tj_director

I like to think I'm an experienced enough movie watcher to know when a movie will be bad, but occasionally some slip through. Luc Besson seems to have done well as a writer/producer with 'Taken' and 'Transporter', so while the trailer for Columbiana didn't exactly blow me away, the prospect of Zoe Saldana kicking ass in skimpy outfits coupled with Besson's name and seemingly decent production values.. seemed to be enough to warrant me giving up 2 hours of my life.

It literally took 3 seconds to know this film was going to be average, from the lazy flash cut transitions during the opening credits, then it took 3 minutes to get a better idea of how bad this film could potentially be, after some extremely clunky dialogue and direction. Half an hour in, i'm seriously considering fast forwarding.

From the outset, I don't understand why I'm meant to empathize with Cataleyna, her father was involved with a criminal, and it's not exactly made clear if he's innocent in any way, or why exactly he is to be killed, well he and his wife get shot up in front of her, yes the concept of seeing your parents get killed is awful, perfect revenge story material.. but something just doesn't feel right, her father isn't some innocent guy, honestly for all we know, he probably deserved to get killed.

Things don't get better when we are introduced to Cataleyna's uncle, another man that has no redeeming qualities, other than having a dead son.. and um.. that's it.. even then, for all we know his son was also a jerk and deserved to die, oh i forgot, her uncle can shoot at innocent people outside a school and suffer no consequences, in an effort to teach his niece a lesson I still don't quite understand.. in what has to be one of the dumbest scenes i've seen in a mainstream film.

I would love to go through and rip the film apart, it deserves such a ripping apart.. I don't think i've seen anything as shockingly dumb and mindless. Did anyone bother to read the whole script? how can anyone watch this film and have anything positive to say about it? okay, Saldana is convincing as an assassin, and the cinematography isn't awful.. but this HAD to be the first draft, i refuse to believe anyone bothered to give any notes or revisions.

the bland as hell boyfriend (but he paints!), takes a photo of Cataleyna while she sleeps, he shows it to his wisecracking friend (all friends are wisecrackers), who happens to be related to someone who has access to a police database, and for some completely unmotivated reason he asks them to run a check on his friend's brand new girlfriend (who he's completely in love with despite not knowing anything about her, other than she feels lonely). This photo is immediately flagged as a potential match to the CCTV footage (where her face can't even be seen), and in the world of internet, the police travel all the way to this Chicago based police station to run the most idiotic photo matching software in the world, i had no idea you could match the back of someones hand or a nose the way they do in this film.. amazing. Boyfriend tells Cataleyna he showed the photo to his friend, she immediately works out that his friend must have run a background check on her, and the police matched the back of her hand to the CCTV footage from the police station, and that is why a SWAT team is outside her building.

i do want to publicly critique this film and break it down, but doing so would waste even more of the time i spent watching it.. all this film needed was an actual script that made sense and was semi-competent.. i feel sorry for anyone who watched this film and was completely oblivious to it's nonsense. Cowboys And Aliens, Conan and this piece of trash compete for worst film of the year, and proof that nobody reads scripts in Hollywood.

PS.. skimpy outfits, nipples and having someone dance around and suck on lollipops, doesn't make a character sexy.. it's pleasing on the eye, and that's about it.

I'd seen the original a long time ago.. but I still knew the general idea of what to expect before going into this reboot.. an R-Rated warrior action film with slight elements of the supernatural that was more about entertainment value than high art, suffice it to say, suffice is probably too complicated a word for the audience this remake is aimed at.

I liked Momoa from Game of Thrones, he had the perfect physical quality to portray a warrior, and despite being a character of few words he really sold it for me, and as a result I really could see how he was ideal casting for Conan, he's a more rugged Dwayne Johnson.. but I still feel Johnson has a lot of untapped potential to be one of the real action stars of the decade along with Diesel and Statham.. but it's good to know Momoa is in line to join these guys.

Back to the film... from the very first scene, you are basically told this movie is going to be over the top in a bad and very lazy way.. apparently Conan is "battle born", in other words his father Ron Perlman is surrounded by countless merciless foes, of which he takes down a couple while screaming, and then he tends to his pregnant wife, akin to a scene from the recent Cowboys & Aliens, we are taught that during Hollywood battles you are allowed respite from the enemy if you enter an emotional two shot close up with a loved or cherished one, no one will dare attack you, it simply wouldn't be fair.. so yes amidst the carnage Perlman and wife share some tender and distraught words, she wishes to see her son before she dies, and without even really looking he takes a nasty looking knife and performs the fastest C-section known to mankind, and voila.. he brings up a CGI baby.. the mother looks on, smiles, then dies, Hellboy is highly moved by these events, so decides to perform a Lion King and holds the child aloft and screams out loud, the camera pulls in beckoning the film's title to force itself upon us.. this scene literally lasts 3-4 minutes.. and none of the attacking savages notices it happening, or pays any attention to the angry barbarian king screaming and holding a newborn baby above his head.. As i said i came into this film willing to hold my disbelief.. but seriously.. could this scene not have taken place in a hut or some other hidden shelter? Conan would still have been "battle-born", the first thing he tasted (like every child) would still have been his mother's blood, yet it would have been ten times more intimate and moving, and hundred times more believable. I completely understand this isn't meant to be highbrow, but there's no harm in adding just a slight bit of realism and genuine emotion to a fundamental scene, It will only involve the audience more and at little expense to any of the tone. As a result of this scene, I never cared for any character for any moment.. the film failed from its very inception.

If Lord of The Rings was Peter Jackson making love to the audience, Conan is him self pleasuring himself in a dirty motel room. From the Morgan Freeman LOTR rip off introductory montage, the whole film is dumb and completely forgettable, apart from the occasional cool move in a fight, every single action moment is a blurry fast motion medium shot.. the failsafe of every director since Nolan decided to publicly showcase such laziness in Batman Begins.. it's pure laziness on every count, move the camera fast, add some crunchy sound design and BOOM, you have an action scene.. what's the best fight scene of the last decade? Old Boy and the Hammer, and there isn't a single cut in that, or any fast camera move, it's just good old fashioned choreography and stunt acting.. the only good or partly original part in the whole film is the sand soldier fight.. but even that is ultimately deemed moronic and pornographic, why doesn't the witch daughter use such powers or summon up similar creatures at any other point in the film? like you know.. say during the finale when all magic powers should have been used, at all times. But obviously the film-makers realised that would have put Conan at a big disadvantage, and caused too much of a headache for them to solve.. I know just move the camera around a lot, and make loads of quick edits and CGI blood splashes, it's the modern day equivalent of a shiny object for rednecks.

Even the DBOX programming was dumb and nonsensical. The film even had an expert thief that could pick a lock with a custom made device, called a key!! oh i wish i didn't have a limit of 1000 words.. i'd do a real Conan on this film and rip it to shreds. Yet again a film with great production value ruined by moronic film-makers that think guilty pleasure means no need for creativity, and yet another film permitted a stupid budget simply because the Conan name has brand recognition.

Like many others, when I first saw the title of the film, I thought "great, another cash in".. then I saw the trailer, and thought to myself "actually, this doesn't look half bad". Now that I've seen it I almost wish it didn't have the 'Planet of The Apes' moniker because it is an excellent standalone film and a brilliant example of a summer blockbuster that will appeal to all, but pander to none.

This was an excellent counteract to my experience of 'Cowboys & Aliens', which i watched last night.. a film I was really looking forward to, considering the concept and the talent involved, but it was the most cliché ridden piece of lazy film-making I'd seen in some time. I've been in a mood all day, then I went to Planet of The Apes, expecting more selling out.. but what I got was a fresh and original film. There wasn't a single off moment to me in the whole film, If I have any issue, it's that we're barely given a chance to breathe, the pace is relentless.

Amazing use of the camera, whether it be real or virtual, and speaking of, WETA have triumphed yet again, and produced some truly outstanding special effects.. in my mind this was one of the best and effective overall uses of CGI.. you genuinely believe these are apes that are becoming intelligent, you really do care more for them than the humans, and that's a real feat. Okay some may say "well Franco isn't exactly the most dynamic fleshed out character".., but this isn't meant to be The English Patient, I honestly think you could have put these apes into 'The Shawshank Redemption', and they still would have stole the show. Either way, best visual effects of the year in my opinion, it really won't be long until we create a completely believable human being... unless of course the Apes take over..

I honestly left the film feeling "I want to be an ape god damn it!"..

I wonder if we'll be able to watch the original films in the same way after this. Hope there's a sequel that shows their true rise to power, but as it stands this is an awesome prequel, and a brilliant film.

I never saw REC, but I really enjoyed Quarantine, it had me on the edge of my seat pretty much throughout the whole film, really well made film in every regard, and no doubt just a more expensive version of the Spanish original, and more likely more immersive and gripping.. the sequel does feel Straight for Video in terms of the production value, and I guess the budget wasn't nearly the same as the first film.. but I personally enjoy films like this, so long as it keeps me wondering what's going to happen next, and I care for at least a couple of the characters, you really don't need to make a masterpiece for me to be entertained.

It may not have the technical quality of the first, or the cast and cinematography, but for what it is, I had a good time, and it even made me jump a few times, and i don't jump so easy..

good all round B-Movie.. give it a watch if you like Horror B-Movies with people trapped in situations with no escape.

An interesting premise, girl falls in love with her best friend's fiancée. There is so much potential in that simple sentence, and no doubt why the film got green lit, and like pretty much every other film made these days, it's based on a book, hooray!! let's condense 350 pages of well received prose into 100 pages of screenplay and let it endure countless bouts of studio heads, producer, director and test screening feedback at mall to produce 100 minutes of film material.

What was wrong with this film? i haven't read the book, and I will never have any desire to do so.. I don't care about the book, I watched the film adaptation of it, that's what i'm "reviewing".. Kate Hudson's character has absolutely no redeeming quality to her whatsoever.. she is loathsome in pretty much every regard.. there is literally a minute around the time the 3rd act kicks in, when we feel an iota of sympathy for her, literally less than a minute.. but she is essentially the villain in the film, and fair enough as her character is the one stopping our lovebirds from getting together.. so what's wrong with that? well for starters, she is supposedly the most absolute best friend of our heroine, we're told this through a completely forced video presentation at the start, where we're shown an immaculately shot slideshow of the two characters as kids being cute and slightly lesbo for each other.. and that is literally the only actual evidence or visual proof we get that these two people are more or less sisters or kindred spirits.. because i defy you to point out any one single moment in the rest of the film where you would believe that to be the case... other than them doing a highly choreographed dance sequence in their PJ's in that aforementioned end of 2nd act part of the film where they "bond".

Ginnifer Goodwin is ideal casting, she's cute and attractive, and is someone I feel most girls will easily relate to, she is quintessential girl next door that will let her hair down.. it's basically hard to hate her.. yet within 10 minutes, I lost most respect for her character when it was told to me that she was best friend's with Hudson (i'm not going to bother with their character names, because apart from the Dex and Sex rhyming dialogue I have no reason to remember any of the character's names).

Then we come to Dex, the Tom Cruise after a heavy night out lookalike, again like Goodwin's character, there is really nothing to hate or dislike about the guy, he seems decent enough and likable.. except for the fundamental crime that he somehow has been able to be with, and get engaged to Hudson for a significant part of his life. Why?.. no seriously why?? are we genuinely to believe Hudson during the one moment she cares to share any actual human feelings, that they are together because he needs a wild child in his life, and she needs a boring straight up non person to balance her? or is it because as she says early on "hot people deserve to be with hot people" or something like that..

So let me get this straight, Dex falls in love with Goodwin in college, but is too shy to make a move.. fair enough.. but the second her promiscuous friend comes along, and he feels he is being set up with her, he somehow ends up being engaged to her? and his dying mother is happy about this because he is marrying a seemingly loose woman instead of someone that on paper is ideal for him? Let's respect this guy even more, because he is willing to ruin his life, the life of Hudson's character, and the life of his potential children, just so his mother can be happy for the last few years of her life? oh but it's okay.. because she's his sweet little mother that smiles ever so dearly to the camera during a moment of crisis for him.

I don't like to dismay American film-making.. maybe more the studio system in general.. i'm not even going to bother looking into whether this film was in fact produced through a studio or independently.. i'm not even going to "blame" Greenfield who directed the brilliant "Girl Next Door".. who truly knows how much influence he had on either project.. all i know is i like the guy from what i've read and heard from him.. i'm simply criticising the final product. This had the potential to be a great drama, or even a brilliant black comedy, that one sentence I started this review with.. girl falls in love with best friend's fiancée.. the possibilities.. the social implications, the potential to truly explore friendship vs love.. forget the 2 months later coda, how about seeing what things would have been like 10 years later, after Dex had no choice but to marry Hudson.. it was his child that was conceived the weekend after he slept with Goodwin, he was thinking purely of her, he forgot to use a condom.. it was the child he wanted to have with her.. imagine that scene.. or imagine that as a 3rd act.. them meeting 10 years after.. imagine if we truly believed Goodwin and Hudson were best friends, but there was simply something stronger than their friendship between Goodwin and Dex, not merely some moment of shyness during college that prevented them being together. Would it have been as funny?

why not.. it's not as if the current incarnation was anything other than a laugh every half hour.

Potential.. yet again flushed down the toilet of mediocrity. Yes you need a villain, it helps make a story.. but the best villains are people we can relate to.. if you relate to Hudson's character.. find a time machine and service your mother with an abortion.

I have no idea how this film "flopped".. I can only guess the press weren't keen on promoting a Russel Crowe film that Ridley Scott didn't direct... but that's a genuine shame, because this is the best thriller i've seen in ages, and probably one of the best films i've seen in ages.. and i watch a LOT of films.. to the point i'm almost getting bored of them.

If you like well told stories, and you like thrillers.. do yourself a huge favour and watch this film.. I childishly resented Paul Haggis because 'Crash' beat 'Brokeback Mountain' at the Oscars.. but whatever I had against the man, I completely take it back, because 'The Next Three Days' is in my opinion a piece of work from a true master of the form.

Also check out '3:10 To Yuma', another massively under appreciated film with Crowe.

I knew little about the film except that it starred Melissa George, was from the director of 'Severance' and I needed one more title to take advantage of the 4 for £10 offer at blockbuster.

Without giving anything away, this is a really well made film that constantly has you thinking. Whether the pay off works for you is going to be down to individual tastes, either way once the story gets started, you simply will HAVE to know how it ends.

This isn't a typical slasher film which the DVD cover would lead you to believe, this is a surreal thriller with a very strong performance from Melissa George (and without objectifying her sexuality, a great pair of denim shorts!!).

Some of the CGI and compositing in expositional scenes do seem lacklustre, I'm sure it was down to budgetary and time reasons, but they do stand out, when they shouldn't have.. on the other hand, there is also some outstanding SFX work, and some truly excellent Art Direction.

Another technical note, I've never seen the Panavision Genesis used so well, full marks to the DOP and camera crew for using the camera to the best of its abilities, there wasn't a single moment where I could tell this was a digital film, and I'm usually able to tell pretty quickly.

I'm annoyed with the British film industry in general, they waste funding and talent, but this film and Christopher Smith and the team behind this film have given me hope, it's just a shame this film isn't being promoted properly.

If you like stories set out at sea, and you like surreal and physiological thriller type films, then check this out, you won't be disappointed.

Okay we all know Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet The Spartans etc.. are some of the worst spoofs, and some of the worst comedies ever made, they are only watchable thanks to some semi- decent production value, a general wackiness for when you're in the mood to watch something silly, and talented cast members doing their best with some god awful jokes.. they're bad spoofs end of story.

But Superhero Movie actually made me laugh, and is easily the best of these types of spoofs, maybe in great part to the new teaming of director Mazin and producer Zucker. The laugh a minute formula is actually employed, unlike in the other movies where laugh a minute means either breaking out into some hip hop fueled dance routine, some lame 'parody' or just doing something completely off the wall and hoping it gets a laugh.

Don't judge this movie by the 'Movie' suffix, if you're in the mood for something silly give this one a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised.

I used to dislike westerns something rotten, i couldn't take them seriously, that was until i watched the dollars trilogy, and saw what westerns were really about.. a recent time in history where money was truly king, and life was worth as much as it cost to live another day, and whether that was historically accurate or not, it didn't matter, it offered the opportunity to show men at their basest and most basic.

3:10 to Yuma captures that essence, and it is the driving force behind the story, a story that is great pulp fiction at its best. It's hard to find fault with this film from a story-telling aspect, I'd find it hard for someone to get bored, or to not want to know what happens next, and to find themselves completely satisfied by the time the end credits roll.

When you watch Yuma you wonder why it wasn't as well known, it has a great cast, with faultless performances, Crowe and Bale have an amazing chemistry, and the supporting cast is fantastic, Ben Foster is fast becoming the best guy on camera that you love to hate.. wow i never expected him to play the roles he has since first seeing him in 'Get Over It', but now he plain flat out rocks, i'll watch anything with him in it and it was a pleasant surprise to see him here. But why did no-one see this film?? THE NAME!!! the promotion campaign had some of the coolest posters going around, but who is going to watch a film with a bunch of numbers and an odd sounding abstract name in it? It sounded like a science fiction film, but was a western. Once you watch the film you'd find it hard to call it anything else, but this film is a pure example of the title defeating its success.

I hope the name doesn't hurt it post theatrical success, because this is seriously a great film that anyone who enjoys good stories will like, right up to the immensely satisfying finale, this is one of the best films of 2007 by far.. if you're even half interested in watching this film , and are reading IMDb reviews to figure out whether it will be worth your time and money to watch it.. just stop reading now and go watch it!!! i'd be highly surprised if you were disappointed.. not many films make it into the IMDb Top 250 within a few months of being released, and the ones that do.. they're usually worth 2hrs of anyone's time.

it's only been a couple of hours since watching, and i'm sure i'll come up with a few plot holes over time, like why he did this? could that have really happened? etc.. but that's not important because there was only one moment i felt distracted like that during the film, and even then it was explained soon after.. but i haven't been on the edge of my seat for an entire film for a very long time.. 24 being the only thing in recent memory to get my adrenaline pumping.

The sense of dread in this film is amazing, the action is perfectly timed and paced, it is just one of those films where the audience literally gasps a sigh of relief when the credits start to roll.

If you thought the first film had a good premise, but felt lacking in some way, particularly thrills, then you will love this film.

My friend made a good comparison, 28 Weeks Later as a sequel is similar to Aliens.. in Alien it was a small group of people, the enemy was new.. in both sequels, the enemy is known, and the guns are loaded, yet it still manages to make you feel like there is no escape. Alien was an example in tension, Aliens was an example of the emotions felt on a roller-coaster ride. The same applies to the 28 films.

Ps. they took full advantage of and made London look amazing, its probably one of the best films to sell the city, even if it is full of crazy zombies!!

Pushing Tin wasn't an amazing film, but it was EXTREMELY watchable, no doubt down to a sexy Jolie, but more so the two leads, Cusack and Thornton, who can save even the most mundane of films, so all i needed to know was these two guys were in this, i knew nothing else about this film, so when the credits came up, Platt, Quaid and Nielsen AND directed by Harold Ramis.. it could not be bad, and it wasn't.

perfect late night movie, good dialogue, nice steady pace and actually pretty funny, one sequence in particular involving a foot locker is full of black humour and is great.

It's a short movie, and is never boring. If you're a fan of Cusack then you can't fail to enjoy the film. Thornton is great as usual, Platt is hilarious, and Nielsen is drop dead gorgeous, couple it with a laid back not wholly original, but fun plot, and you have one of those great gems of a film you find late night on TV. Really well directed too!! Thumbs up!

I always loved the idea of the Resident Evil games, the settings, the story lines and the atmosphere, but the games were getting repetitive, and simply the control system was plain annoying, you never truly felt involved.

I knew Resident Evil 4 was going to be a change, but what a change, if there has ever been a comeback for a gaming series then this is it. I don't care about people saying, oh there are no zombies etc.. all i know is the enemies in this game are simply better, and a whole lot of fun to fight against, the control system is a revelation, making perfect use of the control pad in what is essentially an FPS. The enemies have amazing AI, wherever you can go, they can, you will feel like you're fighting them for real, their animations are astounding, shoot them in the leg, they react exactly how would expect them to. The weapons are so satisfying, you will get such a buzz from using them.

The graphics -- i've been upgrading my PC to super levels to play Half Life 2 etc.. graphics that will blow your face away, who would have thought the Gamecube could give a visual experience to rival anything on the PC.. these are the best console graphics ever, at times you feel like you're playing an FMV, i'm being serious. The art design of this game is something only the Japanese game makers could do, there is more visual invention than any movie.

i don't normally like scary games, but this game was just too fun to miss out on, there are moments when you will get your heart beating, for once there is a real feeling of survival horror, the concept of Resident Evil has finally been fulfilled.

my only complaint is maybe the game is too short, well 20 hrs isn't short just right for this type of game, and well it was just so addictive i couldn't put it down, so really it isn't a short game, but you're having such a great time it just flies by.. even still Capcom have added some bonus games, that are actually worth your time, and will add a few more hours to it all.. i'd say a healthy 30hrs is there.

anyway -- unmissable, simply amazing. the Gamecube has few titles, but the ones that shine, really take some beating.. and although it will be coming out on the PS2 at the end of this year, Res Evil 4, is yet another strong reason for getting a Cube. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED 9.7/10

I know nothing about the comic book, so i have no idea of how good an adaptation it is, i can only judge it on its own merits. It is probably the least inspiring comic book film, it is at the end of the day just an action movie which echoes the type made during the 80's.. now for me that's a good thing, i love modern day action films, where brains have been put in, but i do miss some of those silly mad action films of yonder year, where if something can blow up, it WILL.

The film knows not to take itself too seriously, the fight with the Russian being a particular highlight, even when our hero is being beat up to hell, its still manages to be funny.

the weakness of the film, much like Daredevil (which i thought was very poor), stems from the director doing a more or less debut film, and it being an action film at that, know the action scenes are done fine, but inexperience shows in more or less every other scene, and it brings it down a bit, some of the dialogue between Jane and Stamos is really very bad, then again so were those great dumb action films of the 80's.

this is a tongue in cheek action film, don't take it too seriously, don't see it as a comic book adaptation, then i don't see why anyone wouldn't mind watching it.

BUT i do feel there was a missed opportunity for this film, the last shot is really great, and i imagine sums up what the rest of the film should have been like, had the last shot been the opening, the film could have been something pretty cool.. but ends up being a fun bit of popcorn.

If this film is a sign of things to come, bring it on!! He was good in Scorpion King, but his character and the film in general didn't really give him a chance to shine, unlike in The Rundown (aka Welcome To The Jungle), where he really shines, the pairing of him and Sean William Scott was inspired, i'd love to see a sequel to this film.. the action is excellent, really well shot and paced, Walken as ever is genius. The film never gets dull, Dawson is gorgeous.. this is all perfect beer and pizza movie.. loved it! can't wait to see Walking Tall.. and look forward to seeing the Rock as the next big action star, cool cameo from Arnie btw.

Highly Recommended Action Buddy Comedy film!!

Why did i rent this movie? to see 2 girls kiss, its as simple as that. I didn't expect a masterpiece, or even anything as good as the surprisingly entertaining film the original was.. but i did not expect something as insipid as this.

This film goes out of its way to insult your intelligence, and to prove the fact a script can be written within 2 hrs and actually end up as a real life movie.

Gigli to me wasn't a bad film, its more misunderstood, and a bit different from usual fare, without Lopez and Affleck in it, i doubt many would make as much fuss.. its still made well, yet people quote it as the worst film ever.. but those people clearly don't watch these straight to video sequels. I just don't get why they have to be so bad, it really isn't hard to write an average script and at the very least make some sense, but to write something as completely moronic as this, and have it take up 2 ft on a Blockbuster shelf defies all logic and reasonable belief.

I am someone who can watch an average movie, a film that doesn't quite hit the spot, or truly achieve its potential.. and come out the other side with few complaints, i like to watch movies, i'm generally pretty positive to a lot of them that i watch.. but every once in a while a film like this comes up, and you honestly believe you have become more stupid as a result of watching it. The people who wrote this, are not intelligent, i hope there was a lot of red tape going on, and no one actually had any creative control, because that is the only way to forgive the people behind a film like this. If i was given the job to make a straight to video sequel, of a guilty pleasure film like Wild Things, i knew i wouldn't make a classic, but i knew i could take the basic ingredients of that film, twist it a bit, and still make a fun movie.. a bit like the Tremors sequels. I wouldn't do like this, and simply try copy everything, and do that poorly. All i ever ask of a film, past technical competence, is for it to at the very least make sense, something this film dies flat on its face.

Is there hot lesbian action? yes, and of course taking away the star factor of the original, its probably hotter, though it is a carbon copy of that scene. Everyone went to see Wild Things, for the threesome scene, and expected little else, but instead got a good pulp storyline that was genuinely entertaining.. everyone will watch Wild Things 2 for a threesome, they'll get it, but they'll also get brain damage in return. Stick the subtitles on, and fast forward.. that's a health warning people.

Look, i normally like comedies, some of the notoriously bad ones (i.e Kung Pow) are films i really liked, i just like to laugh.. and this seemed to at the very least be a bit of a laugh, i wasn't expecting the classic quality of the original.. but something!!!

i got NOTHING!!! despite the great cast, Levy, various SNL and Mr.Show alumni, and not to mention the excellent imitations of the leads, i expecting at least one or two belly laughs.. all i got were a few smiles, but more often than not i was left thinking "oh" or "come on, make me laugh!"

There is the misconception that writing Dumb jokes and dumb characters is easy, because its dumb.. but its the complete opposite, writing dumb takes a smart person, something the Farrelys are.. this film was just full of cliched, obvious jokes, and tried too much to try emulate the first film, and not really taking off at its own film.

This film should have been a LOT better, they found people who could pull of Carrey and Daniels, and showed great potential for humour, but were let down by a very very average script, and a lazy director.

Watch only for curiosity value, but just don't expect to be in even a patch of Dumb & Dumber, or even virtually any other comedy that got a theatrical release this year.

PS- Shia LaBeouf is looking more and more like a young Gene Wilder, great turn in the film by him!

3/10

I rented this and Dumb & Dumberer one night, both movies in the bottom 100 here on imdb.. and i can say one of them probably should be in that list, but it isn't Kangaroo Jack. I was very dubious about this film from the trailer, but i'm a fan of the 2 stars, and Bruckheimer contrary to popular belief doesn't just make action movies, he's a very smart producer and is very good at getting talent together.. so far i've enjoyed all his films, even Pearl Harbour (awful script, amazing visuals) isn't completely devoid of entertainment.

Kangaroo Jack didn't dissapoint, the jokes are quick and simple, and performed with great charisma from the leads, i thought it was a good sign that i didn't actually find the famous dream sequence all that funny, and found the humour elsewhere enjoyable. The film passed by very quickly for me, it had a fun story with good pacing, good location, gorgeous female interest, and a nice short runtime.

The Kangaroo has been poorly advertised, he's simply a plot point more than a character, with some impressive CG work.. people expecting a talking animal movie are dissapointed, but someone like me who would prefer less Jar Jar Binks in the world appreciate how the Kangaroo is used..

my only real complaint is the way the leads treat the Kangaroo at the start of the film when they think its dead.. honestly is dressing up road kill is something you'd expect from Tom Green, not a kid's movie..

but all in all, if you want a fun road movie that is easy on the mind and the eye, you should have a good time with Kangaroo Jack.. as for Dumb & Dumberer, now that's a crap film! Kangaroo Jack so doesn't deserve to be on the bottom 100, unless you've only ever seen 200 films in your whole life!!

A movie as hyped, could only warrant the slightest of negativity, especially from someone who appreciated the hype.. but the only negatives i can come up within 2 days after seeing the film, are dominantly related to the crowd i watched the film with... yet the reactions of those not in tune, are probably the best reactions.. in years to come those people who saw this film and laughed at the inopportune moments are probably the same people who found Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction highly controversial on first viewing... and its those people and their realisation that the controversy was unfounded who are the people who make films like these live on past their domestic theatrical shelf life.

Some find Jackie Brown weak... but compared to a lot of other films, its very strong, the film-maker's previous films had so much notoriety that they couldn't be topped within the same measure, and QT got an unfair bad rap for it, though anyone watching it now past the hype will be able to fully appreciate the fact even after only 4 films Tarantino has proved he can't make a bad film.

And Kill Bill is like the cherry on top... hardly a moment passes in the film when you don't feel this is different, yet familiar, its Tarantino, but its something new from him, ok not a great deal to achieve after a handful of films, but they are such iconic films.

This is only Part 1, just like LOTR you can't fully conclude your comments on it, but just like said film(s) what you can say is this is a film who has someone behind the camera who isn't just some director for hire, but someone who knows how to make movies that stay with us...

Kill Bill V1 is a classic in the making... you may have noticed i didn't actually comment on any of the specifics of the film, but that's because its like a concept album, you just need to watch it, let it soak in and appreciate the complete picture.. just like any classic film.

to even dare comment on Vol2, would be completely moronic.. it may be the worst film ever, who knows? just let us glaze in the glory that is Vol1 for now... even the dream of Vol2 satisfies me more than many other films.

PS: Kill Bill requires an understanding of Japanese/Eastern cinema... and if you liked KILL BILL, but know nothing of that side of cinema, i could do nothin better than recommend you discover it. Tarantino has made the perfect homage, in that its as good if not better than its influences!!!

Utterly Excellent!!! :D

I either post a review when i loathe a film, or feel a film has been unfairly dissed.. but in this case it's because i completely adored it.

I think Miyazaki is a genius, i really do, people compare the story to Wizard Of Oz or Alice In Wonderland, and they are very similar in content, a fantastic new world, and a young girl who must learn more about herself and others to leave, and just like those 2 stories this one if FULL of imagination, every single minute is filled with something new and fresh, borrowing from Japanese mythology as well as Miyazaki's previous creations (i.e. the adorable soot creatures), it ranges from the surreal to the sublime. The story can be written on a post it note, yet my biggest flaw with the film is that is a good half hour too short! i simply didn't want the film to stop.. but i suppose that was the whole point of being spirited away...

I think there are people who might find things a bit too wierd and tripped out, but they can't deny the overall message of the film, it isn't some huge life changing event that the hype makes it feel to be, it is just one of the most amazing films ever made, there is a beautiful subtlely to it all.. it doesn't have some mad epic grandouise adventure plot, there are no mega set pieces, no songs or big numbers, the film is mostly set in one building, there are times when you don't know where the story is going, or if there is any.. but this is a common feeling in Miyazaki films, they aren't about getting those pre-set highs or step by step film structure.. they are more about escaping to another world and being a part of it.. which is in my mind the greatest single thing a film or book can do... and this film achieves it, by the end you will be moved, maybe not to streaming tears, but you will feel something..

this film will mean something to everyone! a genuine masterpiece :)

that is exactly how i see one of the best sitcoms of recent times... the sitcom heydey of the 90's seemed to be dying down, Frasier and Friends have ended, and here in the UK all the good stuff seems to be dying off too, Black Books being the last truly great one, we don't get the 10 series that American sitcoms do, anything more than 5 is overkill here, and a series in the UK is barely more than 6 episodes.. so people like myself appreciate the abundance American shows bring, while in most cases maintaining quality... but the godfather of the sitcoms sadly ended some time ago.. and that was Seinfeld.. nothing bar the Simpsons could touch it, but at least Seinfeld knew when to stop, but Curb Your Enthusiasm is to Seinfeld as Futurama is to the Simpsons.. it doesn't have the general appeal, but it has something else the former didn't.. an evolution that is true to its roots.

Here in the UK, CYE has been shown only on BBC4, the "posh" arty channel only available on satellite.. which i think is one of the biggest mistakes the BBC have made EVER!!, because this is a comedy i think just as good as Alan Partridge, or The Office, both are shows which have great respect here. Unfortunately the only way i've been able to watch CYE is though unorthodox methods, but that is simply because i can't watch them any other way until a DVD comes out.. and i think this a great shame.. as this is one hell of a show, i can't believe Larry David came up with so many genius ideas during Seinfeld, and is still churning them out, i've seen the whole first series of CYE and a couple of Season 2, and each one has ranged from inspired to utter genius....

hail Larry David and Co.. for making one excellent sitcom, i just wished it had the exposure it deserves, because it is seriously funny and clever.. but it seems people can't handle live action comedy without the canned laughter, which is a huge shame..

CYE Rocks!!!! check it out, buy the DVD when ever it comes out!! one of the best sitcoms ever!! i love it! :D

ok admitedly, i did fast forward during the non-action scenes while reading the subtitles, because a) i'd read so many bad reviews, i know how these films are, i wouldn't be missing much b) i had 45 mins before having to return it c) it was free, i didn't care... but it seems i could have sat through it pretty easily for the 90 minutes.. yeah sure some bits are silly (like why blow up a whole mall, when one tranquiliser dart would have put Liu down easily), and the characters are extremely 2 dimensional.. but it all serves up to cater what the movie is about.. guns, fighting, explosions and more explosions.. which if done well can be fun to watch, especially if it's a Sunday afternoon and you got nothing better to do.. and this film has some fairly fun action scenes, a couple of shots would have looked very cool if put in a better context, (i.e SWAT guy falling off roof) so credit is due there :)

Just sit through Ballistic, then sit through XXX, an utterly awful film in virtually every respect, that i'm amazed it isn't in the Bottom 100 instead of this.. at least this film abides to the laws of physics!! maybe not common sense, but at least that's one more thing than XXX.. and that film was DULL.. this film barely has time to be dull.. it does move fairly quickly though never really involving you...

it isn't a great film, and it really isn't awful, it's merely average, and will pass the time, so long as you're not overly critical, or cynical!

Certainly doesn't dererve the low score.. 5/10 at least.. though maybe i'm being slightly generous, because of all the negativity, but the film didn't irritate me, or bore me. Simply put, it was not as awful as i though it would be.. i could name a whole load of worse films i've seen recently. PS - Lucy Liu is a babe!

I went in thinking it would be dire, but was fairly entertained throughout... people go on about the start being so cool, and it then going downhill... but i thought the start was merely ok, i got worried the rest would be crap.. but it wasn't.. it was no Shining, but it was fun in a House On The Haunted Hill way..

I seem to enjoy all these Zemeckis produced horror b-movies, even though they always seem the get slated.. The Frighteners is clearly the best still.. but i enjoyed House On Hanuted Hill and 13 Ghosts probably more than i should've.. i don't really read too much into these types of films, i just go in for the ride, and maybe that's how you're meant to watch them.. the plots are merely a backdrop.

So if you enjoyed those films, then i reckon you should like this, i myself like anything to do with Ghost Ships, this film would've rocked if it was a pirate ship though!!! :D

either way, not too bad a movie, not something you could watch again, but like most thrillers, it serves its purpose, the 90minutes flew by for me... 6.5/10 :)

i've come to the agreement that DJ Qualls has only been involved in enjoyable movies.. so far of his movies i've seen Road Trip, The New Guy, Comic Book Villans, Lone Star and Big Trouble, and every single one of them has entertained me like any movie should (especially Big Trouble!!).. but as much as i enjoy his work, he was only the second reason why i picked up this movie.. Jaime King was the first!! though i hate Slackers with an intense passion, i will still watch anything with her in it!! so when i saw this straight to DVD release (UK), i thought what they hey, it has King in it, along with Qualls, and other cast members i like, i'll pick it up even if i did expect a poor film, seeing how i had never heard of it before.. etc..

but suffice it to say it's just one of those little gems you gamble on, that ends up making the rental worth it!! like one of those movies that comes on TV, and you just sort of get hooked in.

Excellent casting, good direction, nice characters, and a fun and simple story that all makes for just one good movie!! it's as easy as that! i bet even people who hate Joshua Jackson will like him in this!!

if like me you watch a LOT of movies, from Disney to Slasher, and really know bad from good, and truly know how to percieve movies before seeing them, then trust me you'll enjoy this... pick it up at blockbuster, a good few bucks well spent for a couple of good laughs and a nice simple story that never gets boring!! considering how many mainstream movies i see which don't amount to much, except $10 and a bucket of popcorn, good old fashioned fun films like these i'd welcome any day!!

Jaimie King is just the icing on the sweet pudding!! rent with no hesitation!

These types of stories, by which i mean, a group of people who's true natures are exposed by greed and obsession, will either work for you or not, and by default the climax will seem over the top and take away half the audience.. but no matter the ending, the ride there is very well executed, and went way past the expectations i got from just watching the trailer.

The great cast of guys who steal scenes in other films, was one i was very interested in, but i sceptical about the actual film, i thought past the interesting plotline,it would be poorly written and directed by a moron.. but it so wasn't!

It's one of those movies that through good storytelling just makes you watch, and not want to get up, and the 90 minute runtime just flies by! not one scene is wasted, not one performance is perfunctonary, it's just completely well made all round, and very well written/directed. I think the negative comments are from people who are expecting way too much from the film, and maybe movies in general.. if you're someone who just goes along with the ride, so long as it's all relatively credible, and you like the cast, then i think you'll have a great time, no doubt! this film went way past my expectations!

my only quibble, and it's so minor, plus it seems unavoidable with films about greed, HOW THE HECK DO YOU END IT!! if the film was being completely realistic, then the film's ending probably wouldn't happen, but in real life the ending would be pretty dull, and lose the whole comic book feel to the film.. comic books also use violence as a device, comic books are visually over the top representations of everyday things.. many characters in comic books are 2-dimensional simple folk.. hence the title to this movie, and in general the whole feel and look to the movie (which btw looks VERY good for such low budget!).. so the ending in after thought may seem to be slightly over the top, and doesn't seem to fit the characters, but while watching i was hooked! and so will you! :)

definately worth the rental!! maybe even a buy. It's hard to recommend as a film for comic book fans, because that's like saying every girl is going to like a chick flick, but there are comic book references aplenty, and comic book collectors for fellow guys to relate with.. so i think a comic book fan might get more out of it than others, but not necersarily enjoy it more.. but what's great about this movie, is that you don't need to know ANYTHING about comics to enjoy it, you can even watch it in mute! it's really well made!

My only flaw with this film is the 2nd act could have been stronger, it feels messy, though with repeated viewings it gains more structure. But i can't find flaw with the extended first act and the extended 3rd act.. in fact i love them to utter pieces. I personally think the ending is genius.. people who try find technical plot holes in it simply don't know enough science, and sort of forget the notion of science fiction... there's hardly anything in this film or minority report which could not happen in the timeframe each movie has been put in. Come on people! the film took 14 yrs to make, by 2 very intelligent people with access to technical information most of us would dream of having. Anyway, forgot all that, the ending is one of my favourite pieces of celluloid, and i think one of Spielberg's greatest sequences, i can only think people who don't see it that way simply don't get it, as i can't see anyone not falling in love with it once they do 'get it'.

and John Williams created a masterpiece score that got very unnoticed, due in part to the film not doing as well as it should have, and people think Williams doesn't 'create' any more, he simply does it.. no he's a genius, and this score is a master at work.

Like 2001, i really think A.I. will win over a lot of people in time to come, it seemed to split audiences too much into the negative side, much like Vanilla Sky, which is a shame, because both these films are inteligent and different films which the hollywood mainstream needs a bit more of.. i like popcorn movies just fine, but i just wish people could look more deeply into the films they watch, and not expect everything to be done for them.

A.I. carries one of the most beautiful and purest messages in any film, and does it in such a way i can't help but label it as a combined masterpiece of 2 of the greatest film-makers around, if you expected something else, shame on you.. go watch it again, and again.. in time you too will see why people like myself label it as one of the most under-rated great films ever made.

10/10