chris-44

IMDb member since March 2000
    Lifetime Total
    5+
    IMDb Member
    24 years

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Down with Love
(2003)

An attempt that failed miserably
This movie desperately tries to recreate the atmosphere of the 50/60s romantic comedies. No matter whether one likes those kind of movies, they were at least able to convey a bit of charming cat-and-mouse game of the main characters. However, this movies fails miserably trying to do this because the props are too exaggerated and look rather ridiculous. Still, this is something one could put up with but the dialogs are breathtakingly stupid and dull. If you're looking for a movie to put yourself or somebody else to sleep this is the flick to go for. It is quite hard to understand what the agent and the main actors must have thought accepting these roles. Ewan McGregor had already shown outstanding abilities as an actor, but the choice to take on this role is rather arguable. One can only hope that the pay-check was hefty, otherwise I cannot think of any other reason why somebody would do such a movie.

War of the Worlds
(2005)

Out of control
Has Steven Spielberg lost his touch? In my opinion Mr. Spielberg brought us quite a number of amazing films; amazing in terms of their vision, their film-making and also their box office success. However, looking at A.I. and this one I have the impression that he might have lost his touch. It certainly is a challenging thing to adapt such a book and transform it to the present time. Hence, one would expect the director to guide the audience carefully through the script. Unfortunately, this attempt failed miserably. The film seems to be a melting pot of scenes that were put together without having any logical connection that is consistent throughout the film. Many things happen without a motivation that the audience could understand and some scenes seem to be there, to keep the actors busy. Tom Cruise's metamorphosis from ignorant playboy to caring family father is simply too smooth and miraculous. The film certainly sports stunning effects and, as expected, ILM did a wonderful job on the visual magic. However, this does not help to cover the rough spots and holes in the scripting and very soon one starts to ask the question "why has this just happened?"

I went to see the movie without great expectations after I read/heard mixed reviews. Still, I was honestly disappointed with what came out of a promising effort.

7 Zwerge
(2004)

Stupid beyond stupidity
Seeing the trailer gave me the impression that this movie could be funny but I have to admit that I was dead wrong. The movie offers a lavish cast of German comedians who seemed to have pulled out their worst sketches & ideas. One notable exception is the short appearance of Christian Tramitz.

In addition to the fact that the movie is absolutely not funny, there is also a rather dodgy message that is conveyed. One of the dwarfs bemoans that he cannot beat women (which is a struggle he overcomes actually). Furthermore there is the joke (???) that whenever the queen calls for the hunter, first a colored man appears. This dubious joke is based on the fact that in German the word for hunger ("Jäger") sounds very similar to the word "Neger", which is a very derogative expression for colored people. Finally, the dwarfs come to the conclusion that all women are "cold-hearted bitches". Sorry, for the language but this is the actual expression of the movie.

Some people might find this all funny, however, the people around me and I had a very hard time finding something to laugh at.

1809 Andreas Hofer - Die Freiheit des Adlers
(2002)

A very impressive historic drama
I've been really impressed by this film which demonstrates that not only Hollywood can make a film about historic events that is truly gripping and moving. This film depicts Andreas Hofer not as the idolized figure that many of us learn about but shows him as a person who's made mistakes but nevertheless was a really brave man believing in the ideas he fought for.

One has to acknowledge that the actors (especially those from Germany) did a hell of a job learning the dialect as not all of them come from Tirol.

This film is definitely worth seeing not only for those interested in European respectively Austrian history.

Reign of Fire
(2002)

What did we do to deserve this film?
I've rarely seen so much nonsense as displayed in this film. The plot is a mixture of Mad Max 3 and Dragonheart but with all the good things thrown away. Because of the fact that the plot is downright stupid one would hope to see at least some good vfx, but there aren't any. The vfx supervisor obviously didn't trouble himself to care about proportions because the dragon's size varies through one scene from "normal" to huge and right back. Furthermore they fly in the mist most of the time so that you see nothing more than a shadow of a beast that flies like an airplane. But at least the desperation on the faces of the actors is convincing. Although I'm not sure if it's part of their role or just the financial desperation that must have made them take part in this nightmare. You're definitely better off spending your bucks on renting Mad Max and Dragonheart than seeing this movie in a theater.

The Bourne Identity
(2002)

Something you have surely seen before
After seeing the trailer of The Bourne Identity I was really looking forward to the film because it promised to be a gripping spy thriller. Well, after seeing it I was a little disappointed. This does not mean that the film is bad but although it was a spy thriller, it was not gripping. This is because you've seen similar films over and over again. This might lead to the impression that you can predict what comes next and you certainly can. The action sequences are definitely state of the art but the plot won't take your breath away. This is partly because you have the feeling that Mat Damon/Jason Bourne does all this searching for his identity not because of curiosity but because he's got an awful lot of time on his hands. Furthermore the romance between F. Potente & M. Damon bears more resemblance to an arranged marriage than to affection. In short, this is a movie full of cliches, which can be recommended if you want to spend some time on a rainy day.

Mumford
(1999)

A two hour therapy session
If you feel that the last time you saw your shrink was so funny and such a nice experience then you should definitely go and see Mumford. It's actually a two hour therapy session where you see one patient after the other being treated. So if you have fun watching other people's therapy sessions this is your film, otherwise you will be bored to death.

Deep Blue Sea
(1999)

Something you better not spend your bucks on
I recently had the dubious luck to watch this film in a Sneak Preview and though I considered leaving the cinema throughout the movie I stayed 'cause there was still the hope that it has to get better - but it got even worse. The story itself is just nonsense that is justified by some wanna-be science. If there is an award for creative nonsense, then the idea of Alzheimer in connection with the sharks, would definitely be the winner. Despite of that the CGI effects were really poor, because the proportions of the sharks changed during the whole film, not talking about the totally unbelievable movements of those creatures. Well using 14 special effects companies obviously does not make a good film. So if someone really has too much money & wants to spend it, then he better waits until this film's released on video.

Forces of Nature
(1999)

A romantic comedy that is neither funny nor really romantic
This film lacked all the elements which should be typical for the romance genre. There were some scenes that could make you smile but if you manage a hearty laugh, then I admire you. It's been a long long time, since I've seen such a superficial film claiming to be romantic not talking about funny!

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