Dell's Good, Bad & Ugly Movie Reviews

[dell71]

I'll have to watch Rachael getting married.

Have you ever seen SUnshine, it came out 2-3 years ago. Movie was a badass sci fi movie that i dont understand how it went under the radar.

Yes, I did see Sunshine. Sorry to say I was disappointed. I thought was really good with the potential to be great right up until...well...here's how I originally reviewed it:

Sunshine
2007. Rated PG-13, 107 minutes.
Director: Danny Boyle. Starring Cilian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh.
Fifty years into the future the great sustainer of life, the sun, has started dying. Eight scientists/astronauts are on their way to the fading star with a giant nuclear bomb strapped to their ship, the ominously named Icarus II. They hope to release the bomb into the sun, then detonate it in hopes of reigniting it and save mankind from freezing to death. We learn that seven years earlier the same thing was attempted by a crew aboard what else? The Icarus I. No one involved was ever heard from until our heroes pick up their distress signal. There are decisions to make, tempers to calm, emergencies to quell and consequences to deal with. All of this is handled well as the opposing forces of selfishness and selflessness. In the bigger picture, there’s also man’s will to survive vs. God’s plan. However, if you’re paying attention and have seen the Ridley Scott classic you’ll notice a number of references to Alien. It feels like a nice homage at first. I was hoping it was just that and not a sign of things to come. After all, the tension from such and inherently dangerous and important mission is more than enough to carry the movie. Alas, directory Danny Boyle can’t control himself and we find ourselves suddenly thrust into a very weird space-monster movie. Lame. SCORE: 5/10

 

[Buzzman]

yea, from what ive read from others, you either love or hate the last third of the movie.

 

[dell71]

Doubt
2008. Rated PG-13, 103 minutes.
Director: John Patrick Shanley. Starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis.

Plot: Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep), the principal at Saint Nichols, suspects wrong-doing when she learns that Father Flynn (Hoffman) has taken an interest in one of the altar boys.

The Good: The suspense mounts nicely as our nun and priest engage in an intriguing game of cat and mouse. To carry this out, you couldn't ask for a better pair of actors than Streep and Hoffman. They're both outstanding as are Amy Adams as Sister James and Viola Davis in a disturbing turn as the boy's mother. The dialogue is top notch and the pacing is exceptional. It starts lazily and builds momentum as the tension rises.

The Bad: The very last words Sister Aloysius speaks absolutely sink the ship for me. She invokes the movie's title but it feels like they cheated me and tagged those lines on much to the detriment of the rest of the film. From my viewpoint, there's just no way that character even thinks those words given the events that just occurred. To make that final scene ring true, we should've been given some reason for them or perhaps explicitly changed exactly what that last sentence refers to. As is, it feels like someone wrote themselves into a corner trying to set us up for that line and instead of writing their way out, just gave us the line anyway. Normally, a singlular moment wouldn't have that negative an impact on my opinion of a movie but in this case, that line appears to be the whole point of the movie. Therefore, royally botching the point you're trying to make is a failure.

The Ugly: "It's only till June." Taken within the context of the movie that is an extremely chilling line.

Recommendation: This is a hard movie for me to grade. For most of the runtime its thoroughly engaging and enjoyable. The performances are wonderful and the story is easy to get caught up in. Every year, there's a movie that gets all sorts of Oscar buzz yet disappoints me. The ridiculously contrived ending makes Doubt that movie for 2008. That said, I still encourage people to see it because if the ending works for you, you'll likely feel its one of the better movies of the year.

The Opposite View: James Berardinelli, ReelViews

What the Internet Says: 7.8/10 on imdb.com (6/19/09), 78% on rottentomatoes.com, 68/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 5.5/10

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

MY SCORE OF DELL'S SCORE OF DOUBT: 0/10

It was a really good film.

 

[NAHSTE]

MY SCORE OF DELL'S SCORE OF DOUBT: 0/10

It was a really good film.

Whether you agreed with the score or not, the review was solid. It is a good film but a bit of the message is lost at some point.

 

[Ralnakor]

Dell, I shall be sitting down and watching Santa's Slay tomorrow night. If you need, I can get you a link for where you can get it. I seriously think you'll love that movie and am anxious to see your response to it.

 

[dell71]

MY SCORE OF DELL'S SCORE OF DOUBT: 0/10

It was a really good film.

This is why I was very careful to say that if your reaction to the way it wraps up is different from mine, you'd likely think it was one of the best movies of '08.

Whether you agreed with the score or not, the review was solid. It is a good film but a bit of the message is lost at some point.

Thanx.

Dell, I shall be sitting down and watching Santa's Slay tomorrow night. If you need, I can get you a link for where you can get it. I seriously think you'll love that movie and am anxious to see your response to it.

I'd appreciate that.

 

[Ralnakor]

I'd appreciate that.

http://www.amazon.com/Santas-Slay-B...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1245479334&sr=8-1

You can get it used on there as low as like $3 (plus shipping of course) or new from like $8.

 

[dell71]

Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail
2009. Rated PG-13, 103 minutes.
Director: Tyler Perry. Starring Tyler Perry, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Derek Luke, David Mann.

Plot: The law finally catches up to Madea (Perry). Meanwhile, young lawyer Joshua (Luke) tries to help Candace (Knight Pulliam), an old friend of his get off the street.

The Good: As far as Tyler Perry movies are concerned, this is pretty much par for the course. Madea continually spouts off and does outlandish things, some of which are quite funny. His particular brand of urbanized Christianity provides a familiar base for the movie as a whole and works well as a set up for many of the jokes and the inevitable warm and fuzzy ending. If that’s a spoiler for you, then you’ve obviously never seen a Tyler Perry movie.

The Bad: As far as Tyler Perry movies are concerned, this is pretty much par for the course. Madea continually spouts off and does outlandish things, many of which are just silly and not in a good way. His particular brand of urbanized Christianity is uneven and holds no surprises as it relentlessly drives us toward the inevitable warm and fuzzy ending. Worse even, the story is sloppily written; details about characters change depending on who’s talking. In short, its more of the same from Mr. Perry.

The Ugly: The job interview.

Recommendation: As usual, if you’re a Tyler Perry fan this is a must-see. It delivers exactly what you’ve come to expect from his work. If you’re not a fan of his, this won’t change your mind. It delivers exactly what you’ve come to expect from his work.

The Opposite View: Sam Adams, Chicago Tribune

What the Internet Says: 3.0/10 on imdb.com, 26% on rottentomatoes.com, 50/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 5/10

 

[dell71]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
2009. Rated PG-13, 150 minutes.
Director: Michael Bay. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro.

Plot: An ancient Decepticon known as “The Fallen” returns to Earth to destroy blah blah blah to gain ultimate blah blah blah moowahahahaha (evil laugh). Robot fighting, screaming and anatomy jokes ensue.

The Good: Director Michael Bay knows that the majority of people attending a Transformers movie want to see giant robots beating the crap out of each other so he gives us more of it than the original. Since he also knows that most of these people are boys, no matter what age, he throws in pretty girls, off-color jokes and slow motion, lots of slow motion. Most of it features either a robot being ripped apart or Megan Fox running “Baywatch” style. And living up to its name, nearly everything transforms. Like its predecessor, it’s a visual spectacle.

The Bad: Like numerous other sequels, this suffers from “more is less” syndrome. The action and silly jokes increase exponentially from what was in the original, yet the things that might make it engaging are far flimsier and much less coherent. Its simply two and a half hours of flashing lights and noise. Therefore, we never really care if what’s-his-face activates the thingamajig with the whatchamacallit. Even worse, if your main focus is robot fighting then the robots should be easier to tell apart. This isn’t that big a problem for the Autobots who are pretty much color coded. However, almost all the Decepticons of any significance are plain chrome and blend together in combat. Shallow as it seems, I’d like to know which bad guys are actually fighting. And don’t even get me started on the two jive-talkin’ bots.

The Ugly: Two words: robot scrotum.

Recommendation: You probably already know if you want to see this or not. If you’re not sure, see the first one first with a surround sound system cranked up pretty good, if possible. After that, imagine it bigger, louder and dumber.

The Opposite View: Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle

What the Internet Says: 6.8/10 on imdb.com (6/28/09), 20% on rottentomatoes.com, 36/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 4/10


EDIT: The more I think about it, the dumber it gets...dropped it a point.

 

[dell71]

Monsters vs. Aliens
2009. Rated PG, 94 minutes.
Directors: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett.

Plot: On her wedding day, Susan (Witherspoon) is hit by a meteorite and transformed into a giant and gets put into captivity with several other monsters. In exchange for their freedom, the monsters agree to fight the aliens who have landed here on Earth.

The Good: The humor works on two levels. First, a number of things are simply funny as stand alone jokes and gags. Second, and this is a bonus for parents and even grandparents, there are lots of references to old sci-fi classics (and one hilarious ode to Beverly Hills Cop). We also get big fun from the action scenes that are spaced perfectly to maintain a nice flow to the movie. All of this is rendered beautifully in a style reminiscent of The Incredibles.

The Bad: It needs more actual aliens. This could’ve just as easily been called Monsters vs. Alien. Even though it works just fine, I can’t help but feel shortchanged out of more potentially interesting villains. There could also have been more screen time for Gen. W.R. Monger (Keifer Sutherland) and Susan’s fiancé Derek (Paul Rudd). However, having any of these things might draw out the runtime and screw up the pacing that is such a big asset.

The Ugly: B.O.B. (Rogen) eating.

Recommendation: This is a very fun family film that “gets it.” It makes us laugh, gives us lots of action, looks good, doesn’t get overly pretentious with its message and barely passes the 90 minute mark. If you’ve gotta go with a PG movie, this is a really nice option.

The Opposite View: Bob Mondello, NPR

What the Internet Says: 7.0/10 on imdb.com (6/29/09), 72% on rottentomatoes.com, 56/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 7.5/10

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
2009. Rated PG-13, 150 minutes.
Director: Michael Bay. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro.

Plot: An ancient Decepticon known as “The Fallen” returns to Earth to destroy blah blah blah to gain ultimate blah blah blah moowahahahaha (evil laugh). Robot fighting, screaming and anatomy jokes ensue.

The Good: Director Michael Bay knows that the majority of people attending a Transformers movie want to see giant robots beating the crap out of each other so he gives us more of it than the original. Since he also knows that most of these people are boys, no matter what age, he throws in pretty girls, off-color jokes and slow motion, lots of slow motion. Most of it features either a robot being ripped apart or Megan Fox running “Baywatch” style. And living up to its name, nearly everything transforms. Like its predecessor, it’s a visual spectacle.

The Bad: Like numerous other sequels, this suffers from “more is less” syndrome. The action and silly jokes increase exponentially from what was in the original, yet the things that might make it engaging are far flimsier and much less coherent. Its simply two and a half hours of flashing lights and noise. Therefore, we never really care if what’s-his-face activates the thingamajig with the whatchamacallit. Even worse, if your main focus is robot fighting then the robots should be easier to tell apart. This isn’t that big a problem for the Autobots who are pretty much color coded. However, almost all the Decepticons of any significance are plain chrome and blend together in combat. Shallow as it seems, I’d like to know which bad guys are actually fighting. And don’t even get me started on the two jive-talkin’ bots.

The Ugly: Two words: robot scrotum.

Recommendation: You probably already know if you want to see this or not. If you’re not sure, see the first one first with a surround sound system cranked up pretty good, if possible. After that, imagine it bigger, louder and dumber.

The Opposite View: Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle

What the Internet Says: 6.8/10 on imdb.com (6/28/09), 20% on rottentomatoes.com, 36/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 5/10

Tough to put into words how bad this movie sucked.

Sorry to hear that one of the very few dell trips to the movies was this piece of shit.

 

[dell71]

Tough to put into words how bad this movie sucked.

Sorry to hear that one of the very few dell trips to the movies was this piece of shit.

Thanx but it wasn't all bad, my son enjoyed it immensely. He told me it was his "new favorite movie ever."

:confused2:

Hey, the kid just turned 12 so I'll let that slide...and we also went & saw Monsters vs Aliens on the same day.


And I'm hoping to get to a theater for Public Enemies.

 

[Rylo]

I had a feeling Monsters vs Aliens was going to be a good movie and that review did it for me. Excellent.

 

[red33]

I loved sunshine. The analogy for faith VS science was great. I rarely like sci fi but that ended up being one of the best ones ive seen.

Hey Dell have you seen hurt locker yet? Im not sure its out or anything but i saw it on the internet, DVD quality, and it seemed ok. The reviews were saying perfect movie and all tht jazz but i cant see how its better then any other war movie really.

 

[dell71]

I loved sunshine. The analogy for faith VS science was great. I rarely like sci fi but that ended up being one of the best ones ive seen.

Hey Dell have you seen hurt locker yet? Im not sure its out or anything but i saw it on the internet, DVD quality, and it seemed ok. The reviews were saying perfect movie and all tht jazz but i cant see how its better then any other war movie really.

Glad you enjoyed Sunshine...like I said I was with it until the rather jarring change of gears...moving on...

Haven't seen Hurt Locker but have heard nothing but good things about it. I watch it when I get a chance.

 

[Ralnakor]

Nice, I was hopeful Monsters vs Aliens was going to turn out well. I love the animated movies both Dreamworks and Pixar put out. It's rare they've missed the ball on their movies.

Also, Dell, any luck on Santa's Slay? Still one of my favorite "bad" movies of all time. There's one line on the hockey rink by the girlfriend that's absolutely classic and I laugh my ass off every time I hear it.

 

[dave]

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
2009. Rated PG-13, 150 minutes.
Director: Michael Bay. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro.

The first one was ok, nothing special.
The second one sounds awful. I will watch it when it hits my movie channel.

 

[dell71]

Nice, I was hopeful Monsters vs Aliens was going to turn out well. I love the animated movies both Dreamworks and Pixar put out. It's rare they've missed the ball on their movies.

Also, Dell, any luck on Santa's Slay? Still one of my favorite "bad" movies of all time. There's one line on the hockey rink by the girlfriend that's absolutely classic and I laugh my ass off every time I hear it.

Haven't forgotten it, just haven't had a chance to watch it yet.

 

[dell71]

Synecdoche, New York
2008. Rated R, 124 minutes.
Director: Charlie Kaufman.
Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener.

Plot: Caden (Hoffman) is a theater director who’s life is quite literally falling apart. After winning a prestigious grant he sets out to create the play of all plays using what eventually becomes a life-sized model of New York.

The Good: Director/writer Kaufman is also the man who wrote Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and this is similarly odd in execution. We also get treated to another great performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. However, I must admit I’m a big fan of his. I’d probably enjoy him reading the phone book. Michelle Williams also does an excellent job as Caden’s second wife Claire, as does Tom Noonan as Sam, who gets hired to play Caden in the play. Oh, and kudos to Kaufman for using women in his cast that look like, well, real women.

The Bad: Metaphor upon metaphor upon metaphor upon…you get the idea. What the directors (both the real one and his fictional counterpart) are trying to do is fairly simple but the method is ridiculously convoluted. Any tangible ideas are buried beneath mounds of symbolism. It’s a classic example of why great writers shouldn’t necessarily direct their own screenplays. With no one to rein him in, it seems he took every “deep” idea that he had and threw it up on the screen. To top it all off, he completely failed with all those “real” looking women. The very basic question is why on Earth would seeming every woman he comes into contact with, except first wife Adele (Keener), be madly in love with or be sexually attracted to this guy? Not only is he coming apart at the seams both physically and emotionally but everyone can plainly see that he is. He doesn’t exactly ooze sex appeal and is, in fact, rather repulsive.

The Ugly: I’m going to need someone smarter than me to explain the constant fire in Hazel’s (Morton) house.

Recommendation: Fans of the aforementioned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind should give this a look. The truth is, even though I’m a big fan of both those movies maybe I just didn’t get this one. You might, and hail it a great artistic achievement. For the rest of us, not so much. It’s definitely original and quirky but often frustrating to watch.

The Opposite View: Dave Calhoun, Time Out London

What the Internet Says: 7.5/10 on imdb.com (7/01/09), 67% on rottentomatoes.com, 67/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 5.5/10