azimuth361

I don't have a problem with a movie like True Lies. It's outlandish. It's over the top. It's ludicrous. San Andreas is all those things as well. The difference is, True Lies is almost a spoof. San Andreas is trying to be an action drama, yet is less believable than the spoof.

Don't filmmakers use consultants or subject-matter experts? Did no one ask anyone who knows anything about... well.. ANYTHING to consult for this movie? During an opening scene, our hero helicopter pilot performs a 'tip the hat' maneuver to get the chopper into a narrow canyon and perform a rescue. How did they get out of the canyon?

Our hero activates an 'autopilot' and leaves the controls of the helicopter to rescue our heroine. There ARE helicopters with a form of autopilot, but not THAT helicopter.

In several instances, our heroes carry on a conversation in a Huey helicopter as though they were sitting in an idling Maybach. Our heroine, from a rooftop amid collapsing buildings, even yells at our hero who is inside a very noisy helicopter and behind a closed door... and he hears her.

Our hero performs CPR on a drowning victim and performs rescue breathing before clearing the lungs of water.... on a moving boat.

There's too much CGI. In our opening scene, a hapless victim's car goes over a cliff. Did the drive a real car over a cliff? Did they even drive a model car over a model cliff? Oh no. They created the scene through CGI with obvious non-physical results. It's pretty lame.

Michael Bay has ruined movie-making. Now, every director seems to think that a great action scenes need to look like it was filmed as though the cameraman was on a pogo stick... on roller skates.... riding a tilt-w-whirl. There's a fantastic scene in the film Old Boy in which Old Boy fights off several attackers in a hallway. One camera. One long, long take. No shaky-cam. No whip pans. No flash cuts. The scene is brilliant, effective, almost haunting. Take notes, directors. The viewer needs a point of reference to see what's going on. If you tie a camera to a string and swing it around your head, the result isn't a great action scene. Yet, it seems that's what DP's in films like this do.

Arnold Schwarzenegger knocking out Dobermans Stooge-Style? Yeah. I bought it. San Andreas? I kept thinking, "Fakey!"

I give this show three stars because of Kristin Kreuk, whom I'd watch in ANY show. But, other than that, this show is rather poor. The first episode starts with clunky exposition and a premise that defies logic. Two women stand by side when two bad guys shoot the first woman several times. Do they shoot BOTH women? No. Why not? Who knows? But they allow the second woman, our heroine to escape on foot and set up the premise of our show. In a later episode, Catherine says that they looked like professional hit men. Ahhh... no. Professional hit men would have capped them both in the head and not allowed Catherine to run into the woods.

The show is set in New York, but is clearly shot in Vancouver. The makers didn't even bother to change street signs or license plates. Why not just set it in Vancouver? It's a great town.

If people are going to make a show about cops, then perhaps they ought to talk to cops about law, procedure and protocol. Cat rats out her boyfriend for pot possession, but never properly identifies herself or leaves her contact information to the arresting guard. Did anyone look up rules for evidence or probable cause? How in the world are they ever going to get that evidence in front of a judge? She's utterly corrupt, incompetent, inept, untrustworthy and dishonorable. Perhaps they could have talked to someone in the Military about this Soldier/beast. A doctor would never, ever, EVER be a Specialist (E4) in the Army. Never, ever, EVER!!! If the pilot episode is any indication, they didn't even talk to anyone about how the Automated Fingerprint Identification System really works. The cops' house-clearing and searching is utterly inept and tactically incompetent. The creators seem to have made a cop show based on cop shows they've seen, but didn't bother bringing in any consultants or advisers. This show is completely and utterly unbelievable.

Vincent delivers every line like a discount Sylvester Stallone, who is already pretty discount. And It's getting pretty tiresome that every member of the cast looks like an underwear model with the exception of JT, who is only there to give the casting director an excuse to say, "See? Not EVERYONE looks like an underwear model!" Have the creators ever been to a police station? Not everyone on the force fell off the cover of Cosmo. Hill Street Blues or Barney Miller weren't eye candy, but at least the the cast was plausible.

Something I'm finding particularly irksome is the manner of speaking, the conversations the characters have. No-flippin-body talks to each other the way these people talk to each other. It's especially annoying how they cut each other off mid-sentence. In season 2, episode 6, one character says, "It never stopped me from..." Catherine butts in, "From what?" Hey, dingbat! He was in the middle of telling you. He could have finished his sentence if you hadn't interrupted him. GAWD!

Kristin Kreuk is a capable actress and just as lovely as can be. She had moments of greatness in Partition and even Street Fighter. It's too bad she didn't have a better vehicle to showcase her talent. It's like watching Kimi Raikkonen drive a dump truck. I like Kristin Kreuk. But this show is making me not like her so much. It pains me to say that Beauty and the Beast is weak sauce.

"Hey, let's make a movie about the military in Serbia." "Yeah, we could hire military advisers and historians to make it accurate and authentic." "Nah."

It has already been written that there were no ground troops involved in Operation Deliberate Force, not even operators or advisers.

The room-clearing tactics and small unit tactics are abysmally inaccurate. And the optics we see on weapons were not standard issue or even invented in 1994. But never mind that.

Kovac (Travolta) is shot by Ford (De Niro) in the Bosnian war, even though there were no ground troops in the Bosnian war, but never mind that. Kovac survives. Ford retires and lives a reclusive life in the Appalachian mountains photographing elk, even though there are no elk in the Appalachians. But never mind that.. Kovac tracks down Ford seeking revenge. Does Kovac walk up and shoot Ford in the head while they're all alone in the woods, 30 or 40 miles from town, thus exacting sweet revenge? Oh, no. Kovac plays out an elaborate ruse in which he earns Fords trust. Ford allows Kovac into his house, cooks for him, invites him to spend the night in the guest room. Does Kovak leap across the dinner table and slash Ford's throat thus exacting sweet revenge? Oh no. Does Kovac accept Ford's invitation to spend the night and kill Ford in his sleep thus exacting sweet revenge? Oh no. Kovac retires for the evening to continue to 'rough it'.

The two new best friends go bow hunting for elk the next day. (Did I mention that there are no elk in the Appalachians?) Does Kovac shoot Ford with his bow and arrow at point blank range, thus ensuring a kill and exacting sweet revenge? Oh no. He allows Ford to build a tree stand and tries to take a shot at him from far away, thus ensuring a miss. A Most Dangerous Game/Shoot to Kill/Predator/Osterman Weekend/Battle Royale/Hunger Games/Hard Target/Surviving The Game/Bat 21/Behind Enemy Lines/Turistas/The Tournament/The Condemned/Death Ring/Turkey Shoot/Surviving the Gameesque chase ensues. Ford is wounded, hides in some building ruins. Kovac finds him easily. Does Kovac kill Ford in the ruins, thus exacting sweet revenge? Oh, no. Kovac has to posture and monologue and demand that Ford confess his sins and blah, blah, blah.

Ford escapes and they both end up at Ford's cabin where Ford's family happens to show up. Kovac aims his arrow at Fords family, but does he kill them, thus exacting sweet revenge? Oh, no. Ford gets the drop on Kovac, shoots him through the face, but Kovac survives. Does Ford kill Kovac, thus eliminating the man who wants revenge and threatened his family? Oh, no. Now, its Ford's turn to posture and monologue.

Ford ties Kovac to a table and proceeds to torture him. Does he kill him and thus eliminate the man who wants revenge and threatened to kill him and his family? Oh, no. Ford gets an ax starts chopping at the wooden table on which Kovac is restrained. Smart. Extra super smart was Ford's idea to tie Kovac to his table using what is called 550 cord. EVERY Soldier knows that you NEVER tie anyone with 550 cord. One of the properties of 550 cord is that it is elastic. It stretches. But never mind that. Kovac gets loose and beats down Ford. Does Kovac shoot him in the head, thus exacting sweet revenge? Oh no. He grabs Ford and throws him him in the back of a truck and they go for a drive. Oh, and Kovac proceeds to posture and monologue. Does Kovac restrain Ford in any way? Oh, no. He just put him in the back of the truck as if he thought, "La, la la, la la. I'm just going to sit back here nice a quiet. I won't try to escape or attack you in any way. La, la la, la la." Ford leaps up and beats on Kovac, they drive down a hill, the vehicle rolls several times.

I stopped watching there. This movie sucks.

So, I had mistakenly mixed a batch of Mio energy drink instead of just normal, I don't know, fruit punch or whatever. So, I was up all night. You know you've hit rock bottom when you're watching Syfy at 3:00 in the morning. But there I was, thinking to myself, "Self, I was in Iraq. I've seen lots of camel spiders. Let's give this movie a look." Oh my, where to begin? So many uniform deficiencies and tactical shortcomings, it drove this Army lifer crazy. There's a term called 'flagging' in which one Soldier points his weapon at another. I found myself saying, "Flag. Flag. Flag Flag. Flagflagflagflagflagflagfl.... Oh why am I bothering?" Staff Sergeant whatshernameasthoughitmatters' weapon has had the barrel removed in some shots, but not in others. Sometimes she sports mirrored sunglasses (Not authorized in uniform, by the way.) sometimes they're black aviators. In one shot, the crew didn't even care enough to position themselves so as not to appear in the reflection of her mirrored glasses.

Camel spiders aren't particularly aggressive. The mostly want to be left alone. The idea of them attacking is ludicrous.

The special effects were roughly on par with Tremors 3, that is, about what you could render with a processing power of a Zune.

The acting was elementary... in that it was about what you'd expect from elementary school students.

They didn't seem to bother constructing any sets, just used some abandoned buildings.

I sat through Birdemic. The un-rifftrax version of Birdemic. At least in that movie we got to see Whitney Moore in her underwear, a sight worth the cost of admission, let me tell you. We don't even get that in this movie.

The muzzle blasts were obviously added in post.

Well, enough of all this. This movie isn't even bad in a funny way in the manner of Birdemic. These people seemed to be actually aiming for high drama. Oh boy do they miss. This is a movie that you have on while you're doing something else... in another room.... wearing headphones.

There is an interesting contrast in strengths and weaknesses in the latest films in the franchise. There is no avoiding making comparisons, so I'll add my two cents.

One weakness, and one that I find most annoying in most military-related films, is that theses so-called military elites have no idea of tactics, strategy, weapons discipline, or any sense of how to conduct small team operations. Please, please hire CPT Daly for the next film. He's good.

One strength is in the character development. Although, it is foisted upon us in those tiresome soul-bearing scenes, at least we get a look into their motivations.

One thing that the AVP movies had that was worth the cost of admission, at least for this viewer, was the fight scenes. I found the fight scenes between the Aliens and Predators really exciting, but the plots and the cast were crap. In this movie, the cast and plot was pretty good, but the fight scenes were crap. I mean come on, the fight in the field between the Yakuza and the wrist-blade wielding predator was about as exciting as 'My Dinner with Andre'. At the beginning of the scene, I actually said out loud, "Ooh, this is going to be good." When it ended, I said, "What? What?!?! WHAT?!?!!?" And in the final face-off, jump cuts do not a good fight scene make.

On balance, it was the type of film I like, strong on characters, lots of ad-libs and quips that make the characters seem more natural and realistic. I also like the lines lifted from and the references to both to the Alien and Predator franchise. I also like that it's light on CGI. That technology should enhance a film, add color and flavor to a film. It should not BE the film. (Yeah, I hated Avatar) It's on about the same plane as Predator 1, maybe Alien 3, but nowhere near Alien or Aliens.

On 28 December 2010, I began escort duty for PFC Conrado Javierdiaz, Jr. Private First Class Javierdiaz was laid to rest in Marina, California on 6 January 2011. This movie is a fairly accurate portrayal of what it is to be an escort. Much has changed between 2004 and 2010. Remains do not travel by commercial air anymore, but by contracted carriers, usually from Dover directly to the nearest airport to the final resting place. There are a few flaws; sloppy salutes, misplaced uniform items, and an airman wouldn't be walking around outdoors with no headgear and no blouse. But, overall, the movie was fairly accurate. And, although they didn't actually film at the Casualty Affairs building at Dover, there is a curved wall with the names of fallen servicemembers carved in it, very similar to the film. Along the way, in life as in the movie, there are many, many small and random acts of kindness and grace. Although we don't generally describe what we're doing and do all we can to maintain a level of solemnity and dignity, people along the way know who we are and what we're doing.

Taking Chance is a film that shows America and Americans in such a beautiful way, paying tribute in each's manner to someone who serves to protect our nation and our way of life. Sure, people dump on the film for its flag waving and for its rampant patriotism. But, me... I rather favor patriots. I don't have much patience for ingrates. It's nice to watch a film that makes me feel good about America.

Now, I would have absolutely no interest in ever, ever, ever, ever watching this movie. When I saw a photo of Carey teeing off while wearing hot pants and porn-star high heels, I thought, 'This is a girl with not a lepton of virtue or admirability.' Well, okay, she can hit impressively high notes, but that's the only thing. So, when I started a Rifftrax membership and saw that this movie was among those riffed, I thought, 'Well, maybe.' I could only watch the first 20 minutes when I suddenly remembered that the drain in the garage needed mucking and decided that would be more fun and rewarding than watching this piece of schlock.

I'm going to jump genres and compare this movie with 'Rock Star', a film similar in its rags-to-riches theme. At least 'Rock Star' had a comedic slant to it and didn't try to pass itself off as high drama. Those involved in making this film took it so seriously that it becomes a mockery in an attempt at gravity. They go to pains to show that Carey had a drunk mom, when to an orphanage but never expanded on those formative events or years. It may have been interesting to have seen the character pass through her formative years and how she became the person she is, how her values and beliefs were established, how the foundation for her adult life was laid. Nah! That's not important in a pseudo-biographical film. Let's jump right to the bootie-shaking. The songs even draw from a well of sophomoric offerings that Carey has penned.

This is a long way to a short point. This movie just sucked.

BUY A TRIPOD!!! I only watched this movie because I'm in Iraq and will watch pretty much anything at this point. Plus, I really like Catherine McCormack. The shaky-cam was cool and edgy when it was a new, innovative technique. But it has become so commonplace that I'd reckon that it's time to move on and find something new.

Yeah, this film is fraught with stereotypes and enough plot holes to fly a squadron of jets through safely. Admittedly, I couldn't watch the entire film. It was intolerably loaded with inaccuracies; blatant glaring inaccuracies. First, when the kiddies are in-processing through the medical station and alighting at the subway station, in the background are Soldiers in full battle-rattle, locked and loaded. There is security every ten feet in secure areas, but no security on the bridge leading into and out of the green zone. There's no security on the infected patient. There are no roving guards outside the peri. The sniper witnesses the kids leave the green zone and does little to stop them or take any decisive action to notify anyone. There would be concertina wire around the bridge. A Soldier enters a house and begins clearing it alone. No Soldier would enter a house by himself. After the husband is infected and clearly shows signs of infection, he encounters two Soldiers who run up to him and seem to want to play patty-cake with him instead of shooting him on sight before he closes. The final straw that caused this crusty old Soldier to rip off my headphones and slam my laptop shut mid-movie was when the officer in charge walked past his gauntlet of indoor sentries, each of whom saluted him (something an interior guard in a tactical environment would not do) into the tactical operations center and someone yelled, "Ten-hut!" No one in the real Army would utter such nonsense.

This film blows. Its only redeemable quality is that it has Catherine McCormack, but even she doesn't last long.

Thunder Phil out

The problem with the Aliens and Predator franchise is that, in my opinion, the first films were so extraordinary and the bar is so high that it's unlikely that any subsequent addition to the series is able to approach them. This film stands up well enough when compared to any other sci-fi or adventure film. It just can't approach the early entries in the Alien or Predator series.

The flaws in this film have been addressed ad nauseum in other user comments. I do have to say that I thought the fight scenes between the predators and the aliens were well worth the price of admission, especially final battle between the alien, the predator and the human. It's okay to skip past all the build up and junk between the fight scenes. You won't miss anything. I recommend this film on the merits of the fight scenes alone. The blend of CGI and live-action are extraordinary.

By the way, Ewen Bremmer is great. He's quite fun in this one.

This is a well-made movie and the cast is terrific. Eric Stoltz is an under-appreciated talent and Meg Tilly shines. I also think that Parker Posey can do no wrong and is great in this film. There are great performances all around by the entire cast.

It's just a bit too real. Personally, I'm all about films that allow me to escape the grit and drama of daily life. I prefer movies about space marines battling acid-bleeding aliens. I even enjoy movies about an ordinary life or ordinary person confronted with an outrageous set of circumstances along the lines of Shallow Hal, The Family Man or Click. If I wanted to watch this kind of drama, I'd just set up a lawn chair in the front yard and watch the goings-on in my own neighborhood. If you're looking for escapism, then this movie isn't it. If you want a slice of life as portrayed by an extraordinary cast, then this is the film for you. Again, the cast is terrific. Their performances are so believable that I could be convinced that there was no script, no rehearsal and they weren't even aware that there were cameras present. It seemed more real than most 'reality shows'. It's just not for me. I go to the movies to see what I CAN'T see day to day.

Were it not for the fact that this came as a 2-dvd set paired with the original American Graffiti; were it not for the fact that I've been here in Iraq for several months and, at this point, will watch pretty much anything, I would have tossed this movie in the garbage after the first ten minutes. This movie was appallingly bad on so many levels I just don't know where to start. Poorly acted, shot, directed, written, scored, edited. My 9-year old daughter's first forays into film-making are superior to this - and she was filming the dog sleeping. (Come to think of it, I give that piece of cinematography 9 stars. But I'm biased.) If you have even the slightest appreciation for quality film-making, then avoid this piece of garbage at all costs. No character in this movie has a single redeeming quality save for the Icelandic girl who doesn't even have a single line in English. I'll not waste more of my time describing what a bad movie this is.

Now, I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy. I like movies where the good guy wears a white hat and the bad guy wears a black hat and the good guy gets the girl in the end. So, for reasons obvious to those who have seen this movie, I didn't like this movie. Nobody in this movie has a single virtue. They're all reprehensible. For whom am I supposed to root? The only person character who seemed to have any virtue was the stripper, then SHE turned out to be a sleaze.

I think Natalie Portman and Jude Law are outstanding in their craft. Clive Owen and Roberts also put forth tremendous efforts. I just hated the story. I'm going to dust off my old Gene Autrey movies. If I wanted this kind of drama, I'd just look up and down my own street.

CGI has come such a long way. I actually spent most of the moving thinking of how much memory it must have taken to create the images on the screen. I could have done without the preaching about overfishing, but that's the cost of doing business these days. Sociopolitical messages are everywhere from cereal boxes to music to movies. I thought the characters were engaging. I liked the use of old standards in the soundtrack. The story is nothing new,"Misfit is cast out of the group, but comes back at the end to save the day". The only twist is that he doesn't get the girl. I'd recommend this movie for its amazing images, incredible animation and great soundtrack.

I believe that this is the worst movie I've ever seen.... and I sat through "Atomic Train". At least that has Mena Suvari in it, so I can watch it with the sound off. "Black Dahlia" had not a single virtue. No humor. No plot. No acting. No Irony. There's not a single interesting, entertaining or amusing thing about this movie. I wanted really badly to walk out, but my movie mate drove and insisted on staying. I wanted to stay in the theater watching this schlock only slightly more than I wanted to risk hypothermia. It was a tough choice; watch "Black Dahlia" or die. Death would have been only slightly worse. This movie just plain sucked. It wasn't even interesting by accident. 'Nuff said. This movie just sucked. Addendum: Okay, some of the the music was good.

Okay, the movie was well-made and fairly entertaining, thus the five-stars. Besides, as musicians, the Dixie Chicks and their accompanying musicians are immensely talented (Except when Maines plays bass. She's late on her changes.) However, the topic was so far off-point as to be unfathomable. Say whatever you want, but there are consequences, some disagreeable, some even criminal (Subversive statements, for example). Most people are not trying to silence the Dixie Chicks. Natalie Maines made a comment, exercising her right to free speech. Others, me included, are exercising our same right. I think what she said was stupid, as it what she continues to say. That's her right. That's my right. And if you think what I say is stupid, that's your right. If I want to rage against the machine, then I'll listen to Rage Against the Machine. If I want to listen to someone wax political, then I'll watch C-Span. When I want to listen to good, live music, then I go to a concert. I don't go to a concert and expect to listen to someone spew about politics. If I'd wanted that, I'd go to a political rally. 'Sides, it's doubtful anyone's political leanings have been swayed by some singer on a stage. At a club in Vegas a couple of years back, the singer said something to the effect of, "Some people use the stage to spout their political beliefs. I you want to talk about politics or the war or whatever else, let's get together after the show and talk about it over a beer. We're up here to rock." It was one of the best shows I've ever seen.

Most of what's on TV is the reason I don't watch TV. This show, however, has made me thankful for the trend of releasing TV shows on DVD. During a tour of the big sandbox, we don't get a lot of television. Thankfully, the local px is stocked with a fairly respectable collection of DVD's. It's refreshing to see a show about virtue and about how someone is working hard to just try to be a better person and improve the lives of those around him and of those he's wronged. So-called brilliant shows don't make me laugh long and loud like this one does. While this one may never have the impact that shows like "Friends" (I HATE, HATE, HATE that show. I have yet to see a millisecond of this show be even mildly amusing.) and "Seinfield" (At best, I've chuckled during their greatest moments.) but, at least for me, "My Name is Earl" is the best program to come along in a long, long time. Hats off to the Garcia brothers for making a top notch program. Thunder Phil Out.

It took three viewings of Pulp Fiction to finally concede that it was a good movie, now one of my favorites. Even though I'd watch two hours of Uma read names from the phone book with mouth agape, eyes glazed over and puddles of drool forming on the floor between my feet, this film is just not a vehicle for her talent. As a musician, I found the portrayal of the music industry to be outlandish. The songs were terrible. The tunes that Linda Moon sang had no discernible melody. You should be able to hum or whistle a good song after hearing it. Can you recall the melody from any of her songs? The lyrics were awful and neither unique nor interesting. They didn't even rhyme. Call me a purist, but the lyrics to a good song should be able to stand alone like poetry, REAL poetry. Finally, this film contains one of my personal greatest annoyances that filmmakers don't often seem to get right.... SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPONS DON'T CLICK WHEN THEY'RE EMPTY! The slide locks back. On some good notes, I really enjoyed Cedric. He's always great. The Rock makes a bold step in portraying an unusual character and shows diversified talent. Even Steven Tyler proved to be a capable actor. By the way, "Sweet Emotion" came out in 1975, two years before Liv Tyler was born. Did nobody check this before putting it in the script? Surely Steven should have raised his hand and mentioned this little nugget. This is certainly a watchable movie, but I'm glad that I borrowed it and didn't buy it. STAY CAV! Thunder Phil

Oh... no, wait. That's right. IT DID!!! This was on the "Rent three movies, get the 4th one free" rack. That should have been the first clue. I thought, "I'd watch anything with Mena Suvari in it." but, no. I'll never watch this again even if a later Director's Cut shows her wearing just a smile in a deleted scene. This movie, and ones like it, are a clear illustration as to why I usually fold laundry and do the ironing while I watch. Even if the movie sucks - as this one did, hard enough to pull a bowling ball through a garden hose - it's not a total waste of 2 hours. At least I got the laundry done. Oops, I need this to be ten lines. Okay, this movie, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, sucked.

This game is what all FPS games should be. There have been plenty of comments about the graphics, the sound, the gameplay, blah, blah, blah. What really grabbed this player was the interactive music. When Patterson is sneaking down an alley, the background music reflects the building tension. As one of the Nazis hears Patterson coming and hits the alarm button the music picks up to a heart-pounding tempo. Once all the Germans are eliminated and Patterson returns to steathily creeping around, the music backs off again. It's a particular rush to play with a large-screen tv and surround sound. You can actually hear bullet strikes in front of, behind, to the left and right of you. Whip out the plastic an pony up for a home theater system. Even if it's only to play THIS game, it's worth it.

...there can be only be one question: ARE YOU HIGH?!?!?!?!?! This movie would be okay if were the first movie I ever saw. This film had only one positive facet, Mindy got HOT!!!!! Other than that, the special effects looked like they were done on a Palm Pilot. When the Graboids attack with "...their tongues or something..." they were obviously hand puppets that didn't even extend past the wearer's mid-forearm. Even that great Jeep Honcho from the first two films was gone. Stop watching after the Aftershocks and you'll retain your reverence for the first one.