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Reviews
A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. (2018)
Had some good moments
The tone, lighting and mood set in this film are all well done. I also enjoyed what the actors tried to do with the characters in this film - the actions and emotions seem natural and real in a way that could happen in real life.
Unfortunately the movie does have its shortcomings - it's rather thin, there isn't much there beyond the tension between the two main characters.
Eden (2014)
A nice walk through the passage of time
This movie is really about pursuing ones dreams and what happens to people during that process. The main character pursues his dream of music, in this case being a DJ in the early 90s French clubbing scene. Not everyone succeeds and some people lose their way. Paul (arguably) lands somewhere between those two ends.
Paul reaches some success, but as times change and tastes in music change, Paul is either not able to change with them or refuses to do so. Paul gets mixed up with some harder drugs, like cocaine and racks up quite a bit of debt. As his popularity declines and the scene changes Paul is left behind.
I was energized by the successes portrayed at the beginning of the movie and as Paul's life spirals downward, a sense of melancholy approached.
I think too many people confuse these feelings as a failure of the film, but the way I see it, the film is nothing more than following a mans life and his passion through the passage of time.
Overall I felt it was a great movie and my only disdain would be the quick segway from Pauls admittance to having a drug and financial problem to his mother, to his overcoming of these issues. There is literally no explanation or time spent between the two. To be fair, the movie already clocks in at over 2 hours, so it was probably not possible to explore this portion of his life too much.
As far as the music goes - I can't recall any movie taking the genre seriously and I am glad to see a film finally do it.
Anyways, the movie is interesting, nostalgic and worth a look.
3 Days to Kill (2014)
Decent action film has its moments
This film comes across like a TV show and I would imagine that the director crossed over from the boob-tube. It is not a bad movie, it just plays out like a TV show - it has that TV show feel.
Ethan Renners (Costner) finds out that he has a terminal illness and is then approached by Vivi Delay (Amber Heard) who requests his services for one final mission. Delay is a CIA operative who appears to have quite a bit of stroke. He is on a last mission of sorts, with the urging of Vivi, who promises a medicine that may extend his life. Ethan's final job is to hunt down a fellow named "Wolf" and during this journey he reconnects with his ex wife and his estranged daughter, Zooey.
The movie loses steam with both the acting of Hailee Steinfeld, who plays his daughter Zooey Renner and the poorly written scenes in which Ethan and Zooey become reacquainted. Zooey comes across as petulant and trying and the scenes are unrealistic. (I know it is a movie, and movies are not reality, but work with me here).
My other pet peeve with the acting is Amber Heard. Vivi is the one who has brought Ethan along for his last mission and she is just flat out unbelievable as a CIA operative. I can't take her seriously and someone that is in her lofty position should be taken seriously. While the film lacks good acting in a couple key roles, it does excel in the starring role and in other components. There are some really neat locales, cool camera angles and creative uses of lighting and color which add vibrancy to many of the scenes.
So with that said, Costner (Ethan Renner) does a pretty darn good job playing the lead role in this film. He is believable as a CIA agent/assassin and he evokes credibility in his action scenes, even though some scenes have unbelievable moments (In one scene, Ethan rams his car into the Wolf's car, knocking the Wolf's car off a bridge. None of the people in the area seem to be bothered by this at all and they keep walking down the street like nothing has happened).
All in all its definitely worth a rental.
The Saint (1997)
This movie is worth watching
The Saint is a fun, well paced jaunt into the world of Simon Templar. Simon Templar can be looked at as a rogue mercenary who does dangerous and technically advanced jobs that only a handful of people in the world can pull off. It features solid acting from its three main characters (Val Kilmer in the title role, with Elisabeth Shue and Rade erbedija) and is never boring to watch. You can almost look at it as a precursor to the Jason Bourne style movies. While you cannot directly compare the plots of the two movies, after watching both you can see how the Bourne series adopts some of the action, intensity and overall feel of a movie like The Saint. I won't give away any more details, but it is worth watching and easily rates above its average score of 6 as seen on this website.
It is a solid 7.5.
Dragon Eyes (2012)
Nothing if Not Entertaining
This film is entertaining.
The bias we hold coming into a film will always steer our opinions of it. Mine was the foregone conclusion this would be boring and low budget and I was wrong! Well, I was wrong about boring.
Most people on here seem to rip the story line and the main actor's demeanor but I don't watch fight films for character development. Does anyone really do that? The fight scenes are pretty cool and at times sweet. I enjoyed the use of camera angles throughout the film and wasn't ever bored.
In the end it was entertaining and that is what I look for with fight films.
The Master (2012)
Wonderful characterization, little to no plot
The actors, most notably Phoenix and Hoffman, explore their characters in thorough and compelling ways. While watching the film, you inevitably become impressed with their performances. The movie itself comes across like a mash of character shorts, but unlike shorts this film keeps going and probably shouldn't.
As wonderful as Phoenix and Hoffman are, the film lacks anything resembling a point or a destination. I was hoping that maybe this was based on a true story and that Lancaster Dodd (played by Hoffman) would turn out to be a real man, which would lend some needed depth to the plot. However, I was disappointed to find out that this was not the case.
When choosing to watch this movie, enjoy the above mentioned performances but save yourself some time and shut it off after about 45 minutes. You'll not only save yourself some time, but you'll avoid the inevitable disappointment that arises at the end when you realize there was no plot.
Fear of a Black Hat (1993)
A must see satire!
This movie is hilarious and while the satire leans against material dated from the 80's and early 90's, if you know enough hip hop and pop culture then you'd find it funny, even today. The writing is excellent, the jokes are funny and well delivered and the songs are hilarious. Two 'videos' in the movie, one titled 'Booty Juice' and the other "A Gangstas life ain't fun" hit home today just as well as they did when this movie came out. It appears that much of the hip hop life style and creed hasn't changed much over the years. The movie is consistently funny from beginning to end, with many of the jokes dead panned and often subtly delivered. It's easy to miss a lot of the jokes during the film if you aren't familiar with the subjects that they are poking fun at. But again, much of what the director delivers is still funny and relevant even today. A must see satire!
The In-Laws (2003)
The Actors do a good job with an average plot
The cast does a pretty good job in this movie while working with a fairly thin plot. Douglas (playing Tobias, and undercover agent posing as a Xerox employee) is affable and timely with his lines and humor and I think overall his role is done quite well. His son is marrying the daughter of Dr. Peyser. He carries the movie.
Supporting cast members also do a very nice job. I think Brooks (playing Peyser , a foot Dr.) is a bit over the top, but I suppose that can be his style and maybe it was intended. He does a good job bringing a bit of humanity to his character. Candice Bergman was funny and timely with her role as the crazy ex-wife of Tobias. I even liked Ryan Reynolds in the movie (he plays the son of Tobias) who I normally don't care for.
David Suchet plays Jean-Pierre Thibodoux, an international arms smuggler. His homo-erotic exchanges with Peyser are pretty damn funny and offer several awkward yet comedic scenes.
Naturally, one of the several plot twists in the movie offers a conflict between the soon-to-be wed couple, caused mostly by Tobia's acts of undercover shenanigans. The cause of the conflict is, well- there is no cause for the conflict. The argument is petty but this is just one of the examples of the thin plot. However, its not a reason to throttle the movie or dislike it.
Overall, I'm not sure why the movie has done so poorly with its user reviews. It certainly doesn't deserve less than 7 stars. The acting is there, its not shallow or poorly done. There are no serious gaps of non-laughter in the movie. I suppose I find the humor in the movie that other people don't. If you watch the movie, you'll definitely get some laughs and enjoy it.