It could have been so much more...
Movies that could have been great (or could have been a whole lot better), if only they hadn't ______________ .
And it's not just that they COULD have been better, but they SHOULD have been better. The elements were there for a great film, but in most cases, it just didn't deliver.
And it's not just that they COULD have been better, but they SHOULD have been better. The elements were there for a great film, but in most cases, it just didn't deliver.
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- DirectorTerry HughesStarsDemi MooreJeff DanielsGeorge DzundzaA clairvoyant impulsively marries a butcher, moves to New York City and has a positive impact on the people she meets, changing their futures...which in turn changes hers.It was built for greatness from the ground up. If they'd gotten a respectable actress - instead of a movie star - to play the title character, this could have been a contender. You can see loving care taken in the little details that are thrown in there throughout the movie. Demi Moore's horrible acting, and Southern-by-way-of-Ireland accent, ruined it.
- DirectorVincenzo NataliStarsNicole de BoerMaurice Dean WintDavid HewlettA group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.Hammy acting? Weak script? I'm actually not sure which had a bigger impact on the disappointment that this movie was. It started with a brilliant concept, but didn't quite flesh out well enough. Even still, the brilliance of the concept shines through.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsDustin HoffmanSharon StoneSamuel L. JacksonA spaceship is discovered under three hundred years' worth of coral growth at the bottom of the ocean.Yep. From a cube to a sphere. And that's not the only similarity. Just like 'Cube,' this one started with a brilliant concept. But with this cast, it wasn't bad acting. I think it was bad direction that did this in. In fairness, I initially saw this movie at the height of my 'New Age' phase, and wanted to believe in such things as a genie that will give you anything you can conjure, even if you don't want it. But even then, that wasn't enough for me. You can't have drama without . . . drama.
- DirectorTroy DuffyStarsWillem DafoeSean Patrick FlaneryNorman ReedusTwo Irish Catholic brothers become vigilantes and wipe out Boston's criminal underworld in the name of God.The Ending. That sanctimonious, 'holier than thou' finale in the courtroom destroyed what had, up until then, for me, been a great unknown action flick.
- DirectorPeter ChelsomStarsJohn CusackKate BeckinsaleJeremy PivenA couple search for each other years after the night they first met, fell in love, and separated, convinced that one day they'd end up together.If only the characters weren't ****ing idiots. This movie single-handedly demonstrated to me the stupidity of romanticism, and the belief in fate/destiny/blahblahblah. I hated these characters, almost from the beginning. (Sidenote: I've seen almost every John Cusack movie. This is the only bad one. That is impressive in itself.)
- DirectorPeter HedgesStarsSteve CarellJuliette BinocheDane CookA widower finds out the woman he fell in love with is his brother's girlfriend.Another romantic flick that completely missed its target. You know a romantic chick flick has failed when you sit through it desperately hoping against hope that these two characters end up apart, alone and disappointed.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsDemi MooreViggo MortensenAnne BancroftLt. Jordan, a US Navy topographic analyst, joins the US Navy Special Warfare Group and struggles to prove her worth in a unit dominated by men. But a cynical woman Texan senator has sold her out.A lot of overtly political movies suffer from getting too many fingerprints on them. A movie should have exactly one director. When you've got Ridley Scott at the helm, you just turn him loose and get out of the way. Instead, the multiple cuts I've seen of this movie (including one in which the opening scene has Demi Moore doing the luge!?!?!) just show that people had tons of different agendas, and fought amongst themselves, pulling the movie this way and that. And the end result is that it is battered and bruised, a mess.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsKevin SpaceyKate WinsletLaura LinneyA man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.This could have been interesting, but they just tried too hard. Like 'G.I. Jane,' the movie shows signs of infighting amongst the leaders of the production, or, perhaps, the director did not possess the necessary clarity of vision.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsGreg KinnearBruce WillisCatalina Sandino MorenoWhen contaminated meat is placed in the freezer next to that used for a fast food chain's most famous sandwich, a marketing executive seeks to find out who did it and why, taking a journey through the dark side of American alimentation.First of all, I never read the book. As I understand, it basically says "McDonald's is bad, and they do a variety of horrible things in the preparation of their food." I know the book is very popular, so it must be good. (Right?) But it's a non-fiction book. So the transition to a narrative film made for a very messy plot.
- DirectorLawrence KasdanStarsMorgan FreemanThomas JaneJason LeeFriends on a camping trip discover that the town they're vacationing in is being plagued in an unusual fashion by parasitic aliens from outer space.I remember anticipating this movie with a level of excitement I rarely have. This might be the most disappointing mess of a movie I've ever seen. I LOVED the cast, and hoped to see some of them (particularly Timothy Olyphant and Jason Lee) break out and become huge stars. That hasn't happened, of course, although neither of them has failed. Anyway, I don't know how it is that you can start with a Stephen King novel, attach a solid cast and a proven director, and end up with a movie this bad.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsNicole KidmanPaul BettanyLauren BacallA woman on the run from the mob is reluctantly accepted in a small Colorado community in exchange for labor, but when a search visits the town she finds out that their support has a price.Apparently, this is a really good movie. I wouldn't know (and I don't much care). I turned it off after about 10 minutes. I just couldn't get past the annoying fake set they filmed on. That was the biggest distraction in any movie I've ever seen. And speaking of distractions...
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJohn BeardTim BeldenBarbara BoxerA documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.This documentary had a stylistic theme throughout: focus on reflective surfaces. For most of the movie, it just served as an interlude between the different chapters of the unraveling of Enron, but at one point toward the end, they are interviewing somebody, and for no particular reason, the camera shifts down to show the man's reflection in the glass-top table in front of him. I admit that maybe I'm missing the point, but that single moment virtually destroyed the movie for me. After watching a documentary about some of the worst corporate criminals in history, all I can think about is one ridiculous image.
- DirectorGabriele MuccinoStarsWill SmithThandiwe NewtonJaden SmithA struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.I guess anytime that the main character behaves in a monumentally stupid manner, so that I start to root for them to fail, then the movie has lost its way. I could not get behind him after he left the doo-hickey with the hippie chick.
- DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsBrad PittCate BlanchettGael García BernalTragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, which jump starts an interlocking story involving four different families.This movie wanted you to feel empathy and compassion and pity for its characters, and for all human beings, I guess. While I did feel that for Brad and Cate in particular, and was mostly perplexed by the deaf Japanese chick, the character that destroyed the movie for me was Amelia. She is so bad that I have included her in another list of the greatest screen villains of all time. When you spend most of your time looking at a character and wishing they were in prison, while the movie wants you to feel sorry for them, something is way out of place.
- DirectorIrwin WinklerStarsSandra BullockJeremy NorthamDennis MillerWhen Angela Bennett, a computer programmer, stumbles upon government secrets, she finds herself on the run from an unknown enemy hell-bent on destroying her completely.HA! How little we all knew. This is a rare and laughable time capsule, a gift in its own way.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsGroucho MarxHarpo MarxChico MarxRufus T. Firefly is named the dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of his wealthy backer Mrs. Teasdale, contending with two inept spies who can't seem to keep straight which side they're on.I hesitated before including this one. I know it's WIDELY considered one of the greatest comedies of all time, but what I learned from watching it is that most slapstick humor is lost on me. I think I got all the way through this movie, and didn't laugh until the very last scene, when the Marx Brothers started throwing stuff at the woman. (I also appreciated the 'mirroring' scene, though I didn't laugh.)
- DirectorTodd SolondzStarsHeather MatarazzoChristina BrucatoVictoria DavisAn awkward seventh-grader struggles to cope with inattentive parents, snobbish class-mates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister and her own insecurities in suburban New Jersey.This is more of a commentary on all Todd Solondz films. The over-arching theme in his movies (the ones I've gotten through, anyway) seems to be 'hatred of life.' However original a philosophy and vision that is in cinema, I don't care. I can do without it.
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsBen StillerPatricia ArquetteTéa LeoniA young man, his wife, and his incompetent case worker travel across country to find his birth parents.Like 'Welcome to the Dollhouse' above, this is more about all the movies directed by David O. Russell. I don't like his philosophy, which seems to be 'utter contempt for everybody, even those who disagree with one another.' Add to that his reputation as one of the most difficult people to work with in Hollywood, and I feel safe saying that I just don't want to spend time in his universe.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsJim CaviezelSean PennNick NolteAdaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.Yet again, here is another director that I just don't like. Terrence Malick creates this weird, dreamy mood in his movies, with flashbacks that seem to bleed over into the current reality. It sounds great, and maybe it is for others, but I just can't stand it. And that's weird, in a way, because I usually love the jagged and oblique dreamlands (or drug-soaked nightmares) that some of the great directors are so good at creating. Malick's dreams, though, are not my dreams.
- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsJosh HamiltonEric StoltzSamuel GouldA bunch of guys hang around their college for months after graduation, continuing a life much like the one before graduation.Noah Baumbach is yet another director whose style I don't like. He likes to focus on the lives of wealthy, pompous East Coast intellectuals. After watching three of his movies, I realize that I do not want to spend time with his characters.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsNaomi WattsSean PennSonya DavisonCIA operative Valerie Plame discovers her identity is allegedly leaked by the government as payback for an op-ed article her husband wrote criticizing the Bush administration.I have no idea how they managed to screw this one up. I had finally watched "The Social Network" the day before watching this one. The line I've been using since then is, "The first one [TSN] took a boring and mundane story and made it fascinating and relevant. The second one took a fascinating and relevant story and made it boring and mundane."
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason FlemyngDexter FletcherNick MoranEddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.It's as if Guy Ritchie watched "Pulp Fiction," said, "That's easy. I can do that." So he made this movie. And then, he said, "I can do that again, only this time, I'll make it good." And then he made "Snatch."
- DirectorJessie NelsonStarsSean PennMichelle PfeifferDakota FanningAn intellectually disabled man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.I don't know where I read it, but I'm stealing it here. Somewhere I read something like, "You can't have a morality tale when the bad guys make more sense." I'm not entirely certain that was about this movie, but it fits perfectly, and that is the reason I didn't like it.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsRichard JenkinsHaaz SleimanDanai GuriraA college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.Here is yet another movie with a major character that I'm supposed to want to support, but I can't help but think that he got what was coming to him. In "a nation of laws, not men," this illegal immigrant was breaking the law with every breath he took. How serious can a person really be about not wanting to be kicked out of a country if they are breaking the law just by being there? And in a nation where the rule of law is supreme, are we really supposed to feel outraged when laws are enforced?
One other note: How is it that the same two cops who completely missed what happened just a moment before then swooped in to arrest the guy when he hopped over the turnstile? Possible, I guess, even plausible, but it felt horribly contrived. - DirectorFrank CapraStarsCary GrantPriscilla LaneRaymond MasseyA Brooklyn writer of books on the futility of marriage risks his reputation after he decides to tie the knot. Things get even more complicated when he learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are habitual murderers.I saw this for the first time five or six years ago, about the same time as "Duck Soup." Being so thoroughly disappointed by these two classic comedies, I developed a suspicion that I have yet to shake: Humor is very specific to each culture, and even within a culture, to each new generation. Anyway, I made it all the way through this without even coming close to laughing.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsKatharine HepburnCary GrantCharles RugglesWhile trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress and her pet leopard, Baby.I pretty much covered this in my commentary about "Arsenic and Old Lace" above. But I can get a little more specific in this case. In 1938, it must have been a hilarious inversion of the world as it was to see an empowered woman behaving as if she was a man's equal. But in a post-feminist America, the whole thing looked horribly dated to me. And I still don't like slapstick comedy.
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsHarrison FordGary OldmanGlenn CloseCommunist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.Maybe I'm being too harsh, but this had the worst special effects I've ever seen in a major Hollywood production. I enjoyed the action all the way through the movie, and then, the final scene, with the plane crashing into the water, was just AWFUL! Somebody either had no business handling the special effects, or they were rushed so much by the studio that they didn't have time to do a good job.
- DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsIce CubeChris TuckerNia LongIt's Friday, and Craig and Smokey must come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there won't be a Saturday.I want to start by saying that FRIDAY IS A GOOD MOVIE. Got that out of the way? Good. Okay, watching this movie, I always think of a rookie driver, pushing too hard on the pedal, getting scared, and backing off. There are scenes of brilliance in here: great comedy, poignant coming of age moments, and Nia Long is hot. But it has the feel of being put together by someone who isn't sure of their abilities.
- DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsNicolas CageEthan HawkeJared LetoAn arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an INTERPOL Agent.I sat through this whole movie, thinking, "meh." And then, AFTER it's done, the words appear on the screen, saying that "The world's five biggest arms dealers are also the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council." It's not a bad movie, but that should not have been the most dramatic moment.
- DirectorJay ChandrasekharStarsJay ChandrasekharBill PaxtonKevin HeffernanWhen a serial killer interrupts the fun at the swanky Coconut Pete's Coconut Beach Resort--a hedonistic island paradise for swingers--it's up to the club's staff to stop the violence...or at least hide it.Not bad, exactly, but I expected more from the guys who made "Supertroopers." There are some good parts, but from beginning to end, I don't think there is a single joke that I hadn't heard before in some form.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsSandra BullockChris O'DonnellMackenzie AstinA bitter love story between a talented writer and a gentle nurse.It's ancient history now, but when this was brand new in theaters, I saw a couple of interviews with Sandra Bullock and Chris O'Donnell. Just watching their chemistry in those interviews, I think they could have been a great comedy duo. But the interviews are not the performances. I know I saw the movie, but have virtually no memory of it now. It is not a memorable film, but those two are naturally gifted.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsMia WasikowskaJohnny DeppHelena Bonham CarterNineteen-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.I'm going to let this stand in for ALL 'Alice' movies. None of them that I have seen have effectively portrayed dream-logic and the surrealistic imagery of a dream. I am still waiting on a well-made screen version to be released. Until then, I'll have to make due with the original Disney cartoon.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsHayden ChristensenSamuel L. JacksonJamie BellA young man with teleportation abilities suddenly finds himself in the middle of an ancient war between those like him and their sworn annihilators.It's really frustrating, even infuriating, to see a movie with such a great concept at its core, and then watch it turn into a wasted opportunity. They should have replaced the screen writer with somebody with a proven track record.
- DirectorLee TamahoriStarsNicolas CageJulianne MooreJessica BielA Las Vegas magician who can see into the future is pursued by FBI agents seeking to use his abilities to prevent a nuclear terrorist attack.Kinda like "Jumper" above, this seems like they just took the power of one of the X-Men, and made a movie about somebody who lives with that power, without having to pay royalties. Nicolas Cage seems to be most at home in movies that reveal him as a sellout. It's a shame for such a talented actor.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTom HanksEwan McGregorAyelet ZurerHarvard symbologist Robert Langdon works with a nuclear physicist to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican during one of the significant events within the church.Okay, so, it wasn't like "The Da Vinci Code" was rivalling "The Godfather." But, having read the books, I was at least satisfied with it. With this one, though, it was clear that the studio got very timid. Whether they were afraid of offending the Catholic church (again), or afraid of offending Muslims at all, they took a lot of the teeth out of the story in the process of making the movie.
- DirectorMichael CristoferStarsJoe BasileScott BurkholderLiz CokeA tale of the mysterious, but necessary, mating ritual between men and women of today and everything they think about sex but are afraid to say.This was kind of an interesting examination of lust and sexuality. Or it could have been. It never really works, even as it raises serious questions, in realistic scenarios.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsGiovanni RibisiSteve ZahnJayce BartokA group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.I guess every great director is allowed to make one stinker of a movie, and this is Richard Linklater's. The first time I saw "Dazed and Confused," I didn't like it because "nothing happens." I have since changed my views on that one, but here, nothing REALLY happens. And it's not even entertaining to watch while it's not happening.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsKurt RussellWilliam BaldwinRobert De NiroTwo feuding siblings carrying on a heroic family tradition as Chicago firefighters. But when a puzzling series of arson attacks is reported, they are forced to set aside their differences to solve the mystery surrounding these crimes."HEY! Let's make a movie honoring firefighters."
"Okay. But let's include a murder plot, and a political conspiracy, and a naked woman on the fire truck."
"Of course. That's what I meant by honoring firefighters."
"Alright. It's Miller Time." - DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerF. Murray AbrahamArt CarneyWith the help of a magic ticket, a young movie fan is transported into the fictional world of his favorite action movie character.What "Scream" is to the horror genre, and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is to the mystery/noir genre, this COULD HAVE BEEN to the action genre. But it just wasn't. The self-referential humor didn't work.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark AlpigerDie-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.I don't understand why this is such a popular documentary. I just didn't get it. It wasn't bad, but I guess I just wasn't drawn in the way I was supposed to be.
- DirectorBrett RatnerStarsPatrick StewartHugh JackmanHalle BerryThe human government develops a cure for mutations, and Jean Grey becomes a darker uncontrollable persona called the Phoenix who allies with Magneto, causing escalation into an all-out battle for the X-Men.When Wolverine goes all soft and shows us his sensitive side, looking at Phoenix and saying, "I love you," I SHOULD have gotten a lump in my throat. But I didn't. (Also, didn't Magneto look silly as he was moving the Golden Gate bridge?)
- DirectorMarc ForsterStarsJohnny DeppKate WinsletJulie ChristieThe story of Sir J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING???!!! It doesn't matter if you're interested in the widow. It doesn't even matter if you're interested in young boys. (Although that would be gross.) Forget what you're interested in, and start paying attention to your wife, who's just sitting alone at home waiting for you. ASS. Why did you even get married?
- DirectorMike JudgeStarsJason BatemanKristen WiigBen AffleckJoel, the owner of an extract plant, tries to contend with myriad personal and professional problems, such as his potentially unfaithful wife and employees who want to take advantage of him.Mila Kunis just can't quite carry a movie with her hotness. You might think of this as a retooling of "Office Space" from the perspective of management. And I guess that is just not relatable enough for me. The first half was promising enough, but then it just fizzled and fell apart. Too many loose threads. Even the ones that had been explained left me wanting more.
- DirectorKevin SmithStarsShannen DohertyJeremy LondonJason LeeBoth dumped by their girlfriends, two best friends seek refuge in the local mall.Plenty of Kevin Smith is in this movie, but it still doesn't seem like it's his. I have the feeling that he hadn't yet learned to deal with the studios at the time.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsJack BlackYasiin BeyDanny GloverTwo bumbling store clerks inadvertently erase the footage from all of the tapes in their video rental store. In order to keep the business running, they re-shoot every film in the store with their own camera, with a budget of zero dollars.For some reason, I had very high expectations for this movie. As you may have guessed, it didn't meet them. I liked it, but the concept had worn thin by the end.
- DirectorRichard EyreStarsCate BlanchettJudi DenchAndrew SimpsonA veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her fifteen-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond a platonic friendship.I just saw this for the first time a week ago. There must have been something really compelling about the story to attract two acting heavyweights like Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench. I'm not sure what it was, though. It seemed like such a silly story, even as it dealt with heavy and serious issues.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJohn TurturroJohn GoodmanJudy DavisA renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.Early Coen brothers. A Hollywood screenwriter in a spooky hotel. Also, John Goodman may or may not be the devil.
- DirectorNeil LaButeStarsSamuel L. JacksonPatrick WilsonKerry WashingtonA troubled and racist African-American L.A.P.D. Officer will stop at nothing to force out a friendly interracial couple who just moved in next door to him.Neil LaBute tends to make movies in which one character has built a life being a scumbag, and some others, in response to this catalyst, sink to levels they didn't know they were capable of, often lower even than the scumbag will go. That's the template I pictured going into this one. And some of that happened. But I guess that when you're making a major Hollywood movie, you have to make some concessions, and inch toward ordinary.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsSean ConneryRob BrownF. Murray AbrahamForrester, the author of a famous book, decides to help Jamal, a 16-year-old student, discover his writing prowess by mentoring him and enrolling him into a prestigious private school.Gus Van Sant, ripping off ... himself.
- DirectorNick CastleStarsLance GuestRobert PrestonKay E. KuterHigh schooler Alex Rogan conquers the Starfighter video game, only to find out it was just a test, and is transported to another planet. He has been recruited to join a team of the best starfighters to defend their world from the attack.An obvious ripoff of Star Wars and TRON, this has some of the most glaring plot holes in movie history. (e.g. At the end, how do all the folks in the trailer park understand the turtle dude without the neat little toy attached to their collars?)
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreGeorge W. BushBen AffleckMichael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.Ahhhh, Michael Moore. How do you manage to screw up making fun of George W. Bush? How is the truth not good enough for you? Why must you fabricate blatant lies and ridiculous conspiracy theories? With all the good reasons to dislike him, why did you feel such a need for self-serving and manipuative theatrics?
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsCharlton HestonEdward G. RobinsonLeigh Taylor-YoungA nightmarish futuristic fantasy about the controlling power of big corporations and an innocent cop who stumbles on the truth.Probably the least surprising "surprise ending" I've ever seen.
- DirectorKirby DickStarsKirby DickKimberly PeirceDarren AronofskyKirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.Here is a movie that is just SCREAMING to be re-made, and by somebody who knows the right questions to ask. It's ostensibly about the flaws in the MPAA's rating system. But instead, it focuses on uncovering the identities of ratings board members and on the lives of the private investigators who do the uncovering. Nowhere near enough time is spent on the actual issues with censorship, the lack of consistency in the rating system. A quote comes to mind. "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people - Eleanor Roosevelt." This movie was made by a small mind that had a good idea, and then didn't know what to do with it.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJerry LewisDiahnne AbbottA passionate yet unsuccessful comedian stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself.At first, I couldn't make sense of it. How could this movie be so popular? Then I realized. Scorsese. De Niro. Just like Tarantino in my generation, these men are gods of cinema, and there are those who want to deify them and everything they touch. A movie is not automatically good just because Scorsese directed it or because De Niro acted in it.
- DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsDavid NivenGregory PeckAnthony QuinnA team of Allied saboteurs is assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held Greek island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.Corniest death in the history of corny deaths. That is almost the only memory I took from this movie.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatDanny LeeSally YehA disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.Great action, of course. But what kind of cop sits around romanticizing the motives of criminals, and talking like he's in a modern day Shakespearean play?
- DirectorJane CampionStarsKate WinsletHarvey KeitelJulie HamiltonRuth's been brainwashed by a guru in Delhi, India. Her parents in Sydney hire a specialist in reversing this. Ruth is tricked to return to Australia and is isolated in an outback cabin with the specialist. It gets messy.A very interesting movie about cult-like behaviors. My big problem with it is that I can't believe the same person who'd fall under a cult leader's spell is capable of then turning around and becoming a master of manipulation, controlling somebody else.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsHugh JackmanRachel WeiszSean Patrick ThomasAs a modern-day scientist, Tommy is struggling with mortality, desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi.I have to admit, I didn't know what to make of this movie. I'm not sure what happened. But the way I'm not sure wasn't intriguing; I didn't care, and still don't.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsAngelina JolieColm FeoreAmy RyanAfter Christine's son goes missing, she reaches out to the LAPD to find him. But when they try to pass off an impostor as her son to quieten public protests, she refuses to accept him or give up hope.I'm not really sure why I didn't like this one. I think Angelina Jolie just kinda bothers me. I was definitely never with her, never in the movie. And I usually love Clint Eastwood movies.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodBee VangChristopher CarleyAfter a Hmong teenager tries to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino, a disgruntled, prejudiced Korean War veteran seeks to redeem both the boy and himself.I guess I'm kinda cheating by including this movie. I loved it, but I think there is a minor, but significant, flaw. I think The final shot is of the kid driving the car on some lakeside road. It should have been of the kid arriving at a house under construction and just getting to work with the rest of the crew. That would have been the perfect endshot as the credits rolled.
- DirectorD.J. CarusoStarsVal KilmerVincent D'OnofrioAdam GoldbergAfter a tragic incident, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and speed junkies.It's been a long time. My memory of this one is a little hazy. I remember being turned off by the pretentious, stylized voice-over narration.
- DirectorRicky GervaisMatthew RobinsonStarsRicky GervaisJennifer GarnerJonah HillA comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.It had a fascinating idea at its core: exploring the common ground between lies and the belief in God and the afterlife. It had the potential to be as good as "Groundhog Day," and in the same sub-genre. But there was very little good humor to it, and even the poignant observations were rather dull.
- DirectorRichard SchenkmanStarsDavid Lee SmithTony ToddJohn BillingsleyAn impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he has a longer and stranger past than they can imagine.Maybe I shouldn't have included this one. It starts with an intriguing sci-fi premise, which gradually builds into a mind-blowing re-imagining of enormous chunks of human history. But the dialogue never sounded real. I think that, if somebody with a real talent for writing conversations had had a go at the screenplay, it could have been really great. And the characters could have behaved like real people, instead of just representing the appropriately oversimplified caricatures of some of the various different worldviews necessary to include in the discussion.
- DirectorMimi LederStarsKevin SpaceyHaley Joel OsmentHelen HuntA young boy attempts to make the world a better place after his teacher gives him that chance.Another movie that starts with a great core concept, and does a very poor job of fleshing it out. This was so sugary that, although I may be wrong, I don't think I finished watching it. But the idea it presents is valid.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsBen AffleckAnna KendrickJ.K. SimmonsAs a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.This had some truly great elements, but somehow, they didn't add up in the right way to make a cohesive whole.
- DirectorChristopher SmithStarsMelissa GeorgeJoshua McIvorJack TaylorFive friends set sail and their yacht is overturned by a strange and sudden storm. A mysterious ship arrives to rescue them, and what happens next cannot be explained.I honestly can't pinpoint what went wrong with this movie. Everything fit together in a perfect circle. (Or triangle?) It had all it needed. But somehow that wasn't enough.