Change Your Image
bigmike-4
Reviews
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Gave up after 90 minutes
I've watched a LOT of movies in my 5 decades on this planet and some of my favorite are thought provoking films that the masses didn't love or "get". But this one, honestly, I don't understand the appeal at all. It's a muddled assault on the senses that jumps all over the place, while boring me to death.
I honestly thought it was over at the 90 minute mark when it said "The End" only to see that there was another hour to go. However, I had seen enough and hit Stop. 7 Oscars? Seriously? I don't get what's so great about this film. It's the equivalent of going to an all you can eat restaurant, stopping by salad bar and putting every ingredient in the bowl along 7 different dressings, then stopping by the pasta table and topping it with all the pasta options and 3 different pasta sauces. Oh, and we'll stop by the soft serve ice cream machine and throw that in the same mix with the salad and pasta concoction. Pure insanity and not in a good way.
I only give it a couple stars for attempting to have an interesting concept.
Last Seen Alive (2022)
Cheap "made for tv" ripoff of Breakdown
This is a low budget knockoff of the movie Breakdown from 1997. Same basic premise, with none of the tension or qualities that made that film great. Instead, you get a highly watered down version of that plot, mediocre and sometimes painfully awkward dialog, "made for tv" production values, and a legion of wooden no name actors save for Gerard Butler. My guess is that at least half the budget went to his paycheck. At the end I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters.
If Breakdown is a borderline B-movie with A grade actors, Last Seen Alive is a C-movie with D grade actors. My honest advice is skip this and watch Breakdown instead.
John Wick (2014)
Those who gave it a negative review were right on the money
John Wick is some super assassin who left the biz and got married. His wife dies of cancer, he runs into some Russian punks we decide to beat him up, steal his car, and kill his dog. John decides he's going to get revenge and spends the next 90 minutes killing everyone in his path.
The action is decent, but we've seen it in Jason Statham's movies already, so nothing terribly new here.
The film hints at some secret underground society of assassins, but totally drops the ball by failing to flesh any of this out. Ahh, what could have been.
Not the worst movie I've seen, but it's still pretty weak.
Deja Vu (2006)
Could have been so much more...
With the time travel scenario, this could have been so much more. The writers could have introduced overlapping scenarios that could have created a paradox. They could have written this so the "bad guy" scenario was more complex. Unfortunately, they dumbed this down to avoid confusing the average idiot.
There were moments where this film could have gotten more interesting and just fell flat.
"Out of Time" was a far better thriller. This was like "Out of Time" with less energy and more fancy cinematography. Rent this one. Buy Denzel's previous thriller "Out of Time" instead.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Ferrell's weakest yet..
Sure this movie will make millions due to Ferrell's popularity, not to mention the fantastic trailers.. but I must say I was rather disappointed at how lame this movie is. So many moments felt like they were taken right off an Elementary School playground; the scene where Christina Applegate tells Ron Burgundy that he has bad hair is a perfect example. It just wasn't that funny.
Much of the humor was so lame that I found myself doing a "half-chuckle" because lines were so often not really funny, but mildly amusing at best. Make no mistake, there are few belly laugh's in this one.
Even if you're a die-hard Ferrell fan I would suggest you go see it as a matinee or wait for the DVD to rent. If you can't stand Ferrell, do yourself a favor and stay home.
4/10
Daredevil (2003)
Good.. not great..
Let me preface my review by stating that the movie lived up to my modest expectations. Many, however, might be let down after recent successes as X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man (2002).
The overall plot is set up well enough, with the story prefaced by how Matt Murdock was blinded and eventually became the DareDevil. Sequences throughout the film which depict how he is able to "see" even though he is blind are wicked cool and do a lot to make his "super senses" believable.
There are, of course, some massive plot holes, such as how he managed to leap tall buildings in a single bound, a la Superman. But if you keep in mind that this is a comic book world we're talking about, you'll quickly realize that the rules of the "real world" don't apply. If you can remember this, you'll enjoy the experience a whole lot more.
The production values are certainly solid, with lots of great fight sequences, good CG work, stellar sound (this film is an audiophiles wet-dream, IMO), and a passable plot. All these things, however, do not quite add up in the end.
They seem to try to portray DareDevil as some sort of reluctant hero. However he often times seems way to human, then you see him doing very superhuman stunts. This is probably the biggest fault of the film and will undoubtely be a chief complaint among all but the hardest of hardcore fans.
The acting is pretty good and there are lots of familiar faces in the supporting cast. In terms of Affleck's character, I left feeling rather numb, not caring too much about him one way or another. Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin was a good choice, though he isn't given much to do here other than look intimidating. They also managed to waste the talents of Jennifer Garner. She just doesn't get enough screen time and very little effort is spent fleshing out her character. However, I am happy to say that Colin Farrell plays the coolest villian since Lex Luthor. He'll probably be the one thing you end up remembering most after walking out of the theatre.
About my only other chief complaint is that some of the editing and camerawork falls into a trap we're seeing all too much lately: shots that are WAY too tight coupled with cuts that are so fast they could possibly cause a seizure. We saw some of this in the two latest installments of Star Wars and in other films such as Armageddon. Why editors and directors continue to do this is beyond me, as it spoils the impact of some fight scenes.
Overall, DareDevil is a solid comicbook-to-screen transition. It's not nearly are spirited or memorable as X-Men or Spider-Man, though it is an enjoyable night at the movies. Just remember to check your brain at the door...
Jackass: The Movie (2002)
It's not high-art, but it's damn funny...
I've been a fan of the show since it premiered on MTV. These guys are absolutely nuts and do things that are so crass, disgusting, and lewd that one can't help but laugh.
The movie one-ups the TV show by showing stunts that would never pass the TV censors. Some bits are side-splittingly hilarious while others are just plain gross and go well beyond good taste.
But, as the title says, high-art this certainly isn't. It's just plain old juvenille fun...
Fans of the show won't be disappointed. The only people that might not find it funny are those who don't enjoy gross-out humor..
In any event, it's certainly worth seeing at least once. I, for one, wasn't disappointed.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
The best Bond film in years...
TWINE has received mixed reviews from the press, so I was a bit skeptical after being let down by the previous Bond films. But, as always, I went in with an open mind.
What I saw surprised me. Quite simply, this is the best Bond film since License To Kill. We see a Bond that is a bit more raw and gritty. Sure, we've got all the great gadgets that we've come to know and love.. but all aspects of the film are first rate, resulting in a great action/adventure film.
As far as the actors go, I'll sum it up quickly: Pierce Brosnan is at his best, Denise Richards isn't nearly as bad as people make her out to be, Sophie Marceau is PERFECT as the villianess, Robert Carlyle is the best Bond villian in years (although not nearly as good as Goldfinger or Sanchez), and the MI6 gang live up to standards.
One nice addition that I really got a kick out of is Q's (Desmond Llewelyn) replacement, R, played by John Cleese. I can't wait to see him in future installments of the Bond franchise. :)
All in all, TWINE is well done and, as I said before, the best Bond in years. If you enjoy good action/adventure films, you should DEFINATELY check out The World Is Not Enough. You won't be disappointed...
Analyze This (1999)
Very funny stuff...
This is, hands down, Billy Crystal's best acting to date. His mobster schtick towards the end is absolutely fantastic! DeNiro plays his typical Italian tough guy role but with a completely new twist. I've never seen a man cry so much in a movie.. until now.
This movie is really funny with lots of subtle humor. If you keep an eye on the video tapes DeNiro's character packs in his bags when he leaves the hotel you will understand what I mean.
Funny.. funny.. funny...
200 Cigarettes (1999)
A good comedy with a great cast and a witty storyline...
The previews for this movie certainly caught my attention, so I went with a couple friends on opening night.
The movie was pretty funny, with a loose plotline where we follow a bunch of completely unrelated people around on New Years Eve. Each person starts the evening trying to hook up with someone else... but the evening ends with everyone hooking up with someone completely different.
In the event that you haven't seen it yet, I don't want to give away any more of the plot. I will tell you that the interactions between different groups of characters are pretty damn funny.
Dave Chapelle is a riot, but I believe that it is Courtney Love that truly shines. I didn't think much of her as an actress before, but her character is very witty and I enjoyed her performance the most.
The rest of the cast is also very good, although I wish the Affleck brothers had more prominent parts as they are both fine actors (as evidenced in Good Will Hunting).
This is a good movie and worth seeing for some good laughs. This is fantastic material for a date movie, too. ;)
Modulations (1998)
Very well done
Being a fan of electronic music for several years now, I was surprised that a full scale documentary on the history of techno was produced.
I got a chance to catch it at the Motor Lounge in Hamtramick and what I saw surprised me. This documentary is incredibly well done. It covers the history of electronica from its earliest origins in the 1950's to the modern day rave scene.
The audio is fantastic and any music lover should appreciate the facts presented within the movie. Modulations covers most of the bases, including the various techno scenes across the world. They interview many artists and the man who started it all (inventing the Moog Synth). This is great stuff.....
The audio and video are fantastic and I hope that they release this on DVD in the near future.