Change Your Image
ostryjak
Reviews
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Tedious
My wife and I did not like this film. We have no idea where the rave reviews come from. Apart from being rather slow moving and tedious why repeat what other low scoring votes have said so succinctly. One thing we both agreed on was the music being inappropriate for this film and we both agreed that if the music had been more appropriate (no quantifying) we may have enjoyed it more. The jangling nervous pap made it a hard watch and what for ? This was not a space aliens / horror movie. Those multiple same scenes where a mountain is in the background and the music leads one to believe space aliens might appear any second. Gack.
The Dark Knight (2008)
I cannot help but compare Batman movies...............
So - saw the Batman movie last night. Don't know what all the hype is about. Seemed to drag on and on and I would not want to see it again. It was an OK Flick - but like I said Duh - what's all the hype about. Nicholson was a much better Joker IMHO as was Keaton a much better Batman and in the final analysis I think they were both more believable. I liked the Batman toys in the Keaton movie a bazillion times better than the over-sized armoured quad and ex army gear they use in these movies. I feel like there is a sickness in peoples minds that they seem to enjoy the over the top misery , murder , mayhem and general psychosis that pervades this version of Batman. I look at the quotes here on IMDb and think "OH MY !! - you think that is amusing !!??".
Jindabyne (2006)
A Slow and unsatisfying movie
I figured I would add my 2 cents worth seeing as I am not Australian and most of the comments seem to be made by Australians. This was a very slow paced movie with loads of loose ends. I won't go into them they are detailed sufficiently in the other reviews. I will say that although the behaviour of the characters in this story could happen the way it was portrayed (Anything is possible) I believe in real life it is actually highly unlikely. I know that is what some movie making is about (portraying unlikely behaviour) but none of this storyline was executed well enough to make it believable. Definitely a DVD rental for an evening when you want to watch something that will get you ready for bed. The haunting music was way over done. It began to get down right irritating.
Me & You, Us, Forever (2008)
Tedious
I gave this more than a 1 because I did think there were some moral lessons in this story and it provoked some thought and comment from my wife and I. The acting and the dialogue were mediocre and I must confess I came out feeling like I had been beaten over the head with the God this , God that and Christ is our saviour stuff. The movie and the story line did not need it. If , as I am , you are a recovering Catholic or Christian avoid this one it will make you nauseous. The movie did a good job of demonstrating the thin line between being a good citizen and how someone could become a potential stalker focused on what might have been.
Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion (2002)
My 2 cents
One of the best portrayals of life inside Tibet. I cannot add nor detract much from what has already been said except to point out to those comments regarding the political setup in Tibet pre invasion was THE CHOICE of the people there. It is what they wanted and lived, and in later days, died for. Detractors of the system that existed pre invasion tend to focus on the disparity between the lives of the Lamas / Monks and the common people where there is none. The monks are all OF the people. The Tibetans lived as one cohesive spiritual gestalt unlike any other civilization before or since. The future is the Tibetans will survive and return to Tibet. The Dalai Lama is so right in his choice of peaceful resistance. The Chinese people themselves are crying out for spiritual leaders and the will turn to the Dalai Lama for guidance and Tibet will become THE spiritual center of the world again.
Green Street (2005)
About as far from the truth as Star Wars is from the NASA space program.
I have read some of the other comments and have no desire to repeat them. So here is what I have to say about this movie. I am from England and this movie romanticizes and some how tries to take a noble turn on people who are mindless morons with a bent for violence hiding in mobs to achieve their agenda - which is destruction simply for the sake of it. There is no one blood , there is no honour and there is nothing nice , decent or good about the football hooligan. NOTHING. So , if this movie makes you feel good in any way. Realise it is a work of absolute fiction with no basis in truth other than the existence of the blood , the bashing , the crunching of teeth and bones , the desire to smash someone in the face , to kick his effing head in and watch him puke on his own body fluids. That is the ONLY thing hooliganism is about. There is no code of ethics. None at all. As far as I am concerned this is a movie made for Americans and is a gross miss portrayal of the reality of Hooliganism. Let me tell you the truth. There are nearly 60 million people in GB squished into a land mass the size of one of the US's smaller states. The Church , the Upper class and the Crown own ALL of the Land in GB. The people , the masses are relegated to the cities and it is truly very difficult for anyone in England to own a decent sized chunk of land anywhere. The result ?. Rats turning on one another like rabid scum and using football matches as one of the outlets for their desire for violence. In reality this is no different than the inner city violence erupting in US cities for exactly the same reasons. Too many people in too small a space. That is the reality of hooliganism. Green or otherwise.
Lost (2004)
A SOAP - set on a desert Island
I don't know what anyone sees in this mess of tangled tedious lives the characters in this show have. The story line drags on and on and on episode after episode going nowhere and is about as unrealistic as it gets from the get go. From a plane crash where bits of a plane are lying everywhere and...... one of the engines is still running to polar bears to ..... oh you name it. A friend of mine purchased the complete season 1 and .... we watched it all over a period of 3 or 4 weekends. So - yes I watched the complete season 1. I don't know what I am missing here but having read the reviews I expected something different. Interesting even. This to me is a tedious boring soap set on a desert island. The budding romances , the inter actions between the characters , the loves , the hatreds - all could have been set almost anywhere but because it involved a plain crash and they are now on a desert island - that makes this interesting ? I don't think so.
Bushisms (2004)
Bushes mistakes are laughable but they overdid the comedy in this one
The president is quite amazing. When he messes something up in what he is about or trying to say - instead of making light of it - or saying something compensatory he comes to a grinding halt - like circuits have overloaded somewhere - then he looks all the world like he is taking a dump in his pants - that sort of look babies get when they are messing themselves. Finally a circuit breaker closes somewhere and you can see his brain bootstrapping and coming online again. It is amazing to watch. What is not so amazing is this attempt to turn the supposed leader of the freeworld amazing verbal blunders into ridicule. This just does not pull it off. The commentary is sledge hammer like and for the most part uncalled for. The singers just plain got on my tits. I ended up , much to my surprise , almost having some sympathy for Bush and I detest almost everything the man has said and done. As I watched this I became quietly convinced that Bush has some sort of brain related illness that is getting progressivly worse. I think this movie does more harm than good no matter which perspective one looks at it from. The ridicule is so over the top it left me detesting the folks who made this movie.
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
A good Watch.
We came to a general consensus that we all enjoyed the movie pretty well. My wife especially seemed to enjoy it. We both enjoyed it for the same reasons I enjoyed the Angels and Demons book. It does a good job of undermining the Catholic power base and contrary to what anyone will tell you it is actually pretty factual. The events described were far closer to the truth than anything the church would have one believe. For me the movie, like the Angel and Demons book, was puerile in its overuse of meaningless symbology, stuff I outgrew when I was 13 or 14. Arcane , bizarre combinations of numbers and obscure references that some poor soul scribbles in blood as he is dying - give me a break please. I only add this as my contribution to what I didn't enjoy about the movie and why I rate it lower than an 8 or a 9. Why would ANY person write anything backwards in mirror writing - just to make it harder to read ?. Like I say - things I did when I was first in grammar school and got a kick out of it. I thought Tom Hanks and Amelie Tatou did a very credible job contrary to what some critics said. Tom Hanks made a much better scholarly University expert type than they seemed to be looking for. I heard one review on the radio where they said something to the effect of he couldn't pull of the polished smooth character he was supposed to be. I read the book. He wasn't purported to be that at all. Tom Hanks was excellent in his role and Audrey is , as usual , divine. A good watch.
The Boys from County Clare (2003)
For the most part I enjoyed this Movie
A cutesy make ya feel good movie I enjoyed it just for the light entertainment no need to think point of view. The real downer for me - and this is because I play music - is that none of the musicians in this movie could play anything and it was painfully obvious. Most of them didn't even move their fingers on the fingerboards. I had expected and watched this movie to see some decent Irish musicians playing as the backdrop for the movie and there was none. How much more could it have cost the movie makers to have had some real musicians in here ? They would have loved the exposure and it would have been a win win situation.
Batman Begins (2005)
Where was Batman the comic book hero ?.
I lost interest in this movie when it became another Ninja action flick and that was quite early on. If you like special effects and a touch of the eastern mystical thang , lots of whack 'em and hack 'em fight scenes and the need to destroy western civilization because it is decadent - then this is the movie for you. IMHO it has not very much in common with the Batman of the comic books and the genre of movies like Spider man and the Keaton Batman which bring to life and make believable the comic book heroes of our childhood. For me this portrayal is the least believable of these movies. The Superman movies were good , with accurate story line , The Hulk was wonderful even if he was animated , Spider Man is great , Keatons Batman IS awesome. I saw the Keaton Batman movie 4 times in the movie theaters. I have no desire to see this character and his mars rover again (Where was the batmobile ?).
L'amant (1992)
A well made film although I disagree with most of the other comments.
I loved the backdrop for this film. The scenes and the places. For me the story was one of unrequited love. The Chinese gentleman (and he was a gentleman) was totally in love with the girl and as we find out at the end of the film , remained in love with the girl all his life. She appeared to be a self motivated rebellious teenager who thought prostitution was cool. I think she , many years later and wiser , realized what she might have had. This young girl begins to realize that her choices have a cost as she is ostracized by those around her , berated on the one hand by her brother and used by her mother to obtain more money from the Chinaman. Although her family is quite dysfunctional I found it difficult to have any real sympathy for the girl who is portrayed as a bit of a tart with a smart ass attitude and no class to speak of. The opposite in fact of the Chinese gentleman. Quite a feat of acting I would say. Both parts were played well and I thought this quite a thought provoking film in so many ways. A worth while watch.