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Reviews
Code 46 (2003)
Good science fiction without lasers and explosions
This film has a similar atmosphere to Wim Wenders' Until the End of The World, but with a pace such that a detailed and interesting story develops and concludes in 90 minutes. Like Wenders' film, technology does not overwhelm the film, but interesting indicators of the future pop up in the props and sets.
It didn't surprise me at all to notice that the IMDb votes for this film show a large discrepancy between males and females. I think the higher votes from females reflect both the importance of relationships in the movie and the general subtle nature of the story.
All in all, a very watchable film which may surprise you. Don't expect Star Wars or The Matrix, and you shouldn't be disappointed.
Worlds Beyond (1986)
I want to see it again.
I must have been in my teens when I first saw this series (in Australia), but it left a very strong impression. I was reminded of Worlds Beyond last weekend when I saw "Ringu (1998)", which was the first horror film to scare me anywhere near as much as these British TV classics.
I can't recall much more about this series except the opening music, which alone made my spine tingle. I also recall enjoying the episode entitled "suffer little children" episode and another one I vaguely recall about about a dance hall haunted by soldiers.
I recommend this for fans of ghost stories, but I have no idea where you might find it.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
A kids movie, providing you dislike your children enough
One of the poorest attempts at film making I've recently come across. The plot was fractured and unevenly paced, the acting was lousy, and the story and effects where uninspiring.
I'm astounded that anyone enjoyed Osmet's performance. I completely failed to see the quantum difference in the intelligence of David, Gigilo Joe and David. "This is our new model, it bends it's knees when it walks!" please! Teddy, David's Jiminy Cricket, was the only character that used it's face and body to express any emotion.
You could have flown a 767 through the plot holes in this movie - did David's manufacturers just *forget* that they were doing a product trial? How come it was easy to steal a police car and fly across America? Why did the flesh show just let them walk away? Why did the crowd turn so violently anyway?
I went into this expecting a fun film with a poor treatment of AI. I knew from the previews that it would confuse 'realistic appearance' with 'realistic intelligence'. Instead I got a saccharine "ET meets Pinocchio" so full of cliches I hardly stopped wincing - and absolutely NO discussion of artificial intelligence! Of course, the laughable treatment of AI was partly due to the story's origins in the 60s, but we've seen Kubrik get this spot-on in 2001 and 2010.
If you're really interested in AI, go read Douglass Hoffstadters "Goedel, Escher Bach". Otherwise, I would recommend this film only if you have the brain of a retarded duck and some kind of addiction to popcorn.
3/10
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
sickening
There are clearly some people here who didn't get this film at all. I'm not sure if they are the people who were distracted by their mates during the movie, or just people who have no idea what addiction is about.
I've had quite a bit of experience with various drugs over the past ten years, and this film gave me a pretty nasty flashback. I'm with Heavenly Creature above, and I will not be watching this again, it's just too disturbing.
Despite this, this movie is NOT about drugs, it's about addiction. "What's my mom's fix? Television!" says Harry Goldfarb. Burstyn's character is also addicted to her chocolate and other sweet food, the craving patterns that non-drug users are the same as those of the junkie. This wasn't just another drug film, it was a lesson in addiction, but it seems it just went over some people's heads.
Save the Last Dance (2001)
Nondescript, but lacked major flaws.
Although as a 30 year old male I am clearly not the target audience for this chick flick, it did have a couple of redeeming qualities. While the plot held very little of interest, it was great to see a film which looked like it had been planned in advance rather than shot spontaneously. The dialogue may have been mostly cliched and the acting robotic, but pronunciation was good. Some critics have already pointed out that the dancing was lack-lustre, but at least noone fell over.
Overall, the film makers did manage to get the basics of this film down, and I think there may be some potential for crew who were not directly involved with the weak directing, lousy acting, poor script-writing and disappointing choreography. Lighting and costuming, for example, were totally adequate.