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JDinSeattle
Reviews
X-Men (2000)
An excellent adaptation of one of the most important comics ever created.
This movie was great. It had everything in the right place to keep the story moving. You learn early on the two edged sword of the mutations, the mutants are born with a curse as well as a blessing. The tagline, "Protecting Those Who Fear Them" explains the core of the movie. Everyone has been at a point in their life when they wonder who they are, what their destiny is, and where they fit in the big picture, this movie taps into those feelings perfectly and provides a great action story as well. My only disappointment is the obvious over-editing of the theatre cut. There was almost 45 minutes chopped out of the movie to slim it down to the 1 hr 44 minutes we see at the theatre. I have a hunch that the bosses at Fox were responsible for this, they wanted all that pesky character development thrown out so the action scenes would completely dominate the film. Those not familiar with the comic may feel overwhelmed as the different characters fly in and out of scene after scene. The powers that be at Fox should have pushed the movie over the 2 hour mark, I think that would have added enough dramatic content to bring more non-X-men fans into the fold. The critics are being very harsh on this film, pointing out the opening scene as too dark for a comic book movie and one even pointing out that the ability to controls the weather isn't a mutation it's a miracle. Well folks it's still a comic book, a fantasy, judging it as anything else is doing yourself and your readers a disservice. More films are sure to be made and will undoubtedly be as successful if not more so. They should stay with the same director and not pass the job to a Joel Schumacher type to turn it into an abomination like the last two Batman films.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
One of the best movies I've ever seen!
The story is original, never giving in and over-explaining the plot or direction to the audience. The acting by Damon (especially), Paltrow, and Jude Law was phenomenal. I felt sorry for the main character and feared him at the same time. The twists and turns at the end of the movie and the final scene will remain with me for ever. This is a film that I'll use to compare others of a long time to come. Matt Damon's performance is the one to beat for the 1999 Oscar!
The direction and cinematography were fantastic as well. There are scenes is this film where there is no action or dialog but you're still filled with awe at the superb images being projected on the screen.
House on Haunted Hill (1999)
A complete waste of film! This movie has no right to exist!
I wanted to give this movie a 2 out of 10 rating for some interesting special effects, but I just can't. The fact that it was even made while other scripts (any other scripts) were passed over is a crime. None of the characters interested me, the story was boring, and the movie seemed to end abruptly. It started out bad and went downhill from there!