snello Reviews

Being John Malkovich (1999)

A fine piece of work

[10/10 · 5 January 2000]

Being John Malkovich is the best comedy of 1999. Equally as twisted as anything David Lynch could come up with but with a lot more 'laugh out loud' humour and a lot less pretentiousness.

The cast is brilliant particularly Cusak as a completely hopeless/tragic puppeteer. John Malkovich must be applauded for his outstanding portrayal of 'himself?' possibly one of the more challenging parts I've seen anyone perform. It was also great to see Cameron Diaz play a complete frump as opposed to her usual tizzy blond role.

I give this film 10/10 for the amount of laughs it provided and the uniqueness of it all. A Brilliant - must see movie.

Fight Club (1999)

A brilliant piece of work

[10/10 · 13 November 1999]

Fight Club is fantastic. A real sign of the times, it's kind of like an ultra-violent schizophrenic version of 'Office Space' and even with all this mayhem it maintains a steady flow of comedy as well. The acting cannot be flawed with Edward Norton stealing the show but this is not to say Brad Pitt was not on form - he was brilliant as well. It was also nice to see Helena Bonham Carter taking on such a rough 90's role as opposed to the period dramas where she is normally cast. The social commentary presented via the narrator is absolutely venomous towards our times and spits out against corporate greed, consumerism and 90's apathy like nothing else I have ever seen. It's a film that you think about long after you have left the cinema - it's still lingering with me two days on. I probably should have read the book first but I am definately going to purchase a copy as soon as I find one. Well done Mr Fincher and crew for such a fine film.

eXistenZ (1999)

Not better than a good x-files or star trek episode

[6/10 · 13 November 1999]

I don't know if it's just me but when I saw eXistenZ I felt as though it should have been on TV not on the big screen. The acting was very average and the storyline a bit dated (even though some of these outdated concepts belong to Mr Cronenberg). Some of the creatures were nice and there was a lot of disgusting visuals going on to keep it fun but I'd have to recommend The Matrix over this one if you are after an alternate reality sci-fi experience. eXistenZ was okay but I think more should be expected from someone as talented as Cronenberg.

Run Lola Run (1998)

Fast, tense and ultra slick rollercoaster ride of a film

[16 October 1999]

Run Lola Run is a great film. It has a high paced electronica soundtrack which matches the pace of the film.

Dealing with the theme of consequence Run Lola Run presents us with three possible outcomes of a basic theme. ie Lola's boyfriend loses 100,000DM which belongs to a violent kingpin and she has twenty minutes to raise the funds to save his sorry ass.

All three situations are equally captivating and are not as repetitive as it may sound. Go see this film if you are in need of a pep up as it works better than any multi-vitamin ever could. Incredibly shot, edited and soundtracked Tom Tykwer is a man to be watched - I look forward to seeing more from him. WELL DONE!!

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Plenty of action and cool affects but way too much cheesyness

[5/10 · 1 October 1999]

Deep Blue Sea is an action/monster film and I never expect too much in the way of a story line when I go to view a movie in this genre. It delivers on effects, action scenes and even suspense but there are way too many religious speeches (from LL Cool Jay) and too many 'if we stick together' human hope type spiels for my liking (you know - the type of stuff that Independence Day reeked of). Overall I give it 5/10 for the effects and occasional gore - it could have been so much better.

Erskineville Kings (1999)

Great gritty aussie drama

[8/10 · 30 September 1999]

Erskineville Kings is another great Australian film. It is about the relationship between two brothers: one who escaped the pace of Sydney and an abusive father to work in the rural north and one who stayed with the father until his dying day.

Wace (Hugh Jackman), the one who stayed is extremely bitter and towards his brother for 'running away' from everything and takes it out on him on his return for the funeral. It is scripted like a play (I'm not sure if it was before it became a film) and is set mainly in a dingy inner west pub. Even though it is theatre like in delivery it works brilliantly as a film especially the cinematography which presents the rough side of the inner west almost as though it is a tribute to the area.

Erskineville Kings is gritty, tense and emotionally charged and overall compulsive viewing - 8/10

Black Cat, White Cat (1998)

Great gypsy romp full of crazy and wonderful characters

[9/10 · 10 September 1999]

I must say this is the most refreshing film I have seen in a long, long time. Black Cat, White Cat has all the elements of a movie made in the Western world - violence, drugs, gangsters, a robbery, drinking and sex but it is all handled so beautifully that none of it seems to be as harsh as what you would get out of Hollywood or London.

The charm of the gypsy culture is their positive outlook on life and this shines through in Black Cat, White Cat - no matter how bad things get there is always time for a party. I won't go into detailing the story as I believe everyone should give this film a go without necessarily knowing what they're in for. The music is fantastic, the comedy crazy and the characters are all lovable in their own bizarre way. Overall a welcome break from the Tarantinoesque onslaught we've had over the last five years or so.

Two Hands (1999)

Overall, a hilarious and clever Aussie gangster flick.

[9/10 · 28 August 1999]

Two Hands is the best Australian film made for a long, long time and it is definitely the best gangster/crime flick ever made here. It is violent and contains a lot of swearing but that is how dodgy characters who mill around Kings Cross are, so I believe this added to the realism of the film overall.

A lot of reviews do not like Jimmys dead brother who makes a few appearances but I think he is handled very well - he doesn't actually appear physically to anyone in the film and he makes a great narrator. It was also great to see Sydney presented as it actually is, complete with street kids, syringes and suburbia (a lot different to what we'll see in Mission Impossible II - I'm sure).

One of the greatest achievments of Two Hands is the 'laugh out loud' humour possibly influenced by the great 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' or maybe even 'Grosse Point Blank' but also very Australian in its delivery. Performances are great all round and cannot be faulted. Heath Ledger will be going a long way and Bryan Brown maintains his 'legend' status. Overall this is a great film and should not be missed.