eliot_axelrod Reviews

The Ghost Writer (2010)

A great thriller in the tradition of Hitchcock (and Rosemary's Baby)

[9/10 · 8 March 2010]

This is a connoisseur's movie. It needs to be consumed slowly and deliberately to truly enjoy everything that has gone into it. Watch it carefully, there is a lot going on under the surface.

Yes, it's a thriller, and as such parts of it are fast paced, but what it does so well is to misdirect your attention for a while before snapping you back to focus.

There are no wasted words, nor gratuitous scenes in this movie. Just like a Hitchcock movie, the scenes are all necessary, even if they are symbolic.

The acting is first rate, and I say that because much of the tension in the movie comes from the way the characters act, not special effects, not plot points hammered in over and over again.

It is a very dark movie, and the darkness is nicely set off by humor and sarcasm in a few spots.

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Best war movie since Full Metal Jacket IMHO

[8/10 · 31 July 2009]

I saw this film the other day, and was really blown away (sorry for the pun) by a very simple story told with very few special effects. The movie focuses on just a few characters, and on a some very simple premises, and executes very well.

What makes it especially likable is that it rises above the war itself and delves into much deeper territory regarding the nature of happiness, obsession, and camaraderie. It's not a buddy movie, but it is about people who are as tied to each other as you can possibly imagine.

It's about people who are going through incredible tense situations, that very few people can sympathize with, even those who are in close proximity.

If you're looking for a movie with things that blow up, than go see Transformers II, if you want to see a movie about people who living life to its fullest, see the Hurt Locker

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

A curious waste of time (spoilers )

[3/10 · 26 December 2008]

The only thing curious about this move is how many thousands things there are to do that are a better use of your time than watching this movie.

I read the story many years ago and was interested in how this might be translated to to screen. From the point of view of the special effects, it was an impressive movie. If only they'd spent as much time on the actual script this might have been quite a movie.

This movie is boring. It's boring because of the clockwork way the material is handled, and it's boring because it is way way way too long. There are a few twists in the story, that anyone over the age of 8 should see miles away.

This movie is icky. (ok, it's a chick flick). The relationships are handled in a sickeningly sweet way and very little is done to create any truly meaningful characters.

spoiler ----spoiler The characters are stupid. They apparently can't add or subtract, otherwise both the main characters would have realized that there was no reason for Benjamin Button to run away. He would have been an adult all through his daughter's childhood.

Spoiler end.

All in all, I'm sorry I wasted my three hours watching this movie. Rent it and do the cross word puzzle while occasionally glancing up at the screen, you'll enjoy it a lot more than you would watching it in the theater.

The Dark Knight (2008)

The really really dark knight

[10/10 · 20 July 2008]

The Dark Knight, while marketed as a comic book movie, is really a kind of modern Greek tragedy. Just like the second Tim Burton Batman Movie, it's as much about lonely, sad, and flawed people and how their flaws undo them.

Each of the main characters acts nobly but their fatal flaws are their undoing. Each of the characters (with one notable exception) manages to move farther away from happiness through their pursuit of their goals and obsessions. Without adding any spoilers, it's safe to say that this is not the feel good movie of the summer.

Christopher Nolan manages to reinvent Batman again for the post 9/11 world. It is impressive that the second movie in the series is so much different than the first. It would have been so easy to do another movie in the same ilk as Batman Begins. He managed to make a very different and darker movie that is as much about the characters losing the very thing they treasure most by their hubris and their heroism.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

The Ultimate Adult fairy tale

[10/10 · 21 January 2007]

I saw this movie is a pretty packed house and it was a great experience. I thought the audience reaction added to a movie that is at once beautiful, dark, and shocking in turns.

It's not common for a movie to deal with the experience of a child as adult subject matter. Pan's Labyrinth takes the child's point of view of a tough situation with the same care and attention that it does for the adults'.

The movie's world is visually stunning, and a clever reflection of the mental state of the characters and the situation. The visual effects are also quite amazing, but I think the live action is actually more effective and engaging than the computer generated effects.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

An actor's movie

[8/10 · 25 December 2006]

This movie was highly enjoyable because it depends on situations and acting. It sets up some very tough situations which requires the actors to be pretty creative in the way that they portray their roles.

Each of the major characters and the bit players all play their roles as if they were the star. So there is no part of the movie that really lags behind in quality. To me this is a sign of respect for the audience, as well as a respect for the movie as a whole. There are no throwaway scenes.

Like all good comedies, there are both happy and sad elements, yet through them all, the characters make us laugh.

Go see it.

The Departed (2006)

One of the best Scorsese ever did

[10/10 · 13 October 2006]

This a great remake. Just like the Magificent Seven was a great remake of the Seven Samurai. This was a great remake of Infernal Affairs. I mean that in the most positive way.

The Departed does a great job of taking an Asian movie and transforming it into something as American as apple pie. Scorsese creates great distinctly American characters. Damon, Nicholson, and Wahlberg are outstanding.

I just saw Infernal affairs about a month before The Departed and I I appreciate them both more. One movie doesn't spoil the other, they explore the plot in different ways.

I highly recommend both movies.

Fearless (2006)

An unusually good martial arts film

[9/10 · 24 September 2006]

Jet Li's fearless really took me by surprise. I found the stunts and the fighting to be flawless. If you're a martial arts film fan, you'll want to see this movie more than once to take in the fight scenes.

Unlike a lot of other films in the genre that have a plot to help string together scenes, this has a great plot, and characters that have some emotional reality as opposed to the good vs. evil stick figures watchers of this type of movie have come to exist.

It's a gorgeous movie from beginning to end. Whether the scenes take place inside or out, the cinematography is breath-taking.

Jet Li, actually has emotions in the movie. A break from everything I've seen him in, with the notable exception of "Kiss of the Dragon" Go see this movie - Twice

Thank You for Smoking (2005)

great comedy - great father son movie

[8/10 · 2 April 2006]

I enjoyed Thank you for Smoking quite a bit. Back in the late 70's when i was in college I knew a girl who interned at Philip Morris and I used to seethe when she described the research on Lung Cancer as "not conclusive".

At last a movie that's daring enough to make fun of the whole debate on both sides. It was great fun to watch the lead revel in being on the darkside.

The movie's motto is "neither side is snow white". South Park pointed out in their Butt Out episode.

While I don't think this must be a big screen movie, it's worth it to go to the theater to hear everyone else laugh so hard.

Inside Man (2006)

Action picture for thinking people

[9/10 · 25 March 2006]

This ranks as one of the most fun pictures I've seen in awhile. It's a Spike Lee film, so the soundtrack is first rate. Visually it's stunning, and best of all it has good dialog, a great cast, and a good story.

All crime movies follow a formula, the best ones make you forget about it while it's happening.

The cast is first rate. Denzel, Jodie Foster, and Christopher Plummer all turn in fun performances. The secondary characters are just as strong. That adds up to a great experience during the entire movie. Some of the best lines are delivered by bit characters.

Some people will consider this a plot driven movie, but I think it's much more.

16 Blocks (2006)

Well done but not transcendent

[6/10 · 10 March 2006]

16 Blocks is a fine movie. On a technical level I'd give it an 8 out of 10. I do recommend that people see it, but it just send me. As a fan of Bruce Willis - and who isn't - I think he does a great job. In fact, Willis impresses me with a performance that is not a cookie cutter of his other work. That said, he is Bruce Willis, this is an action movie and he shoots people.

What really makes the movie stand out is the purposeful setting of much of the action in small places. If Die-hard is the king of large setting public space action, this is the king of action in hallways, back alleys, and garages.

I enjoyed the movie thoroughly, but it just didn't send me. That's why I give it a 6 and not an 8. Usually I look for a few thrills that send me over the top and I just didn't find that in 16 Blocks.

Match Point (2005)

A surprisingly deep and satisfying film

[9/10 · 23 January 2006]

Match Point is not only a great film, not only a great Woody Allen film, but it's enjoyable on many different levels. What Allen does is to create a whole world in which his characters live and develop. They are very nice characters to look at, listen to, and sympathize with.

On a visual level, this is a lush, gorgeous film. Both the main characters are seductive, and dress that way. The locations are just as pretty whether they be downtown London, a tennis club or an estate.

The main characters are human with faults, desires, and unreasonable expectations, like us all. It's easy to sympathize with both of the main characters even though they are despicable in so many ways. That is why I think it's a great movie. Anyone can make you like heroes and nice people, it's a lot harder to make you like scoundrels.

Donnie Darko (2001)

Surrealistic film with realistic dialog

[10/10 · 28 March 2002]

As a parent of teenagers, I'm always excited by a movie that actually features realistic dialog among teenagers as opposed to the McDonalds style homogenized stuff pushed out of hollywood.

It manages to naturally combine realistic dialog with an "altered" perception of reality. The unusual elements of the story blend in naturally as opposed to being just crass special effects. While it's a fantasy, the setting and the emotional story feel real.

The Time Machine (2002)

If you're not going to use the book, why use the title?

[2/10 · 23 March 2002]

I was very excited about this remake, because I loved the 60's version. That is why I was so let down by this new version. It disappoints on many levels. Firstly, because the end result is far less than the some of its parts. It has a great potential story, first class actors, and special effects. Unfortunately, Wells combines these into a rather muddled maudlin second rate movie. Secondly, Simon Wells managed to distill out the essence of the story, which is really about class struggle.

See it if you have bored 10 year old children to entertain. Otherwise do your self a favor and re-read the original book, which should take all of an afternoon. In fact read the book to your 10 year old kids, they'll get a lot more out of it.

We Were Soldiers (2002)

good action, but manipulative

[4/10 · 2 March 2002]

We were Soldiers scores very high for the war parts of this war movie. The commander is inspiring, the odds daunting, and the enemy is fierce. I'd give the battle scenes an 8 or 9, but combined with the home scenes I'd only rate this a 4 for the following reasons:

I felt the children were used as cloying props rather than being characters on their own.

The women couldn't have turned in more wooden performances if they tried

The men were reduced to cliches outside of the battle scenes

Overall I'd recommend this movie but it is less than the sum of its parts.