08131352022 Reviews

Gladiator (2000)

'A masterpiece of its kind '

[10/10 · 7 December 2004]

I have never been really interested in Roman Empire movies. Now I finally got around to completing my Russell Crowe DVD collection. So I also ordered the widescreen signature edition of the 'Gladiator', two disks (second disk with bonus material) from Amazon.com. I received the DVD last Tuesday. On Wednesday I watched it for the first time. On Thursday I watched the bonus material and part of the movie again. Now it's been a week and I have already watched it 3 times and I am already thinking about watching it again tonight. It's a masterpiece of its kind with one of the most magnificent photography and brilliant special effects I have ever seen. Russell Crowe as Maximus is absolutely perfect. He is the true hero such a movie needs. Though the rest of the cast is also well chosen and gives a great performance, Russell Crowe is the character this movie needed to become outstanding. With each viewing you will discover another interesting detail, another facial expression that wows. I also recommend watching the bonus material disk after the first viewing. It will give you an astonishing behind the scene look at how the movie was made and how real some scenes actually are. The documentary on Gladiator games provides an interesting insight into the whole subject. And don't miss the deleted scenes. They shouldn't have been cut out. The sound track especially the main theme is also overwhelming. One of my favorite scenes is where Russell Crowe rides the pirouette on the grey horse at the end of a fight. The music perfectly matches the scene. The Gladiator is fun watching even though it is a tough movie. My score is 10 out of 10.

Hammers Over the Anvil (1993)

Brilliant and very touching movie about a handicapped boy growing up

[10/10 · 20 October 2004]

It's an exceptionally well done film with a great storyline, beautiful photography and brilliant acting by the main characters, Russell Crowe (as East), Alexander Outhred (as Alan) and Charlotte Rampling (as Grace). It is one of those movies which I like better each time I watch them. I bought the movie on DVD for my Russell Crowe collection and watched it on five evenings in a row. Each time I discovered more subtle details, more subtle facial expressions. It is a drama and has a very sad ending but there are still so many pleasant and even humorous scenes in this film that make watching it so enjoyable. My score is 10 out of 10.

In the Cut (2003)

A good movie

[8/10 · 20 February 2004]

I bought the unrated director's cut on DVD and was pleasantly surprised by this film. The story is very well told. I especially liked the many details, some of them I only discovered when I watched the movie a second time. Meg Ryan gives a very good performance, though I liked her acting better in ‘Proof of Life'. I didn't really like how she looked in ‘In the Cut', though her appearance fits her role as the teacher perfectly. The movie has quite some sex, violence and strong language but in no way offensive.

Insomnia (2002)

A very good movie with only one little flaw ...

[9/10 · 10 February 2003]

On the whole Insomnia is a very well done movie. I enjoyed the story, the way it is told and how it develops. The dialogs are kept short. There are a lot of memorable quotes. The cast is very well chosen. Al Pacino is brilliant in his way as always. I also want to mention the performance of Hilary Swank. She is very convincing in her role. Robin Williams also gives a great performance (though I enjoyed his performance in 'Good Will Hunting' more). There is only one scene in this movie which isn't quite so convincing. It's how Detective Dormer (Al Pacino) obtains that .38 bullet. First, you can't muffle the blast of a .38 gun shot with just a towel. The only result would have been black holes in the towel. Second, a .38 bullet fired from that distance would have gone right through the body of such a small decaying dog. No way to recover that bullet with such a tiny pocket knife. Someone who doesn't know about shooting and firearms might not be bothered by this, but I would prefer that scene to be done differently. A dead deer or elk by the road might have been a better option. Nonetheless it is a very good movie and worth having on DVD, because it is worth watching more than once for all its nice details. My rating is 9/10.

Proof of Life (2000)

Another great movie for my collection

[9/10 · 10 February 2003]

I somehow missed this movie when it came out on DVD. I first saw it when Sky started to show it. I bought it right away on DVD. It's another great movie for my collection. It is one of those few movies I love to watch again and again. The story is nicely developed, never drags and always keeps enough suspense, so it never becomes boring. The main characters, Terry Thorne (Russell Crowe), Peter Bowman (David Morse) and Alice Bowman (Meg Ryan) are totally believable, which makes you feel for them. Besides the few action scenes, which are very well done, there are enough pleasant scenes to savor and well written, sometimes facetious dialogues to enjoy. I watch movies to relax and to have fun. That's it why I enjoy watching this movie so much. It might not be an Oscar-worthy piece, but it has all I look for in a pleasantly entertaining movie. Russell Crows gives a brilliant performance and so does Meg Ryan and David Morse. I also liked David Caruso a lot in his role as Dino. The rest of the cast is very well chosen throughout. There is a lot of great scenery too. I was really surprised to read so many negative comments on this movie. Anyway, I give it a 9/10.

The Score (2001)

The best heist movie I have seen in a long time ...

[10/10 · 26 October 2002]

The Score is a movie which really kept me on the edge of my seat when I first saw it. That means something as I'm not easily kept in suspense. And it is a movie I always enjoy watching again especially because it has so many nice details. It is a perfectly well done movie with an exceptional cast and a very entertaining dialogue developing an interesting story which leads towards a quite stirring climax and surprises with an unexpected ending. Robert DeNiro is as brilliant as always. In his role as Nick he again develops a character he hasn't been before. He's just always creating a new character whichever role he takes. He is the only actor I haven't seen playing the same person in an other role. There may be some similarities to characters he has played before, but in the end he's never the same person. I also very much enjoyed Edward Norton in his role as Jackie/Brian. Remembering his great performance in ‘Primal Fear', I must say in ‘The Score' he delivers an even more impressive performance. My score for ‘The Score' is 10/10.

The Fan (1996)

It is a very realistic and touching story

[9/10 · 24 October 2001]

Last weekend I was watching The Fan again. I bought it on DVD a few months ago, because I wanted it for my DVD collection. I admit when I saw the movie for the first time about 5 years ago, I wasn't so exited about it at first. Maybe because I was hoping to see another "Heat". But then I tape-recorded it and watched it again. It is definitely a great movie. It is more than just great. I can't believe how a movie like this one gets such a low rating. It is a very realistic and touching story. That's what probably makes it in a certain way frightening. Maybe that is what some people don't like about the movie. They get the feeling of being relate to the character of Gil Renard. Robert De Niro's performance as Gil Renard is just brilliant. It is his performance which gives Renard's character that very realistic appearance. He just never portrays the same character, even in similar roles. I also enjoyed Wesley Snipes in his role as the baseball player. He also gives an excellent performance. The film's cinematography is quite interesting too. The film has its thrills, though it is not a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thing. It doesn't have to be. It has its other qualities, which are the characters, their dialogues and the story. I almost forgot to mention the sound track which is also very well chosen. My rating is 9 out of 10.

15 Minutes (2001)

It has its good parts

[7/10 · 9 September 2001]

15 Minutes is a thriller one needs to think about for a while, maybe even sleep on it, especially before writing any comments. I got the movie on DVD two days ago and I hardly couldn't wait to watch it, because I had already read quite a few comments, mostly negative one's, on it over the past few months. At first I was kind of disappointed. I was not the kind of movie I had expected. I was hoping to see a movie as great as `Heat' or `Ronin'. But one cannot compare these three movies. They are completely different. So I let my first impressions rest for a while and watched the movie the next day a second time. 15 Minutes is not as bad a movie after all. It has its good parts, though I would prefer some things to be different.

The movie clearly shows how greedy and immoral the media can be if it comes to win ratings and get some money, even though it appears to be overdone in some parts. `Bad news is good news!' That is how it has always been and that is how it will always be, as long as there is an audience. Who would watch a news channel with only good news? People want sensation, even though they don't want to admit it. But there is certainly a limit to what the media should broadcast. In this movie the media exceeds this limit by far. Furthermore the film quite well points out the problem with the insanity plea. Some critics say the film glorifies violence, which is not right. The two bad guys in this movie are so ugly and their crimes are so heinous, one cannot but loathe their deeds. I also want to mention how well chosen the cast is. Robert DeNiro is, as always, brilliant is his role. His performance is definitely the highlight in this movie. The action scenes are very well done too.

What I didn't like is the way the story goes in some parts. For example how the two criminals get access to Eddy's (Robert DeNiro) apartment. A famous detective just doesn't make a stupid mistake like this. Then the bad guy Oleg with the digital camcorder acts just way too silly, which lets him appear rather unrealistic to me. Even though he is meant to be crazy, his stupid behavior goes way too far. His character can not be taken seriously. Edward Burns as the arson investigator also has to act a little too unprofessional at times, which doesn't add anything positive to his character's credibility. All this gives the whole story an unrealistic touch from time to time, which is very sad. In general I don't like a movie to be cut down just to get it to an 2-hour length. Most of the time I prefer to have the deleted scenes put back in again, but this movie is really better off without them. The final scene has an interesting twist, but the coincidence with Nicolette is just too farfetched. Oleg's final appearance looks ridiculous and doesn't fit into the whole tragic, unless it were supposed to be a comedy. It is a tense thriller, with some suspense, though only two scenes really kept me on the edge of my seat. I also missed scenes introducing some more the characters played by Robert DeNiro and Edward Burns.

Nevertheless I rank it a 7 out of 10.

Meet the Parents (2000)

One of the best and funniest comedies

[10/10 · 6 May 2001]

Meet the parents is one of the best and funniest comedies I have ever seen. When I saw the movie for the first time, I had tears in my eyes from laughing the whole time. Robert DeNiro is just brilliant in the role of the father, even though this role is different from those he usually plays. His excellent performance is definitely what makes this movie so special. But also Ben Stiller deserve a lot of credit. He is perfectly chosen for the role of ‘Greg Focker'. He has just gotten the right face for it. And don't forget the dialogue. The whole movie is full of memorable quotes. If you like the film and don't have it on DVD yet, then get it soon. The DVD offers a lot of special features like deleted scenes and, what's most amusing, outtakes. My rating is definitely 10/10.

Analyze This (1999)

One of the best comedies I ever saw

[9/10 · 12 December 1999]

This film keeps you laughing even after watching it for the third time. The performances of Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal are brilliant. It's a really funny stores with lots of funny talk. I bought this film on DVD after friends told me how much they liked it. Another favorite movie for my DVD collection.

Ronin (1998)

Ronin gets better and better the more often you see it

[9/10 · 1 December 1999]

When I had watched the DVD for the first time I thought, well it's good, but not as good as for example "Heat". At first I didn't like the car chases very much, but when I read how they were made I saw them quite different. Knowing they were made without modern special effects technology makes the chase scenes even brilliant.

I regret the movie is only 2 hours and 1 minute long. The plot leaves some questions open which could have been answered by at least 30 more minutes of footage. And by the way a good movie never gets too long.

The performance of Robert De Niro is again perfect, as always, he is simply one of the greatest actors. The other cast is also excellently chosen.

A great movie, worth to watch several times.

Heat (1995)

Heat one of the best movies I have ever seen

[10/10 · 30 November 1999]

Heat is one of those movies that gets better and better each time you watch it again. Every scene is perfect in its details. It is a moving story with lots of tension. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino give again a brilliant performance. There are so many fine details in this movie to be noticed. The DVD released in July is great, but unfortunately missing deleted scenes or an alternative ending.