UberCamper Reviews

V avguste 44-go (2001)

An alternative WWII movie.

[5/10 · 4 August 2003]

Pros:

This movie does not force a bunch of cheesy propaganda down your throat. No banner waving so typical for American flicks, no bad Germans and good Russians so typical for Soviet war movies. In fact, there are no Germans in it! All you see a bunch of SMERSH guys doing their job, and doing it well. Technically, the movie is very accurate. Uniforms, weapons, vehicles... all top notch. Very nice locations, settings, camera work and editing.

Cons:

The story lacks action and any kind of suspense. Which would be almost OK if it was 40 minutes shorter. I wish the director had better script to work with.

The verdict: An average Soviet (in this case, post-Soviet) war flick, decently shot and acted but pretty boring.

The rating: 5/10.

Go see Das Boot if you want a really striking non-Hollywood WWII movie.

Waterworld (1995)

One of the worst movies ever, yeah!

[1/10 · 4 August 2001]

Bad movies amaze me. Nothing can be more fun in the Saturday evening than settling in my favorite chair with a couple of beers and a remote, then finding a really bad movie and enjoying it to the full extent of its stupidity. I love finding plot holes in lame scripts, predicting cliched lines of cartoonish characters, and making fun of lousy acting. To me, Waterworld was just what I needed. I laughed and I cried for 2 1/2 hours. After the final credits rolled I booted up my laptop and logged on to IMDB with the intention of writing a praise to this masterpiece of bad-movie-making. I thought the fun was over. Wrong. In the user reviews I read this, and I quote:

"Star Wars makes me laugh,Terminator-2 makes me cry,WATERWORLD makes me THINK."

After reading this, I literally fell off my chair. Now, the Usenet acronym "ROTFL" has a whole new meaning to me. Damn Ukrainians and their twisted sense of humor.

Rating: 1/10, yeah!

Blade Runner (1982)

OMFG.. I was truly shocked.

[10/10 · 26 July 2001]

Dark and symbolic, philosophical and poetic, mysterious and multidimensional, this movie is one of a kind. A true classic. A masterpiece. A must see. Caution: this film will make you think. If you prefer not to, consider watching "Gladiator" instead. Rating: 10/10. Wish I could vote 11.

Traffic (2000)

Drugs are baaad, M'Kay?

[6/10 · 22 July 2001]

Traffic:

Pros: Not a typical Hollywood movie. An attempt to analyze a problem many people have so many misconceptions about. Well directed and edited.

Cons: Another problem movie with a political message we've heard before. Cliched material. The plot is original yet predictable. The characters are not really convincing, they are cartoonish and stereotypical, their motivation is questionable. Their actions are often irrational and hard to believe. Good actors who show up for their paychecks and give us lifeless and uninspired performance. Annoying use of color filters and handheld cameras that's supposed to give this movie documentary feel but instead gives you nausea.

Summary: don't get me wrong, it's not a bad movie. It's just waaay overrated. I was very surprised when I found out that Traffic received 4 academy awards that should've gone to "Requiem for a Dream". Now, that's a movie that you won't forget 15 minutes after the credits. Rent "Requiem" and compare!