pros and the eye-grabbing , hand-held lensing by boaz yehonatan yacov .", "a stylish and important step towards forming a more compelling , bravely engaging portrayal of a country in turmoil without disregarding its hypocrisies , corruption and seemingly never-ending suffering .", "MOV , nominated for the foreign lingo oscar , captures impressively the entire spectrum of religious and cultural diversity of contempo israel , but the tale is repetitious and unnecessarily convoluted , imitating gomorroah and other multi-layered crimers .", "MOV is a powerful crime drama in which all are heroes and all are villains .", "contrivances bring this bunch together , and the plotting gets a little too complicated and convoluted . luckily , these are characters that feel real , whose problems are relatable .", "while its themes of revenge , mutual resentment and grim fatalism offer little hope for a ready solutions , the movie itself testifies to the power of creative collaboration in finding common ground .", "MOV keeps asking : when do people cross the line ? and when does pulling the trigger become a viable option ?", "the structure teeters but does n't succumb to the contrivances of crash .", "... these young filmmakers show maturity in how they have crafted their script , building layers of perspective that shift and change as they change points of view .", "among other things , MOV reminds us that `` israeli '' and `` jewish '' are not perfectly congruent circles in a venn diagram ; and that neither these -- nor `` arab , '' `` muslim , '' `` palestinian , '' and `` christian '' -- describe perfectly homogeneous groups .", "by showing how people fail to live together - in a film you could call israel 's city of god , with its sectarian-feuding story lent power and immediacy by improvisation and non-professional casting - MOV shows how they might or should live together .", "the performances are searingly intense , all delivered by non-professionals cast to type and extemporizing within the parameters of the script . they take the play out of acting , and the effect is unvarnished realism .", "any given half-hour of the film has dramatic impact ; at two hours , it 's a power punch to the gut .", "while quentin tarantino used the narrative device to give his film a caffeinated jolt of hipster cool , co-directors scandar copti and yaron shani use it brilliantly to show the chaotic web of violence that traps jews , christians and muslims alike .", "a deceptive movie , one that introduces its characters in the heat of violence , allows us to make conclusions based on what we see , then shatters our assumptions in the telling of how that moment came about .", "a rare film that will force you to confront your own prejudices .", "MOV may be set in israel , but at times it plays more like an american gangster drama . the film does address the ethnic and social tensions that run through the country , but it does so in a nuanced and refreshingly clear-eyed way .", "the movie is insightful in revealing how messy life can be with enemies living in close proximity to one another . the press notes point out the ...", "its sense of ambiance , most apparent during scenes of simple conversation between characters , more than compensates for the cinematic overdetermination .", "una contundente \u00f3pera prima , narrada en forma fragmentaria a la manera de amores perros o crash , que retrata con brutal honestidad la vida en un conflictivo vecindario de jaffa . estupendo elenco de actores no profesionales .", "gripping modern-day drama about crime and tensions among the israeli jews and israeli arabs .", "... acutely insightful about the social divisions within israel , but it examines them without scolding or sentimentality .", "a confident contemporary crime thriller that , yes , may rely on perhaps a few too many plot coincidences to hang together , but otherwise offers a bracing insight into a troubled situation without hectoring us with insipid platitudes .", "stories of violence , revenge and corruption smartly told by next-gen foreign filmmakers", "the actors , every one of them new to their craft , make the everydayness of the picture indelible and real .", "the pattern of connections and coincidences is a little overschematic , but the movie has energy , especially in the grippingly real shooting scene at the beginning ." ], "summary": "this multi-character drama balances intimate portrayals and broad political implications to paint a bracing and moving portrait of the middle east conflict .", "id": "770811529" }, { "movie": "1196221-quarantine", "reviews": [ "` MOV ' is a solid horror movie and one of the better to be released this year . the last 15 minutes is hardcore suspense that redeem any cheap movie making flaws .", "develops into a legitimately unnerving experience .", "... one could surely do far worse as far as horror remakes go .", "a respectable , if uninspired , adaptation of ... -lsb- rec -rsb- , a blair witch-style variation on zombie movie cliches that might seem fresher had it not opened after veteran george romero 's grimly pared-down diary of the dead .", "i do n't care how dedicated a tv journalist you are : when a rabid , shrieking hellion lunges for your neck , teeth a-gnashin ' , it 's time to hit the standby button and defend yourself .", "MOV is symptomatic of a broken industry ; one that would rather remake a perfectly good foreign language film with nice , safe , recognisable american faces rather than plough any money into original concepts .", "the best thing about this cheesy rip-off mockumentary-styled horror pic is that i did n't catch its virus or vomit after following its shaky developments .", "works as every bit the disposable jolt dispenser it 's assembled to be .", "good news for those who missed the spanish zombie horror -lsb- rec -rsb- when it opened here a few months back . here comes the inevitable fast-tracked hollywood remake , which covers the same ground without the burden of all those subtitled hysterics .", "real no frills filmmaking . anything that gets in the way of the main idea is stripped to the bone . this includes certain niceties like character , humor , and even story .", "not as frightening as it should be , but still better than the average hollywood scare-a-thon .", "delivers a pleasingly high quota of decent jolts as the body count mounts and the tv airhead becomes increasingly hysterical .", "the spanish film worked better than john erick dowdle 's remake , which is , if possible , even more chaotically filmed to the point that you often have n't got the slightest idea what 's happening -- you just know that it 's nasty .", "the premise is n't bad ; i like the fact this hysteria happens in and around people 's homes , because it 's an excuse for the filmmakers to uncover secrets normally kept behind closed doors . a pity there are no great revelations here .", "it 's one of those rare movies where you ca n't quite ascertain as to whether the filmmakers are trying to create scares or laughs .", "an affair that aims low and succeeds well in such .", "the camera bounces along , its path blocked frequently by the back of some fleeing figure , so that you 're never quite sure where you are , where you 're going or what you 're looking at ...", "we are saddled with the limitations of the ` found ' film premise - seemingly endless screaming and scrabbling around in the dark , filmed from just a single angle .", "an eye-popping both metaphorical and literal genocidal rat race scare scenario made especially haunting when it kicks in , with its post-9 / 11 domestic terror lurking around every corner , hyper-paranoid sensibility .", "jennifer carpenter is terrific as the news reporter who gets swallowed up in her own story , and leads an excellent cast , all of whom bring a veracity to this remake in the hands of the talented dowdle brothers", "unlike so many other jerky camera horrors , and even zombie film shockers , MOV escalates the tension with a perfect sense of fearful exploitation . one of the best chillers of 08 .", "what 's a smart , well-crafted horror movie like MOV doing in today 's marketplace ?", "MOV is worth seeing for its solid first two acts , some terrific acting by some favorite character actors , and a several solid spook-show scares .", "despite the cronenbergian themes , the film is relentless and singleminded : it just wants to scare you , and it succeeds .", "good halloween-type fun for the fans of adult thrillers , ` MOV ' is a cleverly done scare flickt aht will keep you wondering who 's going to get it next .", "as a visceral , camera-shuddery ride into foamy-mouthed zombie hell , it 's efficient enough - but if you 've already seen -lsb- rec -rsb- , steer clear ...", "an american remake of the spanish horror movie ' -lsb- rec -rsb- ' that adopts the same basic recipe , but removes any hint of flavour or texture , reducing cutting-edge catalan cuisine to bland , bite-sized mcnuggets .", "MOV , yet another pseudo-documentary horror movie , delivers the heebie-jeebies with solid acting and perfectly calibrated shocks .", "i have seen many execrable films -- plan 9 from outer space , disaster movie , batman & robin -- but never has a movie made me so physically ill .", "MOV is based on the 2007 spanish thriller -lsb- rec -rsb- . like any imitation , the quality 's not as good , but this is about cheap thrills , of which there are not enough .", "give MOV credit : without resorting to computer-generated monsters or supernatural explanations , it uses consistent logic and confinement to find new ways of being scary .", "this is n't as good as cloverfield , but it does a pretty decent job at generating some thrills . unfortunately , the movie is ruined by carpenter 's distractingly awful performance .", "MOV is a hugely satisfying film , if you 're the sort of person who likes hanging around on the edge of your seat .", "MOV is the type of movie that is made to see in a theatre . the film is brutally realistic and shot in such a way that you feel like you are watching real footage .", "a vertiginous , nauseating , unscary mess of a film .", "as the first-person pov conceit goes , it 's not the nocturnal nightmare of `` cloverfield , '' but it 's more compelling than the dog-eared `` diary of the dead . '' it 's stylish , and the sound design is superb , but it eventually gets too dumb to be very scary .", "in some ways ` MOV ' is better than ` rec , ' not only xeroxing all its shocks but managing to add more .", "grows increasingly repetitious and tedious as the same cinematic tricks are played over and over ... the effect is suffocating rather than enjoyably spooky .", "actress jennifer carpenter of exorcism of emily rose fame surely deserves some kind of award for giving the most hysterical over-the-top performance in a horror movie since marilyn burns in the original 1974 texas chain saw massacre .", "... a movie that did n't need to be made and which no one needs to see .", "my suggestion is to see the original first and then skip this one altogether ...", "a rote reproduction of a more effective film .", "rarely more than competent and never inspired . but it more or less passes for a few cheap thrills if you 're not too demanding .", "despite tweaking the format , MOV successfully replicates the claustrophobic tension of -lsb- rec -rsb- and cranks up the sudden eruptions of frenzied violence , making it as much of a white-knuckle terror ride as it was the first time around .", "horror movie fans can enjoy the visceral experience . the core purpose % u2013 to make people jump out of their seats % u2013 is executed with intense precision .", "too much information in the trailer spoiled some of the suspense of the film", "carpenter and harris are able to pull off the whole charade with impressive energy and convincing bursts of sheer terror during some very long , uncut takes .", "... this is what the resident evil sequels should have been .", "if a remake must be made in lieu of original thoughts and ideas , one could do far , far worse . MOV is the real deal -- a primal , uncompromising vision of insanity run amok .", "MOV is a well-acted , competent remake that does n't betray the original , though it 's somehow less scary and slightly longer than it needs to be .", "the spanish did it all a little better but carpenter rivals her european counterpart in hollering blue murder .", "MOV feels awfully familiar , and it grows less convincing with each passing moment . at its worst , it abandons realism entirely and flirts with gory kitsch .", "when the month 's horror options boil down to a modestly clever exercise like this or yet another saw sequel , you know you could do worse .", "despite MOV 's theft from nearly every film in the subgenre , there are parts of the film that just plain work , no matter how much it does n't seem like they should .", "rather too hysterical to be coherent , but it 's still jittery and thoroughly unnerving", "MOV is a lucrative steal by dowdle . the spanish original is arguably the best v\u00e9rit\u00e9 fright movie since the blair witch project . the american version is not quite in the same league .", "just like its forebear , this is bluntly effective exercise in first-person horror .", "if you did n't catch rec fever first time round , let yourself get bitten by MOV . such brilliance is an isolated incident in modern scary movies .", "i raved about the oddly-titled spanish horror -lsb- rec -rsb- , saying it turned the terror up to 10 . now , as night follows day , it 's time for a hollywood remake - and the result is n't half bad .", "the downside is that for the final half-hour the camera shakes so badly i started suffering from motion sickness .", "underdeveloped and predictable , there is little compelling about the film other than the premise and a few of the kills .", "this derivative horror flick can be confined along with its numerous inspirations .", "MOV is a modestly inventive , sporadically exciting thriller that nonetheless proves too faithful to its central conceit for its own good .", "claustrophobic , jittery at times , and electric in pace , MOV is a stripped-down bloody thrill ride that -- while certainly not catering to everyone 's tastes -- should satisfy gore-hounds looking to step up their theatrical horror cuisine .", "no , the script is n't anything special and the novelty long ago wore off in this style of movie making . but the execution in this film from john erick dowdle is amazing , the camera work and cutting perfect .", "MOV fails to correct some of the problems evident in its predecessor while also incorporating a few defects of its own .", "if you are looking for a film that will scare the wits out of you , even briefly , you ca n't wrong from seeing this one .", "disregarding its xeroxed pedigree , it 's easily one of the best american horror films of the year .", "even those who despise remakes will have to admit that director john erick dowdle 's furious retread is scary as hell .", "there 's never a dull moment in ` MOV . '", "visually , this one mirrors cloverfield right down to the dropped camera left to record what happens when the humans in the vicinity have been , uh , quarantined .", "... feels as if someone had videotaped their trip through a haunted house run by the local jaycees .", "what director john erick dowdie has done is veer away from the supernatural atmosphere of the spanish version and ramped up the bloodletting - it 's more gory than ghostly .", "effective scares make up for some dodgy storytelling in this horror v\u00e9rit\u00e9 about a tv crew trapped in an apartment building teeming with plague victims .", "MOV director john erick dowdle and co-writing brother drew wisely stick close to the told-from-the-cameraman 's point-of-view template of the terrific original .", "MOV is the unavoidable american replica , only this version has ingested a bottle of idiot pills and washed it all down with a full glass of directorial incompetence .", "the original spanish thriller -lrb- rec -rrb- is no doubt better acted and executed , but considering the bad `` prestige '' movies recently it 's hard to understand why screen gems decided not to press screen the cheap , quicky horror flick that delivers the basic goods", "a solid , suspense-filled 90 minutes", "considering how worthless most horror remakes are , the fact that this `` carbon copy quickie '' actually works is fairly impressive ." ], "summary": "MOV uses effective atmosphere and consistent scares to stand above the crop of recent horror films .", "id": "770684110" }, { "movie": "10012136-winters_bone", "reviews": [ "a tough tale of survival in a harsh environment , this adaptation echoes through the emotional chill and connects with us", "the tone and the mood are consistent , the wintry setting forbidding , the characters silhouettes in a world of lean survival . it 's the kind of filmmaking that shows off the talents of all concerned", "... a deeply naturalistic brand of high lonesome noir .", "a rewarding , richly detailed exploration of the strength of character required when confronted by ugly truths .", "it 's the kind of movie that pulls you into its setting and does n't let go .", "a masterpiece , and a gem worthy of oscar gold ...", "as ree , 20-year-old lawrence is an absolute revelation ; her performance easily ranks amongst this year 's best .", "winter 's bone is indeed harrowing , but it is also fun . it 's fun , because it 's excellent , and after enduring the mostly-disappointing hollywood blockbuster season , simply seeing an exquisite piece of work such as this brings a smile to my face .", "a southern teen navigates dangerous blood ties , and a new star emerges in the revelatory thriller winter 's bone .", "from the moment you meet ree dolly -lrb- jennifer lawrence -rrb- in winter 's bone , you know what she 's capable of .", "strikingly unsentimental . winter 's bone has no time for backstory , moral lessons , or other cute stuff .", "serious , sensitive and stirring , it reveals a gritty , cruelly uncompromising world within the confines of our own country .", "the way lawrence captures a young woman 's fear and resolve , often non-verbally , well ... this is a considerable talent well on her way to a great career .", "there is a hazard of caricature here . granik avoids it . her film does n't live above these people , but among them .", "chilling as the woods in the dark , this quiet mystery has kindness and humanity sprinkled across hopelessness so constant you forget to breathe .", "a riveting exploration of old-society notions of responsibility and obligation , loyalty and betrayal", "... slow but fascinating ...", "a good deal of the credit goes to actress jennifer lawrence , playing the kind of character you start out quietly rooting for , then end up backing , like some world cup soccer hooligan .", "winter 's bone is the best film of the year .", "the social detail of a 21st-century mountain community is completely persuasive , heightening the drama immeasurably .", "... consciously attempting to avoid clich\u00e9s can erode authenticity . to director debra granik 's credit , realism permeates every frame of digital imagery", "a gripping movie that graphically portrays poverty as the worst form of violence in the life of a 17-year-old heroine struggling to save her family .", "there is a profound sense of neorealism percolating beneath winter 's bone 's noirish mystery plot .", "debra granik 's bleak little film is as tough , unflinching and fascinating as the characters who eke out a life amid its cold , gray hills .", "un retrato realista , crudo y duro de ambientes y personajes que viven al margen de la sociedad , de la ley y la moral , y que crece en intensidad como un thriller de suspenso . estupendas actuaciones de jennifer lawrence y john hawkes .", "uma narrativa densa e multifacetada que permite que aquelas pessoas desafiem nossos preconceitos e se apresentem como indiv\u00edduos imperfeitos , sim , mas jamais unidimensionais .", "an acutely gripping , grimly authentic thriller .", "full review at movies for the masses", "winter 's bone is boosted by a stellar cast of characters who engender both scares and occasional sympathy .", "winter 's bone is as quiet as a snake . it 's a chilling and challenging visit into a remote -- perhaps alien -- world . but while winter 's bone has anguish and fear , the film is ultimately life-affirming and real .", "while winter 's bone hardly exploits the poor in its depiction of them , its decision to focus on bree while showing audiences their world seems like an artistic compromise .", "take it from a genuine hillbilly that this is a true and powerful statement on the tragedy of ozark life .", "it 's a tough , no-nonsense film , with a tough , no-nonsense protagonist , and the kind of slow-burning , ominous atmosphere that gets under your skin and lingers for days .", "granik also manages to make viewers care about characters who would n't think twice about betraying their own families for a few bucks or maybe another hit .", "kudos to debra granik for making a film that packs as many surprising punches as this one , and doing it in a refreshingly cinematic idiom .", "this emotionally scarring , pain-wracked character study/missing person mystery plays in a parallel brick-like environment with its own language and code of conduct .", "in an impeccable act of sympathetic imagination , director debra granik has entered into the soul of debt-ridden appalachia .", "a scorching drama of grim traditions , meth-cooked justice and a teen 's desire to survive", "winter 's bone boasts one of the strongest , most authentic , most fully realized heroines i 've ever encountered . jennifer lawrence is revelatory .", "with a level-gazed approach to its milieu , empathetic but clear-eyed , winter 's bone practically makes up for 40 years of deliverance-style hillbilly cartoons .", "lawrence is outstanding as the young girl stepping up to do whatever 's necessary to save her family , not allowing herself the luxury of even the smallest smile to deter her from the job at hand", "both a whodunit and a coming-of-age tale , dominated by jennifer lawrence 's luminous performance as the resourceful , much-tested ree .", "highlighted by a knockout performance by jennifer lawrence , granik 's direction and mcdonough 's cinematography make this tense thriller as compelling as a documentary .", "what we 've been waiting for : a work of art that grabs hold and wo n't let go .", "the result is a film and a character of unusual strength . pity ree , question her decisions , wonder about her future . but the girl does not quit .", "with winter 's bone , granik has morphed from a director worth watching to one who demands our undivided attention . she 's got mine .", "a masterpiece of sparseness .", "jennifer lawrence gives a stirring turn in a gift-of-a-lifetime role .", "the setting , which i do n't recall ever seeing on film , is menacing , unsettling and so foreign-seeming i kept forgetting winter 's bone is set in present-day missouri .", "winter 's bone is the kind of film that should be offered to us more often .", "deserves to be the major commercial breakthrough for both director debra granik and jennifer lawrence , its luminous , moon-faced star .", "the picture offers a rare look at a region that will seem as foreign to most moviegoers as the forest moon of endor .", "by its towering ending , the movie feels like a feminist reworking of a classical heroic myth .", "winter 's bone sometimes feels like a haunted house , where only extreme deference to scary people will save you .", "winter 's bone perfectly captures a hardscrabble setting some of us drive past on two-lane roads , wondering how people live that way .", "leavens its worst moments with a sense of compassion and tenderness that reminds us to understand and empathize with , rather than judge , the characters", "jennifer lawrence is superb in debra granik 's graceful film about gritty people .", "an altogether astonishing film , not in the least because winter 's bone lives up to the hype -- or so nearly that it makes no difference .", "` winter 's bone ' is a movie to be experienced , not merely watched . but be forewarned . it 's powerful stuff .", "it won both the grand jury prize in the u.s. dramatic category and the waldo salt screenwriting award , and is well-deserving of both .", "brilliantly rendered story of a girl falling into a dante-esque descent in search of her prodigal father .", "for all the horror , it 's the drive toward life , not the decay , that lingers in the mind . as a modern heroine , ree dolly has no peer , and winter 's bone is the year 's most stirring film .", "the film 's succinct , well-paced plot avoids narrative convention and cheap sentimentality . it 's the anti-frozen river .", "a coming-of-age story that is not entirely about breaking free .", "director debra granik has the grace to approach the film 's grim material and run-down , depressing setting with genuine humanity and curiosity , and the movie offers gripping suspense and uniformly excellent performances .", "the main reason for winter 's bone to exist is that it delivers a little voyeuristic thrill -- a bit of poverty porno -- for the critics who awarded it their highest honors at this year 's sundance film festival .", "employs a conventional amerindie template ... without ever feeling stale , forced or phony .", "if you enjoy good movie-making , excellent characters and a tightly wrought story then winter 's bone is the film for you .", "this lead performance -lsb- from jennifer lawrence -rsb- is excellent .", "together , lawrence and granik have created a heroine as tough as she is pretty , with a smart mouth and brazen attitude that give way to glimpses of scary vulnerability .", "lacks adequate suspense and intrigue , occasionally drags , and leaves you feeling underwhelmed despite strong , well-nuanced performances and a richly atmospheric setting .", "winter 's bone is a welcome reminder that thrillers do n't have to be loud and boisterous to grab the attention and keep it captive .", "granik makes something real out of all of it . and even , against all odds , hopeful . because , yes , this is a hard and stony land . but the life that manages to take root there tends to survive .", "gothic in tone , and unapologetically downbeat , `` winter 's bone '' is a film that turns over a rock of backwoods american reality and studies the beautiful and ugly things that crawl there with equal interest . it 's the strongest drama of the year , so far .", "america at its bleakest is on display in this hard-hitting look at hill people that does little to counter the stereotypes .", "winter 's bone is a genuine triumph , a great movie with astounding performances so natural , so genuine , that you forget it 's a movie .", "i think every teen who 's ever watched `` the hills '' should get to know ree , just as a reminder that being a girl is about more than mumbling and accessorizing .", "a spare but riveting drama built around a raw , revelatory performance from jennifer lewis , it is one of the best movies to land in theaters to this point this year . by far .", "this unblinking look at america 's red state crystal meth belt is an instant southern gothic classic .", "every once in a rare while a movie gets inside your head and heart , rubbing your emotions raw . the remarkable winter 's bone is just such a movie .", "the sound of rarely heard voices and a portrait of a world all but forgotten except by the people who live there .", "the film explores the crushing poverty of america 's rural regions , a grapes of wrath-style story with a country noir twist -lsb- that -rsb- feels authentic and original immediately .", "there are so many unforgettable scenes , in which i found my heart racing at not knowing what was about to happen , that i found myself forgetting to breathe .", "the temptation to call debra granik 's latest film , frozen river jr. , will be great . but the longer the buzz builds for it and for jennifer lawrence 's star-making performance , it will become abundantly clear that this is the senior of the two films .", "vivid , punishing , craggy-faced", "an absolute knockout .", "noir may be the msg of genres -- a little pinch makes almost any film tastier -- but does it work for ozark gothic drama ? yes .", "might have been more gripping if it had embraced its status as an utterly distinctive detective-genre effort instead of presenting itself with such determination as an ` art film ' ...", "a character study , not only of ree , but of a place and way of life , which shows that there is a lot more to what most people think of as ` hillbilly culture ' than the stereotype .", "intense , immersive and in control , winter 's bone has an art house soul inside a b picture body , and that proves to be a potent combination indeed .", "grim backwoods tale takes its time building momentum .", "spectacular for its humanity , austere beauty and heart-stopping urgency .", "following its brave heroine -lrb- an outstanding jennifer lawrence -rrb- as she seeks to uncover the truth behind her father 's disappearance , the film employs the structure of a whodunit to take a tough , unflinching look at an impoverished ozarks community .", "an extraordinary picture ... a chilling portrait , but one with human warmth pulsating beneath the surface .", "with its rugged performances and bleak sense of place , granik 's midwestern gothic is definitely going somewhere , and will take viewers with it all the way .", "impressively directed , superbly written and featuring an oscar-worthy performance from jennifer lawrence , this is a thoroughly riveting , naturalistic thriller that exerts a fierce emotional grip .", "sobering but unfailingly engrossing , uncompromising yet not without a certain hope by the end , winter 's bone is the kind of original , blessedly independent work that major studios simply refuse to make .", "sadness radiates authentically from every scene , with the narrative 's slow advance mirroring the glum conditions of ozark life .", "winter 's bone is one of those movies that ca n't quite make a distinction between profundity and plain old bleakness .", "something of a minor miracle", "austere and grimly realistic .", "make no bones about it , this is first-rate stuff .", "it 's a film full of mounting tensions and an atmosphere of dread and incipient terror that will make you uncomfortably familiar with the edge of your seat , which is where you 'll mostly watch it from .", "like a botoxed face , the movie never shows an interesting wrinkle or passion-attesting lifeline .", "it 's a tight , gripping mystery with a well-chosen supporting cast and countless great little moments , such as a supremely spooky sing-song at a birthday party .", "easily one of the best films of the year thus far .", "this movie is a real tour de force for writer-director debra granik . this is the best movie i 've seen this year and it will make my top 10 list for this year .", "as bleak as it sounds , winter 's bone has a special quality that makes it an unmissable film , and deserving of the grand jury prize that it received at this year 's sundance film festival .", "it 's bleak , slow moving ... but in its gradual , aimless way it ratchets up the tension to terrific heights , and its climactic twists come home with the force of a shotgun blast .", "keeps things authentic and chilling .", "granik deftly creates a film that 's both a suspenseful crime drama and a pitiless portrait of a part of america that 's usually ignored .", "winter 's bone ... constantly surprises you , not only with unexpected twists in the story , but also with the complexity of the moral and ethical decisions made by the characters . .", "for jennifer lawrence , she 's probably the most gifted actress of her generation . how wonderful that , so young , she has already found a role worthy of her talent .", "this is a world out of time and , despite the trappings of flinty realism , the film too unfolds like an elemental myth from the stormy past -- a greek tragedy driven by dark fates and struggling toward a catharsis .", "it 's visually arresting . from scenes of ree frying potatoes in bacon fat to discussions of deer stew and squirrel meat , the combination of poverty and insularity that defines this particular socio-economic group is quietly and carefully established .", "the gritty , desperate ozarks milieu of winter 's bone feels so real , so right , that you only slowly realize you 're watching a detective movie .", "the dialogue is so sparse and the plot is so lean in winter 's bone , it requires acting of exemplary strength , and the movie delivers in spades , chiefly in the performances by lawrence and hawkes .", "has genuine urgency in the conflict between the younger ree 's old-fashioned ideas of family and the older generation 's newfound awareness of the need to abandon such ideals .", "watching `` winter 's bone , '' one is not as impressed by the turns and twists of the plot as by lawrence 's willingness and ability to carry the film , and by the way in which her face , a work of biological art , holds the camera 's attention .", "no movie is perfect , but this sundance winner comes close .", "it 's been a long time since a film has conveyed a culture , and a sense of place , with such telling precision . at the same time , winter 's bone thrums with suspense .", "gritty and real ...", "granik ... proves a dab hand with the camera , capturing the starkness of the ozarks and ree 's situation in a free-flowing and pensive way that transfers the chill of it all on to the screen .", "not having been to this part of the country , i ca n't say for sure whether granik has captured it accurately . the point is that it feels genuine .", "granik pays deference to the curious ways of the mountain folk , rejecting the prevailing hillbilly clich\u00e9s to depict people with hardy survival instincts in the grip of financial hardship and addiction .", "peyton place meets deliverance in a meth lab .", "in moments of confrontation -lsb- jennifer lawrence 's ree -rsb- is as fearsome as sigourney weaver in aliens , taking on monsters to protect the small and the vulnerable .", "jennifer lawrence is dazzling as the film 's protagonist as she struggles to uncover the truth between her addict father 's disappearance .", "winter 's bone is an absorbing and socially conscious piece of work , underwritten by the constant threat of violence .", "the darkness that surrounds winter 's bone almost overwhelms the entire movie . fortunately , the thriller ends on a somewhat optimistic , even positive note .", "an unflinching portrait of shabby life in the ozarks , this powerful indie drama features an oscar-caliber turn from jennifer lewis , a real discovery who 's only 20 , in the lead .", "winter 's bone certainly has its redeeming qualities , particularly its cinematography and a superb lead performance by jennifer lawrence , but man , does it feel empty until a gripping sequence near the end .", "even when winter 's bone feels like two different movies playing at once , they 're both engrossing .", "it will be a crime if jennifer lawrence is n't on every best-actress list at the end of this year .", "winter 's bone is a rewarding watch that does repay a fairly slow-moving narrative with heightened tension and twists at the end .", "director debra granik has captured a female performance of such rare , career-defining intensity that the film actually has a life-affirming effect .", "lawrence gives a guarded and watchful performance .", "with a face as impassively beautiful as the landscape she trudges through , ree dolly is a heroine you wo n't forget . tenacious and stoic , she holds her own in a vernacular that 's equal parts hillbilly and hard-boiled .", "lawrence 's mature and inspiring determination makes this much , much more than a grim skid-row whodunnit .", "granik balances the pace and intrigue of a mystery thriller with total compassion for ree , played with much skill by lawrence .", "a vivid reworking of daniel woodrell 's novel that brings the book 's conflicted heroine to searing life in a piece of unhurried filmmaking too rarely seen these days .", "it is all given unironic dignity and power due to the outstanding lead performance from 20-year-old jennifer lawrence as ree , a young woman who must take on some scary neighbourhood types to protect her family .", "a sparse , engaging film perhaps easier to respect than love , but by any measure hugely compelling .", "think a film like trash humpers offers insight into a crappy life in the poor south ? winter 's bone will make you see the light .", "it will wow anyone who thinks grimness equals profundity .", "winter 's bone is raw , real , understated , fiercely intense and surprisingly gentle and decent amid bursts of ferocity in the rural crime culture where the story 's set .", "lawrence is the movie 's blooming discovery , a mesmerizing actor with a gaze that 's the opposite of actress-coy and a voice modulated in the low , almost monotone cadences of local ways .", "bleak as hell yet stubbornly optimistic , this low budget knockout is the best picture of the year so far .", "granik has no taste for noir archness , opting for a chilly , shot-on-decaying-locations naturalism that feels as lived-in as lawrence 's performance .", "every so often a film gets under our skin with its haunting authenticity , reinforcing our faith in the wonderfully transporting power of cinematic storytelling . winter 's bone is unquestionably that film .", "the film , adapted by director debra granik and anne rosellini from the novel by daniel woodrell , establishes a formidable tension between mystery and matter-of-factness .", "there is poetry here -- as artists as diverse as walker evans , james agee and harry smith have found -- of the rawest , most desperate kind .", "-lsb- debra -rsb- granik 's rich sense of place and culture has the convincing detail of authenticity , and it avoids any sentimentality of southern rural poverty or kin loyalty .", "these spooky woods are a dangerous setting - here we find desperate , brain-dead trailer-trash , with moral centres as hollow as the burnt out shacks of their meth misadventures .", "if the film lacks a certain pinch of mesmerizing drama , it makes up the difference with an exquisite lived-in quality . a frightening , yet crookedly poetic realism .", "a chilling reflection of nature 's darker side .", "a chilling look at american poverty .", "the coen brothers ' o brother where art thou ? was the last film to make such delirious use of mountain music . the rest of the world can start drooling over lawrence . i 'm gon na git me a copy of that soundtrack .", "the film continues to grow in the memory months after it was first seen which is always a sign of something great .", "movies do n't come much duller than this .", "... a relentlessly bleak tale that in some ways echoes charles portis ' classic true grit , another story about a young girl who takes on adult challenges ." ], "summary": "bleak , haunting , and yet still somehow hopeful , winter 's bone is writer-director debra granik 's best work yet -- and it boasts an incredible , starmaking performance from jennifer lawrence .", "id": "770856649" }, { "movie": "flammen_and_citronen", "reviews": [ "a polished , dazzlingly photographed tale of resistance heroes that is curiously devoid of tension .", "a captivating , engrossing and character-driven thriller filled with solid performances along with palpable suspense , intensity and intrigue .", "-lsb- amidst -rsb- corruption and complicity ... a no-frills male friendship to fight against impossible odds -lsb- where -rsb- life during wartime is seen as the precursor to postwar noir -lsb- yet -rsb- stirringly vivid .", "a deeply involving look at people living permanently on the knife-edge of danger .", "a very well-made and engrossing ... cinematic tribute to two danish freedom fighters", "a satisfying thriller interestingly complicated by its study of character and compromise .", "... shocking ... constant tension ... great performances by mikkelsen , lindhardt , and stengade . this captures what it really must have been like in the resistance .", "throughout this compelling film , the assassins want to believe they 're doing righteous work : they 're fighting nazi occupation forces , after all .", "the action scenes are well-staged and the performances are aces .", ". the persuasive force of the film falls squarely on lindhardt 's and mikkelsen 's shoulders as experienced actors whose gifts for sustaining layers of motivational subtext is utterly satisfying .", "a classic piece of historical action narrative told in a lean no-nonsense manner with riveting action sequences . a great war story .", "the twists and turns of the plot keep you on tenterhooks throughout , even if this competently made film sometimes looks as if it were shot in a denmark depleted of ordinary citizens .", "in its depiction of the crucial tests of nerve , and of their rooting-out of traitors , the film recalls l'arm\u00e9e des ombres , which similarly examines the psychological conflict between killing and the gravitational pull of one 's humanity .", "some effectively staged action and decent turns ensure this is a solid addition to the growing canon of european-made second world war films .", "as you 'd imagine this is not exactly a laugh a minute , but whilst a little shapeless in places , it manages to engage and inform on many levels .", "the film 's so stodgy that you quickly lose any interest in the national socialist-baiting pair , making a long film seem much , much longer .", "a heady take on the wartime resistance tale that drags you right into the dismay felt by its heroes .", "a bold , riveting tale of wartime resistance borrowing the form of a noir thriller .", "a tension-filled , yet intellectual nail-biter focusing on activities of the danish resistance during world war ii .", "a bold , riveting tale of wartime resistance borrowing the form of a noir thriller .", "mads mikkelsen is one of the most charismatic actors working on the international scene today . just indulge yourself in the pusher trilogy and after the wedding and you 'll rejoice . you might also recall him as a bond villain in casino royale .", "a luscious , evocative period piece .", "this noir in underlit blacks and blues grows too complex for its own good .", "you can feel the shadow of steven spielberg 's munich hovering over flame & citron , a danish drama of resistance fighters in copenhagen during wwii .", "as a film about the underground resistance movement in denmark during the nazi occupation , flame & citron 's spies are the historical equivalent of superheroes .", "of all european nations , denmark enjoys the nearest thing to a heroic record of resisting the nazi occupiers -- which adds both poignancy and punch to ole christian madsen 's fact-based drama about two posthumously honored danes .", "as you 'd imagine this is not exactly a laugh a minute , but whilst a little shapeless in places , it manages to engage and inform on many levels .", "ole christian madsen directs with crisp conviction , however , and strong crescendi . and a truth-based story always helps .", "a well-made , satisfying film .", "even with all the script 's moralizing about the killing of innocents , madsen still loads up his climax with truckloads of nazi soldiers and a hail of bullets and grenades", "it 's hard to argue with such primal filmgoing pleasures , especially once the film introduces notions of how good people lose their morality during wartime .", "despite the panache , flame & citron maintains a generally dour sensibility .", "madsen 's action sequences are beautifully choreographed and shot , and the movie is packed with slick shootouts and narrow escapes , but it all lacks a certain oomph .", "straightforward , brutal and exciting , a gripping tale of men ready for death in the face of unknowable treachery and a vicious enemy .", "a consistently serious , well-acted effort . it 's also , at 130 minutes , a bit of a slog at points .", "the director ole christian madsen 's flame & citron is a fictionalized film , based on fact , about two danish resistance fighters .", "the film is based on true events : flame and citron -lrb- both noms de guerre -rrb- became national heroes . but it 's really a meditation on the nature of heroism , and the quest for purity of purpose .", "as directed by ole christian madsen , the thriller features well-choreographed shootouts and assassinations . but the script is too melodramatic and complicated for its own good .", "rich with espionage intrigue , period perfect world war ii details and fascinatingly complex lead characters .", "a suspenseful , often riverting drama of world war ii resistance that combines old-fashioned virtues of craft and style with a more modern sense of nuance and complexity .", "-lsb- an -rsb- atypical and moody noir war film .", "this film is based on a true story that director ole christian madsen feels must be told with earnest noir and war-movie clich\u00e9s .", "... a fascinating dual character study lodged within a somewhat stodgy film .", "the filmmakers do a terrific job in placing us in 1944 copenhagen under nazi rule .", "`` flame and citron '' is a spine-tingling war drama with superb acting .", "the film evolves into a mystery about who the two men can trust , besides each other , and the results are often nail-biting .", "flame & citron examines the moral shadings of the danish resistance during world war ii without turning into a revisionist bore .", "maintains a high level of suspense for more than two hours .", "flame & citron , based on the lives of two actual resistance heroes , is a taut , handsome production -- the most expensive danish film to date -- and it looks like a film noir , as indeed the costumes , cars , guns and fugitives force it to .", "it 's episodic and lengthy , but on the whole this is a well-sustained and surprisingly understated drama .", "impressively directed , sharply written wartime thriller with strong performances from its two leads , though it drags considerably in the middle section and is at least 30 minutes too long .", "director ole christian madsen has opted rather to make a kind of action thriller-meets-film noir hybrid , and yet visually , at least , it works .", "viewers expecting the heroics of black book or female agents may be surprised at the subdued , procedural pace madsen opts for .", "this is a sprawling but thoroughly absorbing saga that reminds you of the classic french resistance drama army in the shadows .", "the moral horror and charismatic performances leave a deep impression .", "writer-director ole christian madsen delivers plenty of excitement , but misses the tragic resonance of jean-pierre melville 's recently re-discovered resistance masterpiece army in the shadows .", "noirer-than-thou wartime drama , which wants terribly to show the movement in a murky light , perhaps explaining the murky lighting .", "unfortunately , although it was supposedly inspired by the morally conflicted french resistance masterpiece army of shadows , flame fizzles more than it flames .", "to its credit , the film gives full weight to the confusion and ambivalence of war ; the struggle for liberation from tyranny rarely looks so dubious .", "madsen makes the most of his budget , and he keeps pulling his camera back for long , visually sumptuous overhead shots .", "a drop-dead gorgeous period noir , rife with paranoia , femmes fatales , and good men inexorably sinking into the bloody mire and opaque texture of life -lrb- and death -rrb- during wartime .", "it winds its way through a tricky , fact-based plot that 's sometimes reminiscent of film noir . at the center is a bewitching femme fatale whose allegiances and motives are less than clear .", "while it may not be a smorgasbord of red herrings and red meat , flame and citron is often chilling .", "... a film noir set in wartime where there 's moral ambiguity almost everywhere you look as well as large measures of heroism , treachery and ordinary human failings .", "it 's fast-paced , stylish and thrilling . but it also raises one tough question .", "a hard jewel of righteous political fury .", "madsen has acknowledged a strong debt to pierre melville 's 1969 classic army of shadows . this one deserves a seat at the same table ." ], "summary": "the true story of the danish resistance in ww2 , though lengthy and sprawling , is gripping and competently made .", "id": "770728092" }, { "movie": "devils_rejects", "reviews": [ "if one is hip to the references -lrb- and , proudly or not , i am -rrb- , it 's amazing to see how precisely the metal-punk - turned-moviemaker zombie channels the gleefully nihilistic tone and even the low-budget bleached-out quality of his disreputable inspirations .", "despite some giddy humor and a soundtrack of '70s top-40 hits , this is ` entertainment ' for sociopaths , occasionally effective but impossible to recommend with a clear conscience .", "the first 15 minutes and last half hour are terrific , and the stunningly violent middle part is only a partial waste .", "a reject indeed . zombie horror film unwatchable .", "in a league of classic films that are legendary for how disconcerting they are .", "thirty years ago this would have been dismissed as drive-in fare and , frankly , it 's not much more than that today .", "the movie turns quickly into a somewhat clumsily handled chase structure , with no clear point or end .", "one of a handful of sequels that both improve on their sources and play perfectly as stand-alones .", "the devil 's rejects does n't just deserve to be rejected , but to be buried in a hole so dank that no one will discover it .", "zombie ... should n't be allowed to make any more horror movies until he learns the difference between what is horrifying and what is merely disgusting .", "zombie looks beyond the horror genre for influence and creates a film that does n't exactly shatter expectations but at least sidesteps them with some degree of verve .", "hear this futile plea : look in the mirror , zombie . show some class . making people sick is no way to make a name for yourself . even a fake name .", "... belongs to that perversely misogynistic subgenre of horror films that believes the only thing better than a nude woman is a dead nude woman .", "despite its nearly nonstop torrent of gore , the devil 's rejects is not really a horror film . it 's a compendium of tributes and references to horror films of the past .", "the movie features some of the ugliest people and most disgusting behavior this side of i spit on your grave .", "this is a perfect b-movie , full of wicked dread .", "rob zombie is improving as a filmmaker . maybe someday he 'll outgrow his extended adolescence , too .", "zombie does n't appear to have any other goals besides assaulting the viewer with gore and callousness .", "if the sun allowed me to give a star rating of less than zero , this one would earn a minus-infinity . it is that stupid , that vile , that violent , that hateful , that disgusting , that dangerous .", "the longer the devil 's rejects drags on , the more obvious it becomes that zombie has no ideas of his own and is simply riffing on what other people have done .", "while , to be fair , there 's no sense that zombie finds creating carnage to be zippy fun , it 's also true that he 's made his victims more vapid than their antihero executioners .", "robert cummings -lrb- ok , trick or treaters , sorry ; it 's rob zombie -rrb- has officially become the jerry springer of the horror movie set .", "... for those who can stomach the violence , it is destined to become a classic .", "replete with sordid visuals and bereft of redemptive values , the devil 's rejects is a rebuke to what 's become of genre filmmaking .", "certainly different from much of its modern cinematic brethren , if not necessarily a tasteful match for most audiences .", "revives the gangrenous spectacle of its grindhouse models but lacks the moral compass and originality that can transmute even representations of sadistic cruelty into art .", "that wydell 's efforts to get even are so hypocritical raises questions about vengeance as a pop-cultural theme , in that the pay-off is so meaningless .", "rob zombie proves he 's a filmmaker to be taken seriously -- or at least not to be considered a total joke -- but he still has n't figured out how to fashion something more than the sum of his enthusiasms .", "much better than the cinematic cesspool of substandard 70s horror remakes we 've been seeing lately .", "if we 're supposed to hang out with these creeps in order , eventually , to like them , well , we do n't .", "`` the devil 's rejects '' will repel many but will thrill the fans and the daring . i think rob zombie has an instant horror classic on his hands .", "this is a violent , body-strewn road movie . and unless you 're a fan of this kind of camp viciousness , it 's pretty unbearable .", "captures the visual texture , spontaneity , and mania of 1970s shock cinema classics like last house on the left and the texas chainsaw massacre .", "the kaleidoscopic fun-house atmosphere of corpses is gone , replaced by a more gritty , less inventive approach .", "the devil 's rejects plays out like the kind of film everyone thought house was gon na be - a retrofied , nasty horror homage .", "a wild , grittily authentic , nihilistic jaw-dropper of a film !", "gets the cult midnight movie vibe down cold .", "`` a bad film , but its badness has little to do with adjectives like sickening , repulsive , disgusting , etc. . ''", "it 's the framework of an exploitation tribute tarantino could love ... with a little polishing and a lot more backbone .", "better than the first one , and twice as nasty , the rejects should get the approval of horror fans -- or else !", "there 's nothing worthwhile about a single moment of it , not even in a prurient , i-love-to-wallow-in-debauchery sort of way . it is simply rancid , unbathed , country-fried filth .", "crass , vacuous exercise in grind-house stylistics .", "one of the most unpleasant movies i 've ever seen . i respect it for that ... makes natural born killers look like harry potter .", "an exhilaratingly sick joke", "a reprehensible and loathsome journey of excess ... any redeeming value is well hidden .", "for the right audience , this movie is the butt-kicking , dirt-talking , blood-spurting equivalent of beautiful music .", "a little of this will go a long way , and besides , who wants to see someone torturing three 's company 's priscilla barnes in a roach motel ?", "by rubbing your nose in this hillbilly mayhem , zombie all but dares you to acknowledge your liberal elitism .", "ca n't be classified as a good movie , but if you have a taste for this sort of thing and a strong stomach to go along with it , this could be the dish for you .", "zombie 's characters are , to put it mildly , undeveloped .", "every theater showing this film should be contractually obligated to smell bad . it 's a toxic little picture -- and also something of a masterpiece . see you in hell .", "zombie has made a film not so much out of reverence for the images that shaped his youth but out of fear that he may never get to make another one ever again .", "fans of 70 's exploitation horror get ready to get jazzed - `` the devil 's rejects '' is the real deal - a gritty , nasty , stylish piece of work", "a gloriously wicked psychobilly thriller that unfolds like a crystal meth soaked drive-in movie nightmare .", "in the genre of low-budget hillbilly slasher movies , it 's a masterpiece .", "appeals to our blood-lust but slapdash .", "pic is a brutal , punishing yet mordantly amusing work that far outpaces its predecessor in its grisly single-mindedness of vision .", "irredeemable trash , plain and simple , gratuitously violent and sadistic and aimed at people who derive entertainment from watching other human beings suffer .", "all told , it 's fair to say the devil 's rejects is one of the most disappointing films of the year thus far .", "horror-punk , outlaw entertainment , an exploitation pic with a '70s aesthetic and endless scenarios of white-trash unpleasantness ... -lsb- not for -rsb- merchant-ivory fans .", "beyond the sheer creativity of zombie 's sick imagination , there 's little pleasure to be found in a movie of this nature .", "it is possible to be repulsed by the devil 's rejects while acknowledging it as an effective , high-quality piece of work .", "a kind of heedless zeal transforms its horrors . the movie is not merely disgusting , but has an attitude and a subversive sense of humor .", "horror fans will find what they 're looking for .", "one nasty , brilliantly constructed scene after another .", "there is no anchor to this madness . the authorities are just as psychotic and sadistic as the villains . everyone on tv is a polyester buffoon .", "this follow-up unwisely pretends to seriousness .", "has its articulate moments but for the most part rob zombie 's grisly , nasty '' ` MOV '' is mostly just grisly -lrb- and nasty -rrb- .", "the family that slays together ... stays together . if you like movies about redneck psycho serial killer families and do n't mind a lot of profanity , this is for you .", "as the body count rises , the devil 's rejects tries hard to stay funny and nasty , but the effort shows ...", "a damn fine '70s homage flick with a western-horror touch that you wo n't find in many movies nowadays .", "disgustingly gruesome tale that people have been clambering for since the original `` texas chainsaw massacre ''", "a sickening , socially-irresponsible glorification of depraved and sadistic behavior ... the worst film of 2005 .", "if you dig this sort of gross-out throwback to the horror movies of the '70s , by all means , accept `` the devil 's rejects . ''", "in a disconcerting shift from campy horror to ultra-naturalistic violence , cinematic conventions gives way to depravity and cruelty of such intensity as to be beyond genre .", "it 's an audacious piece of filmmaking , but after a while it grows exhausting to watch , particularly when it becomes clear that violence is going to lead to more violence without much story or conscience surfacing .", "one of the best , most chilling slasher films ever !", "it makes for one sicko spectacle .", "a labor of love sheathed in the shabby clothes of hate .", "i f ****** loved this .", "the devil 's mercy : housing crisis horror with typical clueless ones who never think to dial the cops , cancel their lease , or even summon a doctor for the weirdly ailing hubby , but with enough shockers to make you not think about moving any time soon .", "interessante ao propor uma invers\u0103o de pap\u00e9is entre algozes e v\u00edtimas , exibe uma seguran\u00e7a tal em sua narrativa que chega a surpreender que tenha sido dirigido pelo mesmo zombie do p\u00e9ssimo filme original .", "... it 's best to quote captain spaulding himself . `` you like blood ? violence ? freaks of nature ? '' then you 're going to be satisfied by rejects .", "rob zombie semble d\u00e9sormais poss\u00e9der tous les attributs n\u00e9cessaires pour en devenir l'un des artisans les plus importants de sa g\u00e9n\u00e9ration", "gut-bucket filmmaking at its most lurid-and most fascinating .", "it 's an exceptionally well-done sophomore effort from a man who made one of the worst movies i 've ever seen . that 's a pretty decent accomplishment .", "the look and feel of this film is a total nightmare , and some of the most effective american mood-making in years .", "i have a soft spot for movies that are this sick and twisted , and rejects is the real thing", "lots of people are going to find it utterly abhorrent . crazy drunken rednecks , however , will wear out their dvd copies .", "it 's like having excrement thrown in your face at a gg allin concert .", "much of its aesthetic is recycled , but zombie uses such grabby devices as slow motion , freeze frames , and burned-out grainy film stock with such flair and intensity that it rachets the whole endeavor up an extra notch .", "while nailing the style and look , zombie proves that the substance of the devil 's rejects belongs in a film school course on 70 's horror .", "-lsb- a -rsb- catalogue of loving references to lowlife gore films of the past ... all-encompassing sarcasm and general screw-you attitude lift -lrb- or sink -rrb- the movie to another level .", "the film ups the stakes on armchair support of underdogs vs. the system , asking , `` now how much do you like them ? ''", "one disorientingly demented trip through the terrain of 1970s outlaw grindhouse .", "lynyrd skynyrds ` freebird ' will never be the same again .", "not for the faint of stomach and definitely wo n't appeal to everyone but it 's worth seeing if you like this sort of thing .", ".", "having had the misfortune of sitting through -lsb- house of 1000 corpses -rsb- , i can say that the second film is quite an improvement , though no kind of masterpiece .", "the devil 's rejects is meanspirited , graphic , and bubbling over in ultra-realistic viscera , but it is n't without sociological merit .", "offensively inhuman , uninspired and cruelly unoriginal .", "like some gritty 70s cinema artifact that fell through a timewarp , -lsb- it -rsb- rings with the unholy dread of early tobe hooper ...", "i 'm all for horror fans having their go at the genre and paying respect to the classics - but affection does n't equal execution .", "it is grim , unrelenting and savage , and it is destined to become a genre classic . after seeing this one , you wo n't just lock your doors , you 'll nail planks over your windows .", "the salt-baked , smoke-cured dialogue makes up for a lot , especially as it 's delivered by such canny veterans as lewis , haig and forsythe , who 's savoring his meaty caricature of a bent lawman .", "it 's not a perfect picture , but the overall effect is incredibly satisfying .", "indefensible on a moral level , rob zombie 's perversely watchable follow-up to his much-reviled cult hit house of 1000 corpses is loaded with filmmaking energy .", "if there 's one consistent thematic lesson to be culled from `` the devil 's rejects '' it 's that we should embrace abhorrent and ruthless murderers as outlaw saints.lers .", "we 're supposed to feel bad for these people , as they did n't do anything so horrible , just tortured , killed and dismembered a few dozen innocent people. , right ?", "casts light on what it is about the way we are that make wickedness so damnably attractive .", "while -lsb- the film -rsb- does contain a number of genuinely creepy moments ... zombie bogs things down with a plethora of broadly-played , overly wacky supporting characters .", "the movie 's violence is used to explore the ties of family , both by blood and by bonds of personal history .", "the results are for seasoned -- even hardened -- horror-movie fans only ; anyone else need not apply .", "a hardcore horror film that will appall as much as entertain , the devil 's rejects is both impressive and repugnant .", "it has to be the sickest , the most twisted , the most deranged movie so far this year . and i 'm giving it thumbs up because it 's very good at what it wants to be .", "i have come close to walking out on four movies in my 18 years of reviewing . `` the devil 's rejects '' is one of them .", "despite the clich\u00e9s and the profanity , there are some hilariously wicked moments .", "yes , the devil 's rejects had me squirming in my seat and looking to darkened corners of the theater for respite from the on-screen violence , but so what ?", "gore hounds will love it , this is the genre at the top of its game , but there 's not much here for the rest of us .", "the only conceivable way this toxic heap could benefit mankind is if every print were melted down and had its celluloid content rendered into guitar picks .", "if tarantino 's first film was an homage to '70s grindhouse horror films instead of reservoir dogs , he probably would have made this picture .", "a twisted cross between the texas chainsaw massacre and natural born killers , with some pseudo bonnie and clyde sentiments thrown in .", "the year 's most viciously entertaining psycho-road - movie-revenge - 'n' - wreckage - romance .", "rob zombie has taken a form of filmmaking that was of questionable repute and elevated it by putting the pieces together better than most of the form 's original practitioners .", "free from studio baggage and delays , zombie has created the semi-sequel , the devil 's rejects , and he 's found a crackerjack vehicle for his particular brand of madness .", "smells of expired milk , impacts like a deer hitting your car , and tastes of moldy pizza . i do n't think rob zombie would have it any other way ." ], "summary": "zombie has improved as a filmmaker since `` house of 1000 corpses '' and will please fans of the genre , but beware -- the horror is nasty , relentless , and sadistic .", "id": "2133" }, { "movie": "donnie_brasco", "reviews": [ "-lsb- pacino 's -rsb- turn as a low-level mobster is his most relaxed and charming work in years .", "tarnishes the shiny veneer of the mob we 've seen in earlier movies , holding up its players not as criminal heroes but as cogs in a criminal machine , more worthy of compassion than cheers .", "in the tired figure of lefty , manifest in the craggy icon of pacino , our sympathies are definitely enlisted , and the theme rings a poignant note .", "the humor and tragedy that pacino and depp put on the screen will stay with you .", "it 's a good story and an interesting take on trust and friendship , but MOV only works for the first hour .", "for all its treacheries , twists and turns , nothing really comes as a surprise .", "remains a bore for much of its running time .", "pacino 's performance is great and the story seems to have an interesting take on human nature , but the bland , mechanical direction make it not quite worthy of a full recommendation .", "MOV is 120 minutes of riveting filmmaking .", "in almost every respect , MOV is an original , the unexpected rebirth of an old and oft-told tale .", "MOV manages to sidestep the obvious and dwell on the intriguing .", "shows that solid acting and writing can salvage even material that has been covered by much better filmmakers .", "it 's hard to develop any sympathy for the film 's nasty manipulative humans , despite the best efforts of all involved in this newest slant on the mean-streets crowd .", "a first-class mafia thriller that is also , in its way , a love story .", "it 's gritty , real and totally engrossing .", "unfortunately , the story is n't inventive and newell 's methodical approach to it verges on monotony .", "the movie has many human qualities and contains what will be remembered as one of pacino 's finest scenes .", "an affirmation that the director , mike newell , has a gift for talkative , intelligent films that make his actors shine .", "depp is as good as i 've seen him , and pacino is simply astonishing .", "you get something far richer , if more unsettling , here than conventional crime drama 's romanticism and easy analogies .", "takes us into a world that the movies frequently open to us , but somehow this trip seems more real and less glamorized than most .", "a consistently absorbing and intelligent adult entertainment .", "pacino cans the showboating bluster and gives a gently nuanced portrait of a simple man in decline .", "the performances are terrific , especially pacino . but when has he not been ? but here he 's even better than usual , even showing a vulnerable side that is almost heartbreaking .", "pacino 's performance is sweet , crude , funny and haunted , and gives MOV an unexpected emotional pull .", "it is pacino who holds our attention .", "-lsb- a -rsb- powerful mafia genre film with impressive star leads and emotional punch .", "a standard-issue mobster movie that rises above the mire of its shopworn genre by showing the cracks in its characters ' armor .", "may be the best mob movie in years that was made by somebody whose name is not scorsese or coppola .", "a pleasant surprise .", "a tight , character-driven drama -- a rarity in today 's hollywood , it 's not to be missed .", "two powerful performances and a glimpse at the inner workings of the lower levels of the mob make this a must see .", "though the outline of what the film has tried to do is visible , so little feels at stake emotionally that anyone intending to care about these characters would be well advised , for want of a better phrase , to simply fhuggedaboudit .", "i do n't know if i can emphasize enough how much i enjoyed the fine performances of depp and pacino .", "at 34 , depp has finally scored a film that does n't ask him to play down his intelligence .", "powerful , driving , incisive and fascinating , MOV paints a convincing portrait of a man 's life undercover .", "one of the most moving and insightful gangster films ever made .", "depp is convincing as the role-playing agent who loses track of his real identity .", "a classy piece of work that may disappoint those looking for something more conventional .", "a tense , sharp and compelling character study , newell 's film is a worthy addition to the mob-movie canon .", "just misses ranking in the upper echelon of mob movies .", "-lsb- newell and attanasio -rsb- pay as much attention to emotional details as to the clockwork details of mob life .", "although perhaps familiar in its outer trappings , pacino 's fine work is the key to the film succeeding to the extent that it does .", "it 's tempting to think pacino stopped trying sometime in the mid-1980s . but watch lefty 's elegiac final scene and you might conclude that it 's not al 's ability that 's dimmed , rather it 's the imagination of casting directors that 's grown stale .", "depp 's tight , guarded performance is almost painful to watch , and newell seems to have reined in the flamboyant pacino , whose portrait of the mobster as a grumpy old man may be his best work in years .", "a gritty and humorous crime drama about an undercover cop infiltrating the mafia .", "MOV is a fine movie but it might just be best remembered as johnny depp 's coming-out party . a star -- check that , an actor -- is born .", "a blue collar gangster movie that succeeds on all attempted levels , particularly acting .", "this underrated mafia film ranks at the top when it comes to emotional intensity , character development , and revealing the inside nature of the mob .", "pacino 's outstanding work elevates this to the crime movie pantheon .", "one fine little character study about crime , friendship and loyalty in gangland new york city .", "together pacino and depp turn in two fascinating performances with believable macho chemistry between the two of them .", "pacino and depp are a match made in acting heaven , riffing off each other with astonishing subtlety and wit ." ], "summary": "a stark , nuanced portrait of life in organized crime , bolstered by strong performances from al pacino and johnny depp .", "id": "16820" }, { "movie": "1007141-fatal_attraction", "reviews": [ "two absolutely riveting performances and a smart reversal of the usual male-female stalker scenario leave behind a nasty taste and an unforgettable cinema experience .", "because the good things in the movie -- including the performances -- are so very good , it 's a shame that the film 's potential for greatness was so blatantly compromised .", "irony like this does n't make its way into many movies these days", "overpraised : yes , but still worthy of a decent amount of it .", "MOV has an inescapable pull to it ; it 's suffocatingly exciting .", "very intense .", "close should take pride in her performance . she should also expect a depressing avalanche of scripts requiring a she-wacko .", "while billed as a romance and a thriller , the film strictly qualifies as neither , appealing to our prurience , guilt , hatred , and dread .", "an extremely well-directed and acted -lrb- particularly by glenn close as the career woman -rrb- thriller that also functions as cautionary tale about sex in the swinging 1970s and parable of aids in the 1980s .", "a predictable dog 's dinner of pavlovian thriller clich\u00e9s , this will appeal strongly to those who think women should be kept on a short lead .", "the movie 's sexual politics are a little acrid , but its construction is so persuasive and the lead performances so inspired that the film is hard to resist .", "close attention reveals plenty of flaws but for sheer heart-in-the-mouth excitement it remains a triumph .", "-lsb- the film brings -rsb- horror home to a place where the grownup moviegoer actually lives .", "this story of an extramarital fling that turns into a nightmare begins as a well-crafted psychological thriller but degenerates into a misogynistic thrill-fest in its closing moments .", "the screws are tightened expertly in this suspenseful meller about a flipped-out femme who makes life hell for the married man who scorns her .", "this movie is pretty stupid , really . i only felt for the rabbit .", "relentless thriller that quickens one 's pulse as it startles the mind .", "a crowd-pleasing sensationalist jejune romantic thriller .", "adultery-obsession thriller is n't for kids -lrb- or bunnies -rrb- .", "under the direction of adrian lyne , most of the picture 's situations seem like randomly chosen place holders , flat events that just fill time until the final bizarre confrontation .", "solid direction , , thrilling set pieces , and an iconic performance from glenn close . it 's a sleazy movie , but an extremely watchable one . the entertainment value for this one is very high .", "an exceptionally well-written , well-acted and well-directed thriller that extends beyond the boundaries mainstream films typically set .", "... remains a reasonably efficient thriller , building tension slowly and releasing it , if too melodramatically , at least excitingly .", "a pure film for adults , and it manages to walk a tightrope between reprehensible behavior and business as usual", "has the makings of a serious examination of adult relationships and interactions under duress , only to end as a seriocomic slasher film dictated by popular taste .", "see website for more details .", "big , fat , juicy suspense .", "sure , alex may be little more than a bunny-boiling stalker but MOV is still notable for close 's resilient , complex performance .", "overflowing with artistic flair and piercing sexuality , director adrian lyne 's MOV is a psychological horror film that dwells on reality instead of fantasy .", "suspense at its finest . this is the granddaddy of erotic thrillers !", "tense and terrifying .", "one of those rare films that became a true cultural phenomenon", "crackling and intense ... even with the cop-out ending .", "no love for you dr. jones -- rabbit stew anyone ?", "years hence , it will be possible to pinpoint the exact moment that produced MOV , adrian lyne 's new romantic thriller , and the precise circumstances that made it a hit .", "unforgettable , chilling , thrilling and damn sexy !", "it 's nothing but a friday the 13th flick for people who would n't be caught dead at one ." ], "summary": "a potboiler in the finest sense , MOV is a sultry , juicy thriller that 's hard to look away from once it gets going .", "id": "13251" }, { "movie": "i_still_know_what_you_did_last_summer", "reviews": [ "director danny cannon knows how to give a hitchcockian air to an island-style bates motel .", "this is a really stupid movie and that 's really disappointing since i really did enjoy the first one .", "it 's not a bad film for what it is .", "i was more afraid of what was in my popcorn 's butter-flavoring than i was of what was up on the screen .", "some thrills and chills are provided , but as audiences realize they 've lived this summer before , early , strong b.o. returns are also likely to die .", "the only thing terrifying about this clunker is the thought of having to sit through it .", "there are many things wrong with this film , starting with title .", "when i heard the sequel 's title , i strongly considered resigning this post .", "a better-than-average slasher movie is that it understands exactly the sorts of cheap thrills its audience is looking for and delivers them with a minimum of distraction and a maximum of energy .", "it 's frustrating , not to mention insulting .", "irredeemably dire .", "a more appropriate title would be who cares what you did last summer .", "neither trey callaway , who wrote the script , nor danny cannon , who directed the sequel , bring any new ideas to the genre . cut 'em some slack : that surely was their marching orders .", "this one 's for die-hard genre fans only . and even then , it 's only good to snicker at the obvious cliches and overall predictablity .", "there are enough jolts to unsettle , and a chilling music score , but too many bloodied bodies and screaming , and the filmmaker is constantly telling us how to feel .", "the completely formulaic script by trey callaway is directed by the numbers by danny cannon .", "the prospect of a third installment of this derivative series is much scarier than anything that happens in the movie .", "throws all logic out the window , raises the gore quotient and offers more offensive racial stereotypes than any wb or upn sitcom .", "it 's just another formulaic fright flick .", "the ending of the film inevitably leaves the door wide open for a third part , but judging from this amazingly lackluster first sequel , everyone involved should have quit while they were still ahead .", "the movie 's r rating mentions ` intense terror violence and gore , ' but only its publicity team could consider it intense or terrifying . gore it has .", "thanks , kevin williamson . thank you a whole lot .", "a 100-minute festival of stupidity .", "the movie soon abandons its nascent psychological explorations for formulaic body pile-up .", "we know what sequel should n't have been made .", "completely wraps itself around the film 's utter moronic plot elements and red herrings at every turn ...", "i have seen many stupid movies in my life . but -lsb- this -rsb- would still count among the stupidest , had i seen twice a many movies in half again as many genres .", "needless to say , logic takes a holiday , just not in the bahamas . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-", "as mindlessly engaging as its predecessor ...", "like a rotten vaudeville act , this one deserves the hook .", "heartfelt thanks must go out ... to actor jeffrey combs , whose brief , amusing appearance is the only reason this loser does n't get a zero-star rating .", "this followup to last year 's successful teens-in-jeopardy opus piles on the chills , thrills and body count .", "our enjoyment is supposed to lie in making fun of the obvious red herrings , contrived opportunities to show cleavage , melodramatic dialogue , gullible characters , and inevitable to-be-continued ending .", "the attractive youngsters run , scream , declare that this ca n't be happening and repeat as necessary .", "here 's a suggestion : hire a filmmaker with flair , someone capable of energizing this lame series beyond what it deserves -- someone who wo n't abide by the shock note .", "when bad things happen to stupid people might have been a better title .", ". the door is left open for another sequel . i have an idea for it : a movie studio is about to greenlight yet another subpar teen slasher pic , but the fisherman comes in and hooks everyone before production can start . sound good ?", "you want real terror ? if this second outing proves profitable , we 'll be looking at yet again i recall the summer before the summer before last . now that 's scary .", "not that watching jennifer love hewitt and brandy flounce around in skimpy shirts is a bad thing -- it 's just not enough to carry the film .", "a lazy , hasty effort that offers little beyond a few jack-in-the-box startles and a high body count , including hewitt 's bouncing about in a shirt half-unbuttoned over a bikini top .", "the original film , itself no masterpiece , at least had a strong premise , from lois duncan 's novel , and complicated its characterisations by an unusual class awareness .", "about as dull and unoriginal as the title suggests .", "i still do n't care .", "the movie shoots itself in the foot with a gimmicky ending .", "how are we to be frightened or afraid of these things when they have repeated themselves over and over again for the past two decades ?", "the film does effectively pump the audience to the point of being ravenous for the hook-handed villain to start his spree .", "only five movies into the latest recurrence of the slasher flick fad , and already it 's run out of ideas .", "the dialogue was standard and dull , the acting was there but not fascinating , and the mystery of the killer was n't as cool as it could have been .", "this is the kind of film you go to for only one reason : you 're a teenager , you 're on a date , and you 're ready for an excuse to grip someone tightly .", "i did n't care if any of these characters lived or died .", "merely a fairly silly and ultra-gory schlocker/shocker .", "one could forgive the film 's shortcomings if it was at least scary , or achieved some kind of creepy atmosphere , but it fails that test as well .", "a box office-driven sequel that re-hashes the already-tired approach and storyline of its predecessor .", "MOV is n't the end of the line for the series -lrb- a third movie is already in the works -rrb- , but it deserves to be ." ], "summary": "boring , predictable , and bereft of thrills or chills , MOV is exactly the kind of rehash that gives horror sequels a bad name .", "id": "14749" }, { "movie": "mission_impossible_2", "reviews": [ "m : i-2 ultimately delivers the goods and is certain to be a huge hit .", "john woo takes over the director 's reins this time , bringing his accomplished visual flair to the proceedings .", "an utter disappointment and a delusion of a film . stay away -- far away .", "we can finally put the aging james bond to rest . he 's been replaced as cinema 's best spy by ethan hunt of the mission : impossible films .", "trust me , this is the real thing .", "they blow up things real good and cruise can cruise into my garage any old day !", "breezy , breathless , brainless fun .", "a thoroughbred racehorse of a movie : sleek , fast , graceful and utterly devoid of intellectual content .", "just like with the first film , the action sequences are stronger than the actual story .", "defiantly brainless , but it 's still big-time eye candy .", "anyone who 's followed woo 's career knows he 's better than this material .", "a quantum improvement on mission : impossible 1 .", "if pyrotechnics and chases are all it takes to satisfy a summer movie audience , no one can accuse ' 2 ' of shortchanging its viewers .", "starts off with a bang , downshifts into some pretty long and surprisingly tedious exposition , but ultimately regroups and punches you in the face during its last 30 bone-crunching minutes .", "cruise se juega sus mejores cartas y sale victorioso gracias a su carisma y al talento y visi\u00f3n de john woo", "mission : impossible-2 is such a feast of outlandish pleasures it 'll send you home steam-cleaned and shrink-wrapped .", "an overload of non-stop , gravity-defying action sequences .", "m : i-2 more than meets the challenge of summer sequeldom .", "m : i2 is mighty sexy , especially in the first hour , when even the cars appear to be making love .", "a dizzyingly enjoyable retro rollercoaster .", "brains will be checked at the door ; a good time will be had by some .", "once woo unleashes his bad self and ignites the proceedings here , once the glass shatters , the flames erupt , the gunshots ricochet and the doves fly , all is well with m : i-2 .", "woo is a singularly graceful filmmaker , a true believer in the power of elegant stunt choreography and the infinite allure of the human face .", "the action sequences are truly breathtaking , and woo 's attention to detail pays off in a film where computer keystrokes are as vital as huge explosions .", "the bottom line is that it delivers all the excitement and adventure it promises .", "to his credit , woo milks every last ounce of poetry from this mission , filling out robert towne 's anemic script with his trademark doves , slo-mo acrobatics , and double-fisted gunplay .", "cruise has hit his stride as an action hero with such confidence that he can completely take over any scene the script requires him to .", "the script , by robert towne is n't just coherent , it 's also occasionally funny in self-referential ways .", "woo beats brian de palma 's direction of m : i all to heck .", "mission : impossible 2 lacks emotional punch and the center section sorely tried my patience , but the film remains a hell of a ride .", "the movie plays better than its predecessor to audiences that are not turned off by human emotions .", "mission : impossible looks poised to take over as the spy series moviegoers can get excited about .", "check your brains at the popcorn stand and hang on for a spectacular ride .", "if you 've ever wished that a really good action director -- john woo , say -- would make a james bond film , you can stop wishing .", "mission : impossible 2 is pure escapism and never pretends to be anything else .", "cruise makes a convincing hero .", "while there is n't anything in m : i-2 as memorable as the first film 's scene with cruise dangling over a computer terminal , it 's a more visceral experience overall .", "a very good summer movie .", "i generally do n't like my action movies so action-free .", "a sleek , stylistic adventure thriller , a fun-filled popcorn picture that will not self-destruct .", "an extremely entertaining vehicle , a testosterone-filled escape . it 's a slam-bang way to begin the summer .", "there are graceful woo touches even outside the action scenes , like the swaying of sheep as a helicopter buzzes their pen in the outback . but it 's not enough to get over the blandness .", "it\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s hard to generate suspense when the audience has no reason to believe a character is ever in danger .", "if mr. cruise peeled off his face and turned out to have been chow yun fat all along , the picture might be saved .", "best of all about mission : impossible 2 is that its story is actually easy to follow , and therefore what happens means more to the viewer .", "the action and the intended-to-be-graceful moments are more silly than stunning , prompting more laughter than applause .", "where cruise 's deference helped elevate his previous two films to artistic heights , his egotism has deflated his latest .", "without any suspense the film just looks like it 's an extended commercial for dudes who think they look cool in throwaway sunglasses .", "at times he gets carried away , still true , woo is cool . this mission would have been next to impossible without him .", "woo is not able to make the action scenes believable or enjoyable .", "... yet another routine action thriller designed to showcase the star appeal of tom cruise .", "as a complete film , it 's not as great as one would hope and ca n't help but come off as not much more than a revved up , but nonetheless , mediocre bond wannabe .", "the problems here can be summed up thus : ` produced by tom cruise . '", "the silliest movie you 'll see this summer .", "god bless john woo .", "MOV offers a bit of escapism and a hefty shot of cinematic adrenalin .", "woo outwits , outgadgets , outstunts and outdirects the original with one hand tied behind his back .", "rather than a groundbreaking piece of new gadgetry , this thriller is like an old , well-oiled machine .", "a more coherent and romantic script .", "this sequel seems afraid of confusing people , so much so that it dumbs down the plot to an insulting level .", "tom cruise 's superspy outing is pure summertime satisfaction !", "by any reasonable measure mission : impossible ii is a successful action-adventure film .", "despite cruise 's attempts here to be byronic , there 's something strenuous about his soulfulness ; he turns everything , even repose , into calisthenics .", "fans of straight action/adventure may enjoy this film ; fans of tv 's mission : impossible may not recognize it .", "a disappointing foray , a generic piece of very expensive filmmaking that lacks the james bond wit and eclat while at the same time highlights a romance that is as sexless as it is inconceivable .", "a coy and hollow parody .", "even the most spectacular things woo unleashes here feel strangely impersonal .", "mi2 not only has minimal action , but minimal gadgets , which are essential to any spy film .", "kimball 's work is always appealing to the eye yet never too noticeable so as to draw attention away from the movie 's plot .", "a few nice moments does not a movie make .", "m : i-2 does have a more understandable story than its predecessor -- robert towne gets sole credit for it . but it is n't told well .", "ends up being just another schlock fest with high speed hi-jinx and more stunts than anybody should ever throw money at .", "-lsb- john woo -rsb- sacrifices logic and narrative coherence with less hesitation than one of his villains would display in shooting an accomplice to avoid apprehension .", "had there not been a battlefield earth i 'd say this was the biggest turkey of the summer .", "if not the worst movie of the year , the most insulting and infuriating .", "capraesque . hitchcockian . add wootastic to the lexicon .", "becomes disastrously bogged down in an interminable second act that is joyless and inert and from which it does n't begin to recover for over an hour .", "a strained sequel to a feature rip-off of an old television show with a stealable theme song . on screen and off , no one 's getting marks for originality here .", "tiene malas actuaciones y dilogos que pudieron ser extrados de cualquier comic , pero ... qu bien me la pas vindola !", "john woo utiliza a hist\u0443ria como uma mera desculpa para brindar o espectador com seq\u044c\u043ancias de a\u0437\u0433o absolutamente eletrizantes .", "it 's fun . it 's laughable . it has moments of excitement , moments of sheer idiocy and moments of sheer idiotic excitement .", "everything has fallen into place for an action megathriller that should please everyone except those still smarting over the jim phelps betrayal .", "if you 're into movies that constantly make you grin like an idiot and mutter `` oh yeah ! '' over and over , you 'll be satisfied .", "m : i-2 takes itself far too seriously .", "any minute now , it 'll stand up and pull off its mask and voice chip and be revealed for what it truly is : a rejected bond script .", "once again , so many talented , smart , wealthy people are selling the slam-bam of sadism and an idiotic plot that could be the senile fantasy of klaus barbie .", "the plot lacks the deftness of the first film .", "m : i-2 is just another summer stock item , like sunscreen and barbecue coals .", "in the end , mission : impossible 2 is really the tom cruise show , and it 's not an entirely successful endeavor .", "the sequel has exposition to spare , but it resembles someone talking to a person who does n't speak their language and thinks he can make them understand by talking louder and slower .", "kimball 's work is always appealing to the eye yet never too noticeable so as to draw attention away from the movie 's plot .", "dull , routine , and not much fun .", "this flick has little intrigue to tie it to its namesake and it comes off more like a very expensive john woo spoof .", "the movie as a whole is a leap backwards , assembled out of a story as thin as noodles , and stunts so overproduced and bloated that they leave us staring on in disbelief .", "those hoping for a solid flick using the full talents of people like woo , cruise , rhames , etc. will sadly be disappointed .", "the crashes , action sequences and effects are all accomplished pretty much seamlessly and professionally though one criticism of this movie is overabundance .", "how the mighty have fallen .", "m : i-2 's visual assets triumphantly lift its otherwise stock material to grade-a levels .", "woo is in fine form .", "this is the action movie of the year , maybe the best in several years . it is trying to be the next bond-type franchise series and if the next one is anywhere near this good , it may succeed .", "as popcorn thrillers go , mission : impossible 2 has set the bar high for the summer blockbusters .", "is n't bad as summer action fare goes .", "it 's eye candy that detonates .", "forget 1996 's often-confusing series kickoff . even without the lit match and fuse , this sequel is a distinct improvement .", "woo 's hysterically hyper visuals and boytoy gimmickry ca n't camouflage the emptiness of the enterprise .", "for all my profound reservations about the whole project , i wound up liking it more , or , at least disliking it less , than i had anticipated . thandie newton is the biggest reason .", "with all this having been done before , making mi2 interesting or suspenseful truly is an impossible mission .", "here , woo just seems to fall back on slow-mo whenever he gets bored , which apparently is often .", "woo lays on his own particular high-octane stylishness so thick the results edge perilously toward self-parody .", "this will go down on my list as the better sequels .", "good thrill ride of a movie for teens and older .", "still a fun movie even if it does n't match the high standards of the rest of the series thanks to woo bringing his trademark over the top action sequences .", "the makers do n't go out of their way to make this original in any way , but the quality comes through .", "it does n't matter how many extra months the director spends creating impressive action scenes . if the audience is not emotionally invested in the fate of the heroes , no amount of explosions will make them care .", "a vaguely absurd epidemiological thriller filled with elaborately superfluous setups and shamelessly stale james bond riffs .", "the movie is good for its minimal escapism , but little more .", "m : i-2 ai n't bad , but it sure is n't as great as it could have been .", "second-string woo .", "mission : impossible 2 suffers from the imbalance produced by excessive action and little drama .", "with every fiery explosion , m : i-2 moves further from its source inspiration and closer toward a preadolescent action orgy .", "loud , technically proficient , very expensive , and pretty much soulless .", "the film continually halts the action to repeat the plot to us , sometimes word for word .", "instead of being the next great john woo masterpiece , it is yet another in the growing roster of action flicks that merely seem to reek of his influence .", "m : i-2 is , at its best , more like two-hours of x-games highlights , with an extremely flaccid story and visual fun .", "quite simply , woo is to action what fred astaire was to dance and john wayne was to winning the west . nobody does it better .", "old-fashioned entertainment liberally coated with flair , style and an explosion of action .", "it 's still entertaining and fun , in a check-your-brain-at-the-box-office kind of way .", "if you 're the type of person who is drawn to action movies and james bond thrillers , then i hope you 're going mostly for the adrenaline , for the action , and for the fun of it . if so , i feel safe in recommending mi2 .", "a terrific thrill ride of a movie .", "dazzling spectacle in high-tech and hand-to-hand combat , compelling romance between gorgeous leads , and well-crafted story make mi2 a highly satisfying action film .", "m : i-2 is the ultimate summer blockbuster , a giant spectacle of shooting and smooching with action sequences so magnificently put together that they alone are worth the price of admission .", "action fans will get a kick out of it . mark this one as strictly for the testosterone set .", "bottom line , m : i-2 seems destined to create the kind of excitement and box-office punch that insiders have been predicting since the turn of the century .", "an effective spectacle of violence .", "entertaining in its own wacky way ." ], "summary": "your cranium may crave more substance , but your eyes will feast on the amazing action sequences .", "id": "10840" }, { "movie": "casino_jack_and_the_united_state_of_money", "reviews": [ "abramoff and a few others landed in jail , but there 's little joy to be had from this saga , since a long list of other crooks from the bush-cheney glory years never served time for their crimes .", "disheartening though , at times , dizzyingly entertaining , . .", "alex gibney pulls the same feat he achieved with `` enron : the smartest guys in the room , '' making complicated financial chicanery first understandable , then entertaining , then completely maddening .", "picture a dry powerpoint presentation , divided into chapters with a fade-to-black screen scrawled with cutesy titles . are we short-changed with this doc ? you can bet on it .", "abramoff documentary is appalling , entertaining", "that the film is overlong ultimately testifies to its importance , though after a while , the outrageous details start to run together like surreal satire . except , of course , that it 's all true .", "a lot of the film is rambling . points are n't connected very well , and it feels needlessly convoluted . worse , the tone seems completely inappropriate . if gibney ca n't take the subject of human slavery -- in the marianas islands -- seriously , how can we ?", "gibney takes a labyrinthine , detail-laden story and crafts an attention-holding film , polemical without ranting .", "most of the anecdotes -lrb- and there are many -rrb- are as juicy and compelling as they are plain-old horrifying .", "gibney laudably launches a withering attack here on the pay-to-play relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers . but this viewer felt withered , too , by the end of his battering ram of a movie .", "you ca n't make this stuff up , folks . gibney does a fine job laying it out on the table for what it is .", "move over , tea party revelers . abramoff 's already been there , done that in this political porn in the raw . nearly casting himself as loathsome lobbyist in his own favor factory reality show , with a perpetual smirk and a blackberry in each hand .", "audiences already numb to the staggering amount of america 's ongoing governmental corruption will have a tough time digesting the cynical climate of greed that allows abramoff 's brand of manipulation of congressmen and senators to still go on under a radi", "it makes plain , from the outset , its position as an expos\u00e9-cum-condemnation of our political system as inherently flawed with regard to the relationship between lobbyists , politicians , and policy .", "if the inner workings of washington , d.c. interest you , especially in terms of how politicians and lobbyists work the system to make money , gibney 's latest can be accepted as a fine addition to his filmography .", "invokes as much mild outrage as a presentation of lobbying gone wild can . it 's not exactly an earth-shattering revelation .", "it 's a story well told , but abramoff 's voice is missing : gibney interviewed him in prison but could not film him . you wonder what this sweet-talker might say for himself , looking back over that long , ugly money trail .", "superlobbyist , republican wheeler-dealer , and convicted felon jack abramoff may seem like old news right now -- he 's been trumped by bernie madoff et al. -- but what he represents , alas , is all too evergreen .", "the snarky tone , use of musical puns and jokey graphics -lrb- was keith olbermann an executive producer ? -rrb- undermine the impact of the story .", "the picture is briskly edited , and the energy never lags . but the amount of information the viewer is asked to process is voluminous -- and never stops coming .", "it 's an informative , interesting documentary that just barely comes together enough and tells an important enough story to merit a look , but it 's not the film that it could have been .", "casino jack is designed as an indictment of a whole culture of influence peddling , a beltway way of life where a pat on the back often comes with a kickback .", "had someone fire-bombed an annual college-republicans ' meeting in the early 1980s , he would have spared this country a lot of pain and strife .", "almost two hours in length , academy award-winner gibney 's documentary - archival footage , re-enactments , talking-head interviews , new footage - is a devastating indictment of the greed and malfeasance perpetrated by convicted lobbyist jack abramoff , the c", "gibney is a busy boy , and he draws the lines between abramoff and his friends -- and his friends ' friends -- with the documentary equivalent of a highlighter .", "alex gibney 's new documentary on how jack abramoff sleazed his way to power is not just an incisive look at an insurgent branch of the conservative movement , but a strong return to form .", "if alex gibney 's documentary on the notorious lobbyist jack abramoff is a little dense , it 's with good reason . this now convicted felon mover and shaker played his power in a lot of arenas . and his story is not an easy one to tell .", "casino jack and the united states of money is indispensable viewing .", "gibney has enough material for a dozen movies here , but his attempt at an overview , however unwieldy , paints one hell of a nauseating picture .", "it should be required viewing for anyone who wants to vote in the 2010 election and has teabags stapled to their person .", "i do n't know about you , but the moment i hear the word lobbyist , my brain glazes over . casino jack and the united states of money woke my brain , and my outrage , right up .", "the big absence here is the man himself ; gibney could n't get the jailed abramoff on camera , either due to unwillingness or a justice department intervention . whatever the reason , it 's crippling .", "watching casino jack and the united states of money made me sick to my stomach .", "i do n't know which is worse , how much money was taken from the unsuspecting clients or how little it took to get crucial support from key members of congress .", "gibney is as good as it gets at making complicated political material come alive on screen .", "fascinating viewing as you start to root against the dastardly villains who had more ego than ethics .", "offers a wide-ranging look at abramoff 's antics , from promoting sweatshops in saipan to cheating indian tribes out of casino revenues .", "the subject matter is likely to enrage and for all the appropriate reasons .", "you need to see this movie . you need to see it not just from an historical perspective of hypocrisy laid bare , but as a cautionary tale .", "there 's not much new in casino jack and the united states of money , but it is a lucid , entertaining documentary .", "a morose but instructive story about the destructive influence of money -- and fanaticism -- on american government .", "the narrative trots all over the globe , including stops for labor exploitation in the marianas islands , dealings with russian mobsters , ripping off indian tribes in the desert southwest , and jetting to scotland to golf with impressionable politicians .", "auds will feel info-glut over the course of the two-hour-plus film , which is hardly the desirable response for a piece of reporting on the vital issue of the corrupting effect of money in american politics .", "a filthy toad of a human being whose every wart is revealed in this hard-hitting documentary .", "dully tells the blood-boiling story of the convicted disgraced conservative superlobbyist jack abramoff .", "buying votes in congress , illegal then , legal now .", "with considerable attention to detail , the doc takes the view that congress is influenced by cash . what a surprise !", "ultimately , it becomes a rorschach test of the viewer 's cynicism : does it shock you ? you must not live in washington , read the newspaper or follow politics . are you horrified ? congratulations , and now wise up .", "mr. abramoff may be in prison , but there are no signs that his kind of high-powered lobbying , which one talking head describes as `` legalized bribery , '' is a thing of the past .", "those compelled by secrecy in washington will find a devastating , disturbing examination of political back-scratching .", "the crimes of conservative superlobbyist jack abramoff are already receding into the hopeless murk of congressional history , so this epic documentary by alex gibney is even more welcome for its reach .", "it really is compelling .", "unable to film jack abramoff in prison , casino jack finds a series of ingenious solutions -- elegant , funny , and preposterous ways to sort out the man 's thinking and contexts .", "casino jack is audience-friendly without turning into a michael moore-ish clown show .", "it 's very entertaining as well as appalling .", "entertainingly and usefully ties all the far-flung pieces together to comprehensibly show his consistent pattern of corrupt operations that was n't the lone rotten apple .", "occasionally drags and offers nothing surprising or new , yet it remains intriguing and provocative thanks to gibney 's easy-to-follow and comprehensive assessment of abramoff 's rise and fall to power ." ], "summary": "casino jack 's subject matter is enraging , but in the hands pf director alex gibney , it 's also well-presented and briskly entertaining .", "id": "770859269" }, { "movie": "marine", "reviews": [ "low-budget , logic-free action shlock...explosion-laced , fisticuff-heavy , utterly brainless stuff .", "a big , hilarious , stupid meathead of a movie , destined to be a huge hit on the violence channel .", "this is a supersize movie : supersize guns , supersize knives , supersize muscles , supersize boobs and supersize explosions !", "harmless , tongue-in-cheek , mayhem-filled fun .", "the MOV will trigger a strong sense of deja vu for anyone who recalls the slapdash , slam-bang action fare that was standard-issue drive-in fodder during the 1970s .", "kicks *** at being totally lousy", "the genius of the film is in its unapologetically obvious crowd-pleasing moments .", "such bizarre touches remind one of the appeal of wwe televised bouts .", "if there ever was a reason why studios do n't screen films , this is the rosetta stone .", "the MOV proves a poor showcase for the homeboy charisma cena shows week in and out with the wwe .", "there 's not much about the MOV that 's even slightly diverting . including , alas , john cena , the film 's villain-dispatching star .", "there are people who will see `` the MOV '' just because it features john cena , and those people will not be disappointed : the movie does , in fact , feature john cena .", "cena 's dialogue is held to a monosyllabic minimum ...", "the MOV often feels like an oddball black comedy about a dysfunctional band of sociopaths , just masquerading as an action movie about one tough ex-marine .", "it is not particularly a bad film . it is just nothing special .", "the MOV subscribes to the notion that there 's no such thing as a gratuitous explosion .", "it has the air of garbage , but is kind of cute , despite the awful dialogue .", "derivative in the extreme , but some good stunt work and humorous touches make it a lot more tolerable than it could have been .", "the story is minimal and the action is preposterous , but it does n't try to be much else .", "some crazed jewel thieves get trigger-happy in a gas station , and kidnap john cena 's wife . this is useful , as it adds the dangerous excitement of having an angry pro-wrestler chase them through south carolina forests .", "it 's a shame that the MOV did not receive a theatrical release in australia . not only was much of it shot here , but as an action popcorn adventure , it has reasonable merit .", "already used to bad acting , lame action , and unbelievably stupid stories cena 's fans will love it .", "absurdly over-muscled wwe star john ` the franchise ' cena makes his bid to be the next schwarzenegger in this lunkheaded but entertaining action flick .", "while the MOV 's real-world connections to the war in iraq are brief and incidental to its minimal plot , that fact does n't make its reductive attitudes any more pleasant to swallow .", "what 's a muscular guy like john cena doing in a flabby movie like this ?", "an unrepentant b-movie , the MOV features the sort of bare-bones plot that would in previous years have served as a vehicle for the likes of charles bronson .", "the MOV proudly admits that it 's junk . who am i to disagree ?", "if you 're the kind of fan who digs movies like road house and waxes nostalgic for the heyday of seagal and van damme , you owe it to yourselves to at least rent this one someday .", "it 's as fast and loud as you 'd expect , but where it catches you off-guard is in its breathtaking stupidity .", "these guys do n't much about making movies , but they know how to stage a smack down .", "apparently -lsb- cena 's -rsb- some wwe superstar ; for the uninitiated , he looks kinda like matt damon , if matt damon got freakishly buff .", "the MOV settles for action pieces performed by broad character types . in other words , it 's a lot like a night of wrestling .", "so bad that it 's very nearly sublime .", "a delectably bad '80s - style actioner .", "brimming with testosterone , `` the MOV '' explodes and punches its way onto the screen .", "a movie so dumb it may actually cause brain damage .", "a happy surprise .", "a movie so dumb it may actually cause brain damage .", "yes , virginia , there is a john rambo . but he lives now only in our memories .", "it 's not a good film by any practical standard , but the MOV is bad in just the right way , a mindless throwaway that 's at least smart enough not to take itself too seriously .", "this brain-damaged action mistake is about as understated as a mortar blast ." ], "summary": "overblown in every possible way , the MOV is either so bad it 's good or just really , really bad .", "id": "314387382" }, { "movie": "the_dreamlife_of_angels", "reviews": [ "as raw and immediate as it is heartfelt .", "film portraiture of rare intelligence and subtlety", "while that 's not enough to make me go crazy over this one -lrb- like some people -rrb- , it is enough for me to genuflect quite a bit in awe of good characters and good details done .", "using decidedly unglamorous locales and stars , director erick zonca has given the story what amounts to an almost documentary feel ; isa and marie seem so true-to-life at times you might feel a bit voyeuristic .", "it mopes around most of the time with not much to say .", "just a bunch of uninteresting characters who spend their time co-existing in an uneasy friendship , smoking too much , and having sex with people who are even worse than them .", "it 's a compelling work about loneliness and two ways of dealing with it .", "we are n't just watching isa and marie endure the tiny triumphs and hardships of their lives ; we 're experiencing those ups and downs alongside them .", "completely absorbing , almost rudely poignant .", "heralds a humanist cinema that neither shortchanges our minds nor cheapens what 's in our hearts .", "zonca shows an extraordinary ability to get into the female psyche .", "bouchez and r\u00e9gnier manage to make every scene ... crackle with a static charge .", "there 's not a single encounter in MOV that is n't vivid and emotionally full .", "at once an intriguing mix of naivete and world-weariness , bouchez and regnier make us care about two young women .", "these days it 's so rare to find a movie that even works on anything more than a superficial level that it 's a real moviegoing pleasure to discover one that works on many levels .", "the two gifted young women -lsb- bouchez and regnier -rsb- are the best thing about this quirky drama of friendship and survival .", "frank , intimate , touching , with an emotional immediacy that is killing .", "an engrossing , occasionally revelatory experience .", "zonca 's lyrical cinema verite style magnifies the small tensions and flare-ups that can blow apart a friendship in the blink of an eye .", "MOV -lrb- la vie r\u0119v\u00e9e des anges -rrb- is a story of capitalistic and sexual exploitation , rage , rebellion , and the search for meaning in everyday things .", "two unforgettable characters are revealed , and the truth resonates powerfully through their stories .", "allows the viewer to not only see , but experience the pain of these characters .", "remarkably well-acted and poignant .", "it 's so graceful and intelligent and complicated in its depiction of human interaction that it takes the notion of a remarkably assured directorial debut to a new level .", "-lsb- bouchez and regnier have -rsb- fleshed out portraits of a depth rarely seen on screen .", "the movie understands what few american movies admit : not everyone can afford the luxury of following their hearts .", "this slow-moving film would have been a sleeper-literally -- were it not for leads bouchez and r\u00e9gnier .", "a sensitive , straightforward film that thankfully avoids sentimentality but nevertheless leaves a visceral impact on its viewers .", "who finds in life what they dream ?", "in an american indie , the two girls would be cute slackers ; in dreamlife , they 're imbued with the inchoate sadness of feminine existential loneliness .", "sad and thought provoking , and the performances of its leads make it well worth watching .", "there is an inspiring freshness to the film , even with the real-life pain and angst the characters endure .", "not overly bad , just not a lot going on in this sleepy melodrama ." ], "summary": "showcasing excellent lead performances , MOV is an intelligent , absorbing character study of two women .", "id": "15518" }, { "movie": "field_of_dreams", "reviews": [ "together with moments of dry humour and fine performances , the political element lends the film gravity sufficient to counterbalance any sense of whimsy . pure magic .", "the conception is sentimental , but the storytelling remains assured and effective .", "instant baseball classic for whole family .", "too idiosyncratic and witty merely to wallow in sentimentality , MOV will surely stand as a classic update of what made old hollywood so magical . it 's still a wonderful life .", "one of the best films of the 80s", "widely regarded as a modern populist classic , the film is both a fabulist fable and a celebratory baseball movie that acknowledges scandal within the sport but also the game 's transcendent ability to rise above attempts to damage its integrity . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-", "the life-equals-baseball masterpiece still packs an unexpected kick .", "that rare thing , a poignant movie which manages to drain the tear ducts without ever resorting to cheap manipulation or clich\u00e9d sentiment .", "MOV sustains a dreamy mood in which the idea of baseball is distilled to its purest essence : a game that stands for unsullied innocence in a cruel , imperfect world .", "a rare choke-up movie for guys and one of 1989 's biggest hits .", "a manipulative but still moving look at the power of myths .", "quaint , amusing and charming little baseball parable .", "if you 're in the right mood this movie will bring a tear to your eye .", "the finest and most sentimental baseball movie ever made . if the ending does n't bring tears to your eyes , you are made of stone . a must-see .", "a dedicated cast acts out this gooey fable in deadly earnest .", "an engaging film that uses baseball as a launch pad for musings on human aspirations , righting old wrongs , and going the distance .", "the themes of this movie are dreams , family , and baseball .", "kevin costner nunca esteve t\u0103o bem como em ` campo dos sonhos ' .", "this film is n't just for baseball fans and soft touches . it 's also for people who 've experienced loss and want , just for a few minutes , to dream of regaining what was lost .", "MOV -lrb- 1989 -rrb- is a fairy tale celebration of the love of baseball .", "jones 's performance is quirky and brilliant . mann 's first meeting with ray is worth the ticket price all by itself .", "MOV will not appeal to grinches and grouches and realists . it is a delicate movie , a fragile construction of one goofy fantasy after another . but it has the courage to be about exactly what it promises .", "the movie may steal a base here and there , but there are no homers .", "a magical , often funny , utterly delightful movie , one that will stay with you for some time to come .", "poesy , pointlessness and baseball worship aside , the movie is easy to get along with .", "directed by phil alden robinson , who treats the fantastic story with admirable conviction but allows the action to become so sugary that it 's hard to swallow after a while .", "quite simply one of the best sports movies ever .", "whether you view it as capracorn or capraesque would depend on your values , but there 's no denying the film evokes the vastness and grandeur of middle-america", "the best baseball film of all time .", "a movie for a thorough tear-duct cleansing - the only film that makes tears stream down the cheeks of this hardened critic , and it gets me at least twice every time .", "robinson 's whimsical sports saga is nostalgically engaging ... guaranteed to load the bases with sentimentality", "anyone who loves their father or baseball -- or both -- will find it difficult -- no , impossible -- to resist this hokey , wonderful film .", "say what you want about kevin costner , but you ca n't say he never played jesus christ .", "original and moving fantasy about the things that make guys tear up .", "it seems much easier to fall into MOV than to resist its warm , intelligent , timely appeal to our most idealistic selves .", "one of the best baseballmovies off all time", "despite a lovely cameo turn by burt lancaster , MOV is the male weepie at its wussiest .", "-lsb- a -rsb- special experience , sort of an it 's a wonderful life for the late '80s .", "alden 's script goes from charming to preposterous to preachy .", "MOV is n't a home run . it 's more like a suicide squeeze : if it had n't been perfectly executed , it would n't have worked . but as they say in baseball , a run is a run .", "the sentimentality , of which there is plenty , is nicely balanced by a humor of ironic pragmatism , as when ray , having built his baseball field as a monument to human dreams , decides to charge tourists $ 20 a head to visit it .", "all of this would work better if robinson built up the reality of the town more , made the citizens a more palpable presence , as frank capra did in hollywood 's greatest fable-fantasy , it 's a wonderful life .", "if you like to think of every time at bat as a new hope , if you can taste a kind of poetry along with the hot dogs they serve at the ballpark , if you like to imagine that life is meant to be good , and miracles are n't out of the question ... go see -lsb- it -rsb- .", "... view baseball as much a business as a sport and ca n't imagine getting gushy over such mush .", "this fantasy drama from director phil alden robinson is a delightful blend of the blind-fate story and the more fanciful feel-good corn of frank capra .", "rightfully a ballgame classic , this is sentimental nonsense , sure , but charmingly so ." ], "summary": "MOV is sentimental , but in the best way ; it 's a mix of fairy tale , baseball , and family togetherness .", "id": "11618" }, { "movie": "meeks_cutoff", "reviews": [ "this is the sort of film critics love to praise because the filmmaker has done good work before ; and well , there must be something there . well , there 's not .", "thanks to brilliant directorial decisions matched by a cast that was clearly inspired by this unique effort , this will surely be one of the most memorable films of 2011 .", "a promising , intermittently entrancing film that the viewer wishes could have made more of an impact than it does .", "we watch them trudge for miles , growing tired of listening to the squeaky wheel of a wagon .", "an existential nightmare of maddening uncertainty , a notion only emphasized by reichardt 's commitment to ambiguity .", "whatever allegory of pre-feminist roles that reichardt hopes to achieve is slowly put to sleep along with the rest of the audience with a less-is-less narrative style that , like meek , is too stubborn to realize how lost it is .", "a film ponderously slow in pace yet kinetically charged with insight ; starkly realistic yet allegorical too ; psychologically astute yet politically resonant .", "stripped of hollywood embellishment , meek 's cutoff examines issues of leadership , trust and ` the other ' in ways that suggest it could be taken as a metaphor for the american way of thought , then or now . well , maybe that 's just us .", "those with the courage to explore uncharted territory will be rewarded with a rough gem of a movie .", "`` meek 's cutoff '' is more an experience than a story .", "a mesmerizing cinematic journey that is often as arduous and spare as the lives of its hard-bitten protagonists .", "if there 's a genre even more suited to political allegory than horror , it 's the western . and if you can make it through this grim , grimy wide-open-space odyssey without thinking of iraq then it 's because you 're not thinking hard enough .", "there are stretches that are , frankly , boring . but the vivid details and intimacy you develop with these travelers sticks with you , leaving you in awe of the insane feats people had to accomplish in order for us to enjoy the world we know today .", "-lsb- rides -rsb- a thin line between the intangibly graceful and the merely frustrating in its rejection of narrativity .", "returns to the craft of the deconstructionist western , ... stripped bare of the mythmaking , shiny spurs and hero worship , leaving a reality so stark it makes the coen brothers ' harsh take on true grit seem like an episode of gunsmoke .", "the subtle ways in which reichardt explores how these characters have been playing their socially and religiously assigned parts throughout the movie , and likely their entire lives , is the core of an absolute masterpiece .", "yes , it 's sharply shot , and its stark realism is refreshing . but meek 's cutoff never gets anywhere .", "it will definitely divide audiences . some may find it a graceful and understated master class in observation . others may be put to sleep .", "greatly enhanced by the performances of michelle williams and bruce greenwood , director kelly reichardt 's film quietly becomes engrossing - it almost sneaks up on you .", "imagine a collaboration between john ford and wallace stevens and you might get a sense of what kelly reichardt pulls off here : a sincere re-creation of the pioneer experience , brought to life through careful , often unexpected detail .", "at once gossamer and purposeful , it 's terrence malick with a map .", "amounts to a master class in the power of observation .", "`` meek 's cutoff '' is earnest and sober to the point of suffocation , which often happens when the decision is made to shut off the air of entertainment .", "the cinematography , by chris blauvelt , captures the rugged landscapes and rainless skies with a homespun elegance .", "told largely in long shot , it 's a painfully , beautifully slow film , which is understandable given the time , place , and situation .", "reichardt serves the broccoli of historical pedantry , deliberately withholding the delicious cheese sauce of entertainment .", "this is the arid equivalent of werner herzog 's aguirre , wrath of god . reichardt offers the minimum of genre conventions and none of the genre 's satisfactions or resolutions .", "the prose of jack london has been effectively translated to film via the sparsity of reichardt 's intensely detailed neo-western .", "violence -- potential and inevitable -- shapes each moment in this extraordinary film . rarely visible and never cathartic , this violence is instead like the land that offers possibility and lays down limits for the emigrants .", "williams also starred in reichardt 's last , and best , film , wendy and lucy , and she clearly has a special affinity for the director , for whom she shows off her subtlest shades .", "vast and mysterious , the american west of kelly reichardt and jonathan raymond 's `` meek 's cutoff '' is not quite like any other landscape .", "boring .", "of time and place : an interview with john raymond on meek 's cutoff", "it 's the anti-western western , a story stripped of zane gray romance , sagebrush and mythic heroes .", "meek 's cutoff , certainly a deliberate title for a story touching on fear of the unknown , is the human experience stripped to its bones .", "if you allow its windswept silences to work on you , `` meek 's cutoff '' gathers its own snakelike sense of momentum ...", "i guarantee you that , in a decade or two , it will be regarded as an enduring film classic .", "this revisionist western -- intellectually , aesthetically , and narratively absorbing -- rattles to the bone , but never quite rends the heart .", "demanding , ultimately mesmerizing variation on an antique theme wanders off into a wilderness of its own where the essential stoic loneliness of what we call the american character comes into focus .", "the movie gives thoughtful viewers plenty to ponder , and plenty of situations in the story have two right answers , but no definitive one .", "a cinematic immersion of both modest and cosmic proportions , beautifully enacted by a cast that makes you fully believe that they are these beleaguered characters , and make you glad that you are n't .", "it challenges patriarchy and racism , but it never risks questioning received political ideas .", "with its mythic , dreamlike atmosphere , hints of feminism and a subversive touch of political allegory , meek 's cutoff is a bold new take on the old west .", "a monumentally awful movie . pretentious , uninformed , boring , and enough to drive one to a steady diet of adam sandler movies .", "recalls jim jarmusch 's dead man and even werner herzog 's aguirre : the wrath of god in its evocation of frontier surrealism and manifest-destiny madness ; the reichardt approach is , however , more stringent and pointed in its weirdness .", "austere and unforgiving ... a picture of extraordinary detail and deliberate execution , rewarding the brave with a rare screen realism that 's hypnotic .", "who goes to the movies for 104 minutes of punishment ? where is john wayne , now that we need him ?", "meek 's cutoff may not match reichardt 's previous two works in emotional heft , but it continues to cement her as a young director to watch closely .", "a slow , methodical , carefully researched look at traveling the oregon trail before stagecoaches became extinct .", "a more subversive than revisionist feminist western , and with a title intimating iconic macho cowboy metaphorical castration . while touching on current persisting and troubling questions about imperialist incursions , labeled manifest destiny back then .", "it delivers a patient , swoony account of itinerant tribulations in which conflict and intrigue bubble up only occasionally , and always gently .", "simultaneously a compelling allegory and a hallucinatory fable , meek 's cutoff is the most ambitious and accomplished film reichardt has yet made .", "kelly reichardt 's gaunt , mysterious and superbly calibrated movie about pioneers and the old american west appears to have come from another age - from the early days of malick or antonioni .", "under oregon skies , there 's political subtext for the taking in this terrific , unsettling film .", "not an easy journey for the characters or their audience , reichardt 's film demands respect for its sheer bloody-minded determination to leave its own questions frustratingly up for debate .", "reichardt 's boldness in eschewing a sprawling retelling of how the west was won should be applauded , but she has n't yet earned the right to take this long saying so little .", "the ending will divide opinion between `` hauntingly ambiguous '' and `` cop-out . ''", "it 's an intriguing take on actual diaries kept by women pioneers of the time , but their journey may be as punishing for some viewers as it was for them ...", "reichardt 's parched tale builds up a pressure cooker of tension and loyalties are strained and doubts are sewn ... but then does n't seem to know what to do with it .", "while i would love to fully appreciate this circular , feminist , counter-cinema perspective , no payoff makes for an audience that feels cheated .", "... a maddeningly dull drama ...", "presented people who were so devoid of personality , humor and interest that i did n't care if any of them made it out alive", "beautifully shot and impressively directed , this is a haunting , contemplative western with terrific performances from bruce greenwood and michelle williams , though reichardt 's relentlessly minimalist approach might prove hard going for some .", "reichardt 's film is - to put it simply - a masterpiece .", "filmed with a rapt severity worthy of ermanno olmi 's the tree of the wooden clogs , hers is a horror-western where the minimalist subtly grows into the hallucinatory .", "i was hypnotized from the opening sequence .", "meek 's cutoff is a thoughtful , and intimate narrative that is beautifully shot and has outstanding direction .", "a better complement than ` the big trail ' would be ` the blair witch project , ' another film that taps into an american unease with the wilderness that is the shadow twin of the country 's bold sense of manifest destiny .", "i felt like i was trapped on a slow-moving wagon train to nowhere with a bunch of people i wanted to escape from .", "the film 's most powerful performance belongs to williams , who shows a spirit and resolve seldom seen before . her scenes confronting meek are explosive and give the film a strong emotional core .", "i rarely feel the heart-in-my-throat suspense that i felt as reichardt 's characters sent a covered wagon down a steep hill ...", "a story about people facing both physical adversity and adversity within a group", "reichardt puts such an unequivocal spin on this well-trod territory as to make it feel heretofore uncharted and of her own reckoning .", "offbeat and most interesting western about emigrant pioneers lost in the prairie .", "in this quiet , beautiful and terrifying fable about a group of lost pioneers , reichardt combines epic ambition with a focus on intimate , personal detail .", "you might be tempted to call meek 's cutoff an exercise in feminist , multiculturalist piety if these two latter characters had any clear idea of what they were doing , or an overriding motive other than self-preservation ; but they do n't , and you wo n't .", "reichardt has stripped `` meek 's '' down to bare essentials and careful emotions . the cast captures that quality beautifully - like the water that is running out , everything is conserved .", "like the bits of home life its pioneers have brought with them to an alien landscape , the careful craft grounds the film in a reality that is as much felt as it is observed .", "it 's reichardt once again subtly overturning the myths that have sustained american cinema for decades ...", "reichardt trusts her audience , encourages her viewers to feel comfortable in the stillness and the quiet , and to draw their own conclusions from an ending that 's as profound as it is enigmatic .", "... a reinventing of the -lsb- western -rsb- genre where nothing seems to happen but lots does .", "meek 's cutoff is simultaneously cerebral and astonishingly cinematic , a historical road movie that stretches the inhospitable landscapes and marginal living of wendy and lucy in intriguing directions .", "in reichardt 's latest , she takes the great american film genre - the western - and makes it her own by making the point of view distinctly feminine .", "it enlivens and illuminates a genre that once dominated the american cinema and still holds a considerable grip on our imagination .", "a sterling effort , determined to tell some of the truth of the times .", "at once an intimate drama about a group of emigrants led dangerously off-course in 1874 oregon , and an epically ambitious think piece about nothing less than the fate of western civilization .", "highlighted by precise performances , simmering tensions and unforgiving landscapes , this odd rarity - an arthouse western - will help broaden reichardt 's rabid but select fanbase .", "a realistic slice of pioneer life that offers a disquieting alternative vision of america 's most mythic location .", "the film , which clearly owes a debt to terrence malick 's days of heaven , proceeds at a snail 's pace .", "one of the finest american films of the year , and one that 's going to infuriate as many people as it enthralls . that does n't matter , as long as they see it .", "may well be truer to what the migration west was like for many settlers than hollywood 's romanticized and sanitized version of such stories .", "michelle williams is now the only dawson 's creek cast member with a chat-worthy film career .", "`` meek 's cutoff '' works wonders even if you do n't buy the political metaphor , instead appreciating the film as a historical survival tale and a meditation on the nature of trust - how others win it from us and why we give it to them .", "exhausting and ambiguous , it 's for moviegoers who relish a quiet , arduous chronicle of bleak hardship , seemingly portrayed in real time .", "... a primal piece of filmmaking , wrought from dirt and rock , calico and splintered wood , and illuminated by natural light and campfire .", "be warned . some stretches are almost as much of a slog for the viewer as they are for the pioneers ... but meek 's cutoff conveys a far more realistic account of what life was really like on the frontier trail than john wayne or clint eastwood ever did .", "this is a film where life and death decisions are made at every turn ; where the very concepts of religion and humanity are dissected in gorgeously subtle yet devastating ways .", "kelly reichardt 's extremely modest film is slow , but it is also intriguing , moving and meaningful .", "sparse , uncompromising and bewitching . reichardt has stripped back all but the bare essentials , scattering the characters across the sun-bleached landscape like marbles .", "by privileging the dynamics between the characters over story , reichardt has created an extremely rewarding cinematic experience that is rich in political commentary , pathos and visual beauty .", "meek 's cutoff is an ambitious feat of visual storytelling that 's alive to both its landscape and the actors who people it . this is a big movie masquerading as a small one , fully awake in even its quietest , slowest moments .", "a meditative western that focuses on the spiritual transformation of a female settler into a leader as she journeys west in a covered wagon caravan .", "forget that old computer game you may have played in middle school : kelly reichardt 's fourth feature is a beautifully evocative portrait of life on the real oregon trail .", "kelly reichardt has crafted a haunted dream of a movie to get lost in .", "it is an american independent in the true sense of the word , and it may well be the best homegrown movie we 'll see this year .", "less western or anti-western than it is a masterful bad trip littered with foolish expectations and `` we should have '' regrets", "it 's a deceptively small piece of onscreen art that resonates afterward with such insistence that i felt positively nagged by it .", "one way or another , there will be blood .", "a bracingly original foray into territory that remains , in every sense , unsettled .", "meticulous and immersive , meek 's cutoff feels like history in three dimensions .", "the film is both evocative and provocative ; atmospherically and conceptually , respectively .", "meek 's cutoff is an act of inversion , a western that reverses the genre 's traditional forms and dynamics to create something new and startling , yet still familiar .", "without exception , the actors give understated but compelling performances .", "reichert really captures what it must have felt like to venture off the edge of the world in search of a new life", "upgrading her production values without compromising her minimalist style , kelly reichardt has nonetheless made her most accessible movie .", "our interest is constantly stoked by reichardt 's choices as a director .", "fans of kelly reichardt 's minimalist portraits will adore her stark western , but others may be taken aback by the bold lack of traditional filmmaking .", "-lsb- kelly reichardt has -rsb- taken on her biggest budget -lrb- essentially a thicker shoestring -rrb- and most recognizable cast yet , while fully retaining her patient , deliberate approach to narrative and attentiveness to nature as a character .", "there is n't a fully developed storyline , and there are n't enough ideas in a movie that film snobs will congratulate themselves for adoring . pshaw .", "reichardt 's westward-ho is a world of confusion , geographical and moral , a dislocation beyond the remedy of water or bibles .", "it 's a pleasureless , anti-sensuous aesthetic , but the movie , in its thorny , grudging way , is stirring , with many startling details .", "this impressionist western wo n't be everyone 's slug of bourbon but it 's a slow burn that will richly reward the patient ." ], "summary": "moving at a contemplative speed unseen in most westerns , meek 's cutoff is an effective , intense journey of terror and survival in the untamed frontier .", "id": "771203826" }, { "movie": "house_of_the_devil", "reviews": [ "the MOV is really a romance : a love letter to the kind of gal we thought had given up the ghost .", "west 's assured way with widescreen framing , long takes and silences followed by sharp if explainable noise are almost cruelly funny in their heart-stopping pleasures .", "more concerned with stretching nail-biting suspense to the breaking point than finding new ways of making heads explode .", "although the payoff is creepy , it takes a little too long to arrive -- and when it does , it 's about as worn-out as the movie 's title .", "part of the film 's off-kilter surreality comes from its retro look , tone , cinematography , and even music .", "the MOV is not only set in the early '80s , but director ti west chose to shoot and structure the film in a way so as to make it feel like it was made in the early '80s . in a way , this throwback style is reminiscent of what quentin ta", "the MOV could have certainly turned out stronger with a shorter buildup and a more drawn out climax , but who am i to argue ? i have n't been this scared watching a horror film in years .", "those of us who remember that strange and marvelous era when the grindhouse gave way to vhs pajama parties are apt to see a kindred spirit at work here .", "as much as the slow pacing , the out-of-time quality creates a sense of dislocation , that makes what 's coming for her even more unpleasant .", "impressively directed with impeccable production design , this is a note-perfect pastiche of a 1980s horror film that 's both suspenseful and scary without resorting to cheap tricks .", "a first-rate chiller .", "it may not completely succeed as a horror film , though i would take its deliberately funky and low-key vibe over the hard-sell nonsense of `` paranormal activity '' any day of the week .", "even the familiar tropes of the MOV are familiar in the right way , like an old , bloodstained sweater .", "the cinematic equivalent of foreplay . it 's all about building mood , teasing us , and , in between the lines , promising an eventual payoff .", "if you like horror movies that actually have some artistic merit to them , this is definitely one of the more noteworthy pictures of the year .", "the film may provide an introduction for some audience members to the hitchcockian definition of suspense : it 's the anticipation , not the happening , that 's the fun .", "if you love a nerve-stretching build up to a seriously creepy payoff , you 'll want to see for yourself .", "the film is a perfectly pitched old-school horror homage to a '70s / '80s - era of cinema that should have been .", "... there is one scene early on with mr. a.j. bowen that is as creepy as anything you 're going to get this summer .", "ti west knows how to set up his prey for the kill", "in keeping with his models , west is concerned with not suspense exactly but the ritual withholding and ultimate lavishing of bloody chaos .", "fans seeking the immediate gratification of random shocks and sudden gore will be disappointed , but anyone savoring a sense of dreadful anticipation and menace will be enthralled .", "west , a rising young director of minor cult pleasures , comes clean here about his love for all things bava -lrb- mario -rrb- and carpenter -lrb- john -rrb- .", "less is more , and writer/director/editor ti west knows it -- until he forgets near the end of this babysitter-in-peril nailbiter .", "al\u0439m da excelente ambienta\u0437\u0433o de \u0439poca -lrb- e da pr\u0443pria est\u0439tica setentista -rrb- , west concebe uma narrativa bem constru\u043dda e tensa , resultando num filme tenso e eficiente .", "in today 's ironic age , a movie like the MOV that wears its homages proudly % u2014and wears them this well % u2014is something to be celebrated , and this blu-ray release should attract it the fanbase it deserves .", "a very impressive formal exercise in style and restraint ... -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-", "the heroine walks about campus doing errands for about 20 minutes , then some semblance of a plot begins . just too slow for horror fans . paul chambers , cnn .", "there 's a payoff in the MOV , if you have the patience . some of the scenes seem draggy , but the characters are complex , and their motivations are explained .", "there is a lot about the MOV to admire but west ultimately likes the slow burn a bit too much and it fizzles out .", "not a bad venture into the `` girl meets devil '' genre but a few rock songs short of a hit .", "yet another of this year 's homage-facsimiles , the MOV forgoes campy self-awareness in favor of reverential faithfulness -- and in doing so , implicitly critiques contemporary horror cinema .", "puts to shame most major studio horror releases . classy even while getting down-and-dirty , unusually savvy about the importance of tension and character nuance over viscera and a soulless body count .", "director west gets credit for delaying the mayhem to the last 20 minutes , but fails to evoke a necessary tension until then .", "made for those who have fond memories of low-key '70s devil chillers that focused on mood and atmosphere", "west is going to do something outstanding someday , as soon as he figures out something to say .", "the problem with it , and with MOV , is that it 's mostly pedestrian stuff leading to a pay off that 's just not enough .", "sam 's end is disturbing but also banal , even silly , but the end is not the point . the point is your anticipation .", "the MOV is n't just a movie : it 's an experience . it joins the league of rosemary 's baby , the exorcist and the omen as one of the most diabolical entries in the modern horror library .", "in this era of torture porn and slasher pics , MOV is a shining example of how to build atmosphere and tension the old-fashioned way .", "if you do n't get a kick out of watching doomed babysitter samantha put on that portable cassette player and dance around that creepy house to the strains of the fixx 's `` one thing leads to another , '' you might need a course in horror appreciation 101 .", "laden with dread and executed with a musician 's sense of timing , the MOV is better than a substantial number of the films it resembles .", "a virtual refutation of all of the conventions of contemporary horror that manages to be terrifying precisely because it refuses to give you that gratification until you 've almost given up wanting it .", "the sudden climax is a gore-drenched bonanza of satanic delirium that seems to be making up for the calm that came before , if not spoofing the very idea of cinematic payoff .", "a truly superb throwback to eighties horror . .", "while its furnishings may be old and not a little worn , in this house , genre fans will feel right at home .", "slow-building dread rather than all-out splat , house keeps you guessing which way the sneaky plot is going , all adding up to a satisfying shocker .", "like paranormal activity and let the right one in , ti west 's shocker favours old-school tropes - plot , character , suggestion and suspense - over gorno extravagance . seems like the devil has great taste in films too .", "both an authentically scary turn of the screw and a stunningly meticulous retro homage .", "the film 's nostalgic design is subtle enough not to dampen the seriously sinister atmospherics .", "things quickly get silly and unscary .", "although the last reel is a little disappointing , the twist ending is a scream .", "by trading in loud and increasingly low-dividend `` shocks '' for well-earned dread and fear , west immerses the audience in a genuine shared experience .", "it favors tension over spectacle while delivering a palpable sense of helplessness .", "... despite his fine attention to detail , a great cast and a deliciously edgy build , west ca n't bring his film to the finish line .", "slow , yet oddly spellbinding , horror film ... a living , breathing nostalgia piece oozing period authenticity", "start -lsb- s -rsb- to add up after a while to a faintly unbearable level of dread .", "this pitch-perfect genre throwback would be right at home among the creaky and weird supernatural thrillers of the 70 's and 80 's . -lrb- and yes , i mean that as a compliment . -rrb-", "that 's the problem with this sort of homage : unless you 've got a startling new take , you wind up with a movie that 's been done hundreds of times before , to much better effect .", "a horror film with no punch .", "carefully , perfectly , beautifully built occult horror follows the roadmap of the early '70s and '80s indie screams with reverent precision and the occasional , wise reference to the cannon .", "an old school vintage terror yarn that comprehends how horror rules when simmering to a slow boil percolating in its own solidly crafted narrative juices , as opposed to a kneejerk reaction slice 'em up overcooked brew .", "call it the best '80s babysitter-in-peril movie never made .", "a group of people old enough to remember vhs parties may very well have flashbacks of the old days - for better and for worse - should they visit the MOV .", "recreates the feeling of 80s horror ; less cgi , more imagination and a whole lot of corn syrup .", "it 's full of meat and marrow . i 'm going in again .", "the MOV takes itself and its cinematic heritage seriously , and is made better by this earnestness .", "now this is how you make a scary movie . the MOV is a delicious throwback to the golden era of hollywood horror -- one that is unapologetically earnest and overwhelmingly committed to the task at hand .", "the power of this film lies in the approach to the inevitable final act , rather than the realisation of the act itself .", "the finale descends into predictable mayhem , but it 's the build-up that 'll haunt you .", "... there 's simply never a point at which the almost distractingly uneventful narrative becomes as compelling as one might 've hoped .", "the pay-off is a little far-fetched , but by then we have had our emotional workout .", "a master of the slow-burn , west carefully creates an atmosphere of clammy dread through noonan and woronov 's off-kilter performances and dialogue , and direction that encases donahue in shadow or squeezes uncomfortably close-in .", "imagine a bad ken loach film invaded by monsters from a george a. romero movie that 's run out of cash , and you 've already visualised a movie better than this one .", "you have to wait for the MOV to deliver on its promises -- but when it does , holy crap .", "ti west has been building a reputation among horror fans as an expert in the art of the slow burn , and more power to him for exhibiting something that seems to be increasingly rare in filmmakers in any genre : patience .", "70s-savant writer/director ti west has come up with a satanic-panic stroke of genius with the MOV .", "in the end , this homage to '80s horror is little more than a faithful flashback -- authentic in execution but about as scary as something you saw again and again way back when .", "gravely gorgeous in the style of a storybook snow white , donahue gives eloquent reaction shots and nails west 's pi\u010dce de r\u00e9sistance -- a bounding , walkman-soundtracked , jazzercise dance through the house .", "from his era-appropriate soundtrack to the visual style of his opening credits and his slyly reverential camerawork , west gives his movie the look and feel of a 25-year-old relic , yet nothing about ` devil ' seems stale .", "the main reasons to see this deliberately retro and derivative flick , which borrows freely from satanic cult and babysitter-from-hell subgenres , are iconic actors tom noonan and mary woronov in their first teaming .", "a fine example of how a talented filmmaker can tackle a horror sub-genre in a way that 's stylistically reverential but also original in its own way .", "the classical structure slowly builds tension before erupting into a decisively gory finish , harkening back to a smarter and more nuanced era of spooky storytelling .", "written , directed , and edited by ti west , this movie is an old-school tension builder , slowly ratcheting up the anxieties of the audience who , of course , is fully aware that something bad is going to happen .", "when the karo syrup finally hits the fan , the film loses its footing some , but only because no concrete explanations could possibly do justice to west 's expert buildup .", "writer-director ti west 's crisp , economical , satisfying little horror pic reclaims the pleasures of the kind of old-school formula that the jokey scream franchise deconstructed into satire .", "this is scary in a way that unrelenting brutality could never be .", "west avoids clich\u00e9 and cheesiness with wise casting choices . donahue 's naturalistic performance is as persuasive as the subtly sinister portrayals by tom noonan and mary woronov .", "after years of vivisectionist splatter , here is a horror movie with real shivers .", "with the suspense cranked so high , it 's almost inevitable that the bloody finale comes as a bit of a letdown .", "skims away so much of the noisy and excessive clich\u00e9s of today 's terror flicks that it feels like a breath of fresh air", "devil is generously unassuming , making the film more of a secret handshake than a blood-spattered , deafening gorefest . the attention to mood and setting is marvelous .", "from the opening statistic about documented instances of devil-worship , west aims for a mix of the plausible and the ridiculous ...", "a slightly faster set-up , and slightly more drawn-out climax , would make this even better ." ], "summary": "though its underlying themes are familiar , MOV effectively sheds the loud and gory cliches of contemporary horror to deliver a tense , slowly building throwback to the fright flicks of decades past .", "id": "770806327" }, { "movie": "10008621-run_fat_boy_run", "reviews": [ "the film is better than expected . it 's directed with warmth , humor and intelligence .", "there 's much too much of everything in run , fatboy , run . every ounce of comedy is so forced and full-on ridiculous that when characters express even a smidgen of sentiment , it feels like a parody .", "the sort of flat-footed studio film that takes the basic ingredients of an underground hit , drains them of personality and style , and spits them out as a situation comedy .", "this is a romantic comedy light on romance but heavy on comedy , and it 's well cast to skew in that direction .", "tere 's nothing edgy or new about run , fat boy , run .", "run fatboy run is largely content to follow the formula , guide us on a sunny tour of downtown london 's tourist hot spots and transform pegg from paunchy schlub to runderella with a few decent laughs along the way .", "thanks to a jaunty brit-rock score and likable characters all around , the movie 's easy to watch and occasionally pumps up the emotions .", "the kind of movie that 's apt to be dismissed a goofy lark . it is that . but it 's also a rare comedy that believes in its own message , and that could inspire the depressed and the demoralized to grit their teeth and keep running .", "enough already . i mean , i do n't have anything against comedies about dopey guys who win the love of a good woman by competing in ridiculous olympian contests . but if i wanted to see a really funny one , i 'd rent a rocky movie .", "the humor tends toward the mildly crass -- bare buttocks and inappropriate scratching are schwimmer 's go-to comedy staples -- and the story is ridiculous .", "pegg has staked out a peculiar slant on genre material that ventures beyond irony toward rehabilitation -- and nobody plays blithe humiliation with more style .", "i would n't believe that MOV was co-written by simon pegg if he were n't up there on the screen in teeny briefs and with his gut stuck out , trying to endear himself to the american audience in material maybe a notch above rob schneider 's .", "-lsb- star/writer pegg -rsb- ladles a deeper understanding of why men screw up into dennis than we usually see in romantic comedies ...", "it has meaning and sentiment and a nice pay-off for its finale . but without more laughs , run fatboy run is awfully winded by the time it crosses the finish line .", "the presence of simon pegg and dylan moran elevates what might have been merely a pleasant , harmless but ultimately forgettable romantic comedy .", "clumsy and inept in demeanor but a whirlwind of comic energy , with an air of self-congratulatory winsomeness , simon pegg steals this otherwise minor but enjoyably unpretentious little comedy and pockets it like a mars bar .", "a thin premise undermined by rampant stupidity at every turn .", "predictable losers-are-people-too jesting raised a notch by the quality work of consummate professionals .", "director david schwimmer bloats this slapdash concept into dim , witless overkill .", "brit romcom mixes laughs with swearing , smoking .", "thin-on-laughs fatboy stumbles more than sprints .", "there 's a cheeky , cross-continental exuberance to run , fatboy , run that lifts it over its predictability and keeps you laughing louder than you know you should . it 's an upfront guilty pleasure without pretense ; what a pleasant surprise .", "this is not a film with blazingly original ideas or a groundbreaking script - i guessed the ending before the movie even started - but it has a sweet nature , an abundance of laughs and plenty of pegg to spare .", "from storyline to characterization to style of comedy , everything about the directorial debut of former friends star david schwimmer is a nod to accommodation , compromise and consensus .", "while this movie lacks the screaming energy and consistency of shaun of the dead and his hysterical hot fuzz , pegg is able to keep things interesting .", "a movie that is smartly written , boasts plenty of funny lines and rides hard on pegg 's ability to look and act like the most stoically put-upon person on the planet .", "pleasant but unfocused , a romantic farce , trying very hard to be sweet when it needs to be a bit more cheeky .", "the material is n't any more inspired than the protagonist is inspiring . run , fat boy , run should have been whipped into better shape before the starting gun sounded .", "run , fatboy , run is n't going to win any prizes for fresh questions . but it 's just fleet enough to hold its own in the middle of the pack .", "MOV might as well have been written by a rushed piece of software . the program calls for a surprise engagement , a street fight complete with crotch punches , an apartment eviction , and a runaway child -- all in about five minutes .", "for all its faults however , this is a romantic comedy that works - if just barely .", "deserves credit for not working us over the way so many modern comedies too . it brings us to the finish line with energy to spare , instead of leaving us feeling sapped .", "an overlong over-conventional under-funny romantic comedy . to put it in its own terms , it might make it as a 100-yard-dash , but does not have the stamina for a marathon .", "a near-miss , a film with some funny scenes that will probably work significantly better on dvd , but , ultimately , it quite simply does n't have enough laughs to elevate it to greatness .", "it runs out of steam - and you 'll likely run out of interest - long before the finish line .", "MOV would n't make it to the finish line without simon pegg 's winning performance .", "simon pegg is almost brilliant with his slapstick comedy and dedication to goofiness .", "outside of a couple of moments of self-conscious shock humor , the most surprising thing about the film is how square it really is .", "ends up feeling like a boring limerick told over and over again .", "this brand of unfailing comic timing and expressive physicality is rare , and it 's why pegg , in particular , is a star . -lsb- blu-ray -rsb-", "the project represents an uncertain britification of a script by chicago native michael ian black , and the result finds itself stranded somewhere out in the atlantic , mid-crossing .", "so pathetically average that you can barely muster the energy to have an opinion about it .", "... lacks the invention of -lsb- simon -rsb- pegg 's comedies with edgar wright , which buzz and crackle with ideas and energy . this one simply plods through ...", "run fatboy run is n't particularly hilarious or moving , but it 's got just enough humor and pathos to render its myriad flaws almost forgivable . almost .", "could a better combination of collaborators have produced something greater ? definitely . but this cheerful mix of juvenility and grown-up-relationship angst goes down smoothly enough to be worth watching .", "MOV is hard to love , thanks to the tedious romantic-comedy cliches to which it subjects its characters -- and us .", "schwimmer is wise to keep his camera trained on pegg at all times , as the actor can make any sequence worthwhile with his unexpected , jittery retorts and reactions .", "fatboy may be more welcome than the latest matthew mcconaughey-kate hudson vehicle , but only by a nose .", "while -lsb- pegg -rsb- gets some mileage out of this sketchy material , he 's undermined by story and character problems , as well as the limp , uninspired direction of actor-turned-filmmaker david schwimmer .", "it looks like british writers simon pegg and michael ian black have been studying the romantic comedies of adam sandler .", "this feeble premise limits the movie to perfunctory gags about the hero 's sloth and some canned underdog drama .", "far from the gut-busting brilliance of pegg 's other , self-made starring vehicles .", "nothing to be embarrassed about here . though the kick-in-the-balls scene does run on a bit .", "about as funny as ross on `` friends . '' david schwimmer -lrb- ross on `` friends '' -rrb- directs .", "schwimmer completely lacks what it takes to ever get this movie off the ground . the story is fairly formula and the actors are basically on mark , yet the jokes -lrb- most of which are so predictable they are telegraphed a mile in advance -rrb- land with a virtually", "... cuter and sweeter than i expected , a mildly pleasant surprise .", "the picture manages to juggle both the silly and the sentimental without falling flat .", "the film , like its flabby aspiring marathon runner protagonist , feels shapeless and exhausted from the sheer effort of trying to please audiences .", "it 's a good formalic romantic comedy . nothing more .", "it 's a generation x movie in a way very few movies are any more ; it is unseemly to admit that our generation is about as slackery as we had promised to become . go with your ex and smile .", "it 's a lazy effort that offers little encouragement for the future of schwimmer 's directorial career .", "run fatboy run n'offre rien pour r\u0439volutionner le genre , mais pr\u0439sente assez de bonnes intentions pour justifier son existence , et nous faire passer un bon moment", "run , fatboy , run winds up being as immature and exhausting as its protagonist .", "turn and run , no matter what size you are .", "em sua estr\u0439ia na dire\u0437\u0433o , schwimmer atira para todos os lados : com\u0439dia f\u043dsica , escatologia , estere\u0443tipos , besteirol , e por a\u043d afora , falhando consistentemente todas as vezes . e pegg jamais esteve t\u0433o artificial , o que \u0439 uma surpresa desagrad\u0431vel .", "-lrb- run , fat boy , run -rrb- is your nice , fun , romantic film that is not necessarily worth spending your money to see in theatres .", "-lsb- the protagonist is -rsb- a petty , unlikable loser .", "schwimmer offers generic rom-com conventions in his feature directorial debut .", "warm/funny film about a man trying to re-win his true love by running a race", "it is neither as funny nor as wickedly subversive as ` shaun of the dead , ' but it respects its characters enough to make them thoughtful and surprisingly complex , unlike the sitcom stereotypes inhabiting lesser romantic comedies .", "friends star david schwimmer proves that nothing wins over a crowd like a barking underdog and bags of below-the-belt humour - his directing debut is a wheeze .", "what should be dreadfully synthetic actually plays as a pleasant time-passer , thanks to a goodly supply of one-liners , and pegg and newton 's facility for investing a string of hokey plot devices with genuine warmth . formulaic , yet disarmingly enjoyable .", "pegg pitched shaun of the dead as `` richard curtis shot through the head . '' run , fat boy , run comes on more like `` richard curtis kicked in the nuts '' - a refreshingly honest britcom that never really threatens the ribs but which is amiable company throughout", "enjoyable , sharply written and frequently hilarious comedy with strong comic performances from its cast . this should strike a chord with slightly overweight men everywhere .", "predictable sitcom but delightfully feel-goodish .", "this is yet another parody that falls victim to the desire to become what it 's intending to satirize .", "pegg is brilliant , pratfalling his way through heartbreak and indignity", "pegg 's dennis is lazy , insensitive and unhygienic . yet his most defining quality is blandness . i could barely rouse myself to dislike him .", "depends on the charm of its leading man . but that proves a commodity which , in pegg 's case , proves to be not only in short supply but positively out of stock .", "it may be the kind of film that will make you smile more than laugh , but you 'll smile a lot . and although it practically forces you to root for its hero , you wo n't mind a bit because the hero is played by simon pegg .", "anyone hoping for the lean meat of the fast , furious , and riotously funny shaun of the dead or even the popcorn fancy of the lesser hot fuzz will do best to look elsewhere .", "there are so many scenes of him running , it 's surprising pegg did n't just take off and never come back to the set after he saw how things were going .", "-lsb- director -rsb- david schwimmer takes the sow 's ear of a script given him by -lsb- simon -rsb- pegg and michael ian black and deep-fries it into a burnt pork rind of a movie .", "-lsb- director -rsb- schwimmer shows some skill by keeping the mood light and making no notable missteps , but he still comes away looking like someone trying , and failing , to play judd apatow , the reigning champion of realistic , emotional comedy .", "snarkiness and sentiment are in constant battle for supremacy throughout MOV with no chance of a comfortable draw .", "... a bit rude and uncouth , but sweetly affecting ...", "simon pegg gives it the old college try , but his character is n't worthy our cheers . maybe pegg should resurrect his most famous character , the resourceful , much funnier shaun , and do battle with the zombies of london rather than the marathon runners of lo", "certainly not the worst movie of the year , not in a year that brought us over her dead body , one missed call , fool 's gold , snow angels and mad money . it could be the most mediocre though .", "predictable and clich\u00e9d as run fatboy run is , it is an entertaining romedy that , unfortunately , does n't have much staying power after credits roll .", "neither original nor packed with surprises . it is , however , entertaining and thoroughly likable .", "simon pegg has a great face ! not since jerry lewis has anyone been able to look pathetic , adorable and stupid , all at the same time .", "a fine work of craftspeople both in front of the camera and behind ... whose chief mistake is that every one of them appears to have forgotten that it was in fact a comedy .", "a fry-up of american , british and irish comedy sensibilities that will have no trouble satisfying mainstream movie appetites .", "give me this type of writing any day over some of the inane scripts that plague a will ferrell or adam sandler flick . simon pegg can hold his own with any comic working today .", "schwimmer 's sliced cheese mediocrity gets him off the hook ; not so for the usually inventive pegg and black and their arms race of bland jokes and cheap male nudity", "an enjoyable if patchy and predictable ride , but simon pegg shows he 's more than capable of going the distance .", "pegg exudes his usual air of faint self-congratulation playing an unlikeable prat whom nobody in their right mind would prefer to the high - flying azariah or indeed to anyone .", "schwimmer often resists an easy laugh in favour of a poignant moment and thereby heightens the sense of urgency during dennis ' last dash for glory .", "you 'll laugh a bit , but not much , while your interest in the storyline will hover between mild interest and vague indifference . needless to say , all memories of this movie will evaporate on contact with daylight .", "... despite lacking marquee stars could do well with the date-night mainstream .", "predictable and conventionally anti-american .", "... excessive product-placement has turned the film into one enormous ad for nike , with all the chilling humourlessness that this implies .", "there are no surprises here -- just broad , frequently slapstick gags that do n't avoid but do tamp down a bit on the bodily-function school of yokkery .", "when schwimmer managed to get pegg on board , his good fortune became ours .", "pegg proves agreeable company in a lightweight britcom whose biggest laughs emanate from its supporting cast .", "amiable . bland . cute . formulaic . inconsequential . run fatboy run goes down with ease , but it 's awfully slight .", "while some moments rely solely on pegg 's natural on-screen goofiness , he & m. i. black have simply written a very funny script that spreads the fun evenly throughout .", "pacing is brisk , the laughs frequent . with an ending corny and capra-esque , ` run , fat boy , run ' charms right to the finish line .", "seldom laugh-out-loud funny and the script does n't have the witty insight of pegg 's last few films , but pegg 's bumbling charm is just enough to make this movie run .", "simon pegg is a wonderful physical comedian . and he 's able to take off with his talent in `` run fatboy run , '' a comedy that 's not up to par of his other starring roles but one that nonetheless provides quite a few laughs .", "it 's clear in the scene where they try to scam the marathon officials that dylan moran would be a good candidate to play the grown harry potter in the harry potter and the deathly hallows film . somebody take note !", "the jokes land softly , but run fatboy run moves at a sitcom-like clip that keeps it watchable even when it is n't especially funny .", "when all is said and done , you 're better off renting the friends season four finale ... that was brilliant . this is like a bad farrelly brothers movie .", "overcomes its occasional stumbles , thanks almost entirely to the charm of its cast ...", "sure it 's predictable . sure it 's a slight effort , but i still think it 's pretty funny and charming .", "formulaic and thoroughly conventional .", "it is an immensely likable , big-hearted romantic comedy that has a wide-ranging appeal as unpretentious feel-good escapism and a perfect date movie choice .", "run , fatboy , run is the type of romantic comedy apt to be described as `` nice '' or `` sweet , '' both of which are codewords for `` unexceptional '' and `` useless . ''", "it 's not hysterically funny , but this british comedy is sharp enough to keep us chuckling right to the predictably sappy conclusion .", "simon pegg 's considerable skills can only do so much to enliven the mediocre text of actor david schwimmer 's feature directing debut , a mildy humorous trifle with some heart but not enough hilarity .", "run , fat boy , run shows that simon pegg ca n't rescue a derivative dud .", "schwimmer and pegg have scored a win -- largely due to tasteful choices in the subplotting and providing such a rich ensemble to tickle the shenanigans to a higher level .", "it 's as if -lsb- director david -rsb- schwimmer managed to shoot himself in his foot with the starter 's pistol .", "seems to lack the aspirations necessary to overcome its failings .", "... a mess of sentimental cliches ...", "amiable , consistently amusing and surprisingly affecting , it has the flavor of a nick hornby novel , with its focus on an overgrown boy struggling to grow up and be a man .", "run , fat boy , run is the directorial debut of actor david schwimmer , who is much better behind the camera than in front of it . here , he 's taken material best suited to sketch comedy and turned it into a feature of no small heart and humour .", "although you can see the finish line from the starting shot , pegg elevates the movie from eye-rolling to forgivably genial with his ace delivery and genuinely entertaining pratfalls .", "it ambles along pleasantly , produces a few chuckles , and is forgotten by the time you pass the popcorn counter on the way out of the theater .", "i wish the script credited to michael ian black -lrb- the pleasure of your company -rrb- and -lrb- simon -rrb- pegg had a little more intrigue along the way to its predictable finish .", "a hackneyed slacker scenario reduces this film from an entertainment marathon to a plot treading water . the feel-good message comes around , but there is too much packaging for the product .", "-lsb- the movie -rsb- may not -lsb- provide -rsb- an onslaught of gut-busting laughs , but the humor that does come forth is heartier and more authentic .", "for his debut directing role , schwimmers steers a safe `` pg-13 '' date movie that roots for the underdog and has a good overall message .", "it would have been funnier if , instead of pegg , his frequent collaborator , nick frost had taken the role . then we would have a film worthy of its name . and maybe even a few more genuine guffaws .", "one thing schwimmer does do right is keep the story moving swiftly . you 're in , you 're out , no harm done -- unless you want that hour and a half back .", "this is an amiable film that will provoke some chuckles .", "run , fat boy , run stays out of sitcom quicksand long enough to make you think that schwimmer has a knack for this comedy-directing thing .", "well enough crafted to keep you in stitches while on the edge of your seat for the duration , even if this laff-a-minute escape is more mindless than cerebral .", "`` run , fat boy , run '' is a cut-and-dried formula comedy slightly elevated by its more than competent cast .", "pacing and suspension of disbelief aside , i had fun with the heart-felt moments and the sheer comedy . plus , it\u00e2 -lrb- tm -rrb- s great to see pegg jump out of his edgar wright-zone for a bit and try making a movie with a different group for a change .", "credit pegg for inserting his smart brand of character-driven humor everywhere the script needed him -lrb- he polished up an old script by michael ian black -rrb- , and credit schwimmer for keeping things moving quickly and efficiently .", "an unapologetic throwback to the days when comedies did n't have to be all that original -- just as long as they were funny .", "using conventional slapstick gags and inventive crosscutting , david schwimmer scores as a creditable , if not memorable , director ... but the innocuous script is totally predictable .", "although i did enjoy the incongruity of the characters , this well-intentioned low brow co-production does not quite make it to the finish line .", "schwimmer just does n't have the directorial wit to elevate the intermittently amusing script , and none of the cast seems dedicated enough to raise the bar either ." ], "summary": "run , fat boy , run features sporadic laughs , but is ultimately too formulaic and predictable .", "id": "770670572" }, { "movie": "good_hair", "reviews": [ "who defines good ? this doc never quite finds the source , but it sure shows us the damage it 's done to wallets , egos and follicles .", "the subject matter would still be fairly interesting without rock 's involvement , but the comedian brings a accessibility to the material that no amount of facts and figures can replace .", "chris keep the action rocking , the beautiful women and not so handsome men in the cast sometimes matching his humor , joke for joke .", "rock never misses a beat and here 's hoping he continues the documentary chapter of his career . there 's nothing wrong with a little competition for michael moore .", "MOV is a raucous and rigorous inquiry into the subject of african-american hair -- the stigmas , the secrets , the shocking price of maintenance -- that gets at universal but rarely discussed truths about black femininity .", "a wise and wacky dye-laughing doc about black female high maintenance hair that is no laughing matter , the movie finds a pg-13 rock channeling michael moore , while nearly tumbling into a jumbo vat of processor goo .", "that many of these hairstyles derive from standards of beauty laid down by white tastemakers is a question that hangs over MOV .", "-lsb- a -rsb- breezy , superficial doc .", "whether you have MOV or not , there 's plenty to appreciate in chris rock 's rollicking documentary about what goes on when african-american women hit the salon .", "rock takes aim at the truth and humor of this potent cultural question with a sharp wit and lively curiousity , even if he does n't pursue vigorously enough its uglier side .", "a surprisingly fascinating subject that ... yields lots of laughs .", "MOV , directed by longtime rock collaborator jeff stilson , is such a rollicking , thoroughly entertaining ride that it 's easy to take for granted just how easy rock makes it look .", "unlike most documentaries with a message , ` MOV ' invites moviegoers to a conversation , not a lecture .", "full of sweetly sardonic observations , the docu-comedy is one of the funniest movies of the year .", "chris rock 's MOV is one of those rare documentaries that works on two seemingly incongruous levels at once : it 's both social commentary and pure delight .", "rock is not only funny , he 's an affable and intelligent host in a documentary that is accessible , breezy and highly informative .", "one of the best movies of the year seems to be lost in the halloween-time shuffle .", "it 's an inside look at an offbeat , under-examined corner of american life -- one of the things that documentaries do best , and MOV does it well .", "despite the padding , there 's enough interesting sociological digging here -- not to mention the easygoing presence of comic chris rock -- to keep us entertained and even enlightened .", "MOV ... uncovers a multibillion dollar industry relying on misinformation , misrepresentation , and misguided personal opinions about fashion to maintain its beauty salon stronghold .", "hair-larious !", "the `` girlfriend , ya got ta see this movie ! '' of the year for an entertaining and provocative tour of some of the permutations of african-american women with their hair .", "MOV stands as an informative and entertaining documentary , and one that 's pulled off with no small measure of style .", "educates more than it entertains , even though there 's plenty of colorful subjects -lrb- chris -rrb- rock could have gently lampooned .", "provocative and funny at the same time ... a window into a world most white people -lrb- or most people in general -rrb- know nothing about , one that is not quite what it seems to be .", "part of the fun here is the way our narrator gets at complicated questions in his characteristically glib way . ... -lsb- but -rsb- real answers will have to be teased out elsewhere . MOV is n't selling anything but a good time .", "MOV is certainly no arid anthropological study . rock 's queries are loose and quippy , but his instincts are as sharp as an investigative journalist 's .", "superficial doc .", "some of this , a lot of this , is preaching to the choir . but it 's still pretty compelling no matter what perspective you 're coming from .", "scattered as it sometimes seems , MOV is a real eye-opener ...", "should be seen by everyone , especially mothers and daughters , to remind us that all hair is MOV and that beauty is more about how we feel than how we look .", "though its production values are on the low side and it flounders a little as it bounces from hollywood to india , overall it 's a fascinating , energetic and enlightening film that 'll ensure you 'll never look at hair the same way again .", "rock imparts a comical look at the desire to keep the natural state of black hair a distant memory . funny stuff , though a few nuggets of information he stumbles upon introduce a semi-horror film element to the documentary .", "MOV is a film that will make your head itch to know more .", "chris rock 's deeply funny and very serious documentary about the african-american obsession with straightened tresses .", "-lsb- rock -rsb- conveys a lot of information , but also some unfortunate opinions and misleading facts . that does n't mean the movie is n't warm , funny and entertaining .", "funny , fascinating docu explores african-american culture .", "a wonderfully insightful and entertaining , yet remarkably serious , documentary about african american hair culture .", "an amusing , poignant and surprisingly candid look at the topic with a disarming rock coaxing answers and opinions from an eclectic cross section of african americans .", "in chronicling the permutations of black hair , the filmmaker ends up making a breezy statement on the universality of narcissism .", "... a surprisingly in-depth documentary in which a niche subject - black women 's hair - turns out to touch upon all type of societal issues from self-esteem and ideals of beauty to economics to sexual intimacy .", "quite brilliantly , rock skillfully peeled back archaic layers , opening up a dialogue that could 've been volatile . his natural talent made the doc hilarious and thought-provoking , rising above race and gender .", "a generally superb model of how to make a pop documentary", "a funny , head-scratching doc with a few loose ends .", "rock takes his MOV job as a documentarian seriously enough to be interesting , but not so seriously that the film groans with earnestness .", "it 's funny , clever and marginally educational . you can tell your friends you went to a documentary without having felt as if you saw one .", "whatever rock 's impetus for exploring the wallet-busting , day-consuming , sometimes chemically dangerous desire of black women to achieve european hair , he 's never wanting for laughter .", "it 's rich food for thought , though you wonder why little attention is given to the idea that perhaps some women relax their hair because it 's easier to style that way , or that elaborate attention to hair is hardly exclusive to black women .", "in the end , all we 're sure of is that vanity makes people do idiotic things .", "hair is personal . it 's also political .", "rock sheds new light on this old story through a poignant mix of interviews , investigation and his trademark satire .", "... subject is interesting , -lsb- the -rsb- treatment is entertaining , and the movie has thoughtful things to say ...", "`` MOV '' rocks ! one of the year 's best documentaries .", "the result is a pop documentary in the morgan spurlock mode , cheeky and smart without being too serious .", "a stylishly-edited , often amusing and funny documentary that 's too euphemistic and poorly synthesized to be truly enlightening or revelatory .", "rock 's impressive multitasking pays off in a lively and entertaining documentary about the styling conventions , beauty-product companies and flamboyant hairdressers that make up african-american hair culture .", "morgan spurlock , look lively . sacha baron cohen , watch your back . chris rock 's bright , wisecracking expos\u0103 -lrb- c -rrb- MOV is the mane event .", "if you arrive at MOV never having thought about the complexities of black hair , bring a notebook . if you are a black woman wearing a weave , bring a tissue .", "it 's more tv special material that theatrical release . but thanks to rock 's laid-back humour , MOV is also good entertainment .", "... an amiable and mostly funny spotlight on a part of black culture ...", "mr. rock and mr. stilson do n't beat you up with a tiresome polemic a-la michael moore . never does he put himself at the center of the film , condescend to the audience , or insult his interview subjects regardless of their views ...", "parental content review", "who would have thought that chris rock would make one of the best documentaries of 2009 ?", "the film succeeds as a vehicle for rock 's personality .", "chris rock hosts this exploration into hair issues in the african-american community , talking to celebrities , experts and hairdressers . what 's surprising is that this is such a big issue , although the film is n't much more than entertaining fluff .", "all christopher guest-allusions aside , this is a crucial documentary about race and gender today .", "though rock 's affable nature and probing comic instincts ensure the tone is always light and jocular , his discoveries are sometimes jaw-dropping ...", "it 's an eye-opener , if a blatantly chauvinistic one : rock 's main beefs seem to be that men have to pay for it , and upkeep of such a coveted accessory is a barrier to intimacy in the bedroom .", "it 's just about sharp and funny enough to make you wish it was a bit sharper and funnier .", "this entertaining exploration of black hair issues will get your dander up .", "despite dozens of interviews and rock 's personal agenda , this is n't the hard-hitting expose it should have been .", "rock fronts this informative rummage through the $ 9 billion us black hair industry in a style much like his stand-up comedy : hilarious , insightful and charming enough to let him get away with the flammable stuff .", "i 've never been much of a chris rock fan , but i was riveted by the on-screen interviews he conducts with celebrities like nia long and al sharpton , as well as regular folk , to explore african-american women 's very complicated relationship with their hair .", "rock is our quick-witted empathetic guide in the film about black women 's hair , a topic you might think would be of interest only to black women . you 'd be wrong .", "spirited , probing and frequently hilarious , it coasts on the fearless charm of its front man and the eye-opening candor of its interviewees .", "this movie just does take what seems like a kind of a superficial topic and really does go into it with great depth .", "rock and his director jeff stilson have clearly touched a nerve that was ready to blow ." ], "summary": "funny , informative , and occasionally sad , MOV is a provocative look at the complex relationship between african americans and their hair .", "id": "770802637" }, { "movie": "hidalgo", "reviews": [ "every time someone opens his or her mouth , out comes something asinine .", "it 's a bit of an oddball story , but surely there was a less plodding way to elaborate on it .", "delivers great-looking people and animals and action to stir your most youthful blood .", "it 's not as if we have n't seen movies like MOV before -- the cowboy , the horse , the hat -- and yet there 's something fresh about it all the same .", "although MOV is frequently exciting and has been handsomely produced on a grand scale , you ca n't help but wonder what either spielberg or cameron could have done with this material .", "a rousing popcorn adventure , old-fashioned and rather innocent .", "it 's an extremely handsome movie , and it has an abiding love of horses .", "`` MOV '' is a barely entertaining movie ; what it does best is prove that viggo mortensen has legs", "suffers from weird shifts in tone , offensively outdated stereotypes , a cumbersome subplot -- and a supposedly fact-based story that bears only a nodding acquaintance with reality .", "it 's a flaccid affair , a movie that could stand to lose about 30 minutes right off the top .", "MOV 's often-sweeping vistas of a foreign land commingle with the beauty of its star , viggo mortensen , to deliver an interesting , multi-genre yarn .", "total cheese .", "if you 're in the right mood , this can be diverting , partly because viggo mortensen is ideally cast as MOV 's owner .", "falls far short of the epic grandeur to which it so obviously aspires because it ca n't shut up .", "opulent , overlong and uneven .", "too hokey and predictable .", "feels like an old-fashioned western , but not in a good way .", "the touches of shocking physicality impart a genuine sense of consequence to a potentially trivial horse opera .", "this primitively plotted family action adventure is one of the few movies that seem to be making up their plots as they go along .", "... will probably be good for the kiddos who see that there 's a ` horsey ' movie playing at the cineplex , but for any adults wanting a sweeping epic , look elsewhere .", "the action is often gorgeous , but the screenplay is a collection of clich\u00e9s , and mortensen 's performance hits one note at the beginning and stays with it for the whole movie .", "all the characters ... are either saints or devils , with no attempt to explain why any of them behave the way they do .", "a big , beautiful film that 's thoroughly enjoyable even if it never tries to be meaningful .", "an exciting , colorful and very appealing movie .", "slow , plodding and arduous , though spiked with occasional hiccups of excitement .", "it is pure popcorn fun , whether there is a grain of truth in the story , or if it is merely an entertaining western tall tale .", "an entertaining western adventure that radiates simplicity .", "it 's a widescreen saturday matinee movie gloriously resurrected .", "the picture plays out with the robust character of the old flash gordon movies .", "the stereotypes and blatant propaganda would n't irritate so much if the action itself was n't so relentlessly dreary -- a desert of imagination , parched of original ideas .", "an adventure that never met a cliche it could n't saddle , mount and ride for a butt-numbing two hours and sixteen minutes .", "completely lacks the nobility , statue , and credibility due such an amazing story , even if it is an old man 's folly .", "certainly has its problems , but they 're outweighed by the simple pleasures of a picture that takes its cue equally from old-fashioned adventures like gunga din and newfangled ones like the mummy .", "fans of viggo mortensen 's performance as aragorn in the lord of the rings will find at least one thing to like about MOV : the movie 's a veritable viggo-a-go-go .", "like last year 's seabiscuit , the movie spends too much time harping on ancillary bustle , and not enough watching the title character put his hoofs to work .", "an entertaining but far-short - of-epic popcorn romp that 's equal parts indiana jones and the last samurai .", "dances with seabiscuit of arabia ... of the rings", "mortensen attempts to channel the ghost of clint eastwood westerns past .", "a thrilling race with cartoon contestants .", "the hero feels old poop to find out how far behind he is . he steals water from evil military guys , but ... the sandstorm turns his water to mud.these are all intriguing elements .", "a rousing if occasionally overwrought adventure saga that plays like a cinematic buffet table , piled high with seabiscuit , bite the bullet , lawrence of arabia , the last samurai and the black stallion .", "the events of hildago are so far-fetched you wonder why the filmmakers maintain the pretense this story was based on fact .", "an intermittently savory stew of pecos bill , laurence of arabia , and spirit : stallion of the cimarron .", "one horse movie that 's just lame . and that 's straight from the horse 's mouth .", "there is a lot for the eyes , but not enough for the heart .", "hokey though it is , with a horse-hugger ending thrown in to boot , MOV has a sweet-natured appeal that welcomes sentiment without overdoing it .", "as sheer popcorn-munching fun , it 's an often-rousing action-adventure that confirms mortensen as a star .", "MOV could have been a real eye-roller in the hands of a director of less sincerity and dexterity , but in johnston 's hands it 's crowd-pleasing gold .", "mortensen does an exquisite job of revealing just enough of the bottled-up angst to make us aware of the internal turmoil his character battles .", "... why were n't the disney folks content simply to tell a good story ? could it have been because they knew they did n't have a very good story ?", "the film 's most harrowing scenes are predictable and utterly unoriginal .", "... the movie is best when mortensen keeps it on the level of a genial , saturday-afternoon serial .", "the event around which the movie revolves is a desert mirage , since there is no record of any such race ever being staged . nonetheless , those able to ignore this outrageous historical distortion might enjoy this triumph of an underdog aganst the odds .", "even if the story were true , the film 's events have been fictionalized beyond belief .", "whether or not the events depicted really happened to hopkins , it 's still a damn fun story .", "formulaic , overly simple , too violent for tweens .", "fitfully entertaining hokum as long as it is n't taken too seriously ... remarkably , disney does n't whitewash the more politically incorrect elements of hopkins ' tale .", "this is grand cowboy fun , a wild adventure with a glorious sense of excitement and wonder .", "-lsb- it 's -rsb- so careful about being inoffensive that it never has the guts to suggest much of anything except ` be nice to others and especially to horses . '", "will MOV survive the brutal desert to demand more creative control over his next film ?", "starts like last samurai , looks like mummy , and ends a la seabiscuit ; gorgeous-looking hokey horsey drama high on ambition but low on plausibility despite its true-life tale .", "far too tolerant of cliches and too seduced by its own special effects and battle scenes .", "a horse is a horse , but MOV is a legend . the movie almost lives up to his name . it 's just too much of the same thing , it becomes a test of endurance for the audience .", "an old fashioned grade b action pic at heart , MOV tries too hard to be an important epic .", "a popcorn movie of unexpected depth and a rare blockbuster that wo n't cause much eye-rolling when it does cash in .", "-lsb- a -rsb- s grand as old hollywood and as fun and as breathtaking and as touching as anything you 'll see at the movies today ...", "MOV is like the desert itself -- long stretches of boredom occasionally interrupted by brief oases of frenzied activity .", "like frankenstein 's monster , stitched together from parts of so many great movies that director joe johnston wishes this overstuffed movie could be .", "can viggo mortensen carry a movie the way his trusty steed MOV carries him across the desert ? you betcha , partner .", "mortensen ... carries himself like gary cooper here , radiating earthy charm and easy humor , as well as a quiet determination .", "so long as he 's on the horse the movie works , but whenever he dismounts so does the story .", "long on adventure and short on logic , but kudos must be given to the filmmakers for making a horse movie that really celebrates the horse .", "never quite settles into its paces .", "MOV is the sort of old-fashioned popcorn entertainment that has become increasingly rare on the current movie scene .", "bogs down in its midsection with a needless kidnapping subplot that ultimately becomes quite tedious .", "a fun/schmaltzy action adventure disney flick .", "it 's hard these days to associate viggo mortensen with words like ` adequate , ' ` competent , ' or ` workmanlike . '", "why am i so surprised that a movie about a grueling endurance race takes so long to reach its own finish line ?", "a facile tall tale of race and a race made by disney in decline .", "leave it to hollywood to turn an amazing true story about courage and self-redemption into a shameless action extravaganza .", "popcorn for us and oats for the horses , delivered by the tall drink of water that is mortensen .", "chose certaine , apr\u010ds le film , vous aurez aussi l'impression d'avoir parcouru chacun ... des ... 3000 ... p\u00e9nibles ... miles de cette suppos\u00e9 course ...", "viggo mortensen nails the archetypal cowboy .", "mortensen 's charisma ca n't tame MOV 's runaway plot", "this is the film seabiscuit should have been .", "a hybrid of both traditional and revisionist contradictions .", "the visual effects are almost seamlessly integrated and very effective , especially in the claustrophobic brutality of the dust storm sequence . it 's brief , but terrifying .", "... filled with cliches .", "rarely has a horse race movie been so lethargic .", "MOV '' only stumbles when it tries to be something its not -lrb- an indiana jones type of action film -rrb- .", "it 's a manqu\u00e9 of a rousing adventure tale and not the real thing . you 're constantly aware of the gulf between how the movie wants to excite you and the halfhearted execution .", "it could have been a good adventure story . disney should have stuck to hopkins 's story whether it was true or not .", "horses ca n't act .", "sidesteps most of the pitfalls of the genre while delivering thrilling action , vivid characters and a memorable story .", "the screen language of MOV invites nostalgia for adventure films without satisfying it .", "at its most effective when it distills everything down to the love story between a man and his horse", "entertaining , although it suffers from uneven pacing , one tangential and overlong plot development near the climax , and several mediocre process shots .", "memories of movies past trot through MOV , but with all the substance of a mirage ... mortensen plays hopkins , a cross between the marlboro man and indiana jones .", "`` MOV '' does n't even come close to `` seabiscuit . ''", "you know exactly where the story 's going , and you know exactly what frank 's going to do in any given situation , though i admit he generally does it with panache .", "-lsb- i -rsb- n spite of the scenic desert vistas , this is a cliche-ridden film about the feisty upstart who beats the establishment .", "it 's certainly not an embarrassment to anyone , but it 's the sort of cinema that evaporates from your mind - like a mirage - when you walk out of the theatre .", "bogs itself down with overplotting and a languid pace .", "one rousing , if rote , adventure .", "... for those who do n't mind a bit -- well , more than a bit -- of cheerfully preposterous hokum , MOV offers a rip-snortin ' , sporadically diverting ride .", "lawrence this ai n't ; not by a long shot , and certainly not by a dromedary 's nose hair .", "limited by one-dimensional , even stereotypical characters and a predictable and drawn-out plot .", "mortensen 's charisma makes hopkins ' ` aw-shucks , ma'am ' mannerisms surprisingly palatable , but he 's still in constant danger of losing the spotlight to the personable MOV .", "whether it 's true or not has little to do with whether it works as a movie , and overall it does , thanks to mortensen 's slightly hesitant charm ... and some dazzling visual work from director of photography shelley johnson .", "... essentially seabiscuit minus the cheering crowds", "if you are in the mood for an old-fashioned adventure in exotic locales with magnificent equines and lots of familiar action , then this may be the movie for you .", "overwrought , overacted , overlong .", "an enjoyable ride , as long as you do n't take it seriously .", "capitulates to weak dialogue , poor pacing , and a half-hearted performance from mumbler viggo mortensen , leaving it to be remembered more for a few scenes than as a total film", "had it not been pg-13 , this would be classic disney-brand entertainment .", "i know seabiscuit . seabiscuit was a friend of mine . MOV is no seabiscuit .", "a big old chunk of horse poop .", "director joe johnston ... screenwriter john fusco ... and god knows who else have packed it with clumsy endorsements of america 's current adventures in the middle east .", "worth seeing just for sharif , too long gone from the screen .", "true or supersized to legendary proportions , the story is n't especially well-told , and it 's definitely void of nuance and depth .", "bold , exuberant and swashbuckling , it has the purity and simplicity of something douglas fairbanks or errol flynn might have bounded through .", "it takes a thoroughbred star like mortensen to make the bond between man and horses believable , and to keep MOV from straying too far into fields of corn .", "little more than a subpar rip-off of the indy films with some mild -lsb- david -rsb- lean flavoring .", "even considering its derivative nature , MOV offers adventure , exotic locations , magnificent horses , a love story and heroics at every turn and that 's what great matinee-style entertainment is all about .", "johnston definitely does justice to the moroccan desert vistas . just remember to bring some cold bottled water .", "intermittently entertaining slog .", "even when it stretches credibility to the breaking point , MOV is a larger-than-life adventure with a brisk pace and a charismatic star .", "an excruciatingly long 133 minute rough-cut with little truth and little meat between the bones", "the dunes flow but the narrative lurches in this based-on-fact tale striving for grandeur .", "like most movies about men and horses , MOV spares no expense in matters of corniness .", "the american western becomes a middle-eastern in this otherwise routine horse opera .", "i do n't object to ` MOV ' because it may fudge facts ... i object to it because they are used in the service of a story that is , frankly , quite boring .", "there is a fun , scruffy little b movie buried under the expensive packaging , and it surfaces just enough to make MOV a reasonably diverting popcorn event .", "a crowd-pleaser .", "this is a bigger-than-life , feel-good yarn with just enough dramatic charge to keep it from floating away .", "a popcorn film in every way , those who are already struck by mortensen 's charm and good looks will have a hard time saying neigh to MOV .", "if i bought tickets at arlington park and made a wager , the last thing i want to see is a jockey leave his mount to go rescue someone 's daughter", "if there 's one thing i learned from MOV , it 's that americans are better than arabs .", "`` lawrence of arabia '' locations , `` the mummy 's '' sandstorm , a rescue a la `` raiders of the lost ark , '' and a scrappy horse besting bigger thoroughbreds like `` seabiscuit . ''", "MOV is an old-fashioned adventure yarn that works well and will appeal to equine lovers ." ], "summary": "the scenery looks great , but this overstuffed horse story contains too much cheese .", "id": "10229" }, { "movie": "catwoman", "reviews": [ "here 's a movie that has nothing going for it except good bone structure .", "maybe if MOV did n't take itself so seriously , the filmmakers might have been onto something .", "benjamin ` box office ebola ' bratt is in this movie . the last time ben was in a star vehicle it was julia roberts ' cadillac escalade .", "instead of basking in the considerable charms berry has to offer , the director , pitof ... treats them like accessories to the picture 's flashy , senseless cutting and overused special effects .", "overall , the performances of berry and stone are the only things one can sink their claws into here .", "utterly devoid of merit , fantastic or otherwise , a more exasperating descent into the feline world is difficult to imagine .", "MOV should be a fantasy fest enjoyed by every fetishist and dominatrix in the country .", "the worst superhero movie to date .", "goes on my ` worst ' list for the year , and quite possibly for all time .", "it 's a spiderman ripoff , where commerical artist is bitten by a radioactive ***** ... okay , breathed on by the egyptian cat goddess bescht . same damn thing !", "oops ! a costume catastrophe .", "this hilarious , sexy , exciting farce is instead so consistently surprising and dazzling that i 'm still not sure if it 's a good-bad movie or a good-good movie .", "having self confidence is one thing , but MOV commits burglaries and constantly assaults people , whether they deserve it or not .", "the summer that gave us what is arguably the best comic book movie of all time -- spider-man 2 -- has now choked up what is arguably the worst .", "much better than it had to be and a lot better than many internet critics , eager to hate it , wanted it to be .", "get out the kitty litter .", "MOV is dragged down by a paper-thin story , the predictable number of fight scenes executed at equally predictable intervals and stock , unmemorable characters .", "an odd , idiosyncratic movie -- dark in look and dark in spirit -- that plays as a kind of pop culture investigation into the meaning of feminism and the options open to women in the modern world .", "most respectable comic-book plots rely on a genius scientist gone insane , an alien invader or the like as villainous foil . in MOV , the bad guy is a cosmetics company .", "this film is just awful . a kitty cat-aclysm .", "this hairball on the soiled rug of the summer blockbuster schedule is gruesome enough to have been ejected from the esophagus of bill the cat ...", "watching claws being scraped against a chalkboard apparently is n't any more enjoyable than listening to it .", "MOV is almost unbelievably dumb .", "halle berry 's MOV is a dog . and no amount of tight black leather outfits , nauseating cgi effects and good-looking actors and actresses is going to change that .", "this MOV 's super power is dressing up halle berry in a sexy leather number and still leaving audiences snoozing .", "MOV is fully as terrible as you guessed it might be .", "MOV is n't really bad enough to be one of those awful movies we ca n't resist , nor is it incompetent enough to be the female daredevil .", "this wretched film is nothing but an excuse to show -lsb- halle berry -rsb- wearing that skimpy leather suit .", "so bad that i actually recommend you see it . it 's the movie you and your friends will rip on all summer long .", "there is nothing redeeming about this film .", "widely considered a terrible movie , but if you enjoy the camp genre , it 's a must-see . it is , in fact , camp on a catnip high .", "watching -lsb- halle berry -rsb- run around in that getup i felt embarrassed , the way i do for people who put on makeup before climbing a stairmaster -- it 's too much .", "-lsb- provides -rsb- a safety net for every person who ever directs a superhero movie for the rest of time : `` well , that completely sucked , but it was no MOV '' .", "a soulless amalgamation of quick edits , computer images and swooping , nausea-inducing dolly shots .", "from the looks of french director pitof 's poorly realized effort of bringing dc comics ' `` MOV to the big screen , it seems unlikely that a sequel for the feline superhero/villain .", "this movie is kitty litter .", "if cats , those snootiest of creatures , went to the movies , they would be appalled and mortified . what did they ever do to deserve having their good name and mannerisms dragged through such dingbat fluff as this ?", "a flashy but uninvolving batman spin-off -lrb- of sorts -rrb- with halle berry starring andone-named french talent pitof directing .", "relentlessly gaudy and in love with its pg-13 approximation of kink , MOV is essentially an excuse to pose berry in ever-skimpier outfits . it 's all too pre-fab to register as sexy , though , and even the fight scenes look like fashion shoots .", "another hundred million dollars down the drain .", "a dopey , confused production .", "swordfish ; gothika ; this howler . best actress winner halle berry is getting dangerously close to exhausting her nine hollywood lives .", "most of the movie has the cruddy lighting and generic , death-by-franchise atmosphere of a third-rate spectacle that 's been worked over by too many hacks .", "over-the-top and mostly preposterous , MOV just might be the mommie dearest of comic-book-based movies .", "a feline rehash of the spider-man origin story , with a whole lot more rump-shaking . -lrb- tomato squeaks by as edible . -rrb-", "this cat does n't purr .", "this plodding , by-the-numbers superhero flick has all the feline grace of a walleyed mastiff .", "feels as if it 's been pieced together from a dozen or so ally mcbeal parodies posing as hip-hop videos .", "it is just , for the most part , another run-of-the-mill craptacular destined to be forgotten in a couple of weeks ...", "another phony story of female empowerment .", "so much talent wasted . so much money squandered . so much opportunity missed .", "after gothika and now her turn in this MOV , it seems like berry 's career may be headed toward the litter box .", "the screenplay is flat and predictable , and bad dialogue prevails .", "plays like a lifetime movie on estrogen overdose , barely held together by a script that should have been tossed out with the kitty litter .", "as for the story , which details how meek , gentle patience philips -lrb- berry -rrb- came to be MOV , met a sexy detective -lrb- benjamin bratt -rrb- and defeated a skin cream empire , it goes down -lrb- and comes back up -rrb- like a hairball .", "-lsb- a -rsb- laughable disaster .", "-lsb- a -rsb- sloppy , dull , brain-dead waste of a movie .", "MOV mixes its messages , but it mixes them with style .", "the film drags at 91 minutes , filled with dead air that should be crackling with pulp energy .", "they had me at the random basketball scene .", "eww , it smells like cats in here . not that i do n't love cats , but i do n't want my supposed-to-be sleek and stylish comic-book movies reeking like that .", "if you 're a drag queen and loved `` showgirls , '' your newest source of inspiration has arrived . everyone else : skip it !", "MOV has nothing on its mind but random movement and the airing of every lipstick shade from revlon 's fall collection", "the latest comic book adaptation is marred by contrived plotting , self-indulgent direction , a campy vibe and a weak villain .", "the movie is deadening because it 's visually and aurally overdone in a lazy , scattershot manner .", "-lsb- the early -rsb- segments of the film are deadly dull , but once berry suits up , the movie enters mst3k territory and never looks back .", "when is a cat a dog ? when it 's MOV .", "the kind of movie that almost guarantees the loss of a few i.q. points .", "i 'd rather change a dirty litter box than think about this movie anymore .", "what 's not to love about a gal with a whip , stilettos , and sharp rhinestone claws ? guilty pleasure be thy name !", "it 's not nearly as awful as batman & robin , but it 's worse off than , say , steel . so you can see we 're in a fairly terrible area here .", "los fans del personaje se tendr\u00e1n que enfrentar -lrb- duramente -rrb- al hecho de que se trata de una versi\u00f3n - muy - libre que la aleja del todo de batman .", "the haphazardly cut-together action scenes have been ` enhanced ' with laughably bad digital effects ; you could find screen savers with better animation .", "tired and dated .", "law & order : feline investigations unit .", "yes , this is a movie about killer cosmetics . once you stop laughing at that , there 's much more nonsense to endure .", "when you have berry in a MOV costume and stone in a catsuit , and you ca n't even stage a decent catfight , why make a MOV movie at all ?", "if you like `` van helsing '' and `` the punisher , '' then you 'll enjoy this . MOV is worth seeing for its camp value and is better than it has any right to be .", "every odorous frame before and after -lsb- the ` outfit ' -rsb- can be safely consigned to the litter box .", "... makes me long for the quiet dignity of arnold schwarzenegger 's performance in ` batman and robin . '", "french director pitof exhibits an approach to filmmaking as one-dimensional and pretentious as his own name .", "hate is a strong word , but nowhere near fierce enough to describe the ear-steaming loathing MOV deserves .", "MOV does n't belong on the big screen . it belongs in the litter box or to be scraped off the bottom of our shoes as we head quickly for another theater .", "the complete absence of a distinct visual style robs MOV of its imagination and wonder . it looks and feels utterly flat , which is the kiss of death in this genre", "MOV is not necessarily the year 's worst movie , but it is 2004 's most pathetic .", "not beautifully bad so much as just plain terrible .", "this flick is so giglicious ... i laughed so much i almost forgave pitof for being in heat and spraying this cinematic violation all over dc 's trademark vixen", "-lsb- berry -rsb- is giving a performance much too earnest to have been intentionally campy , setting herself up as a veritable shoo-in for this year 's ` worst actress ' razzie . me-ouch !", "overtly bad -lrb- and unintentionally funny -rrb- enough to become a camp classic .", "me-ouch ! this is going to hurt halle berry 's reputation as a serious actress .", "an adolescent fantasy run amok that owes more to drummer peter criss than to julie newmar .", "this is barely a film -- it 's more like a music video-slash - tv-commercial - slash-computer game .", "halle is berry , berry sexy even if the script is less than purr-fect", "not even the sight of halle berry brandishing a whip while wearing a barely-there black leather catsuit is enough to excuse this campy exercise in bad filmmaking .", "cheesy special effects , under drawn characters , simplistic writing -lrb- by a committee of scribes -rrb- and music video direction will likely draw the attention-deficit crowd", "those looking for anything approximating a storyline along with their jigglefest will just have to keep dreaming .", "any way you look at it , MOV disappoints .", "this movie is not dark enough , campy enough or smart enough to succeed on any level .", "the showgirls of superhero movies .", "cartoonish effects and overacting make this more corn than catnip .", "there is n't an original bone in its body , but that is n't even the problem : no one in the production had any idea how to rip off better films with any degree of competence .", "MOV is destined not for a mystery science theater 3000 fate but for immortality as one of the subtlest , most thorough parodies i 've ever seen .", "halle berry is doing herself no favours with a screenplay so routine it seems to be trying to go unnoticed .", "MOV looks and feels like something culled together by a committee of greedy and inexperienced first-time producers . and horny 14-year-olds .", "you got ta be kidding me .", "exactly as awful as it was rumored to be .", "a milking of the mediocre but after this fall from grace , berry 's got eight career leaps to go .", "a thriller you would n't inflict on a laboratory rat .", "a profusion of typical comic book storyline clich\u00e9s we have all seen a thousand times before in other films .", "halle berry parece estar numa daquelas aulas de teatro em que o professor insiste para que os alunos finjam ser \u00e1rvores , nuvens ou bicicletas ergom\u00e9tricas .", "gratuitous action , ill-defined characters , goofy plot . and moments when it 's great fun .", "badly directed , horribly scripted , dismal mess of a film that is every bit as bad as you 've heard . poor , poor halle berry .", "this is only worth seeing if you can handle shallow characters and dull , plastic action scenes for the sake of unintentional laughs .", "for about 40 minutes MOV is campy , trashy and fun . then it 's just trash : dull and depressingly empty .", "... does n't quite cut it as the escapist comic caper ... this tepid and tired movie has all the appeal of a box of stale tender vittles", "if one good thing can come out of this film , it 's that this should provide an everlasting blueprint for what not to do with a comic book film .", "big-budget cheesiness built around the idea of getting halle berry into a sexy outfit", "you 'd never know berry is an oscar-winning actress -- her performance as patience is downright amateurish .", "seems destined to join showgirls and its ilk as a fast-starting and even faster-fading theatrical release that could enjoy an afterlife as a midnight movie and video/dvd item where viewers supply alternate dialogue .", "the movie suffers from the opposite of a syndrome affecting most comic-book spin-offs .", "the result may appeal to berry 's fans but is MOV in name only .", "the stench of the litter pan is all over this big-screen $ 90 million disaster-in-waiting .", "if things begin to go south for the actress careerwise , berry can use MOV as an audition reel to land a part in a road company of cats .", "MOV is stillborn in this resurrection , no matter how sweet the berry .", "a sloppy , schlocky piece of work .", "not everybody will be able to swallow its heady romanticism , yet its french director , pitof , has brought sophistication to a comic book sensibility .", "i 've never cared much for cats anyway , but this clinches it . next time i see one , i 'm going to kick it into the river .", "MOV meows , purrs , and hisses , but mostly just sucks .", "french visual-fx expert pitof directs , so the overuse of cgi is understandable , though even that ca n't conceal the insipid plot or berry 's ham-fisted performance .", "... a monumental waste of your time to see .", "so much emphasis is put on style and coolness that good , honest storytelling goes down the drain .", "if movies were kitty litter , MOV would be the kind that does n't absorb very well and fails to clump . and it would be stinky . really , really stinky .", "as i said , i know most people do n't like this flick , but i think it is worth at least catching the matinee .", "touches on feminist ideals that are all but contradicted by a pair of skimpy leather pants .", "obviously , no one involved in this disaster cares anything at all about MOV .", "another story of female empowerment written and directed by guys who think `` empowerment '' gives a woman the courage to shop from a fetish catalogue .", "it 's really painful to watch .", "dump it off at the dumb friends league", "it 's painful .", "its over-edited style smacks of panic , the cgi cat woman is plainly not real , and the broadside it fires at the beauty industry is only limp at best .", "MOV is worse than bad -- it 's boring . so boring it 's not even laughable .", "bereft of excitement and with action scenes similar to those we 've seen a dozen times before , this is a very poor effort indeed .", "not as over-the-top as you might hope , but also not as bad . daft and moderately entertaining .", "halle berry is a lovely woman with charisma to burn and definite acting ability -- but even the best actors sometimes need to be told when they 're making fools of themselves .", "a lumpy , unexciting mel\u00e9e , as satisfying as a bowl of sour milk .", "poor special effects -lrb- with weak echoes of better superhero outings such as spider-man -rrb- and an uneven central performance contribute to what was one of the flop blockbusters of 2004 .", "MOV 's director , a visual-effects specialist named pitof , is not contained by the rules of filmmaking . scenes that make sense ? nonsense . characters with inner lives ? utterly passe .", "the screenplay 's a hodgepodge of witchcraft , ancient egyptian lore , pulp feminism , and a dash of s&m .", "spayed and declawed update of the oft-told dc comics tale .", "halle just hacked a hairball all over the summer boxoffice . and it ai n't pretty .", "berry , bodacious bod on constant display in a variety of odd contortions , moves as though she were choreographed by a low-rent version of bob fosse", "worst of all is how it never defines MOV - is she fighting for good and balancing that with cattish outbursts of bad , or just looking for an open can of tuna ?", "despite its feline pretensions , MOV belongs to another animal family -- it 's either a dog or a turkey . take your pick .", "a cynical and taxing trip through a thoroughly artificial world of obnoxious action , empowerment cliches , r&b cross-marketing and teeth-gnashing asides .", "pure catnip for people who are partial to campy , stylish chick-flicks ...", "entertaining , if not the cat 's meow .", "directed by a frenchman with the single , not uncatlike name of pitof , MOV is a howlingly silly , moderately diverting exercise in high , pointless style .", "she can do everything a spider-man can , but worse . much , much , much , much worse .", "i 'm pretty sure an actual cat could have made a better film .", "if you 're going to junk the character , then why not just flip through a dictionary and pick a new animal altogether -- say , aardvarkwoman , or buffalogal ?", "you 're left with flashes of mis-spent promise : the feline mysticism ; the cosmetics-industry intrigue ; the idea of electrocuting lambert wilson 's unctious corporate cad .", "one life down , eight to go .", "hide this MOV on a hot tin roof -- or anywhere else no one is likely to see it .", "rated nfd -lrb- not for the discerning -rrb- .", "where is batman when you really need him ?", "an almost unmitigated disaster , this major studio production with a major star in the lead -lrb- the oscar-winning halle berry -rrb- comes across like a direct-to-video production , complete with ultra lame computer-generated effects and clueless direction ...", "an avalanche of de-clawed idiocy .", "` claro ejemplo de la forma en que no se debe gastar el dinero en caprichos de productores a los que les importa un comino la inteligencia de la audiencia '", "it 's bad enough that not only are careers over , but somebody should be slapped .", "... a repeat viewing of spider-man 2 would undoubtedly be a better idea ...", "MOV is not destined to have nine lives .", "putting halle berry in a tight leather suit is a good idea . the rest of the movie is not .", "less like a comic-book movie than a feature-length s&m video ... let 's just hope warner bros. gets this feline spayed to prevent a sequel .", "MOV has all the appeal of a hairball .", "wildly entertaining -- but for all the wrong reasons .", "campy , smart-and-dumb fun .", "a purr-fectly ridiculous and boring cat-astrophe .", "a movie needs more than a few sexual innuendos and throaty purrs to keep us from taking a catnap .", "it 's not even campy enough for a good laugh .", "the cinematic equivalent of a cat box .", "i was pleasantly surprised with this new outing for halle berry .", "if halle berry keeps this up , she 's going to have to give that oscar back .", "a clawless cross-breed of comic book movie cliches .", "she stands on ledges , peering at all the buildings , or at the moon ... she might be hoping one of those places holds a better script .", "the story is n't bad , but the script -lrb- for which three people get credit , john brancato & michael ferris and john rogers , always a bad sign -rrb- is occasionally bromidic .", "if ` the star has a great rack ! ' is the best one can say for a movie , it better be a porno .", "tries to be funny , tries to be s&m . directed by a guy called pitof . me-owwww !", "silly but not-nearly-campy-enough .", "no other MOV has looked so good in a cat suit . beyond that , the whole affair is pretty dumb , even by the goofy standards of superhero flicks .", "the least i was hoping for was something so bad it would entertain me on a whole different level . i was disappointed on both accounts .", "the main question to ask is why did we need this project ?", "arguably the worst superhero film ever made .", "the cosmetics at the plot 's centre do at least serve as a convenient metaphor for everything which is wrong with this shallow , superficial film .", "and what would the film be without its performances ? better ." ], "summary": "halle berry is the lone bright spot , but even she ca n't save this laughable action thriller .", "id": "10994" } ]