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Reviews
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
A fun movie- more than you can expect from an action flick
I went in to the theater feeling forced, thinking only of the miserable reviews that this film got. Action films seem less and less interesting too, which foreshadowed my view of the film. Yet, I found X-Men 3 quite entertaining, with all the action sequences (amazing things made to seem like reality), delectably evil villains, and interesting subtext and room for discussion. The concept of a cure is quite interesting and sparks an interesting debate, while the film's cartooniness is actually well done. I could not expect character development when seeing this movie, but there were some interesting happenings. They were not good characters, but good caricatures. All in all, it put me back into the mood of seeing action movies because it's an exception to the usual mold.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
An emotional love story that defied all expectations
For half a year, I constantly saw comments in magazines, on TV, and in newspapers, about how Jake Gyllenhal and Heath Ledger would be "hot gay cowboys." That's not how the movie turned out, thankfully. the movie was a love story by any normal standards, with two actors so committed to their characters that the love between Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar was that of the love between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. Yet the movie showed the point in a neutral but emotional fashion. It showed the prevention of love that is as normal as any love. But the movie also showed the beauty of Brokeback Mountain and captured the cowboy environment magnificently, a feat that has often been ignored.
To sum it up, Ang Lee has created a masterpiece, a second Casablanca, complete with an excellent score, gorgeous cinematography, and a love that brings joy to the heart and then tears it apart. The movie captures the point of view of each character, Jack, Ennnis, and their wives, and displays how homophobia can reach everyone in our society. This movie will change you forever.
Munich (2005)
A very well-made, thrilling movie whose message is a little messed up
Having seen Munich yesterday myself and wondering how its politics would be, I was very surprised. In the film, while Spielberg showed the killings as gruesome, he focused more on the personal elements of Avner and the terrorists' lives. I expected that the movie would be outright against the "revenge," and it was a pleasant surprise to me that the film treated it as something justified but a little too far. The politics I found pretty clear, though, was that Israel is supposedly "sleazy" and "careless." However, the film was INSPIRED by real events, so most of it could all be seen as playing into Avner's personal life.
What the film failed to grasp was that Israeli (and even some American) anti-terror missions are both vengeful and preemptive, as assassination of these terrorists helped bring an end to years of terror, as shown in the news clips in Munich. Also, a small detail that was interesting was the terrorists always driving Mercedes Benzes.
It was a very good film, though, and to me showed what people who work to fight against terrorism must go through and their emotional breakdowns. It left me with mixed feelings about its politics and how truthful they were, although much of the movie wasn't actually true, but it also left me with one definite feeling: terror.
Exodus (1960)
A movie that excels all expectations- and offers a rare glimpse of history
I know it's not the most talked about movie, but put it on your list- it should be in the top. This is a film that will certainly bring some sort of emotion to you- passion, hate, love, anger... While following the lives of a couple of post-Holocaust Jews, it manages to show every step of the way to the creation of the State of Israel.
The film goes from Cyprus to a boat to Israel, all while remembering historical events during the Holocaust, Israel, and much more. Unlike many modern films that are decisively pro or anti-Israel (sometimes to the extreme), this one displays its message eloquently but clearly, although it leaves some room for you to decide how to perceive it. Yet it can also be watched as a love story or a survival epic. It shows reason for the wrong and the right and has the ability to change your opinion. Ultimately, the movie leaves you thinking about all it has to say and what its characters had to say.
It has great cinematic quality too. Paul Newman and Lee J. Cobb are great as their parts, portraying real people in real situations. The cinematography is excellent, too, with shots that bring the emotion to you and put you in the mindset of each character. The epic score tops it all off- it is the key to this movie's wonder. It keeps everything flowing and depending on its variation can match the emotion of any scene. Finally, Otto Preminger's direction tops it off. The drama is raw and truthful, while on a grand scale that few other movies have been able to capture.
The Producers (1967)
A dry movie that requires effort to laugh
I saw this movie in anticipation of the new one and the Broadway play. It was disappointing after hearing about how great the play was. because Mel Brooks didn't use as many jokes as he normally does, and the two stars of the movie, Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel, were not as good as they could be. Neither of them had very many quirks, except for Mostel's sexual quirk, which is almost completely ignored in the whole movie except the beginning. A couple of rare moments in the movie shined, however, with Mel Brooks-type quirks. One example is the audition for the part of Adolf Hitler with many hysterical freaks trying to do what they think is excellent but truly pathetic. It ends with LSD's audition, which is funny as $#**! The other part is the Busby Berkely opening of the musical, making fun of Nazis, etc. However, towards the end the movie starts to seem more like a semi-adventure movie, which doesn't fit any of the movie's makers at all.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
A semi-funny movie with horrific singing
Yes, everyone, Rick Moranis is pretty funny. Steve Martin- pretty funny. The plant's voice- pretty funny. None of them funny enough. There is pretty much one part of the movie that actually makes you laugh, rather than asking you to laugh as charity. This is the Bill Murray cameo, in which he goes contrary to everyone else's reactions to a dentist, is hysterical, and makes one marvel at how a part with little or no lines can be that funny. However, I suggest you mute the television whenever they start singing. Whoever plays Audrey, combined with Rick Moranis, sounds like cats being tortured. Whenever a musical number finished, I would sigh with relief that a moment of horror was over. It's good enough to watch if you are planning on performing in the musical, but not a good leisure activity.
King Kong (2005)
The first good movie this season.
Great Movie- the acting is pretty good, enough that parts of the movie can safely rely on it. I don't know how she did it, but Naomi Watts actually has chemistry with the digitally created Kong, enough to make scenes between them emotional, from funny to sad. The special effects are not overused. Not only are the special effects sequences exciting, but they're funny to watch with Kong expressing his enormous power and some gags added in. The recreation of 1930's New York in this movie was simply incredible. It looked as realistic as it would have if they had filmed the movie in modern New York, with people getting in and out of old cars and complete recreations of old Broadway signs and gigantic theaters. We all know that the movie was made on a grand scale, but it's so simple and fun that it almost seems like a more exciting colorization of the 1930's original. This movie should be near the top of your must see list; it's the first good movie I've seen this season.