utdman4 Reviews (11)

Tusk (I) (2014)

I wanted this to be so much better.

[3/10 · 8 December 2014]

What the feck m8, this is one of those movies I just cant get my head around' when I think what the film could have been. Trying to suspend disbelief for an hour I'm still struggling with this one' there are parts of the movie that were OK, right up to the part where Justin long finds his phone and instead of calling the cops he calls his girlfriend and best m8 who don't even answer the phone even though he's been missing for three days, but even that isn't the worse thing. When the eventually get round to the cops' they put them in touch with some sort of French Canadian serial killer hunter (depp) who claims he's met and been hunting this guy for years, this is where it all becomes a bit too pantomime for me, Michael parks as the pantomime villain and the walrus as the pantomime horse' so I'm sorry this movies is straight to v.h.s. (or DVD if you live outside Canada).

House of Flying Daggers (2004)

Review confusion...

[7/10 · 6 December 2014]

I saw this movie about ten years ago I was sitting with my daughter and we watched the DVD' and I have to say we were both impressed probably more so with the stunning visual effects. Now I have read some of the reviews and was surprised by some of the negative ones' mostly directed at the actors and their lack of connection' sometimes people just miss the point. This movie was never gonna win anything for acting' its the story and cinematography that drive the movie something that far eastern directors and cinematographers can do better than any other people in the world. If you want an example just watch Titanic' a hundreds of millions of dollars to shot a boat hitting an iceberg while a love triangle unfolds that has nothing to do with the actual story of a piece of history, yet it get Oscars thrown at it. Yet the acting and dialogue, and script were poor, so its just a case of American cinema overrating poor movies and ignoring the real gems.

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Bush the liar?

[8/10 · 9 November 2014]

Not being an American citizen' and trying to look at this documentary objectively its hard to believe that so many u.s. citizens voted for the Bush administration. Apart from the fact that this guy is a complete idiot, did people not learn anything from George Bush SNR? did people really believe jnr would be somehow the total opposite of daddy' who was a warmongering, moneymaking pirate, who was friends with the very family that allegedly killed thousands of Americans. I find this totally beyond logic and this is what Michael Moore,s documentary is about' regardless of the hundreds of other questions the the American people didn't get answered by the 9/11 commission, how can a country the boasts to have the best intel services on the planet miss something this important, never mind the attacks and subsequent invasions, there has to be more questions answered about the c.i.a. and f.b.i and any other sevices that lets a tyrant rule their country.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

groundhog day with aliens

[8/10 · 30 October 2014]

I'v got to like Tom Cruise in sci-fi movies lately which I wouldn't have said ten years ago' the thing about this movie is the humour for me' every time he dies I just found it so funny for some reason. The movie is based on an alien invasion on earth and cruise plays major Cage who is trying to sell the war to the public and is thrown into the lions den by his commanding officer (played by brendan gleeson' who takes an instant dislike to cage) where he comes across a platoon of soldiers and their commanding officer (bill Paxton) where he quickly finds out that the war is basically a slaughter and he has to relive the nightmare time after time against an enemy that knows their every move, step in' Rita Vrstaski (Emily blunt) who is the poster girl special forces hero, and gives cage some startling news that he's totally unprepared for. this is one of the best sci-fi movies Iv'e seen for a long time carried of by Cruise and blunt very well' the ending is a bit predictable but there's enough going on in the rest of the movie to keep us all entertained for a couple of hours.

The Dead Zone (1983)

One of movies greatest bad-guys

[30 October 2014]

I saw this movie on video in the 80s and was surprised it wasn't more popular' apart from the shining this is the best Stephen king novel that became a movie. A man wakes up from a coma after five years after a serious car accident' and finds himself having blinding visions of the future when he touches anybody' Walken' is really good in the role as Johnny Smith' (sinister as usual) as he tries to get away from the press who turn him into a freak show' as his visions grow stronger he comes across a U.S. senator that he accidentally bumps into and finds out that this man isn't what he claims and the future of the country could be in his hands. I have to say the acting is pretty good throughout apart from Brooke Adams who I thought was pretty weak in an otherwise flawless film' but the guy who steals the show has to be Martin Sheen as Greg Stillson the u.s. senator with serious bipolar disorder with his trusty bodyguard, if you ever get the chance to see this gem from the 80s you wont be disappointed.

Into the Storm (2014)

Stormingly good

[7/10 · 30 October 2014]

My expectations were not high when I decided to watch this movie' and I have to say what a good and enjoyable movie it was. O.k. there are a few similarities with Twister but that was unavoidable in my opinion' the acting was pretty good even though there are no big names' they built up the tension right up to the end. The most surprising thing for me' was the special effects' it looks like they actually spend some money for which I'm assuming is a low budget movie. I hadn't even heard about this film it was just luck when I came across it so it wasn't over hyped as a blockbuster, if your looking for a popcorn night in with the family you could do a lot worse than rent this out on DVD. Nice one.

Titanic (1997)

james cameron sinks titanic...

[2/10 · 28 October 2014]

I remember the hype surrounding this movie and coming from the same part of the world where the titanic was built I thought this will be great. Well I watched this on video and was stunned' take a historical disaster and turn it into a romance novel' lol james Cameron has arrived. Its a real shame because I really liked the terminator' but that was when he was broke and visual effects were in its infancy the irony is the more money he makes the worse the movie and its not like this was a one off' it spawned other historical disasters like pearl harbour which was a titanic rip off. But the main problem for me was the whole movie surrounds the three main characters and everyone else on the ship was just window dressing and I like a lot of other guys couldn't wait until the ship sank. The only good thing I have to say is it made a big star out of dicaprio, and he has went on to bigger and better things. So this movie was a real bummer for me and a lot of others i'm sure.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

the best movie ever made...

[10/10 · 28 October 2014]

Where can I even start with this modern classic? first its the only movie I watched' on video at the time' where I put the cassette back in to watch it again. my kid brother told me about this movie back when it was released and it just caught me off guard, the movie surrounds five criminals who are picked up by the cops and questioned about a hi-jacked truck. But that just starts a series of events where they find out that everything their doing is being manipulated by a very cleaver and sinister character who everyone in the criminal underground has heard of but never meet except Verbal Kint who' for some reason has never heard of this guy. If you've never seen this movie' it will all sound a bit complicated but trust me if you like a thriller where guessing to the end' this is for you. Every character in the movie is well acted and kevin spacey is amazing as the crippled verbal kint. when a movie creates guy as sinister' and with a name like kyser soze your know its a cracker.

Superman (1978)

maybe superman can do something about this place.

[9/10 · 28 October 2014]

I wasn't quite sure weather to review this movie or just my experience when going to the cinema to see it. Growing up in Belfast during a very dark time in the countries history movies and music was my only escapism (it was the same for a lot of kids) not knowing quite what to expect as a twelve year old' then the opening titles began and it became a life changing experience. If ever a movie had to live up to is opening title this was it' and it didn't disappoint. This guy can save the world and maybe he can come over here and save us (bit naive maybe but I was twelve) but this was very profound movie for me and I have never felt that since superman. So as I was saying just writing a review just wouldn't do it any justice' this wasn't a movie this was a couple of hours when the world outside didn't matter to me' as far as I was concerned all these troubles were happening somewhere else and that was because superman was here' and when the infant superman was put in that pod to escape his troubled planet' well it couldn't have been more profound for any kid in a troubled world. In now in my late forties and have a grandson I cant wait for him to get a bit older and give him the cinema experience, it wont be the same one I had but a couple of hours in a dark theatre will thrill him I'm sure, rest in peace Christopher Reeve.

The Changeling (1980)

its not what you see.

[8/10 · 26 September 2014]

I remember renting this out on video when I was 16 in 1982 and watched it and it scared the crap out of me. Its the sounds and constant banging of the pipes that really got to me even though the movie doesn't have much dialogue its just creepy with tension building gradually through out the film. A music teacher moves into a large house after the deaths of his wife and child and soon learns there is some strange goings on in the house, I cant go into detail without a spoiler but if you like spooky movies with lots of jump of your seat bits in it, this is the movie for you, some good performances in the movie and good storyline.

Q&A (1990)

a must see movie.

[8/10 · 4 January 2013]

all in all i have to say this is a pretty impressive movie,great performance from nick nolte,and good performances from timothy hutton and armand assante, i watched this about 20 years ago and it still holds up today compared to any bent cop movies. Nolte gives and electrifying performance as dirty cop mike brennan, up against the younger asst district att, (hutton) who is given a clear cut case of self defence starts to dig deeper and finds out that hes up against a legend on the force, and a possible cover up that goes right to the top, throw in an ex-girlfriend who has taken up with a possible witness and you,ve got a great movie from the late great sydney lumet.