Dell's Good, Bad & Ugly Movie Reviews

[Nukleopatra]

yea I forgot about The Bank Job, but The Itialian Job doesnt count ebcause he wasnt a main character and wasnt required to really do anything.

That 's what Jason is best at. Not actually doing anything.

And Friday The 13th wasn't even good for the first 30 seconds.

Just my .02

 

[NAHSTE]

D9 > Basterds so don't worry about that. Go ahead and see the District.

 

[Esjay]

Dell this is easily a top 5 thread on VSN. I hope you keep this up for as long as I visit the site. Keep up the good work man.

 

[dell71]

Dell this is easily a top 5 thread on VSN. I hope you keep this up for as long as I visit the site. Keep up the good work man.

I can't give you enough "thanks" for this.

 

[dell71]

SHIT!!!

So I checked the internet last night for District 9 Showtimes. Of course, most of the theaters in the area have all the showings within 10 minutes of each other and they were all either too early or too late except one theater that had a 1:40 showing. I knew I had to be at a client's house at 12:30 but it was only going to be a 10 or 15 min appointment. This way I could high-tail it over to the theater & make to my seat just as the previews were starting.

Everything goes according to plan and I pull up to the theater at 1:35. However, when I stroll up to the box office I notice there is no 1:40 showing of District 9. They switched it to 1:10, like all of the other theaters so they could squeeze in the new Final Destination. The only thing starting between 1:40 and 3:00 was G.I. Joe, which I passed on (I'll either catch at the $1.50 theater in a month or wait for it to hit DVD).

Oh well, I might have some time Sunday morning or maybe try again next Friday.

BTW, matinee tickets at this theater is $7. Is it just me, or is that high? I'm used to paying about $5.50 for matinee.

Anyhoo, on to another review in my next post...

 

[nflman2033]

I gotta a recommendation for you, I know everyone raves about Mickey Rourke in the Wrestler, but his best performance of alltime is in a movie called Barfly, fantastic job, good film, if it had been made in the 90's or 00's it would have gotten a best screenplay nomination as the writing is fantastic, however the academy in the 80's didn't give a lot to more independent films. however sadly good luck ever finding the movie i had to buy a bootleg version online

 

[dell71]

10,000 BC
2008. Rated PG-13, 109 minutes.
Director: Roland Emmerich.
Starring Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis, Joel Virgel.

Plot: After a number of his people, including his sweetheart Evolet (the very pretty Camilla Belle), have been rounded up and hauled off by "the four-legged demons," D'Leh (Strait) and a few of his remaining tribesman set out to rescue them.

The Good: It was played with a straight face. There wasn't a hint of intended camp or satire anywhere. That's an amazing feat considering the vivid display of retardation splattered all over the screen. Other than that, it occasionally gives us some nice visuals.

The Bad: I could write a rather lengthy book on what's wrong with this movie if I hated myself enough to take on such a project. Its biggest sin is its too dull to make it "so bad its awesome." This just makes it painful to watch. In those enjoyably awful movies bad cgi adds to the fun. Here, it makes your eyes bleed. Some of it is good but inexplicably bizarre: giant ostriches, wooly mammoths in desert climates and a saber tooth tiger as big as a Chevy Suburban. To say it displays little knowledge of pre-historic creatures would be giving it a compliment. The storytelling is mostly incoherent. And I haven't even mentioned that the whole thing is derivative of the far superior Apocalypto.

The Ugly: If I could've seen the narrator, I would've shot him.

Recommendation: Watch Apocalypto. If you don't like it, please understand that this is still far worse. This may actually induce sudden heart failure. Well, maybe not, but I'm trying to discourage you.

The Opposite View: Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

What the Internet Says: 4.9/10 on imdb.com (8/28/09), 9% on rottentomatoes.com, 34/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 0/10

 

[Buzzman]

O shit, is that your 1st zero?

Also Rourke is good in Killshot. Its amazing how huge and changed he got thoguh if you watch that movie and ten watch a movie like Domino(which I also loved)

 

[young2rice]

The only good thing about 10,000 BC was the main chicks blue eyes.....and those were probably CGI-enhanced too.

 

[dell71]

O shit, is that your 1st zero?

1st on VSN. In the past, I've given 0s to Who's Your Caddy?, Bratz (the live-action one) and a movie titled 30 Miles. That last one is really the most boring movie I've ever laid eyes on.

 

[calgaryballer]

SHIT!!!

So I checked the internet last night for District 9 Showtimes. Of course, most of the theaters in the area have all the showings within 10 minutes of each other and they were all either too early or too late except one theater that had a 1:40 showing. I knew I had to be at a client's house at 12:30 but it was only going to be a 10 or 15 min appointment. This way I could high-tail it over to the theater & make to my seat just as the previews were starting.

Everything goes according to plan and I pull up to the theater at 1:35. However, when I stroll up to the box office I notice there is no 1:40 showing of District 9. They switched it to 1:10, like all of the other theaters so they could squeeze in the new Final Destination. The only thing starting between 1:40 and 3:00 was G.I. Joe, which I passed on (I'll either catch at the $1.50 theater in a month or wait for it to hit DVD).

Oh well, I might have some time Sunday morning or maybe try again next Friday.

BTW, matinee tickets at this theater is $7. Is it just me, or is that high? I'm used to paying about $5.50 for matinee.

Anyhoo, on to another review in my next post...

Your lucky you still have matinee prices. Here it's $12.50 all the time. If you go to the art house theatres, you pay $9 ($7.50 if your a 'student' like I am). Its pretty fucking expensive

 

[Fox1994]

1st on VSN. In the past, I've given 0s to Who's Your Caddy?, Bratz (the live-action one) and a movie titled 30 Miles. That last one is really the most boring movie I've ever laid eyes on.

See Space Odyssey. It'll change your life. Despite it being the most boring film ever, somehow lots of film and sci-fi fans enjoy it. Also, after you've seen it you'll understand where movies like I, Robot, The Matrix, and Eagle Eye come from.

Also, I like how you avoided the minstrel show that was the twins in Transformers 2. That really made me upset. They had their funny moments, but it makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with Michael Bay.

I expect Scorsese and Ford Coppola to sneak ****** into their gangster films, but I can't understand the motive for the minstrel show. Not to mention killing the only black Autobot in the first one (Jazz got ripped apart). It's probably not on purpose. Quite possible I'm just paranoid.

Anywho, keep up the great work. I look forward to reading more of these. Not at all interested in D9, personally, but I'm very interested in Inglorious Basterds, in case you want my vote.

 

[young2rice]

I think district 9 has been my favorite movie that I've seen this summer. The only single party I wasn't so thrilled about was at the VVVEEERRRY end it starts to get a little predictable/cliche in the whole "root for the guy to succeed in his goal." fashion.

 

[dell71]

See Space Odyssey. It'll change your life. Despite it being the most boring film ever, somehow lots of film and sci-fi fans enjoy it. Also, after you've seen it you'll understand where movies like I, Robot, The Matrix, and Eagle Eye come from.

Noted. I'll add it to my queue.

Also, I like how you avoided the minstrel show that was the twins in Transformers 2. That really made me upset. They had their funny moments, but it makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with Michael Bay.

I expect Scorsese and Ford Coppola to sneak ****** into their gangster films, but I can't understand the motive for the minstrel show. Not to mention killing the only black Autobot in the first one (Jazz got ripped apart). It's probably not on purpose. Quite possible I'm just paranoid.

Yeah, if I started down that path I would've blown a fuse.

Anywho, keep up the great work. I look forward to reading more of these. Not at all interested in D9, personally, but I'm very interested in Inglorious Basterds, in case you want my vote.

Thanx.

 

[strahanfan92]

Yeah Jason Statham is good when he is not in a full-blown action role like Crank, instead The BJ and IJ are roles I like to see him in.

 

[Buzzman]

My cinema real cheap $4 before 12 pm, 6.50 between 12-4, $4.50 between 4-6 and $9 after 6. I always go in the morning.

 

[dell71]

My cinema real cheap $4 before 12 pm, 6.50 between 12-4, $4.50 between 4-6 and $9 after 6. I always go in the morning.

Lucky you.

 

[dell71]

The Soloist
2009. Ratd PG-13, 117 minutes.
Director: Joe Wright.
Starring Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Nelsan Ellis.

Plot: Reporter Steve Lopez (Downey Jr.) stumbles across Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), a homeless and mentally ill man who happens to be a former Julliard student, while searching for his next great story. Bromance ensues. Based on a true story.

The Good: It's a tender story that plucks at your heartstrings, just as Nathaniel plucks away at the strings of the instruments he plays, and wants you to shed a tear or two. To help it accomplish this, we get excellent work from Downey Jr. and Foxx. The interaction between the two feels genuine, ably portraying a caring but highly volatile situation. The movie moves along at a good pace and nicely incorporates flashbacks, adding texture to Mr. Ayers.

The Bad: While the flashbacks are interesting, they provide little in the way of either the cause or inheritance of Nathaniel's instability. Maybe there was neither, but even that could've been made clearer. Also, the matter of Steve's relationship, or lack thereof, with his college aged son is just kinda dropped. Finally, its very reminiscent of 2007's Resurrecting the Champ in which Josh Hartnett starred as a reporter who befriended a homeless ex-boxing champ played by Samuel L. Jackson. I'd say this is a little better but still very similar.

The Ugly: How many times have I said "Nothing good can come of trying to answer your cell phone while giving a urine sample?"

Recommendation: This is a very nice watch for those of us who enjoy these types of movies. If you saw Resurrecting the Champ or Reign Over Me (with Don Cheadle as the "normal" do-gooder and Adam Sandler as his rich but extremely unstable buddy), use your opinions of those as a guide. Downey and Foxx may have been doing a bit of Oscar baiting, as well. Honestly, I think they both did very well but neither quite that good.

The Opposite View: Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

What the Internet Says: 6.9/10 on imdb.com (8/30/09), 55% on rottentomatoes.com, 61/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 7.5/10

 

[Fox1994]

The Ugly: How many times have I said "Nothing good can come of trying to answer your cell phone while giving a urine sample?"

lol. I didn't see all of the movie, but I saw most of it... and that was a pretty funny scene.

Also, before you see Space Odyssey, it's important you know I only saw it because my teacher showed it in my film class in the Sci-Fi unit. It also gets a littel [acid] trippy toward the end and there's no talking for the first I think 15 or 25 minutes.

It's probably a great movie if you're high, but it's most important legacy is that every 'robots take over the world' movie after it, except maybe The Terminator, has stolen near the whole plot from it.

 

You saw Eagle Eye, and let me tell you, when I saw the evil robot eye at the end I was like "that looks just like HAL-9000 from Space Odsysey."

 

[calgaryballer]

I've been confused as to which movie you were referring too. Now I realize you are talking about 2001. I guess we just call it different things