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norwood34
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Signs (2002)
SPOILERS***This could have been a good movie***SPOILERS
Signs had the potential to be a good movie, but it fails. I thought the acting and directing were good, but the writing left a lot to be desired.
SPOILERS***SPOILERS***SPOILERS
I understand the movie is really about faith and the aliens were merely a device to help convey that message, but that is no excuse for sloppy writing.
The aliens made absolutely no sense to me. Do they not know that water will kill them? How could they not be aware of this? If they do know, why would they decide to come to Earth, of all places? Earth is 75% water! Why don't they wear any clothing to protect themselves? Why don't they have any tools or weapons other than the poison gas? How can they have the technology to build spaceships and fly to Earth but they can't get through a simple wooden door? Why do they have lights on their spaceships at night but cloak them during the day?
Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) lives over the garage, not in the main house. Why does he keep his baseball bat in the main house and not in his own house?
The movie takes place six months after the death of Graham's (Mel Gibson) wife. Why is the man who killed her not in jail?
Proof of Life (2000)
Movie has no focus and stars have no chemistry.
Proof of Life is a good example of how NOT to make a movie.
Alice (Meg Ryan) and Peter (David Morse) are married and living in a fictional South American country called Tecala. Peter gets kidnapped. Terry (Russell Crowe) is a kidnap and ransom negotiator whose job it is to get Peter released.
It is possible to make a good movie about a woman whose husband has been kidnapped and the relationship she has with the man who is negotiating to get her husband released. It is possible to make a good movie about a man who has been kidnapped and the ordeal he undergoes while living with terrorists. The point is, you pick one or the other. Proof of Life tries to have it both ways, and it fails. There is no way one movie can do justice to both storylines. The action in Proof of Life keeps jumping back and forth between the two competing storylines, and it is very annoying. The movie has no structure and no focus.
The other huge problem I have with this movie is the relationship between Alice and Terry. The movie falls all over itself trying to convince us that Alice and Terry are falling in love, but I didn't believe it for a moment. Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe have absolutely no chemistry with each other. You would never suspect these people had an affair in real life.
When Alice offers Peter's sister Janice (Pamela Reed) a glass of wine and Janice says she doesn't drink, this gives Alice and Terry an excuse to exchange a `meaningful' look. When Alice and Terry take Janice to the airport, after Janice leaves, Alice and Terry stand and stare at each other. When Terry is on the radio talking to the kidnappers, he sees Alice in another room. They stop what they are doing and look at each other. The movie wants us to believe all this gazing is a sign of romantic attraction, but it just looks like Alice and Terry are staring at each other for no apparent reason.
There is a scene in which Terry's friend Dino (David Caruso) spends some time with Alice and Terry. Alice drinks out of Terry's glass. We see a close-up of Dino reacting to this. Alice and Terry light candles. Dino comments on this. In this scene the movie is hitting us over the head telling us to find tremendous significance in Alice and Terry's innocent behavior. So what if Alice drinks out of Terry's glass and they light candles? That doesn't mean they're falling in love!
When Dino asks Terry if he is in love with Alice, the question makes no sense because all he has to go on is the behavior described above. When Terry kisses Alice, it comes out of nowhere.
I think Meg Ryan is miscast in this movie. I just never found her performance convincing. Alice needs to wear a bra, and her hair is always a mess. Alice never actually smokes her cigarettes but merely waves them around and gestures with them.
Russell Crowe looks good and gives a good performance.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Russell Crowe Should Have Won the Oscar
A Beautiful Mind is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't seen the movie, but I think the way the movie depicts John Nash's state of mind is brilliant. Akiva Goldsman (Best Adapted Screenplay) and Ron Howard (Best Director) earned their Oscars for this movie. The performances are also brilliant. Russell Crowe should have won his second Oscar for his portrayal of John Nash. Jennifer Connolly (Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), Christopher Plummer, Ed Harris, and the entire cast are excellent.
The movie has been criticized for being too different from the book. Books and movies are two different things. I don't want to compare apples and oranges. I think the movie should be judged on its own merits. If people want to know the facts about John Nash's life, all they have to do is read the book. The movie is entertaining in its own right.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Don't waste your time with this stupid movie.
Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has an IQ of 75 and plays a role in many aspects of American history, everything from Elvis to Watergate to the smiley face to the integration of the University of Alabama. The message of the movie is that if you are stupid and you always do as you are told, then great things will just fall into your lap. The movie is beyond farfetched. The movie is absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable. The basic premise of the movie is ludicrous. There is no way to make it work. This movie is a real insult to the intelligence of the viewer. Tom Hanks is totally obnoxious in this movie. I never liked him anyway.
The movie glorifies stupidity and treats us, the viewers, like we are stupid too. When Forrest's mother says Forrest is named after General Nathan Bedford Forrest, we see a flashback of General Forrest. When Forrest talks about Lieutenant Dan's (Gary Sinise) family, we see flashbacks of Lieutenant Dan's relatives. I understand! You don't have to show me! The movie begins and ends with a feather drifting around, as if we are too stupid to get the message that Forrest drifts through his life aimlessly. I get the point! I don't need to see an actual feather!
The soundtrack is irritating. The songs keep breaking into the movie in a very annoying manner. And they are so literal-minded! When Forrest is running, we get `Running on Empty.' When Forrest goes home, we get `Sweet Home Alabama.' When Jenny (Robin Wright) walks out a door, we get `Don't You Love Her As She's Walking Out the Door.'
Forrest's mother (Sally Field) does something absolutely despicable to keep Forrest in a school for which he is clearly not qualified. Are we supposed to admire Mrs. Gump for her devotion to her son? I do NOT admire her!
The movie never even tries to explain how a person with an IQ of 75 somehow manages to graduate from high school and college and join the military. The movie expects us to simply accept this fact without question. And what happened to Jenny's sisters? The movie mentions them once and then conveniently forgets all about them.
The only good thing about this movie is Gary Sinise. He plays a believable character and gives a good performance.
Gladiator (2000)
Brilliantly Acted, Very Entertaining
Russell Crowe earned his Oscar for his portrayal of Maximus, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he didn't win for The Insider. His performance in Gladiator is absolutely flawless. I can't imagine anybody else playing Maximus. This was my first time seeing Russell, and now he is my favorite actor.
If I had to describe Russell's performance in one word, it would be `subtle.' Less is more. Joel Siegel, the film critic on `Good Morning America,' said `Russell Crowe is not an action star, but he is such a great actor he makes you believe he is an action star.' Joel is missing the point. The LAST thing this movie needs is an action star! The role of Maximus required an actor who could convey all the facets of Maximus' personality and emotions. He also needed to look good in a tunic and perform convincingly in the action scenes. Russell combines all the necessary qualities and looks gorgeous. I can't praise his performance enough. Russell always holds your attention and makes himself clear, but always in a very subtle way. He is never flashy or exaggerated. He conveys Maximus' dignity, intelligence, courage, intensity, warmth, sense of humor, and all his other qualities. He is also totally believable in the action scenes.
All the performances in this movie are excellent. Joaquin Phoenix should have won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Commodus. Connie Nielsen (Lucilla) has real chemistry with Russell.
The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard is magnificent and should have won the Oscar.
I also have a couple of minor complaints about the movie.
The cinematography in the beginning of the movie is awful. I know they wanted us to understand that Germania is cold, but it was not necessary to photograph those scenes in such a way that everything is tinted blue. It just looks wrong. The actors have blue faces and the costumes look dull and washed out. The scene in which Maximus walks out of Marcus Aurelius' (Richard Harris) tent and meets Lucilla is the most egregious.
The writing leaves something to be desired. When Commodus discovers that Maximus is alive, he says `They lied to me...They told me he was dead.' But there was nobody left alive! Who lied to Commodus?
Seeing Gladiator made me want to learn something about the real Roman Empire, and I have been doing some reading. Gladiator is a brilliantly acted, very entertaining movie, and I highly recommend it.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
All Style and No Substance
Moulin Rouge is all style and no substance. There is certainly a lot to look at and a lot to listen to, but you won't care. This is a long and boring movie. The characters are one-dimensional. You won't care what happens to them. The story is silly and predictable. You will know the ending very soon. The direction is horrible. The camera keeps jumping all over the place too fast. Moulin Rouge is like an extremely long music video.