Mini Movie Reviews
I just found this WordPress plugin which allows you to make mini review of movies as you see them. Pretty cool stuff as I don’t really feel like writing full fledged reviews of movies I see, but I’m happy to node succinctly what I thought about them. Netflix lets you rate movies but it’s not easy to add a small comment and the surface it in your blog…
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August, 2010
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2010-08-22 19:44
Di Caprio playing the same character as in Inception except that here the stakes really matter and no time is wasted. The tension is great, and you really don't know what's going on until the very end... I think.
0.3 -
2010-08-22 19:43
Mildly interesting, pretty good tension. But in the end, the earth shattering revelation is so lame that the whole thing feels like a bait and switch.
0.3 -
2010-08-22 19:41
A good ride. A young kid survives in French jail by making friends with the mafia. Violent, hyper real, tough. Very good, but not worthy of Cannes' top prize in my opinion.
0.3 -
2010-08-22 19:39
Too much hype. The ideas are interesting and the visuals are spectacular. Unfortunately the resolution is tedious. This film is 1 hour too long. You know how everything is going to unravel at the end and yet the last hour is spent watching a van fall into water, a 0 gravity hotel and a pointless shootout in the snow. Di Caprio repeats his performance from Shutter Island, except that there the stakes were much higher. One priceless thing though: the collective GASP! in the theater when the last scene fades to black was by far my favorite moment of this film.
0.3 -
2010-08-22 19:36
The best film of 2010!!! Forget Inception and see this one instead! Funny, sweet, and oh so real. Oscar worthy performances from the three adult leads: Annete Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Brilliant.
0.3 May, 2010
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2010-05-18 17:40
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
Terry Gilliam set out to create his own "Fanny and Alexander" or "Amarcord". But those two are masterpieces and this one isn't. Who knows what it could have been if Heath Ledger hadn't died half way during filming? In the end his death took a life of its own and this film ended up being framed a tribute to his life. Visually stunning, whimsical in the usual Gilliam way, but ultimately does not work.
0.3 -
2010-05-01 18:47
Very convincing love story of a man with Asperger's brilliantly played by Hugh Dancy. The ending works perfectly.
0.3 -
2010-05-01 18:42
Three great guitarists meet to jam, share tricks and separately reflect on their instrument and their craft. What's not to like? Some of the music is truly sublime. Jimmy Page, in full Zen mode, was my favorite. But I still enjoyed the Edge and Jack White even though I'm not totally into their music.
0.3 -
2010-05-01 18:38
A great film with a great performance by Carey Mulligan, much too poised to be 16 years old. It's shocking to see how only 40 years ago, educated, well intentioned parents are so willing to throw away their daughter's education for a marriage of (perceived) great convenience. Our main character makes her choice and deals with the consequences.
0.3 -
2010-05-01 18:35Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009)
The trailer looked hilarious but it's a huge bait and switch. This film tries to be funny and deep, but its main premise is far fetched and offensive and makes you want to throw the remote at the TV. Ach.
0.3 -
2010-05-01 18:19
Does not improve on the best zombie movie so far: Shaun of the Dead. If you're going to see only one zombie movie, choose that one. Still, it was a fun ride. And some of the zombie kills are rather creative.
0.3 -
2010-05-01 18:16
Vaguely amusing but ultimately extremely silly. A disappointing second film by the writer of Juno.
0.3 -
2010-05-01 18:13
Interesting and vaguely amusing retrospective by Agnes Varda on her own life and films. Great if you remember or care about French films of the 60s' New Wave. Not so much otherwise.
0.3 -
2010-05-01 18:12
An elderly mother dies and her three children deal with the aftermath. Do they keep the house of their childhood or sell? Conflict is imminent, but in this film that Hollywood could never produce, the siblings love and respect each other and deal with disagreement like adults. Refreshing in its naturalism and lack of melodrama.
0.3 -
2010-05-01 18:09
Completes the Coen's "trilogy of despair". First we had "No Country for Old Men": everyone is evil. Then they gave us "Burn After Reading": everyone is stupid. And finally this one: nothing works for the ethical man. Well... almost nothing. In their usual cynical form, the Coen brothers focus on a Jewish professor whose life crumbles around him. It's all an excuse to think about ethics and depict the Jewish community they grew up in. It works, and the main character is excellent as well as most of the secondary characters. The question remains: being ethical is the right thing, but does it lead to success in life?
0.3 January, 2010
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2010-01-09 15:17
A riveting documentary about the yearly massacre of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, which is still happening. A commando team is assembled for the mission of taping the secret massacres and you watch them carry out the mission and see the resulting disturbing footage.
0.3 -
2010-01-09 15:12
While the plot is a ripoff of Disney's Pocahontas, cliched and totally predictable, the experience of Pandora has no equal in movie history. Period. I have the distinct feeling of having been there, and I miss that alien planet. An amazing feet. 5 stars for its historic significance.
0.3 December, 2009
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2009-12-06 20:11
I rented this after hearing the hilarious Fresh Air interview with Sacha Baron Cohen and the director. Unfortunately, the interview was much better than the film. While we can all admire the wild abandon with which Baron Cohen risks his life, the movie is not really funny or that interesting.
0.3 -
2009-12-06 20:07Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)
Another great film from Sussane Bier. It's bleak and sad, but Benicio del Toro is convincing as the recovering heroin adict and Halle Berry plays it straight as the grieving widow. Great use of close ups to create a sense of intimacy.
0.3 -
2009-12-06 20:06
The worst movies I've seen in the last 10 years, at least. Utter garbage. Torture for kids and adults alike. 0 stars.
0.3 November, 2009
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2009-11-01 11:10
Tries to be a hip Sodebergh film and fails. See Ocean's 11, 12, whatever instead.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 11:06
Tarantino's tribute to "car chase" movies is fun if you're in the mood. It's hard to take stuntman Mike's horrific killing of the first group of "girls", but then there's the second half of the film where things might end up different. Tarantino's usual crisp dialog was not up to par here and for me this film was enjoyable for the chase sequences, the stunts and the silly film making tricks.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 10:58Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008)
Very moving, extremely bittersweet documentary about a metal band that almost made it 20 years ago. The "almost made it" is the sad part. The fact that they're still playing with great passion even though it's pretty clear they're not going to make it big, or at all, is what makes it moving. This is not Spinal Tap funny. It's real and painful. The main guys in the band do dress exactly like Spinal Tap characters though.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 10:54
There's only one Pixar, and this movie is not theirs. You can tell. The plot is weak, the action scenes are forgettable, but the characters are funny when they're not moving fast. The best thing here is the voices: Seth Rogen gets the prize as "The Blob" followed by Rainn Wilson as Gallaxhar, Dr. House himself as Dr. Cockroach and the inimitable Stephen Colbert as the President.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 10:51
Slow psychological thriller. Daniel Auteuil is great, as usual. A film about a character haunted by a petty action he made as a kid, many years ago.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 10:47
Another pointless remake. Why remake "Rear Window"? Why? Just see that one.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 10:46
German movies are never Hollywood movies. A gifted, but troubled piano player in a women's prison. An old piano teacher will lead her to a great triumph... maybe. Tense, realistic, bleak.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 10:43
A tiny story of two characters. A sour old man and a ridiculously optimistic Senegalese cab driver who aspires to be a flight attendant. Intimate, heart felt, well done.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 10:41
Unfortunately the first 5 minutes of the movie are by far the best part of it. It's all downhill from there. It you want to see a good "con" movie see a real one. Some good examples: House of Games, Nine Queens, The Spanish Prisoner.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 10:37Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
The segments are all good and I agree with most of Michael's points, but the movie is unfocused and plays like a collection of disconnected segments. The "Giant Pool of Money" episode of This American Life is a much better indictment of our free market fundamentalism.
0.3 -
2009-11-01 10:35Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Lyrical. Boring. Not for kids. Get high first, then go see it. Was not high and went with my kids.
0.3 September, 2009
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2009-09-05 21:53
Utter garbage. Extremely long, boring and pointless. The action scenes were excruciating. If they had photographed each frame from the original and left it onscreen for a minute it would have flowed better than the movie version. Disclaimer: not having read the original graphic novel I don't have any emotional attachment to this material whatsoever.
0.3 August, 2009
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2009-08-30 13:21
Slightly above average teen romance with quirky characters and charming environment.
0.3 -
2009-08-30 13:20
Another masterpiece, among Tarantino's best work. The two scenes of people around a table: the first interrogation scene in the farm house and the basement bar scene are superb tension building works of movie art. Everything we've come to expect is here: great dialog, genre defying stylistic touches, abundant movie references and tributes, great soundtrack and some spectacular acting, specially Christoph Waltz's Landa. Needs to be seen more than once to fully appreciate it.
0.3 -
2009-08-05 21:57
One of the best romantic comedies I've seen. Clever writing, fun non linear narrative and a bitter ending capped by a twist that's just a bit too cute. Gimmicky, yes, but it works.
0.3 July, 2009
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2009-07-28 20:52
Intense film about bomb defusing squad in Iraq. Very little filler with relentless sequences. While I enjoyed the action, my wife found it impossibly tense, hard to watch, and ended up with a massive headache at the end. She says she does not remember a war movie affecting her as much as this one.
0.3 -
2009-07-26 20:49
Could Sam Mendes be going soft on us? Here "love conquers all". No matter how many dysfunctional couples the main couple meets in their road trip, their love is stronger and will carry them through. The movie is cute, though it feels like a collection of skits.
0.3 -
2009-07-18 14:03
A minor sibling of Napoleon Dynamite. Quirky but not that interesting.
0.3 -
2009-07-18 14:02
Naturalistic depiction of an extended family on a road trip. Claustrophobic but fun and honest. The director's grandma plays the grandmother in the film.
0.3 -
2009-07-15 21:23Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...
Disappointing. Rushed and devoid of raw emotional power. The climactic scenes from the book just fizzle out. This time, more than ever before, the book is vastly superior to the film.
0.3 -
2009-07-15 14:33
I'm a fan of Subiela but this movie did not work for me. A few art film cliches and overly long sex scenes that are not that interesting.
0.3 -
2009-07-12 14:07
I don't know why this movie is considered such a classic. It's ok, with an interesting bleak future. The Blu Ray Director's Cut release is not spectacular like the Blu Ray release of 2001.
0.3 -
2009-07-10 18:09
Intense from start to finish. Great acting by Russell Crowe and Leonardo di Caprio. Spectacular aerial views.
0.3 -
2009-07-09 18:38
It gets better every time I see it. A must see in Blu Ray. The Blue Danube scenes are stunningly beautiful.
0.3
List generated by WP Movie Ratings.
