text stringlengths 0 355 |
|---|
(|Crystal|and|De|Niro|)|manage|to|squeeze|out|some|good|laughs|but|not|enough|to|make|this|silly|con|job|sing|. |
Worthless|,|from|its|pseudo-rock-video|opening|to|the|idiocy|of|its|last|frames|. |
The|Christ|allegory|does|n't|work|because|there|is|no|foundation|for|it |
Go|for|La|Salle|'s|performance|,|and|make|do|as|best|you|can|with|a|stuttering|script|. |
It|'s|hard|to|care|about|a|film|that|proposes|as|epic|tragedy|the|plight|of|a|callow|rich|boy|who|is|forced|to|choose|between|his|beautiful|,|self-satisfied|22-year-old|girlfriend|and|an|equally|beautiful|,|self-satisfied|18-year-old|mistress|. |
Tries|too|hard|to|be|funny|in|a|way|that|'s|too|loud|,|too|goofy|and|too|short|of|an|attention|span|. |
I|did|n't|find|much|fascination|in|the|swinging|. |
What|they|'re|doing|is|a|matter|of|plumbing|arrangements|and|mind|games|,|of|no|erotic|or|sensuous|charge|. |
But|that|they|are|doing|it|is|thought-provoking|. |
The|acting|is|just|fine|,|but|there|'s|not|enough|substance|here|to|sustain|interest|for|the|full|90|minutes|,|especially|with|the|weak|payoff|. |
After|Collateral|Damage|,|you|might|imagine|that|most|every|aggrieved|father|cliché|has|been|unturned|. |
But|no.|. |
Ultimately|the|,|yes|,|snail-like|pacing|and|lack|of|thematic|resonance|make|the|film|more|silly|than|scary|,|like|some|sort|of|Martha|Stewart|decorating|program|run|amok|. |
Releasing|a|film|with|the|word|`|dog|'|in|its|title|in|January|lends|itself|to|easy|jokes|and|insults|,|and|Snow|Dogs|deserves|every|single|one|of|them|. |
Tedious|Norwegian|offering|which|somehow|snagged|an|Oscar|nomination|. |
It|was|a|dark|and|stormy|night|... |
A|dark-as-pitch|comedy|that|frequently|veers|into|corny|sentimentality|,|probably|would|not|improve|much|after|a|therapeutic|zap|of|shock|treatment|. |
This|sort|of|cute|and|cloying|material|is|far|from|Zhang|'s|forte|and|it|shows|. |
Bray|is|completely|at|sea|;|with|nothing|but|a|Savage|Garden|music|video|on|his|resume|,|he|has|no|clue|about|making|a|movie|. |
Freundlich|'s|made|(|Crudup|)|a|suburban|architect|,|and|a|cipher|. |
a|huge|disappointment|coming|,|as|it|does|,|from|filmmakers|and|performers|of|this|calibre |
Though|it|pretends|to|expose|the|life|of|male|hustlers|,|it|'s|exploitive|without|being|insightful|. |
Aimed|squarely|at|the|least|demanding|of|demographic|groups|:|very|small|children|who|will|be|delighted|simply|to|spend|more|time|with|familiar|cartoon|characters|. |
What|starts|off|as|a|satisfying|kids|flck|becomes|increasingly|implausible|as|it|races|through|contrived|plot|points|. |
Exhibits|the|shallow|sensationalism|characteristic|of|soap|opera|...|more|salacious|telenovela|than|serious|drama|. |
Seagal|is|painfully|foolish|in|trying|to|hold|onto|what|'s|left|of|his|passe|'|chopsocky|glory|. |
Even|with|Harris|'s|strong|effort|,|the|script|gives|him|little|to|effectively|probe|Lear|'s|soul-stripping|breakdown|. |
The|story|is|bogus|and|its|characters|tissue-thin|. |
Whereas|the|extremely|competent|hitman|films|such|as|Pulp|Fiction|and|Get|Shorty|resonate|a|sardonic|verve|to|their|caustic|purpose|for|existing|,|Who|Is|Cletis|Tout|? |
is|an|inexpressible|and|drab|wannabe|looking|for|that|exact|niche|. |
While|American|Adobo|has|its|heart|(|and|its|palate|)|in|the|right|place|,|its|brain|is|a|little|scattered|--|ditsy|,|even|. |
Imagine|a|film|that|begins|as|a|Seven|rip-off|,|only|to|switch|to|a|mix|of|The|Shining|,|The|Thing|,|and|any|naked|teenagers|horror|flick|from|the|1980s|. |
Most|of|the|dialogue|made|me|want|to|pack|raw|dough|in|my|ears|. |
Costner|'s|warm-milk|persona|is|just|as|ill-fitting|as|Shadyac|'s|perfunctory|directing|chops|,|and|some|of|the|more|overtly|silly|dialogue|would|sink|Laurence|Olivier|. |
It|'s|coherent|,|well|shot|,|and|tartly|acted|,|but|it|wears|you|down|like|a|dinner|guest|showing|off|his|doctorate|. |
Directed|by|Kevin|Bray|,|whose|crisp|framing|,|edgy|camera|work|,|and|wholesale|ineptitude|with|acting|,|tone|and|pace|very|obviously|mark|him|as|a|video|helmer|making|his|feature|debut|. |
turns|a|potentially|interesting|idea|into|an|excruciating|film|school|experience|that|plays|better|only|for|the|film|'s|publicists|or|for|people|who|take|as|many|drugs|as|the|film|'s|characters |
Robin|Williams|departs|from|his|fun|friendly|demeanor|in|exchange|for|a|darker|unnerving|role|. |
High|Crimes|is|a|cinematic|misdemeanor|,|a|routine|crime|thriller|remarkable|only|for|its|lack|of|logic|and|misuse|of|two|fine|actors|,|Morgan|Freeman|and|Ashley|Judd|. |
Set|in|a|1986|Harlem|that|does|n't|look|much|like|anywhere|in|New|York|. |
The|chocolate|factory|without|Charlie|. |
Long|on|twinkly-eyed|close-ups|and|short|on|shame|. |
Hip-hop|rarely|comes|alive|as|its|own|fire-breathing|entity|in|this|picture|. |
A|dull|,|somnambulant|exercise|in|pretension|whose|pervasive|quiet|is|broken|by|frequent|outbursts|of|violence|and|noise|. |
Deserving|of|its|critical|backlash|and|more|. |
Neither|a|rousing|success|nor|a|blinding|embarrassment|. |
Still|,|it|just|sits|there|like|a|side|dish|no|one|ordered|. |
The|Sum|of|All|Fears|is|remarkably|fuddled|about|motives|and|context|,|which|drains|it|of|the|dramatic|substance|that|would|shake|us|in|our|boots|(|or|cinema|seats|)|. |
The|movie|spends|more|time|with|Schneider|than|with|newcomer|McAdams|,|even|though|her|performance|is|more|interesting|(|and|funnier|)|than|his|. |
This|low-rent|--|and|even|lower-wit|--|rip-off|of|the|Farrelly|brothers|'|oeuvre|gets|way|too|mushy|--|and|in|a|relatively|short|amount|of|time|. |
It|recycles|every|cliché|about|gays|in|what|is|essentially|an|extended|soap|opera|. |
I|'m|all|for|the|mentally|challenged|getting|their|fair|shot|in|the|movie|business|,|but|surely|it|does|n't|have|to|be|as|a|collection|of|keening|and|self-mutilating|sideshow|geeks|. |
May|offend|viewers|not|amused|by|the|sick|sense|of|humor|. |
Many|of|Benjamins|'|elements|feel|like|they|'ve|been|patched|in|from|an|episode|of|Miami|Vice|. |
It|aimlessly|and|unsuccessfully|attempts|to|fuse|at|least|three|dull|plots|into|one|good|one|. |
Most|folks|with|a|real|stake|in|the|American|sexual|landscape|will|find|it|either|moderately|amusing|or|just|plain|irrelevant|. |
If|you|'re|not|fans|of|the|adventues|of|Steve|and|Terri|,|you|should|avoid|this|like|the|dreaded|King|Brown|snake|. |
Personally|,|I|'d|rather|watch|them|on|the|Animal|Planet|. |
Cherish|is|a|dud|--|a|romantic|comedy|that|'s|not|the|least|bit|romantic|and|only|mildly|funny|. |
Feels|as|if|the|inmates|have|actually|taken|over|the|asylum|. |
All|of|the|filmmakers|'|calculations|ca|n't|rescue|Brown|Sugar|from|the|curse|of|blandness|. |
The|movie|'s|gloomy|atmosphere|is|fascinating|,|though|,|even|if|the|movie|itself|does|n't|stand|a|ghost|of|a|chance|. |
...|post-September|11|,|``|The|Sum|Of|All|Fears|''|seems|more|tacky|and|reprehensible|,|manipulating|our|collective|fear|without|bestowing|the|subject|with|the|intelligence|or|sincerity|it|unequivocally|deserves|. |
The|exclamation|point|seems|to|be|the|only|bit|of|glee|you|'ll|find|in|this|dreary|mess|. |
No|matter|how|you|slice|it|,|Mark|Wahlberg|and|Thandie|Newton|are|not|Hepburn|and|Grant|,|two|cinematic|icons|with|chemistry|galore|. |
Godard|'s|ode|to|tackling|life|'s|wonderment|is|a|rambling|and|incoherent|manifesto|about|the|vagueness|of|topical|excess|...|In|Praise|of|Love|remains|a|ponderous|and|pretentious|endeavor|that|'s|unfocused|and|tediously|exasperating|. |
Humorless|,|self-conscious|art|drivel|,|made|without|a|glimmer|of|intelligence|or|invention|. |
The|movie|'s|progression|into|rambling|incoherence|gives|new|meaning|to|the|phrase|`|fatal|script|error|.|' |
Solondz|may|be|convinced|that|he|has|something|significant|to|say|,|but|he|is|n't|talking|a|talk|that|appeals|to|me|. |
More|tiring|than|anything|. |
Nelson|'s|intentions|are|good|,|but|the|end|result|does|no|justice|to|the|story|itself|. |
It|'s|horribly|depressing|and|not|very|well|done|. |
...|the|efforts|of|its|star|,|Kline|,|to|lend|some|dignity|to|a|dumb|story|are|for|naught|. |
A|good-natured|ensemble|comedy|that|tries|hard|to|make|the|most|of|a|bumper|cast|,|but|never|quite|gets|off|the|ground|. |
Is|n't|it|a|bit|early|in|his|career|for|director|Barry|Sonnenfeld|to|do|a|homage|to|himself|? |
And|it|'s|a|lousy|one|at|that|. |
Overly|long|and|worshipful|bio-doc|. |
I|'ll|go|out|on|a|limb|. |
It|is|n't|quite|one|of|the|worst|movies|of|the|year|. |
It|'s|just|merely|very|bad|. |
Writer-director|Ritchie|reduces|Wertmuller|'s|social|mores|and|politics|to|tiresome|jargon|. |
About|Amy|'s|cuteness|,|Amy|'s|career|success|(|she|'s|a|best-selling|writer|of|self-help|books|who|ca|n't|help|herself|)|,|and|Amy|'s|neuroses|when|it|comes|to|men|. |
Everything|about|Girls|Ca|n't|Swim|,|even|its|passages|of|sensitive|observation|,|feels|secondhand|,|familiar|--|and|not|in|a|good|way|. |
Feels|aimless|for|much|of|its|running|time|,|until|late|in|the|film|when|a|tidal|wave|of|plot|arrives|,|leaving|questions|in|its|wake|. |
In|my|own|very|humble|opinion|,|In|Praise|of|Love|lacks|even|the|most|fragmented|charms|I|have|found|in|almost|all|of|his|previous|works|. |
The|script|is|too|mainstream|and|the|psychology|too|textbook|to|intrigue|. |
Muddled|,|simplistic|and|more|than|a|little|pretentious|. |
Meandering|and|glacially|paced|,|and|often|just|plain|dull|. |
A|disaster|of|a|drama|,|saved|only|by|its|winged|assailants|. |
A|road|trip|that|will|get|you|thinking|,|`|Are|we|there|yet|?|' |
Director|Elie|Chouraqui|,|who|co-wrote|the|script|,|catches|the|chaotic|horror|of|war|,|but|why|bother|if|you|'re|going|to|subjugate|truth|to|the|tear-jerking|demands|of|soap|opera|? |
Dong|never|pushes|for|insights|beyond|the|superficial|tensions|of|the|dynamic|he|'s|dissecting|,|and|the|film|settles|too|easily|along|the|contours|of|expectation|. |
If|there|was|any|doubt|that|Peter|O'Fallon|did|n't|have|an|original|bone|in|his|body|,|A|Rumor|of|Angels|should|dispel|it|. |
An|occasionally|interesting|but|mostly|repetitive|look|at|a|slice|of|counterculture|that|might|be|best|forgotten|. |
What|could|have|been|right|at|home|as|a|nifty|plot|line|in|Steven|Soderbergh|'s|Traffic|fails|to|arrive|at|any|satisfying|destination|. |
The|movie|is|like|Scorsese|'s|Mean|Streets|redone|by|someone|who|ignored|it|in|favor|of|old|`|juvenile|delinquent|'|paperbacks|with|titles|like|Leather|Warriors|and|Switchblade|Sexpot|. |
This|pathetic|junk|is|barely|an|hour|long|. |
Nevertheless|,|it|still|seems|endless|. |
It|is|n't|that|Stealing|Harvard|is|a|horrible|movie|--|if|only|it|were|that|grand|a|failure|! |
It|'s|just|that|it|'s|so|not-at-all-good|. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.