Elori Reviews

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

Boring Fantasy Movie

[2/10 · 25 December 2016]

This movie is based on the "Moses myth", but for supposedly being a fantasy movie about stories of the imagination, the movie is so dull it will kill you with boredom.

There's no fun here, no sense of excitement and no emotion whatsoever. The horribly miscast actors are going through the motions, the cinematography is murky and ugly, and that goes for the CG special effects too.

This film is symptomatic of how misguided modern Hollywood is. There would have been a million ways to make a better and more fun fantasy movie about the "Moses myth", but Ridley Scott seems to have found the way to make the most boring interpretation imaginable.

Night at the Museum (2006)

Unimaginative pulp shlock

[2/10 · 4 January 2010]

The outset of the movie sounds pretty imaginative and interesting. Imagine a museum where everything really comes alive at night! Unfortunately, the writers got about that far and then went on autopilot, relying on some of the most trite Hollywood movie clichés to fill the rest of the movie. The living museum is reduced to a popcultural mishmash of stereotypes, both about museums and the cultures and information they portray, for the sake of uninspired slapstick comedy. Look, it's a monkey! It steals keys and pees on the nightguard! What hilarity!

The best parts of the movie are the devious geezer trio Dick van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs, plus the unpleasant museum head played by Ricky Gervais, illustrating his skill with mannerisms and carrying unspoken dialogue. However, much too long is spent on the badly miscast Robin Williams, carrying some of his most stilted and unnatural dialogue of any of his roles.

The movie is not worth seeing for well-done bit parts, when most of the film is such an insufferable waste of time and an insult to any average viewer's intelligence.

A Christmas Carol (2009)

Soulless and joyless

[3/10 · 16 November 2009]

How could they make "A Christmas Carol" into such a cold, uninspiring tale? It feels as if all the emotion has been taken out, from the characters, the story, and even the fantastical elements. The voice actors are badly miscasts, especially Jim Carrey himself, who feels out of place all the time and slips into some mannerisms a few times. The use of horrid 3D computer graphics certainly does not help: the characters look like ghastly marionettes, inhuman and unfeeling. The point of the story is completely missed, as is Scrooge's personal development, and even the ending, which was supposed to be a celebration of the Christmas spirit. Just compare to Pixar's "Up" and the range of deep emotion there, and then look at what a cold and hollow tale this 3D "Christmas Carol" is. I'm pretty sure this vast misstep will soon be forgotten, as it's so badly misdirected to ever become a true Christmas classic.

Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004)

Incredible movie, must see!

[9/10 · 23 November 2008]

If you've seen one Hollywood action blockbuster too many, then you need to see Churchill on top of it. 'Churchill: the Hollywood Years' mercilessly pokes fun at American action movies, war adaptations, Nazis, and of course the British themselves, with the whole premise being to have fun with Royal Family and the iconic British leader Winston Churchill. Suffice it to say, it hits the mark spot on. It's absurd, crazy comedy at its best, meticulously going through the motions of generic action movie plot lines and showing how ridiculous they and their predetermined plot arches are. Amid all the rapid-fire comedic jabs and gags we see great parody performances, especially Harry Enfield's King George VI. If you're not laughing out loud by the big climax, you could be British, or worse, German!

Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man gears up for a sequel

[8/10 · 3 May 2008]

It was a good film and certainly worth the admission, but not awe-inspiring like Spiderman 1 & 2. There were definitely some very cool scenes, like the fighter flight, design and building of the v.2 armor and everything having to do with Stark's fancy computer interfaces, and in the end, the scene building up to "I am Iron Man." Iron Man seems to be made to reach its eventual payoff not before a sequel or possibly several. It's very much an introductory movie where they're holding out on the Iron Man goodness to establish characters and develop them.

This is not to say that the film would necessarily benefit from more action. The break from the constant fighting of superhero movies is refreshing, and the character interactions are handled really well and in an interesting way - with the exception of the baddie, who was just an excuse to kick any and all dogs available, and to provide an underwhelming "big fight" at the end of the movie. Whatever motivations the antagonist might have had, they were completely undermined by the baffling and unfounded actions forced upon the character to bring some sense of conclusion to the movie.

Iron Man is a good film, but held back by too much prepping for sequels instead of focusing on the movie at hand, and a main baddie whose development and motivations are criminally poor.

City of God (2002)

If it's not from Hollywood, it must be good

[3/10 · 29 September 2007]

There are certain people who have developed a very negative view towards Hollywood movies and U.S. cinema. In this mindset, any movie coming from the US is automatically lambasted, while non-US cinema is praised without merit. City of God, or Cidade de Deus, is one such case. Its serious overvaluing can only be attributed to a cloudy-eyed sentimentalism for the real situation behind the movie without even considering whether the movie itself has value in portraying that situation. And the unfortunate case is, no. Meirelles and Luns' generic directing is completely devoid of feeling and insight, and the actors are merely going through the motions, lacking any emotional impact in the actual proceeding of the screenplay. For these failings, the film collapses into a jiltingly generic mashup of violence and crime, with nothing to tell. There is no shock value, there is no empathy, there are no thoughts evoked. Perhaps this movie has some appeal and bearing to people who are more closely connected to Brazil and the kind of events portrayed, seeing as they can draw from another experience to put some weight into the matter, for this film by itself has none. It takes a special kind of pretentiousness and self-delusion to rate this film highly on its own merits, and the kind of a critic that dares not criticize a film with a sensitive subject. Yet this film desperately needs more of a voice of reason to call it for the empty shell it is.

Mysterious Skin (2004)

Tame and ordinary

[4/10 · 1 May 2007]

I don't see what's so special about this movie. Are you Americans really that repressed? In a way, it's fun to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt from "3rd Rock from the Sun" as a young gay prostitute and the ensuing, frank sex scenes, and he carries his role well. Brady Corbet, however, is rather miscast, as he isn't believable at all as the nerd type. His whole half of the story, a supposedly more cheerful side about repressed and substituted memories, is painfully trite with its reliance on unoriginal ufo tripe. These are the faults of the original book, of course, but this gives no reason to praise the movie just for the adaptation. All in all, the themes and the handling of this movie are thirteen a dozen, and it really doesn't bring pretty much anything new, interesting or insightful to the table. The shock value has been played up to hide that notion, but the shock value really isn't there either. Save your time, seek a more deep-rooted experience elsewhere.

The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

Suspenseful plot, grim comedy and beautiful women

[9/10 · 10 January 2007]

Matthew Perry hasn't been a leading actor to bank a good movie on. That's why The Whole Nine Yards was a great surprise, since Perry fits well into his role, and the movie isn't yet another Friends-style copy either. The plot gets quite twisty, but through it all it is propelled by the well-defined characters' motivations. The stage is set justifiably for the actors that make the best work in the movie, Bruce Willis, Natasha Henstridge, Amanda Peet and Michael Clarke Duncan besides Perry. It is a comedy, yes, but very subtle, and keeping with the realistic even when the characters, or Perry's Oseransky, mostly, find themselves in absurd situations, and the plot keeps turning until the end, when it reaches a classic 50's-like tone. Also, the film's beautiful women, Hensridge and Peet, simply deserve praise, their allure is irresistible. This is all around a very good movie where all the elements have been brought together much better than the setup suggested.

Borat (2006)

Lowbrow humor: not that funny of watching being worth

[4/10 · 6 November 2006]

I went in to see Borat completely oblivious of any reading on what the movie was supposed to be about. My brief glance of a few review excerpts led me to believe it was going to be a political satire, but in the end, it was a very tired and unimaginative brand of lowbrow humor.

The trouble is that Borat really never does anything outrageous. I guess this is because it's supposed to be documentary, but other "real" movies, like South Park (and of course, the series) and Austin Powers: Goldmember have done it so much better and gone so much farther.

Borat is mostly just a string of boring scenes, and Borat himself isn't very funny. Most of the best humor has to do with Ken Davitian's Azamat Bagatov, especially one infamous scene that truly pushes the boundary of comedy. Unfortunately, it is one of the few scenes in the movie to be outrageous enough to be funny. Most of it is just blah, amusing at best. To Borat: Try harder.

Coronado (2003)

A grand adventure in the style of classic Hollywood

[8/10 · 18 October 2006]

I was drawn to Coronado by its impressive tailer and the subject matter, and the movie certainly did not disappoint. Right at the opening credits, you're served a treat - Ralf Wienrich's fantastic, rousing main theme for Coronado. The opening is worth seeing just for this piece of music. But luckily, it's only the start of many great things to come.

Coronado is filled with surprising twists. The first of them is the opening premise of a rich woman, who decides to after her fiancé and ends up in South America in the middle of a revolution. Don't focus too much on this, though, since this movie is no one-trick pony. Coronado is a skillful blending of a war movie, action movie and even an adventure movie in the vein of Indiana Jones. It has many impressive scenes, and the plot is filled with twists, even right through to the end. And as mentioned, the music accompanying it would be worth getting the soundtrack CD on its own.

The only major fault that I see in the movie is the 'storytelling' narrative, something that seems to have been put in to entertain the supposedly dumb mass viewer. They needlessly try to inject some humor and distance the viewer from the meat of the movie, but even these scenes end up serving a purpose.

I can't think of any other movie that would make seeing Coronado useless. Coronado is an impressive, well thought out movie on its own right and well worth your time.

Stacked (2005–2006)

So bad you'll lose the will to live

[2/10 · 17 October 2006]

When I learned that 'Stacked' featured Christopher Lloyd, known best for his fantastic performance as 'Doc' Emmett Brown from the Back to the Future trilogy, I was astounded. When I learned of what an absolute wreck of a sitcom he had sold himself off into, I was even more astounded.

In this age of series like 'My Name is Earl' and 'Office', sitcoms like 'Stacked' shouldn't happen. It is no wonder it was cancelled, because even for a sitcom, the writing was so horribly clichéd and anemic that even an actor like Christopher Lloyd couldn't save the jokes and his character. And yet, he was a more of a side character compared to Pamela Anderson's Skyler, who I'm guessing the horrible pun of a title refers to. And really, just the name, 'Stacked', tells everything you need to know about this show. The setting was good, and with a supporting actor like Lloyd, it could have turned into something fantastic, but this is just a horrible misuse of that potential, a depressing fest of tripe and shame.

21 Grams (2003)

21 grams makes me want to die

[2/10 · 2 September 2006]

Despite my instincts telling me otherwise, I took to watching 21 grams at the recommendation of a few misguided friends. The movie is supposed to root in the myth of the human soul weighing 21 grams, the weight that a human body loses at death. It is indeed a myth, without any scientific proof behind it. It is unfortunate, then, that this movie manages to add nothing to that myth nor use in any significant way. It is just a cheap trick to try to make this movie appear a little more high-flying than it actually is.

The subject matter of the movie is supposed to be death and fatality, but the handling is very superficial and banal. What's more unfortunate is the pervasive religious theme brought in through one of the main characters, played by Benicio del Toro. The sickening religious propaganda spouted in his scenes would be pleasant hearing only for the most enthusiastic Christian zealots.

This movie is neither enlightening or enlivening, and it offers zero insights into the themes it handles. The plot line is held together by thin threads, and noticing this, director Iñárritu has jumbled the chronology of the movie to try and give the viewer a little less obvious understanding of the story, but with such thin material, the method is put to waste. "21 grams" is an overrated movie, and only those in desperate boredom and need to kill time might find any value in it. The film is pretentious yet banal, a run of the mill story that gets lost in the mire of thousands of movies without anything to say.

No News from God (2001)

Heaven is boring. Hell is depressing. This movie is both.

[2/10 · 16 July 2006]

Heaven and hell are fighting over a soul once again, and of course they send their representatives over to Earth to try and make the soul go in the "right" direction. The soul in question is a has-been boxer Many, who for much of the movie is uninteresting and unappealing. The agents from Heaven and Hell happen to be women, and the two otherworldly planes and their agents have been modernized, using cell phones and operating like modern businesses. No, it is not at any point for, new or imaginative.

There is only one interesting turn of the plot the movie, and it's more of a sidenote, not elaborated on in the least. The majority of the movie is spent on absolutely nothing. The angels never get a good fight going, there never seems to be any actual battle for the soul which is supposed to be ultimately important. No, I'm not referring to actual physical battles, rather to battles of wills. Instead, there is an absolutely needless and gratuitous bloodbath near the end of the movie.

Add in a highly questionable note that women are of a lesser value than men, and you have Sin noticias de Dios: an absolutely uninspiring and boring movie without pretty much any content at all. Agustín Díaz Yanes as the director and writer is completely lost on what makes an interesting and appealing movie, and as a result of his ineptitude, the actors are fumbling on screen as well without any personality to show. There are absolutely no redeeming qualities in the film at all. If Hell existed, this movie would be going to the lowest levels.

Do Over (2002–2003)

Great idea, great execution

[8/10 · 28 May 2006]

I've often wondered what I would differently if I could return to my childhood. It seems creators Schwartz, Wiener et al also have had this idea, but they didn't settle to wonder, they decided to show. And that's where the idea of 'Do Over' stems from.

The setting is that Joel Larson, in his thirties and disappointed with his life, gets into a freak accident, and is sent 20 years into the past, into his teen years in the 80s. Incredulous at first, he soon starts to accept that he really is reliving his youth, and that he has the chance to try and use his knowledge of the future to better that future for himself and the people immediately around him. He finds out, though, that just knowing how things went wrong doesn't make it easy to make them right. This is also one of the strengths of the show: it doesn't take the easy way out, where Joel is able to change whatever he wants, but instead has to settle for compromises, and even finds new sides to the events he re-lives.

Penn Badgley in the main role strikes a believable chord as a teenager, but one that knows something that others don't. Supporting him as his friends are Josh Wise and Natasha Melnick, both personal and interesting individuals that stand separate from usual teen stereotypes. Melnick's role Isabelle Meyers is especially noteworthy, since she has an exceptionally well written female role, showing much more depth and independence than the majority of on-screen teenage girls. The casting for Joel's family is spot-on as well. His father and mother are no hollow fill-in roles, and since they have a major influence even in Joel's second life, it's natural that their characters are well developed as well. Gigi Rice as the sister seems to get a little less attention, though.

The theme of "do over" is carried subtly through all the episodes, although there is variation between episodes where Joel's knowledge affects more mundane, but no less interesting, affairs, and ones where he strives for major changes compared to his previous life as it was. All this is delivered through excellent, intelligent writing, with plenty of humor throughout the show as well. It often borders on the comedic, with some great laughs to be had, but since this isn't really a sitcom, there is no obnoxious laugh track. It all makes for exciting, interesting and engaging viewing, and even though the show was cut short, it is absolutely worth it to see what there is of it.

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Mission: Save your money

[4/10 · 17 May 2006]

For me, M:i:III was an impulse watch, something I went to see and paid the hefty admission for because it was there. Unfortunately, unlike some impulse discoveries, MI3 wasn't a positive surprise. Actually, it wasn't pretty much anything. It was just there.

Well, maybe there was one surprise in the movie. I took the risk that it would be another Mission: Impossible 2, even without director John Woo. This time, instead, J.J. Abrams, the director from the TV series Lost, took the helm. Perhaps it's no surprise then that M:i:3 is as exciting as a standard TV movie. Not to say that this isn't a big-budget film, absolutely not: the stars are well paid and the sets and locales are gorgeous. But even with high production values, the movie is bland and unimaginative, mostly due to directing and script.

MI3 really tries to be an exciting action movie. There are explosions, lots of hanging-by-the-thread situations, car chases, hand-to-hand combat and whatnot, a little of everything, except imagination and soul. For example, there's a scene where Ethan Hunt leaps off the roof of a building. That was a great opportunity for a massive camera dive that would have really captivated the audience, but no. Instead we get a boring stunt side shot, the like which we have seen countless times before. And that's just the problem with M:i:3: it has nothing new. From the plot to the action scenes, everything in this movie lacks the excitement and suspense of an action movie, because it has all been seen countless times over the past 20 years.

M:i:3 is not a movie that pushes action movies forward, and that is why even the high production values end up in mediocrity. It's not a bad movie, but it's not a good one either, just hopelessly bland and unimaginative. In some ways, it even compares unfavorably to last summer's Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which was another dull dozer. You would do better to invest the ticket fare in a DVD of Kung Fu Hustle, for example, or just about anything else that you know you'll like.

Cellular (2004)

Absolutely horrible

[1/10 · 3 March 2006]

There's a lot of joking around on bad action movies, but sometimes they hit right on the spot. "Cellular" is absolutely horrendous viewing. The central idea, focused on the cell phone, is botched completely with truly abysmal realization. It's not that there seems to be any aspect of the movie that was promising to begin with, though. Judging by the movie, the script and story were already hopeless, and the crew only took it downhill from there.

It looks like somebody noticed that these new-fangled cell phone devices were becoming pretty popular, to the point that a movie could be built around them. But instead of using the cell phones as a means of communication in a meaningful story, they took the phone and made it the whole story, putting in a contrived action / thriller plot around a cellphone connection that mustn't die.

The reason that the connection is important is that Kim Basinger's character Jessica wouldn't die - but oh how I wish she had. Basinger's horrible shrieking and whining alone are enough to ruin the movie, but enough about her - she is supposed to be in mortal danger due to some eeevil crooks taking her captive. She manages to reach the outside world, however, but unfortunately, it's on the cell phone on who must be one of the world's most unappealing people, Chris Evans' character Ryan, who goes on to have all sorts of inane episodes to keep the connection alive while working to help Jessica. There's a lot of chaos, confusion and tight situations, but rather than keeping the viewer in suspense, the movie has trouble keeping in the suspension of disbelief, mostly due to overall horrid acting performances.

"Cellular" offers nothing spectacular, suspenseful nor insightful in its storyline, it is just a poorly linked chain of events where Ryan faces another problem with his cell phone or the connection. The movie has no appealing sides at all, save for the lacklustre campy feeling of "I can't believe how bad this is!" The cell phone has been used a lot better in action-oriented story lines in 24, and for a movie centered on cell phones, Shou ji is the shining opposite of "Cellular". Try this film only if you are looking for a really, really stupid action to laugh at, not to laugh with. Even then, you'll need the proper state of mind to draw more than a few cheap laughs from the movie.

Sexo por compasión (2000)

Wistful on surface, warm and vibrant in its heart

[9/10 · 28 January 2006]

Much like "Lolita", the main character of the film, "Sexo por compasión", the film, revitalizes the desire to live in all who experience her. The beginnings of the film are decidedly gloomy and grey, but it grows colourful and cheerful. During its progress, it touches on sensitive themes of love and sex with a profound understanding. Despite its adult themes, the movie is as far removed from porn and "erotica" as possible. It is intended indeed for mature viewers, who do not need nudity or sweaty sex scenes to understand the themes.

This is a strong movie on all accounts. Deliberate directing, charming characters and an optimistic view of life bring it well through. What's noteworthy about the characters is that they aren't cast into restrictive roles, instead they work together to create a living village. Humorous, warm-hearted and imaginative, everybody should see Sexo por compasión.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Empty tale of visual bravado

[4/10 · 4 January 2006]

Narnia isn't the next Lord of the Rings, nor the next Harry Potter, at least on the cinema screen. Even what spirit those fantasy spectacles had, Narnia lacks. And it seems the whole hundreds-plus audience, many of whom were children, agreed with me in their numb, passive state. No yelps of joy, excitement nor even the slightest scare. After the movie ended, both kids and adults were in such a rush to leave, silent and obviously underwhelmed, that some of them missed the tacked-in ending during the credits.

Visually, the movie is a quality work, displaying technical prowess and craftsmanship. You will wonder how they managed to create all beasts from the real world to the mythology, from beavers, panthers and lions to fauns, centaurs and gryphons. There are also some large, captivating sights such as the view of the ice castle and the scene of the final battle. The snow is dubious though, but I guess that is acceptable.

What is not acceptable is the soullessness and joylessness of the rest of actual content of the film. Much of it weighs down upon the main roles the main roles. Georgie Henley's Lucy Pevensie gets a lot of screen time compared to her siblings, which is for the better thanks to her charisma. The rest of three, however, come off as stiff and unnatural, with perhaps more fault to the script and directing than the actors themselves. The children are portrayed as precocious on some occasions, yet unbelievably daft on others. Due to this, the three eldest siblings are thrown quite off balance during the film, and not in the credible way of children, but rather for the goal-oriented purposes of trying to build up suspense and plot where there is none.

Maybe the producers have tried to make a child-centered movie by explaining the obvious, but it feels more like underestimating its young viewers. On the other hand, the deeper questions are left completely unattended, such as the nature of the Great Magic, and the importance of Humans. This leaves the story empty, and creates a soft of befuddlement over the whole movie: what was all the fighting about? Why were the good creatures good and the bad creatures not? Underneath its eye candy, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is hollow, and without a soul, the exterior fails to impress alone.

A Dog's Will (2000)

Much ado about nothing

[3/10 · 24 December 2005]

I must confess, I think O Auto da Compadecida is the only Brazilian movie I have seen. Nevertheless, I certainly hope this isn't the best the country has to offer. What you have here is a religious screwball comedy, and unfortunately, neither side of that equation works.

As a screwball comedy, the movie is based simply on the characters shouting a lot and acting like complete idiots. That is supposed to create comedy, but there is nothing funny about the characters' complete turnovers on the weakest possible motivations. Some of the plot line is good, like the early introduction of the bandits, but most of it is just a detached mess to make the characters run all over their village with little reason.

The religious part is even worse. The movie is firmly based on the Catholic interpretation of the Christian faith, including some of its more dubious folklore. When it comes to religion, the characters of the movie are at their most gullible, showing no sign of intellect at all. The bigger problem is that it's completely impossible to tell if the religious aspect of the movie should be taken seriously or as a mockery of the common beliefs. The second part of the movie is the worst offender here. It presents a surprising and somewhat imaginative plot twist based on the Catholic mythology. Unfortunately, the drawn-out scene drones on, ultimately becoming much too serious and overly long to keep the viewer's interest.

The movie is not completely worthless, but its high points are much too few for a 100-minute movie. I shudder to think of the longer TV version. Many of those minutes are used to strech the movie by dull bickering and shouting, making the viewer again and again wish that the story would move on. On all accounts, O Auto da Compadecida is a severely underwhelming movie, even despite its flashy presentation and supposedly snappy script. As a short film of 30 minutes with a lot more editing, it might have worked, but not as a full-length film.

Baise-moi (2000)

Underwhelming, easy watching

[3/10 · 16 December 2005]

The great taboo-breaker? Whoop doopdy doo. Rather than shocking, Baise-moi is highly uninteresting. It is already late of its time: we have already seen all this sex and violence, and there's nothing new here. Don't expect an art film, expect a teen film, based on Virginie Despentes' teen novel. Perhaps it could be thought an achievement of some sort that this porn movie has slipped into mainstream, back where "Deepthroat" once slipped out. Perhaps it is a sign of the culture: porn movies are being accepted as movies, although grudgingly.

Nevertheless, the film's cinematic merits are akin to a typical porn movie, with the addition of non-typically bloody violence. Bloody, really, because I don't think I saw a single bit of gore amid the ketchup bursting all over the sets. It's not really very realistic, and not particularly detailed either. The film's porn actors can't act, which wouldn't really be needed either with the poor script and poor base material, the novel. While some would-be niche art aficionados tell to seek for the movie's reasons and motivations deeper, but the story arch simply has no depth. Every turn of the story is as simple as possible, and its developments show either a profound lack of writing skills or a deliberate simulation of talentlessness.

What's there to like? What's there to hate? Nothing. With the exception of the rape scene, this film is light as feather. No point, no reason, not even underneath a seemingly meaningless cover. It's hard to say that there's anything wrong with this movie, because there simply isn't anything here.

Wing Commander (1999)

A true space epic

[9/10 · 12 August 2005]

It is curious that in one of the comments, Dan Grant compares Wing Commander to Star Wars: Phantom Menace. I also had Star Wars in my mind when watching Wing Commander, especially the new Episode III, Revenge of the Sith. While Dan Grant had only his great expectations about the Star Wars trilogy to compare, I watched Wing Commander for the first time just now, and the comparison to the first Star Wars trilogy in my mind was highly in favor of Wing Commander.

Stilted acting? None. Oversimplified plot? None. Dull, dragging scenes? None. In not only one quick cash-in genre but two, Wing Commander is a stunning surprise. There have been enough ho-hum scifi flicks like Supernova and even more video game licences that haven't worked at all on film. Even though I haven't played the Wing Commander PC games, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Rarely has any sci-fi action movie been done so right, with not only apt actor choices and truly eye-pleasing visuals, even six years after release, but also a clever script, fleshed out characters and a sci-fi setting which is put to perfect use.

Two of the main cast, lesser known Freddie Prinze Jr. (who eventually becomes the movie's lead) and Matthew Lillard as his friend Lt. Marshall are refreshingly fitting and credible in their roles, and the supporting cast has a few high performances as well from David Suchet, David Warner and Tchéky Karyo. If there's a weak point in the cast, its Saffron Burrows, who isn't totally at ease with her role as Lt. Cmdr. Devereaux.

It is not only the actors who create a believable impression, but also the special effects designers. Wing Commander paints an intentionally unrealistic but beautiful view of space and frantic space battles, liken to that in the beginning of Star Wars Episode III, but in larger scope, with more actual strategy and played out longer. It is also enjoyable to see that Wing Commander's space battles are actually an adaptation of a World War II movie. While there are additional twists brought about by the sci-fi space setting, the battle scenes play out as naval battles in WW2, with fighters, command carriers and even submarine-like maneuvers and situations in space.

It all comes together thanks to a script which does include some give-ins to standard movie formula, but goes against it on at least as many points. Instead of a simple sci-fi action flick, we are treated to a thoroughly planned out epic. It might be thanks to the storyline established in the game, which I can't say about, but it seems like the world of Wing Commander has a lot more history than the short introduction in the beginning of the movie. Adding to that the development of the characters in the movie and the movie's resistance to raise Lt. Blair to the role of a sole hero, creates an all the more credible movie experience. Only the 'guy gets the girl' twist at the end of the movie felt tacked on and unfitting, the rest of the character history is obviously thoroughly planned.

In closing, Wing Commander delivers a superb space epic in the scope of one movie, which brings the new Star Wars trilogy to shame. While not a perfect sci-fi action flick, Wing Commander comes stunningly close.

Lost in Translation (2003)

Solid, but trivial

[6/10 · 21 July 2005]

It is curious how some reviewers here deride those who did not like Lost in Translation, practically insulting them. Lost In Translation is not a movie for everyone, especially those with a decent knowledge of modern Japan. Nor is it a subtle masterpiece that only emotionless brutes are unable to enjoy. Western cinema must be in a sorry state indeed if an average film like LiT is lit up as the movie of a year because it dares take two steps away from standard formulas like the age-old love story or a clearly defined main character. Those two steps are not enough, they won't take a movie anywhere.

Coppola should be given some credit on creating a solid movie and directing an actor like Murray, but the film itself is too void of meaning and message to leave an impression. The main characters are not probed more than shallowly, which is a lost opportunity with an actor such as Bill Murray, and expected with a choice such as Scarlett Johansson, whose young age is so obvious as to harm the credibility of the film. Even with a setting like the futuristic Japan, the movie is not able portray anything which is not already old and rugged from repetition. All in all, if you are expecting an insightful or a masterly directed film, you could very well end up disappointed.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

An action movie without the action

[4/10 · 2 July 2005]

Mr & Mrs Smith is one those tricks Hollywood plays up on you - giving you commercials of an action-packed movie, setting up a delicious scene in the first minutes of the movie - and then delivering almost none of it. Mr & Mrs Smith tries to be a different action movie by completely doing away with genre norms and taking heavy dives into drama. Unfortunately, with the actors chosen, the effect is completely lost. Brad Pitt is bearable, but Angelina Jolie simply screams "Tomb Raider" throughout the movie. Perhaps it is a sign of the weak market of female action stars, with Jolie being the best of the poor, but the movie falls as much on her account as it does on the script. Do you really want to be using your entertainment minutes on watching everyday trudgery, albeit with an unusual hook? It's like The Incredibles with real actors - super-people having to do with everyday life. Unlike The Incredibles, though, the movie has no red line to carry it through, and drags on all over the big screen. There's likely a sequel coming - there better be, with all the setup this movie squanders its screen time on.

Charley Varrick (1973)

Intelligent movie eh?

[5/10 · 2 July 2005]

I have a preference for movies from the 60s--70s era, and have found that Walter Matthau stars in many noteworthy movies from in that era. It is no surprise, then, that I was looking forward to "Charley Varrick".

The trouble is that the movie never picks up. The "bank robbery gone wrong" scenario has been tried many times before and after, and with more surprises and excitement than this 70s version. Charley Varrick's supposedly subtle moves are painfully obvious every moment of the movie, and the end result is therefore no surprise. Awaiting a great plot in the trappings of ordinary circumstances, I was severely disappointed with the movie's ability to think ahead of me. Everything in the movie is solid per se - acting, script, direction - but none of it comes up to deliver a truly inspiring movie experience.

Walter Matthau is a splendid actor, but you'll find him much more intriguing in a number of his movies - one that springs to mind is Charade, an absolute must-see for all who claim to know movies.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Disappointing conclusion

[5/10 · 18 December 2004]

I was rather hyped for the third part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as I suppose everyone was. Unfortunately, I found it boring and lacklustre. The Return of the King barely exhibited the epic quantity that I awaited from the finale of the trilogy. It seems that by this time, the whole crew was tired of the project. Also, the omissions and changes to Tolkien's original are most glaring in RotK. The movie just whizzed by and I failed to be impressed. Maybe the Extended Edition would prove to be a more rousing experience. The normal edition, however, despite its efforts, remains a lacking ho-hum finale to what began as an impressive filmatization of the Lord of the Rings tale.