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annie17
Reviews
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
awful and toilsome-the audience is the victim of the shooting
the most intensely boring, long-winded uninspiring 'movie' i have ever seen. spielberg can brilliantly bring a childhood fantasy to life but he has a lot to learn about making a deep and inspiring movie. schindler's list must have been a one off. the gore was pure hollywood, and once it was over the movie began a gruelling downward spiral involving the rest of the poor suffering audience.
the acting of giovanni ribisi was the only consolation (soothed but did not heal) and tom hank's peformance was tolerably mediocre.
all in all, a terrible waste of time. sure the people of our generation need a much needed history lesson in the bravery of our ancestors, sure we need to see a full-on assault of the gore to fully comprehend the horror of war but as an audience we also need a film with a sense of direction than endless gunfire combined with lacklustre dialogue. please do not insult our
intelligence, we are not so stupid that we cannot perceive the central message by sitting for 2.5 hrs watching this tripe. a subtler approach would have been much more effective, or (since apparently we need to witness first hand the shocking violence for the full impact)a movie with the gore but toned down, compressed and concentrated -not splattered whereever it 'felt' appropriate. giving spielberg the oscar for this show/exhibition was like giving the nobel peace prize to monica lewinsky. i could definitely see the agony of war, but the agony of watching this filthy excuse of a film was a greater tax on my forebearance.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Thrilling intro
No one could boast that The Phantom Menace was the greatest movie ever created, but did Mr. Lucas ever intend it to be that? Rather, he created a brilliantly imaginative visual display set to entertain rather than enlighten. So why is everyone so critical of the aspects of the film it was never meant to achieve? No one ever said the Godfather was boring because it lacked comic relief. This is a Star Wars film, it's not just a movie, it's a phenomenon. It transcends the basic criteria for a good movie. A Star Wars movie stands out for one reason: ITS EFFECTS!!! Sure character development, dialogue and plot are important, but in this case, these are secondary qualities. The most important is the imagination, the new world it creates for us before our eyes, rather than the psychological messages between the lines. For this reason, this movie delivers. We are dealing with a series, not one installment compacted in a movie. Therefore, the character development, dialogue and plot are meant to unravel extra slowly and tantalizingly for the audience to enjoy them as thoroughly as possible. I ended up liking the movie for what it was, a visually stunning, exciting exhibition of enjoyable scenes and actors. Sure I didn't leave the cinema with any new lessons in life but I came out happy and refreshed. The critics couldn't get it more wrong, or should I say more inappropriate. They judged the movie for all the wrong guidelines, as though they were expecting Braveheart in space. My advice is go in, expecting only a fabulous time. This movie is not just a movie, it is an experience and make it so without looking for flaws in direction, corny dialogue or second-rate acting. Sit back, open your eyes and have fun, and this way you'll actually enjoy it instead of wasting time and money pulling it into pieces. Even if you do find faults, you'll realise that the flaws of this one can be forgiven unlike the 'movie' of some crappy boat which sank in the water to everyone's delight.
Analyze This (1999)
De Niro's film
Although originally not extremely anxious to watch this movie, I was pleasantly surprised by the perfect casting. De Niro is the epitome of masculinity cleverly laced with traces of vulnerability which cast him as a likeable villain, easily the scene stealer. Crystal possesses an undeniable quirkly charm which makes him extremely likeable, despite his often annoyingly paranoid antics (but hey, we can all relate to them!) One criticism is the overacting of friend's star Kudrow who becomes exceedingly irritating with her nasal voice and the dependency of her pathetic character. Overall the only serious criticism I have for this sparkling, enjoyable show is the unresolved issue of the relationship between Crystal's character and his father. It would have been nice to see more of a reciprocal relationship in the main characters' journey of recuperation from self-denial.
Tian mi mi (1996)
brilliant
This brilliant love epic spans 10 years and traces the star-crossed relationship between two Chinese immigrants who are mysteriously drawn to each other and find comfort in each other's experiences. Though certain coincidences are perhaps unrealistic at first glimpse, the scriptwriters handle it extremely well, embedding them in a believable situation. The direction is flawless, the casting is perfect. Leon's innocent face is exquisite and Maggie's strength and determination deem her a likable heroine. Perhaps slow for non-romantics, this movie paints a beautiful portrait of ideal love, one which surpasses time and place and confirms the ideal belief that certain things are meant to happen in our life. This movie addresses many issues at a level yet unreached by Hollywood and it can really teach westerners a lesson on how to bring out the essence of true love.