Change Your Image
490
Reviews
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
I don't get it
No, this is not ignorance- I understood the movie. But in the end, I was left wondering what all the buzz was about? What I saw was a very well done film, with great direction, special effects and acting. But I just wasn't amazed as everyone else seems to be. One reason I suspect is the fact that between the original books being written and the movies being made, all of the elements of the story have been ripped off, copied, and redone thousands of times. There just isn't anything new that the movie offers, but that really isn't the film's fault.
Nothing in this movie wowed me. FOTR was merely solid, albeit very solid. But in the end I feel nothing for this movie. I'm going to rent and see it again and hope that maybe I can get as into it as the rest of the world. If not, oh well. I can just add this movie to the list of things the mainstream loves and I don't.
Starship Troopers (1997)
Certainly not a deep film, but definately fun
You can't really call Starship Troopers a true adaptation, because the novel (which is a great work on its own) bears little resemblance to this movie. The acting- meh; The story- meh. This movie is just cool to watch when you really don't want to think. The action is the only reason to watch the movie, but it's still a good one (much like Blade 2). Starship Troopers is a great excuse to watch sh*t getting blown up/killed. One notable thing this movie carries is the anti-mainstream message that was present, but much less significant in the novel: violence IS the answer. 8/10- just because it's fun to watch.
Spider-Man (2002)
On its own, a decent movie...with the Spider-Man name attached...not so decent
I have been a huge fan of Spider-Man for as long as I can remember. When I first heard there were plans for a movie, I knew it was going to be amazing. Well, I'm amazed at the fact that I was wrong.
I don't know what in particular screwed this up so badly. I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the fact that I expected this movie to truly amaze me, and my expectations were a little to high.
Five years ago, this movie would've amazed me. That is, it would've amazed me because I didn't recognize bad movies. Five years ago I didn't realize how truly bad Batman & Robin was. I guess this movie was made for kids, but they should've thought about the teens and adults who grew up with Spidey and thought that maybe he grew up too.
How could it have been better? Here are just a few suggestions:
1) Don't change the bloody costumes or powers- the Green Goblin was NOT supposed to make me laugh, but it did. And what was the point of making web-shooting an integrated power instead of an invention?? If it came with the powers, realistically, it would come out of Peter's arse.
2) Make the movie darker. It's too happy; Spider-Man is supposed to be a little darker inside. There was way too little thought about Uncle Ben's famous words: "With great power comes great responsibility". Spidey is supposed to be dwelling on this philosophy waaay more.
3) It's a simple boy-meets-girl-and-falls-in-love-then-gets-superpowers plot, which even in the comics demonstrated little depth. I just thought maybe they could explore his uniquely teen mentality more, get into Peter's psychology. After all, his mind, flaws and truely human frailty is what attracted most of his fans.
Overall, the film just didn't go deep enough. But this is coming from a person who expects movies of this caliber to be really, really good. Overall, this is an okay movie to watch with pizza and some friends, and that's about it. I must admit, it's interesting to finally see Spidey in live action, and it'll be interesting to see Doc Oc and the Lizard on film (and possible Venom or Carnage in the third movie, which I'm sure they'll make). I give Spider-Man a 6 or 7 out of 10.
Hopefully they'll remake the Spidey movie in 20 years...I'll make it a personal goal to live to see a Spider-Man movie adaptation I truly love.
Fight Club (1999)
The closest thing most people will get to a good kick in the jaw
...but I mean that in a good way. All films have flaws...so I guess you can't call this a film, because Fight Club is, for lack of a better word, perfect. The plot is beautifully played out; the acting and directing is incredible; the movie pulls you in and doesn't let go...ever.
If you can stomach the violence and the social element, Fight Club is for you. If you can't, watch it anyway. No matter how much you'd like to believe you're a sensitive viewer, you won't be able to turn away.
It's hard to fully capture this movie is words, so I'll just say this: watch it. If you consider yourself a true fan of movies, buy it, period. On a scale from 1 to 10, Fight Club gets an 11.
Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996)
Okay film, but since it's KITH it's a masterpiece
I'm a huge KITH fan, and this movie lived up to my expectations 99%. The amazing thing about this movie is that although it features few of the lovable TV show characters, it was still awesome, and true to the KITH's style. I would have liked to see Buddy or Cabbage Head or the STEPS boys in it, but this movie was still great. I think you may have to warm up to the show before you can enjoy the movie, but it manages to be funny on its own.
I laughed out loud at many unforgettable moments: Wally's army flashbacks; the short appearance of the feuding white trash couple; and the German guy confessing to the psychiatrist (Subtitle: "The nipples of mother hope have run dry").
When I discovered Brain Candy on DVD, I snapped it up- and I recommend you do too, if you're a fan of KITH or Canadian comedy in general. I hope KITH live on...perhaps a third tour, another movie...and I would love to have the series in a DVD boxed set...hint, hint.
Minority Report (2002)
A Surprise Goodie
I hated Tom Cruise, and wasn't a big fan of Spielberg either, but after this, I walked out of the theatre with a new respect for both. Not to say Cruise still isn't a not-so-great actor (and freakishly short, too), but now he's neutral in my books.
I went to this movie expecting an action-packed, mainstream, decent-plot-but-you-don't-really-have-to-follow-it movie. But somehow, Minority Report managed to become on of my favourite films, and the first DVD I owned as of Christmas '02 (I'm not quite rich).
The premise of Minority Report is creative, although simple and mainstream-friendly: police predict murders (JUST murders, oddly enough) and stop them before they happen, in a nutshell. But the story somehow becomes better than your average movie, twisting and turning and possibly losing you if you don't pay attention. Spielberg couldn't of directed this film any better. It has a gritty, dull-blue look, which, in addition to great direction, gave the movie a film-noir feel to it.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: One of very few flaws I noticed was how Danny Witwer (Colin Farrell) seems to make an abrupt attitude change when he figures out John was framed. His character goes from bad guy to concerned good guy a little quickly. I think this change should have either been more gradual- seeing hints of his humanity earlier on; or he should have been made out to be a little nicer throughout the whole film- give him the good ol' "Just following orders" motive.
This is one of those movies you'll watch again to see if you can catch the little hints it drops (ala The Sixth Sense). I highly recommend Minority Report - 8/10