Movies
This is just a log file where I
put my opinion on. Also, it will give a an idea of how slow
movies are released here.
Also, dates mentioned here are
day-month-year. Some people, Americans pops to my mind, like to
do it month-day-year. Why, God, why ? First the small then the
big, or the other way around. You don't say it's 12:34:05 with
the meaning of hours:seconds:minutes ? Do you ? I rest my case.
Grades are from 1 to 10. 10 is hard to
get, and I probably won't ever go below a 5 either. Above a 8 is
a must-see. 8 to 7 depends on your interest. 7 or lower, probably
wouldn't be wise to go see it. For a more overall view, Green
stands for must-see, no matter what, Yellow is a maybe if you like some aspects of the film,
and Red is
definitely avoid seeing.
You can also submit your own
review (which may or may not appear right here on this
page). It doesn't really matter if the movies has been reviewed
already or not. Use the same format as I do (Movie:
review.grade.) AND NO SPOILERS ! (just had a "Ben
Tims: 20-7-99: Cruel Intentions: Great movie.8." review,
though it's supposed to be non spoiler, it DOESN'T mean keep it
empty or short. Next time, more than 3 words, and a bit more
insight, thanx). Send movies that are playing here in
Holland, otherwise, I'll save the review till it opens here.
New are the downloaded movie reviews. Along
with it will be the status of the movie (pending, saved or
deleted), and the quality and format of the movie, so if you want
a movie, gimme a yell. It will also state if the movie is earlier
or later than the Dutch release.
Also, take a look at my DVD page (with
the ones I have, and wanted list).
What I've seen:
- FROM HERE ON ALL REVIEWS are on my new weblog.
Click on the Movie Category at the right
menu to filter out the reviews from the other stuff.
- 03-07-03: Charlie's
Angels: Full Throttle - The subtitle is truly a reference to the zeal
of music director McG and how he put everything together. The girls, clearly
still having fun, jump from one place to the other. With every scene change
comes along some more explosions and colors flying off the screen then the
whole first movie combined. Although one might not notice the status of every
person in the movie has changed from very athletic to superhero status (they
do much more flying diving and kicking then Spidey on a busy weekend). But
the combination with all the extra budget eating special effects has a way
of hiding this fact. Of course, the storyline is decent at best, because of
the typical movie clip feeling that was apparent in the first movie, but now
it's clearly overpowering the whole feeling. Also trying to drive the fun
with more clearly placed parodies, which even includes jacking the CSI intro
theme. For mindless fun, it's a definite go.7-.
- 26-06-03: Bruce Almighty
- A typical softy comedy we've learned to expect from the Shadyac/Carrey combo.
Added is TV star Jennifer Aniston who doesn't do a whole lot different then
she does on Friends, but she holds up pretty well throughout the movie. A
perfect actor for a perfect job is Morgan Freeman. Throw in some cliches and
other predictabilities, and you have a comedy that's not perfect, but one
you can't complain about either.7˝.
- 19-06-03: Bulletproof
Monk - While the monk may be bulletproof, the movie isn't. Starting
with a weak story, some stiff acting, and lame dialogue, it's continues copying
stuff from the already 3 year old Matrix movie. Lousy special effects, sloppy
editing, and bad sound/film processing will finish the job.5+.
- 12-06-03: Phone Booth
- Filmed almost entirely around a phone booth, it's a marvelous job to keep
a viewer occupied and interested enough. This story with continuous sharp-edged
dialogue will do the trick, and the acting helps also. While the movie has
a short running time, you'll end up feeling you've seen a big movie.8+.
- 05-06-03: The Hunted
- What starts out to be a promising dramatic violent movie, ends up
being just pulp, and even the worst kind of that too. A lead-in to the bad
guys's character combined with the cliche teacher role of Tommy Lee Jones
stops after about 30 minutes. It's then when the "fun" really begins.
Just brainless chase scenes combined with inter-cut action scenes, just to
fill the time. No thought is put in these gaps, and a 5 minute sequence where
mr. Del Toro starts an iron store in the middle of nowhere in the wilderness
seems good enough for the director. An off-limits crime-scene with a news
crew filming just 30 cm in front of it, seemed good enough for the director
as well. On top of that, it ends with a bloodfest with the good and bad guy
stabbing each other over 10 times, with blood gushing out, and still they
continue. Mr "Exorcist" William Friedkin should really not direct
any more movies.3.
- 29-05-03: 28 Days Later
- Probably one of those few low budget, but for the UK BIG budget movies,
that try to be original, but somehow doesn't make it all the way to the finish.
The story has some original ideas, but through the copy & paste procedure,
it's not as streamlined as it could have been. The movie obviously goes through
several phases that seem to have been written bij other hands. The acting
is acceptable, and Danny Boyle knows how to scare us now and then with not
too many expensive tricks. In the end though, it's nothing spectacular nor
special, and can't be recommended for the general public.6.
- 22-05-03: Johnny English
- A mistake beyond the ones mr. Bean pulled off in his life time. While the
outline is cliche as hell, the content is even worse. Jokes not worthy to
be included in an average mr. Bean episode are included here. The story is
not worth telling, and the characters not worth mentioning. You don't need
to be a secret agent to know this movie is better ignored if you value your
spare time.4.
- 15-05-03: The Matrix
Reloaded - Highly anticipation ends with full satisfaction in this
continuation of the brilliant setup that was the Matrix. While the overall
feeling of the movie is different than the first experience, it's definitely
a good one. We get to see the bigger picture of this story now, and it nicely
develops to the a next plane of story telling. Most people don't like the
psycho-analyzing-babble, but that's exactly what brings more depth to the
story. Of course, the next step in visual effects is stunning again, but the
surprise is unlike the bullet time from the first movie. Combined with some
high energy techno beats during the now even more intricate fights also helps
the overall atmosphere. Ending the movie in a cliffhanger style, it's needless
to say The Matrix Revolutions is gonna be the same hit the 2 movies before
it was.9˝.
- 08-05-03: Punch-Drunk
Love - Boring does not encompass the feeling of this Paul Thomas Anderson
movie, introducing Adam Sandler as a drama actor. With a successful portofolio
including the strange but loved Magnolia and the controversial Boogy Nights,
this movie is everything you wouldn't expect from him. It's boring, all the
shots are excruciating long (slow-mo's of long paths, totally unnecessary),
with no end in sight, because the story does not progress. Ultimately, this
is the one movie that will stop me from going to any more of his movies.4.
- 01-05-03: X-Men 2
- While your heart rate rises through to top, only to the anticipation that
sequels are mostly not as good as the original, it really gets your heart
pounding the first seconds of the opening. It continues the story of the original
X-Men movie, but with higher stakes, more action, and even more maginificent
special effects. In the end, the story told is sufficient, but ends with you
wanting to be in the movie theatre three years from now. X3 is certainly fact
after this massive world wide opening at the box office, and with the same
team driving it, I can't wait for an even bigger dramatic explosive story.9-.
- 24-04-03: Shanghai
Knights - At first glance, it seems like another uneventful sequel,
but sitting this out, it proved to be quite entertaining. Jackie Chan does
his usual stuff, but Owen Wilson has his character really under control. Delivering
a funny character with the matching speedy dialogue, coupled with action scenes
following each other like a speeding train keeps you comfortable entertainied
throughout.7˝.
- 17-04-03: The Core
- Very like the previous Armageddon styled movies of this millennium,
it's as empty as it is mind numbing. The story is non-existent, and the characters
are a bunch of uninspired cliches. With no sense of direction, your hope for
a movie to match the depth of Deep Impact, for instance, is squashed as soon
as the movie starts. A dark page in Hilary Swank's history book.6-.
- 10-04-03: 25th Hour
- A very uncommon Spike Lee movie, who leaves his racially themed movies for
this friendly drama. Norton is delivering another good performance as a small
time crook in his last day before going to jail. Meeting with his friends,
and feeling the tension still hanging around who snitched him makes a nice
mix, but somehow doesn't fully develop into a solid movie. Add to that a long
winded fantasy ending, and you're left with the feeling this is just a mediocre
movie.7.
- 03-04-03: The Hours
- A somewhat depressing movie, with the story divided by 3 intertwined complicated
(psychologically) threads. The acting is good, but it's guess work how the
three main characters are really feeling. It's hard to get into the mind of
these various degrees of depression and how they cope with it. The acting
is indeed Oscar material, but as a total package, it's an average movie, because
I can't really connect to it.7.
- 27-03-03: The Recruit
- A fairly written movie, with good dialogue and a bit of character development.
While the story isn't that hard to figure out or to understand, the combination
of good direction, good pace of story, and sharp dialogue, keeps your mind
from wandering off.7˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
25-03-03: Spiderman- Although the green goblin
is not my type of bad guy and Tobey Maguire does not cry very convincingly,
this first Spiderman is already a classic. The introduction of the main characters
is quite good without getting boring. Also the special effects are super with
the scene of a webslinging Spidey through the streets of New York as my favourite.
I can not wait for part II to appear.8˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
25-03-03: Bad company - Not very original and
not very funny this movie with Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins. It lacks a
good pace and the action scenes were also not really terrific. It is not even
standard but worse with bad acting from Chris Rock.5˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
25-03-03: Donnie Darko- I haven't read many Stephen
King stories but Donnie Darko could easily be one of them but in fact it wasn't.
Surprisingly King was only a source of inspiration to the movie's director.
Due to my Star Trek background the time element in the story was not that
original but original enough for those who are not accustomed to it.7˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
23-03-03: Blade II - More special effects, bloodier,
and even darker than part I with very nice action scenes. But for some reason
I am not really attracted to vampiers so the story itself did not intrigue
me very much. Still, it is quite entertaining with a very cool Wesley Snipes.7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
23-03-03: The Count of Monte Christo - Spoilers
ahead!!!!! What a pity; this could have been a very good movie if it would
not have had a happy-end. I know that I am biased because I liked the TV-version
with Richard Chamberlain very much so that the movie could only disappoint
me. And it did because of the "and-everybody-lives-happily-ever-after"-plot
as opposed to the TV-version where the count loses everything he loves. However,
I haven't read the book so I don't know which plot is closest to the original
story. 7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
23-03-03: Johnny Q - The expectations were high
because of good-old Denzel but unfortunately they were not met. To my opinion
there was not much character development while the story needed that. Therefore,
some scenes were quite hilarious while they shouldn't have been so.6.
- 20-03-03: Daredevil
- A darkish Marvel comics adoption, with some nice visual effects
(budget upgraded after Spidey's success, during shooting time), but here and
there, it's cut into a chaotic jumble of action and effects. Dramatic feeling
is somewhat bland, as it's the same static feeling you have throughout the
movie. While the acting is solid, the characters are mostly hollow, making
this whole movie just above average.7˝.
- 13-03-03: Adaptation
- Wonderful script in a scipt. Truly good acting, as we've
grown to expect from Nicolas Cage. Not only do we get to see a double feature
(he also plays his twin brother), it's also one of the best special effects
I've ever seen (no visible blue/green screen artifacts).8+.
- 06-03-03: Star Trek:
Nemesis -
Hiring writer John Logan (instantly famous after his Gladiator stint) seems
a strange move, but this drama heavyweight clearly knows his stuff. Fluidly
integrating 15 years of history into his drama packed headbutting clash between
Picard and DNA clone Shinzon. Knowing how to reach deep, we get to see a somewhat
darker movie than expected. Here we have an edge that was never seen before
on Star Trek: The Next Generation's TV series run. And it pays off. Sharp
natural dialogue combined with terrific acting of newcomer Tom Hardy (Shinzon).
Luckily, due to the script, action oriented director Stuart Baird combines
the action well with the drama. As usual with Star Trek, the special effects
and make-up are up to par.9-.
- 27-02-03: Analyze That
- It's a tiny bit like the like the
first one but without the spark. Mostly, it's just one big weak maffia joke
combined with an even weaker story.6.
- 20-02-03: The Ring
- A bit like most horror movies, starting off with an eerie
premise. A reporter is the story vehicle, but as with most horrors, nothing
really gets explained (and if there is, you're left with even bigger questions).
A scary story with good acting.7˝.
- 13-02-03: Catch Me
if You Can - Kind of everything you'd
expect from Spielberg, Hanks or DiCaprio. Not really surprising, and there's
not a whole lot of character development, but it's nice to see the story unfold.
The only surprising thing might be the old-fashioned style John Williams score,
which is very repetitive and sometimes annoying.7.
- 06-02-03: Habla con
Ella (Talk to Her) - Watching any Oscar nominated films is a taking
a big chance on its own, watching a foreign Oscar contender, is an even bigger
risk. This movie is very lengthy, that's made worse because of low speed the
story is moving in. A ballet scene combined with truly irritating music sets
up the movie, and you're right in the "what time is it, already"
atmosphere. As the movie continues with lengthy nonsense dialogue, you've
really had it after 30 minutes. Being given enough time though, you're starting
to something grow into a tiny story, full of subtlety. The direction is in
such a way you don't know exactly what the characters are thinking, and trying
to get into their heads is quite a challenge. In the end, you actually have
something to ponder about, though it's still not really deep. Conclusion:
not a total disaster.6.
- 23-01-03: Gangs of
New York - For such a big budget movie,
helmed by Martin Scorcese, it should've been a solid hit. It ended however,
in a movie without much substance. Stretched to a three hours running time,
it even gets boring here and there. The essence slips away as soon as blood
flows abundently and easily, and with no consequenses to be seen, nor any
emotional feedback, the impact is blunt and soft, while it should've been
shocking and . Daniel Day Lewis plays a truly different character this time,
with a touch of overacting to keep it all interesting. Avoid if you expect
something different, go if you're expecting nothing at all.7-.
- 20-01-03: Downloaded movie (release: Late, quality: Very Good, format: 1.26GB
XVid DiVX , status: deleted) - Unfaithful - As the title suggest, another adultery story. Director Adrian
Lyne has many sex flavoured movies behind his belt, and with this one, he
tries to focus on the human side of this all, giving it a nicer twists than
usual, although it's kind of a slow movie overall. Performances by Gere and
Lane are very solid, with no clear clues what they are exactly feeling, whicht
keeps you wondering all the way till the very end.7.
- 02-01-03: About Schmidt
- Went to see it for the Oscar buzz, but to be honest, I didn't
see it. Centering around a short period of mister Schmidt's life, there are
a few things happening, but in the end, you don't feel like anything happened,
or any plots resolved. Hearing the thoughts of Jack Nickelson's slightly weird
character, doesn't mean you can get a good reading about this character. You're
left with a small movie about mostly nothing, but somehow, it keeps the corners
of your mouth slightly pointing up.7-.
- 28-12-02: Die Another
Day - Another standard action packed Bond movie. While the previous
one made a swing at drama, which I thought was rather positive, this one is
the original old fashioned explosive starter/explosive ender kind. Special
effects are also redundantly available, and characters like Halle Berry are
just for decoration. Forget the almost character driven The World is not Enough,
it's all back to simple story with a lot of shooting again.7+.
- 27-12-02: The Pianist
- A realistic look, from a Polish perspective on the Second World War. Seeing
that many atrocities actually kinda numbs the mind, making the 2 and a half
hour sit rather long. Here and there are nice moments captured on film, but
also a lot of long dragged out scenes about the survival of the main character.
Emotion rise and fall throughout the movie, but somehow, it doesn't really
stick.7+.
- 18-12-02: Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers - The smash of the
year, following exactly where the Fellowship left us a year ago, it has definitely
another feeling to it. As the Fellowship is broken up, there are more cuts
in the movie, focussing also on new characters introduced in this chapter.
Also, shifting away from the dialogue heavy first part, makes this movie a
difficult one to rate. One one side, the drama and explorative feeling is
a little less, on the other side, you're blown away by the sheer force of
impact of this saga. With even more beautiful panaramic shots of the otherworldly
landscapes, combined with the most awsome special effects ever put on screen
and inventive shots and camera movements by Peter Jackson, you're definitely
heartbroken at the end, waiting for part 3. Don't forget to bring along your
oxygen breather, as it will often happen that you forget to breath by the
beauty reflecting off the silver screen.10-.
- 14-12-02: The Tuxedo
- After such a long streak of similar movies, it's not a surprise this
one is exactly that. A typical Jackie Chan movie. This time teaming up with
cutey-face Jennifer Love Hewitt, it somehow doesn't work as well as uneasy
partners like Chris Tucker or Owen Wilson. Lacking on story, this movie is
driven by a high-tech suit doing the work, instead of Jackie, effectively
scrapping another appealing part of the usual Jackie Chan movie. Add to that
a not so scary arch enemy, and you're left with tiny bits of funny one liners
combined with mediocre special effects.7-.
- 12-12-02: Changing
Lanes - A quite accomplished character-driven
movie. Focussing mainly on two characters, luckily, the acting is very adequate.
With emotions running quite high, it's interesting how far one will go for
all the different yet important things in life. As these types of movies are
in shortage, it's nice to see this one develop in a positive way.7˝.
- 05-12-02: My Big Fat
Greek Wedding - Nicely written exploratory story about the Greek culture,
and a bit about love. With whacky characters all over the place, while not
being totally hilarious, it keeps a grin on your face throughout the movie.7+.
- 24-11-02: Harry Potter
and the Chamber of Secret - A sequel resulting in a bag with mixed
feelings. While the lengthy movie is filled with action and special effects
and won't bore you for a minute, in the end, you kinda feel like you haven't
seen anything. Characters come in and go. Things happen, but kinda without
a reason, or just to fullfil a forceful plot twist in a future scene. We see
a lot, but only for a minute, and there's no real sense of character development
like last year's appetizer. As a main course, it doesn't hold up if you look
at it as a whole. While this is a very enjoyable movie on it's own, compared
to the first, it's kinda disappointing, even if the darker tone could've given
this movie an extra edge (which it actually didn't). Hopefully, the next 2
years will give the creative team more time to flesh out a better one with
more meat in it to bite into.8-.
- 14-11-02: Red Dragon
- The prequel luckily overcomes the weak Hannibal sequel. Having seen the
original Manhunter, I can wholeheartedly say, it's not much of a change. As
the original is good, this one is also good, slighty moving off towards nicer
visuals instead of deepening the characters. Nice to see small details like
original casting of the Silence of the Lambs prison personnel.7˝.
- 07-11-02: Insomnia
- A very well told story with some interesting twists here and there. The
direction is in very able hands of Memento's Chris Nolan, giving this movie
multiple layers, for the viewer to peel off.8+.
- 30-10-02: Road to Perdition
- What seems like an interesting drama, really is slow moving and predictable
mob movie. There are no really interesting parts, and the story is very shallow.
No surprises to be found, and the drama is not convincing (father-son relation).6.
- 24-10-02: The Bourne
Identity - An interesting synopsis works out to be just an acceptable
thriller. It has potential and it has speed, nice direction here and there,
but the story itself isn't that spectacular in the end. Light entertainment
if you don't have anything else to do.7+.
- Submitted review by greenangel:
25-10-02: Scream - Totally awesome except when
Drew Barrymore dies right away. I love Matthew Lillard and David Arquette.
They are great actors. An Courtney Cox and Rose McGowan are very convincing
supporting actressess. Overall I think you should see it if you want to have
a Halloween party or you just like spooky movies. I give it a 9 becuase some
things still could have been changed.9.
- 17-10-02: One Hour
Photo - Very well made lowbudget thriller. Good story, great acting,
and it leaves you something to ponder about after you leave the theatre. If
you want to try a new kind of thriller, this is the one.8-.
- 10-10-02: The Guru
- Mediocre in every way, but still mildly entertaining throughout the movie.
There's not a lot of variety in the humor, but any skin time for Heather Graham
is worth it. 7+.
- 25-09-01: Downloaded movie (release: Early, quality: Medium, format: 1000
MB Screener MPEG , status: deleted) - Barbershop - The story itself is not really something to write to yo home
about, but there's enough dialogue going on not to bore you. Ice Cube delivers
admirably performance as a troubled shop owner.7+.
- 04-10-02: Minority
Report - This high profile movie with Spielberg and Cruise combining
power should be interesting enough already, but the movie itself will blow
you away. Based on a short story, this movie is an intricate, high speed story
vehicle for anyone with a taste for good story and a bit of a challenge. Clocking
in at almost 2 and a half hours, one might wonder how short the original short
story really was. Converted into a detailed futuristic view with enough matter
for the mind to chew on, this is a movie not to miss.9.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
03-10-02: Collateral damage - Writing this review
reminds me of one of the most horrible experiences in my life. It seems that
Arnold is really talented lately to participate in a movie that is even worse
than the one before. Hopefully this statement does not become reality for
True Lies part 2.3.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
03-10-02: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
- After the "Phantom Menace"-appetizer, which was quite cheerful
and more of an introductory nature, things really get going in this amazing
sequel. The story is quite dark and therefore far more interesting than
part 1. Of course, there are a lot of special effects but luckily there is
not much of these effects wasted on that very irritating Gungan named Jar
Jar Binks and to my opinion that is quite an improvement. I can't wait to
see part 3!!! 9.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
01-10-02: Ali G Indahouse -
The humour is sometimes a bit vulgar well, maybe "often" is a better
description) but yet very funny. And there were also some very original jokes.
I hoped to see more of the Hungarian (?) reporter who also appears on the
TV show of Ali G but unfortunately he had a very small part. Needless to say
that the story can be summarised with one word: RESPECT.7˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
01-10-02: The Scorpion King-
If you have always wanted to see a brilliant
historic epic then this is not the right choice to fulfill this desire. The
action and special effects dominate the story (if there is any). Furthermore,
the acting is sometimes quite bad but what can you expect from this spin-off
from The mummy.5.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
01-10-02: Panic room
- In the beginning it looks like watching part 35 of the "Home alone"
series. After a while it is getting more serious but unfortunately without
being very thrilling. However, it is not such a bad movie for a rainy Sunday
evening.7.
- 25-09-02: Reign of
Fire - Anybody wanting to make a movie should've learned by now that
just special effects is not enough to make a movie, even just a mildly entertaining
one. With no story and character development, it's a non-stop action oriented
movie that will only make want to open your eyes just once in a while. Results
are that even though some awe inspiring creature effects leaves you yawning
throughout the rest of the movie.6-.
- 21-09-02: Windtalkers
- A solid John Woo movie, with quite a bit of standard war drama and characters.
But the acting is good, and the directing is stylish as usual.7˝.
- 19-09-02: K-19: The
Widowmaker - While this could've been an intense battle/war story like
Crimson Tide, this one lacks just about everything. In the end, you feel like
you've sat through the World War yourself, time wise, not feelings wise.6-.
- 12-09-02: Signs
- M. Night Shyamalan proves that he's a genius with this third hit in a row.
Mixing drama, humor, suspense and a whole lot of other aspects seamlessly
in a truly marvelous screenplay, and directing it in an exciting way.9-.
- 05-09-02: Austin Powers
in Goldmember - Just how you remembered the previous Austiin Powers
movies, but still with a few tricks up its sleave. Another strange story combined
with some nice cameos results in a good exercise for your facial muscles.7˝.
- 29-08-02: High Crimes
- Starting off pretty well, it fades slowly into a dull and routine thriller,
with all the unusual story turns here and there. With no focus on the story,
it does not explain any of the weird actions or motives. This will leave only
with irritation, while it could've been just mediocre.5.
- 15-08-02: The Sum of
all Fears - A mediocre Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan chapter. While the story
has some parts that are amusing and have good suspense, in overall, it's a
bit one dimensional and flat. The characters are also just that. Because the
acting is on par, as a whole, it doesn't fall below the average line.7.
- 08-08-02: The 51st
State - Another one of those strange Samuel L. Jackson movies he does
once in a while. This one typically has that strange British thing going on
(besides taking place in Liverpool), story, humor and feeling-wise. All in
all, it's quite amusing, but not quite there, because of the strangeness.7+.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
08-08-02: The Mothman Prophecies
- A good thriller with very interesting and original moments. All the time
you wonder what's going on and how the main character (Richard Gere) will
react everytime he receives new information about things (I'd like to be more
specific but there are no spoilers allowed). But what really freaks you out
is that this story seemed to be based on reallife experiences. I don't know
what to believe but I hope I won't get proof that something like this does
exist.7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
08-08-02: The Royal Tenenbaums
- Expecting something very funny, a very disappointing feeling emerged during
the movie. Although it had some laughs, some moments looked more like drama.
And with a cast like this I was right to expect something huge. But unfortunately
it was not better than the average movie.6.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
06-08-02: The Man Who Wasn't There
- It started off quite nice but it became a real torture after a while. As
a matter of principle I'm against leaving the cinema before the end of the
movie but this time it was very, very difficult to live up to my own rules.
I looked at my watch every 2 minutes, wondering why I was spending my precious
time in this almost dark room and wished that I wasn't there also. I have
to admit that I enjoyed some part of the movie: it was the moment where the
credits showed up.... 4.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
06-08-02: From Hell -
Nice, dark version of the Jack the Ripper story. Luckily, some scenes were
not that explicit while they easily could use state-of-the-art special effects
to make some people as sick as a dog. Instead, they focused on the story which
turned out to be a good choice. There is not much character development but
you can not expect that in these kind of stories.7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
06-08-02: Ali
- A "could-be-very-interesting" movie but unfortunately it isn't. I expected
an in-depth look into the character Ali, however, it was just a hodgepodge
of some things that happened in his life. So a bit disappointing biography,
which, as said before, would be far more compelling when Ali's character would
have more depth.6˝.
- 01-08-02: Men in Black
II - Fairly entertaining sequel, but definitely doesn't match the original.
The story suffers severely from the let's make a sequel syndrome, and hence,
characters development, new styles, inventiveness and everything that made
MiB so fresh, are all left on the old drawing board.7.
- 25-07-02: Dragonfly
- Starting mildly intruiging, this movie fastly falls for all the cliches
possible in a supernatural thriller, so that everything is fairly predictable.
Very standard, with nothing really appealing to it.6-.
- 06-07-02: Lilo
& Stitch - The standard Disney
mold for their stories is wearing out, but this one also has the alien aspect,
disrupting the believability and identifyibility. Mixing fantasy and family
drama in this environment just doesn't work. So, that just leaves the alien
home wrecker, later trying to set things straight in the end, with the usual
growl, to satisfy the little kids. I don't see anything really appealing for
adults in this movie.6˝.
- 04-07-02: Spider-man
- Amazingly great movie. Another well balanced movie with all
the elements (acting, drama, story, action, functional special effects) exactly
in the right amount. While the comics were good on its own, Sam Raimi made
this picture showing the characters even more human, making it easier
for the
viewer to identify themselves. This movie opens a door to many many nice sequels,
promising even more in-depth character insight, and some more adventures as
a side dish.9+.
- 27-06-02: Bad
Company - A bit of a standard Bruckheimer
action comedy. It doesn't have anything special about it, making it a mediocre
movie. It does have a good pace, and there's enough happening to keep you
from being bored. All in all, entertaining, but from a Bruckheimer/Shumacher
duo, you'd expect something spectacular.7˝.
- 20-06-02: Donnie
Darko - Very strange movie, with
a mix of mystery, humor, and more mystery. The movie moves along at a slow
pace, but you have the feeling you're always a step behind, as you'll never
know what happens next. We see strange and disturbing things happening to
Donnie Darko, and wait for the timer to hit zero. It ends with a bang, and
one can only be left stunned for it's surprise ending, or one can keep pondering
about the inconsistencies inherent to paradoxes. I did the last.7+.
- 13-06-02: Blade
II - Another nice episode with equally nice bloodshedding and
slaying. Again, there's a bit of a story, and the action is tense. But with
Donnie Yen helming the choreagraphy, I expected more style. This movie combines
the usual martial arts with Del Toro's quick editing method, not showing the
long shots of the first movie. That's actually a shame. Another thing Del
Toro does (with all his movies, actually) is keep this movie as dark as possible.
Blade 1, at least, had some daylight scenes, and has more style. This one
has also has a few CGI Blade's incorporated for more incredible acrobatics,
but still, it seems there's still no physics (for instance, simple gravity
for more realistic jumps) integrated in the animation programs. It doesn't
really take the enjoyability down, so, let's wait for a Blade 3, shall we.8-.
- 06-06-02: The
Count of Monte Cristo - Nice full
story with the usual revenge twist keeping it interesting till the end. While
coming to see another Guy Pearce movie, Jim Caviezel stole this one.7+.
- 30-05-02:
John Q - A somewhat mediocre movie.
Storywise, it looks fine, but feelingwise, it's just too standard. Except
for the basic outline, every bit of what you see is in the Screenplays for
Dummies volume 1. And that bothers. The acting is a bit standard, but with
such a lousy script, you might start wondering, and falsely accuse the actors.6+.
- 23-05-02: Star
Wars II: Attack of the Clones -
Visually stunning and highly entertaining chapter of this huge saga. While
keeping Jar Jar's screen time to a minimum is a huge improvement of SWI alone,
this one also has a better story, even more SFX shots, and better acting.
Hayden Christensen portrays a young Darth Vader very good. While there isn't
really character development in this movie, there is a jump from SWI, and
the 10 years difference is noticable. The stiff acting is gone, for instance,
so forgiveness of Ewan McGregor's performance in SWI is in order, as it probably
was part of the character. The only minor point is that SFX still isn't perfect.
A normal eye won't notice anything, and only see the beauty onscreen, but
a trained eye can see the difference between matte paintings, CGI background,
green/blue screen and the other styles used. There's still some contrast,
lighting, focus, surface textures and color issues to work out. The opening
scene for instance, was CGI only, and that's not a good feeling you get when
you see it. A few models or matte paintings wouldn't have hurt to keep it
more real looking. But still, these are 2 very enjoyable hours, and then there's
a 20 minutes of jaw dropping war sequence added to it too.9-.
- 16-05-02: Collateral
Damage -
Saying Arnie isn't a real good drama actor isn't really a stunner, but this
movie pretty much highlights this inability.
Though it's not just his limited range of expression that ruins this movie,
it's also the stupid story, and the evenly stupid screenplay. This movie is
another piece of proof it's going downhill for Arnie, let's see if Terminator
3 will be able to catch up for all the damage.5˝.
- 02-05-02: Ali
G indahouse - With ease, the most
disgusting and coarse movie of the year. Subtlety is a word the producers
probably never heard of, but at least, it makes a consistently dirty movie.
It's quite fun as a whole, but one must realize, the Channel Four's Ali G
Show has more diversity and more subtle humor.8-.
- 24-04-02: The Scorpion
King - Simple entertainment, with no presumptions. Just sit back and
let is roll over you. The scenery and settings are obviously well re-used
from the previous Mummy movies, but along also comes the expertise gained
from it. The Rock isn't that bad an actor, then again, nobody really had any
real dialogue.7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
24-04-02: Spy Game
- A bit too long and at some points maybe a bit too boring but the story development
is rather good. Robert Redford made a great performance unlike Brad Pitt whose
part was quite unnoticed. There are very few action scenes as in other "spy"
movies like Mission Impossible; the politics of the secret service play a
bigger part here.7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
24-04-02: A Beautiful Mind
- I expected more action (due to the trailer) but I got more drama. Fortunately,
this was not very disadvantageous because now you could see a bit more of
the character Nash. I have been taught about the Nash equilibrium in my study
Econometrics so I was very curious how this would be explained and luckily
they described it very well. Although I liked the movie, I don't think it
deserves 4 Oscars.7˝.
- 17-04-02: Panic
Room - David Fincher shows he can still direct movies with his
own touch. This time, it's more visual than psychological. In such a confined
space where the events take place, he keeps a tense atmosphere throughout
the movie, but the mix of humor with the more serious side of this thriller
don't quite mix. There's enough dialogue, and even the villains get a piece
of it, but in the end, it's not really convincing, dramatically speaking.7˝.
- 14-04-02: E.T.
Extraterrestrial 20th Anniversary - Still a rock solid movie
for all ages, but the added value of this new version is unnoticable, especially
if you're not into SFX and CGI, and if you blink one too many times. Nice
to see lil' Drew had talent all the way back then.8-.
- 10-04-02: Show
Time - A bit of a standard kinda can't-get-along duo flick.
It's amusing at times, but nothing really special and quite predictable. A
little bit more of William Shatner would've been nice.7˝.
- 10-04-02: The
Mothman Prophecies - A fairly scary movie, considering it's
based on real facts with thousands of eyewitnesses backing it up. Richard
Gere and Laura Linney make a good pair (as they did in "Primal Fear"),
so the acting is up to par. In the end, you wish it will never happen to you,
which makes this movie entertaining in a weird kinda way.7˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
04-04-02: Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie
Poulain (a.k.a "Amelie") - Very original and
funny with some absurd scenes. It's all about a bit strange girl who fulfills
the wishes of others. In the meantime she discovers love for the first time.
A bit cultural maybe but a must-see for the real moviefan.8.
- 28-03-02: The
Royal Tenenbaums - Alternative
comedy with some boring moments, as well as some slightly funny ones. The
lives of the family Tenenbaums are quite weird and sometimes funny, but it's
actually not enough to make a movie of it.7-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
27-03-02: Vanilla Sky
- Vanilla sky I don't know how to qualify this movie.
Some scenes are quite interesting (no, not just the ones with Cruz.) but overall
you will be left with an strange feeling. So it is not surprising that some
will love it and others will hate it. I saw a big deal of the original movie
"Abre los ojos" (also with Cruz) and it looks like "Vanilla sky" is just a
straight translation of the former picture.6˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
27-03-02: Monsters Inc.
- It is quite funny but I expected Mike, the side-kick of Sully, to be funnier
(like Donkey in Shrek). The animation is amazing, the story is original and
the "rollercoaster"-scene is brilliant. But the battle between Disney and
Dreamworks has been won by Dreamworks because Shrek was a bit better.7+.
- 24-03-02: The
Time Machine - A slightly entertaining
movie that lacks on all sides somehow. The story has some interesting ideas
and twists, but somehow, it doesn't quite transfer well to film. Not recommended
if you're not an avid sci-fi fan.7-.
- 20-03-02: The
Man Who Wasn't There - Another
one of those Oscar hype movie. Sadly, one that doesn't deserve it at all.
It's slightly entertaining, but it's a long sit. Nothing really extraordinarily
happens, and no smart surprises are to be expected. Just a so-so film-noir.6˝.
- 14-03-02: Mulholland
Drive - Once in a while, you just
want to try out some Oscar nominated movies that are also highly appreciated
by the normal crowd. This one got high grades from both critics and the public.
What a mistake, I forgot all about the tricks David Lynch does in all his
movies. He's just a hobbyist with to many financial suits backing him up,
and he'd be better off as a music video director for MTV. But once again,
we're getting uncoherent scenes filmed in a colorful way shoved down our throats,
what a waste of time and money. Avoid at all cost.3-.
- 13-03-02: From
Hell - Expecting a standard "scary"
movie, I got exactly that. Nothing really outstanding about this movie to
tell. It does have a good pace of storytelling, and the atmosphere is good.
If you like dark movies, this one you'll most probably like.7+.
- Submitted review by Yikki:
12-03-02: Black Hawk Down
- 3 words to describe the plot: violence , violence . violence. There seems
no end to it. So guys who appreciate that: run, or cycle , or drive, or whatever,
to the nearest cinema in your place. I know you will like this movie, guys
usually do.7.
- 07-03-02: Ali -
A quick peek in Muhammed Ali's career, with tiny bits of extra background
information. As a movie, it doesn't offer that much more insight, but it's
directed well by Michael Mann. The acting (especially the unrecognizable Jon
Voight) are top notch, combined with a sweeping upbeat score makes this thin
stretched movie above average.8-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
06-03-02: Training Day
- Surprising, original and well-acted by Denzel Washington and by the other
guy (I forgot his name and I am too lazy to look it up, sorry). Normally Denzel
plays a nice guy but now you don't know what to think of him. You get more
and more involved as the story develops and you wonder where it will end.7+.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
06-03-02: Jeeper's Creepers
- This review reminds me of a dark page in my personal movie history. And
I heard that there are even plans for a sequel. It was a horrible experience,
not to mention a total waste of money. It is not a surprise that my grade
will be (much) lower than for "Along came a spider" which is pretty good compared
to Jeepers.0+
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
06-03-02: Ocean's Eleven
- Robbing a casino isn't very original and the acting
was pretty standard (development of the characters is a bit shallow) but nevertheless
the movie is very entertaining. There is a balanced mix of humor, action and
story development. Maybe this is due to the amazing cast. By the way, this
is the first George Clooney movie I really liked.7˝.
- 04-03-02: Black Hawk
Down - A very impressive movie to say the least. This very well directed
movie by Ridley Scott makes for quite an immersive experience. The action
scenes are shot with harsh realism, that makes hold your breath for most of
the movie's runtime. The gritty atmosphere combined with great acting performances
creates a very depressing movie. Even though more than 80% is action alone,
Scott was able to put in a few important pieces of dialogue, that makes you
wonder about the whole situation and the fiasco that ensued there.8+.
- 26-02-02: A Beautiful
Mind - As the title says, this is a beautiful movie about a genius
man suffering from a mental disease. Ron Howard does a good job showing us
just enough to create a bit of sympathy for a man who's not to be liked at
first sight. The solid acting makes up for the somewhat lacking story.8.
- 20-02-02: Amelie
- Having my reservations for foreign movies, this one proved to be another
positive experience. Starting of seemingly meaningless with a flood of quick
French storytelling, trying to keep up with the subtitles, it quickly turns
into a very enjoyable weird movie. The director uses tons of inventive tricks
to visualize this nice story, which probably suits everybody's needs and won't
keep you bored for a moment. All in all, this is the words "sweet smart
funny sharp fresh and cute" put in one movie.8˝.
- 18-02-02: The One
- Another Jet Li vehicle that does not quite live up to its expectations.
Needless to say, this actioner has a lot of empty characters in it, doing
all the irrational things just to twist the story the way the writers like
it to twist. If you've seen the gems the James Wong/Glen Morgan duo did for
TV (The X-Files, Millennium), and the solid written thriller Final Destination
2 years ago, this movie will be a big disappointment the size of Mount Everest.
The intro is clearly a carbon copy of the X-Men. Shame shame shame.6˝.
- 12-02-02: Monsters
Inc. - Monsterly funny movie. Appears to be a kiddy movie, but the
story and the rest shows a movie for all ages. Almost everything is just perfect
in this movie, and you won't be bored for a second. Bonus is a nice pre-movie,
and the blooper-rail at the end is priceless.
While one might think there's an overkill in these 3D animated movies, but
the true entertaining ones will prevail, so just go see this movie.8˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
12-01-02: Bandits - After
seeing "the whole nine yards" I felt a bit disappointed about the "joke-density"
of "bandits" and there are also some tiresome moments. Nonetheless the movie
is quite original and has some interesting turns. The acting of Willis' partner
in crime is very nice.7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
12-01-02: Don't Say a Word
- Very standard, sometimes a bit boring. I expected a lot more, like good
dialogues between Douglas and the mentally ill girl but that did not happen.
So unfortunately for Douglas, Jansen etc it will be hard to remember this
plain vanilla movie.6.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
08-01-02: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the
Ring - The One Movie To Rule Them All. I can
not express the feelings I got when seeing this superb piece of art. It is
a bit depressing because you realize that in the rest of your life there won't
be a movie in this genre that could even get close to (not to mention "be
better than") this cinematical jewel, except maybe for Lord of the Rings part
II and III. The scenery is beyond words. Needless to say that I probably will
lose the bet (see my review for Harry Potter) and that is the way it should
be because Lord of the Rings deserves a high spot on the various Box Office
Charts. At least it will be one of my all time favourites.10-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
08-01-02: Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
- Even though the primary target group exists of children,
Harry Potter can also be fun for adults. Because the story is quite detailed
on some parts and only introductory on others, you can see that the sequels
are standing in line to appear in the cinema. The scenery is pretty and the
special effects are functional and not exaggerated. Before seeing this movie
I made a bet with Ka Nam that this movie will be number 1 in the All-Time
Worldwide Box Office (http://us.imdb.com/Charts/worldtopmovies)
and therefore will be better than Lord of the Rings. He said that both movies
won't defeat Titanic and furthermore that LotR will reach a higher position
than Harry Potter. Right after seeing this movie I still thought that my vision
would turn to be the right one.8˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
08-01-02: The score - A bit above
average movie and that is because I liked the acting of Edward Norton. The
story is a bit standard but still entertainable. But overall you would expect
something more especially because Robert de Niro and Marlon Brando are also
part of the movie (the character of the latter was quite thin). Nice movie
for a rainy sunday afternoon.6˝.
- 07-02-02: Vanilla Sky
- Easily judged as rubbish. Kinda wast of your time. Starting off as a well
directed MTV clips glued together, the relationship onscreen does not feel
natural. Trying to get a passionate affair done in 10 minutes never works.
The story itself isn't that good either, it's been done in enough SF movies
already. The plot twists follow each other at a fast pace, so that the viewer
will get careless after only a quarter of the movie. Hard to believe anybody
would like this movie, unless that person has been living in a cave for the
last 75 years.4.
- 05-02-02: Training
Day - Well written, well acted intense movie. Just like the main character,
you get sucked into this whole messed up envorinment, precisely just how Denzel
Washington's character wants to. The interaction between Ethan Hawke and Denzel
creates a gripping and almost suffocating feeling, and through conflict and
manipulation, it works towards a climax at the end. If you like the movies
that are not just plain black and white, but with a more realistic feeling
to it, this one is it.8+.
- 17-01-02: Jeepers
Creepers - Ultimate pulp, unbelievable how this movie came to life
and crept into the theaters. The acting is limited to the looking-very-scared
look, practiced too many times in front of a mirror. The dialogue is unbearable
because the writer clearly lacks inspiration and puts in the same line over
and over again. That gives the viewer enough time to figure out all the pieces
of the movie that's been clearly stolen from other movies. Amateurishly sticked
together, it gives a messy disappointment. The knowledge that a sequel is
already in the making, is another shiver through your spine.4-.
- 17-01-02: Ocean's
Eleven -
A bit of a standard robbing the bank kinda story, with the usual story parts
of getting the crew, planning the heist, etc etc. The whole movie kinda feels
slow, and there aren't really highlights to remember this movie by.7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
17-01-02: Rush hour 2 - Nice action movie but
not very innovative. Everything is quite standard except maybe for some action
scenes. There is a lot of meant-to-be humor and a part of it is a bit funny
but in general it is nothing special either.6˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
17-01-02: Kiss of the Dragon - It was terrible.
It was even worse than those Jacky "who am I" Chan movies. It is really horrible
that I had to pay money to see this disaster. The acting was very, very bad.
And because there was no plot (at least, I could not find one) you could not
tell when the following absurdity was coming.4.
- 10-01-02: Bandits
- After a slow starts, you see a good
story building with some nice character development. In the end, it's not
super funny, but it has a nice story-telling twist.7+.
- 03-01-02: Don't
Say a Word -
There's nothing much to say about this movie, other than that it's a quite
moderate thriller with not extremes whatsoever. Don't expect to find any really
good stuff here, but it's not bad either. Considering the actors in it, it
kinda feels like a disappointment though.7.
- 20-12-01: Lord of
the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring
- A true highlight for this year, and
probably for the years to come. A movie of this magnitude has never been made
(a bit unbelievable if you look at the relatively low US $109 million).
Efficient use of that money delivers some pretty amazing scenery, beautifully
filmed by Peter Jackson, whose name will now go into the history books for
sure. Not only does he know how to move the camera around, he also knows he
to keep the viewer glued to his chair. After a quick setup, the story and
atmosphere is gripping and engaging, all the way to the end. Well, one third
of the end, that is. The only bad thing is that a whole year of waiting is
a torture of the highest kind.9+.
30-11-01: Harry
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone -
Without reading the book, I have an objective view on this movie. Being the
most anticipated movie of this year for most people, I think it doesn't really
matter, because this is a solid fast-paced adventure with lots of thing to
tell. There are a lot of non-essential things to tell at first, but it's still
all fun. Clearly a movie to recommend to all people of all ages.8+.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
27-11-01: The Discovery of Heaven -
Actually I don't know what to say about this Dutch movie.
On the one hand it doesn't look Dutch because sometimes the story is quite
nice, there is not much sex in it and some characters are good but on the
other hand there are too much details and in the end you feel a bit deceived
because there is something missing and you don't know what. But to give Jeroen
Krabbé the benefit of the doubt I won't be too harsh on him.7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
27-11-01: American Pie 2 - This sequel still
contains all the shallow characters but now it is funny until the end with
some very brilliant jokes. Some characters are superb like Stifler and Jim's
dad. The jokes are very coarse but that does not matter at all. This will
be one of my all time favorites.8˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
21-11-01: American Pie - It starts with funny jokes and very shallow
characters and in the end only the latter remains: they try to add some drama
but it's quite standard and boring. Therefore the movie itself is quite a
standard teenager movie. Actually I should give two grades: one for the first
part (7.5) and one for the second part (5.5) of the movie. But because this
is not possible I will give the average of the two.6˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
21-11-01: A.I. - The story can be divided into three parts
so I don't know why Spielberg didn't make a trilogy out of it....;-) Although
it is not boring, it does not grab your attention for the whole 4.5 hours
the movie lasts (at least it feels this long sometimes). The acting, the special
effects and the reflection of the atmosphere were very good: the scene of
the city under water felt very depressing.8.
- 19-11-01: The Score
- With a super star casting, this looks
like a must-see movie. It starts off quite boring. Long scenes, but no character
development. Towards the end, the thrill goes up a notch. But in the end,
it leaves you feeling empty. It's only minor entertainment.7-.
- 15-11-01: Kiss of
the Dragon - Obviously a Jet Li one-man-show.
And not a perfect one at that. The story starts off good, but soon it's obvious
it's lacking every ingredient for an engaging movie. It's only slightly entertaining,
coz all you have are the martial arts scenes. And even those aren't really
sophisticated.7-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
09-11-01: Swordfish - At first you think you will experience a going-to-be-classic
movie but in the end it's not even worth mentioning it to your grandchildren.
There are some original scenes in the movie but this does not lift it out
of the standard-action-movie-bin.7.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
09-11-01: Requiem for a Dream - A story about three young people (2 boys and
a girl) who are experimenting with drugs. At first everything seems under
control but after a while things get really out of hand. Also the mother of
one of the boys gets involved in the story. The acting is very good. In the
beginning the movie is a bit slow but later on you find yourself stuck in
a roller coaster ride. The movie is a bit depressing to say the least.8.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
09-11-01: Jurrasic Park 3 - The first movie was nice, the second was interesting
but the third part is not very enjoyable. The effects were not bad but you
have seen it all before. And the story is very amateurish.6.
- 07-11-01: Rush Hour
2 - Good entertainment. The story isn't
there, and the rest is just fastpaced funny dialogue and acrobatic ballet
of violence. Definitely not a bore, but it's
not super (like Lethal Weapon 4 for instance) either.7˝.
- 01-11-01: The Discovery of Heaven - A strange though promising start. A good character setup follows.
Then in the second half, everything starts falling apart. The forced story
plots are too unbelievable, and some are just plain stupid (for example, the
notion of the discovery of heaven through scientific methods, possibly even
to be seen through a pair of telescopes, the unexplained sex relation between
a guy and his mother-in-law, whose daughter just went in a coma, and her husband
died of an heart-attack, for god's sake, the very earthbound human sides of
the angels, like worrying about promotion, throwing meteors at innocent people,
etc etc, and the list goes on and on). The slow move to a sudden end are the
nails shutting the coffin. You don't even care anymore about the loose ends.
All it is, is the discovery of irritation. There's only a good performance
by Stephen Fry to keep you awake.5.
- 19-10-01: American's
Sweethearts - As the title indicates,
a sweet movie in every aspect. A bit predictable, but the acting is up to
par.7.
- 18-10-01: American
Pie 2 - Following the original
Pie's friends for summer, this non-stop laugh track is of the same nature
you'd expect, teenage dirty jokes all over the place. Less story, less drama
and less depth than before, it still keeps you smiling. The original had the
strength to get better over time, this one, sadly, lacks that feature.7.
11-10-01: A.I. - Another one of those
movies where you don't know what to expect from. This leads to surprises,
and in this case, they're quite pleasant ones. The acting is well above standard
(I see another Oscar nomination coming up for Haley Joel Osment). The atmosphere
is well displayed and can be felt throughout the movie. Although a bit long-winded
here and there, you will leave the theatre with a lot of stuff to think about.
This futuristic fairy tale is a strange experience and well worth your time.8-.
- 27-09-01: Swordfish - A mediocre action movie with some puzzling plotholes. Makes you scratch on your head a few times, but since
the nature of this movie isn't a deep one, you'll probably forget it soon.
While the acting is up to par, it makes the movie medium entertaining.7-.
- 25-09-01: Downloaded movie (release: A tiny bit late, quality: Tiny bit
below medium, format: 425 MB Screener DiVX , status: deleted) - Jay and
Silent Bob Strike Back - While the movie has enough very funny moments, and carry the
atmosphere of the previous Kevin Smith movies, it's not enough to keep the
hype up, nor does it make a good movie as a whole. If you're in a giggly mood,
you might find it fantastic, but the truth is, this silly movie is refined
enough to be a classic. Then again, the star-filled cast (kinda "behind
the scenes" feeling) is nice to watch.7+.
- 20-09-01: Requiem for a Dream - A more fitting title would've been "Spiral down the Drain".
An awfully depressing movie with probably simple message, stay off the drugs.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone, but if you get lost in the movie-theatre
and you get to see this movie accidentilly, you might as well stay and "enjoy"
the ride. The acting is quite good, though in the beginning, the sadness in
the mother's eye will foretell an even more sad ending. And that's an understatement.
Definitely not recommended as a late movie, you probably wouldn't get sleep
for the next day. You've been warned.7-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
14-09-01: Driven - Advantages of the movie: Estella Warren looked nice, some crashes
of the cars were visualized well and the pursuit in the city was good. Disadvantages
of the movie: Estella Warren played bad and some crashes of the cars were
overdone. The storylines were very forced, acting was louzy, plot was too
unrealistic and the movie was too long. Small detail: the idea of the team
owner being in a wheelchair is stolen from the Formula 1 where Frank Williams
(also in a wheelchair) is owner of the Williams team (duh). One of the worst
movies of the year!!! 6. (Editor's Note:
Why didn't you mention Estella Warren's bloated pumped-up ready to blow lips
?)
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
14-09-01: Final Fantasy - Fantastic computer
animation is used in this from a computer game derived movie. The hair of
the characters looks very real and (of course) all buildings, vehicles are
very good but we see these latter objects all the time in pictures nowadays.
A thing that could be enhanced is the walking of the persons. Sometimes the
movement is not smooth enough. At the end, I found it a bit boring but that
did not really spoil the evening.7˝.
- 13-09-01: Driven - A movie without the typical Renny Harlin trademark (known for
making old fashioned action movies). This movie lets down in multiple areas.
Sylvester Stallone tries a bit of drama, but fails considerably. In this movies,
action and drama just don't mix, at all. The relationships are artificial
and not convincing. The dialogue is forced. Leaves only the predictable racing
scenes. While some look nice, it just doesn't make a movie.5.
- 31-08-01: Planet of the Apes - A decent sci-fi/action flick. It lacks a deeper story, but
some characters are sufficiently filled with bits of cliches. While probably
not very similar to the original PotA (which was recieved with mixed reviews,
just like this one), it certainly has a bit of a style. All in all, nice entertainment.7+.
- 28-08-01: Final Fantasy - Jawdropping animation
with the help of over a thousand computers running for 2 years. Obviously,
the developers didn't avoid the tough parts, and pushed through with mathematically
complex and awe-inspiring effects (like perfectly realistic lighting and transperancies)
to make it all the more eye-popping beautiful. While some scenes still feature
the too smoothly robotlike walking humans, the detailed hair usually makes
it up. Coupled with a story which doesn't really explain the deeper stuff
(which doesn't matter, coz it's symbolic anyway), it's pretty much a good
movie for everyone. Another plus is the English voice-acting including the
correct lip-synch (since it's an obvious Japanese product).8.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
24-08-01: Planet of the Apes - An above average movie with a lot of monkeys...eh,
I mean apes. The story is sometimes a bit original (but that maybe due to
the fact I haven't seen other "planet of the apes" movies and/or
series) and sometimes a bit forced. But some scenes were quite nice (especially
in the beginning where the influence of Tim Burton is recognizable). So this
movie is not a hit but it suffices for some entertainment.7.
- 16-08-01: Jurassic Park 3 - There's really nothing left to look forward to in this Jurassic
Park series. The stories are non-existent. The characters are utterly annoying.
And the ending foretelling a fourth movie is toe-curling. Obviously, Steven
Spielberg is only in for the money. There's not even the slightest spark of
intelligence or creativity to be seen.The only pleasure left is watching the
really dumb characters getting eaten up.6.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
02-08-01: Evolution - This movie is about alien life that has stranded
on earth by means of a meteorite. After Dr. Ira Kane (David Duchovny) and
Dr. Harry Block (Orlando Jones) investigated the meteor, they found out that
this life evolves somewhat quicker than life on earth. And then the problem
really starts.... The movie has quite some I-already-have-seen-that-before-somewhere
effects but it is still pleasant to see. Furthermore, the characters were
not very much "evolved" and the story was also pretty much cliche
but I didn't expect something else. So it wasn't very elevating but it is
good enough for some laughs.6+.
- 19-07-01: Tomb Raider - A movie made with the help of "Screenplay
for Dummies". Stiff dialogue for all the stereotyped characters, including
the always helpful butler and the dorky computerwizard/nerd. There's no limit
to the amount of bullets too. A small country would have a terrible headache
cleaning the lead from the soil. Another minus point is for the Angelina Jolie
breast and lip fund. A fortune must have been donated to fill almost every
shot with her ready to explode pumped up lips, and her piercing boobies, obviously
targeted at the demographic of males between 12 and 16. For me, it leaves
just the nice sets and backgrounds. All my admiration for Simon West's improvement
has vanished (From a mediocre Con Air to a quite enjoyable The General's Daughter).7-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
04-07-01: Tomb Raider - An average action movie with some beautiful
shots (No, I don't mean Angelina herself). The story lacks the extra's a truly
good action movie does have: the story is quite thin as opposed to Jolie's
lips. So the game Tomb Raider might be much better than the movie. 6˝.
- 12-07-01: Downloaded movie (release: Early, quality: Below medium, format:
418 MB Screener DiVX , status: deleted) - The Fast and the Furious - Sometimes, you need a no-brainers to even out the good quality
movies. This one is of the first category. The suspense created by this movie
is not that of the story, but it's created by the expactation of something
better to come. In the end, you're left only with a speed rush from the few
racing scenes, and with a stupendous story. Coupled with bad acting and stupid
dialogue and interaction, it's a movie to be avoided.5.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
04-07-01: Pearl Harbor - I expected quite something of this movie but the reverse became
reality. The first part was boring, the attack itself was "nice"
but after that it was boring again. Some things (actually almost all of them)
were predictable, cliche etc, etc. So most of the time I have been waiting
for astonishing scenes but they didn't came.6.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
04-07-01: Shrek - A sometimes-strange-but-good-humour movie with even a good
moral in it. The interaction between Shrek and the donkey is very good. And
of course, the animations are very, very good. I'm already waiting for the
sequel.8.
- 03-07-01: Pearl Harbor - A typical American war movie that just doesn't quite make it.
That doesn't mean it's all negative. Forgiving the badly executed drama tie-in
and ignoring the hard facts, there's still the grander and more complex special
effects of that of a dozen "Titanic" all multiplied. Then there's
the overpowering score from Hans Zimmer which leaves you shivering in your
chair. And last of all, all the actors are playing very well and convincing
in their mostly badly written roles. All in all, a must-see for special effects
lover.7+.
- 28-06-01: Shrek - A nice funny movie, with all the elements of a typical fairy
tale. Beautifully animated, filled with a lot of silliness, and some spoofin'.
To top it off, there are some good voice acting.8+.
- 22-06-01: Bridget Jones' Diary - A just above mildly amusing soft comedy. The story is predictable,
and the jokes aren't refined enough. That leaves only Bridget Jones, and quite
a character she is. Just sit back and don't expect anything really special.7-.
- Submitted review by WiLdFiRe: 17-06-01:
Man on the Moon - This is a hrmm... movie. It starts with some
laughs, but the laughs is not for long. A guy "pretends" to be an
asshole in TV, and thinks that his audience likes him. But he's the only one
having fun. It's a boooring movie with good actors.2˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
14-06-01: Dracula 2000 - At first it looks like the usual blood-and-bite
story but after seeing the movie this thought is much further from the truth
than you think. Of course there are some cliches; however this does not harm
or even bore the story. Also the-always-beautiful Jeri Ryan plays a part in
this movie. So if I was Dracula I would also want to bite into this gorgeous
creature.7˝.
- 14-06-01: Dracula 2000 - Quite an original twist to the so-many times
already told Dracula story. It has a good pace, and a nice story. Starts out
like a very bland normal scream and chase movie, but the story keeps it going.
Not perfect, but still very enjoyable.8-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
11-06-01: Along Came a Spider - What a waste of money to buy a ticket for
this movie. It lacks everything a good movie must have. There are a lot of
cliches which are even not good executed. If Morgan Freeman really had read
the script then he wouldn't have agreed upon playing in this picture. The
plot of the movie (if you could call it that way) is very, very bad. So if
you really want to see a movie where you can fall asleep then this is certainly
a must-see (or rather must-sleep) movie.4˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
11-06-01: The Green Mile - A brilliant movie about a couple of prisonguards
and to death condemned persons. The story is very good with a few storylines
in it. It contains drama, humour, nice twists, spiritual things etc. The actors
play very well and Micheal Clarke Duncan does not play the part of John Coffey;
he is John Coffey!! 8˝.
- 04-06-01: Downloaded movie (release: a bit early, quality: Below medium,
format: 323 MB Screener DiVX , status: deleted) -
Valentine - Again, one of those pretty predictable, so-called, thriller-horror
movie. The bad guy is all-seeing, can move around absolutely silently, has
teleportation powers, combined with the power to be everywhere at once. This
all gets on your nerves pretty fast (not meant in a positive way).4˝.
- 28-05-01: Downloaded movie (release: tiny bit late, quality: Below medium,
format: 617 MB Screener DiVX , status: temporarely burned on CD-RW) - Finding Forrester - A somewhat predictable little drama. Slowly told, this sweet
feel-good movie is maybe wrongly compared to Gus van Sant's previous work
"Good Will Hunting", which had a total other atmosphere to it. In
the mean time, you have time to look for behind the scene facts, such as,
figure out the link between the director and Hanson, and there's a nice cameo
in it too.7˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
24-05-01: Tillsammans - This movie, which is called "Together"
in English, is about a group of people who are living together in one house.
The story is situated in Zweden somewhere in 1975. They all have a sixties
kind of lifestyle and they represent the opposite of the standard community.
Problems arise when a sister of one of the residents stays in the house for
a while with her two children because of problems with her husband. The story
is good and there is a lot of (good) humour.7˝.
- 24-05-01: Along Came a Spider - Nice thriller, where everything is just above
average. The acting, the story, the profiling part of the story. But in the
end, that's all it is, just above average.7˝.
- 17-05-01: The Mummy Returns - A very enjoyable movie if you don't set too
high expectations. There are some nice special effects, and there are terrible
ones. The copy and paste routing is also obvious. Nonetheless, the superquick
pace keeps everything going for almost 2 hours. A nice backstory harking back
at the first Mummy movie is also nice.7˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
17-05-01: The Mummy Returns - With more special effects and more action than its predecessor
this movie is quite entertaining. The story is not that great and some things
are a bit overdone (how many computercharacters can you show in one shot?)
but in total it's a fascinating movie. (Again very nice role of Oded Fehr).8-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
03-05-01: The Mexican - A long and a quite boring story about two
(ex-)lovers (played by Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt) that is mainly situated
in Mexico (well, THAT'S a surprise). There were some funny moments but it
lacks good characters, story line and drama. If Hollywood is going to produce
more of these kind of movies then the proposed actor/textwriter strike will
be a gift rather than a disaster. But to give the producers of this movie
a bit of credit, I won't be that harsh with my grade.6+.
- 03-05-01: The Mexican - A first glance might reveal an allround actioner,
a closer look will reveal a slow paced road-movie. Quite a bit of dialogue
too, which wouldn't be bad, if only it was written in a more engaging way.
Stuffed with half jokes that turn out not to be funny enough to be marked
as jokes, are among the things this movie clearly lacks. A bit of speed, is
another. While it did have some nice touches here and there (for instance,
a good backdrop story to give it extra dimension), it's just not good enough
to recommend it to anybody. Featherlight entertainment.6˝.
- 24-04-01: The Emperor's New Groove - A typical Disney animated movie, but a lot
more lighthearted than usual. Told through a narratored point of view, it
opens up a gap with lots of cheap jokes to be filled with. Still, in the end,
the fast pace will make it a very enjoyable movie.8-.
- 13-04-01: The Gift - One of those average movies. Not really bad, but not really
good either. The story has those typical twists trying to set you on the wrong
foot, but you know the ending quite fast anyway. Just a bit scary here and
there, nothing more.6˝.
- 12-04-01: Downloaded movie (release: tiny bit late, quality: Medium, format:
1.2 GB Good cam Telesync MPEG , status: deleted) -
Enemy at the Gate - One look will make it look like a typical
war movie drama. Another look, and a typical cat and mouse game will be revealed.
A seemingly tiny story built in a big story (WWII), coupled with a too long
running time, show the somewhat skew contrast that does not benefit this movie
as a whole. Add to that that you have the Germans as well as the Russians
speaking with a perfect British accent, and you have a just below average
movie.6˝.
- 10-04-01: Chocolat - A typical small village story. Nicely written, though there
is a distinct feeling the story has some gaps. Not strange, considering there's
a whole village of characters to write for. This does not interfere with the
whole experience though, good humor (good use of stereotypes) mixed with a
bit of drama. All in all, a nice small sweet movie.7˝.
- 04-04-01: Traffic - In short: a full meal plate. This movie starts with seemingly
scattered storylines and a feeling of a documentary. What follows is storytelling
told in a layered way, where you see the highest top, sublty mingled with
the lower class and the other layers that are involved. This brings a new
and very interesting perspective of storytelling. Coupled with some very solid
acting, it's a strong movie. It does not only make you think about the subject
(drugs and the effect on the world), but also delivers a subtle message. There
are some slow parts in the middle of the movie, and a few unfinished storylines,
but that does not make the impact any less.8-.
- 24-03-01: Downloaded movie (release: tiny bit late, quality: Good, format:
1.1 GB Video captured MPEG , status: burned) -
Miss Congenialty - Enjoyable typical cop going undercover comedy. Nothing really
special though.7.
- 18-03-01: Downloaded movie (release: tiny bit late, quality: below medium,
format: 610 MB Video caputered DivX , status: deleted) - Snatch - Typical british kinda comedy movie with extreme kinds of humor
and violence. Starts off a bit weird and complicated, but later, the story
becomes a bit clearer. Good for quite a few laughs, but nothing really more
than that.7+.
- 17-03-01: Memento - A puzzling (literally) movie told from a fresh perspective.
Wonderful performances will pull you into the story, and won't let you go
till far after the end. While people may think there's a bit too much of repeating
pieces in it, the force of wanting to know all the pieces of the puzzle will
keep you glued to your seat. And when you got it all figured out at the end,
you might just wanna see it again, coz that would be definitely worth it.
All in all, great storytelling.8+.
- 07-03-01: What Women Want - One of those movie where you've seen it all if you saw the
trailer. In the movie theatre, you can practically predict it step by step.
Though the idea is nice, it also creates the predictibility, and the way this
movie feels, the other aspects they're trying to mix in, don't work very well.
Still, it's mildly entertaining.7-.
- 24-02-01: Hannibal - Good scary thriller. While lacking the depth of Silence of
the Lambs, it still holds up pretty well on its own as an entertaining movie.
For instance, Julianne Moore does quite well as Agent Starling, previously
played by Jody Foster. Anthony Hopkins, of course, has no trouble playing
the gruelling ugly character of Hannibal. The few jokes lighten up the mood
a bit, but only for a few millisecs, before the gripping atmosphere glues
you back to your seat. Too bad the many facets of the characters aren't explored,
it would certainly help to eleviate my appreciation for this movie.8-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
12-02-01: Vertical Limit - This movie is absolutely a must-not-see movie.
This is partly due to the bad acting skills of some actors (especially Robin
Tunney plays very badly). Furthermore there are a lot of cliches. Also they
tried to weave quite a few stories within the total story but they failed
completely. So avoid this movie!!!!! 6-.
- 10-02-01: The Art of War - The first half hour starts off nicely. A good balance of action
and speed. Then the try to setup some kinda conspiracy, and it's still interesting.
Finally, they try to work it out. And the copying starts. The cliches all
add up. And you're left with a bad taste in your mouth.6.
- 09-02-01: Vertical Limit - This movie has many facets, but the only ones
that are easy to spot, are the bad acting parts. While the overal movie is
slightly entertaining, it's filled with so many cliches, the more intolerant
people will be irritated. The story is also written with some nice amateur
touches here and there, direct from the Screenplay for Dummies book.7-.
- 08-02-01: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Being critically acclaimed and compared to the greatness of
The Matrix, it's only marred by slightly stiff dialogue. It does however contain
the same nice balance of good storytelling and fabulous fight scenes. Differences
being the overall feeling, naturally, and the great looks of ancient China.
Nice costumes, buildings and great landscape scenes added with the lightning
fast martial arts acrobatic stunts will keep your eyes open, even if it's
dry and in need of a moisturizing blink. Thinking of the simple storyline
at the start, it ends with a full tale, being able to draw you all the way
in.9-.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
30-01-01: Snatch - Great movie which looks a bit like Pulp fiction
but the latter movie is not that dynamic and also not that funny. Sometimes
it is difficult to keep track of the different stories in the movie and what
the link is between them. The movie is very funny without boring moments.8˝.
- Submitted review by Ben Tims:
30-01-01: The Watcher - This serial killer movie with Keanu Reeves
as bad guy is a bit thin. The story is pretty predictable, the actors play
a somewhat plain character and there were no really great special effects.
Conclusion: spend your money on more interesting movies.6-.
- 25-01-01: Cast Away - With a premise that's been done many times
before, you can't expect something surprisingly good. While it's on par with
Tom Hanks usually high performance, it's nothing really special. The movie
is still able to move you though, and explores some not so standard issues
as well.8.
- 19-01-01: Unbreakable - The whole movie will give you a queasy feeling.
It has a strange atmosphere. In the end though, it all pays off. A very nice
well-rounded story that will make you think long after you've seen this movie.
While there are some slow parts, and under-lighted parts, it can't compare
to it's bigger brother, The Sixth Sense. M. Night Shyamalan still uses
his camera well, and steers the viewer's thoughts in his direction. On it's
own, it either is a damn nice movie, or proof that Samuel L. Jackson/Bruce
Willis is a winning combination, no matter what.8˝.
- 27-12-00: Meet the Parents - Nice allround funny movie. The humor is coming at you at a
very easy to digest rate. The performance is overall well above par. For most,
this movie won't be disappointing.8-.
- 12-12-00: Oh Brother, Where are Thou ? - Only suited for the reaaaally reaaally open-minded
movie-goer. Otherwise, the period slapstick style acting with fake southern
accent will get on your nerve. While the story is well-rounded with some occasional
funny bits, the overall feeling is that of utter boredom. This mere hour and
a half movie will feel like a three hour stretch-and-yawn-to-fight-sleep-exercise.6-.
- 07-12-00: Charlie's Angels - Nice fast paced action-er that runs you over like a train.
A fresh perspective from former videoclips director McG, combines marvelous
and exciting shots, non-stop action, good humor, a nice though-out and fitting
soundtrack listing and score, and fairly nice story. The girls obviously have
fun, and this makes a nice lighthearted mix. Throw in some nice guest-stars
and cameos as an extra (plus a nice added footage at the end), and you have
yourself an superbly entertaining movie throughout. Forget the copying of
the Matrix (like 50% of the current movies do), focus on the well-balanced
mix of 70-ties/current style, and it's a well-deserved (100+ million) blockbuster.9-.
- 28-11-00: Shaft - Starting off with with a pace, you'll notice the style is fast
action and short dialogue. No deep insight of the characters, and a simple
story too. All that's left is the tension of waiting for the next bad 'tude
move. Which is just enough to keep this movie, which feels more like a long
TV episode, entertaining enough.7+.
- 09-11-00: Rules of Engagement - This movie has a disappointing feeling to it, as the story
is told and filmed in a somewhat mellow, distant and detached way. It has
no feeling to it, so the viewer will not connect to the characters. Walking
the thin line of interpreting the rules of engagement, it can be the source
of interesting stories with a twist. This one has neither heart nor a brilliant
in-depth story. All that's left is a very standard no surprise movie, only
for the lovers of good acting, of which isn't to be found here a lot either.6˝.
- 31-10-00: The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
- A simple rehash of the first Nutty Professor
movie. Trying to tell the story too fast, and including problems from the
other Klumps members, it lost the humanity that made original so much better.
The story was too fragmented, the jokes too gross and not so subtle, and adding
a mediocre actress as Janet Jackson to the cast isn't really a smart move
unless you're more focussed on selling the soundtrack instead of the movie.
Being so predictable from the start on, even the usual constant bickering
between the Klumps isn't enjoyable anymore.6-.
- 26-10-00: What Lies Beneath - Getting your hopes up for a masterful combination of award
winning director Robert Zemeckis, teaming with established performers like
Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer is as easy as realising you can only be
let down. Please don't read on, as the following crushing review probably
spoils any chance of still enjoying the movie. First disappointment, cliches
cliches cliches. Second disappointment, lousy performances. Third, the story,
with plot turns so predictable, you won't even notice them. Still not convinced
? While the out-of-character humor in the first half of the movie is refreshing,
the all-annoying parts of a cliche movie will simple create a feeling the
producers targeted only the most foolish of the possible audience. The all
too familiar stab the enemy at least 35 times before it's over is in here,
as well as the enemy getting up and going after the victim after stab 46.
A real letdown if you expect some character driven movie directed in a smart
way, because the only thing revealing an experieced director behinde the camera
are the fancy camera moves and angles that are not sufficient enough to carry
a movie.5+.
- 01-10-00: X-Men - This movie didn't lose too much from its comic-book-to-movie-conversion,
though the real fan might find some changes bugging the hell out of them.
While the comics had a wealth of deep, complex, well-written characters, it's
just too huge to put that all on film. Only a few characters get screen time,
while the rest remain plain action figures. The real fan doesn't need any
setup, but for the average viewer, the characters, and their motivation might
be lost on them. From an overall viewpoint, this movie has everything going
for it. A nice story, which transfers the underlying thought that started
the X-Men quite well. Also good acting, stylish action sequences and set design,
enhanced by some subtle visual effects.8˝.
- 28-09-00: U-571 - Very very very loosely based on some true
occurences during WWII, this movie has a driving force, being one of those
usual cat-mouse movies, but also has too many silent waiting moments. The
characters and dialogue are what they're to be expected, as is the resulting
feeling of this whole movie. Shallow.7-.
- 22-09-00: Downloaded movie (release: late, quality: Good, format: 715 MB
DivX DVD rip, status: deleted) - Three to Tango - While the story seems to advance at an acceptable rate, the
overall feeling is still a let-down. Lacklustre perfomances don't do the somewhat
boring and predictable story justice.5+.
- 17-09-00: The Perfect Storm - Very loosely (probably) based on a real story,
this movie will soak you in, despite the simple story. The formidable visual
effects, coupled with a dramatic score by James Horner and some good acting
performances, it even comes close to a tear jerker now and then.8-.
- 16-09-00: Downloaded movie (release: late, quality: Medium, format: 2xVCD
Screener, status: deleted) - Scream 3 - While it partially
does it tagline due (forget the rules), it uses some of the same cliches as
the previous Scream movies. Including several "let's split up, so we
can be killed more easily", the killer knows secret information he shouldn't
know in the first place, and the multiple suggestive scenes trying to set
us up. It only works half, if you don't mind the standard format, and accept
it for what it really is (the same).7-.
- 15-09-00: Downloaded movie (release: very late, quality: Below Medium, format:
340 MB Screener, status: deleted) - The Thirteenth Floor - A fairly smart story, coupled with some average depth, characters,
plot turns and acting, make this whole just above average.7+.
- 14-09-00: Big Momma's House - Clearly a movie with a screenplay that's been
made up of "funny" scenes all glued together in a not so professional
way. This leads to exagerrated scenes where only the cliches are clearly noticable,
leaving the rest, drama, story and such, totally unrealistic in any way. This
is a really empty movie where only the most drunken people can laugh about.4˝.
- 09-09-00: Downloaded movie (release: early, quality: Below Medium, format:
380 MB Screener, status: deleted) - The Cell - One of those
few movies where you get mad from the start, feeling you've been robbed of
your money (even though I just downloaded it, imagine how furious I would've
been if I actually paid to see it). The psycho-babble stuff is pretentious,
and doesn't really come off the ground. Supposedly to give it a quasi-intelligent
twist, you only get some weird MTV styled scenes, badly cut and edited, coupled
with some boring acting performances and dull characters. All in all, what
should've been an intelligent story with depth, leaves you behind with an
absolutely empty feeling.3.
- Early submission by Ben Tims:
25-08-00: X-Men - If you've followed the comics or the animation
series with much enjoy, you have to see this movie. In my opinion the storystyle
of the movie is rather similar to them. And the special effects are great.
Although I should have seen the movie on a much wider screen (I probably will
do that in the near future), it had a great impact on me. For real X-Men fans
the film is a bit short though. I don't know how long the movie takes, but
for me it was too short (And I am not even a huge fan). If you want to see
a movie with well developed characters then don't go see this movie. (Go to
some Kevin Spacey movie instead). 8.
- 27-08-00: Hollow Man - A well directed Paul Verhoeven movie to be
proud of. While the story is pretty simple, the special effects are stunning.
Character-wise, there's not much of it, but as usual, Kevin Bacon gives it
that extra edge.8-.
- 27-08-00: Downloaded movie (release: early, quality: Bad, format: 360 MB
Telesync, status: deleted) - Loser - On one side, you
have this sweet love story, put in a standard format. On the other side you
have boredom and annoyance. The gullibility of the loser is downright pathetic,
and races past the sympathetic feelings you should have all the way to deep
annoyance for the dumbness. Of course, without this, you wouldn't have a loser
character, but this is a bit too much. Both sides added, you're left with
very little entertainment.5.
Some of
the best movies of the previous years