Bones-18 Reviews

28 Days Later (2002)

Disturbing

[7/10 · 16 July 2003]

I don't especially like films in this genre since I don't enjoy being scared out of my seat. However, the quirky strobe action was well suited to this work.

In some places the plot was a bit thin, but I'd give the film high marks for communicating the feeling of a world without people and the horror of this disease.

Overall though, it was a disturbing film, one that was especially mind sticky, with strong imagery. I don't find such films entertaining, so on that basis cannnot recommend it.

Give it a 7/10, possibly higher if you like such stuff.

Winged Migration (2001)

In a class by itself

[10/10 · 1 June 2003]

This movie is simply exquisite!

Not only is the cinematography breathtaking, but the bird's eye view made me feel more like another bird than a movie goer. It gave me a clear sense of the intelligence of these wonderful creatures, beyond everything I've seen before, with the possible exception of David Attenborough.

Truly spectacular!

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

The Matrix Characters Must Have Been Loaded

[5/10 · 23 May 2003]

Ok, so it's not a clever one line summary, but neither was the film.

Great CGI effects, but plot and dialogue were entirely lacking. Some parts were almost funny, they were so bad. The viewer was exposed to cycles of pyscho-babble masquerading for dialoge and wisdom, interminable silences and lengthy fight sequences. The movie makers do not ask the audience for 'suspension of disbelief' but a complete frontal lobotomy. Perhaps they could offer these at the concession stand?

"Uh, I'll have a lobotomy, and a large Diet Coke." "You want popcorn with that?"

What I don't understand is how can the viewers rate this movie an 8 overall, yet they fail to make comments. I'd estimate that 80% of the 60 or so I read were all negative and disappointed.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Did not have to see 20 minutes of CGI Castle Storming

[7/10 · 29 December 2002]

Sorry to you devoted fans out there, but I just had to give the movie a 7/10. The 20 minute "10,000 barbarians storm the castle" was just way over the top, even for Hollywood.

OK, I GET IT... now can we move on?

I'm surely in the minority, but it's still my opinion. If it weren't for that scene, I'd give the movie a 10.

More of anything is not always better. This is the purpose of the cutting room floor.

Monster's Ball (2001)

Tremendous acting and story

[10/10 · 20 December 2002]

Both Halle and BB Thornton put in some incredible acting in this story about 'what goes around comes around' and the awesome power of forgiveness. And how refreshing to see a sex scene that was not based on moviegoer voyeurism, but a true expression between conflicted characters needing to find their humanness and deliverance from their own worst enemies, themselves.

I rarely feel this way about a movie, but there was so much meaning and texture in this film that I'm certain there's stuff I missed first time through.

Simply wonderful!

Amélie (2001)

Love

[10/10 · 18 January 2002]

I fell in love with Amelie. Almost literally... I was almost sad I couldn't take her home with me. Her character was mysterious and captivating as was her suitor. This movie was out of the norm for American made, which is exactly why I do so enjoy foreign movies. There is so more to movies than special effects and shoot-em ups. Amelie is a superb example; if only the general movie-going audience knew.

Unbreakable (2000)

A clear waste of time, film and money

[3/10 · 28 November 2000]

I walked into the theatre with no expectations about this movie, except for having liked 6th Sense. However, I found nothing in the slightest bit interesting or entertaining about this movie. Plot? Virtually none. Suspend disbelief? Very difficult. Long and drawn out? Two hours too long. Cinematic shots? I had no idea a glass of OJ could be so important. Any comparisons to X-Men could only be a huge stretch.

Don't spend your money on this c***.

The Perfect Storm (2000)

Cut the phony accents!

[8/10 · 5 July 2000]

I read the reviews here with interest, but was intrigued to find no one has logged in from Gloucester. Hmmm....

Like most viewers, I found this movie thin on characters, but strong on effects. It was not as Hollywood-ized as I had feared, except for the phony New England/Boston accents. It seems rare that an actor can do one well. The dialog would be much improved if they just left the accents alone. The movie was also 30 minutes too long... got sick of watching water and hoped they'd sink soon. I also thought the bar scene was the most unusual collection of good looking women and ugly men I've EVER SEEN. Realistic? About 50%!

Overall? I'd still give it an 8/10 for the impressive effects.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

What's all the fuss about?

[8/10 · 3 July 2000]

I don't know what all the fuss was about regarding this movie. Nudity, intercourse, "Kubrick's Worst Movie", "Kubrick's Best Movie"... After hearing all this, I didn't know what to expect and in fact, postponed seeing it in the theatres. My reaction to the purported "steaminess", the sex scenes? So what!!??! Sex on the screen just doesn't carry the shock value it once used to... and the content of the movie? The characters too, discovered that enjoyment of sex is dependent upon love and the trust it is built on. It happens first in the brain, not the body. I've seen better and worse movies, but I thought it was basically a good film and rated it 8/10. And Nicole Kidman put in a very convincing performance!

Chicken Run (2000)

He's Been Funnier

[7/10 · 2 July 2000]

Sorry... most of you out there will probably disagree with me vehemently! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE animation and most particularly the stuff Nick Parks has done. And technically, this was truly amazing, his best to date, with astounding lighting that made me truly believe in the characters. I suppose reading the other comments and ratings beforehand in IMDB here set me up with expectations for a hilarious movie, which in my opinion it was not. On the basis of comedy alone, I much preferred "The Wrong Trousers". This letdown is the main reason I gave Chicken Run a 7/10. Sure I'm a Yank and maybe the comedy was beyond my background or lack of it... ie: chockies. But go see it; support animation, claymation and the huge commitment these artists give to their work. Form your own opinion.

Permanent Midnight (1998)

Even 88 minutes was too long

[6/10 · 25 June 2000]

Overall, this movie was very successful in telling the gritty tale of drug addiction and its degrading effect on the addict, his self respect and the impact on the lives he touched. It made me literally squirm in the reality of its many sequences of shooting up. However, the point of a life spiralling down into new depths until the personal bottom is found which enables the hope of turning a life of self abuse around is made many times. I would have preferred to have seen fewer scenes shooting up and more of the potentially healing relationship that followed. By far his personal growth and challenge in learning to live without drugs would had much more depth and discovery than finding out how he got there in such tedious detail. The last love scene between the main characters conveyed a much more genuine feeling of connection and caring that comes from having lost in life, from forgiveness, from life experiences that hinted at the true potential of this movie and the heights of expression it could have achieved.

Surely, it's a different screenplay, but is one that tells a whole story that is worthy of a feature-length film.

The Big Kahuna (1999)

Nothing but a ten in my book

[10/10 · 8 June 2000]

This is the best piece of acting that I've seen in a long while, with some really snappy dialogue that just doesn't let up. Yet the silent moments, the looks between characters, especially by DeVito is the best acting I've ever seen from him. I thought there was so much depth in this screenplay that I would have to see it yet again to absorb all that was here. I enjoy movies that stay with me, make me think and wonder and take me beyond my own experience. The Big Kahuna did just that, and it may be of interest that the "Big Kahuna" in the movie was never called by exactly that name, and we barely saw his profile, which kept us guessing about his true identity. And that to me was one of the themes, that we rarely see other's true identity.

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Funny, but inconsistent

[7/10 · 3 December 1999]

The movie had its share of laughs, it was quirky and offbeat, which I loved. However, the relationships between the characters was inconsistent, for lack of a better word and I just could not accept their behavior as being believable.

I think it would have been much more successful if it were simply quirky and offbeat, OR a movie about the relationships. It was as though the quirkiness was not enough to sustain the plot.

I'm sure very few out there agree with me, but I'd give it a 7/10. And I went to the theatre really wanting to like it!!!

Edtv (1999)

Ron Howard is great!

[10/10 · 7 September 1999]

I can't say enough about this film! Nor can I think of a Ron Howard movie that I didn't like. Ed TV takes the "real TV" concept much farther than did Truman.

If you haven't seen this, check it out!

An Ideal Husband (I) (1999)

What's so funny?

[1/10 · 1 August 1999]

I consider comedies the hardest category to satisfy, since either I like them or I don't. There seems no room for middle ground. I can sit through any mediocre movie except for a comedy.

Ideal Husband was not an ideal movie, far from it. It was slow moving, boring and shallow. And it was not funny, just stupid. The movie reminds me of the junk on commercial TV.

Has TV lowered the expectations of the movie-going audience?

Run Lola Run (1998)

So what's the big deal?

[6/10 · 15 July 1999]

I really didn't get the movie... or at least yearned for more substance which may have been missing entirely. OK, so there are different realities out there, all dependent on the choices we make. WOW! Was that a stoned thought or what? Duh!! For this reason, I found the movie much too slow moving, despite the hammering soundtrack.

I was more interested in the details of the movie.. where they symbolic or is simply "what you see is what you get?" For instance, why was the first bag of money red plastic, the second one blue, the third gold? Why did the van crash through a plate of glass? Was it just cool looking? Why use animation for Lola going down the stairs?

It's not that I always am looking for some deep film experience, I still felt disappointed that the movie didn't have more to it. The plot was much too slow moving and I got really tired of watching "Lola run" OK, I got it...I got it!

Is that all there is to Lola?

Perdita Durango (1997)

Garbage, A waste of film

[3/10 · 27 April 1999]

In my opinion, this movie has been fairly compared with "From Dusk till Dawn". If you liked it, you'll like Perdita Durango. I liked neither and found the twisted psyche of the characters especially hard to take in light of the most recent news of the schoolchildren in Columbine HS in Colorado that died by the hands of their sick classmates.

Perhaps I am overreacting, but I couldn't help think, "How can this be entertainment?" "Why am I watching such sick characters?" They pretend unconvincingly, to express sympathy for their captives and even love for each other. I am concerned that some viewers will be influenced to commit the acts in this sick film. Isn't the world sick enough without adding to the pain?

Whatever happened to celebration of life and of the good things that can happen between people? I would ask, why should anyone see this film? Unless you can answer this question to your satisfaction, then I'd suggest you save your money, or better yet send it to Columbine HS. Do some good with it instead.

The Thin Red Line (1998)

It was too long and tedious!

[5/10 · 26 January 1999]

The movie was two hours longer than necessary, having made its superficial message that "war is hell" and "how did we become so evil?" many times over. In particular, I found the voice overs and the flashbacks especially tedious.

Little Voice (1998)

Jane Horrocks steals the show with her incredible talents!

[9/10 · 16 January 1999]

Jane Horrocks' talent is a must-see for any film buff. Her talent in imitating the popular female vocalists is uncanny, and her range as an actress outstanding. The film is a moving story about Little Voice's hidden gifts, all kept private for her deep love of her departed father. A reminder to appreciate the gifts we all have, no matter how small.