albiss74 Reviews

Ladder 49 (2004)

Why does everybody think this movie is great???

[4/10 · 8 March 2005]

As much as I respect firefighters for what they do. I was unimpressed and bored with this film. The acting was OK but Joaquin Phoenix was a poor casting choice to say the least.

What bothered me the most about this film was the Celtic music whining on and on and on at the worst possible time in the film. The directing and continuity was pretty bad too!

**SPOILER** For example, after Phoenix's character falls several stories and is badly injured, he can barely move to speak to his captain on the radio. Then miraculously, he manages to crawl across a huge space covered in rubble and fire to punch a man-sized opening in a double thickness brick wall using only a foot-long piece of re-bar???? And to top it all off he then gets ultra weak and busted-up again.

Did anyone also notice that throughout the film, whenever you see shots of Joaquin fighting fires and rescuing people, there is little or no smoke in the buildings. I would think the smoke should be pretty thick in a flame engulfed building.

I also got tired of hearing the search and rescue team yelling "I need some equipment over here!!!".

I really thought I would enjoy this film but I found it to be a weak attempt at representing the true life of a fireman. The intention was there but I honestly think that this film could have been so much better. I couldn't help but think that the producer was trying to meet a deadline with this film and had to rush to put it in theaters. More time should have been spent on editing and ensuring there was good flow to the film.

The special effects were impressive in some scenes but disappointing and almost ridiculous in others. Kind of like a Jerry Bruckheimer movie.

Call me critical but I just can't see what's so great about this movie. At least it wasn't as bad as "The Whole Ten Yards" which is by far the worst film I've seen in recent months.

I really hope there isn't a Ladder 50 in the making!

The Others (2001)

Boring and predictable

[3/10 · 10 August 2001]

I gave this film a generous 3 out of 10.

The only reason I paid to see this movie was because American Pie 2 was sold-out. I knew I had wasted my money when I had everything figured out after 15 minutes or so. This film was so drawn out for nothing that I actually slept through parts of it, and yet, I didn't miss a thing. The dialogue was irritating, the plot was poor and overall (spoiler coming up)this film appeared to me as a ripoff of a recent thriller with Bruce Willis. It's been a long time since I went and saw a horror/thriller and heard nothing in the theater (i.e. gasps, screams, etc...). I think it was due to the fact that I was sleeping, as were the others.

Wait for the television premiere of this one. It isn't even worth the $4.00 to rent it.

The Perfect Storm (2000)

Don't set your expectations too high for this film!

[5/10 · 9 July 2000]

I though I would walk out of the theater loving The Perfect Storm. Boy was I deceived! This film did not deliver at all.

I couldn't believe how plotless and boring this film was. I was expecting a nail-bitter not a wrist-slasher! Even the special effects were pretty obvious (watch the Coast Guard helicopter as it does a perfect 180 degree turn on a dime, in the middle of the storm, to land on the boat deck!?!?).

I couldn't figure out why I was getting so annoyed with this film. At about 15 minutes from the end, I realized the whining background music had been playing almost constantly since the beginning of the film. The soundtrack must be a 14 CD box set!

Save your money and rent it if you really want to see it. In the meantime, go see Gladiator!

U-571 (2000)

Yet another "look at how good we are!" film.

[28 May 2000]

Although the film was somewhat entertaining, it is just another glorification of the good old USA.

I am so tired of seeing their patriotism put on screen. It makes me sick. Especially when other great nations deserve more credit than they do (in this case it's the UK).

Americans make me want to vomit sometimes!

The Matrix (1999)

One scene with good special effects doesn't make a movie AWESOME!!!

[20 March 2000]

Why does everyone think this movie is excellent just because it has some impressive special effects? The Matrix sucked plain and simple. I get more pleasure from watching Kelly's Heroes!

To put it simply, Keanu Reeves will never win an Oscar because he cannot act. The fact that he is in the movie makes it bad to begin with.

The plot was so boring I actually fell asleep on this movie three times. I finally made it through the whole film the fourth time because I cranked the volume up to an intolerable level.

Even after seeing most parts of this film more than once, I still can't see what everyone is so worked up about. Do yourself a favor and watch Three's Company re-runs, they are much more entertaining!

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Open your minds people!!!!!

[7 March 2000]

To all of you who were disappointed with this film (or any Kubrick film), READ ON!!!

I think that if you kept your eyes, ears and brain open during Stanley Kubrick's films, you could probably appreciate them a lot more. Why does the plot have to be spelled out in capital letters all the time? THIS IS NOT A PG-13 MOVIE! Focus on the movie instead of your popcorn. Clear your mind! This movie was made to make you use your imagination and ride your emotion roller-coaster (you should feel something unless your favorite films feature Leslie Nielsen). If you can't grasp it, watch it again instead of waiting in anxiety for the next Adam Sandler movie to come out. I find a new appreciation for Kubrick films every time I watch them. I thought about this movie all day after I watched it.

I understand that some people will never like these types of movies, but I cannot believe that there are more negative comments than good ones about this film.

I guess some people are too narrow minded to appreciate a good film when they see one.

American Beauty (1999)

This One IS A Beauty!!

[9/10 · 15 November 1999]

American Beauty is simply the best movie of the year. Kevin Spacey is magnificent and should win an Oscar for every film he has been in. I seriously think he is the actor of the decade. I really didn't know what to expect when I started watching this movie (even though I don't think I have seen a bad Kevin Spacey movie). I think what got me hooked to this film was that I was always wondering what was going to happen next. It was just one thing after another. This film is funny, violent and even disturbing at times but it sure as hell kept me (and the elderly couple sitting in front of me)interested and amused. I most definitely will add it to my movie collection.