Floh-Ruehle

There are only very extreme reviews out for this movie, and I want to add another more moderate one. I think it is obvious to anybody who has seen even just the trailer that this movie is neither 10/10 nor 1/10 stars. I give it a good 7/10, because it delivers on its main goal: to entertain.

The movie itself is a weird mixture of gore, references and jokes, and that is a very peculiar combination and certainly not for everybody. But if you know what you are getting into and you get on board with it, it can be a very entertaining and enjoyable ride. Most of the characters aren't very fleshed out and the story is obviously ridiculous, but this is to be expected from such a movie. The execution is pretty impressive, not just for the given budget. The (over)acting is very passable and at times even good, which helps set the tone for the film (obviously bordering on silly).

This is not Oscar material, and it is not a huge studio production, but I found it to be quite entertaining and funny and worth a (re)watch. Keeping in mind that this is a micro-budget film, I might even have gone a little higher, but in the big picture, this boils down to a 7/10 for me.

First of all: This movie has been done on a very low budget. This hardly ever shows and I rated it like I would rate any other Hollywood-backed movie on IMDb, which might almost be a little unfair. Still, I have to give this movie high praises. It has a very simple story yet easily keeps you entangled for over 30 minutes (a very long runtime for a short-film).

The story is based on "The tell-tale heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. The movie itself shortens it even further. It contains very little dialog and can be considered more of a mood piece. From the very beginning, the music, acting and cinematography keep the viewer at the edge of his seat and deliver suspense in an amazing yet not obvious way. The main character Taylor (Todd Bruno) carries the movie brilliantly, without his outstanding performance it would not have been the same. The same way would a lesser composer or cinematographer have left this movie boring and lifeless. As it is, this movie is very close to a perfect thriller and I can recommend it to anyone.

Some minor things that bugged me: All the main actresses were not as convincing as I had hoped. There were some very slight focus issues at times. In very few places, I would have liked the score to be a little more quiet or non-present, to release the tension for just a second.

Over all, I am very pleased with the movie and found it entertaining at least and brilliant at best. In comparison to big commercial films, I am rating it at 8/10 stars. For a very low budget film, I would easily give 10/10.

First the positive things: The main actor does a solid job, the musical score did not bother me, and not me but my friend paid for the rental DVD... :o) Okay, the story isn't great but it is not as idiotic as some blockbuster's storyline when broken down. But I don't think anyone expected Hollywoods next genius behind this script.

Apart from that, I was downright shocked by how badly this movie fails in many places. The acting of many supporting roles was hurtful at times, as was the script. The latter can be explained by trying to balance between the two genres of Comedy and Drama. This is a very hard path to take, even for more gifted movie makers, and this movie is neither a drama nor a (funny) comedy.

The biggest problem I had with the movie though, is, that is seems like a genuine Hollywood movie, with known actors in the cast and some marketing. But it looks by far worse than most film school graduate films. It is poorly acted, poorly directed, and very, very poorly edited. In any one minute of the film I (as an amateur) could probably point out a no-go for a professional movie.

I was lying in a hospital bed and really had nothing better to do, but I switched off the DVD 15 minutes before the end, and I really try to give movies an honest shot by watching them to the very end.

Don't waste your time watching this one, not even on TV! There are so many better movies around!

This movie is far from being perfect. It is also far from being one of the worst movies I have seen, like some reviewers claim.

The movie delivers quite nicely in several areas: It kept me entertained throughout the full length of it. The cinematography is daring and plain beautiful. The acting is alright, but nothing special. The combination of film noir with very modern imagery and dialogue was weird but interesting to see. The whole woven in metaphorical lines and puns (look at some light effects in the bar!) about particle physics were funny and entertaining to me (but then again, I am a physicist...). But they did not really help the plot or the characters and seemed a little unmotivated and far fetched.

I have to admit though that the storyline of the movie seemed a little half-baked. Take a cup of David Lynch weirdness, a few spoons of sciency talk, a bit of crime genre love story and a few twists and turns for the viewer. No, this does not give you a good story if mixed together. It gives you a strange movie unlike any other. And if it wasn't so well made, this movie would really have sucked given those ingredients.

Overall, I can say that the movie was entertaining, mainly for its stylish mood and look, but nothing that I would recommend as a must-see to my friends.

This is by far my favorite entertainment movie. It is a great comedy with brilliant actors and witty dialogue. And it is made for people who like modern movies.

That last sentence was important. I have tried to convince many friends of this masterpiece and quite a few of them were disappointed when seeing it. So if you want to watch it, be warned: The movie is cut at a very high pace, it is stuffed with very fast and funny dialogue and it has many complex story turns. That means: You have to be wide awake and concentrated when watching it and you have to be okay with movies that feature fast and many cuts (like the newest "James Bond" movies or the "Bourne" trilogy). If you are a non-native speaker like me and you are watching the movie in English, you might even need a re-watch to completely get it. It should also be mentioned that there is some (although not excessive) violence and nudity in it.

If you're okay with all of that, please go and get this movie! I can recommend it for the following reasons:

The story is well thought through and the script is nothing short of genius. The main character narrates the story and sometimes falls out of character, speaking directly to the viewer in Brecht-like manner. Still, the viewer has to think on his/her feet quickly to follow. The setup and storyline can be best described as film noir with lots of comedic aspects. The acting in the movie is great and very believable. Especially Robert Downey Jr. (not a surprise) and Val Kilmer (a little surprise) deliver amazing performances in all of their shared scenes. The cinematography is very old school, but beautiful. Shane Black (this being his first movie) does not experiment with strange new styles, but makes sure that every single shot during the movie, you can hit pause and enjoy the atmospheric light setup. Finally, the entertainment value: I can not emphasize enough that even after having seen the movie at least 10 times, I can still laugh for two hours straight. The main strength of the movie is that it plays with the expectations of regular movie-goers and then completely goes the opposite way.

So, if you are okay with the above mentioned conditions, you can get but a huge buying recommendation from me. Sit back and enjoy!

I actually went into the theater with high hopes. I saw the trailer and really liked the idea and most of the gags I saw in there. Also, I can usually rely on the IMDb-ratings, as they resemble my taste in movies. I was highly disappointed this time.

The good things first: The movie has its moments. Some jokes are really funny and the overall idea still stands on solid ground. The acting by Aaron Johnson and Nicolas Cage is really solid and carries the plot, Mark Strong pleases as the really bad guy that he already pulled off in "Sherlock Holmes" and "Rock'n'Rolla". The directing is far from brilliant, but it is solid and doesn't annoy.

The problem with the movie is that it can not decide what kind of flick it wants to be. It quickly alternates between "American Pie"-like teenage humor gags, serious character builds (thanks to Nic Cage) and really, really mindless killing sprees. Don't get me wrong, I have seen and enjoyed movies with tons of graphic violence (e.g. "Shoot 'em up"), but they differed in two ways: First they were consistent in their presentation. It is really not funny, borderline disturbing, to see a movie change from children's buddy movie to a little girl slaughtering people, accompanied by aggressive music. And secondly, the killings are far from being taken seriously here. I guess, death is supposed to be funny and that made me forget most of the giggles I squeezed out during other scenes.

Over all: "Kick-Ass" would have gotten a solid 7/10 in my book if it sticked to the feeling of the trailer. It would not have been a great movie, but good entertainment if they had eased down on the violence a little. (Yes, I sometimes like violence in movies, it just seemed inadequately placed here) The way it was presented in the cinema, I can not give it more than 5/10 stars. The funny parts were ruined by the cruel action sequences, the action sequences were ruined by the strange split between not taking it seriously but still accompanying it with The Prodigy, and the serious parts alone were very rare and not able to save the whole movie.

Sorry, but I can not understand how this can be so overrated. Except if mostly kids saw it and found it cool to get some graphic violence in the cinema for once.