lilgra1 Reviews

Terminator Salvation (2009)

Messy, unfocused bug budget film with no talents attached.

[4/10 · 22 May 2009]

After finding out the McG was directing, I did not expect the movie to be good...but after finding out that James Cameron and Stan Winston had some small input on this Terminator Salvation, I thought okay it shouldn't be that bad. The first 1 hour and 30 minutes of the movie was horrible! So bad that I really wanted to walk out of the theater. It was clear that McG had no idea what he was doing, the script was bad, the acting was really really bad. It was so cheesy that it made the film so unbelievable you didn't care. The only saving grace of the film was Christian Bale. Without him, this film would be a total disaster. Terminator Salvation did not stay true to its franchise name and does not even compare to Cameron's T2. The editing made the story seem so long and choppy. The terminators did not seem scary, there was no fear driving the film. The CGI was the best part, but without substance in the film, there was no point in watching it. Terminator Salvation could have been good, if they had attached some people with actual talent. It was such a bug budget film, what were they thinking?!?!?

90210 (2008–2013)

Not as good as the original 90210, but still has potential.

[7/10 · 26 September 2008]

After watching the first couple episodes of the "next generation", the show is not that bad. It was very smart of them to bring back some of the original cast like Kelly and Brenda. I think that they really bring back a nostalgia feel to their old audience and their acting compared to the new cast is way better. The main Wilson family is suppose to be i guess similar to the Walsh family. For the most part, the new cast is pretty good, except that Annie's facial expressions tend to be too exaggerated and almost seems annoying to me now. For the first episodes it was alright since she's suppose to be from Kansas, but she should definitely tone down on trying to act "cute". I like Ethan and Silver and Dixon, they seem to be pretty cool and acting wise believable. The girl Naomi is pretty bad at acting and doesn't seem like she's in high school. For the most part, this is a more pop-ish, and less serious than the old 90210. They play a lot of familiar music in every episode. If you don't take it that seriously, you might like it. I'll give it a couple more episodes and see where they take it.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Over-hyped dark knight with discriminating undertones

[6/10 · 20 July 2008]

I went into the dark knight with the hopes of seeing a great, fun summer film. All my hopes of it being great was crushed after the first 20 minutes. The movie was long and the fight scenes messy. The film story was supposedly based on Heat, but it did not even compare. The only positives i saw was that Heath Ledger was good as the joker and Aaron Eckhart was good as Two face. I was actually really disappointed with the story and character of Batman. This film had discriminating undertones and was almost racist. I was turned off by Christopher Nolan script he had written, the film was too dramatic and Batman so emo. The first Batman film was great, but this film had too much propaganda for the government and gave the wrong message to Batman fans.

The Fall (I) (2006)

Cute Fantasy Film

[7/10 · 7 June 2008]

The Fall is a simple story about an imaginary tale being told by an suicidal stunt actor to a 5 year old girl. The visuals are very creative and very colorful,very much like how a young child would imagine a fairy tale. The story however was not very creative, very simple and sometimes boring as it has no twist or suspense or comic relief. I agree with some of the reviews that the story is not very engaging or emotional. The story does not really come together at the end with a big epiphany or great conclusion. The best thing about the film is the little girl, she is so cute. She made everyone in the audience smile! The Fall is not a great film, it doesn't have the core of a good story but it is a very good film to watch. Something different, visually creative and colorful, with a sweet funny little girl.

Sex and the City (2008)

A long alternate ending....

[6/10 · 31 May 2008]

"Sex and the City" is not meant to be a movie. It was a great TV series that I was addicted to...but as a movie,..it felt like a long long alternate ending to the last episode. Basically, the story revolves around Carrie finding love,..her ultimately marrying Big. A lot of the movie was very predictable if you have watched the trailer. There was a lot of scenes that didn't go anywhere which made the movie feel long. I was disappointed that the producers of the film did not take Sex and the City to another level...to make it bigger and better for a feature film. Most of the film was Carrie sulking, a lot of fighting with Miranda, and Charlotte very emotional. I guess Samantha was the most entertaining, very funny and strong as usual. I felt that the acting for the girls were a little too much, except for Samantha. Mr. Big and Steve was good and carried the same characters in the TV series. The extra assistant character for Carrie was not really necessary. I guess the writers did not know how to construct a 30 min TV show to a full length feature. The editing was also not as creative and fast as the TV show. All in all, because it was Sex and the City,..I still liked it,....I just wish it was better.

La Vie En Rose (2007)

One of the best films this year!

[10/10 · 29 May 2008]

I just watched La Vie En Rose, and I was surprisingly pleased to have experienced one of the best biopics ever made and one of the best films this year. The whole team was great, director, cinematographer, production designer, sound design, editing.

And the performances and casting from everyone was right on the dot, Gerard Depardieu, Emmanuele Seigner..Marion Cotillard gave a Oscar performances as Edith Piaf, she does really bring tears to your eyes. Even little Edith Piaf was great. The way the story was crafted kept me interested throughout the entire time. The images were beautiful and the film very memorable. No regrets...

The Orphanage (2007)

Not a horror film

[3/10 · 7 May 2008]

I watch a lot of horror films, "The Shining" and "Rosemary's Baby" being on the top tier of my list. After hearing very good reviews about this, I was surprised that I did not get scared throughout the entire movie. The film was all over the place, with every trick in the book, certainly not a classic. It was very obvious that the director was not very organized, the script was sloppy, and the actors, even the lead actress was not very believable. The story seemed very long and some deus ex machina, like the granny getting run over by the bus?? Gore effects in there for just gore, but not that realistic. The ending was not very satisfying and very cheesy for an adult audience. Maybe if you were a little girl, this might scare you.

Iron Man (2008)

Not bad, very fun, light entertainment!

[7/10 · 7 May 2008]

I went into this film with very low expectations, but the film was actually very very enjoyable. Robert Downey Jr. was perfect in his role for Iron Man, both funny, charismatic, and very likable. Surprisingly he had a lot of chemistry with Gweneth Paltrow as Pepper Pots, his assistant. The acting was very good from them both, but fell a little short with Terrence Howard. The sound was excellent and the special effects was done very well. The music was a little over the top and the final battle could have been more thought out and longer. But overall, I would recommend this film. It has a very mass commercial appeal and Robert Downey Jr. is the best actor for a marvel character I've seen yet.

My Blueberry Nights (2007)

I can't believe this is a Wong Kar Wai film

[4/10 · 5 May 2008]

Being a great fan of Wong Kar Wai, I really wanted to like his first movie in America....but I was greatly disappointed. The film felt like a student film and a lot of aspects that just didn't quite make it. Wong Kar Wai is spoiled with his great actors in Hong Kong like Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. Even as a seasoned director, Wong Kar Wai was foolish to think that anyone can act. Norah Jones was the biggest mistake. It was very painful watching her and every line that she delivered made everyone laugh, it was like she had no emotion. She could not carry the film. The other supporting actors however was the saving grace to the story, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel and David,...all very good for their parts. However even when you have those actors, every time Norah speaks,..it just broke the mood and the feeling of the scene. The cinematography was average and editing did not feel complete. The sound design and music were very poor choices that made the film look cheap and cheesy. The film felt that it was put together very quickly and didn't feel finished. Even though I could envision what Wong Kar Wai wanted to achieve, I wished he spent more time and I wished he didn't cast Norah Jones.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Interesting film

[7/10 · 4 May 2008]

After hearing many good things about this film, I finally finished watching it when it came out on DVD. I find the film uplifting, but in a strange way. The film starts off very slow but there are a couple things that keep this film apart from others. First is the acting, the entire cast, Jean Dominique, Celine, papinou were exceptional. The editing and cinematography was very artistic and poetic, similar to a Wong Kar Wai film. The director had a specific message and it was a very good attempt to try to convey what it is like behind the eyes of a paralyzed patient. The film did feel like a book, long and sometimes just montages of images. Some people will say it is beautiful and artistic, some will say it is just too long and couldn't hold their interest. For me, there were times of both. Although because it is based on a true story, Jean Dominique is a great story to tell....it stays very true to the feeling of life, family, and death.