changingshades Reviews

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

For a movie with Lesbians and violent death, kind of a let down.

[6/10 · 31 December 2006]

Now that I've seen this movie, I only have to see Bad Taste to have seen the entire directorial catalog of Peter L. Jackson. While not as horrible as some of his other feeble attempts at low budget cinema, this movie did promise a lot more than it delivered. Just because a movie is set in the 50's doesn't it mean it has to move like someone who is old enough to recall the events of the movie. Yes, I'm well aware that Jackson did a very good job of recreating actual events. If I wanted that, I'd have rented a documentary or at least watched the History Channel. Teenage Lesbians that are boring is generally a bad sign. Teenage Lesbians that have Kate Winslett amongst them and are still boring is a crime against nature. The main reason I tracked this movie down was because I'm becoming more and more of a Kate Winslett fan the more of her work I see. She is a fine actress and really spreads out her range. Now I know she was 19 when she made this and I know a lot of the problems I have were with the writing, but Kate can, at least today, bring out a nuanced performance out of any tripe she's given. Apparently this is a skill she developed in adulthood. The other actress, Melanie Lynsky was actually quite good as the plain common girl who finds love in the rich girl. Her change in attitude given the situation was quite astounding and well done. I actually came the closest to caring about her than anyone else in the film. It's not a bad movie, per se, but it really doesn't have anything to really set it apart from other movies. This movie is only worth a rent to see the early careers of people trying to find their footing early on in their career. 6/10

Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (2005)

would she have a career if she wasn't hot?

[4/10 · 31 December 2006]

Y'know I totally have a huge crush on Sarah Silverman. I think she's funny in small doses, and that her interviews with Conan are great. However, this movie really makes me wonder if I would care about her if she wasn't hot. While I was watching this movie I think there were maybe 7 actual jokes followed by a lot of hemming and hawing and just general bad stage presence. When she eventually got around to a joke it was pretty funny, and the audience would laugh, but then she'd pause, say "um, okay", and stall for a few minutes. And this was after every joke. This movie should have been a half hour stand up special and all the unfunny skits could have been dropped and with some good editing, it might, MIGHT, have been tight enough to mask her uncomfortableness on stage. But really, I doubt it. Of course knowing that the "boyfriend" she kept mentioning was Jimmy Kimmel just made me want to vomit in my mouth.

Casino Royale (2006)

This is supposed to be a good Bond movie?

[4/10 · 26 November 2006]

I am not a bond guy. I never have been and at this rate I bet I never will be. This movie had one really good action sequence and a plot that left me bored and annoyed. James was about as effective in this film as I would have been. OOO, he can play poker. That's the extent of his contribution past the blowing up of a foreign consulate in Africa. He didn't take down the bad guy. He was an idiot when it came to the girl. I was expecting something closer to the books where he'd be more of an masochistic jerk and drunk, instead we get the same old same old where he beds the woman and feels bad when they die and fights spies. Oh but at least the older movies he is effective against the spies and terrorists. Here, the CIA, other terrorists, and the chick totally save his stupid ass. I give it a 4/10

Happy Endings (2005)

Karaoke, Abortion, and Tom Arnold Make for a Great Film

[9/10 · 25 November 2006]

So I finally got to see this wonderful movie from the guy that did The Opposite of Sex. It was very touching and quirky and I highly recommend it. However I do think Roos, the director, has pretty stereotypical roles he fills for his movies, or at least he does so far, in that Kudrow was basically playing the same roll she did in TOoS and Maggie Gyllenhaal was the Christina Ricci of this film. That being said I really did love this film. Every character, with the exception of Lane, was relatable and sympathetic. I do wish we would have seen what happened to the one character that doesn't get a real epilogue, though other than that I cannot think of a flaw with this film.

Totally worth a rent if not a buy

And Your Mother Too (2001)

In Spain everyone sleeps with everyone else apparently

[8/10 · 11 November 2004]

What a wonderful movie this is. Beautifully shot and the narrative is engaging. The voice-over giving the story of little things that lead up to a scene and how that scene played out. All the little stories were amazing and well written. However...the main story was a little sleazy. Realistic, but sleazy. Everyone sleeps with everyone else or fights with them. I appreciate the editing of the sex scenes so that they only begin or only end. The gratuitous use of nudity would have been distracting with the amount of sex in this movie. The scenery was beautiful and it was an enjoyable foreign flick.

8 out of 10

The Incredibles (2004)

Good, but not without it's flaws

[9/10 · 11 November 2004]

Wow, just wow. I truly enjoyed this movie. I missed Mr. Bird's first movie, Iron Giant, but heard enough good things about it to give this a try. I was thoroughly pleased with this movie and it was filled with a lot more violence and death than I was expecting for what appeared to be a kids movie. The voice acting was superb if the character design was a little too stylized for my taste. Jason Lee's character really brought this home. He was the perfect choice for the character, but the dragonball z look did not translate well to cgi. Also, Sam Jackson's part was not utilized properly and why was the mom's butt so big?

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to all my friends, but maybe not their kids.

9 out of 10

Shattered Glass (2003)

A good look at bad journalism

[14 September 2004]

As his house of cards slowly comes crashing down it becomes increasingly apparent how tenuous he grasp is.

Hayden Christiansen is probably rightly panned for his acting in Star Wars movies, however, in Shattered Glass, he gives layered performance and is still quite likable, even as you know there's something up with what he's saying.

Even Peter Saarsgard give the most underrated performance as the wronged editor trying to do what's right. The scene where he finally realizes what is happening is beautifully done.

The whole movie is a case study in likable people doing despicable things. Lies and greed make likable characters into tragic figures.

Spartan (2004)

Like a low Rent 24, it still delivers suspense.

[8/10 · 11 September 2004]

David Mamet is pretty hit and miss for me. I loved State and Main and thought Hannibal had witty dialogue and not much else, but I blame the source material. Everything else, while having some good dialogue is pretty bland fare and doesn't have the source material to be blamed. Mamet's concepts for films usually are a little weak, but lend themselves to bon mots of the highest caliber. He also gets beautiful performance out of his actors.

Spartan is entirely a Mamet film. Great words, great performances especially by Val Kilmer, and a premise ripped from television. Surprisingly enough the television series 24 tends to have more tight dialogue and less annoying daughter characters.

So basically that's what you get with Spartan, a weak episode of 24 with less subplots to distract from the main plot.

The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

good, but not as good as the original

[8/10 · 10 August 2004]

The new Manchurian Candidate is not as good as the old one, despite the fact that Denzel Washington is a better actor than Frank Sinatra. I think the problem is the same as Manhunter and Red Dragon. The lead in the update was infinitely better, but the supporting cast paled in comparison to the orginal and the direction was fairly solid and the writing was good, if a little more convuluted than the other. The choices of changing the characteristics of a lot of the principle characters was a little off putting, and the love story between Liev Schrieber and the senator's daughter. It was nice that all the women looked like actual people, not movie star pretty, but pretty none the less. The woman for Denzel, in particular, had a big booty and mediocre face. Anyway, I think one of my main probles with the writing was that the first one just said they were brainwashed, whereas this one tried to show how it happened and went way overboard with the technology for it. Still it was really good, and I gave it an 8 out of 10 on IMDB, because I can't give it an 8.5.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Amazing, Spectacular, Sensational

[10/10 · 8 July 2004]

But enough about the Spidey comics. This movie was phenomenal. I admit, I'm a huge comic nerd, but this movie was great. I've gotten what little friends I have that aren't also comic nerds to go see it,and they all agree that this movie reeks of awesome. From the fights to the actual plot this movie is heads and shoulders above all the other solo comic book movies. It had pathos and ethos, it had love and laughter, it had cameos that I was shocked to see. I won't spoil it for you, but it was good to see him. It worked as a Sam Raimi film, most of all the doc ock in the hospital scene. It worked as a sequel, in fact I found the first one rather boring in that it just retold comic books no style, which this one had in spades. It just worked. 10/10

Hellboy (2004)

Go to Hellboy

[8/10 · 6 April 2004]

Personally, I feel that the producers of this missed out on a great marketing campaign when they didn't get the clash to let them use their song for the commercials.

Anyway, the movie itself was quite good. You definitely see why it wasn't set up to be a huge summer blockbuster. But for a transition from the crappy pablum of the beginning of the year to the summer stuff. Ron Pearlman is not what I would consider a leading man, but he's good enough to warrant a movie like Hellboy. It definitely would have been nice to see different monsters than Samael 3 different times, but at least it looked cool. The corpse was funny though and Selma Blair is always hot. 8 of 10

Starsky & Hutch (2004)

Yet another 70's tv show movie

[8/10 · 20 March 2004]

Like Charlies Angels before it and countless others, S&H takes a 30 minute plot, straight out of the tv series and stretches it into an hour and a half movie, give or take. And much like Charlie's angels it has its pluses and minuses. It has good action and, thanks to the inspired casting of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, it has some truly funny points. I especially liked the scene with the yacht and the car. However, it really is just another retread of 70 tv pablem. Still, good for a lark, and hey, Vince Vaughn was great. and hey, you never know, we might get John Lequizamo and Steve Buscemi in CHiPs I'd give it 8 out of 10.

Party Monster (2003)

Why oh why do they let Culkin Act?

[6/10 · 20 March 2004]

Seriously. His brothers are good actors. Igby goes down and the dangerous Lives of alter boys are great. You'd think that if he could play anything it would be a gay drugged out murderer, but apparently he can't even play himself. The nervous laughter is something you would expect from a school play, not, well not even in a high school play would this movie be considered acceptable. This man child's horrible acting brought down an otherwise servicable movie. Seth Green was bad, but not to the level that Mac was. Y'know who I feel bad for? The guy who played Angel. He was very easy on the eyes, and was given so little dialogue. He might have been a break out star if he wasn't just relegated to asking where his money was. Other mediocre performances include Fez from that 70's show. At the rate he's going, by the time he acts in something set in 2000 he might actually be entertaining. Oh that was mean, Fez isn't too bad, but this movie is. Only see this if you think Spun is too high brow.

Identity (2003)

How to ruin a concept in a third act

[7/10 · 20 March 2004]

This movie was really quite good, at least it was until the last act. The set up was great. The acting in the first 2/3 of this movie. The set was great, the story was pretty good and the big reveal at the end is a great concept if nothing else, and as a big fan of John Cusack I had high hopes for this movie. Unfortunately that was only true for the first bit of this movie. I don't give spoilers in my reviews, but I must say 2 things. One, the big reveal that starts off the third act is a really good concept. Had it been done differently, I probably would have loved it, but really, it ruined the movie. Secondly, the reveal of the killer was again a great idea, but incredibly poorly executed. All potential, zero execution seven out of ten

Solaris (2002)

a modern 2001: a boring space oddessy.

[8/10 · 20 March 2004]

Unlike most sci fi fans, I was incredibly bored out of my mind with 2001. I found it long and boring.

Much like this film. George Clooney plays another bland character that has ruined his life or had it ruined by external forces. The plot is pretty much given away in the trailers and the ending is almost never in doubt. Unlike 2001, however, this movie hasn't been considered a marvel and advancement in sci fi picture making. Quite the opposite, people really hated this film and found it very derivative. While I can see why people would say that, it really isn't that bad. Disconnected from all they hype and reviews, this movie is boring yes, but mildly interesting. It is hysterical to me, that the documentary about the film on the DVD is more action packed than movie itself. Still, if you can divorce yourself from any hopes of excitement, this movie will be fairly entertaining.

Spun (2002)

Like Requiem for a Dream, only...

[7/10 · 20 March 2004]

for Crystal Meth and less amputation and degredation. A much lighter film than Requiem for a dream, though it did have a large amount of gratuitous nudity when compared to Requiem, but the drug use was a lot more mild. The cartoons gave it a weird Heavy Metal type feel. It really could have been a worse movie. None of the characters were too sympathetic. It was something that was entertaining, though not really that great. Very few people would actually like it, even with cameos by Debbie Harry or John Lequizamo or even Mickey Rourke as the lovable drug cooker. Still the make up was amazing and the acting was pretty good, I would have to guess that more than a few of them did the drug the movie was. 7 out of 10

Beyond the Mat (1999)

Foley is Good and the real world is faker than wrestling

[9/10 · 20 March 2004]

Yes, that's the title to the second Mick Foley book, but it also does a good job of summarizing this wonderful documentary. This movie shows wrestling for the dangerous and addictive sport it is and that people seem to forget because the endings are predetermined. If you can watch the scenes where Foley is repeatedly hit in the head in front of his wife with a chair and then try and talk about how fake the sport is. Look at the life of Jake Roberts and say that there isn't something inherently messed up. Though it depicts horrible acts of violence and drug use, but this movie is more shocking in the damage people in this sport do to themselves in pursuit of this "fake" sport with so little respect for themselves. A chilling and wonderful documentary.

Pi (1998)

um er uh

[8/10 · 20 March 2004]

You ever watch a movie that you could tell was great but really couldn't explain it. Its like Eraserhead where the movie is great. I love the gritty cinematography the acting is great, especially considering this is the first big film for most if not all of them. Arrenofsky's second film took this films themes of loneliness and alienation and incorporated into a story of drug abuse, however here it is more raw and true here. While it is true that this movie is not for everyone, it did show quite a bit of promise and the great ability that we would later hope to see in the new Batman movie. Quick cuts and frenetic pacing, which are now his stock and trade were seen here for the first time, rough on the edges but still a very important film.

The Critic (1994–2001)

"You can download the whole series on kazaa, but you shouldn't"

[20 March 2004]

What a great series. Too dirty for ABC, not dirty enough for Fox, this show was too good for this world. I got the DVD box set and am quite happy with it. My summary line is from the commentary. From a Jewish Arnold films to a sequel to Jurassic Park Films that appears to be better written than any of the sequels, this show was awesome and the fact it was canceled is just wrong. Its a shame it didn't suck, because if it did you could take any number of quotes from it to describe it. Of course, it would be nice if you could rate TV series like you could rate movies on imdb, unfortunately that is not the case, you will just have to read reviews like mine to see whether or not you want to watch it. It's a great cartoon that falls only behind the Simpsons on my list of all time great cartoons. 9 out of 10

The King of Comedy (1982)

The reason we have reality television

[8/10 · 20 March 2004]

This movie has that car wreck mentality that became popular with reality television. The attitude of not really being able to do anything but being rewarded for it. The idea that a criminal should be lauded for his crimes instead of punished. De Niro gives Scorscesse another amazing performance, whereas he gave another gritty urban drama for all time. As astounding as it is to believe, Sandra Bernhardt even gave a great performance. Though the attitude it spawned and the over all message was pretty much deplorable, the film itself was a master work. Not the best work of any of the people involved, but a solid performances none the less. A solid 8 out of 10

Alien (1979)

Highly overrated, but still quite good

[8/10 · 20 March 2004]

I'm sure you have all heard about this film and I'm sure you have all made your decisions on whether or not to see this film. Stories of how Ridley Scott merged the dying Sci-Fi genre with the suspense genre to magnificently new and inventive ways, which is still astounding today. All this is true, but this movie is highly overrated. Much like Bladerunner, Scott's a great and innovative director that finds a really great niche that had been ignored for a few years, dust it off make it huge for half a second and that leads to a revival of said genre and then that genre because is popular again the film becomes old hat. That really is the big problem with Scott. They are great and inspire imitators that muddy the pool of his genius.

9 out of 10

Battlefield Earth (2000)

as bad as this movie is to me, to some people its a religion

[1/10 · 3 August 2003]

I hate this movie. HATE this movie. It astounds me how horrible this movie is, I mean it is something that doesn't have direction or writing or even acting. But on the other hand at least it isn't my religion. I mean seriously, this film is the Jesus Christ superstar of cults. Imagine if Woody Allen made a movie this bad about judaism or if the beastie boys made Hinduism look that bad.

Hulk (2003)

This movie is the cinematic equivelent of a floater

[3/10 · 22 July 2003]

GReen and sloppy and just refuses to go down. No one likes this. They say the acting is bad, they say the effects are more short yellow bus special than light saber special, they say the story could have been written by a 12 yr old and that ang lee has sold out and that there is no redeeming quality other than 2 things going for her, but I'd rather watch the rocketeer for those,they were more perky back then. so I'd have to agree with all of that, with specific blame give special blame to Nick Nolte. So, will this be the worst film of the year. It sure looks that way what with t3 getting good reviews and no signs of a hudson hawk 2 on the horizon, there is a very good sign it is. and that sign says, "danger, radioactive waste"

Fight Club (1999)

how do you review the best movie of all time

[10/10 · 22 July 2003]

There is very little way to quantify how good this movie is. Its like describing how water is wet or how politicians are corrupt. they just are. This movie articulates the rage and bile that many american males feel today. It may not be pretty, it may not be what you want to hear, but you need to hear it to understand. The direction is Fincher's best. The script is superb. Norton and Pitt give their best performances, which has made them pretentious as of late, but this is great. a perfect 10

RoboCop 2 (1990)

I've had delusions from high fever that were more coherent

[22 July 2003]

Proving once again that a writer who is great and revolutionary in comic books is crap for movies, Frank "dark knight returns" miller paves the way for writers like James "starman" robinson with this schlock fest. While in parts better than the first one and infinitely better than the third, also written by miller, this movie suffers from 2 things sequels usually suffer from: no returning cast and the idea that more is better. Paul Verhoeven's dirty genius cannot be recaptured by anyone else and that is why it was destined to suck. oh well robocop v2 was kinda neat, and the violence was okay, but not nearly as over the top as the first. 6 and a half