acooke's Reviews

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

10/10

20 May 2005

Warning: Spoilers

(disclaimer: I'm too excited to be aware of any spoilers I might leak by accident.....read at your own risk!)

So....a presence I've not felt since I was 9 years old watching "Return of the Jedi" for the first time with my mom and brother....Darth Vadar dies and I cry! I haven't felt this way about a movie, one where it stayed with me the next day (and longer) in a loooong time. Maybe ever.....

first things first, the action was great but it had a purpose...it was dramatic, gut-wrenching (not violent), depressing and so many other things. Your emotions just run wild as you hope upon hope that somehow the inevitable ending won't end how you know it will end :-) Ewan McGregor does a great job and has truly grown into his own with the character of Obi-Wan. Hayden is head and shoulders above his previous effort (which I thought wasn't all that bad) and Natalie Portman.....oh dear Natalie....she's wonderful! Finally breaking out of the mold of the other films where she seemed out of place...your heart generally breaks for her.

All the supporting actors turn in superb roles as well: Samuel L, Jimmy Smits, heck..even Yoda gave a great performance...and he's not even real! But, no doubt...Ian McDirmaid was unbelievable as the Emperor! Total slime from top to bottom. He transforms from a sweet, old grandfatherly man right before our eyes to the worst thing in the universe...completely evil, 100% sinister! Give him the Oscar!! (OK OK, we know that isn't going to happen)

So, in closing, in order to enjoy this film you must do three things:

1.) suspend all reality 2.) relax 3.) enjoy the film as a FAN and not freakin' Roger Ebert

then you should do just fine! The best was certainly saved for last! Enjoy everyone!!

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Troy (2004)

Play On Orlando.........

14 May 2004

Sooooo..........Wolfenstein Peterson left "Batman versus Superman" for this??

No worries........it's excellent!!!

My thoughts on the Leads:

Brad Pitt - he's not exactly Russel Crow in "Gladiator" but he looks really, really good and it's believable that Achillies coulda looked like him, I suppose. (His fight scene's are worth the price of popcorn alone.......)

Eric Bana - since the Hulk sucked, if people don't know his name after this movie, something is wrong. He was great........just a killer performance. The rock of the picture. His character is clearly not as great as Achillies, but he portray's Hector as a stand up, honorable warrior.....man, a heck of a job!!

Orlando Bloom - reprising his role as Legolas, er....I mean, Will Turner.....oops....wrong again........This dude must seriously have the best job in the world. Play in 5 of the biggest grossing, most hyped films of the year for the past 4 years and always look good doing it. Honestly, I've seen OB in this role so much, I think that's how he is in real life......haha. All in all, he played his role well.....

This was a great way to spend an evening if you like epic action and larger-then-life characters. Enjoy!

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Conan the Barbarian (1982)

sometimes I wonder how arnold got to be such a hit.....

21 January 2004

yeah.........so, I just got done watching (or fast-fowarding through) Conan the Barbarian. Apparently this was the one that made A-nuld such a big star. I can't really see why, considering the fact that this was the worst B-movie I've ever seen. Naturally watching one of his movies isn't the same as watching Brando or Pacino, but man....what was the point of this picture?? if it was just sheer popcorn entertainment, I think I missed something...

Luckily James Earl Jones "saves" some of this piece with a few good lines of dialogue, but other then that, the action is cheesy, the blood is way over the top and ridiculous and the acting is....well, not really acting. There's not even what you might consider plot development. Just conan the quiet boy, conan the quiet man, conan the gladiator, conan the sex machine, conan the crucified, conan the executioner.....that's it ya'll....

So get some popcorn and have the fast-foward button handy, b/c you're going to be pushing this one through to the end so you can finish in time to watch leno.......play on playa...

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Ocean's Eleven (2001)

9/10

The Cast, the plot, the game: you in or you out???

8 December 2001

Ok, now I'm sure that the guy who reviewed this movie first is very smart, but come on....a "lifeless disappointment???" He's clearly "out" as Danny Ocean would have said last night.

This movie was awesome....it hit on all points. I have been waiting to see this movie since I first saw the cast listing last year. It didn't fail to live up to everything I expected. Clooney and Pitt were perfect together and Andy Garcia was good enough as a villian to get people hating him (or at least intensly disliking him). The rest of the cast was dead-on as well and quite funny.

The other thing, and probably my favorite thing, was that no one in the cast got short changed. Everyone got their bit of screen time and their "moment to shine" so to speak. The other cool thing was that all the "major players" in the movie got to interact with each other together on screen. Gracia-Clooney, Damon-Pitt, Clooney-Roberts. It seemed like everyone was on the same page and that they all actually seemed like they wanted to be there.

Other then that, the plot was silly and wack but creative and funny. The players were so smooth in pulling of this heist and the twists and turns keeps you guessing the entire time. Just for the record, this crime would never happen in a million years in real life, but this is not real life. So, if you are looking for an escape, something to totally relax to....Ocean's Eleven is that movie!!!

If nothing else, watch it for the cast alone. You might not see this many major players together in one movie again for a while.

You in or you out?????

a

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Once Upon a Crime... (1992)

Once Upon a Laugh.....

2 February 2001

and this flick has got a ton of them. I love the cast first of all. Richard Lewis and Jim Belushi play kinda blumbling goofballs. Lewis' interactions with Sean Young are first rate. The line about "that picture comes in every wallet" is classic. John Candy is good with the accent and acting nervous all the time. In general this film has that "mysterious-but-not-quite-scary" feel to it. George Hamilton plays, well.....George Hamilton. Great cast, great laughs.....this film rocks....watch it with your girlfriend.....

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Christmas Vacation (1989)

A Real Holiday Heavyweight!!!!

2 February 2001

Of all of Chev's films, I would have to say this ranks in the top three. It never gets old and his slap stick humor is great. The cast is solid which is one of the reasons this picture never gets boring. Randy Quaid adds that depth of goofiness that many comedies lack. The guy who said that this film is BEHIND "A Christmas Story" and "It's a Wonderful Life" is crazy. Those movies don't compare to this one b/c they're not funny....they're boring. This is a classic. Rent it on christmas eve and watch it after you do your bible story.

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Funny Farm (1988)

This Movie Sucks!!!!

2 February 2001

Chevy starts his fall into oblivion with this masterpiece.......or lack thereof. The story itself could have been interesting but the laughs weren't consistant at all. I think if he had a better leading lady this picture might have made it three good ones in a row for Chev....but alas, it didn't.

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Caddyshack (1980)

3/10

this movie is terrible!!!!!

2 February 2001

Caddyshack anyone? No spoilers here but.....don't waste your time on this one. Great cast and some very funny people, but they really do much funny stuff. Chevy Chase is wasted in a semi-serious role. If his character had been more like "Fletch" this movie wouldn't have been so terrible. Don't waste your blockbuster card on this c**p........

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acooke

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