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Reviews
Apocalypto (2006)
visceral, stunning, relentless ...
this movie does have one of the most gripping plots in movie history, and the parallels to 'titanic' are dead on (more on this a bit later). to begin with, mel's way of 'humanizing' the tribesmen is hugely successful in getting us to relate to them and become emotionally invested in their ultimate plight for survival. no one is able to do this 'humanizing' business better than mel. this level of 'humanity' and 'vulnerability' is also of course dramatically crucial as the plot unfolds and we become swept into the pageantry of the sacrificial ritual and the cast of thousands in the 'stone-built' city. i thought the epic sweep and the visual richness of the story, as well as the visceral, in-your-face way we are forced to participate in it, are a stunning revelation. not since 'the mission,' have i been so visually 'gripped' by a movie. it literally left me breathless. all critical historical inaccuracies aside, i think we must keep in mind that this is a 'work of art,' one man's vision, and as such, the poetic license mel uses in amalgamating certain elements of mesoamerican history is fully justified. after all, this is a movie, not a documentary. movies are artistic works where historical accuracy rightly takes a back seat to the director's message,' and as long as the inaccuracies do not distort the basic premise, i see no problem with it. again, this is not hailed as the 'last word' on mayan civilization; it is merely, as i said, one man's interpretation of a fictitious period piece, and as always, with mel, a work's overall message becomes paramount, as it should be. beyond that, i would have to say this movie does have the same epic, and almost biblical qualities that 'the mission' and a more recent movie such as 'titanic' both had. all involving a group of unsuspecting participants inadvertently swept into a perilous journey, without the slightest clue as to the impeding doom that lay ahead. the actors' amazing talent was another huge revelation here, and in the end, it is the superlatively nuanced acting by this group of virtual unknowns that makes this movie so gripping and moving. it is a relentless action film to be sure, but it is also an extremely touching drama, and an epic pageant for the senses, ultimately becoming one of the most powerful morality tales in modern cinema. what else can a movie audience ask for?? i could see it over and over again. oh and did i forget to mention the unbelievably realistic production values??? thank you, mr. Gibson for giving us another rare treat for the senses. it deserves to be nominated for best picture and mel deserves a nod for best director, although it will more than likely be lucky to come away with a 'best cinematography' statuette. after all, such was the ultimate fate of 'the mission,' a superlative movie which deserved the best picture award and yet only nabbed best cinematography. what a shameful place Hollywood can be when it comes to actually recognizing and rewarding truly 'superlative' work.
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
""it's breakfast time""
and i don't mean cheerios and milk either. this is a rocking and rolling roller coaster ride of a horror flick filled with enough jolts, gore, and unrelenting graphic violence to have even the most jaded horror fan on the edge of his seat. the opening sequence alone might make some wet their pants.
more than adequate as a remake of the wes craven classic.
could've used a bit more suspense, but all in all, this one's definitely a keeper.
mr. aja proves he's the current leader of the horror genre and i personally can't wait to see what he comes up with in his next outing, which will more than likely be a sequel to this movie.
When a Stranger Calls (2006)
extremely-effective suspense!
before i go any further, let me clarify that, although i have given this movie 8 stars out of 10, i would actually give it 10 stars out of 10 if i were rating the sheer merit of the 'suspense factor' alone. at any rate, after reading the great majority of scathing comments on this movie, i went to see it with extremely low expectations, only to be quite pleasantly surprised. the movie delivered suspense, mood, and atmosphere by the truckload, and, even more surprising of all for this 'teen-aged' type genre, style. from start to finish, the viewer is relentlessly immersed in suspense so thick, rich, and stylish, that you can literally hear your heart beating. i personally found myself nearly gripping the armrest of my seat throughout most of it. yes, the atmosphere is that absorbing and gripping. let's face it, no one went to see this movie for the 'fresh' plot or premise. it's been done before and quite effectively too in the original. this remake merely aims to up the ante and make 'suspense' the real centerpiece of the show. i honestly can't imagine what some of you folks were expecting in panning this film for somehow failing to be the cinematic masterpiece of its genre, the citizen kane of 'baby-sitter' horror, if you will. seriously people, get a grip. it's just a horror flick. besides, this remake is all about the suspense, the suspense, the suspense, ... get it? and in that regard, it delivers beautifully. the acting was perfectly effective as well. the one thing i would've done slightly differently is not center the plot quite so much around the teen-aged leading actor's high school angst, although even that aspect of it wasn't totally overdone and seemed reasonably bearable and non-intrusive in the end. i guess, overall, i prefer a more adult, mature feel to my suspense flicks. however, considering the 'baby-sitter' premise, some teen-age angst seemed inevitable. all in all, i would place this remake in the 'extremely serviceable guilty pleasure' category. i don't know how some of you feel about this, but i would've also done without the 'have you checked the children?' line. it somehow comes off as too much of an 'overt' and distracting borrowing from the original. perhaps a slight paraphrasing would've been more effective. finally, unlike what some of you may feel who have not yet seen this movie, the fact that we know beforehand that the calls are coming from inside the home actually makes the anticipation and suspense all the more unbearable. so please don't let the negative reviews on this site keep you from going to see it at the theater. you'll be quite pleasantly and 'suspensefully' surprised. besides, something this masterfully suspenseful should be appreciated in a theater.
Trauma (2004)
pointless waste of time
there's really no way to get around it: this movie just plain sucks, and provides further proof that the brits just can't make thrillers worth a damn. the tired and silly dialogue with the shrink was so clichéd, i didn't know whether to laugh or cry. and speaking of nonsensical clichés, the plot in this movie goes around in so many gratuitous circles, i almost got dizzy. we're left having to deal with a series of real and imaginary episodes which add so little insight into the main character, that they almost appear to be frivolous afterthoughts with nothing whatsoever in common. having said that, i must admit colin firth did an admirable job with the crap he was given to work with. otherwise, this movie's one of the most pointless yawners to come out of Britain in a while. never have i been happier to see end credits roll in all my life.
Crash (2004)
sublime magical realism!
spoilers ahead!!
the sublime magical realism of this thought-provoking exercise in interrelated character studies reminded me a lot of 'magnolia,' a film in which mysterious things also rain down from the sky and infuse the entire plot with a quality at once surreal and unavoidably real. yet, i found the underlying theme in 'crash,' with its unflinchingly honest exploration of our most mundane and gut-level racial prejudices and fears, to be such a powerful storytelling tool, that i couldn't help but instantly sympathize with the characters. two of the scenes i found most profoundly touching and ironic included the one were the young hispanic locksmith's daughter, who believes herself protected my a magic cloak, jumps in front of a 'bullet' to protect her dad. another extremely moving and introspective scene was the one were the 'angry, prejudiced' sandra bullock character hugs her maid and recognizes she may in fact be her only friend, constituting one of the most humbling expressions of the human hunger for love. this movie packs so much honesty per scene that you are forced to face your own fears and prejudices and see some part of you reflected in every one of the characters represented. the acting was top notch throughout, and as with every extremely engaging movie i have ever seen, i didn't want the amazing roller-coaster ride to come to an end.
La marche de l'empereur (2005)
breathtaking!!!!
i finally watched this extremely moving documentary today and all i can say is mr. luc jacquet had better start making room for an academy award on his mantle, because this one is a sure-fire winner. what these beautiful creatures endure in order to preserve the survival of their species is nothing short of awe-inspiring. i came away with a renewed appreciation for the sheer gift of being alive. this should be required viewing for anyone, young or old, who has ever taken life for granted. this documentary, more than any other i have ever seen, captures the mesmerizing mystery of life and the herculean struggles some creatures endure just to ensure the survival of their progeny against all odds.
The Last House on the Left (1972)
disappointing
first, let me say that i truly had high hopes for this movie. having said that, i was primarily disappointed with what i saw. i expected to see a landmark horror film along the same historic lines as 'the Texas chainsaw massacre,' yet the movie i saw was not only not shocking by today's standards, it was also much too amateurishly executed to be effective. and again, let me admit right up front that i was perfectly willing to not look at it with overtly critical eyes, but rather with an eye for the 'overall effect' as it were. still i came away feeling i had been taken for a very foolish ride. so much so that i ultimately began to wonder whether mr craven had originally intended to actually film a darkly humorous 'parody' of a horror film or a horror film proper. i tend to think mr craven was merely aiming to amuse us with parody, not so much shock us. i concur with another reviewer who found the music and the sheriff and deputy's antics way too pointlessly corny and irrelevant to the overall effect. in terms of actual 'shock value,' i found the movie severely lacking once again, and i must conclude that if a film claims to be hailed as a horror classic, it must manage to at least shock the audience to some degree. the shock value in this film, while minuscule, was rendered even more laughable by the amateurish direction. a horror classic should be timelessly classic; meaning it should stand the test of time, such as 'texas chainsaw massacre' still manages to do this many years after it was filmed. in the case of 'last house,' the shock value only begins to raise an unwilling eyebrow IF one puts it in the context of the time period in which it was filmed. again, that is a huge flaw of the film: it does not stand the test of time. now, having said that, i am willing to concede that this movie must be viewed as historically daring in the way it attempted to create something innovative and fresh within the horror genre. too bad the end result couldn't be scary. i think we do the film justice if we view it merely as a parody of a horror film, and not as a horror film proper.