dajemitchell Reviews

W. (I) (2008)

Good political comedy

[7/10 · 14 November 2008]

first of all, this film is by no means a classic. it does not measure up to JFK but is on par with Nixon. w. is one of 2008's best films though, and surely an Oscar contender. Josh Brolin gives us a performance worthy of academy praise and JAmes Cromwell is also just as good. Stone also managed to squeeze some of the classic 'bushisms' into the film simply because it would be customary! Yet despite this, i see W. as sympathetic towards Bush. I felt empathy for Bush, hes perhaps not as talented as his other siblings and all he wants is to make his father proud of him. How could he do this? Become president!

his film wasn't a classic but still will be remembered as one of 2008's best

Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[10/10 · 7 April 2008]

One of the best films of 2005 and one of the greatest performances in the film history. David Strathairn gives us his best performance and a performance which was robbed of an award at the Oscars.

He portrays Edward R. Murrow in a great way that no other actor could. his performance is up there with Gary Busey in the Buddy Holly Story which was also Oscar robbed - same with Liam Neeson for Oskar Schindler.

Good support form Clooney and Downey Jr also.

Also directed brilliantly by Clooney who maybe should have received best director.

Spectaculer 10/10.

The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Best of the Ryan films - Good film overall

[7/10 · 7 April 2008]

The first film in the Jack Ryan Franchise. This is another great film by the underrated director John Mctiernan (of Die Hard 1&3 Fame). The plot is also good as is the Main cast.

Sean Connery is excellent and chilling as the unpredictable captain Ramius and Alec Baldwin is perfectly cast as Jack Ryan. San Neill, James Earl Jones, Scott Glenn and Tim Curry also turn in solid Performances.

Also watch for Stellan Skarsgard (Ronin, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) in an early role.

a good start to the Ryan series.

7/10.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Best of 2007

[10/10 · 7 April 2008]

A great film by the Coen Brothers and by far the best of 2007. Deservedly winner of 4 Oscars - which should have been more.

A great modern western with great performances from Javier Barden as the loner hit-man. Josh Brolin is impressive as the Hunted, Moss and Tommy Lee Jones is Perfect as the ageing Sheriff Ed Tom Bell.

a fine film once again form the Coen's. Topping the years other films (Bourne Ultimatum, There will Be Blood, American Gangster, and Eastern Promises).

A great Film.

10/10.

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Best of a great 4.

[8/10 · 7 April 2008]

The best film of the four Die Hards - topping the first. The Reasons:

1. Great Action Sequences

2. The best Die Hard cast with great performances as always by Willis and Jackson but the standout is the Fab Jeremy Irons who excellently portrays the main villain Simon Gruber.

This film is major landmark and one of the ninety's best. Brilliantly directed by John Mctiernen (Die Hard 1 & Hunt for red October).

Overlooked severely at the Oscars (Irons for best actor) should have got it. i believe it went to Gary Sinise for Forest Gump though???????

A great Actioneer

8/10.

The Firm (1993)

Good Thriller

[8/10 · 7 April 2008]

Tom Cruise stars in the fabulous law thriller - The firm. With support from Gene Hackman, Thripplethorn, Ed Harris and cameos from Joe Viterelli, Paul Sorvino and a Minor role for Gary Busey who gives us a great performances even though he has very little screen time.

Cruise is good as McDeere. Also David Strathairn pops up as his brother in another limited but deliciously good role.

Brilliantly directed by the great legend Sydney Pollack. A great Thriller. A good film which is worthy of much more recognition than it received at the time.

8/10.

Heat (1995)

A powerful classic

[10/10 · 7 April 2008]

First off, this is my personal favourite film of all time. It is recognized as one of the police crime films of all time but at the time of its release it was unbelievably overlooked. it should have won plenty for Oscars - say four, and one of the actors should have received the award for best actor be it Pacino or DeNiro.

The level of acting is almost far superior to any other film i have seen as all the cast give stellar performances. DeNiro, Pacino and Kilmer play the main characters in an absorbing fashion while there is great support form the likes of Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore and a small role for Bill Fitchner.

This film should rank up there with LA Confidential and other great Cop films like Cop Land as one of the best.

a great film 10/10.

K-PAX (2001)

Great film-making and acting

[9/10 · 13 March 2008]

K PAX. a film that is hardly ever mentioned and forgotten. Why!!!!. It stars Kevin Spacey in one of his best roles as the Charismatic Prot. Is he an alien or not you are never quite sure. Jeff Bridges plays the Manhatton Doctor Mark down to a tee also.

A great Plot line and an enjoyable film. One of my favourites.

I cannot get enough of Kevin Spacey in a role up there with his turn as Lester Burnham.

Great Film with a good story that is bound to keep you interested from opening credits to closing ones.

9/10.

U.S. Marshals (1998)

Fabulous

[8/10 · 13 March 2008]

This is one of my all time favourites. The second of the films involving Deputy Gerard. This film is much better than the first film "The Fugitive". It gives us a great cast (All marshals form the first film, and the inclusion of Wesley snipes and Robert Downey Jr). Tommy Lee Jones gives us a stellar performance from Gerard and should have been nominated for best actor. The plot is good and the film is thrilling and suspenseful.

The better sequel of the fugitive but it would have been better if Harrison ford to have reprised his role in some way shape or form.

a very good film.

8/10.

Schindler's List (1993)

The Greatest film of all time?????

[10/10 · 13 March 2008]

Spielbergs classic tale based on the true story of Oskar Schindler who saved more than 1000 Jews during the holocaust. one of the all time film greats that won seven academy awards and got Liam Neeson his Best actor nomination for Portraying the title character.

The film of the ninety's hands down and my personal all time favourite with Heat.

The Supporting cast to are on top form such as Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley.

A Legendary film.

10/10.

Batman Begins (2005)

Unspeakably Amazing

[10/10 · 10 March 2008]

To start with this is my favourite film of all time hands down. I saw this because of its stellar cast and wow was i impressed. The batman franchise returns under the Direction of Christopher Nolan and doesn't disappoint. It has a great plot and the directing is awesome. By far the best film of 2005 and of the franchise.

The cast is also Excellent: Christian Bale; He excels as Batman and plays BAtman & Wayne as if they were 2 different characters. He gives us the charm of Wayne and the dark side of Batman.

Liam Neeson; is excellent as Wayne's mentor and main villain - Henry Ducard / ra's Al ghul. He is the best performance and highlight of the film.

Gary Oldman; gives arguable his greatest performance as Lieutennant Gordan. He as comic humour to the character and is a great ally to batman.

Michael Caine; is perfectly cast as the butler Alfred. He gives us a feast as Waynes father figure and butler.

Cillian Murphy is also quite scary and the rest of the cast is also good.

An excellent and spellbinding film.

10/10.

American Gangster (2007)

Entertaining but could be much better (But not by much!!!!!!!!!!!)

[8/10 · 9 March 2008]

American Gangster. Directed by legend Ridley Scott and starring heavyweights & Oscar winners Denzel Washington & Russell Crowe. A great film of 2007 based on a true story of drug kingpin Frank Lucas who smuggled drugs into America in dead soldiers coffins.

Two vintage performances from the leads and a good supporting cast of Ruby Dee, Cuba Gooding Jr and a great Josh Brolin.

Good return to form by Ridley Scott after the lukewarm Kingdom of Heaven. Washington should have had an Oscar nomination as well as Crowe at a push.

8/10.

Gangs of New York (2002)

Absorbing!

[9/10 · 9 March 2008]

a great film which is led by a fantastic ensemble cast. It is a great tale of the draft riots and the five points section of New York.

Daniel Day-Lewis was nominated for best actor for his portrayal of Bill the Butcher but should have won by a landslide. DiCaprio gives a great performance as Amsterdam VAllon and Jim Broadbent is Excellent as well.

Also watch out for Liam Neeson in a small role as Priest Vallon. he gives an in depth performance from such a small role.

a film which should have won Oscars and win them all.

A great film.

9/10.

South Beach (1993)

Poor

[1/10 · 8 March 2008]

one of the worst films i have seen to date. Pathetic action scene and really bad acting also do not help. The only good point is Gary busey's parts but this does not lift the film very much. it lives up to its B film ranking and passes the test with flying colours. A waste of my money although i found entertaining to begin with its gets annoying after a few watches. i do not recommend this film unless you watch it for free or its a gift. ( a gift you can ask for the receipt and send back for a complete refund).

Really BAd.

1/10.

Seraphim Falls (2006)

Greatest western ever?

[10/10 · 8 March 2008]

A great but slow moving western. it depicts the story of a chase through the American wilderness. Carver (neeson) chases Gideon (Brosnan) for reasons disclosed later in the film.

The cast deliver stunning performances especially Neeson as the dour Carver. Brosnan is perfect as the legendary soldier Gideon. Also watch for Cameos from Angelica Huston and Wes Studi.

A great film and a good western from recent times - and yes i did just say that.

Really Great!!!!

10/10.

xXx (2002)

Mediocre action film

[6/10 · 8 March 2008]

Vin Diesel & Sam L JAckson. i watched this film as this mixture sound like a great recipe. what followed certainly was not great. a mediocre action film with too much action an over the top villain (not played by Allan Rickman for once) and a too unbelievable storyline. an adrenaline junkie with no special training infiltrates one of the worlds most hunted gangs and crushes them single handedly???? no way.

This film, while good for action lacks pretty much everything else. a low point in Jacksons career.

just scrapes :

6/10.

The Departed (2006)

The greatest remake of all time

[8/10 · 8 March 2008]

this is the greatest remake of all time by far. this is also one of my favourite films.

The cast gives great in depth performances - especially Di Caprio and Damon as the two leads.

Nicholson returns to his vintage form and the supporting cast of Sheen Sr and Alec BAldwin were perfectly cast. Ray Winstone is also good and should have a good career ahead. Mark Wahlberg is also a main talking point in his role as the foul mouthed Dignam. he takes the movie by its neck and shows the rest how it is done whilst spurring them on to make great performances all round.

a great film 8/10.

Lethal Weapon (1987)

Brilliant

[10/10 · 8 March 2008]

Perhaps the greatest cop film of all time. A true legend and the best film of the 80's hands down, much better than raging bull and once upon a time in America.

The returning buddy cop plot does not disappoint with Mel Gibosn in his standout role - same for Danny Glover.

Also a great moment in film history - the return to form of the legend Gary Busey. he excellently plays the Brutal assassin Mr Joshua - a role which was made for him to play.

The mega hit is an all time great.

10/10.

Eastern Promises (2007)

A Mortensen Masterpiece

[9/10 · 8 March 2008]

The star of a history of violence reunites with the same director and gives a masterful performance in Eastern Promises.

A great all round film with a good supporting cast and plot. A great gangster film after recent failures it is a return to vintage like the time of goodfellas and the untouchables. Mortensen bowled me over as the cold but caring Mysterious Russian Driver. Scotland Yard informer or Mobster you never can be sure. He is deceitful as well as caring especially to Naomii Watts character.

A great film.

9/10.

xXx: State of the Union (2005)

Much better sequel

[8/10 · 8 March 2008]

after watching XXX and wasting precious time of my life that i will never get back i was persuaded to watch the sequel with very low hopes. What followed was a complete change in my attitude towards the series. This films plot is not just good it is great. the film has less action so is well suited and the acting is upped a lot. Willem DAfoe joins the cast which is bound to make ripples. he gives a great performance as Deckert and Jackson is also good as Agent Gibbons. Ice Cube in a carer high role is also OK, but only just.

A good and enjoyable action film and sequel which reboots the series.

8/10.

Meet Joe Black (1998)

Really Really Amazing

[10/10 · 8 March 2008]

this came as a shock to me at first but after watching this film because there was nothing else on i found myself stunned by it. this is by far my second favourite film (behind Heat). it is really absorbing when you get into it after a strange start it explains itself well.

The acting is grate - Brad Pitt at his best and Anthoney Hopkins is also Really good.

The story line is full of twists and is also good.

The ending is brilliant when "Death" lets Brad Pitt return to give Hopkins's daughter happiness A great Masterpiece - Often underrated.

10/10.

Windtalkers (2002)

Stunning!!!

[9/10 · 8 March 2008]

by far the best war film i have seen to date. This is much better than a bridge too far, Von Ryan's express, saving private Ryan and on par with the great escape.

Nick Cage gives us a reminder why he won best actor and the rest of the cast is good especially Christian Slater. Adam Beach is also code as one of the Navajo codetalkers.

a film for everyone with great action. Some other reviewers like to put this film down because of the lack of mention to the Navajo codetalkers but this is fine because the action and acting really, makes up for that fact.

9/10.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

An all time classic

[10/10 · 8 March 2008]

a film that will never disappoint no matter how many times you watch it.! this is one of the films not just of the 90's but of all time and this is because of 2 reasons:

1. the first rate cast which is bettered by few films.

2. the excellent storyline with murder, deceit and redemption.

The cast gives us supreme performances by the ever excellent Russel croe and the convincing Guy Pierce. James Cromwell is supreme and commanding as captain Dudley smith. Danny DeVito plays the excellent news reporter and Kim Basinger is also good as Lynn Bracken. But it is Kevin Spacey who gives the standout performance of the film and should have at least been nominated for best supporting actor at the Oscars. his performance is (in my opinion) up their with other great performances (Daniel Day-Lewis in there will be blood, and Al pacino in Scent of a Woman).

This film is a true classic and will be around forever.

10/10.

Point Break (1991)

a classic for the ages

[9/10 · 7 March 2008]

Point Break. a great film of the 90's. in my opinion one of the great action films along with under siege, die hards 1&3 and the Bourne trilogy.

the cast is excellent - Reeves is good as Utah and Swayze is superb as the villain Bodhi. Reeves is made for Utah but it could have easily been played by someone else. Swayze as a villain - a rare treat and strange sight but he pulls it off fantastically.

Special mention to the Scene stealer and always fab Gary Busey. He is great in every scene - especially outside the bank when reading comics and eating the meatball sandwiches. He plays a good guy for a change and is excellent. (he is one of my favourite screen baddies along with tommy lee Jones and Jeremy irons). This in my opinion is the performance of his career - topping the buddy holly story and blowing away rough riders. he should have had a better career after this bad sadly for all the busey die hards it went downhill.

A great exhibition of filmaking.

8/10.

Under Siege (1992)

Downright great!

[10/10 · 7 March 2008]

under siege - Steven Seagals best flick and by far a film of the 90's. Seagal is cardboard as usual but with great supporting actors like Gary Busey & tommy lee Jones - this movie was bound to be a hit. Busey delivers his best performance since point break as the Psychotic and generally unstable XO Commander Krill in such a way that only he can. Krill is a great villain, a killer, Unstable, and non patriotic. Busey was great and lee Jones puts in his best performance other than in the fugitive, as the Lunatic ex CIA operative Hippy, one of them should have been nominated for an Oscar!!!!!!!.

The Movies best part is when busey runs off on the sub, whilst he believes he is away form seagal, seagal then blows busey to smitherines before heading to the showdown with lee Jones.

a true masterpiece (seagal lets it down a bit) but regardless a 10/10 film.