While it is initially interesting to see how the main players of the story were brought together by Snowden's efforts, it quickly becomes something not all that dissimilar to a classroom lecture, as we listen to Snowden explain everything from his hotel room. Not to devalue the incredibly relevant information he's relaying, but at this point so much of it is old news, and, frankly, it's just not executed in a way that keeps it interesting. I suppose it is interesting to get to know Snowden a bit more, but it mostly feels like the filmmakers didn't have all that much to work with besides that bedroom interview.
Reviews
8 Reviews
Diagnosis
(2019)
I like the concept more than the execution.
4 September 2019
Some of the cases are fascinating, and the presentation is fine. There is some interesting human drama to observe in the way patients and family members behave through the process as well. I think my primary issue with the storytelling is just that they haven't allowed enough time to elapse to actually assess whether significant progress was made. That left almost all the cases with a feeling that nothing had really been resolved other than more tests to arrive at no firm diagnosis Given the alleged concept of the show, it doesn't seem like that should have been the case. Time is often the friend of a great documentary, and more time to follow up on some of the cases likely would have made this more interesting.
Borders on unwatchable
15 July 2019
This doc makes a really interesting topic really hard to stay interested in. The editing is poor. The direction, as so many other users are mentioning, is poor. Mickey Rourke's laughable narration is near-indecipherable mumbling of overwrought nonsense intended to sound deep. So disappointing.
A heartwrenching documentary.
16 December 2010
I remember reading about this film awhile back, so when I saw it available for streaming on NetFlix, I was happy to give it a spin. I was not disappointed. This is as emotionally powerful a film as I've ever seen. Make no mistake, this is a one-sided story, not some emotionally neutral take on the events, but it's all the more effective because of it. Not only is it presented in such a way that you feel as though you've gotten to know the people involved, but also the story unfolds in a manner that packs a huge punch. I'm not a cryer during movies. Ever. But there was no containing myself on this one. A truly harrowing drama.
Somewhere between Crap and Funny....
11 June 2008
... this movie is firmly lodge.
I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. There are a few amusing cameos (my favorite being Dave Matthews as a flamboyant personal shopper). But I think the overall joke hit to miss ratio is probably something like 1 in 10. Sandler and James are just fine in their roles, but they didn't have much to work with. The story doesn't really work- way too many holes, even for a comedy. I think the movie just loses it's touch by going back and forth between overly general, unflattering depictions of homosexuals and sloppy attempts to make Chuck and Larry folk heroes to the gay community. All if it is done in such a way that none of it is believable. The movie is never quite as funny as it should be, and nowhere near as touching as it's desperately trying to be.
I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. There are a few amusing cameos (my favorite being Dave Matthews as a flamboyant personal shopper). But I think the overall joke hit to miss ratio is probably something like 1 in 10. Sandler and James are just fine in their roles, but they didn't have much to work with. The story doesn't really work- way too many holes, even for a comedy. I think the movie just loses it's touch by going back and forth between overly general, unflattering depictions of homosexuals and sloppy attempts to make Chuck and Larry folk heroes to the gay community. All if it is done in such a way that none of it is believable. The movie is never quite as funny as it should be, and nowhere near as touching as it's desperately trying to be.
We Were Soldiers
(2002)
Imperfect, but relatively effective
31 May 2008
If you are an aficionado of war movies, you've certainly seen it done better than this, but We Were Soldiers has it's moments. It's hard to cite any individual thing that I didn't like about the movie, but it just doesn't seem to all come together quite right. There are numerous moments that feel desperately cliché. Some of the writing is downright horrible. We don't really get to know any of the characters very well. The battles rarely carry any real suspense, save for the scenes of the few soldiers trapped in behind enemy lines. The whole movie has this air of sentimentality to it that just doesn't work. The makers also opted to include numerous scenes of the North Vietnamese soldiers. Clearly the filmmakers were attempting to add some humanity to the enemy, but they weren't very effective. The scenes felt tacked on, and didn't really add anything to the experience other than serving the minor purpose of allowing the audience to formulate that Gibson's character was anticipating the enemy's actions so we know we are supposed to be in awe of his leadership. It's a lot of things like that which just made the movie feel like it was spoon-feeding every step of the way. All in all, it's not a horrible movie. But, it probably could have been great, and it falls well short of that mark. It is a relatively generic war movie, and fans of the genre will probably be satisfied. However, it certainly isn't a great piece of film-making.
The Stepford Wives
(2004)
Among the worst I've ever seen
3 January 2008
First the good.... there are one or two moments in the movie that are so ridiculous and comical that they are worth a genuine chuckle.
Now that I've got that out of the way, the rest of the movie is really really poor. The story makes no sense. It's as though the filmmakers changed their mind halfway through as to exactly how the story should be resolved, which in turn caused the filmmakers to contradict themselves on more than a few details. Apart from that, the movie simply isn't entertaining for any extended period of time. The whole thing is just a mess.
Nicole Kidman continues to prove that she is perhaps the most overrated actress in terms of marketability. This isn't a critique on her talent, but she continues to get massive paychecks for roles she doesn't really fit, and her string of box office flops is growing to epic proportions. Compare the budgets vs. returns of her last several films. It's amazing.
Anyway, if you want a good rental some evening, take whatever movie is on the shelf next to this version of the Stepford Wives. I guarantee you it will be better than this.
Now that I've got that out of the way, the rest of the movie is really really poor. The story makes no sense. It's as though the filmmakers changed their mind halfway through as to exactly how the story should be resolved, which in turn caused the filmmakers to contradict themselves on more than a few details. Apart from that, the movie simply isn't entertaining for any extended period of time. The whole thing is just a mess.
Nicole Kidman continues to prove that she is perhaps the most overrated actress in terms of marketability. This isn't a critique on her talent, but she continues to get massive paychecks for roles she doesn't really fit, and her string of box office flops is growing to epic proportions. Compare the budgets vs. returns of her last several films. It's amazing.
Anyway, if you want a good rental some evening, take whatever movie is on the shelf next to this version of the Stepford Wives. I guarantee you it will be better than this.
A recommendation for a similar film
26 January 2007
I enjoyed this movie a lot. I won't rehash the reviews that have already been written. But I'd rather take a moment to recommend another great movie with the same general concept. It's a French movie from 1992 called "Man Bites Dog". (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103905/) I don't watch a ton of foreign films, but "Man Bites Dog" intrigued me. It's a bit more realist in it's depiction of a mass murderer than BtM, but no less dark in it's humor. In hindsight, I give the filmmakers even more credit for coming up with the film before the reality television explosion of the late 1990's. So, if you like Behind the Mask, check out Man Bites Dog. It's arguably superior, and seems to me to be a pretty major inspiration for this film. Enjoy!
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