Change Your Image
jjpoprac
Reviews
Open Season (2006)
Decent movie - okay for my 5 year old
It had its moments. I took my 5 year old son to see it. I was a little concerned because it was PG, but it wasn't bad. The worst swear word I heard was "crap", so not too bad. Scary for about 5 minutes when the bear is hiding in the hunter's cabin. Typical toilet humor, which goes great for the 5-10 year olds.
Overall, it was a good movie. Some funny stuff for the parents who have to take their kids to it. I liked the Braveheart references. The rabbits were particularly funny.
Although the ads make it look like the movie is about the animals fighting the humans, that is only a tiny piece of the movie. It is mostly about a fish out of water story, which makes it a bit dull because we've seen a lot of those.
Gymkata (1985)
Possibly the worst movie ever
I can't believe someone actually greenlighted this film. Quite possibly the worst film ever made.
The acting is embarrassing, but you can't really blame Kurt Thomas, he's a gymnast, not an actor. Now the world knows it too.
The plot is absolutely ridiculous, someone must have been on drugs when they came up with it, and had pictures of the studio boss who needed to agree to fund it.
I've got an idea! We just has a really successful Olympics in Los Angeles. Let's capitalize on that by making a movie featuring one of the athletes. Since he's an athlete, he can't really act, so we'll make it an action/adventure movie. What the heck, it worked for Schwarzenegger!
Evelyn (2002)
A hidden gem
While I must admit this is a chick-flick, it is a very good one. A heartwarming story, very well acted by an excellent cast. At times it was a little difficult to understand some of the thick accents, but it's better than hearing someone like Kevin Costner speak with an American accent in Robin Hood. The child actors were very convincing, although with the habits they were wearing it was hard to tell the good nuns from the bad nuns. The screenplay had just enough humor to keep the movie from getting too sappy, which is critical if you want guys to keep from walking out. Much better material for Pierce Brosnan than the James Bond scripts.
About a Boy (2002)
About 30 minutes too long
Decent movie that has some funny lines, but really drags in the middle. Take your wife/girlfriend and earn some brownie points, but don't expect to be bowled over. The acting is solid, Hugh Grant plays himself, as usual, but just a little more self centered than normal for him. The mother, Toni Collette, is very good. I just don't see this as anywhere near the best movies of the year. I don't think I'll even remember it next month.
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
What a waste of a good book
There were great philosophical and spiritual thoughts and meanings in the book. The Bagger Vance character in the book was a Christ-Like/Buddha figure, helping Junuh overcome the obstacles in his life. The movie turned the story into Chevy Chase saying "Be the Ball" in Caddyshack. I love golf, I thought this movie was a bore.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
Overrated!
How this movie could be nominated for Best Picture is astounding. I guess it shows how weak the field really was. First, the good parts. The direction was very good, as was the cinematography. It was a beautiful film to look at, and the martial arts scenes were well edited and choreographed. The Bad Parts: plot, acting, story, martial arts. The plot has huge holes in it. Perhaps it loses something in the translation. Without giving anything away, why does Jen walk up the long stairs near the end when she can fly? Why doesn't Li just kill the bad guy when they first meet? The ending: I walked out of the theatre scratching my head going "huh?" There is no exploration of the character of Jen. She is simply a spoiled rich brat. And any transformation that she may or may not have had is not built up over time. It just happens. Or maybe she's just a spoiled brat who didn't get her way. The acting is difficult to judge fairly, since the dialogue was in mandarin and I don't understand it. But it was typically wooden, which artists might want to call stoic. The martial arts were ridiculous. While it was well choreographed and well performed, flying through the air? I kept waiting for Obi Wan to say, "use the force Li". Some people have equated it with "The Matrix". In the Matrix you could suspend belief because it wasn't real, it was virtual reality. Well here on terra firma the laws of physics still apply. If I were a producer, I would just make sure I filmed a movie in China with elaborate costumes and sets, and I would know I would have several invitations on Oscar night.
La vita è bella (1997)
Very disappointing
I watched this at home, and I found it tedious. I turned it off after 1/2 hour because I found it boring and Benigni's humor not funny. How this movie got selected for Best Picture nomination baffles me. Perhaps the story picked up after a while, but I wasn't around to see it!
Megaforce (1982)
It wasn't even that bad
This movie doesn't deserve to be on the 100 worst list. The gadgets are kind of cool, the acting is okay, a lot of stuff blows up, which is good. The special effects are weak though. If you look at it with a tongue in cheek, it can be entertaining.