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Reviews
What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? (2004)
A movie created to make you think
This is an interesting movie that tries to combine the spiritual world with science. In our current society, trying to bring these two together usually results in explosive arguments. The science presented here is extremely basic with respect to physics and psychology. This is perfect for the mainstream U.S. audience since these two subjects aren't a large part of the majority of people's lives (including myself).
I have to agree that some of the movie's points are really out there. But I think they are designed to make you think. I do believe people are capable of seeing a person or object, but not truly noticing or appreciating it until they know more about that person or object. For example, if someone is attracted to you (but you don't know them), will you notice them amongst a large crowd of people? What about in the same crowd of people, say in a subway everyday between 8am and 9am? Obviously you see that person, but since you have no personal link with that person he/she is filtered out as part of the crowd. It's not until contact is made that you will recognize and remember an individual many years into the future (eye, touch, verbal, etc).
The notion of thoughts affecting our bodies shouldn't be new to anyone. Just think about how your body tenses up when you're stressed, how time seems to fly by for the first few times you try something new, how time seems to slow when you are performing routine tasks. While I do agree that thinking positive could help certain people, there are others that are born with genetic defects which cannot be helped by only the mind.
When religion is brought into the equation, this movie does grasp for straws in a few places. I am definitely not religious, but I thought some of the philosophical discussions should definitely be taken with a grain of salt to anyone who is religious. Once anyone starts making claims about what happened two thousand years ago the sounds of a shovel should be played in the background. The only spiritual part of the movie which has any value is the notion of fate and the choices we make in our everyday lives (and how those choices affect others).
There were definitely a few parts of this movie that left me scratching my head. But I kept an open mind (the side story with the deaf woman was so-so) and finished watching the entire film. If you are a scientist waiting to pick apart the scientific portion of this movie, you might want to pass on this one. Think about it, you have prejudged the movie before seeing it. In this respect, the film seems to convey the thought that your attitude in life will affect your life experiences.
Silent Hunter (1995)
The Silent Hunter extracts revenge!
Wow, I can't believe I flipped to this movie on digital cable. It's hard to believe that this movie was made less than ten years ago. I kept hitting info on my remote control to remind myself. The acting in this movie is probably the worst. Not only were cue cards or teleprompters used, they didn't even know the lines in some cases. I swear some of them could have been made up. The cops in this movie don't take cover: they just shoot and stand in the same place! The redeeming elements are actually the bad lines themselves. I caught myself chuckling a few times during the movie as the actors tried to read their lines with emotion. One other element was that things didn't blow up just because they fell off a cliff. This just seems so cliche of movies these days. It's refreshing to see that it doesn't always happen (even if the person dies anyway). For a revenge B movie, go for the Wraith instead.
Cool as Ice (1991)
Mixture of "so bad it's good", "just bad", and weirdness.
Curiosity of the movies at the bottom of IMDB's list brought my co-worker and myself to investigate this movie. Since it's not locally available for rental, he opted to bid for it on e-bay (he was the only bidder, the first sign?). The movie opens with a dance/music video (don't worry friends, if this is what you're after this movie contains a plethora of them). Ice is a badass rapper/dancer (they should have just cast Vanilla Ice "as himself", it would have made more sense) who take a trip to visit some relatives who live in the countryside (you later find out he's a Chemistry major at Harvard!) before going back to college. Their relative's house is a strange one, writing all over the walls, doors that are lined up one right after the other, spinning globes on the front lawn... The "movie music" (i.e. none of the 90s pop hits or ice's own raps) is also badly placed. Moments of tenseness are filled with a goofy kind of circus music. I actually had to fast forward one part of the movie involving a date that ended up at a construction site. The way Ice and the female lead character fall in love is just ridiculous. The best part is when they're hanging out at the girl's house, try to figure out how Ice got there in the first place! This movie's redeeming qualities come from the unintentional laughter you get from the music, the lack of actor quality (listen to how well some of the lines are read by some of the smaller roles), and cheesy love/action scenes that come one right after the other.
Life Without Dick (2002)
This movie had its moments like so many other bad movies...
From the get-go, this movie feels awkward. Some of the lines seem forced, and it almost seems like the script was made up as the movie went along (or a very close set of friends reviewed the script and all gave a thumbs up). Why are there so many bad movies these days? Sarah Jessica Parker (who delivers a much better performance in Sex and the City) is a bit too cute throughout the entire movie until she resumes her other persona. But even this can't save the boring movie with a ridiculous plot (wait until you see who she hooks up with and eventually falls for?!). I think if producers want to stop losing money, they should randomly pick people and give them a summary of the movie (or a watered down script) to see if anyone should even bother.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
The movie that helped us enjoy high school a little bit more!
Even if you don't like 80s music, you can't help but find the soundtrack to this movie infectious (track listings are posted on fan websites all over the Internet though there was never an official soundtrack). Matthew Broderick is an extremely likeable character as Ferris Bueller: an intensely popular high school student with a close circle of friends. I'm not advocating ditching high school classes and dodging parents, but this movie conveys a true sense of anxiety and excitement while skipping classes and barely making it home in time to finish off a day that could not have gone better. A cult classic that belongs in the adventure/comedy section of a video collection.