GF9 Reviews

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

The standard 'not as good as the book' applies here.

[6/10 · 17 May 2006]

I can't say I was blown away by The Da Vinci Code - as is often the case, the book was far superior. I generally like Tom Hanks in almost all his roles, however I found that I had such a pre-conception of what Robert Langdon should be, that it took me about half an hour to get used to Hanks occupying this character. Once I settled into it though - it was a thoroughly enjoyable, occasionally slow moving thriller. Having read the book, I did have a knowledge of the various groups and factions involved - I'm not sure how someone who hasn't read the book will fair though. The casting of the movie is surely one of it's stronger points - Paul Bettany is almost unrecognisable and plays the menacing single minded Silas to utter perfection. Sir Ian McKellan too, it totally fantastic, and really steals most scene's he appears in. He delivers some great one liners too - a real character actor playing a real character. Audrey Tautou is as we have come to expect, just lovely, and who else could have played Bezu Fache - Jean Reno was made for the role. As you'd expect from a Ron Howard Production, there is a good amount of cheese, especially towards the end. Langdon's "Godspeed" caused me to awake in the night sweating! I am a fairly harsh marker on the IMDb, so don't be put off by a 6 out of 10 - I did enjoy the movie, but my anticipation was so great with this film, that it could never live up to my expectation.

M*A*S*H (1970)

Pure Comedy Genius

[9/10 · 3 January 2006]

As comedies go, it doesn't get much better than M*A*S*H! Script, direction, casting, music and acting are all at their very best in this satirical take on the Korean War - ironically, there is no army action played out during the movie, just the escapades of Elliot Gould, Donald Sutherland, et al where they are stationed to take in casualties of war.

From the opening shots we feel the slow mood of the film, yet if we look a little closer, we see comedy and havoc all around. This is in my opinion, Altman's finest piece - the film is superbly shot, showing fantastic long shots, typical of the era. Elliot Gould has never been so cool, and Donald Sutherland's dryness is sublime. The cast as a whole are the driving force behind this movie - the actor's clearly have taken time to learn their character's, and it really shows, right down to Radar's communication with the field Marshall (or whatever he is). It is very much a character driven movie.

The football game just shows what these people are really like - fun, scheming, lovable cheats - but it pays off because the opposition is so loathsome.

Beautifully written, shot, acted and the rest. Without a shadow of a doubt this is a 10 out of 10 and one of the best comedies around.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Petrifyingly Clever

[8/10 · 31 October 2002]

I watched this movie in the front row of the cinema, possibly making it all the more scary for me. I was sucked right into this desperate situation which left me feeling completely helpless and confused. What and where is the enemy? I think the most intriguing aspect of this picture was the marketing. As soon as I read the poster - 'Three students went into the woods and never returned, and now their video has been found' (or words to that effect) - I had an urge to watch this film. It never implies once it's fictional, and the style it was shot backs this up, and that for me makes this movie what it is - pant soilingly scary.

Traffic (2000)

Amazing, I can't stop thinking about it!

[10/10 · 1 August 2001]

I knew this was going to be a good film before I watched it, (which is always dangerous because instantly expectation is very high). I don't know why so many IMDB members have given this film a slatting, I thought it was incredible. The direction was spot on, (initially I was dubious, but I got used to the filtered lenses) the acting was fantastic, Benecio Del Toro's under-acting earned him a well deserved oscar, I used to not like Michael Douglas, now I think he's amazing and Don Cheadle is my new favourite actor. The story is engrossing and really hits home at the when Michael Douglas's character finally discovers his daughters problem. Imagine being a parent and finding out something like that. An astonishingly powerful film that will leave you thinking about it for days afterwards. Out of the 200 or so movies I've voted on, only 16 have got 10 out of 10, and this is one of them.

Cop Land (1997)

So much promise, such a poor result...

[4/10 · 1 August 2001]

I agree with the majority, Stallone proves that his acting is up to scratch here. Aside from this, despite the extremely promising cast, the film is a huge flop for me. I heard that De Niro (my favourite actor) was teaming up with Keital, Liotta and Stallone, amongst a very good supporting cast (Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, Janeane Garofalo), and I mistakenly thought that the film would be a winner. How wrong could I be, the story was plausible, but not pulled off. With a cast like this, and a story that isn't all bad, I expected more from this movie. 3 out of 10.