Change Your Image
RobertMorganAU
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Lies & Illusions (2009)
How bad? Really Bad. Really, really bad.
How bad could a movie be, really? Watch this movie to find out!
The almost comedic element towards the end of the movie suggests its producers know how bad it is. It's almost inconceivable that
Unbelievable rubbish. Irrecoverable trash.
Gives B-grade movies a bad name...
Christian Slater and Cuba Gooding Jr must be really resenting this little number on their cv's.
I've binned the DVD. It's that bad - not even worth passing on at any price.
It's not worth 10 lines of review text - it's a laboratory case of failed direction and production. The horror, the horror...
In the Loop (2009)
An amazing and surprising gem of a movie
Picked up the DVD on sale at the local store after reading the cover, thinking that it might be an OK movie.
It's not just an OK movie - it's an absolute cracking political satire, a biting comedy that, like the very best of the genre, also has the subtle irony of real tragedy - weaving in themes and clues that match the real-world revelations of faked intelligence and expedient international politics that led America and the UK to justify war in Iraq.
But don't think for a moment that this is a serious or heavy-going movie. It's a watchable, riotous and hilarious roller-coaster of a thing. I'm just amazed that it's such a well kept secret. This is a movie that deserves a cult following, and is a very safe recommendation for the weekly pizza night, or similar.
The DVD is a real gem, as it contains longer scenes in the "extra features" focusing on each character in turn - and many of them are wonderfully disgusting, incompetent, slimy, or all of the above.
In summary, it's one of the most enjoyable films I've watched for years, and finally brings to international politics a portrayal that it so richly deserves.
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
Probably the worst movie that I've ever seen
Just for the record, I generally obtain some level of enjoyment from almost every movie that I watch, including plenty that the critics disparage.
This movie, however, is different. It's a waste of precious time that could be better spent picking fluff from your navel, cutting toenails, or doing something that's less unpleasant than watching this.
I humbly suggest that the balance of positive reviews on IMDb and elsewhere is NOT an indication that this is an OK movie - it's more likely an indication of failings in our education systems and culture that leave many people unaware of depth in any story, even one of lightweight and innocent amusement. Yes, I'm annoyed, and it shows.
The script deserves a special category at the Oscars ("and the award for most nauseatingly predictable screenplay goes to...") and the glib lack of any depth and credibility in the characters is an insult to any audience. I'd also concur with the many other reviewers who found some of the stereotypes bordering on offensive.
If you feel happy and mushy inside after watching this movie, there's no need to panic - but I'd pleadingly ask that you maybe try watching almost any other Reese Witherspoon movie or, better still, go read a good book or two.
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Hard to explain, but go with me for a moment...
Films about hit men, killing people, I'm generally struggling to see the lighter side. But somehow this one doesn't get entangled in that equation. A glancing blow, generationally speaking, with enough empathy on both the impossibility and surprising opportunities of going back home. The hard-side to the plot somehow stays in the fiction section, while a life-redeeming relationship looms real. I must be in the target zone, as the strongly period soundtrack pushed all the buttons on my recollection of T minus 10 years (probably 20 by the time you read this). Strange that my own children found it equally entertaining - they're a tough crowd. Some great humor, quirky characters, happily ever after, and close enough to my favorite movie ever. Which is surprising, given that I just grabbed it, unaware, off the Ex-Rental On-Sale shelf. Oh, and listen up for those bits of rapid-fire dialog.
Viva Las Nowhere (2001)
Feels more like a European film made in America
Viva may disappoint those viewers expecting the usual movie formula that builds steadily to a finish of climax/crisis/closure/resolution etc. If you enjoy a more European style of story + ambiance, with less reliance on a last-minute closure piece, then you'll likely find great enjoyment in Viva. I rate it way above the 5.8 that it's currently averaging, and I've noticed that a good many movies of a similar genre lose out by voters confused and trying to "get to the point" of the movie (there isn't one). It's not sharp, incisive, nor ground-breaking, and the real gems are the great character roles, the meandering story, with moments of great visual splendor or visual poetry, if that makes sense. Very enjoyable film for this viewer.
11 Harrowhouse (1974)
There are two versions... and it matters
I saw Harrowhouse on TV many years ago and loved it for it's period atmosphere, modest intrigue, topped off with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek narration by Grodin. Where the B-grade plot and action fell short, the dry humour of the narration supplied irony and maybe self-parody. Renting it on VHS many years later, it took some time to figure why it fell so flat - the VHS version had no narration, and presented as merely a sincere but inadequate attempt at thriller/drama genre.
I'd be curious to know which version each reviewer saw - the 'vanilla' but one-dimensional (original?) version, or the narrated and somewhat quirky TV version. I'm hoping that the narrated version eventually appears on DVD - it's on my list.