Change Your Image
roset60
Reviews
Syriana (2005)
great thought provoking
The movie tried to convey a lot besides the several plots. The dress of the people, the interaction between guest workers, Arabs with intelligence, senses of humor. Muslim guys who are bad but human, not demons with tails.The wife of the guy who misses out being Emir is stunning, I wish the camera lingered on her more, such a refreshing change from your standard Hollywood blonde. I found it difficult to sort out some things at the end - maybe I will see it again to fix that. The movie does convey the idea that US oil companies are all powerful, with exception of some Chinese competition, but in actual fact the foreign oil companies really dominate (as far as size goes) and other countries are doing their best to influence and knock off those who are not compliant. This is standard feature of history, too bad because such behavior leads to wars. The Chinese as the enemy is not focused on in the movie - very good, leave it to Lou Dobbs and CNN to create the climate for war with China over oil.
Derailed (2005)
Worked okay, but some plot holes, a little slow at times
No spoilers here. I was impressed with Aniston - I have never seen any of her TV shows and all I knew about her was what I read on the covers of magazines while I waited in the checkout line at the local supermarket. She did a great job. I found RZA just did not work - almost but just not there, the Winston character was not believable (although I saw some reviews that claimed he stole the show).
There were some real holes in the script. Bad guys don't store money, Winston didn't seem like a guy to drive a Mercedes, fingerprints left at lots of places, bad guys (blackmailers of the type in the movie) wouldn't tend to hang around in the neighborhood.
But it was an enjoyable movie with twists and turns in the plot, the violence was nowhere near what I expected after reading reviews - some were describing it in terms usually reserved for horror movies.
When I saw it the theater was filled with young women, I suppose they came to see Clive Owen, and you do get to stare at his face a lot. I preferred looking at Melissa George, Georgina Chapman and Catherine McCord.
Prime (2005)
Not to my taste
I was surprised when I went to an early show of this movie on a Saturday night. It has been playing for about a week, and when they sold me the ticket they said it was "sold out" the previous night and would this night as well. In the audience there were a lot of women, and especially older women.
I think the movie worked well for the audience, but not for me. The movie was slow moving. The script was weak, Uma did as best she could but did not come across well as a newly divorced woman who hears her biological clock ticking - the script has her behaving no differently from a much younger woman, many of whom have the same concerns. The script on the other hand has her young lover acting like you would expect a kid to act in the situation. The acting was generally successful except for the peculiar role of Morris, but again he was given a poor script to work with, displayed none of the jealous holy cow I would like in on something like that wonder that a very young man with very little sexual experience would feel if his best friend is getting it every night.
Don't you get a little tired of the "ethnic equals warm loving family", especially the "jewish warm loving family"? Grandpa is a lovable old guy, grandma has sharp remarks, you have seen this family dozens of times.
And it may sound like a joke, but my doctor(s) over the years have always spotted when I was using Q-tips to clean my ears - they didn't comment on eardrum damage, just that the ear skin just outside the eardrum is very delicate and it scratches and tears very easily. The advice I got again and again, before I finally followed it, was "don't put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear".
I almost walked out, but suffered through it. I didn't think Streep did such a great job, just ordinary acting. Great movie I suppose for older women fantasizing.
Where the Truth Lies (2005)
I was surprised, liked it very much
First of all I almost didn't see this movie. I read the comments on this thread and decided I didn't want to see borderline porn that didn't relate to a plot. I have not read the book the movie script was based on. I saw the movie in Canada, where it was rated 18A - I am not sure what that means, maybe must be over 18 unless accompanied by an Adult. There were very few people in the theater, but it was a Monday night.
Well, I found I liked the movie a lot, it is very well done. Whatever sex is in there does in fact contribute a lot to the character development and the plot. One can perhaps argue that it didn't have to be as explicit, but it could have been more so too, so I thought the balance was okay (although I did not have to see moisture around the mouth after an episode). If you want to see sex that has nothing to do with a story see the oral sex in A History of Violence. The basic theme of the mystery I thought became obvious early on, although Who Done It was not so obvious and took the movie to sort out.
Maybe the casting of the two male leads could have been better, but the work they did convincing the viewer they were a comedy duo came across okay. Of the two I thought Bacon was the most poorly cast, but he did a remarkable acting job to make up for it. I don't know who I would suggest in his place, maybe someone who was bad looking or looked more like someone who grew up in the circumstances he was supposed to have grown up with - maybe someone who clearly looked like a person who would not be able to get women for casual sex without first acquiring fame and fortune. What we got worked, but not perhaps as well as it could have worked, which is why I rated it a 9 instead of a 10.
A History of Violence (2005)
Not complex, poor acting, boring
This was a very slow moving picture, and some of the acting was really poor (the male lead, the little girl, the wife, the gay son). William Hurt was great, but only had a small part in the movie. Some of the bad guys were fine too. The supposedly deep loving relationship between husband and wife never got off the ground for me, in spite of the hot sex they didn't appear to have any chemistry. The son's problems, relationship with his Dad were artificial, not credible. Most of the 'acting' consisted of anguished facial expressions. The little girl was terrible, but she was given poorly written dialog so maybe for that she should be given some slack (compare her performance to the irritating but well acted little girl in War of the Worlds). I went to see this movie because of a five star rating in a review in the local newspaper. What a mistake!
Broken Flowers (2005)
Had some moments, but ultimately boring.
I found myself checking my watch frequently in this movie, some times the pace is really slow. Murray does a great job in his blank, low key way, but ultimately his character is not believable.True to Hollywood tradition all the women are beautiful, and he is a nerdy computer guy (and supposedly had success with women years ago before he became wealthy). There is the obvious moral component, how little there is in this fellow's life compared to the colorful joy of a life filled with a loving wife and children. Although beautiful, none of his old friends are comparable to his next door neighbor, who is good looking too and the mother of five healthy young children. Of course the only husband in the movie who is admirable is his next door neighbor. Once the movie was over the message I got was that instead of looking for beautiful women when he was younger he should have focused on women who were good cooks, because that appeared to be important to him and might have made a better foundation for a long term relationship. But I don't think he realized that at the end and one expected that his life from then on would be more of the same, i.e. he didn't learn anything.
You will have some good laughs now and then. Lolita really steals the show!
War of the Worlds (2005)
Oh no another lousy Dad who really loves his kids
I got tired of seeing the anguished look on Cruise's face. I got tired of the screaming kid, as cute as she was. The interaction with the son was lame. The only thing I liked about the film was Tim Robbins - he did a great job again playing the on the edge of sanity person with maybe some sexual perversions. It was refreshing to see that it was not the case of Joe Ordinary Guy saving the world, he was just out to accomplish something, a something which I never understood because the whole world was being attacked. I suppose there was an attempt at some serious "time to let go" stuff in there with the son. Special effects were not so special - see the crusade film with the primitive weapons being used at night to attack if you want to see special effects.
Crash (2004)
Hard nosed well acted depressing
All the white guys are dirty or have problems. All the black guys are going through life compromising again and again. It is a well acted movie, a wonderful ensemble, and a hard hitting script that is not too hard hitting - there are occasions when you are on the edge of your seat hoping that what appears to be about to happen does not happen. It only fails in its one-sided portrayal. The average worker - a locksmith, a maid - is angelic, your standard white is as obnoxious as can be. Koreans, Chinese, Iranians come across as standard stereotypes. Worthwhile seeing because it is well done, but you will not feel particularly good later.
Must Love Dogs (2005)
piece of fluff been done many times
Get tired of seeing the same movie again and again. Naturally all the dates she gets fixed up with are losers (from the standard selection) except the obvious choice. There is a gay couple and they are very happy together. Some obnoxious family members. The nicest part of the movie is the wooden rowing craft - not a racing shell, bit more to it, but beautiful. The lonely handsome Dad. The lovely daughter that for some reason somebody dumped. The empty headed promiscuous blonde. The roommate or friend who pretends to some wisdom but is unsuccessful himself. (I have to work to find 10 lines to write about this fluff of a movie.)
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Has its moments
This movie is as described by others, zany, weird, but it had its moments and I had a few laughs. The acting is pretty good except for Hoffman, who adds nothing to the picture and has no chemistry with Tomlin as far as I can see. Really poorly cast in the role, I can think of four or five actors who would have been better. Some stretches will have you looking at your watch, waiting. The original Huckabees Girl was great, a treat to see on the screen when she appeared. Lily Tomlin was superb with her deadpan portrayal. The Huckabee creep did very well too, a superb collapse of his slimy character. Not sure whether I could recommend someone go to this, for many people I could imagine them walking out (as several did during the viewing I attended).
Diarios de motocicleta (2004)
Movie does not do the job
First, the movie does not do the job of really having us see what lay behind the development of Che Guevera. It probably is an impossible task for a short movie - one needs to study history, read more about the man, study the biographies of others (for example, Chou EnLai in China).
Second, I have to comment on some of the comments I read here. The people of Argentia I believe are basically made up of three ethnic groups: German, English, and Italian. The natives there were pretty much wiped out. That is why many of the people in Argentina looked "European".
This movie described a trip that took place in the fifties. You can judge the movie (or Guevera) by looking at Castro's running of Cuba, but you may want to consider that in the fifties Cuba was run by gangsters. It would also help to understand what the world was like if you recognized that all the freedoms that are lacking in Cuba that Americans hold sacred, in the fifties were not available to a substantial part of the US population.
The US has changed dramatically since then, without the kind of all-encompassing violence that has plagued other states which have people pressing for change - a credit to African American leaders and the US government system. It is too bad that Cuba did not have the leadership or the system to change as well. On the other hand, the Cuban dictatorship from the start had to defend itself against an America that preferred the previous gangster government, because it was non-communist, and it was (is) able to resist change by using the need for defense as an excuse.
Guevera was murdered because he was recognized as a charismatic figure who would cause trouble if he was simply put in prison. In present day parlance one would say he was an "enemy combatant" and therefore was not entitled to any trial or any appeal from execution. The problems that Guevera saw still exist.
Taxi (2004)
Not bad
I went to this movie deliberately because the comments on this site were so bad. I wanted to see for myself. Not sure why. Somebody compared its merit to something like the "Fast and the Furious" - I thought that movie was dumb, but entertaining. Well, that was my reaction to Taxi - I had a lot of laughs, so did the rest of the rather sparse audience. Ann Margaret did a great job, she was a surprise for me (I didn't pay any attention to who the people were in the film before I saw it). Queen whatever she is did a good job - is she some personality I should know from other work? Whoever played the Lieutenant had the weakest performance in the cast, but it was acceptable. (As you can see I don't pay much attention to the names of the cast members after I have seen a movie either.)
First Daughter (2004)
Pretty weak
I went to the movie house expecting to see another movie, but I was a day early, so went to see this one. Boring. The whole relationship with the room mate didn't work for me. The room mate role didn't work. Even the whole college scene was not realistic. The college class with the deep remark from Samantha didn't work. The trombone playing could have been the room mate was way overdone. The dance scenes were boring. The general topic is interesting, how someone like a Chelsea Clinton might yearn to have the life of a nobody, but this movie doesn't really explore it with anything but a superficial view. The chocolate cake snack is too big. The relationship with Dad is too superficial. The little guy working for the president was an annoying stereotype. The escape to the White House that Samantha planned was silly.
Deux frères (2004)
Helping animals
The biggest danger to tigers and other large carnivores is not the people who want a pelt but the loss of habitat. The world's human population keeps growing and it needs room.
Some plants are designed to be eaten. For example, fruit like tomatoes wants to be eaten so that the seeds can be spread. But carrots do not want to be ripped out of the ground.
Aside from population discipline what we need are more efficient ways to grow adequate food on less land. One way to do that is through biotechnology, but then again many people are against that.
Judging from the posts in this Board many of you would like to see someone who kills a tiger go to Hell. But I am sure that many other thinking, feeling, sensing animals will be glad to see that someone in Heaven, because that is one less predator to rip their offspring to shreds or to remove Grandpa from the family circle.
Hidalgo (2004)
Enjoyable show - Spoilers
After reading the comments I almost didn't go. But I enjoyed the show.
Some of the comments here about Muslims and how Arabs are portrayed didn't make sense to me, since the movie was set in the late 1800's. About the only thing I could see which would be a comment on our times was that Cowboy made it clear that Americans knew how to get information by torturing someone.
There were some remarks here about horse riding - sure enough, I didn't think that Cowboy looked like he was one with his horse. But riding is indeed something that takes effort - although I have had limited (bad) experience. I was on a horse one time that broke into a gallop when we entered an open field (after it had tried to scrape me off on some trees), following friends who were experienced riders. It was unbelievable, one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had, as the horse shifted into a smooth wavelike motion. Everyone should experience it at least once in their lives. I think that gallop across the field might have been the only time a horse hasn't tried to just get rid of me, because they could tell I didn't know what I was doing.
There was very little portrayed of religion, a lot of the standard fatalism that you hear ("it is in Allah's hands") but most of the characters, good or bad, worked hard to try to get outcomes that they wanted, they didn't just sit around. (Reminds me of a book of proverbs a professor I knew used to quote occasionally - the one I remember was "Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel.")
As far as the veil removal - Cowboy did rescue her after all, and apparently even in the late 1800's some tribes did allow their women to remove their veils. Perhaps more evil was the English woman who mocked the tradition by wearing a see through veil herself in at least one scene, presumably Western women did (or should I say do) this to create a sense of drama, mystery and allure - but that was okay because she was a bad person overall anyway.
The drinking, of Cowboy, the English woman, was tolerated by the Muslims, but again it was not presented in an attractive way - it was clearly presented as a weakness of Cowboy and English woman was a bad person, so who cared if she drank.
A few Mustangs in a park are fine by me, but where I live they have wild horses that compete for grazing with native Elk, so I am happy to see that there are occasional culls. The horses are supposed to end up getting adopted but I suspect that many of them end up in dog food.
It had some of the standard Hollywood formulas - the sportsmanship of the Prince who at the end swallowed his disappointment and gave his judgment about what a fantastic horse Hildago was (rather than sulking or continuing the insults he had hurled along the way). But an effort was made to convey the close bond between Bedouin and their horses - the guy who accepted that he was going to die in the hot mud sinkhole was begging his horse not to come near.
Some people walked out of the theater when I saw the show, but I found it enjoyable and it seemed most of the people in the audience felt the same.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Tiring, same old stuff
I forget how many times I have seen or read this type of story. It just gets tiring - it would be good to have a different take on it. Crowe plays his part as well as one would expect. I didn't care who lived or died in the battles, and I wish at the very end the news about the French doctor had come when the Brits were too far away to do anything about it. The British ship was cast as the underdog, but you knew that wasn't the case - have you ever seen a movie like this where someone of a different nationality wins the day? I got tricked into seeing it by a newspaper review which talked about the realism and historic accuracy of the costuming and ship.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
I wish the talent was used differently
I did not find the violence cartoonish, even the cartoons. I wish the creative talent had been used differently - I felt uncomfortable with the blood and gore. Sure, blood is red and snow is white and an artistic, beautiful creation can come from marrying the two. But why?
Uma may be beautiful but her toes are ugly. They should have used a stand in for the feet - someone with attractive ones.
In the Cut (2003)
Too much director
The director tried too hard to be "creative" and as a result the story flowed too slowly. I found the supposedly interesting camera shots just got in the way. The acting was very good - especially Kevin Bacon. It clearly is a story created by a woman's voice - that is a nice change, but I couldn't wait for it to be over. I didn't find one character to be appealing. Oh maybe the police woman who drove Meg home - she made sure she got safely in the door.
Mystic River (2003)
Good, definitely not great
Some of the acting (Sean Penn, Marcia Gay Harden) was one dimensional. Some was great (Tim Robbins). The movie had trouble ending, as if the director and editors were searching for a conclusion and finally took one because they had to. (It seems for example that the murder investigation is done well with standard mystery cop show work, except at the end Tim Robbins' character disappears and the cops seem to immediately give up on finding what happened to him.)
I really got tired of seeing Marcia Harden's "distressed" look.
This is a dark murder mystery that has nothing to it that makes you feel good, be prepared to be depressed when you leave the theater. Some of the side shows (the cop's wife who calls but doesn't speak to him, Jimmy's wife's reaction to what happens at the end) are plain silly - because we don't know enough about the relationship of the cop and his wife, and we haven't seen enough of the Jimmy wife character (beyond her natural bias towards her own daughters rather than the daughter from a previous marriage) to make the behavior convincing.
Seabiscuit (2003)
Best I have seen this year, ready to read book
This movie was the best I have seen this year. I enjoyed it, and felt I got my money's worth - wasn't checking my watch waiting for a car chase to be over or for the camera to switch away from Annette Bennings face (Open Range). I am going to read the book, because the movie wsan't long enough to really flesh out the characters, although it tried hard. My only criticism is "Hollywood". Here Bridges is supposed to portray a man starting on the bottom and working his way up - but he must have had plenty of capital to invest in a too fancy looking bicycle shop for his first venture. Great hats, especially the Panamas. I liked Bridges' Optimo style. I have seen plenty of kids drive cars, trucks and tractors and while we might have gotten into accidents the reasons were the same as when adults get into accidents, not because we couldn't drive a straight line. Hollywood style. I wish I hadn't seen the "coming attractions", would have liked to have learned about the blind eye while watching the film.
Seabiscuit (2003)
Best I have seen this year, ready to read book
This movie was the best I have seen this year. I enjoyed it, and felt I got my money's worth - wasn't checking my watch waiting for a car chase to be over or for the camera to switch away from Annette Bennings face (Open Range). I am going to read the book, because the movie wsan't long enough to really flesh out the characters, although it tried hard. My only criticism is "Hollywood". Here Bridges is supposed to portray a man starting on the bottom and working his way up - but he must have had plenty of capital to invest in a too fancy looking bicycle shop for his first venture. Great hats, especially the Panamas. I liked Bridges' Optimo style. I have seen plenty of kids drive cars, trucks and tractors and while we might have gotten into accidents the reasons were the same as when adults get into accidents, not because we couldn't drive a straight line. Hollywood style. I wish I hadn't seen the "coming attractions", would have liked to have learned about the blind eye while watching the film.
Open Range (2003)
Mixed feelings
I have mixed feelings about this movie. Some of the acting is great (the immediate communication of a love interest between Kevin Costner and Annette B) some is not so good. Some of the movie moves along nicely, other parts drag. Annette B has a nice face to look at and the first moments we see her wrinkles we understand that she is older - but it does get tiring to linger so much on her face so many times. There is no character development of her part - just in one line do we find that she has been "disappointed" by other men. We get the point that cowboys don't talk much and say important (but cryptic) things when they do, but here the dialogue is almost always awkward and stilted. The bit about what the gunfighters' names really are was silly. The scenary was beautiful, the details in the sets and costumes were interesting, although few things in the movie besides a deck of cards looked like they had been used at all - real Hollywood.