Change Your Image
FredCampbell
Reviews
Walk the Line (2005)
You can't make a movie about Johnny Cash
Entertaining as a film? Yes. A worthy depiction of the early career of Johnny Cash? No. It is every bit as formulaic as the many other music bio-pics that have come around in the last 30 years or so, but I don't think it could have been anything else, considering the subject matter. I don't think you can make a movie about Johnny Cash.
There are lots of clichés in this film, like the obligatory line that leads audiences to mutter "Oh, that's where he/she got the idea for that song." While I don't think you can make a movie about Johnny Cash, the subject of his life deserves better treatment than this tedious rehash.
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
You're kidding me, right?
Gimme a freakin' break. It's true that the three leading ladies in this film are gorgeous, but that's about as far as this film goes with acting. And it's true that amazing stunts can be achieved using CGIs, but that's about as far as this film goes with action. And it's true that one-liners and puns can be funny, but they're not here, and that's about as far as this film goes with a script. I haven't seen writing this stupid in a long time. Demi has never looked worse, but her acting is about as good as it was in The Scarlet Letter. Bernie Mac should distance himself from this project as quickly as possible. He has talent worth saving.
Stroszek (1977)
One of the greatest endings ever!
STROSZEK may well be my favorite Werner Herzog film, though the title of "favorite" sometimes changes. The imagery in this film sticks with me, but it's the ending that I cannot forget. Herzog knows how to end a film. Everything that makes Herzog's greatest films as great as they are seems to coagulate into STROSZEK. If these comments seem disjointed, it's because I just saw the film last night for the first time. I've been thinking about it ever since.
Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)
Herzog is a masterful storyteller!
With documentary films, the question of realism always crops up. How much of the film is real and how much is manipulated by the film maker? In LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY, Herzog is far too absorbed in telling the story of a man telling his own story to even address the question of realism versus formalism. From the beginning, Herzog's role as storyteller is obvious. Luckily, he is a master storyteller. LITTLE DIETER is the finest, most engaging documentary I have ever seen. Dieter's story is enthralling, and Herzog's efforts at reenactment, putting Dieter through the paces of reliving his story on location while it is being filmed, are very effective. The story that Dieter tells is real, but Herzog is ever-present, wrenching absurdist commentary from the realism. This film is a must-see for any students of documentary film and/or of Werner Herzog.