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Dietrich
Reviews
Rotkäppchen: The Blood of Red Riding Hood (2009)
Awful awful movie
I ended up seeing this tripe at its "premiere" a couple months ago. I wasn't expecting a whole lot judging from director Sparks' previous film-making attempt. I was smart to go in with lowered expectations, but I had no idea this movie was going to be garbage. I am still trying to figure out as to why this movie is being sold as a horror film. There is actually nothing scary at all in the movie. Nothing. I honestly think the entire thing was put together by a bunch of monkeys. The characters have nothing to do, the acting is horrid, and the directing is bottle of the barrel. What you wont expect is just how much nudity is in this movie. Or that there is a graphic masturbation scene that feels so goddamn out of place. You cant help but think... where the hell did that come from??? It doesn't deliver in the horror front. It doesn't deliver in the porno front. 'Blood' is a failure from beginning to end. Do not waste your time or money on this thing. Im serious. Its that bad.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
A modern day classic
To anyone out there who may be thinking, "Is it me or was this movie not that great?" Guess what....it's YOU. This movie works in every single way movies should work. Ang Lee must be praised for taking a genre and injecting new life into it by combining eastern filmmaking ideals and classic Chinese folklore with his own gift for lyrical restraint and expert direction. The movie feels like the beginning of a 'new-school' type of martial arts film, where the very idea of wuxia warriors and Taoist fighting as a means of reaching enlightenment is treated with respect and not as an excuse for stupid, ridiculous fight scenes like so many Jet Li and Donnie Yen flicks.
In short, if you want a wall-to-wall action flick with fighting from beginning to end, look elsewhere because 'CTHD' is not it. Sure, there is fighting...but the film is also very slow, contemplative, haunting and downright beautiful. Forget the hype, forget the critics, just sit back and enjoy. PS-this film must be watched in the original Mandarin. I've heard parts of the English dub on the DVD and it is awful.
**** (out of ****)
Wo hu cang long (2000)
A modern day classic
To anyone out there who may be thinking, "Is it me or was this movie not that great?" Guess what....it's YOU. This movie works in every single way movies should work. Ang Lee must be praised for taking a genre and injecting new life into it by combining eastern filmmaking ideals and classic Chinese folklore with his own gift for lyrical restraint and expert direction. The movie feels like the beginning of a 'new-school' type of martial arts film, where the very idea of wuxia warriors and Taoist fighting as a means of reaching enlightenment is treated with respect and not as an excuse for stupid, ridiculous fight scenes like so many Jet Li and Donnie Yen flicks.
In short, if you want a wall-to-wall action flick with fighting from beginning to end, look elsewhere because 'CTHD' is not it. Sure, there is fighting...but the film is also very slow, contemplative, haunting and downright beautiful. Forget the hype, forget the critics, just sit back and enjoy. PS-this film must be watched in the original Mandarin. I've heard parts of the English dub on the DVD and it is awful.
**** (out of ****)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
A worthy addition to the series
What most people failed to realize was that this movie's main function was to introduce the characters and set up the situations that will factor into the story and lead into the next film. You don't really know the characters that well after only reading the first few chapters in a book, do you? This is a worthy addition to the series, and a gift to the fans. Most of these critics couldn't even figure out what the *phantom menace* was. And to all who say the acting was horrid, do these people not remember Mark Hammil? Carrie Fisher?? Star Wars has never been, nor will it ever be about great acting, it's about the high-flying exuberance of the whole package. If you still haven't figured this out by now then you weren't a Star Wars fan to begin with, so please do us fans a favor and skip the next film so there'll be more seats for us. Thanks, have a nice day.
Gladiator (2000)
Amazing
This movie is truly amazing. Everything works perfectly together. The acting, look, story, and the music! I can't praise this film enough. Best of 2000 so far. I doubt anything will come close to it.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Underrated!
Alien:Resurrection is the most underrated Alien movie in the series. It's far better than the junk called Aliens and Alien 3. NOT as good as ALIEN, but its not that far behind. It is without a doubt the BEST Alien movie in terms of visuals, and I don't mean effects.
Fargo (1996)
The Coens' Best
This is without a doubt the Coen Bros' best film. Splendid cinematography, a chilling score, clever script, and brilliant performances make this quirky dark comedy a modern classic. Frances McDormand and William H. Macy are especially memorable. BTW to those who say the scene in the bar with Marge and her high-school chum Mikey was unnecessary, this is not so. Mikey tells Marge how he has married and had children, and that her wife had recently passed away. Marge believes her good friend. But several scenes later she finds out that everything he told her was a lie. This makes Marge question the sincerity of Jerry Lundengard when she first interviewed him, because if a sweet good-natured guy like Mikey can concoct such a lie then so could Lundengard. She finds out Mikey lied to her, the VERY NEXT SCENE she returns to the car dealership to re-interview Lundengard who realizes she may have put the pieces together, so he flees the scene. If Marge never met up with Mikey, she wouldn't have exposed Lundengard as a conspirator. This is the reason that amusing scene is so important. Got it? Good. Have a nice day.
Rushmore (1998)
Brilliant Movie.
This is one of the best movies of the 90's, and by far the best comedy of the decade. Everything works flawlessly: the writing, the wonderful photography, and the excellent performances. Jason Schwartzman gives a stunning debut performance, he is definitely an actor to watch for in the future. And Bill Murray has his best role in ages, so great to see him at the top of his game again. Wes Anderson has improved upon his debut film and given us a great film that is already a modern classic with a strong following of ardent fans. It's movies like this that are timeless and will be talked of decades from now. If you haven't seen "Rushmore", see it. Or better yet buy the upcoming Criterion DVD. It's a definite keeper.
Kids (1995)
disturbing
I only recently saw this movie, I've been avoiding it because from what I had heard it's subject matter dealt with issues that cut deep in my life and seemed too personal for me to want to see it. For the people that say this film is exploitation, it is not. It's a one-sided movie to be sure, but its depiction of teenage drug use and promiscuity is so disturbingly honest that I had to stop watching several times. By sixteen I'd lost two of my friends from stds and my best friend died just last year at a rave from morphine pills and xanax. I'm not drawing sympathy but would like to say one thing, this is a movie that MUST be seen. The sooner people realize the enormity of this problem among today's teens, the better the chances are these kids can be helped. Thanks for your time.