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Dredd (2012)
This movie is exactly what it should be.
It is probably not possible to create a movie that more perfectly honors the soul of the source material. It is exactly what I needed to cleanse my mind of the pathetic earlier attempts in Judge Dredd. No punches are pulled for the sake of mass appeal. The players don't act against character. They act just as you'd expect them to based on the universe in which the story takes place. Watching the film now, well after it has been gone from theaters, the most disappointing aspect of the film is that it failed so utterly to sell tickets. Such faithful reproductions deserve to be rewarded, but the lack of revenue will only serve to further punish those who quest for perfection over popularity.
This is the quintessential Dredd. There will likely be none better.
Wrong Turn at Tahoe (2009)
Solid Gangster Action Movie
I normally bypass anything featuring Cuba Gooding Jr. Maybe I'm still scarred from Pearl Harbor (the movie, I don't claim to have been at the attack). However, I gave this one a chance based on the Netflix user rating (4 stars at the time). I was extremely surprised by the quality of the film. The plot is rather weak, but the talent presenting it is excellent. I had no issues with Cuba Gooding Jr. Keitel provided the least from a performance perspective, but he was good enough not to ruin it for the rest of the cast. There are clichés and logic failures throughout, but I was never bored. I'm glad this movie got made, and I'm glad I got to watch it.
Ong Bak 2 (2008)
Good Enough But Below First Two Movies
I can't comment on the dialogue, since I watched the movie in a language I don't speak without subtitles. Visually, the movie was well done. The most important elements, stunts and fighting, were good, but not great.
There are a couple scenes that might make you go "wow!", but mostly its straight forward fighting in various styles with various weapons. The acrobatics that made the first two big Jaa movies (Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong) so fabulous take a back seat to more varied fighting.
On the whole, I was entertained (even without dialogue), and I'll probably watch it again. Despite the large production value, however, I do not feel that this movie was nearly as good a vehicle for Jaa as the first two films. Give me a back flip into a hand stand over a subway track over a sword fight any day.
One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
Horrible
I was surprised to see the 7.1 (as of the time of this writing) rating for this movie. Really, I found it to be just plain bad. The dialog is nothing to write home about. The acting of Brando is ridiculous. The plot is full of holes. The worst part, however, is the editing. The scenes seem cut together haphazardly. There's very little exposition, and the audience is left to infer what they should be feeling based on vague references. The main character is on a hunt for his old-friend because he was double-crossed. It's not served up as just simple revenge, though, there's an implied depth of emotion that is never earned by the protagonist. There's one scene in which Brando's character sacrifices his freedom for his friend, but there's very little explanation as to why he would do such a thing. There's not enough back-story to make this sacrifice believable. We're just thrown into the scene and expected to absorb the understood history between the men. Then his friend leaves him for dead. This would be fine if the scenes prior to that hadn't had him wasting precious time (with him barefoot and on the run) to find Brando, waiting for him to retrieve his ring (let's not talk about the realism of a stuck-up aristocratic RICH female STRANGER suddenly allowing Brando's character to grope her simply because he gave her a crappy ring), and then sticking with him through a chase scene where any seasoned criminal would know it's better to split up.
This movie is horrible.
Tom yum goong (2005)
Another Great Fight Movie
Tony Jaa is nothing less than impressive in this film. This movie is sometimes rumored to be a sequel to Ong Bak, but it has no connection (other than the actors) to that movie. Basically, we're again given a ridiculously shallow and unrealistic scenario to follow as Tony Jaa's character moves from scene to scene beating the crap out of people. I have no real issue with that. I watched the movie to see great action sequences, and it did not disappoint me. It feels a bit behind Ong Bak in quality, but certainly has plenty to please the martial arts fans.
I rate it an 8/10 for poor plot/dialogue with stunning action. If you like fighting movies, I highly recommend it. Just don't expect any academy award material plot/dialogue/acting.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
good, but definitely not deserving of #4 of all time
A movie shouldn't be elevated beyond it's true value simply because of special effects. All three movies had exceptional special effects. They were amazing. The realism is unbelievable. However, superfluous additions to, and needless omissions from, the original story, along with quite a bit of over-the-top acting are certainly enough to move it quite a ways down the list. This movie is not better than Schindler's List. It's not better than The Usual Suspects. It's not better than many of the movies it's currently beating in the top 250. This film is currently rated higher than The Seven Samurai -and- Citizen Kane. Let's vote the real value of a film and not destroy the value of our system.
I rate this film 8/10 in it's genre for exceptional special effects and a great soundtrack.
Die Hard (1988)
One of the Best Action Movies of All Time
It's not the best gun movie. It's definitely not the best fighting movie. It doesn't have the best dialogue. It doesn't have the best cast. It doesn't have the best plot. What it has is possibly the best combination of the above in any action movie every made. It takes the pieces that it has to work with and forms a better whole. The dialogue is good. The cast is good (Rickman is the best of the bunch). The plot is good. Together, they are great. This film is the benchmark by which all American action movies should be judged. If an action film is better than Die Hard, then it deserves to be praised for that achievement alone.
I rate it a 8.5/10 in it's genre. I gave it a 9 here.
Ong-Bak (2003)
The Best Stunt Movie I've Ever Seen
Prior to seeing this movie, I thought we were losing the only truly amazing physical actor (Jackie Chan) to age and "American" cinema. This movie smacked some sense into me. Ja Panom appears not just to match Chan's ability but improve upon it. This movie is without doubt the most amazingly physical movie I've ever seen. The fighting is excellent. The blows really appear to land. The moves are clear and well executed. The most incredible part of the movie, though, is a foot chase. That doesn't sound exciting, I know, but you have to see it to believe it.
I rate this movie 8/10 in it's genre. I qualify that by saying it's a 10/10 for fighting and stuntwork. The dialogue and plot are so bad that I could not give it more than an 8. I know that dialogue and plot are seldom the point of these movies, but when one comes around that has great dialogue, a logical plot, and also stupendous fighting and stuntwork, we need room in the ratings to show it's superiority to this film. The lack of dialogue and plot, though, can't overcome the unbelievable physicality of this movie.
Chuen zik saat sau (2001)
A Well Done Modern Action Film
Frankly, I don't understand the people who reviewed this film as terrible. This movie is not one of the greats that will go down in history, but it is certainly not terrible. In my opinion, if you like the genre, you should like this movie. In addition, if you enjoy searching out inter-movie references, you should enjoy this movie. There are many scenes obviously intended to be homages to other well known action films. The characters are shallow compared to some of the messages the film seems to wish to convey, but the film is fast-paced entertainment that has plenty for fans of "run and gun" movies.
I rate this movie 8/10 in it's genre.
Dip huet gai tau (1990)
Very Overrated
I bought this DVD based on a large number of people saying it was one of John Woo's best movies. Having seen The Killer, Hard Boiled, and A Better Tomorrow, I was expecting something spectacular if this movie was going to top them. It not only did not top them, it bears little resemblence to a good movie of any genre. It is very sloppily edited. The cuts are abrupt and the movie is utterly lacking in continuity. Flashback scenes are interspersed throughout in a very haphazard and annoying fashion. It is simply a bad movie. Tony Leung still manages to look cool. Big surprise there.
The theme of this movie is a good one, and, expressed properly, this movie could have had a strong, emotionally charged core. Friends are tested both by hardship and success. That is a common thread through all cultures, but the over-the-top way this movie deals with the topic is laughable.
I rate this movie a 5/10 in it's genre. It was not nearly as entertaining or enjoyable as other John Woo films I've seen.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
You'll never call tails on a coin-flip again.
I've never seen the play, so I can't compare it to the movie. However, I was fortunate enough to catch this movie on PBS years ago, and it has remained one of my most favorite ever since. I've seen some negative reviews here, so perhaps a certain mindset is required to fully enjoy this film. The dialogue is exceptional, and the expression of the dialogue by the actors is very well done. Both Oldman and Roth do a great job in their respective roles. I found Dreyfuss to be a little over the top, but perhaps that can be viewed as part of his "Player" role. One of the aspects of this movie that really makes it interesting to me is the ongoing play-within-a-play that constantly appears both before and behind the main plot. Scenes from the original _Hamlet_ occur throughout the movie, usually in some audible or visual tangential piece of the main scene. I thought it was very cleverly done, and I enjoyed how the comic plot of the movie tied into the tragedy of _Hamlet_. I give this movie a 10, as I never tire of reviewing it, even after at least 100 viewings.
Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (2000)
a pretty cool movie
If you described the plot to me in summary, I would probably not have been interested in seeing this movie, but it was on some movie station in the middle of the night and I started watching it simply because it was in German (if it's on cable and it's not dubbed, someone must think it's good). The plot is pretty flaky, but the characters are strange and appealing enough to make you care about what happens to them and curious to find out how the story is going to end.
I previously rated this movie a 9 just to get people to give it a chance, but years later I feel I must revise that lofty ranking.
I just this movie to be a solid 7.
Jaws (1975)
One of the Greatest Dialogue Movies Ever
This movie is not a horror movie. It's a dialogue movie rapped in some horror elements. The true entertainment of the movie is in the interaction between the three main characters. This is one of Robert Shaw's greatest performances. He flawlessly pulls off the scarred veteran sailor. Scheider and Dreyfuss are above average here as well, though they are pale in comparison to Shaw. I rated this movie a 9/10, and I only failed to give it a 10 because of the horribly fake shark effects and the extremely unrealistic final "battle" between the shark and Scheider's character. I have this movie on DVD and I watch it often. Listening to the characters react to one another is all the entertainment this movie needs.