Star_Red Reviews

The Last Witness (2001)

Interesting story, awful execution

[5/10 · 15 August 2006]

The Korean War and the resulting conflict between the North and the South served as background for many great South Korean films (JSA, Brotherhood, Silmido), but unfortunately "The last Witness" does not belong to this category.

It has an interesting, dramatic story that combines the horror of North Korean POWs trying to escape in the early 1950s and a present-day police investigation of two murders, but the film and its characters left me cold. While the investigation with its many clues and revelations is entertaining to watch, the flashback sequences are too bland and rushed and lack any depth to let the viewer develop any bond with the two main characters.

It also does not help that the make-up department was obviously not up to the task or maybe too lazy, because almost all the actors looked completely unconvincing playing old people in their 70s or 80s, which was a major distraction.

This film does have some nice visuals and even mildly suspenseful scenes, but overall it was rather disappointing. The contrived and pathetic ending in particular was so kitschy, even the cheesiest Hollywood film wouldn't go that far.

The Uninvited (2003)

Very slow at times, but a genuine horror

[7/10 · 16 July 2006]

The Uninvited starts out very slow, with a hesitating, introverted main character, which all puts a test on your patience, but hold on and you will be rewarded with a genuinely horrifying viewing experience, which lets you forget all previously seen so-called horror movies by US studios.

I do not like gore or cheap shock scenes that make you jump for a moment, but prefer subtle, realistic psychological horror instead, and this is what The Uninvited delivers: A sense of true horror with one specific sequence that is so disturbing and surreal in its whole execution, but realistic and gripping at the same time, you will not be able to shake off this creepy atmosphere out of your head afterwards.

Having said this, The Uninvited has a few flaws. The pacing is extremely slow, the storyline has too many sub-plots, most of which felt unnecessary to the main plot, and some images seem borrowed from other horror films. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a subtle, slow-burn horror with a stark, disturbing center-piece, you should give The Uninvited a try.

Gods and Monsters (1998)

Mixed feelings

[6/10 · 5 June 2003]

I am a bit confused what to make of this film. The movie is neither entertaining nor boring, neither great nor bad. The only thing that can be said for sure is that the overall acting is very good. Not only are the two main characters perfectly cast, but they also have perfect chemistry onscreen. But that's about it, what can be mentioned as real highlights. It's obvious that Brendan Fraser's character is sort of a stand-in for the social misfit, for Frankenstein, but spoon-feeding this in the very last scene in the rain is really unnecessary. I also didn't like how the flashbacks are used - they seem to be used at the wrong places.

Did I gain more insight into social outsiders or homosexual men by watching this movie? I don't think so. Was I moved or touched by the characters' story? No. But still there's something about "Gods and Monsters" that hinders me from dismissing this film entirely...

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

Great acting (as usual) from Meryl Streep!

[8/10 · 27 February 2003]

I regard Bridges of Madison County mainly as a story about a housewife & mother's strength to endure her daily life of serving her family while continuously being ignored. Francesca finds new strength through a romantic, sensual, albeit a very short affair with a worldly and sensitive photographer. I don't approve of adultery yet I cannot fully condemn it here. The film manages to depict their affair as a naturally evolving, mature relationship, as if a ten-year-long relationship were condensed into four days. It is mainly due to Meryl Streep's vivid acting that the affair appears neither trivial nor lewd. Her performance radiates all the love, longing, and passion of Francesca. Clint Eastwood was very believable and had the right chemistry with Streep, but I found his directing sometimes a bit too slow, though overall he created a nice atmosphere for Francesca's story. The only major complaint I have are the two actors who played the grown-up son and daughter. They were always overacting and were rather an annoyance to watch.

The River Wild (1994)

Well-done and well-acted family thriller

[7/10 · 16 August 2002]

River Wild is not really great or thrilling, but it's very entertaining due to the good acting by the entire cast and the beautiful nature scenery. I thought the relationships between all the characters and how they gradually change was the most believable and interesting part. How Kevin Bacon's character first strikes a bonding with the son, in order to win Meryl Streep's trust, and how this friendly atmosphere slowly glides to threat was very realistic. The only really annoying scene was the last one, where one police officer asks the son "What did your father do?", to which he replies "My father saved our lives". What a heroic, pathetic conversation after having survived such a life-threatening nightmare! All in all, this movie is recommendable, but you shouldn't expect too much.

Eye of the Beholder (1999)

Silly and laughable

[2/10 · 20 July 2002]

'What a waste of time and money!' was my first reaction after seeing this movie. What was it trying to be? A thriller? No, too pointless and no tension at all. A drama? Nope. Too shallow and implausible. A comedy? Hmmm, maybe. Some scenes were ridiculous and unintentionally funny. I know the book from Marc Behm, which this movie is based on, thus I assume the filmmakers wanted this to be an intriguing psychological thriller-drama, but as hard as they might have tried, they failed completely. There is no whodunit-plot or any conventional story; this is a psychograph of a disillusioned, lonesome man who slowly glides into obsession and ruin, but a movie based on such a story needs the best possible actors and an on-screen chemistry between them.

Ashley Judd was definitely not up to this job. She was so bad and unconvincing as the mysterious murderess, that even Ewan McGregor's biggest efforts could not make me believe that his character got so obsessed with her. The direction was also very messy and seemed to mistake confusion for mystery. Avoid this movie at any cost.

The Gift (2000)

Very predictable and shallow

[5/10 · 19 July 2002]

A young woman gets killed in a small town, and Annie Wilson, a widowed mother of three boys, is the only one who can help to find the killer by using her "gift", an ability to see and foresee things supernaturally.

The film starts out fine, introducing the characters one by one, and aptly creating the atmosphere of a typical southern urban town. But somewhere in the course of the story, the film seems to lose its pace. Annie has dreams and visions of the murdered woman's corpse and whereabouts, which are supposedly meant to be shocking and frightening, but most of the time they are just silly and annoying. Hilary Swank is utterly bad and unwatchable in a very passive and uninteresting role, you wonder why she agreed to play such a character after her Oscar win that year. And the last third is so unbearably predictable, it's completely unbelievable, that Annie does not realize the situation, especially when she is assumed to have that special gift. Really stupid! And very, very shallow and superficial.

If it was not for Cate Blanchett's engaging performance, I would give this movie a much lower rating than 5 out of 10.

Meet the Parents (2000)

Was that supposed to be funny?

[3/10 · 12 July 2002]

I was looking forward to seeing a comedy that would make me laugh and make me feel cheerful, but I was devastatingly disappointed. Though a very few scenes captured the clumsiness and embarassment of such a weekend quite nicely, they were completely overshadowed by all those exaggerated, contrived, and unfunny mishaps. What's so funny about spraying s**t at people? None of Greg Focker's misfortunes made me laugh; they were just annoying. It also doesn't help that all characters in this movie are not likeable at all; I didn't care what happens to them.

Do yourself a favour and avoid this overrated wannabe-comedy. It would only be a waste of time.

Just Cause (1995)

Contrived, but somewhat entertaining

[6/10 · 12 July 2002]

Although it borrows heavily from better and better-known films, Just Cause is quite entertaining. Several turns are predictable or hard to believe, but this film also shows some interesting character development with Sean Connery, who seems to be a little too old for this role, but was quite believable as the law teacher, who had to learn some lessons about reality and law as it is practised in reality. Laurence Fishburne and Ed Harris seem to enjoy their performances, which they deliver with much relish, and the atmosphere of the town and the Everglades are also captured nicely. But since the plot, especially the last third or so, is really contrived, and Kate Capshaw is so annoyingly bad and shallow in a key part that usually calls for a more sensitive performance, I can not really recommend this film wholeheartedly without having a guilty conscience. See it only if you have nothing else to watch.

Gladiator (2000)

Overrated movie about fight techniques (minor spoilers)

[6/10 · 4 July 2002]

I had the feeling that Gladiator uses its plot primarily to show brutal gladiator fights. It has certainly an intriguing plot, which depicts a Roman general's revenge for betrayal, his family's slaughter, and his Emperor's murder, but there were too many fight and battle scenes for my liking. Still, it is an entertaining film that shows not only the shiny grandeur, but also the bloody, ugly cruelties of the Roman Empire, although some scenes, such as the bird-view look of the Colosseum, or the city landscape in the background when Commodus and Lucilla are standing on the balcony alone and talking, looked too CGI. What I had the most problems with was the final arena fight: We know that Commodus is so hungry for acceptance by his people and popularity, that it is unlikely that he would dare to kill Maximus in front of the watching crowd. And although this is a fictional story, it's unimaginable historically, that an Emperor would fight against a gladiator in the arena. As for the acting, Russell Crowe was very good and well suited for this role, but most of the other actors were only mediocre, especially Joaquin Phoenix, who overacted too often.

I think the Oscar for Best Film was way too exaggerated; maybe it received it because there hasn't been a film about ancient Rome for a long time.

Ronin (1998)

Repetitious scenes, mediocre acting, disappointing ending

[5/10 · 1 July 2002]

With its several action and chase scenes, Ronin is a movie that is quite thrilling in many parts, but which leaves you somewhat dissatisfied after watching it. I attribute this to the cliched characters and the basic story, which is not really a story, but rather a justification for all those chase scenes. The latter are entertaining at first but become redundant very soon, and you wonder why the film repeats itself so often. After so many car races, shootings, and fights in crowded locations you are eager to know the true reasons and also the contents of the mysterious case everyone is after, but the film ultimately lets you down. I understand that this film wants to depict fraud and deception in the first place, but this should not be done at the expense of a more profound plot. Most of the characters are also stereotypes you usually see in cheap made-for-TV movies: You have the cool, tough woman leader in a man's world, the cold-blooded, greedy German, and the experienced, super-smart and super-resilient ex-CIA man. Robert De Niro and Jean Reno's performances are good, but no way special; they are playing parts they have played many times before with more passion and depth. This movie is only recommendable if you're a fan of car chases, but not if you want to see an intriguing, complex thriller. 5 out of 10.