MEHHS Reviews

Revolver (2005)

What a mess!

[2/10 · 23 September 2005]

I'm sure directors are supposed to improve with each picture but Guy Ritchie seems to be bucking the trend. Lock Stock was great, Snatch was very good, Swept Away was Average/Poor and Revolver was a debacle. There is so little enjoyment in this picture, trying to decrypt a plot is painful stuff, and when the acting dissolves into paranoiac rants you doubt whether you should bother. I want those 2 hours back, I don't think I will ever get them.

Good performances can be found, but Ray and Jason really are poor. I must say at this point that there are other films that do the multiple - multiple twist thing a whole lot better than this. I'm paying reference to the picture Old Boy which puts Ritchie's film in the shade, Old Boy oozes intellect and brilliant performances. Revolver is simply… really bad.

Pump Up the Volume (1990)

What a teen flick should be.

[10/10 · 6 October 2004]

I'm 28 now, but this film is still very important to me. PUTV is the best teen drama out there (though there aren't many to compete with it), it really grasps how so alone some teenagers can feel and how rejectedby the system they so often are. The film has dated some what, but if there ever was an early warning sign of the problems that face American schools today (columbine esque) this is it. You can only push teenagers so far before they lose the plot, end up killing themselves or other people, PUTV is about those feelings. Slater is the bomb in this film, he is truly awesome and Mathis plays a great sidekick. The fact she shows a bit of flesh makes the movie highly genuine, yes girls do get naked with boys whilst at high school. PUTV does now suffer with its meaning to the modern era, but modern kids still do get dejected and rejected and this film is a great message in saying.... You Are Not Alone! 10/10 Then.... 8/10 Now.

Open Water (2003)

Acting Anyone?

[2/10 · 6 October 2004]

Oh my goodness this was a tedious 90 minutes. The start was quite interesting, but the character development was awful. Two moaning, whinging, spoilt idiots decide to go on a scuba dive only to be left in the middle of the ocean... I'm not surprised they left them, anything to get their miserable faces off the boat. What follows is pure tedium, I would have walked out if it wasn't for the fact I was grasping to the hope they would be eaten by the sharks. the attempt at the clever ending just damned the film further. The key basis of this film is to connect with the two main characters, thus you end up being in the water with them, thus terrible acting performances in my opinion condemns this film to a 2/10.

Jersey Girl (2004)

I don't know whats missing?

[6/10 · 6 October 2004]

I should love this film, but I'm trying to figure out why I don't. I'm a great romantic and I love all of Kevin Smith's films... Mallrats is the Bomb. Its not Affleck, I'm a big fan of him (j-Lo aside) and he's superb in this film. I found it amusing, the whole Will Smith thing was great and the vice versa telling off was cute and clever. I think the blame has to lie with Lyv Tyler, she is just too astoundingly beautiful to make sense in this role, some one more homely and cute would have worked better, because of this I just didn't get the softer side of the film and thus the predictable ending failed to inspire. Without the chemistry between Tyler and Affleck (which was great in Armageddon) this film lost two marks, 6/10.... sorry Kevin.

Code 46 (2003)

A love story of the future.

[8/10 · 24 July 2004]

There are not many movies I would take time to comment on, but this is definitely one of them. I really love the mood and atmosphere in this film, its very soft and slow, which proves to be very effective in escalating the sexual tension to Mount Everest levels.

The acting is superb throughout, with Samantha Morton being particularly outstanding, sexy and bizarre, a cocktail that woos Tim Robbins over and over again. Her brief graphic nudity scene was definitely an original in mainstream cinema, I'm not sure what reaction the director was hoping to get from it? but I personally feel its wasn't required, don't forget, its the things we don't see that excite us the most.

It seems that every futuristic film is compared to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, which I feel is always unfair, as Blade Runner is a classic in ever sense of the word, a true high point in the history of cinema. Code 46 does have certain parallels, forbidden love, futuristic worlds and an excellent morose tingling soundtrack, but Code 46 stands out on its own as a fantastic love story, with unique and bizarre complications and a very thought provoking look into the future.

A really good film 8/10.

Old School (2003)

Ear Muffs

[9/10 · 24 July 2004]

This fantastic comedy has now right deserved the credit of cult status. Frank the tank has to be one of the best comic characters of this generation, and his streak through the quad to the gymnasium is up there with the best comedy moments every, Snoop-de-loop.

Old School's gag quota is high, but does taper off towards the inevitable happy ending. Vince Vaughn (coolest actor of the new generation) carries this film with great help from will Ferrell and a so-so lead from Luke Wilson. Elisha Cuthbert's small role oozes the sexuality that she awesomely possesses (marry me please), a sexuality that made her pretty outstanding in The Girl Next Door.

This film is heavily quotable (especially Vaughn's character) and appeals to both sexes, if your looking for a Saturday night riot of a movie, with awesome belly laughs, look no further than Old School. 9/10

Practical Magic (1998)

What a waste of time

[24 January 1999]

This film was awfully boring. What is it with Bullock these days picking all these soppy good script films without absolutely no thrills or originality. This film was just a basic merger of Thelma & Louise and The Craft giving no laughs or food for thought.

Between the two I thought Kidman just stole the acting credibility, but that didn't make up for what was a waste of six months to make and my Sunday afternoon to watch.

If you're thinking of watching this drivel take my advice and rent one of these two:

1. Speed (Reeves/Bullock) 2. Days Of Thunder (Cruise/Kidman)

Far more interesting

Pump Up the Volume (1990)

Awesome Teenage Angst

[10/10 · 24 January 1999]

The greatest film ever? It certainly was in my teen years.

Allan Moyles' outstanding script combined with exceptional acting from Slater and Mathis beautifully portrays the real anxiety and fears of trying to live up to everyone's expectations through your teenage years.

The dialogue, music and Arizona back drops truly touches deep into your soul, forcing you to question the continual pressures that succumb the youth of today.

If you're aged 14 - 18 then rent this film asap as I promise it will change your life for ever. However, if you're past eighteen you might struggle to identify with the movie's core message.

10/10