rochambeau83 Reviews

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

At last the Academy Shows at least some brains.

[5/10 · 26 February 2005]

I am sorry but I was so glad that this film was not nominated for best director, or best picture. Caviesel probably should have been nominated for best actor, but it doesn't matter because everybody knows that is going to Jamie Foxx for Ray anyway so there was really no point in nominating anyone else. Any way back to this move. It just doesn't work as an award contender anyway. This really doesn't work in the sense of story telling which from the beginnings of storytelling in the Greek world, let's not get into a debate over that, but the earliest stories and plays still in existence today are from the ancient Greeks. The story to be good has to have a character that is tragically flawed, for serious performances. This was even true in the stories told with Christian elements before now, let's not forget the saga of Everyman, but this film with the exception of being the most graphic depiction of the crucifixion and therefore maybe the most accurate still did nothing for the Christian religion by examining the nature of Christ, why he did accept the crucifixion or more importantly why that his death was important. I think for the Christian majority that love this film they should really turn their attention to "The Last Temptation of Christ" directed by a man that is nominated again this year and "In Sha' Allah" will win, finally. That does a superior job analyzing the true nature of Christ. It would be like making a movie about the life of Martin Luther King and just showing him getting shot in the head and then watching his body begin to rot for the rest of the movie.

Antz (1998)

Incredible use of various Dimensions and Levels in a film.

[10 June 2003]

I found this film to work on a ton of levels. The first level is that of a classic story with a lovable, but neurotic nerd that finds some source of courage in a series of freak events. It also contains a similar classic love story of the underdog getting the girl that is completely out of his league. However what most impresses me is the story line of complex politics that exsist in modern society. The ant hill that they lived in basically worked as a socialistic society. Each ant was born into a class and they were never to stray from that class and they were always to do their work without question. Then you have a high ranking officer trying to increase his power through military force. I just love the parallels this film has to the politics of the U.S.S.R. in its hayday. It does in fact require a great amount of thought and is definately not for little kids.

Contest Searchlight (2002)

Brilliant PARODY of Project Greenlight

[5 June 2003]

This was set up as a parody of Project Greenlight from the beginning. I thought that the concept was brilliant when it finally came out. For the longest time I heard Denis Leary talk about how he had used the idea of Project Greenlight and then decided to improve on the idea by having six chances instead of one. He said this on the daily show, the tonight show, the late show etc. However a while later after the show had finished its original run. they were going to have a running of all episodes on a sunday night. He was on Conan to push the marathon. And he came out saying that he was watching project greenlight, "Talk about people with their heads up their a**es." (You had to see the episode to know where that came from.) And decided to take them down a peg or two by parodizing it. Hence Contest Searchlight was born.

Real Time with Bill Maher (2003– )

One of the best political commentators on T.V.

[6 March 2003]

It is really good to see Bill Maher back on T.V. I have loved his cleverly inserted analogies of everything that happens in the world and he always does so in a way that makes you laugh and think in the issue he uses that on. He always has some very good discussions in his trademark round table panel in which he brings in interesting people from fellow political commentators to comedians to celebrities, and this time he avoids having carrot top on. Of course one would have to agree with him on many issues and that is hard for most to do being he is a very liberal voice. however if you actually listen you learn that what he does best is make you question what is happening instead of being fed the answer like some commentators.

Chicago (2002)

An interesting work for a musical.

[26 February 2003]

Despite what many people will say Moulin Rouge was not an original work in any aspect of its making. There was not an original storyline (which I'll admit to create a completely original story is impossible to do, but this is the same irritating story all chick flicks from the dawn of time had made.) and Unoriginal in music (they just recycled classic songs and normally ended up squatting on great songs like "Smells like teen Spirit"). Now granted neither is Chicago in most ways which is not the movie's fault it is based on a play of the same name made for film. But in most other ways it does have a story that one can enjoy and not inducing vomitting like the aforementioned Moulin Rouge. No irritating romance with two would be lovers trying to fight some sort of constraint keeping them apart. Instead they have characters that one would not want to be associated with at all. They manipulate everyone they can, including the media and in the end find out that one can only do that so long and end at square one. I also liked the way they made all of the songs done through a series of fantasy sequences instead of just having the characters breakout in song in the middle of the scene. All in all it is quite a fun movie to watch if you have five bucks or so lieing around and I definately enjoyed the cynicism that they employed throughout the story.

Insomnia (2002)

A Well made film that was the victim of poor marketing.

[26 February 2003]

I think this is a brilliant film. There is a constant moral struggle going on involving the classic Rhetorical question, "Do the ends justify the means?" This question is pondered by all the characters in the film, but non-more so than Will Dormer(Pacino). He is forced into working with Walter FInch(Williams) because he knows something. He knows that if the information gets out about the killing that his credibility is lost so he eventually gets lost in a never ending spiral that leads to the tragic conclusion.

The complaint most people have is that this was marketed as an edge of your seat thriller so that is what they were expecting and when it wasn't delivered they felt betrayed like the film itself let them down. Mainly because the majority of the film is Dormer going through a process of personal contemplation. Though I understand why most people would complain about this film they don't want to watch a film that provokes thought on personal ethics and moral ambiguity they would rather sit back and watch Tobey Maguire look cool climbing walls and shooting webbing out of his wrists, but oh well. As H.L. Mankin(I think that's how his name is spelled) once said, "Noone ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

An unforgettable Experience

[10/10 · 17 February 2003]

I saw RFAD for the first time in May of 2002. I approached it from an element of complete ignorance. I knew nothing of the film, only what I read on the back cover and that didn't help me very much, but I heard enough it's name plenty of times so I decided to give it a looksey. When the credits started to roll I had a deep feeling of sorrow in the pit of my stomach. It left an incredible impact on me and I just had to see it again. I was stunned at the complexity of the characters and the multiple themes one could find in here. There are emotions in this film that everyone can relate to. It is not just a film about junkies and how they mess up their lives with drugs. It is about what drives the people into those drugs. It is about loneliness, and most importantly it is about how everything can become your drug of choice, from candy to television to daydreaming anything in your life that you cannot seem to live without is your drug of choice.

More than that it is the way one finds these characters to be at the end. Many people will point out certain elements that are not true to real life. They say that the doctor didn't play a doctor correctly, but do you know why? It is because he isn't a doctor. I've never heard people complain that the gangsters in The Godfather or Goodfellas weren't realistic enough. Some people choose to hate films for two reasons, number one, they don't understand it or number 2 they want to feel special by being different.

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Highly Overated Spectacle Driven Drivel

[31 January 2003]

Quite a long time ago on opening weekend my friend and I went to see this film. We both had High Expectations of it hearing so many great things. However when the credits started rolling we both had major problems with this film. Problems that could not have been fixed by simple time spent in the editing room. One review I have read declared this film amongst the pinacle of other great films such as Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, and Saving Private Ryan (He forgot Three Kings, Platoon, and The Deer Hunter but Oh well.) back to my point the difference those films have that this film is lacking are the two most important aspects of story telling.(Film making at its core is storytelling remember.) Plot and Character Development. Black Hawk down is missing both of those. It has a little bit of Conflict Exposition, then just crashes into an hour and a half battle scene. Believe me I enjoy battle scenes as much as the next film buff. The invasion of Normandy in Saving Private Ryan took my breath away. But when it just carries on to make up the bulk of the film as this does there is no way someone can follow a story because there is no story line to follow. There is a guy that gets captured and that went no where. There are people just running and shooting a the Somalians with loud gun fire covering over any possible dialogue making none of the characters worth remembering. It basically has the plot and thematic equivalent of a Steven Segal movie and that is far from a complement.

Many people talk about how realistic it is, but film making is not realism, it is supposed to be heightened realism, and you should be left with something more than just an visual memory of a guy holding a wound shut as blood spills on the floor. This did not deliver. Like most of Scott's other Indeavors he just does not have what it takes to be a distinguished director. Though I guess his movies can be pretty fun to watch at times.