friedem0n2004 Reviews

Action Point (2018)

This is barely a movie....

[2/10 · 6 June 2018]

Well, it's a movie to say the least. It has a theatrical release, I guess that does qualify it in some way, shape or form. Regardless of those little details, this film doesn't hold it together in anyway, plot points which don't go anywhere, or characters that can barely speak their lines. But the most crucial part of this films downfall is the fact that it isn't even funny, I mean not even in the slightest. Usually I laugh at dumb films like this, I mean heck, even films like Dumb & Dumber, hold quite a bit of charm for myself, as well as genuine laughs at the jokes they're trying to make, even if it is rather crass and juvenile humor. This film doesn't even have any of that. This is an instance where everything, and I suggest everything in this case falls flat on it's face, just flat, like a board, like a hard lifeless board that doesn't amount to anything, nothing, nothing at all.

The Untouchables (1987)

If you're afraid of getting a rotten apple, don't go to the barrel. Get it off the tree.

[5/10 · 14 August 2013]

This was the last film of Brian DePalma's that I really wanted to see. I'm not really much of a fan of his but on the contrary I seem to respect him as a director. That was until I saw The Untouchables, things changed ever so much after the first viewing, at that is the only viewing that I can stomach. Although I will say that this film lead me to do some research of my own on Prohibition, I still feel that that is not what this film is about. On the other hand it wants to be so badly, politically speaking that is. It wants to be a historical/accurate portrayal of the era, at least in the beginning any way, but it diverges off on a path that makes it out to be a typical gangster film. The characters are all disposable to one extent or another, the only two that I actually care for are Capone (Robert DeNiro) and Malone (Sean Connery), the only reason I find them some what attractable is because they have the best lines. Kevin Costner is so full of himself that it is really a joke to watch him on the screen, the other actors are mostly expendable, anyone could have played those respective roles. I lost interest in the film about thirty to forty minutes in, I wanted to like it but I just couldn't. I've come to the conclusion that Brian DePalma couldn't direct his way out of a paper bag, the only film of his that I enjoy is Scarface and that is mostly for the performances. Other than that DePalma is a lousy director and should not be considered an elitist among the top tier American directors. When I review a film I hate to give anything away, therefore all I can say is that if you really want to watch this, be my guest, it's not the worst thing ever but it certainly isn't great. If it was good, all I would say is go see it, but if it is bad I can talk about it at length for the misfortunes and wrong turns that a specific movie can take, this is not really either of those, it isn't great and it isn't terrible, the thing that makes it unbearable, in my eyes anyway, is Brian DePalma, it is as if he is still a student in film school and it truly shows while watching the Untouchables.

Ghost Rider (2007)

Just Awful, lets keep it at that

[2/10 · 2 August 2007]

I'm gonna keep this review short and sweet. Unlike this movie. It's complete garbage, thats all I can say. It just has not plot to push the story anywhere. Alright, now for the beginning. The actors that portray Nick Cage and Eva Mendes in the opening of this film should probably look elsewhere for a career choice because there acting ability truly shows how bad they are as actors. Now once the film gets going, it picks up with the false feel of nostalgia. Nick Cage, needs to stop. I mean really stop, he shouldn't take himself so seriously, cuz it ain't workin'. Eva Mendes, who is smoking' hot, can't act. And I really can't recall any time when she could. Thats the biggest grief of this film, the acting. Peter Fonda, appears to be smoking' the same stuff that he's been doing since Easy Rider, so he's the same. But in this role he's just stupid. With a line like, "Far Out" as his first it truly take you bag to the late sixties and the time when everything and everyone was truly free. Thats why the film gets two stars, and thats it. The other supporting roles are dumb to the point of unbelief. Why would anyone seriously want to finance this movie. I don't know, but I wouldn't. It ain't revolutionary, it ain't fun, and overall it ain't good.

The Thin Red Line (1998)

A Masterpice of Modern Cinema

[9/10 · 2 August 2007]

The Thin Red Line, Normally I wait quite some time to write a review about a film that I have seen. But in this case I happen to love this film. The best film I have seen so far this summer on DVD. I wait because I want to think about what the true meaning behind the film and really to see if the film is any good. But in this case I know this film is so well done that one doesn't have to think about it for too long. If I try to start talking about all the great qualities this film possess' it would be impossible to stop. Let me just illustrate what I feel is the most redeeming quality this film contains that sets it above all the rest. It has "true" meaning, and I say that with all sincerity. Most films pretend that they mean something but truth of the matter is that they only pretend, and hide behind they're big visuals. Many people compare this film to Saving Private Ryan, and say that Ryan is superior. Let me just dispel that rumor right now, no it isn't. Ryan has redeeming qualities, but that is a film that hides behind it big expansive visuals. Yes, that deals with brother ship and understanding during war, as well as other themes. But this film is different, it touches on all themes of war and also why war is killing force digging itself into the heart of everyman. From the beginning you know that you aren't simply watching another WWII film, but a masterpiece that transcends all genres. Terrence Malick is now on my list of director in which I respect heavily. He can weave beautiful images in with a beautiful meaning. That is that war is hell. I'm not going to say anything else about the meaning of this film, except that anyone and everyone should watch it. The opening is beautifully composed as it glides throughout this beautiful island in the Pacific to show two soldiers, who have gone AWOL living a peaceful life. The music suits the film too, because it doesn't treat it like a war movie soundtrack but rather a wonderful film that happens to take place during war. The narration that accompanies the actors in the film is so well done that I think it might even be better that Apocalypse Now's narration by Martin Sheen. It speaks volumes into what the men who fought the war thought about at the time. How sympathetic they are toward one another. And in this film each character is different, as well as there being no centralized main character, so pick and choose. The ending is dramatic, and deep. Leaving the audience with a sense for what it was like to be in any war and not just WWII. This film will hopefully transcend generations of people who see it. Hopefully it will leave a scar in their brains as to what "good" film-making is all about.

Escape from New York (1981)

Escape From the Ordinary

[5/10 · 1 August 2007]

I had heard about this film for what seems to be forever. Having caught the end of Escape from L.A. on TV one day, I felt that maybe it was right for me to see Escpae from New York. Well time went by and I still hadn't picked up a copy of this film. After finding out that this was in the Wal-Mart five dollar bin, I quickly decided that I should purchase it. I was excited to see what all the fuss was about or is about. Because the film still has a cult following, and after watching it I can see why. I happen to admire John Carpenter's work to a degree. I don't necessarily think that he is a good director but a decent one at best. He has a tendency to miss all the details. But when your working in the science fiction/horror genre, why bother with the details. This clearly shows throughout his body of work, with the most promising film being The Thing. That film grabbed me, and forced me on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately this film did not. Instead what it did do was give me an inside into what this film is about and why it is so popular. I think people like it because of what it says about authority in general. That a rebel, being Snake Plisken, will save the world by rescuing the president, in a apocalyptic New York City. The world in which John Carpenter has created did have me begging for a longer running time, but hey you get what you get. At first I thought this film was going to be a great film but then I clearly saw it for what it is, a good B film and nothing more. Fun, entertaining, and stupid. (But in a good way). The look of the film seemed to bother me the most, it has that bad 80's flat look to it. Where every metallic object in the world shines light off of its reflective surface. The dark landscape was lackluster in design, but the characters that occupied it were interesting. Thats what I really mean by I wanted to know more about the world in which Snake Plisken does his deeds in. The story was pretty straight forward, nothing to complex, and nothing to simple. Like I said before a solid B film and nothing more. Yes, I may be a little hard on the film by giving it five stars out of ten but hey a B movie doesn't go above seven in my book. Believe me I give most movies a low rating, below the average. Occasionally a few notches above if it is well done, but hey its when audience don't recognize them. Which seems like most of the time, (The Thin Red Line, in particular). This movie drifts somewhere between the fine line of good versus evil, and this time evil versus pure evil. Which makes for an interesting twist. But honestly we have seen all of this before, from time and memorial.

Eraserhead (1977)

oFfIcIAlLy BlOwS

[6/10 · 10 July 2007]

Yea thats right this movie blows. I've watched it twice or at least tried to watch it twice. It just plain sucks. 8==>, thats what I'm talking' about. The only David Lynch I really have appreciated so far has been The Elephant Man. That was well done. This is an incoherent story and its f'ed up in a big way. The oozing liquid that pours out of the chicken grossed me out the first time I tried watching. I went a little farther in the film and then when the mutant baby came up, that was the last straw. I turned it off. Returned the DVD and didn't think twice about it. Until recently, when I went to my local video store and rented a bad quality copy on VHS. I got a little farther, but not much. At least I got to the part with the lady in the furnace, that was well, interesting to say the least. I couldn't take the part with the sick mutant baby, so I turned it off. Thats it, I've had it, I don't want to watch this movie anymore. One person wrote that this film is tough to stomach through, I agree, don't watch while you are eating. The movie is repulsive in its nature, but I guess thats one of Lynch's talents and I'll respect him for that. But what I don't particularly respect him for in this film, is his lack of story telling. It has great technique and you can clearly tell that he was thinking. But it doesn't fit together, it feels like a mi-sh mash of boring imagery thrown at the viewer from an obscure angle. Let me add that I love the Black and White photography, I still prefer Black and White, done well that is, not just for the sake of it. I mean don't get me wrong because I love personal films, just not this one. I love indie features because rebel nature against the Hollywood system. This film clearly finds its cult following with the midnight crowd. It has all the right ingredients to fulfill that boundary, and it does so with style, just not substance. Yes they are two different things indeed. An example of a movie with all style and not substance is 300, and I hated 300 more than Eraserhead. To even say that I hated Eraserhead would be mean, but I do feel that it doesn't quite live up to all the hype. So, occasionally I enjoy the big Hollywood boom blockbusters and maybe thats what I was in the mood for while trying to watch Eraserhead, its clearly my fault. But I have the courage to write this review of the film, therefore I must have something to say about it. Right. Well yea, I stated what I liked and didn't like, more or less Eraserhead has redeeming qualities, just not enough to out weigh an incoherent story. Like I said it's great for the midnight crowd, I just don't want to be part of that crowd tonight.

Akira (1988)

A New Look at an Old World

[7/10 · 31 March 2007]

First off let me say that I haven't watched Anime for over two to three years after probably Gundam. I used to watch Robotech(Macross), Gundam, etc... This is my first anime that I have seen in quite some time. I have aged significantly too, which means that I understand some of the conflicts that are brought up in some of the shows better than when I was younger. Recently Akira was brought to my attention as being the one of the best pieces of Japanese anime's ever produced if not the best. I was interested to see how well this would hold up to my film knowledge and criticism. To tell the truth, this would make a great live action flick if it could be done WELL. And I stress well, because there is also great potential to make this a piece of crap too. First off I found the artwork or animation to be quite refreshing. I haven't a good cartoon so wonderfully drawn in many years. I'm more used to crude animation like the old days. I only wish I could have seen this in theaters back in 89' or so. Sadly I wasn't born yet so therefore couldn't have possibly seen it. But I have the next best thing, a new clean DVD transfer that was done pretty well. The dub in English was pretty well done but I wish I could have had both the original dub and the new English one as well. I haven't listened to the Japanese language track because I never used to when I was younger. But hopefully now I have matured to the point where I will listen to it. The characters in the film feel and look very lifelike to me. Akria seems to borrow a lot from American films and throw them into a Japanses anime, which is very intriguing. I found out that the voices were recorded first before the animation, therefore; the lips would match the dialog perfectly. This is something that Disney has been practicing forever but that this was the first time it was used on a Japanese anime. Quite cool. Akira's story again is like a great director from the 20th century has created it. It has an essence that pull the audience into the world of Neo Tokyo 2019. A little Blade Runner, a little Children of Men and so on. The only nudge I have against the movie is not giving more insight to what Akira is. But I guess thats the great adventure to the film. That you really don't have a clue as to what Akira is, or who he is. I kept thinking that Akira would pop up somewhere and kill Tetsuo, and control Neo Tokyo once and for all. But this never happened and I'm glad it didn't. Just see the movie. I won't give anything away, but just to say that the end is a bit of a downer. Although, what great movie isn't. The film is immerse as it sucks the audience into a world that is dark and mysterious. It makes the viewer question his or her own life and choices we make in it. Although, I might only recommend this film for Sci-Fi, action people. Don't be put off by the fact that its anime. I was for a while but soon changed opinions and hopped on the Akira bandwagon.

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Reign on an Empire

[9/10 · 21 January 2007]

After three months of waiting to see this film, I am glad to say that I am not disappointed by the wait. I wanted to see it when it was first released but they pulled out of theaters before I could finally see it. Then, the Golden Globes happened and Forest Whitaker won an award. Finally, I got to see it. The first part of the film opens so dull that I immediately thought I had made a mistake by going to see it. That wasn't true for long. As soon as Forrest Whitaker jumped on screen, his presence as an actor and as Idi Amin was felt throughout the entire theater. He really deserved to win the Golden Globe for Best Actor. I can't really describe his performance, well, because it was so well done. He created a likable character out of Amin. Which is scary in its own right because you, the audience member, are sucked into admiring him just like the James McAvoy's character is. I immediately took a liking to Amin, but I think thats what was suppose to happen. I eventually knew that he would soon show us his other side but I didn't care. The film is well photographed in 16mm, which lends to some of the grain of the picture. Which gives it a Texas Chain Saw Massacre look set in Uganda. The story unfolds like a suspenseful thriller, every minute you are on the edge of your seat. Constantly pondering what will happen next. I don't want to give any of it away but it's definitely one of those films you have to see to believe how spectacular it truly is.

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

In the Middle of a Crisis

[4/10 · 20 January 2007]

I'm not quite sure where to start. On one hand the story is great, but on the other the film is lackluster in just about every way. After reading some of the reviews on IMDb.com, I was led to believe that there was a major twist at the end of this film. Well, there was a twist but one that I didn't understand. Call it stupidity or call it lack of knowledge but then again I don't think anyone can truly understand it without a degree in science. I guess this is my own flaw but I'd like to blame it on the film. The performances are just dreadful, and that is an understatement. In my personal opinion, I can write better dialog and provide better performances than what the filmmaker and the cast did. I have no real professional training in film and just grab a camera and start shooting. I think thats what these people did, because it seems so unorganized. Not just the story but the acting and story and everything. I'd give it two stars because it has a decent story, or what story I can make of it. Another star because of the effects for the time period. (Pre-Star Wars, Post 2001). The forth star because it symbolizes why the American new wave kicked these kinds of movies butts back in the day. One other important thing to note is that, the images that are presented on the screen are not pretty to look at. It has some of the worst photography that I have ever seen. (Trust me I have seen a lot). The director of photography chose to use a split lens technique that causes a close-up and a long shot to be in focus at the same time. Its not a big deal if one uses it once or twice for emphasis on a certain subject but they continued to use it over and over and over and over again. It came to a point where it took away from the picture. They gave emphasis on a person talking and a computer monitor, what the hell is that suppose to do for the audience. I have no idea but what ever it is too late to ponder over. This movie just plain sucks.

Casino Royale (2006)

A Stale Dry Martini

[3/10 · 18 November 2006]

James Bond is back and this time he plays a high stakes poker game against one of his toughest foes.

To tell you the truth, I was the least bit interested in the story when it was first revealed. I should of trusted my instincts when Casino Royale was announced two years ago. This film, which runs at a lengthy 144 minutes, was one of the worst Bond films to date. I don't know if it was sheer disappointment or just a non-believable story. The story, which I think is the most important part of a film, was non-existent. Daniel Craig is James Bond this time around and man does he do an awful job. (Yes all you blond bond haters, there is finally a reason to hate him and not only because he's blond.) His acting was stale and boring. The story was so poorly told and convoluted with quick plot turns, that even a person with an IQ of 200 would have trouble figuring it out. (That's not to say that I have an IQ of 200 but…) The movie quickly shifts from one idea to another without letting the audience have a clear idea about what is going on.

The only good thing about this film is that it is finally over. After 2 hours and 24 minutes of sheer torture (and there is even a torture scene in the movie, that was so laughable because it was unnecessary.) I can finally write this review, and let you know to waist your money on something with some quality.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Fun and Original

[8/10 · 9 July 2006]

For some time now I have been putting this movie down because it didn't seem to appealing to me when I first heard about it. Now, I know, I was so wrong to say I didn't want to see it. One reason was because I knew the sequel was on the horizon and that I felt I should see the first in order to get a sense of what Pirates was all about. I loved just about every aspect of this film. The acting was great and the story had so much to tell that I never felt like the film was long just for the sake of being long. Johnny Depp played a great pirate and so did Orlando Bloom, only in the latter part did he really shine though. The story is pretty simple but is an old tale that people of all ages will react to, for some time, as they always have. The effects were not over the top and they were done to a point where I thought I wouldn't care if I could tell the difference between live action and CG. The only thing I felt to be off balance was some of the Disney dumbness, that plagues most Disney movies and was probably put in at the request of Disney to make it more audience friendly. Overall I felt that I saw a movie and not some action flick with no backbone....ie(STORY). When I was finished, the movie gave me a sense of pride I have not had in a long time when I watch film. I have seen something I will never forget.

Constantine (2005)

Is this even considered a movie

[1/10 · 4 March 2005]

Awful one word that summarizes the entire plot of this...........stupidity. It lacked almost everything that a genuine good piece of film has. Keanu Reeves acting ability is just terrible, the story is dumb and grim. Not even like the comic book, but if anyone can justify 10 dollars to go see this garbage it was probably me considering that I go to see just about every movie thats in theaters when its out. The only upside to this film is that it has good special effects, but thats about it. If you happen to catch it in a DLP Cinema then maybe it would be good to see how the picture looked even though the movie was shot on film, not digitally like Star Wars episode II or III. Overall this movie should even be considered one.