Peach-2

Romper Stomper is so close to being a great small film. So very close that I was loving this movie for every single minute it was on my screen and then it just slipped from my grasp. What I mean by this film coming close, well it's like this, I could compare this film to Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, it comes so close to being that disturbing, although I believe it falls short in a couple of areas. First, the only explanation for these people to be skinheads is a short little dialog between Russell Crowe and his new girlfriend about Hitler's Mein Kampf. Maybe the director assumes we know enough about skinheads already. There is also a climatic death in this film that left me not caring at all. I won't say who died, but it was a background character. I never felt one thing for this character, it was a total waste. I will say that Russell Crowe is amazing in this film, very intimidating without saying a single word. It's always tough when a film comes this close to being great, I will say that it is a film worth a look and it won't soon be forgotten. I do believe American History X is a better film on this subject.

I really wanted to love this film and from the opening scenes to the last third I really did like this film. I love surreal films as much as the next guy, but this film seems like it was made by Oliver Stone on Valium. The film is really slow, now that can be a good thing, but in this case the pace just keeps getting slower and slower. I heard that Thornton's original cut ran almost four hours, it seems that the film has a whole other film missing from it. I didn't read the novel and I'm guessing that I should have read the novel because I couldn't figure this film out for the life of me. When it was all over I felt empty. The performances are all great, I especially liked Lucas Black in the role of Blevins. Matt Damon and Henry Thomas are both very good in their roles and this is first movie Penelope Cruz has appeared in where I could see that she has real talent and isn't just another pretty face. I loved the cinematography, the outdoor landscapes were beautiful. The film has all the flavor and no real substance. I am torn with this film, I wanted to love it so bad. Even great film makers slip every now and then.

Although Miss Congeniality isn't the most original film you will ever see in your lifetime, it is a fine example of Sandra Bullock as a movie star. This film has been done to death, it has a truly unoriginal screenplay that is packed with cliches to the point of insanity. It might sound like I didn't like the film...that isn't true at all. This movie lives and breathes Sandra Bullock, without her the film is a total bust. Only a few actors can hold a movie together and she definitely has the screen magic that is needed for Hollywood. I'm not trying to take away from the rest of the cast, they are all just victims to a terrible screenplay, but the actors also fall victim to Bullock's unique ability as an actor. She stands out and convinced me that this film isn't a total waste. I wasn't the most excited person in the world when this film appeared in theaters because it looked like a complete chick flick. I don't really have anything special to say about the film as a work of art or entertainment, but I am a Sandra Bullock fan for life.