peter0105 Reviews

Shame (2011)

What's the point?

[1/10 · 13 January 2013]

I wouldn't say the film is badly acted or badly made. It keeps your interest until the end because you would like to know what happens next, or what's the point, what's the message - only to arrive at the end and discover that in fact nothing of interest or significance happens, there is no point, and there is no message - apart maybe from the boring whining about how the search for pleasure without love end up in misery and death - but do we really need to sit for nearly two hours to "learn" this?

Drama about how life is so terrible and boring and empty of signification are so easy to make. You just need to run the camera, drag your ass around, film someone peeing or release himself in the office toilet, looking haggardly into emptiness and ending up shouting and crying. I can do that! And I am not Tom Cruise.

The next thing of interest is when a bunch of critics then try to find meaning in all this, and try to read in it high existential truths. Very interesting. And giving rating of 8 or 9, or 10, for God's sake.

Reminds me never to read critics before going to see a movie.

Magnolia (1999)

Piece of total and utter 1 c**p - don't waste your time.

[1/10 · 25 February 2010]

Awful is my vote, and so is this "movie".

What amazes me is when you start reading the reviews of this on IMDb, it starts out by a couple of raving reviews, with totally uncomprehensible meaning and reasons other than saying the actors were great, then underneath is loads and loads and loads of reviews like the present one, saying it is a total piece of nonsense, utter waste of time, one of the worst movie every made - just absolutely boring and terrible and horrible...

And this movie, gets an 8/10 rating??? How can that be when so many people despise it and give is 1 or no stars.

I am really at lost to understand this.

I have seen so many just bad movies getting high rates and so many outstanding getting poor rates, but this is beyond the top, making one wonders what's the meaning of all this.

Totally depressing movie, and sick people liking this one or finding anything in it, just snobs, empty and lost shells.

Hardly ever before has a film made me feel so bad. Only encouraging sign is to read loads and loads of reviews like this one, just despising the whole thing.

Some people were smarter, though, as they just walked out of it.

As for me it was the first movie I downloaded in blue ray style, and I could not accelerate through it as I could with the other ones. At the end, though, I did, sparing me a few minutes of my life, spent washing this total dread.

If you want to go and see a movie that will make you feel horrible and so terribly bad - just go to see this one.

Sh*t!

Fame (2009)

Started really strong but could not keep the pace

[8/10 · 19 January 2010]

I was really enthralled by the beginning of this film. I found it great. Great dancing, great music, very good acting, especially the profs. I thought I was on the way to a classic, like Slumdog Millionaire.

However, along the way, the film lost its pace. It became too focused on little stories, moving away from the art. Granted, you can't really have a non stop dancing and music but indeed the story line just drifted too far off the artistic performance which should have remained the main focus.

I liked the way the black singer kept faithful to her team mate in spite of tempting offers - which gave way to one of the best artistic performance of the film at the end - and there were many of those, which is why I give it an 8 in spite of the weaker story line.

A truly enjoyable film about which mostly the rhythm and music will linger in memory.

The Flock (2007)

Super dark exploitation of phobic theme in the US

[1/10 · 9 March 2008]

I just saw this film yesterday.

My girlfriend wanted to see it only because of Richard Gere.

I feel I wasted my time and money and told my girlfriend it's the last time we go to see a film just because a certain actor/actress is in it. I hope she learned the lesson because I had trouble keeping her in her seat. As of me, since I paid already, I wanted to see the end at least, just in the hope something good would turn up, but I didn't hold my breath, and luckily so cause I would have been a victim of the film just the same.

This is not a black and white film, it's a black and black one. The main character (Richard Gere) is almost as bad as his registrants, and all sex offenders are portrayed as unredeemable hard core criminals and the bad ones among them were really very very bad. Speak of a cliché and the exploitation of a typical US phobia.

Richard Gere's acting was good as usual but the blond girl that's supposed to replace him was wishy washy at best. Totally unconvincing for the job.

The film tries to exploit a popular theme and gives it a cheap, dramatic, and sensational turn that just is unreal. They just use sex offenders as an excuse to indulge in cheap violent acts of murders, vigilante beating, rape and torture - something that almost seems gratuitous. They even have a wolf attacking people in the film - how low can you get.

I gather the film won't come out in the USA and will go straight to DVD. That's were it should have stayed in other countries too, but because it's Hollywood and Richard Gere they just had to show it. Believe me, without Gere, the film is not even worth a B-series movie.

The Jungle Book (1967)

Best Disney film ever and one of the best film ever

[10/10 · 21 March 2007]

I was glancing through the top 250 list and saw that this film was not listed.

I think this was the last film done by Disney himself.

By all means, it not only is my favorite Disney film, it also is one of my favorite films ever.

The songs, the story, the drawings, the colors...

A pure Master Piece.

I enjoyed each second of it, and I still do up to this day! 40 years after having seen the film!!!

So I thought I would at least cast my modest vote for it.

The version II, done by the Disney studios alone, is a sheer disaster and does not compare in any way to the original.

Casino Royale (2006)

Worst Bond and film ever

[1/10 · 18 November 2006]

I can't believe the raving critiques for this film.

This was not only the worst James Bond I ever saw, it was also one of the worst film.

Everybody's over-seriousness, plot less story, gratuitous violence, weak dialogs.

An utter waste of (over-long) time and money. I actually feel cheated and robbed.

It is true that the franchise needed a refresh, but this refresh has definitely gone in the wrong direction.

I am glad to see that at least a very few people in this craze of raving agree with this assessment and that I am not the only one having this opinion.

National Treasure (2004)

Excellent movie vastly underrated by critics

[8/10 · 15 December 2004]

I went to see four movies this week (Birth, Incredible, Bridget, and this one, National Treasure).

I went to see National Treasure last because it got the worst rating by critics.

It turned out to be the best of four.

An excellent movie, packed with suspense, good acting, plot, from beginning to end.

Two thumbs down for critics. They missed this one just like they did for Riddick.

I heartedly recommend it to anyone.

The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

Critics are wrong on this one - Riddick rocks

[26 June 2004]

The critics are wrong on this one, it really is a great film from beginning to the end.

Don't try to analyze the story, just let you be taken by the stunning metal-click special effects, landscapes, design, characters, and ambiance.

I really liked the film and was disappointed with critics who missed the gist of the film altogether.

Luckily there was nothing else to see on that week-end, and I had seen already all the other films (Potter and all the rest), so I decided to go and see Riddick even though it had got bad reviews.

I guest that was a bit of luck, because, as I said above, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

I give it a 8/10, which for my standards is pretty high.