Radcliffe is very convincing as Iggy Perish in this dark fantasy, in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend. In a series of flashbacks the plot is developed from childhood on to the tragic murder of his girlfriend and the subsequent investigation Radcliff grows devil-like horns. With these he develops a dark power that causes almost everyone he talks to reveal their innermost evil desires. The plot takes many unexpected and dark twists which Iggy discovers the dark side behind everyone he ever knew. The problem with this film is the ending. It is overdone and very predictable and thus seriously undermines the quality of the film. All the other actors were excellent in their roles. The direction was also good until the ending when is became ridiculous. The ending should have been another clever plot twist, had it been so this would have been a very original horror fantasy and I would have given it a 9 instead of a 7
Reviews
13 Reviews
Mystery Men
(1999)
A Hoot!
21 August 2005
Forget depth of meaning, leave your logic at the door, and have a great time with this maniacally funny, totally absurdist, ultra-campy live-action "cartoon". MYSTERY MEN is a send-up of every superhero flick you've ever seen, but its unlikely super-wannabes are so interesting, varied, and well-cast that they are memorable characters in their own right. Dark humor, downright silliness, bona fide action, and even a touching moment or two, combine to make this comic fantasy about lovable losers a true winner. The comedic talents of the actors playing the Mystery Men -- including one Mystery Woman -- are a perfect foil for Wes Studi as what can only be described as a bargain-basement Yoda, and Geoffrey Rush as one of the most off-the-wall (and bizarrely charming) villains ever to walk off the pages of a Dark Horse comic book and onto the big screen. Get ready to laugh, cheer, and say "huh?" more than once.... enjoy!
Almost a Buddhist parable
18 August 2005
What is the purpose of reincarnation if one has no memory of a previous life? How can you learn from your mistakes if you've forgotten that you ever made them? And what passes from a previous life to the next if there is no memory of a previous existence?
In a subtle way this movie addresses these questions. But instead of lifetimes, love affairs are used. And it's love that passes through the generations. Soul mates are destined to find each other, again and again, despite the trivial incompatibilities. This is a marvelous, original movie. Beautifully, and acted directed. The film is not really a science fiction. It's a moral parable.
In a subtle way this movie addresses these questions. But instead of lifetimes, love affairs are used. And it's love that passes through the generations. Soul mates are destined to find each other, again and again, despite the trivial incompatibilities. This is a marvelous, original movie. Beautifully, and acted directed. The film is not really a science fiction. It's a moral parable.
Before Sunset
(2004)
instituted brilliance.
23 March 2005
No special effects. No action. No super big name stars. No great scenery. no large cast, in fact it's a cast of two.
One of the best films I've seen in a long time. Marvelously underplayed romantic drama. Writing, acting, directing sublimely subtle. Only drawback, you must see Before Sunset first to get the full effect of this movie. But that's no hardship since that film is just as good. The two masterpieces form a segue. In age of overproduced eye candy this is a welcome relief. It's a modern day version of Marty. The duologue is believable. You really feel for these two. There are really only two characters, but you hardly notice. Their acting could be an exemplar on the craft. The script is engrossing. I can't praise these two films enough. If you remember and liked the film Marty then you'll love there two gems. (The two films and the the two actors Julie Deply and Etan Hawke
One of the best films I've seen in a long time. Marvelously underplayed romantic drama. Writing, acting, directing sublimely subtle. Only drawback, you must see Before Sunset first to get the full effect of this movie. But that's no hardship since that film is just as good. The two masterpieces form a segue. In age of overproduced eye candy this is a welcome relief. It's a modern day version of Marty. The duologue is believable. You really feel for these two. There are really only two characters, but you hardly notice. Their acting could be an exemplar on the craft. The script is engrossing. I can't praise these two films enough. If you remember and liked the film Marty then you'll love there two gems. (The two films and the the two actors Julie Deply and Etan Hawke
The Passion of the Christ
(2004)
gibson forgot the letter l
15 March 2004
This movie is about Christ in all His gory, rather than all his glory. The first Christian slasher movie. You can find more of Christ in Jason, Freddie, and Norman Bates, than in Gibson's bloody, inaccurate, and almost anti-semitic vision. Yes, he hired a Jewish actress to play Mary. Nevertheless his portrayal of Jews is deeply troubling. And his sympathetic portryal of Pilate is based on one line in the Bible. Pilate is the only figure in this time who is mentioned in sources other than the Bible. The Roman government recalled him because he was corupt and too brutal. Too Brutal! And this is Rome, the government which had people torn aprt by lions for public amusement. And Gibson portrays him as a sympathetic character? The last few hours of Jesus as described by all four gospels combined would hardly cover an hour of a film. The rest is all Gibson. One is redeemed through the blood of christ. But gibson focuses on the blood and not the redemption.
for some reason I sat still for three hours
21 December 2002
A true spectacular. Massive armies fighting. Actors speaking very stilted dialogue. Massive armies fighting. Massive armies fighting, for no particular reason. The evil one literally is chased up a tree. Deius ex machina all over the place. Massive armies fighting. Something about a gnome and a ring and a barefoot midget with hairy feet. For some reason I liked the movie, and I have no idea why.
The Big Kahuna
(1999)
you need patience to unwrap this diamond
31 August 2000
A low key masterpiece. It's all dialogue, no special effects, no real action. But the dialogue is brilliant. A similar film is "My dinner with Andre" but this movie is deeper. The movie deals with salesmen, and we all are. We all have our pitches and our own agendas. Some people pitch industrial lubricants, others pitch religion. But ultimately we are manipulating clients. This is the basic theme developed in a slow methodical manner. This movie will bore people who look for special effects over script, but anyone with the patience to really listen will be rewarded. I usually don't like these kinds of talk, talk, movies because the talk is ultimately trite, but this film has a unique script.
good, but could have been better
24 May 1999
The movie was entertaining. The special effects were supreme of course. The weak points were the occasional wooden acting and the somewhat incomplete character development. But the picture was surprisingly better than what I expected, given its unfavorable reviews.
Rushmore
(1998)
Utterly unbelievable and only occasionally funny
17 February 1999
This film is well acted, slickly produced, and overrated. Credibility is a major problem. A fifteen year old uses a credit card to buy dynamite? He gets arrested for sabotaging auto brakes, a major felony, and nothing happens? The film is not absurdist enough to make me suspend my disbelief. The story is about an utterly self-absorbed snot nosed teenage hustler who supposedly learns empathy at the end. But who cares? Who cares if he makes it with a woman twice his age? There is no way he could have stayed in that elite school for even a day acting the way he did unless his parents donated three buildings. Nor would any millionaire industrialist suffer him for two seconds. He puts on a play in a public school that violates every safety regulation and would cost millions to produce. The plot is porous with logical gaps. There are many more absurdities in the film, too numerous to mention. The main character's machinations are so infuriating in the beginning that I was completely turned off. There were a few chuckles here and there, but the main laughs were on the people who paid to see this basically unfunny, preposterous mess.
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