celikins Reviews

North Country (2005)

North Country is a solid film very well worth watching.

[8/10 · 6 November 2005]

Other critics are failing to see the truth told in this film. I agree that there was a possibility of greatness that was missed in the movie. I'm not sure how that could have been achieved though. Perhaps more touching scenes. Doing so you might have a total 'downer' film. North Country is a solid film very well worth watching.

It is a reminder, especially for women, showing how far and even not far we have come. I saw this movie with a male friend and after bouncing back comments about the film I clearly see how the gender perspective of the film varied. I took more scenes to heart and I think appreciated the movie more. There were many scenes where I heard my self react to that my male friend I don't believe really got the point of the intended statements and/or actions. I give credit to the screen writer and director for recognizing and including them in the film.

The cast on this movie was amazing, three academy award winners. Charlize Theron, Sissy Spacek and Frances McDormand perform at their academy winning level. Charlize Theron, scaling back her beauty, not to the extent she did in 'Monster' plays Josey Aimes. A woman that has dealt with many hardships including an abusive husband and still has the courage and rage to fight the entire male dominate community for herself and her unwilling female co-workers.

Cinderella Man (2005)

Russell Has Heart

[7/10 · 26 June 2005]

Cinderella man is a good hearty movie to go see. I am not a fan of Russell Crowe. With the exception to 'Gladiator' and 'A beautiful Mind' I have not followed his acting history. However I must commend his performance in this movie. He sold me and I actually like the guy in this movie. The story of course helps his case. An Irish hard-luck guy in the midst of the great depression maintains his integrity and shines. I do like boxing I must admit that. The boxing shots in this movie were intense like a true good match should be. Ron Howard was able to capture that fighting spirit and determination of a fighter. Go ahead watch the movie I promise you will like it.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Summer Blockbuster You Can't Miss

[8/10 · 26 June 2005]

Plot Summary: John & Jane Smith (Pitt&Jolie) have been living together as husband and wife for over five years when they notice that space has been wedging itself between them. Their little secrets have come to a close where running away from it, or each other is not an option. Hired assassins from different sources are now hired to kill each other. This action packed charmingly witty film will take you for a ride. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will amp you up and energize the screen with their mega watt celebrity power and charm.

Review: I must admit that I was surprised at how much I enjoyed watching this movie. The star cast pulled me in to see the film and I am glad it did. Angelina Jolie, beautiful as ever, convincingly demonstrated once again how well she looks handling a gun. The hunky Brad Pitt also proves himself as an action star. An added bonus is Vince Vaugh, friend to John Smith. You can always count on Vaughn for laughs. This movie is packed with many action shots, explosions after explosions, car chases, gun shots, falling buildings, climbing, hanging, running, fighting what more can one expect. My favorite scene was the main fight scene with Jolie and Pitt - look out for it very nice touch.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Must see for all those zombie addicts

[4 October 2004]

I had a good time watching this movie. Shaun of the dead was a great spoof of the zombie movies and in turn resulted in being a good zombie movie itself. The first half of the movie concentrated on the comical side of the characters. Whether you're a fan of British humor or not I will find it hard to believe that a person will not laugh out loud at least once! I enjoyed the gradual change from the comedy to action horror, which I'll confess was much less horror than it was more gory. Look out for a very gory and graphic scene. I seldom look away from horror flicks, but in this one I had no choice. It was unexpected and disgusting, but understandably a must if one is too truly spoof a zombie film.

Godsend (2004)

An average movie worth a rental.

[18 September 2004]

Decent performances were rendered by newly lead star Rebecca Romijn Stamos as well as fellow cast members Robert Deniro & Greg Kinnear. The kid did steal the lime light though. Cameron Bright plays Adam Duncan, the child of Paul & Jessie Duncan. (Kinnear/Stamos) After suffering through the death of their son Duncan Jessie and Paul are convinced to give up their normal life and move away with Dr. Richard Wells (Deniro) where he has promised to return their lost son through cloning. Things don't go as expected in fact things take a turn for the worse.

That's the part that disappointed me with this film. They could have done much better with the story. I was especially irritated with the ending. "That's it?" 0 you will surely exclaim as I did when the credits role. Cameron Bright can play an evil kid very well; his eyes and looks help that out. I wish they would have given it more of an evil spin instead of a predictable occurrence.

Suspect Zero (2004)

The storyline and acting were lacking and dull.

[18 September 2004]

Don't assume a scary thriller as I did after watching the trailer for this movie. It wasn't scary at all and was too slow paced to consider it a thriller. The storyline and acting were lacking and dull.

I'm not sure if the actual actors selected fit the movie though. I would have gone with a different casting. Ben Kingsley might have fit the role of a dark frightful serial killer, at least so it seemed in the first five minutes of the movie. However, as stated earlier the movie went a different direction. Aaron Eckhart, who plays the other main character of the movie, is bland. I found myself more irritated at his character more than anything else. The forced relationship between him and Carrie-Anne Moss, his partner seemed to be thrown and mixed together just to add some substance to the story.

This won't be the worst movie you'll see far from it, but wait until you've seen all the other movies you want to see. This one can wait. I'd say rent this one if it's the only one on the shelf.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

Disappointing Evil

[18 September 2004]

This sequel was a different type of movie than the first. At no time was I ever scared of the walking dead. In the previous film the focus was placed more on these zombies. In this version we saw these creatures in masses and their details was not captured. What the director focused on more was on the action shots, some of which I actually did enjoy. A few effects were very nice and had that 'ooh ahh' factor, which is the only reason one might opt to see this movie at the theater. Other than that I don't recommend spending those $9. The story was very predictable and worse had many cheesy lines. Of course that is to be expected in an action film, which is what the movie ended up being. I suppose it more closely relates to its game originator, but if that's what we wanted we are better off playing the actual game.

Twisted (I) (2004)

Twisted is a nice twist of the expected.

[18 September 2004]

This film had me guessing and doubting all along. Even though there are clues all along and I did pick up on them, I questioned them. Ashley Judd doesn't strike you as a tough cop inspector one-nightstand type of chic. Actually she still doesn't. I think she is best fit with the quirky chic flick love sappy movies. She sold me for the while; actually the movie storyline saved it. Sam Jackson and Andy Garcia meet up to their character just fine. Without delving into detail and risking a spoiler when you watch the film there will be a limited choice of possible suspects. The end is not surprising however getting there is with the ride. This was a definite entertaining rental.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Bourne Again, Good Again

[12 August 2004]

The story from this sequel was actually better than the first. It was an intense movie that had you and didn't give out it's entire plot as many blockbuster movies do within the first 15 minutes of the movie. Within the first 15 minutes of this movie you actually get a surprise twist.

I agree with many of the other reviews for Bourne Supremacy. They story is Great the Acting is Great, Matt Damon NICE

The non traditional camera action could have been better if not used in the fighting sequences and the car chase. I can see how sometimes directors prefer this in order to get a closer look or a feeling that you are the one actually seeing things. When it comes to fighting and chasing cars though, I want to see everything, having snippets of the impact shots goes gar more instead.

Collateral (2004)

A Must See Action Thriller that WILL Thrill You

[9 August 2004]

To no surprise to me is the fact that Tom Cruise's charm transcends into his character. Playing a villain for the first time was a nice change of pace. You don't fall in love or have deep sympathy for him, but you can't help to chuckle a few times at his take for his profession. A hired assassin with a job of 5 people within a short period of time, Vince (played by Tom Cruise) hijacks a cab driver to transport him to these their various locations.

I enjoyed the pace of this movie. Some movies hit you off with action sequences off the bat - those are the action movies. Others build up the suspense till toward the last part of the movie, those would be the suspenseful thrillers. Now that brief lesson is over: Collateral eases you in developing the cab driver's character (Jamie Foxx) and builds a bond between you and him and then hijacks you as well in a smart impacting ride.

Jaime Fox adapted well to his character, although I can see why Cruise played the Villain in this film as his character has a stronger spark. This film hold it's plot and anchors it's story with great action sequences. This film has everything required in a summer block buster. The girl, the guy (although no cheesy romance - great omission in this film by the way) and superb action shots. Shooting, car chases, jumping, running, I was thrilled. If you like action go see this movie. If you like suspense movies, go see this movie. If you like either of the main characters go see this movie.