ramesestsarina2 Reviews

Assassin's Creed (2016)

Muddled

[5/10 · 22 November 2017]

I would like to start by saying I am not a gaming person. So I have no knowledge of, or interest in, this film's resemblance to the game it is based on. Good things – the leading actors are all well known and capable. The fact that this film is still pretty dull essentially means that even Michael Fassberger, Jeremy Irons, and Marion Cotillard could not save this movie. I will give them full marks for trying, however. Acting was about the only thing I felt worked here. The production was visually appealing, I suppose, but all of this paled in the face of the utterly ridiculous plot. I love fantasy, and I am quite happy to suspend disbelief and enjoy a good yarn. But this plot just got beyond the whole suspension of disbelief and went happily into ridiculous from the start. What is this machine they are using? How was it made? How could such a thing be remotely possible? No attempted explanation was given, it was just there as a plot device. How could a machine possibly put you into a past life, just because an ancestor had similar dna. How can the other people possibly be seeing the things the hooked up person is seeing? And the 'apple' – the million dollar question is this- if the apple removes free will, how are the Templars going to protect themselves from having their free will removed so they can control everybody else? So many questions, no answers. I am firmly of the belief that if you are going to present a fantasy, it needs to be logical within its own universe. This wasn't.

eXistenZ (1999)

Pretty good but not great

[6/10 · 6 January 2015]

The idea of this movie is a great one, examining the nature of reality, asking questions about how we accept what we see, and how do we really know what is real and what is not? It is interesting that the movie does not really comment on the rights or wrongs of the obsessive gaming being portrayed, which I believe was a wise choice, as otherwise the movie may have become disjointed by splitting its attention between two themes.

The cast were very good. I felt that all actors did an excellent job, especially portraying the changeable personalities necessary to the plot, including the ambiguities that make the audience question whether they are observing a character or a player.

I do think the script and plot were flawed. There were holes in the plot that could not always be taken as hints to what is real and what is not.

In conclusion, this is an entertaining movie. I would class it as pretty good, but not great.

Casino Royale (2006)

Same ol' same ol'

[6/10 · 25 October 2014]

I had been told that this was the so-called new, improved James Bond, much better than the old James Bond movies et cetera. So I went into this movie with high hopes.

Let's see. Car chases? Check. Foot chases? Check. Shootings? Check. Explosions? Check. Car crashes? Check. Sinister villain plotting to do bad things with wide-ranging consequences? Check. Apparently intelligent female who's brain leaks out of her ears the moment she claps eyes on our hero? Check. Bond sans clothes? Check.

Don't get me wrong. This is not a bad movie. It is a perfectly acceptable and entertaining way to spend two and a quarter hours or so of your time. Craig makes a perfectly good Bond, Mikkelsen a great villain, and Judi Dench is always a pleasure to watch. Production values, effects, and so on are all fine, very polished, very slick. Just don't expect to see anything new. Same old Bond, same old plot.

Raid on Entebbe (1976)

Solid movie

[7/10 · 24 July 2014]

I must say I was pleasantly surprised when watching this, not having expected very much of it. I think I had some kind of trashy midday movie in mind, so it was nice to find 'Raid on Entebbe' was well above expectation.

Firstly, it was nice to find a film based on historic events that adhered to those events (barring minor and inconsequential details). Especially when a film is based on such a sensitive subject as terrorism, one hopes it won't be overblown and over the top. It wasn't – it was a good and even-handed depiction, neither demonizing the terrorists nor white-washing them, but simply depicting factually the actions they took. For a mainly B-list cast, the acting was strong and believable.

So this was a decent, solid movie, well put together and maintaining its entertainment value throughout.

The Quiet Earth (1985)

Entertaining

[6/10 · 16 July 2014]

I will start by saying I enjoyed this film very much. While I cannot say it is a great movie, it is certainly entertaining, interesting, and watchable. The cast do quite well in their respective roles, and the section on the effects of isolation on the main character is both funny and quite sad. The introduction of the other characters and the consequent tension is quite believable under the circumstances.

However, I did find myself rather frustrated by the plot. I felt it hid behind vagueness and lack of explanation about what was going on. I especially found myself rather flummoxed by the ending. It was interesting, but it left too many questions about what the viewer was supposed to conclude had happened. I don't necessarily dislike ambiguity in a film, but I couldn't help but wonder if the scriptwriter was hiding behind lack of explanation because he didn't quite know how to end it.

The effects are cheap, but the movie is older, low budget, and the effects were not particularly vital to the plot. It didn't really affect my enjoyment of the movie.

So overall I would say 'The Quiet Earth' is no classic, but is a watchable, entertaining film.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Beautiful masterpiece

[9/10 · 3 July 2014]

This film is truly brilliant. I could spend this entire review gushing about how wonderful I think it is, but will try to be more precise.

The plot is beautifully constructed, juxtaposing seamlessly between a reality without hope and the fantasy that offers a light at the end of the tunnel. The acting was superb throughout – the young Ivana Baquero shows remarkable skill in bringing the character of Ofelia to life, and we really can believe and enter into her distress and fear. The haunting music was a perfect backdrop to the action, enhancing the despair of the situation. The effects are excellent and believable.

Whether or not the audience is supposed to believe that Ofelia is imagining things or whether it is really happening, seems to me to be ultimately irrelevant. What the audience is looking at is the idea of hope rising out of despair, in the person of a little girl who believes in magic. The effect she has on the adults around her, whether it be contempt from the Captain, or the love she inspires in Mercedes, is the most poignant and beautiful part of this story.

This is a great movie. I can't recommend it too highly.

Damien: Omen II (1978)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 14 March 2013]

After watching 'The Omen', I think it was not unreasonable to hope for a movie of the same calibre with the sequel. Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case. I think the main problem with this movie is its sheer predictability. Basically the formula is as follows: person suspects who Damien is, person dies (usually in a nasty unpleasant fashion), and everyone scratches their heads and puzzles over the strange accident. Victims can also include people who do not suspect Damien, but are people who show integrity and might therefore be getting in the way of the evil plans. They also have to go. Those who suspect Damien's true nature are surely aware of his capacity for evil (being the son of the Devil and all), but still it never seems to occur to them that they might be a target. There were no surprises in this movie. The second major problem this movie faces is it's lack of character development. Damien himself experiences a moment of distress on comprehending his true nature, but it passes in a flash and there is no sign of further soul searching. But the most ridiculous example of this is the uncle, Mr Thorn. He spends the movie (understandably) scoffing at all the supernatural mumbo jumbo, but once the truth is made clear to him he quite matter of factly heads off to find the daggers and deal with it, with a boy he's loved as his own for years. Contrast this with the distress of Damien's father in the first movie, and the anguish he experiences even as he tries to do what needs to be done. 'Damien: Omen II' is a severe let down after the excellence of 'The Omen'

My Favorite Martian (1999)

Words fail me!

[1/10 · 23 February 2013]

I may have seen worse movies than this, but at present I am hard put to remember them. This movie contained bad acting, bad direction, a terrible script, and a complete lack of humour and soul. I can safely say I did not smile once during this movie, let alone laugh. The characters were not developed, manic running about was apparently a substitute for intelligent dialogue and intelligent jokes ... or in fact, any jokes at all. I certainly expected better of the stars, and I can only assume they must have been hard up for money to appear in this pathetic excuse for entertainment. To summarise, I would describe this movie as complete and utter excrement.