Change Your Image
susanfranzblau2001
Reviews
War of the Worlds (2005)
Big Budget waste of time and talent
Just because something is "only a movie" doesn't mean that the filmmaker gets a free ride in terms of making the not conceptually and logically believable. It also means that every film needs a real plot. This took H.G. Wells classic and turned it into a series of horror incidents, cute shots, and cool but unemotionally grabbing special effects. There was no real terror, no at the edge of your seat wondering what was happening, no people trying to combat the aliens (or find away to keep people safe from them). It wasn't even clear how many actual alien breeds there were -- I thought only one while my companion was convince there were "biguns'" and "littleuns'." The only thing this film really had going for it was Morgan Freeman's wonderfully spelling binding narrative ability.
THE SPOILER of the thing that completely and irrevocably spoiled it for me:
Just like in the original (and the earlier film and Orson Welles radio classic) the aliens die because they are allergic to the microbes (bacteria) that are found everywhere on earth especially in the water that covers over 75% of this planet. In the earlier versions this made sense because the aliens came from outer space and had never interacted with any of the life on this planet. But Spielberg decided it would be cool to put the destroying tripods below the ground so they could tear up city streets as they ascended. To do this means that the aliens must have sent at the very least some sort of probes to earth at least tens of thousands of year before. Maybe even tens of millions. No species with a shred of intelligence is not going to verify down to the last detail that the planet that they covet can, in fact, sustain their life forms. It's like not checking the thermometer and putting on a windbreaker to take a stroll in the middle of winter in Alaska! The microbes that these aliens were allergic to have existed on earth since the beginning of life.
It boils down to a bunch of technologically advanced species who are idiots in real life. Maybe this film was meant as a commentary on the world today. Maybe they just wanted to have fun with cool effects and spooky stuff. Maybe the only thing this film has proved is that Dakota Fanning is in the same league as Shelley Duvall as someone who can continually be terrified throughout an entire film and not annoy you very much.
Wait for the DVD but only if someone else lends it to you and you have absolutely nothing better to do.
Closer (2004)
Dull, Dull, Dull
This was utterly pointless. The only things worth seeing are
Natalie Portman and Clive Owen who gave great performances,
but the roles had little to offer them in the first place. However, if
you like to see an angry Clive Owen yelling, cursing, and even
crying, this film is for you.
None of the characters were intriguing at all, for a film supposedly
about couples and coupling, there didn't seem to be any
relationships at all. Instead it was just sleeping around -- without
any actual sex on screen. It was so bloody dull, dull, dull, dull,
dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull,
dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull,
dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull,
dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull.
Godsend (2004)
Neither Sci Fi, Fantasy, or thriller
The good stuff is that technically the film looks good. Visually it's impressive, the music is nice, etc. De Niro isn't at his best and almost phones in his performance, but everyone else is okay. It's nice to see Greg Kinnear & Rebecca Romijn-Stamos doing drama and they did a very nice job. I was less impressed with Cameron Bright who played the central character.
Unfortunately, the film itself is so unrealistic that it overwhelms everything else. Nothing makes sense, scientifically or in the film to itself. I spent too much time getting knocked out of the story thinking "that makes no sense" and "it doesn't work that way" that I couldn't stay with the story. I do have to admit that I have a bias against stories based on urban legends or pretend science.
That Darn Bill (2004)
A wonderfully funny black & white homage to the first days of movie-making.
That Darn Bill is pure entertainment. It captures the innocence and fun from the days of black & white, silent films. The whimsical story of a hobo down on his luck who comes across a hundred dollar bill is something everyone can enjoy.
The Perfect Tenant (2000)
A good little thriller very well written.
For a straight to video film, this is surprisingly good. It has a very solid script, good actors, and a good director. The tension slowly builds up and the deaths are "clean" which is a nice change from what we usually get. Maxwell Caulfield gives a solid performance. I really enjoyed it.