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Reviews
Honor (2006)
Skip this one, it's like Bruce Lee in an episode of Days Of Our Lives
There was not one single redeeming factor in this movie. The girlfriend and I both love action films. Especially fight scenes (Bloodsport and Kickboxer was awesome), but this movie was not entertaining. Five minutes of action followed twenty minutes of talking and "angry" facial expressions. The main hero is a troubled character who has seen battle and thus is forced to look seriously constipated at all times. The Army has disrupted his bowel movements on top of perfecting his fighting technique. The music isn't good either. They fight to the rap and hip-hop style of the streets, 'cause these guys are thugs. The rest of the soundtrack is the usual background noise to low-budget dramas.
Everything about this movie is classic B-style. The actors deliver their lines as if reading them from cue cards and the lines themselves should be set on fire and left burning in some rotten Hollywood alleyway. The film is called "Honor," but there was no honor in making this film. It was simply a waste of money, and spending wisely is something I consider to be honorable.
Go see Felon instead. The fight scenes and situations are more real.
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Great comedy, but had some slow parts..
First off, this movie was hilarious. Everyone in the movie theater was laughing hysterically. Especially when Tom Cruise did his dancing. Yes. Tom Cruise dances in this movie - with his crotch. Is this funny? No, but since it is Tom Cruise, we find it hilarious. Tom Cruise has been on the receiving end of a lot of crap from the media and the mob lately and to take on a role like this was brave. I believe he pulled it off with flying colors.
Second, everyone in this movie did a great job. The acting was solid, and some awesome lines were delivered by every one of the actors. Downey Jr. was so convincingly funny as the actor who naturally becomes who he is portraying and has an identity crisis. Jack Black plays an incredibly obnoxious character, but that's what makes him great. Jack Black can do anything.. just compare this role with the one he took in The Holiday. Polar opposites! Lastly - Ben Stiller. When does Ben ever disappoint? Never, from what I remember. He did great. Although I should point out that he isn't my favorite actor (maybe it's his demeanor.. voice, movement, etc.), I think he did great.
By the way, Matthew McConaughey plays a supporting role and was hysterical.
Other than that, I found some parts to be a bit slow. Some of the jokes were tired and a bit cliché. I also didn't like the fact that the main villain was a child. Why? I don't know, I guess I thought it was asinine.
Overall, I think it's the best comedy this summer. I recommend it!
Beowulf & Grendel (2005)
Vastly superior to King Arthur, Troy, Alexander...
Beowulf & Grendel is, as Sturla Gunnarsson says, "a CG-free zone." I saw this Viking epic at the 2005-2006 Sarasota Film Festival in Sarasota, FL with Gunnarsson in attendance to answer questions. This was my first screening experience with the filmmakers actually there so it was exciting for me.. and I'm glad Beowulf & Grendel was the one I saw. This movie is truly a wake-up call to all those old directors who have been coming out with mediocre and generally uninspiring hero epics. King Arthur's script was bad, although the battle scenes were very unique and gave you the chills; Alexander didn't know what to do with itself. Troy just didn't live up to our expectations, but it has one thing in common with this version of Beowulf. Brad Pitt brings Achilles a new persona, new motivation, and pretty much a new attitude. Whether you like this or not is up for debate, but Gerard Butler no doubt did the same with Beowulf. I support these decisions because it gives the actors more to go by, it gives them a challenge by playing deep characters, and they do a heck of a job. Also, I think it's common sense to assume that these stories came from either the imagination of a brilliantly nutty person (probably an ancestor of J.R.R. Tolkien) or things ordinary men did and was desperately changed for the dramatic and entertaining aspect of their storytelling through the years. Why stay true to the book when nobody else does? Anyway, I recommend this film to you people. It's a great adaption and makes me want to know what Sturla Gunnarsson has planned next.
Gladiator (2000)
A fascinating picture of ancient Rome.
"Gladiator" is Ridley Scott's attempt at a sword-and-sandal epic, with Russell Crowe at the helm as Maximus. And it doesn't disappoint. The picture is beautiful, Scott pulls out all the stops with scenery, costumes, weapons, and (the most important) faces. This is a country who is recovering from brutal wars against the Germanic tribes who are, at this time, trying to take down this vast kingdom.
Maximus (Russell Crowe) is an instant fan-favorite. There is no growing up for this strapping military genius, he already knows his stuff. All we have to do is sit back and watch him do business. He outwits the antagonist to the point where he is in control (to understand this feet is to understand a Gladiator's position in the Roman caste). The villain, Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) plays a pathetic and sadistic young man who, much in the fashion of Macbeth, descends into darkness and uses violent means to achieve a position that was supposedly taken from him.
"Gladiator" is worth seeing. The only complaint I give is the watering down of the characters who are devoid of any complexity, Ridley Scott tries too hard to distinguish who's who. He doesn't let the viewer decide. He might as well have his characters yell out, "Hate me! I just killed a good guy!" It would have been nice to see Maximus show a little of his darker side to the audience. A man who is a victim of a tyrannical dictator, a man who suffered the hanging and burning of his son and wife is not made of complete honor and integrity. At least not in reality.
8/10