foryoublues Reviews

Rosewood (1997)

Disappointing - Watch Mississippi Bruning instead!

[6/10 · 23 March 2008]

This movie is based on real tragic events and yes, it has been one of the dark horrific events in American history. But the filmmakers let it slip out of their hands.

The movie never managed to touch or move me; in fact, I was mostly distracted by shoddy writing and mediocre acting. It does not take the subject seriously enough and turns it halfway through into a forgettable action flick. Most of all, I do not understand the inclusion of the fictitious character Mann. He is so overblown to the point of caricature and seems to have stepped out of a western.

I was not impressed. Other movies like Mississippi Burning have a heart and a clear message to convey. Here the message gets buried under superficial clichés.

Those tragic events perhaps need to be taken to the screen again but this time by more skilled and competent hands.

Overall disappointing what could have been a movie with a strong statement.

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

A bit slow and thin on story, but definitely worth watching!

[9/10 · 28 February 2008]

I must say it took me a while to warm up to the movie and to get sucked in so-to-speak. It was mostly because I had high expectations; I really like Daniel Day-Lewis and Michael Mann is a pretty crafty director so I expected to be thrilled from the first shot.

However, from the get go I was impressed with the cinematography, the costume and the soundtrack. Then after the first hour, like most Mann movies, it kept getting better and better. The tension rises and you find that you are sitting at the edge of your sit.

I was thinking that it was actually quite an unusual and rather bold film coming from Hollywood. One of those unusual points was how the Indians and the fighting Europeans were portrayed. The Indians had left aside their customary arrows and had picked up guns and rifles. The Europeans were not your typical cowboys but soldiers who were fighting for land. And the intrigues went both ways.

The film is not perfect and possibly not even one of Mann's best. Yet it shows a lot of early promise and talent, and the scenes are well executed and full of suspense. That is one thing that I love about movies, not being able to predict what will happen next. The Last of the Mohicans keeps you guessing until the end.

Mr. Brooks (2007)

Uneven, overstuffed script mixed with bad acting = failure

[1/10 · 28 February 2008]

When I heard that Kevin Costner was playing a serial killer, I did my best to avoid the movie. However, after reading the high rating on this site, I decided to give both him and the movie a chance.

I was bitterly disappointed and realized I had been right in the first place; that my hunch was completely right. What a waste of time! I am quite fond of serial killer movies, and their disturbed and disturbing mind is a rather fascinating subject of study.

However, this movie failed on several aspects. Apart from miscast Kevin Costner, who does well playing a successful businessman but does not convince as a troubled serial killer, there is the case of Demi Moore who nobody in their right frame of mind would cast as a hard-boiled tough detective. William Hurt is a great actor, but he gives an expressionless performance and half of the time he is eaten up by shadows and we hardly get to see him.

Now the script's main failing is that it tries to handle several plot strands and they are so boggled and mismanaged that it all ends up confusing the poor viewer. It felt like watching a pilot of a series; indeed, I read that it is part of a trilogy. God forbid is all I can say!

The Science of Sleep (2006)

Excellent film, unique, original, funny and weird!

[10/10 · 23 January 2008]

Only once in a while does one come across an original film. And this is definitely one of them! Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind was a great film; however, this one is actually better. It is funnier and has a more human side to it. Anyone who is a dreamer can relate to it. And it really shows you that you don't need to spend loads of money on special effects to wow your audience.

I sometimes remember some of the scenes and find myself smiling. There are certain moments in which the protagonist Gael Garcia finds himself in the most embarrassing situations and they are simply hilarious! It is very different and much more subtle than the awkward moments of a Ben Stiller, for example. Very different from what Hollywood has to offer.

Highly recommended, especially for the quirky-minded!

Hairspray (2007)

Good cheer, but does not live up to the original

[7/10 · 23 January 2008]

It is a fun movie, very colorful and lots and lots of songs. It is a remake and I must say that I actually preferred the original by "the master of bad taste" John Waters. What I did not like very much in this modern version was the amount of songs. I have nothing against musicals, and my favorite ones are Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy etc... I think it probably would have benefited to have more talking scenes and to develop and flesh out the characters a bit more.

This version despite all the good cheer and a surprisingly good performance by John Travolta felt at times long and repetitive. And it lacked the Waters signature wackiness....

The Lives of Others (2006)

Wonderful and (almost) perfect movie!

[9/10 · 20 January 2008]

Das Leben der Anderen is a stunning piece of work. It is flawlessly acted and directed and presents a shady but important part of (East) German history. It is indeed quite relevant as we have seen in recent history regarding the wiretapping incidents. What I found most amazing though is that this was the director's graduation work. We can say that he has definitely passed.

In recent times I have seen other movies that have won a foreign-language Oscar and I have thought that they may have been good, but not great, e.g. Tsotsi, Osama etc. This one, however, fully deserves the Oscar and more. Highly recommended!