imdb-4099 Reviews

Another Gay Movie (2006)

Exactly what it was supposed to be, and well-done.

[9/10 · 2 September 2006]

This was billed as a typical teenage sex comedy, only gay. And it was! The humor was raunchy and tacky, the plot predictable, and the movie was full of teenage stereotypes acting out the cliché'd summer movie genre full-force.

I was surprised at how really well done it was. The production values were high, and it pretty much followed the American Pie story-line, but with gay characters (all supposedly teenagers, though they stretched in a couple of cases) and gay situations. It was hilarious and couldn't possibly have been made ten years ago. The only sad part is that it's unrated, so lbgt teenagers won't have the chance to see it.

I suspect this movie's rating will reflect not the movie, itself, but the relative eagerness of gays/homophobes to cast their votes as 10 or 1.

Lord of War (2005)

Engaging movie that manages to make a point as well

[8/10 · 17 September 2005]

"The Lord of War" is the story of an arms dealer (Nicholas Cage) from the start of his career up through the time a federal agent begins pursuing him on gun-running charges (Kevin Bacon). The movie kept my attention from the opening credits--a bullet's eye view of the manufacture, transport, and ultimate use of a bullet--through the closing credits. The writers manage to educate the audience quite a bit about the gun trade, while keeping you moving ahead with Cage's increasingly large-scale and dangerous career. While issues of the morality of gun-running (both individual and government-sponsored) get brought up, they're kept second-place to the story. I walked out feeling satisfied with the story, actually thinking a bit about the issues the film brought up. Few movies manage to make a statement and tell an engaging story. This does both.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Distracting camera-work, shallow plot, fun action

[4/10 · 23 July 2004]

The Bourne Identity was a wonderful movie, and I had high enough hopes for 'Supremacy' that I decided to go to a midnight showing the night before the official opening night.

In 'identity,' we got a real sense of the characters. There was a lot of action, and the characters were doing things for a reason. It all made sense, given the premise of the film.

Alas, after Supremacy's first ten minutes, any pretense at character development was abandoned, and we were treated to a pretty standard action flick. Lots of car chases, lots of heavy shooting, no character development, and a flimsy fluffy plot that tried to be sentimental but came off as merely gratuitous.

The cinematography was very different from the first film. Supremacy was filmed in a grainy, jerky camera style. No doubt intended to be intense, it was merely distracting and made it very hard to follow the action when things got going.

The plot was throwaway. You could drive a semi through the holes! Supposedly happily ensconsed with his wife, Bourne nevertheless has all his aliases and passports fully intact, with a cache of high-powered weapons magically at his disposal as he pops up in country after country, crossing international borders with surprising impunity.

All in all, it was a fun diversion, but I was expecting a far better film, given the talented cast and history of the franchise.