Added on Monday, June 29, 2009
Australia (2008) is a massive picture in range, reach, appearance, sense, and, of course, budget. It is also, sadly, an enormous disappointment. Australia is a heroic romance narrative, and a rather unusual piece of brashness. Everything about the film is outrageously over the top (and not necessarily in a good way). The film tries way too hard to grab an Oscar and be deemed a classic, when it is ultimately forgettable. I give the movie an average score because the camera work and cinematography is rather visually stunning. 5/10
Dr. Strangelove: OR How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is a magnum opus of spoof paranoia and dark humor. Peter Sellers in his greatest form along with a phenomenal cast and many unforgettable moments. It's as astonishing and terrifying nowadays as I can only assume it was when it first came to cinemas. I strongly recommend that every single person on this planet see this movie before it becomes too real to be amusing any longer. One of the greatest films ever made. 10/10
Fargo (1996) merges the pure powers of parody, wit, and mystery, that seems at first thought to be an impractical film to create. The Coen Brother’s have many ups and downs in their film making career, so much so that it’s a theatrical roller coaster just thinking about them, but Fargo is definitely one of their highest points. A great cast coupled with phenomenal direction and story. 9/10
Miller's Crossing (1990) is definitely not as ornately evocative as The Godfather, nor is it as muddled or enthused as Scorsese's Goodfellas, but it undoubtedly achieves precisely what it attempts to. There's an abundance of fascinating plotting and double-crossing about it, with pungent twists and well-delivered, magnificently cultured dialogue. Miller’s Crossing didn’t win any awards, and it didn’t necessarily deserve to, but it is more than enough to keep you or anyone else thoroughly entertained. 9/10
Mystic River (2003) is Clint Eastwood’s best work behind the camera since Unforgiven and has become a pretty big piece of his motion picture portfolio. However, while the film may for a short while try to convince you otherwise, Mystic River is basically an extra-long episode of Law & Order with a fantastic ensemble cast. That last statement may sound all negative, but in actuality it’s not. The story is intriguing, engulfing, and ultimately shocking, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen it all before. 7/10
Transformers (2007) is a film best mimicked by dropping a pound of nuts and bolts on your kitchen floor and sucking them up with your vacuum cleaner. The story and plot are unforgivable and the lack of depth is sickening. I’ve come to expect very little from Michael Bay and this film does nothing but reassure my previous conclusions about him. While Bay may be able to masterfully produce visually pleasing effects, his direction ultimately cancels out all the positives. The humor is irritatingly unfunny and its only saving grace are the effects that seem nearly flawless despite the fact that the actual Transformers hardly resemble the ones from the original cartoon seriesl. 3/10
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) is about ten minutes of story gratuitously, arrogantly, and carelessly splurged amongst two and a half unrelenting hours. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is pretty much what I’ve grown to expect from summer blockbusters directed by people like Michael Bay: loud, obnoxious action scenes, little-to-no plot, absolutely no character development, and one hot chick. This is quite possibly the worst film of the summer, if not the year, but will people still go and see it? If the opening weekend numbers are any indication, heck yes! What Michael Bay is pioneering, and what he is most praised for, his special effects, are quite possibly the most lackluster aspects of the entire film, as without good choreographing any special effect is virtually worthless. If it weren't for John Turturro (when was the last time he was in a good movie?) and Rainn Wilson, I would have deemed this unwatchable. 2/10
Author
Topic: Last Movie You've Seen (Read 7500 times) Share