Vanyel Reviews

My Side of the Mountain (1969)

Completely destroys the theme of the book

[2/10 · 16 July 2009]

The movie isn't too bad, up until...

The main problem is with the ending, so it's a pretty major spoiler...

For the time it was made, it's a beautiful movie, and does get a lot of it right.

However...

In the book, Sam succeeds and lives his dream, whereas in the movie, he gives up and goes back to the city, completely destroying the "you can do what you put your mind to" theme of the book.

This movie is a desecration, and instead of remaking classics that don't need redone, the Hollywood types who haven't any better ideas should do this one, right this time.

The Mudge Boy (2003)

Pointless, but some good acting

[3/10 · 11 August 2008]

There are two good aspects of this movie:

1. Emile Hirsch's acting really stands out (he's not bad shirtless either)

2. It does a good job of showing how forcing yourself into the closet twists you in unpleasant ways.

Beyond that, the movie is pointless and goes nowhere, nothing more than a brief window into disturbed lives. They don't get much out of the experience, and neither do we.

Since IMDb seems to think that reviews have to be wordy to be worth posting, I'll add that in some places, the movie plods (and I *don't* think movie has to be an action movie to be good: Maurice is one of my favorites). I have to give additional points to Emile for being willing to do some of the things it looks like he did for real with the chicken too (though I doubt the last bit was for real, hopefully).

Rock Haven (2007)

"Latter Days" for mainstream Christians...almost

[5/10 · 26 June 2008]

This is a good movie for the conservative religious to see, in hopes that it might show them the harm their narrow-minded views have, and how unchristian they are, but it's only mediocre at that.

The best part of it is that you really feel the love Clifford feels for Brady, and you really do see how conflicted Brady is over his feelings. Having grown up in rural America, though fortunately not in such a strongly religious household, the fear and denial are *very* real, and the two actors did a good job in their roles.

I also commend the movie for not artificially contriving to hide body parts. When the clothes come off, they come off just like they would for real, so what if you can see what you know is there? Lastly, though like all the messages this was relatively understated, they did hint at the fact that Brady was basically going through "coming out" as religious, though it would have been pretty obvious. Denial goes both ways, and it's a good thing for those of us non-religious sorts to be reminded to treat those we disagree with with the same respect we expect and deserve.

The main problems with the movie are:

1. It's too painful to watch the train wreck for someone who cares about the couple, and I don't think the message is strong enough to hit home the people who need it.

2. The long drawn out "time passing" scenes feel like they're there to make the movie full length without having to write real dialog. The short snippets that comprise scenes are marginal enough that this is probably a good thing.

It wants to be "Latter Days" for mainstream Christians, but falls fairly short, unfortunately.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Christian fantasy, not Epic fantasy

[2/10 · 19 May 2008]

The only good thing about this movie was that it is visually appealing, from the special effects to the scenery to Ben Barnes. How Kyle Smith could say "it isn't so overtly Christian" is unfathomable, unless he's had no exposure to Christianity whatsoever.

My biggest problem with the movie relates to that: in an Epic fantasy, the heroes earn their victory, and the lessons they learn from their mistakes along the way help them achieve it. In this movie, while the "heroes" do learn a few small things, victory is achieved not through their efforts, but rather because a little girl "believes". Even that is not a big challenge: she knows he's real because she's worked with him before. The only question is whether or not these particular visions are real, and if he's trying to help, what's the point in only letting one person see him? Letting hundreds of people die until some chosen person comes to beg for help is reason for disdain, not adoration.

If I hadn't been there with friends, this would have been only the second movie I've ever walked out of, at about the point when she went off to fetch him and I realized that they were going to end the movie with "deus ex machina".

Jumper (2008)

A good pilot...

[6/10 · 18 February 2008]

Except for the stellar chase sequence, this movie is just a teaser for what could be a really good series. None of the real issues this capability bring up are given more than the briefest of attention. If Journeyman's really been canceled, give *them* charge of this, and something real might come of it. As for the movie, go at economy hour or wait to rent it. Oh good grief, apparently IMDb's been taken over by modern media which thinks you have to be verbose to get your point across. OK, Jamie Bell got short shrift here, he's very good, but only gets limited time to show it in this movie. People seem to like to ding Hayden Christensen, but he and his character are a decent match, though as lazy as they make him out to be in the movie, he'd be a blimp in no time.

Dante's Cove (2004–2007)

Starts out rough, gets better

[5/10 · 16 August 2006]

Someone mentioned 3 parts; I just got the DVD set which is 2 parts. Fortunately the second part redeemed it, because the first part was pretty bad: it's about half softcore porn (going beyond QAF even), and the writing is pretty rough, as is some of the acting.

The second part improves just about everywhere, though some of the writing and acting still leaves a little to be desired. It actually gets gripping and leaves me wanting more, and I certainly don't mind seeing lots of bare chested hunks, especially Gregory Michael! I just wish they'd make up their mind: one minute, they're showing a sex scene out of a soft core porn video, and the next they have the actors contorted in a gruesomely unnatural position in order to avoid showing a body part that they already had on camera early on in the first episode. If they shot it naturally, even though we'd see "everything", the scene would still be far less sexual than the one that preceded it, and would flow much better.

Anyway, if it continues to improve at the rate the 2nd episode did over the first one, I'm looking forward to seeing it continue.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Lovely scenery, story a bit weak

[7/10 · 18 December 2005]

The most outstanding part of this movie is the outdoor cinematography --- it really shows the beauty of the back country. The story, however, is stretched too thin. All you get is a brief peek to see that "yes, this is happening", but you don't really *feel* it happening. To be fair, I got the same feeling from the short story when I read it a few years ago too, and it is a hard thing to do. But that's what this story is about, so it has to succeed on that level for me to give it a 10. The acting was a bit uneven as well: Heath Ledger gave the most moving performances in the movie, though the first breakdown scene didn't quite pull me into it. Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway also get a chance to make us feel for them; they pull it off well, though Anne's scene has no background as to why she should feel that way. I see in the ratings that it's a "love or hate" situation, and I think those people are voting for or against homosexuality and/or Ang Lee, not the movie itself --- it isn't terrible, but it isn't perfect either.

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Grimm indeed

[5/10 · 27 August 2005]

The Brother's Grimm cast includes Matt Damon, Heath Ledger and Jonathon Pryce, all directed by Terry Gilliam --- and I wish it were rare that this much talent was wasted this badly.

From the previews, it looks quite good --- a comedy with the Brother's Grimm being con artists pretending to rid the world supernatural evil, until they run across the real thing and have to deal with it.

It does have its moments, though mainly dramatic ones. For the most part, however, it just doesn't come together. For one, the entire element of France vs Germany, especially including Jonathan Pryce's character and underlings would improve the movie by not being in it. It's a ludicrous bit of farce apparently included to give the characters motivation to go into the forest, but just made me want to leave the theater every time that thread of the story was on screen. If you want the evil king and minions to drive the plot, go back and watch the Princess Bride again to see how to do it.

The special effects are as good as one would expect these days...mostly. The wolf jerkily bounds about like something out of the 50's, and there was one early forest scene where they forgot to remove some of the wires. The trees are the high point here --- when they move, they really look alive. One more thing to thank the Lord of the Rings for, I suspect.

As expected, they throw in elements of many of the popular fairy tales, but more as throw away gags than key elements of the story.

Finally, at the end there is a scene that at first glance is stupidly homophobic. The action itself isn't so much so when you think about what the characters are doing and who they are, but when you think about why it's even in the movie in the first place (to shock the mostly straight audience), you realize that your first impression was right. Not that such situations can't be funny, it's just that in this case, it's sole purpose is to play up and reinforce the "ick factor" that two guys might actually kiss, however unromantically or justified in the situation. It is simply inexcusable today.

I confess, I'm not that big a fan of Terry Gilliam's farces, and his fans will probably be happier with this movie than I was, but I am a big fan of Matt, Heath and Jonathon, and it's really sad to see them in a movie this disappointing.

The Aviator (2004)

Good, but not great, and certainly not Oscar material

[7/10 · 22 February 2005]

I went to see this movie Saturday, and while it's good, it's not great and certainly not worth all the fuss being made over it. Ebert & Roeper oooohhhed and aaaaaahed over the crash scene, which certainly gave you a good perspective, however it was not at all realistic: a plane would not simply fly along straight while a wing on one side slices through a house. It might slice for a little bit, but only until the drag pulled the fuselage into the house demolishing both the plane and the house.

The special effects, while outstanding for say, 5-10 years ago, are mediocre at best these days, particularly golfing: the ball looked like the golf ball in the game in the movie Outland, floating along rather than a realistic arc. The water was done better in Titanic, and while it was probably done as a "stylistic" choice, at times the movie looks like a B&W film badly colorized. No thanks.

As far as the acting goes, it was pretty good, save that I don't understand the Oscar nomination for Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Katherine Hepburn, who must be rolling in her grave at the caricature here.

Leonardo does do a good job playing Howard Hughes, but the script is a little disjointed and the movie, albeit long already, ends before it really shows just how far Howard fell before the end.

In the end, I recommend seeing it, but only at economy hour.

200 American (2003)

A little cliché, but not too bad

[6/10 · 20 February 2005]

Not nearly as bad as the comment "Embarrassing" made it out to be --- I've seen far worse production values and acting, and the lead (Sean Matic) is actually a fairly decent actor. Comparing this movie to porn is incomprehensible, as the movie shows no skin below the belt, and no sexual activity either. Yes, the story is weak, with parts that are both forced and cliché, but there are also parts that break the cliché slightly and a few good emotional moments that end up making it at least watchable.

The interviews on the DVD are interesting, though I haven't yet watched with the commentary track to say how well done they are, but usually the descriptions of "guerrilla film-making" are educational for the filmmaker wannabee...

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Better than a TV-movie...

[7/10 · 29 May 2004]

...but only just. Good effects, lame and implausible story (and that's even ignoring the plausibility of the disaster itself). When will screenwriters learn ways of putting people in imminent danger that they actually have a chance of surviving? You can't outrun explosions, and you can't outrun 100ft waves, especially when you run towards them in a misguided attempt to save someone or stop and stare at them. And in a library full of wood paneling, books are the first thing you start burning to keep warm? Well, I can see starting with certain sections they mention ;-)

I will give it points for the handling of the romance part of the story --- just when you see it heading for the oh so predictable conflict, they pleasantly surprise you. But that's about the only original aspect.

Still, despite it's predictability and implausibility, it was still a watchable movie --- go see it at economy hour...

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004)

Very romantic

[9/10 · 27 January 2004]

I really liked this romantic comedy that leans more toward the romantic rather than the comedic. It's not the silly, fluffy comedy many are, and I particularly that there aren't any really bad guys. You know who's going to win the girl, it wouldn't be a comedy at all if the wrong one won, but you feel a bit for the loser too, and if you don't cry in the scenes counting the smiles, then you've got no sense of the romantic at all.

If I had to pick on the movie at all, it's that the characters played by Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes don't nearly do either one of them justice. I don't fault them --- I just think they didn't have much to work with, but fortunately those characters have limited screen time.

There is a quick reference to Ashton Kutcher, which is all the more amusing when you know that Topher Grace (who plays Pete) co-stars with Ashton on That 70's Show...

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

Very well done

[8/10 · 24 January 2004]

Apparently "what if" has no interest for critics. The Butterfly Effect is basically a thought provoking science fiction look at how someone might try to deal with child abuse, and the ways in which it could go wrong. Some of the audience did laugh at inappropriate times, but I don't fault the movie --- they just have no sensitivity or empathy. I thought Ashton did a good job in his character as well; the people picking on him must know someone who was Punk'd and looking to get revenge or something. The kids playing his character at 8 and 13 did an outstanding job, however, since they also had to carry off an older personality at times and did so very well.

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Just a wrapup, no surprises

[7/10 · 7 November 2003]

Matrix Revolutions was better than Reloaded, but still disappointing: they just wrapped up the story, but there were no surprises. What's worse is that one of the expected surprises didn't materialize, leaving a key question unanswered. Still, it did actually advance the story, with some suspense and definitely great special effects, so I gave it a 7, just barely. With a better story, it could easily have been an 8 or 9 though...

Two Minutes After Midnight (2003)

Amusing

[7/10 · 17 October 2003]

An average joe in a gay bar tries to pick up a gorgeous hunk, only to be squelched pretty rudely. In the men's room shortly thereafter, what must be his Fairy Godmother gives him a ring that lets him change into the object of his selected target's dreams. What follows is a very funny commentary on the variety of sexual interests people have, with a moderately predictable ending. Stay through the credits though --- the disclaimers at the end are very funny too. 7 out of 10.

Ritchie's Itch (2002)

Mildly amusing

[6/10 · 17 October 2003]

Very straight carpenter is having fantasy dreams about being naked and about to have sex with another man. He's upset and confused, and confides in his co-worker, who must be a *very* good friend (I personally can't imagine someone like that admitting to those dreams to anyone). There is a bit of a twist at the end that's amusing, if a bit confusing. I suppose it gives you something to think about, but I didn't believe most of it and what there was to think about wasn't that interesting. 6 for being mildly amusing.

Same Difference (2002)

Abrupt ending

[17 October 2003]

I gave this a 6, but in the showing I saw it in, the audio was so bad it was almost impossible to make any of it out. The other shorts in the collection didn't have this problem, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that it was a problem with this particular instance. That's a lot of benefit, because it was shown digitally. If the audio really is that bad, then I'd lower my vote to a 4.

That said, the movie wasn't too bad, up until the ending. We're going along with good story development, and then it looked like either they ran out of money or allotted time and said "oops, we have to end it now".

Gaydar (2002)

Amusing, great cat

[7/10 · 17 October 2003]

Every gay man has talked about their "gaydar", wishing they had one so they didn't have to waste time chasing cute straight boys they have no chance with. In this movie, that wish comes true. While funny, if a little stereotypical, and complete in its own right, it leaves a some key things unanswered. The star and co-producer, Terry Ray, was at the showing, and said that one of those questions in particular would be answered in a feature length version in the planning stages. There is a cat in the movie that's almost worth the price of admission alone. I'll give it a 7, just.

Yossi & Jagger (2002)

Good, but not great

[15 October 2003]

I don't know why the one commentor felt he had to warn "homophobic viewers" about the beginning of the movie --- it's about as tame as you can get showing two people in love, and homophobic viewers aren't going to watch a love story about two gay guys anyhow.

It was a good movie, but while it may be groundbreaking for an Israeli production, it's far from a groundbreaking story, and was all too predictable. I spent much of the movie hoping that they weren't going to have the obvious ending, especially in light of their poking fun at American movies, only be disappointed when they did exactly that.

The story was also much too thin, but I can't elaborate without a spoiler...

Agent Cody Banks (2003)

Much better than expected

[8/10 · 15 March 2003]

This was a fun movie, very much a teen James Bond, with some wonderful tips to the original, and even spoofs. For example, at the end, his phone rings with the ring from the Flint movies. And in one scene during the movie, you hear in the background, "Will the owner of the silver Aston Martin please move it" ;-) There's even tips to other classics, like a prisoner wearing "AR1138", likely a reference to Lucas's student film THX1138. But the movie itself, while not taking itself too seriously (holographic cell phones ala Star Wars), has a solid story (as much as any action pic) that's not overly predictable and takes you for a good ride. If you don't take it any more seriously than they do, you'll enjoy it as much as any Bond flick. I like Malcolm in the Middle, and also thought that Big Fat Liar was better than expected, and I'm looking forward to more from Frankie Muniz, though I thought Arnold Vosloo was pretty much wasted. He could have been a much more serious villain and made this picture even better.

Borstal Boy (2000)

Good movie...

[7/10 · 27 December 2002]

...but it does sort of meander its way along, and the ending would be rather cliche if it weren't based on a true story. The DVD definitely needs English subtitles; even backing up and replaying some scenes didn't help decipher the accented dialogue. It was a good movie nevertheless...

The Rules of Attraction (2002)

Intriguing study of unrequited attraction

[8/10 · 12 October 2002]

Rules of Attraction is basically a study of a chain of unrequited attraction/infatuation: Paul wants Sean wants Lauren wants Victor. It's not the typical romantic comedy fantasy by a long shot, but is often funny and occasionally tragic. What really sets this movie apart, however, is the stylistic aspects: for example, major segments are set apart from each other by running the film backwards to link over to the next segment. One is tempted to wonder if the movie knows whether it's coming or going, but personally, I think it works quite well. If you prefer Hollywood endings and don't like movies that don't just tell the story, you won't like this one. But if you like experimental styles, you'll love it.

Reign of Fire (2002)

Great dragons, but shut off your brain

[7/10 · 14 July 2002]

I actually did enjoy this movie, and it even had some suspense in places. The dragons, and especially the first dragon kill are absolutely incredible. But. Right off the bat, a what, 12 year old kid, wondering through a subway construction site on his own, without even a hardhat (when all the adults are wearing them)? They're tunneling for a subway with a machine that that makes a hole too small to walk in? How does the machine get through the hole? How can what follows happen? And that's just the first 5 minutes! It doesn't get much better, it would be spoiler material to go on, but you have to eradicate all sense of plausibility to really enjoy the movie, and it's a real shame: just because the movie's about dragons doesn't mean you should have to shut off your brain to enjoy it.

Voodoo Academy (2000 Video)

Relatively good

[6/10 · 19 December 2001]

I was surprised that the acting was as good as it was for such a low budget horror flick. It's not great cinema by any means, but it was mildly amusing and if you like hot young guys writhing around in their underwear, you'll really like it.

Gypsy Boys (1999)

Rowan and Martin do Broken Hearts Club

[8/10 · 9 July 2001]

I liked the movie, and in particular did not experience the audio problems the other commenter did, but maybe they fixed that on the DVD, which is where I saw it. There are lots of good extras (interviews and an audio commentary) on the DVD also, unusual for a low-budget indie film. The editing style may not be to everyone's taste, but I liked it. It did remind me of the old Rowan and Martin show where they kept bouncing between people dancing to stop and get a one-liner. Gypsy Boys is a lot more coherent than that, but similar in how the perspective flows from one clique to another, especially in the introductory scenes at the beginning. And like Queer As Folk, I think this movie makes an important statement on how people (gay men in this case) mistake highs of various sorts for happiness while studiously ignoring the real thing when it stares them in the face.