goopi83 Reviews

Kings of South Beach (2007 TV Movie)

Surprisingly good for a TV movie...

[7/10 · 27 October 2007]

This is actually a very good movie. Most movies that are made for TV are always missing out on certain things that the big movies have, but not this time. The story revolves around Andy Burnett (Wahlberg) and Chris Troiano (Gedrick). Andy Burnett has just moved down to South Beach and is looking for some work, he happens upon Troiano, who is a night club owner. Andy starts out as just a bouncer, but scores some major poins with Troiano (warns him about a police raid, backs him up in a fight against some russians), so pretty soon Troiano takes Andy under his wing. I can't go any further into the plot cause it would ruin the entire movie. But let me just say, watch this film cause it is very good. Good story, good acting, a few good fight and action scenes, and great chemistry between the two main stars. I give it a 7/10, cause I would definitely watch it again.

At Close Range (1986)

Incredible actors, extremely disappointing

[2/10 · 20 October 2007]

I was so excited about seeing this film, mainly because I think Sean Penn and Christopher Walker are two of the greatest actors in Hollywood. It started off kind of good, with Penn arriving in town and helping his brother and a friend get their money back from a guy that ripped em off. After that, the movie just never has anything. It is extremely depressing, very slow, and very annoying at times. There is not one ounce of happiness in the movie. The movie focuses on the Penn brothers (playing brother in this, as well), trying to get close to their gangster father (Walken), so the movie had potential, it just ended up being horrible. I try and give every movie the benefit of the doubt, but this one was just not up to par.

Judgment Night (1993)

Pretty good, actually. A good start for Denis Leary and Stephen Dorff

[6/10 · 20 October 2007]

This movie is actually pretty decent. I liked all the characters, even Jeremy Piven, who was kind of a dick in this. The story focuses on these four friends who get lost on a way to a game in a bad neighborhood. They happen upon a gang of drug-dealers (led by Denis Leary), and witness something horrible so Leary decides he can't let them escape. From their the movie is pure suspense, with the guys trying to escape the gangsters. Some very good scenes, one which involves them hiding in a train, having to bribe the hobos to keep quiet. A lot of action, some good acting, and constantly keeps moving. I give this movie a solid 6/10, because there were a few things that bothered me, but I won't go into this for the sake of not ruining the film.

Brooklyn Bound (2004)

Decent until the end, but still an overall good film

[6/10 · 20 October 2007]

This movie is overall a decent film. No big names, I only happened upon it cause Dean Winters is in it. The films main focus is on Sean, who is a drug dealer who sells drugs to take care of his mother and brother. The story doesn't focus a lot on plot, more on the lives of Sean and the people who are close to him, like his brother(whose trying to get involved in his brother's work), and Sean's best friend Rob (who owes money to gangster Dean Winters). The story has good character development, a few good fights, and a nice atmosphere. The problem comes in at the end. I won't go into specifics at the risk of ruining the film, but there were too many questions that needed answering. I still give this movie a solid 6/10, but it could have been a 7/10 if not for the ending.

Death Proof (2007)

So disappointed (Spoilers)

[3/10 · 20 October 2007]

I was so excited about watching this because I'm a huge Tarantino fan and I think Kurt Russell is one of the best actors in Hollywood. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this title. This movie is very slow, which is at times Tarantino's specialty because he is great at writing dialog, but not in this film. This movie is two different stories, and let me just say the first one is absolutely pointless. We get to know two separate groups of girls. The first group just drive around a talk for 45 minutes, with not very great dialog. Then we meet Stunt man Mike (Russell), who likes to kill people with his car. He talks to them for a while, gets a lap dance from one of them (which has to last 10 minutes), and then everyone leaves, and then Russell catches up to them and kills them all when crashing into them. Now we're on the next group of girls. What was the point of that? Why all that character development. And then the same thing starts with the next group of girls, just driving around talking (again, with not Tarantino-worthy dialog), and then after another 45 minutes, Russell finds them and he tries to kill them but they end up going after him. I will say the last 15 minutes of this film are really good, but other than that I did not like it. I give it a 3/10, mainly for Kurt Russell's acting and the ending gaining the 3 points.

The Fifth Element (1997)

Previews advertised it wrong, great film

[8/10 · 20 October 2007]

The trailers for this film made it look like the next Die Hard, which it's not. But not get the wrong idea, this movie a lot of fun and there is definitely some great action. The story focuses on Korben Dallas (Willis), who is an ex-army man who now drives cabs for a living. He stumbles upon Leeloo (Jovovich), who is needed to save the world from Mr. Skull. It's Dallas' job to protect her. It might sound corny, but it's not. This film absolutely works, with great characters, great dialog, a great story, and great action when needed. I think it's a real shame that this movie wasn't a hit, cause there are definitely movies out there that are way worse that have done way better. I give this movie a solid 8/10, probably in my top 50 favorite movies.

Nick of Time (1995)

Keeps you on the edge of your seat...

[7/10 · 20 October 2007]

I watched this movie late on a Saturday night. I didn't sleep for an hour after it was over because this film does such a good job at keeping the suspense going. The story focuses on Johnny Depp, who has just arrived in a city with his daughter and is spotted by Christopher Walken, who kidnaps his daughter and tells Depp if he doesn't assassinate the governor, his daughter is dead. From there the story is pure suspense, with Depp trying everything he can to keep his daughter safe without killing the governor. I won't go into any more details at the risk of ruining the movie, but let me just say it's a very good movie. There's never a slow moment, and of course Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken are incredible actors, especially when Walken plays the antagonist. I give this movie a 7/10.

10th & Wolf (2006)

Had never heard of it, but really enjoyed it

[8/10 · 19 October 2007]

I was surprised at how much I liked this film, being that I had never heard of it. The story focuses on Tommy (James Marsden), who has just come home from the army, but he's now undercover (working for Brian Dennehey), to bring down the gangsters he grew up. He comes home to see his brother Vincent (Brad Renfro) and his cousin Joey (Giovanni Ribisi), and the story goes from there. I won't go into any more detail at the sake of not ruining the film, but it's very good. If you enjoy a good gangster film, then this is the one for you. I am giving it an 8 out of 10. Also notice certain celeb cameos, such as Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee, an d Dennis Hopper.

The Insatiable (2006)

Decent

[5/10 · 19 October 2007]

This is not a great film, but if you got an hour and a half to waste, this is a good way to use that time. Sean Patrick Flanery plays an insecure office worker who happens to view a hot vampire chick killing her victim. He finds Michael Biehn, who is a vampire expert, and tells Flanery that she will be looking for him. So Flanery plans ahead and ends up trapping her and keeping her prisoner, having to find ways to give her blood. It's interesting to see the chemistry between the vampire and Flanery. My only main problem with the film came at the end, because it ended without answering questions that needed to be answered. I would give it a 5.5/10, because I did overall enjoy it.

Closure (2007)

Could have been really good...

[3/10 · 19 October 2007]

I was really looking forward to watching this, being that I love Danny Dyer and I think Gillian Anderson is a gifted actress. The beginning was interesting. I liked the relationship between the two stars. It then quickly jumps to the main plot, which is they get attacked by a group of strangers and Dyer gets beaten extremely bad while Anderson gets raped. They then decide to go for some revenge. Sounds good, right? Well, it's not. The story gets boring and side-tracked, and certain things get really weird. I won't give out any details, but things happen that I, for one, have no desire to see. I like to give all movies the benefit of the doubt, and I really wanted to like this one. It just didn't work out. I give it a 3 out of 10, mainly for the acting.

Two Hands (1999)

Very good start for Heath Ledger...

[7/10 · 19 October 2007]

I had never heard of this movie, but I like Heath Ledger and Bryan Brown and the story sounded interesting, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I found it to be very enjoyable. Heath Ledger plays a 19 year old who works a kind of crappy job and wants to start making some serious dough, so he goes and asks for work from mobster Bryan Brown. I won't go into details but things go very bad for Ledger and gets into big trouble with Bryan Brown. From their on the movie just gets better and better, with one scene involving Ledger hooking up with a pair of bank robbers. And lets not forget the beautiful Rose Byrne, who plays Ledger's love interest. I would definitely recommend this movie.

Hard Cash (2002)

Not as bad as everyone says...

[6/10 · 19 October 2007]

I went into this movie not expecting it to be great. Actually, I was expecting it be horrible, based on the all the reviews I had read. But I actually had a lot of fun with this. I will say that apart from the price of having Slater and Kilmer in your movie, this movie probably didn't cost that much to make. The story focuses on Slater, who has just gotten out of prison and is coming home to see his girlfriend and daughter. He gets involved in a heist, but it goes bad when an FBI agent (Kilmer) holds his daughter for ransom if he doesn't do what he wants. Apart from that, the people he pulled the heist with want their money too. There's also a Russian mobster, who is absolutely hilarious. The movie keeps you in suspense, with good action scenes and mediocre car chases. There are a few plots in the movie, which is why it gets a 6 instead of a 7.