cjdouglas Reviews

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997– )

short and sweet

[21 May 2003]

I've watched this show for several years now and although it went on a downhill spiral over the past two seasons, I'm glad to see it go out with a bang. I'll miss the Scoobies, Spike, the witty banter, the clever dialogue and the kick-ass fighting scenes. A good series with a pretty strong fan base for it's entire run. That's rather impressive. Joss - ya done good. You've redeemed yourself in my eyes. Good job! I've enjoyed the ride. :)

Overall, I'd give this show a 3.5/4 stars

Proof of Life (2000)

what the hell was I thinking to sit through that?

[3/10 · 5 March 2003]

this movie was so bad, I still remember it, even now. It left an indelible mark on my brain - the bad acting, the overwhelming length that almost drew me to tears. How did I sit through this movie??? Oh yeah, my friend who really really wanted to see it, convinced me to stay...

Was there any redeeming feature to this film for me? The landscape. That was about the only thing that gave the movie any substance at all.

Morse and Crowe were wooden, Meg sucks as a serious actress, the plot laughable, the script beyond bad. No wonder Crowe when doing the press junkets for the flick didn't seem to gung-ho about the whole thing. It was awful. Definitely one of the worst of 2000 if you ask me. It rates right up there on the ick factor right along with Moulin Rouge.

The Recruit (2003)

short and to the point

[7/10 · 3 February 2003]

I'll be brief. Colin kept up with Al on the big screen. He's going to go far.

The story started off well, and then about 20 minutes in to it, it became quite transparent. I figured it out right then and there.

Some good tense moments.

Overall, an okay movie. Liked the fact that I recognized part of the movie was actually shot in Toronto.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000–2015)

this one's a keeper!

[6 December 2002]

I have to say it, it took me well into the 2nd season before I actually turned this show on. And I'm glad I was convinced to tune in. I loved Quincy, ME - so this type of show is definitely for me.

the show is intriguing, well thought out and it certainly doesn't hurt that there are some hotties on the show (Dourdan and Eads - wow!). I like the twists, although some of the whodunnits are ridiculously transparent. But then again, not every episode can always be top notch.

While its not always 100% accurate on the science, plus they really should make sure that they are pronouncing things that they are researching correctly - its still very entertaining and a lot of fun to watch! I hope this show stays around for a while.

Spy Game (2001)

Espionage, thrills, who could ask for more?

[8/10 · 25 January 2002]

This was a very good Hollywood thriller to me. The history behind Redford and Pitt's character was well thought out and depicted on the big screen.

Redford hasn't lost his on-screen charisma and was indeed convincing as Muir. I like the fact that the director worked the tension between him and his colleagues so well that it kept me on the edge of my seat and firmly engrossed in the film.

What I didn't really care for was the reasoning for Pitt being put in the Chinese prison. Sort of turning it into a love story didn't really turn my crank. why oh why does Hollywood always have to put some romance in a movie that doesn't really need it?

Good on the building tension meter. The conflict in Lebanon was so tangible with the all the fighting and the bombing, it felt real.

On the whole, this was a very good spy thriller with some great acting and a somewhat interesting premise behind it. Hats off to Redford and Pitt for pulling off a rather convincing portrayal of mentor and student.

Shall We Dance? (1996)

Funny and enjoyable

[8/10 · 23 January 2002]

There were some great moments of reality in there depicting modern day life (not only in Japan, but everywhere). It shows how stifling ones culture can be, and wanting to break out of the mold its created for you.

The dancing was just a vehicle for saying "do what you love even if its against the norm". Rather Billy Elliot like I would say. I enjoyed that film as well.

The humour was well timed, and the touching moments felt so real, you could feel the awkwardness between Sugiyama and his wife, the tantrums in the dance hall. I loved Aoki - him and that wig and his excessiveness on the dance floor made me simply howl!

The actors all did a wonderful job, the story was well written. I watched it a second time and caught some little nuances that I missed on the first viewing. Good entertainment!

The Score (2001)

pleasantly surprised

[7/10 · 12 January 2002]

This was a pretty good movie. I think that Edward Norton and DeNiro did a pretty good job with what they were given. It seemed a bit slow at times and DeNiro didn't really seem that convincing as an aging thief, but again, his mere presence made me overlook that fact.

I enjoyed Edwards performance. I would have liked to have seen more of Angela Bassett and her relationship with DeNiro. The story line was a bit on the "done before" side, but I still liked it none the less. What really did it for me was Norton's performance.

Pretty good, but not fantastic. A good watch for a "nothing else to do" evening.

Dark Blue World (2001)

me liking a war movie with subtitles - who da thunk it?!

[9/10 · 8 January 2002]

I had no idea what I was going to see (I saw this at the Toronto Film Festival in September). I was unaware that it was going to be subtitled and no idea that it was about WWII. I was pleasantly surprised seeing as how most foreign films, I don't have the patience to sit through and read.

This movie got me completely absorbed into the story, the characters. The cinematography was excellent and I learned something new as well about WWII.

This story was sad, poignant, with some good comic relief in there as well. I liked the fact that there seemed to be some character development which is so rare in films nowadays. It kept me interested, reading the dialogue and not really noticing it. Most foreign films never seem to keep my attention long enough for me to care about what is being said or done.

The acting was great and the actor that played Karel was there to talk about the film. It was an excellent movie and I would suggest to anyone to go and see it. Hats off to Jan Sverak!

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

hows about Slow and inane for a new title?

[5/10 · 7 January 2002]

wow - that was one of the more painful silly movies that I've put myself through lately. This movie dragged - I found myself wanting to fast forward through large sections of the movie.

The plot was as see-through as cellophane. Vin Diesel cannot act and should not have been cast as the lead Torreto. He was not convincing and he was as wooden as my front door. There were very few actors in this movie that I felt were worthwhile in watching. The dialogue was so boring that it made the movie feel incredibly slow. It was like Point Break except in cars. This story has been done - and done much better I might add.

The one thing that I will say for this flick, the cars were pretty neat. I definitely am forgetting this silly action flick - glad I wasn't the one who rented it.

Memento (2000)

Disappointed after all the hype

[6/10 · 5 January 2002]

okay, I finally rented this movie. I didn't know anything about this movie except for a few friendly reviews from some armchair critics. so I'm going to put in my opinion now.

it didn't do it for me. I gave this movie a 6/10 because although the acting was really well done - you could see exactly where this movie was going - in that the movie essentially starts at the end and goes virtually nowhere.

I guess I'm just not in to the jumping time lines that take you back and forth in order to further the plot and understand why he wrote the stuff on the back of the photos.

It was mediocre after hearing everybody saying "oh yeah, this was an awesome flick!"...just don't seem to understand what all the hubbub was about.

The Art of War (2000)

okay, but as an action flick - it falls flat

[24 December 2001]

The way the movie was portrayed to me, it sounded as though it was a high espionage, action flick - but action there wasn't. Sure there was one good fight scene at the New Years party, but other than that, it wasn't really up to snuff.

I will give it to Michael Biehn, for giving a quite convincing portrayal of a sort of bad guy. The plot was a bit too transparent in places, in that I figured out 1/3 of the way through the movie that he was still in the picture.

The action just wasn't there except for the opening scene in China and a few places throughout the movie. Maybe it was supposed to be more of a thriller? Even then, the plot falls a bit short of feasible.

It kept me interested, but not by much. I would give it 3/5 stars.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Go Clooney and pals! or should I say new rat pack?

[8/10 · 22 December 2001]

Yes, I enjoyed this movie. It was good entertainment! Initially when the movie started, I felt myself thinking - I hope this gets better and picks up the pace. Thankfully it did. The introduction of Carl Reiner and Elliot Gould in the movie added a new and better dimension to the story. Good call on putting in some good old actors in there to make it more interesting!

The acting all around was pretty good. My only beef is with Clooney and Soderbergh casting Julia as Tess. She had zero chemistry with everybody that she came in contact with. the chemistry with her and Andy Garcia was flat and close to non-existent. Julia was supposed to be George's ex - there should be some sort of chemistry there, but again, I felt none. Actually, she was more like a window dressing, she didn't need to be in the movie at all.

I would have to say the best chemistry that was tangible was that between George and Brad. They were a great pair - George and Soderbergh did a bang up job of getting everybody else in this movie!

the story moved along quite nicely after the first few minutes, introducing the characters, new spins, and twists to the plot. It kept me laughing and watching with anticipation (even though you can figure out the ending). And the special effects when it came to the actually heist, I thought were pretty cool.

Although I've never seen the original, I'm sure that this was far better. This group of actors have coolness almost up there with the rat pack! Pair that group of actors with a good upbeat script and you can't go wrong!

I would suggest this movie to anyone. To thumbs up.

Invincible (2001 TV Movie)

Was that supposed to be a cross between the Matrix and the Highlander?

[3/10 · 22 December 2001]

I can't tell you how disappointed I was with this made for TV movie. Mel and Jet - what on earth were you thinking?

When I saw the ads for this movie, I was thinking that it would be a good action flick with some great special effects. It fell far short of my expectations.

It was as if they were trying to imitate both the Matrix and the Highlander not only in the fight scenes but also in the story line as well. If it was - shame on them, because it was poorly done.

Two immortals, one good, one evil, but of course only one can exist - was much too reminiscent of "there can be only one" from the Highlander...And Billy sort of had Sean Connery's role in this movie. I started seeing many parallels. Just like getting together with a whole bunch of inherently good guys to banish the evil one by learning to defeat him using hand to hand combat training (ala Matrix)...And they end up being the "ones" left to fight the "good fight" for all of human-kind because they hold the secret power - LOVE...nope, this just didn't add up.

The combination of the two different movies just didn't work....

Billy had the worst dialogue out of all the characters - it was completely contrived and hokey. I don't know how I managed to watch the entire movie. I guess I thought it would get better. The plot seemed rather fragmented and disjointed. It was hard to get through.

I definitely expected better from Mel and Jet. Sorry, but this was a bad movie all around.

Gladiator (2000)

one of the few good ones this year

[13 December 2000]

After all the box office duds I had serious reservations about going to see this film. But after we got there - wow! I was completely glued to my seat and didn't even feel the true length of the film. It just flew by for me!

I wasn't prepared for such an epic! It may not have been another I Claudius, and definitely not historically accurate, but damn it was a good film!

The acting by Russell and Joaquin was fabulous. They were both very believable in their roles. A perfect tool for them to further their careers, I have no doubt!

The movie actually had a plot! I was pleasantly surprised to see some depth to the characters and the conflict felt so real - it made me feel like I was right there!

Ridley Scott did a bang up job with this movie. I have to hand it to him. Interesting angles, nice effects. A good movie all around!

The Matrix (1999)

short and sweet

[10/10 · 28 June 2000]

in one word i can describe this movie: AWESOME! loved the story line, the music and the concept was great! Keanu did a great job, Laurence was superb. special effects - unbelievable! I would give this movie a solid two thumbs up! I normally don't think much of Keanu's acting ability, but he was perfect for this role as Neo. A great movie all around!