DVD : 2/5 Rating : Paper Clips

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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Miramax)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
just finished watching this... the theme / idea is a great one. the way it was directed / edited is total crap. the first 5 minutes were so aweful i almost turned it off - but i heard good things about it so i powered through it... it got better.

again - the story, the people everything about the movie is great except for the way it was shot, edited and the good aweful soundtrack. i would give it a higher rating if not for those items i mentioned.

the project happened from 1998 - 2001.

here's what amazon.com had to say bout it : Whitwell Middle School in rural Tennessee is the setting for this documentary about an extraordinary experiment in Holocaust education. Struggling to grasp the concept of six-million Holocaust victims, the students decide to collect six-million paper clips to better understand the extent of this crime against humanity. The film details how the students met Holocaust survivors from around the world and how the experience transformed them and their community.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Paradise Now

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Trailer (apple.com)
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Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
just finished watching this movie... it's a hard movie to watch but very well done. the overall plot is about two Palestinian childhood friends who are recruited for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

with that stated the movie does a great job of showing various sides / aspects of this. how there are handlers who handles these two, how there is the figure head which everyone looks up to - how life in Palestine is and what it must be like for the people who live there.

i also enjoyed the movie in that it wasn't just one sided - how they tried to show how hard it is for these two young men to come to this decision - what the arguement is for them to live. their family, loved ones, those who care for them. it's very well done - i can now see why this movie was the first Palestinian film to be nominated for an Academy Award.

with that stated let me say i know very little about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, but what i got from this movie is that it's a very complex thing which effects individuals, families and not just it's governments.

highly recommended.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Brick

LINKS :
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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Focus)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
Watched this movie last week, it’s an interesting concept with a great story. The movies a cross from film-noir and high school. It’s gritty but everything is placed in a high school setting which throws you off.

The language that is used seems very gritty - but they play it off as if it’s just the lingo that these high school kids use, plus it’s interesting how all the various characters and places are matched with things that a high school student would associate with. For example - a kid’s parents kitchen is like a bar, except his mom serves up milk and juice instead of gin and juice. The Vice Principle or ‘VP’ is like the police chief of a gritty town.

It’s interesting - it throws you off a bit, but the overall story is a good one. If you like mystery, if you like indie then this would be a great movie for you.

DVD : 0/5 Rating : Game 6

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Official Website
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
tried watching this the other day... got about :10 minutes into it and had to stop - it was that aweful.

if someone was actually able to finish this movie and thought it was good - do let me know.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Ushpizin

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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Picture House)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
just finished watching this movie - it's a drama that'll make you feel good. the story revolves around a jewish holiday of 'Succoth' which is celebrated for 7 days in a 'sukkot' or a temporary shack of both deprivation and hospitality.

the story follows a couple who are broke. they pray for a miracle - which comes with unexpected guests. the term 'Ushpizin' observe the custom of inviting seven spiritual "guests" to their sukkot, needless to say the couple can not turn their unexpected guests away.

what follows is a wonderful story of prayer, faith, kindness and generosity. the kindness shown in this movie is amazing - i would love to be a part of a community like the one depicted in this movie.

great story - feel good movie. it's also a wonderful insight into a culture / holiday.

THEATER : 2/5 Rating : Talladega Nights The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

LINKS :
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Trailer (apple.com)
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Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
saw this movie with my dad today - had pretty high hopes considering peeps on bluedot seemed to have enjoyed it + the overall rating on rottentomatoes.com was pretty good.

watched the movie and found it was.... eh. there were funny moments - but that's what it was, just funny moments with random stuff put in between. i'm getting to the point were i'm starting to believe that all of will ferrell's movies are movies of funny moments.

my personal recommendation would be if you're looking for some chuckles this is an option - but i'd say a rent option.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Throne of Blood

LINKS :
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Trailer (videodetective.com)
Official Website (The Criterion Collection)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
hmm... it has occurred to me that i seem to be on a samurai / japanese kick - it wasn't intentional, it just seems to have worked out that way.

now for the review of throne of blood - this movie is from the Criterion Collection. it's a lovely movie - just not as good as the previous Criterion Collection movies i've seen.

the overall story is interesting (it's based on shakespeare's Macbeth) but for some odd reason it didn't get me super excited. perhaps it was because i knew where the story was headed or perhaps it was because the theme seemed so familiar. it just didn't do it for me - both Rashomon and Hara Kiri were interesting, unique (in the sense it was new to me).

with that stated i think if you've enjoyed Rashomon and Hara Kiri i think you'll enjoy this movie as well - but for me i wanted more. i would recommend this movie, but i think that you'll agree - the plot is pretty self explaintory. after the first 10 min you'll know how it will eventually play out.

DVD : 5/5 Rating : Grave of the Fireflies

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Trailer (Madman.com)
Website
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
so a friend of mine asked over the weekend if i could recommend some anime.

Grave of the Fireflies is one of the best anime i've seen to date. it's the only anime that actually made me tear up. it was the first anime which made me see that anime isn't just about big robots, teenage girls in uniforms or any of those other silly things.

the story for this anime is series stuff - it follows two siblings (older brother & younger sister) right after WW II. both their parents have past away during the war and the story continues from that point. it is extremely sad so be-forwarned but it's extremely good as well.

as for the title - Grave of the Fireflies comes from something that is actual. during WW II most of japan was made of wood (houses, stores, etc...) even in the cities so the US would fly over japan dropping hot metal beams - causing the cities to catch on fire. at night when the US would drop these hot metal beams they would look like fireflies - OF DEATH! (sorry, couldn't help it).

again - one of my fav animes - very sad / very good.

DVD : 5/5 Rating : Princess Mononoke

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Trailer (youtube.com)
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Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
another great anime - this is the same director as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and much more. pretty much everything that Hayao Miyazaki (the director) does is great stuff - but in particular i love this movie the best.

it has action, it has a great story, it has great characters, amazing folklore, just all around great stuff. i also enjoyed the fact the story promotes peace and forgiveness.

there are violent moments - so i wouldn't let the little ones watch this, but once they get older i would totally let them watch it. as for age... it got a PG-13 from the MPAA so you figure it out.

love this movie - if you're thinking of giving anime a go - i'd strongly recommend this anime movie.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Cowboy Bebop The Movie

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Trailer (Sony Pictures)
Official Website (Sony Pictures)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
another great movie - based on an anime tv-series. you'll enjoy this movie more if you watch the tv series only so you're familiar with the characters, but it isn't necessary to watch the tv series to get the overall story for this movie.

the movie is self contained - and unlike most anime movies based on a tv series, it doesn't suck! it's a great addition. it doesn't try to put too much into it. this movie is a complete story - completely seperate from the tv series.

at the bottom of it, this movie is a sci-fi + action + bounty huntin! as for the plot - i'll let amazon tell you more bout it.

what amazon.com says :
A tanker truck is blown to smithereens in the middle of a busy street, and a deadly viral infection is released with the explosion. The Bebop crew - Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, and Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV - are instantly after the culprit when the gargantuan reward of 300,000,000 woolongs is announced. But the case gets stranger and stranger as the cold-blooded Vincent Volaju, who supposedly has been dead for ten years, seems to be the prime suspect. Meanwhile, Spike encounters the dangerous Electra, who too seeks the madman. Conspiracies and secrets better left alone are uncovered, and Vincent's reign or terror is nowhere near over yet...

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle

LINKS :
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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (New Line Cinema)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
just finished watching this - and i gotta say, it's bloodie good / goofie / funnie / out of control.

it's journey tale of two stoners in search of the perfect food - white castles. it makes me so wish there was a white castle in seatle - with that stated i'm going on a road trip to NY in septemeber and needless to say... we are so gonna stop for white castle!

here's what amazon had to say bout the movie :
Two twenty-something stoner roommates -- one a Korean American investment banker; the other an Indian American medical school candidate -- go through a life changing journey, as they spend a night roaming the state of New Jersey in search of White Castle hamburgers.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : Yojimbo

LINKS :
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Trailer (Madman.com)
Official Website (The Criterion Collection)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
watched this the other day - and while watching it it reminded me of one of my fav westerns with clint eastwood - a fistfull of dollars. as i kept watching it the plot - story - scenes all reflected that movie except with swords and not guns.

when i did a bit of research i found that this movie 'Yojimbo' (means bodyguard in japanese) had heavy influence from western cowboy movies - then in turn 'A Fistful of Dollars' is a remake of 'Yojimbo!'

so basically if you enjoyed a fistfull of dollars you'll enjoy this as well - except you'll already know the story. :)

DVD : 5/5 Rating : Favela Rising

LINKS :
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Trailer (Official Website)
Official Website (Think Film / HBO)
Blue Dot

IHMO REVIEW :
just watched this movie last night - don't let the trailer fool you, it's not about a documentary on a band or music genre that came out of Rio de Janerio. it's a story about a cultural movement that sprang from 'Favela' (Brazilian slum).

the reason i'm giving this a 5 star is because i think everyone should see this movie - but beforwarned - it has graphic images and knowing that all the footage is real - gives you pause.

the beginning of the documentary sets up what kind of place a favela is - a slum with druglords and 'outlaws' - and how the police are nothing more then another gang. a journalist state - "if the druglords are making all this money - why is there no millionaire druglords? it's because the police takes the money, sells them the guns and drugs."

4 cops are killed - in retaliation the cops kill 21 people in the favela - the movie states that these 21 people were random people who had nothing to do with the druglords / outlaws. one of the 21 people killed is the brother of 'Anderson.' - the main focus of this movie.

the reason i think everyone should watch this is because the movie had me at the edge of my seat - knowing that everythign is real and not knowing if these people would die. i was angry with what i was seeing - and yet these people living it daily sought a nonviolent outlet.

BE SURE TO WATCH THE EXTRAS - ESPECIALLY THE MAKINGS OF.

THEATER : 2/5 Rating : Idlewild

LINKS :
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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Universal)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
before i start let me just say the reviewers at EW (entertainment weekly) sucks ass. they gave this movie a 'A-' and compared it to the likes of moulin rouge and the cotton club. yeah... whateva~

so went to see this on saturday with two friends. it was this or invincible or beerfest. after having seen it i wish we went to see beerfest.

i had very high hopes for it - love outkast - love hip hop and loved moulin rouge - moulin rouge this is not. so why am i so NOT happy with this movie.

1. it's a musical but it felt more like 4 music videos + random stuff in the middle

2. andre's character & antwan's character are supposed to be best friends - then why the hell didn't they interact in the movie. through out the 2 hour flick - they literally had 3 scenes together. 5 if you count them being kids. wtf.

3. because of the lack of interaction between them the movie felt like it had two completely different stories being told - which never interwined. thus - no real layers in the story.

4. unlike moulin rouge which used pop music which everyone is familiar with (thus heightening the scene) the four songs which was played in this movie are new tracks by outkast (well - not really... it was either by andre or antwan they never have a duo... wtf) thus it's unfamiliar / thus you're looking at it just like a music video - something different from the movie.

5. the ending... what i mean by that is andre's character is super depressed... i mean super duper depressed - then suddenly antwan swings by and after a 20 second chat he snaps out of it. WTF! and yes - that is one of the three times they interact.

rent this sucker - don't watch it in the theaters and don't buy it - rent this sucker if that.

DVD : 4/5 Rating : The Seventh Seal

LINKS :
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IMDB
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Official Website (The Criterion Collection)
Blue Dot

IHMO REVIEW :
saw this last night - or i should say completed seeing it last nite. the first time i got it through netflix the disc was damaged so i only got to see half of it - i got the replacement yesterday and saw the rest.

yes - it's old. yes - it's in black and white. but damn it, it's from the Criterion Collection. and like all the other movies from this collection this movie is fantastic.

the movie was made in 1957 - the cinemotagraphy is amazing. the way he handles the light / dark & greys are sweet. the way he uses sound to control the mood is also very nice. (listen for it in the very beginning when he introduces death - there is the sound of the waves as it hits the shore - but as he introduces death all becomes silent.)

as for the plot - i'll let amazon tell you bout it.
"A Knight and his squire are home from the crusades. Black Death is sweeping their country. As they approach home, Death appears to the knight and tells him it is his time. The knight challenges Death to a chess game for his life. The Knight and Death play as the cultural turmoil envelopes the people around them as they try, in different ways, to deal with the upheaval the plague has caused."

FYI - the very last scene has an image i've seen elsewhere but never knew where it came from. it's a scene of death as he's leading a procession of 7 dead dancers... you'll see what i mean if you watch the movie.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Sucker Free City

LINKS :
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Trailer (lovefilm.com)
Blue Dot

IHMO REVIEW :
saw this movie yesterday as well - i was surprised and disappointed by this movie. by looking at the cover it looks pretty stupid / the title seems silly and the font used looks like a B-Rated movie.

with that said i only watched this sucker because it stated it's a Spike Lee joint. thought i'd give it a go. as i was watching it i was surprised that it was pretty good. the story wasn't too shabby, the characters were good and the overall cinemontography was good as well.

so i kept watching as they seemed to be setting up these characters for a confrontation. you got the white boy whose family has to move into the ghettos - the game member whose lived in the ghettos all his life and the chinese game member trying to move up in chinatown.

you can say the movie is a slice in time - and it does that well. you have these three strong characters all looking for something. you have these strong three characters about to meet due to various circumstances.

so you wait for it.... wait for it... and it becomes a let down. unlike crash this movie does very little with the interaction between it's characters. i wanted more. i wanted more from the confrontation / possible gang war as the black game moved into chinatown into their bootleg biz.

the movie seemed to have done great for a setup but then let me down when it did very little with the setup. overall it isn't bad, i was just hoping for more.

THEATER : 4/5 Rating : Beerfest

LINKS :
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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Warner Bros.)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEWS :
saw this movie on Sept. 4th - before hitting feierabend for beers.

first off - bloodie brilliant movie! if you like old school, wedding crashers, harold and kumar, etc... also watch it with a bunch of your friends who are around 25 - 30 years of age who likes to be silly and drink - A LOT.

luckly went to see it with harold, jesse, rob and pawan and it was brilliant. we laughed our asses off - there were inside jokes which we only got - but that was okay. as we walked out there was a young kid who stated 'i wish i was 21.'

BRILLIANT! needless to say - by the middle of the movie we were all thirsty for beers (minus pawan of course).

this movie has all the things that will make it a cult hit for 25 - 35 year old guys. boobs + booze + really offense jokes + middle aged guys who act like total asses / kids = instant classic amongst 25 - 35 year olds.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Brokeback Mountain

LINKS :
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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
saw this the other night and it was pretty good. didn't get the full experience as i had to see it on two different nights to watch the whole thing (damn you netflix!) as the first dvd stopped playing mid ways. :(

the storytelling, the acting, the cinemontagraphy were very well done. the overall story was good as well. the only reason i didn't love the movie was i kept thinking - "what a bunch of assholes - what about the gals they married? what about their kids?"

i understand the movie was trying to show the shittiness of the cowboy life style and how homosexuality is a big no-no which will incure murder - but to marry someone to hide the fact your gay.... i don't know, it just didn't seem right to me - and because i was caught up on this one aspect i didn't enjoy the movie as much as i might have.

again - storytelling fantastic, acting super duper, the cinemontography top notch, just that one annoying aspect that bugged the hell outta me.

bottomline : if you're not homophobic (there are make out scenes) and enjoy good storytelling then this is a good movie to rent.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Phat Girlz

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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Fox)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
i know... i know...

phat girlz? good grief why the hell would anyone watch that? well to be honest i was wanting a low-brow comedy with no redeeming quality. what i found - was a shock.

mind you this movie isn't fantastic by any means - but it isn't horrible, and perhaps because i was going into this with super low expectations i'm giving it a 3/5.

the story is to be expected - the plot has been played out - the fat jokes are typical. but the movie tries to show different aspects of what beauty is, of what 'thick madams' have to go through in the US culture where thin = beautiful.

an additional shocker - they actually let Mo'Nique act - meaning there are scenes where she goes into a fit of self hate and starts to cry her eyes out. anyone knowing her standup act will be suprised that she actually pulls this off.

mind you - the movie is super low budget (it looked to me) but a good watch. the overall message of self confiedence regardless of your look + not hattin' on those who look differently then you is also a plus.

again - nothing new here folks - but was surpised that there was an actual 'black' movie where it wasn't stereotypical pot heads / gangstas / baby's mamas dramas / etc... you get the picture. i honestly believe if the movie had a larger budget this coulda been a mainstream romatic comedy.

would recommend this movie if you have very little selection in the rental isle and you're looking for a feel good flick.

DVD : 2/5 Rating : Word Wars

LINKS :
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IMDB
Trailer (official website)
Official Website
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
saw this documentary on scrabble and four people via-ing for WORLD SCRABBLE CHAMPIOOOOON! mainly got this sucer cause it seemed interesting + saw a few dots from friends about a book called 'word freak' which is a book about the competitive scrabble world.

the documentary follows four people who are ranked within the top 25 and follows them for 9 months leading up to the wold championship. it's fairly interesting - but i think it hurt that i had talked to my friends about some of the crazy stuff that these people do - so when the documentary exposed their lifestyle i was kinda like - yeah... i knew that already.

it also felt like they excluded a lot of random gems to make the story arc. i say this cause in the bonus section they have random footage which they didn't use - which are humorous. i.e. interviewing two older ladies. when asked what one gave up - she states - i gave up sex. it's the best thing i ever did. lol.

if you know nothing about the world of competitive scrabble then you'll enjoy this documentary - but if you know a wee bout it then you'll be left with just the story arc - which isn't too exciting. the peeps they followed doesn't have much charisma i felt and didn't really care who won or lost.

DVD : 3/5 Rating : Inside Man

LINKS :
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IMDB
Wikipedia
Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Universal)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
the stats are impressive in this movie - but i felt the delivery was alittle short considering those involved.

consider - directed by spike lee, starring denzel washington, clive owen, jodie foster, christopher plummer, willem dafoe etc..... that's a bloodie lineup! the story itself had a few twists, but not enough. + i thought jodie foster's character was underused. the interaction with her and denzel wasn't very impressive - it seemed like a tease... like they might be building up to something and then... nothing.

the final moment when the stand off ends... no big hollywood sha-bang, more like an anticlimatic finish. smart, but boring.

acting = good (but underused characters)
directing = good (but has similiar styles signature to spike lee - nothing new i thought)
story = teasing of multiple twists, but ended up with too few

overall - it's a rent, if you want to be entertained but not really. :P

DVD : 3/5 Rating : The Benchwarmers

LINKS :
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IMDB
Wikipedia
Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Sony)
Blue Dot


IMHO REVIEW :
oddly entertaining.

so i watched 4 dvd's over the weekend - and sadly this was the best out of the lot - not because this movie was so bad, but rather the other three were so bloodie aweful.

so the benchwarmers kinda shocked me. i was expecting a very low brow crude humored movie, instead i find that this movie seems to be geared towards kids. yes you read correctly - kids. i say 'seems' because there are jokes which are more for adults (high school and up). but things like the 'titty twister' and dog poo and farting on someone's faces - hmmm.... yeah.

overall the movie had a likeable cast of characters (shockingly rob schneider doesn't pay an idiot in this movie), twists to the plot which wasn't expected and an overall feel good let's all hold hands and sing a song type ending - thus i say it seems to be geared towards kids.

looking for a comedy that you can watch with your kids (my guess is middle school and up) then this might be the flick for you.

DVD : 1/5 Rating : Glory Road

LINKS :
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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Disney)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
how hard is it to make a feel good movie about determination, team work, leadership and overcoming hardships for disney whose already made movies like 'remember the titans' - well apparently very hard.

this movie was HOOOOORRRIBLE, and it's a real shame considering the movie is based on true events which is / was amazing. the story is about a Texas Western coach back in 1966 who led the first all-black starting line-up for college basketball which ended up winning the NCAA national championship (the first time ever an all black line-up was played - cause the belief was that black players were inferior to white players).

so why was the movie so bad. cause i didn't care about any of the characters, nor did i feel their pain, nor did i see the connection between the black & white team mates - hmm... last time i checked sports movies were about team work.

unlike 'remember the titans' this movie focuses on only 2 aspects. 1 - the seven black players and how they interact with each other. 2 - the coach and his interactions with the black players.

thats it. the wash over racism, wash over 'team work', wash over race relations between the black and white players - they pretty much wash over everything and you're left with a very empty shell of a sports flick.

yes - i really disliked it that much. it's a real shame too - considering the impact of this event had ripple effects to all parts of american life / sports / etc...

DVD : 1/5 Rating : Poseidon

LINKS :
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IMDB
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Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Warner Brothers)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
bad as bad can be. this movie came out to theaters - and quickly went away - after having watched this i understand why.

it sucked (imho) for the following reasons.
1. it was all special effects - no character
2. you just did not give a hoot about any of the characters - so when they died you're like 'bout time.'
3. did i mention no charcter development
4. no lay of the land. it spends no time what-so-ever explaining the lay of the land (in this case boat) so you have no clue as to the progress of the characters.

so what would i have done?
1. made the whole intro like the love boat - introduce all the characters and give sometime for character development and interaction

2. spend some time having the cap. of the boat show the boat off - that way when the shit hits the fan the viewer can have a mental image of where the characters are heading.

DVD : 2/5 Rating : The Libertine

LINKS :
Rotten Tomatoes
IMDB
Wikipedia
Trailer (apple.com)
Official Website (Miramax)
Blue Dot

IMHO REVIEW :
yet another high hope / disappointing flick. the cinemontagraphy is beautiful (very gritty looking) and the acting by johnny depp is brilliant - meaning he gives yet another excellent performance (i thought) but it just lacked something....

for one - this movie is based on John Wilmot.

but unless you've actually read / knew about who this person was you wouldn't know much about nothin' from the movie. from the movie all you would get is... some lord who loves all excess in life. supposedly a brilliant writer - falls in love with actress and screws up his marriage.

with just that how / why would i like or dislike this 'john wilmot' who unless i knew was a real person could be a fictional character.

all in all - the movie just told a story of some random person who basically drinks / screws / etc.. his way to death not giving much as to why his story is so interesting.

too bad - the list of actors is impressive in this movie and the real story behind this real person is also interesting - but the telling is lacking.