Gladiator

Given my age and sex, it should come as no surprise that Gladiator is one of my favorites. I re-watched this film for the first time in several years and found that it's actually better than I remembered.

Gladiator (2000)

Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Russell Crowe

Acting: (9.5) This was Crowe's coming out party and the role that he'll probably always be remembered for. Sure, he was good in LA Confidential and The Insider before the release of Gladiator, but it was this outstanding performance that thrust him into the mainstream spot light. It's one of the truly great tough guy performances of all time.

Joaquin Phoenix is pretty special in what I consider a very underrated performance. Very few people could play that role like he did. I thought he walked a tight rope that bordered on absurd, but never crossed the line.

Effects / Cinematography: (10) This is where the film was better than I had remembered. Using only my feeble memory, I've struggled to come up with a movie more visually and audibly impressive than this one. The LOTR trilogy is the only thing that comes to mind. The cinematography, score, and sound are as good as anything else that has ever been made. The battle scenes have yet to be topped in the 8 years since it's release.

Plot: (9) It's a classic revenge plot in a classic setting. I'm not sure there has ever been a tougher, more likable hero. Though this movie is really character driven, they are so good that you can't help being sucked into the story.

Entertainment: (10) My shrinking attention span is the only thing keeping this from being a 10. I find it more and more difficult all the time to remained focused through 2.5 hour movies...regardless of how great they are...and this one is great. It truly is the ultimate guy in the ultimate guy movie.

Cumulative: (9.5) This now moves up to #2 on my all time list behind only the LOTR.


LD'S TAKE (Posted 7/7/08)
After reading Derek's review on this I had to go back and watch it again. It had been almost two years since I had seen the movie and even though I had purchased the extended edition DVD I had never made it through (Mainly because a friend had it for 12 months). So I went back and watched the extended edition (nothing real exciting added) and my rating was reaffirmed.

Acting: (10) There can be discussion around the non-complexity (not sure if that works or not) of Crowe's character, but given the script he was given and the role laid before him he absolutely nails this performance. I am not sure where this role gets put on the all-time list, but in my opinion from a "guy-movie" standpoint this is the best performance I have ever seen. Add to that Joaquin Phoenix's best performance ever (which either adds to the film or takes away from it depending on your view of him), and effective performances by the rest of the cast and you have a run away for a 10 in the acting rating.

Effects / Cinematography: (10) Ridley Scott absolutely shines with this visual masterpiece. The only argument I would accept as to why this is not a 10 is if 1) you didn't like the sped up battle scene in the beginning or 2) you thought the lighting was too dark through a lot of the movie. Other than those proposed arguments I don't see how anyone could find fault with the film. Those things did not impact the movie for me hence the 10 rating. The music is also great.

Update from imdb.com:
The war scene between Maximus' army and the Germanic Tribes the blur effect that appears half way through the scene was not originally intended. The scene was shot in the early evening, but continued too long and the light was drastically diminished. In order to keep the continuity of the scene's lighting and avoid shooting another day on the location, the DP chose instead to shoot the scenes with a very low frame rate. To compensate for the loss of frames, the frames that were shot were duplicated several times in post, and edited into the film in a way that made the switch look natural.

Plot: (9.5) Nothing absolutely unique, but the character performances throughout the movie are terrific. The story is strong and keeps you in tune to what is going on. I would hear an argument that the fight at the end of the movie is a little over the top, but considering the place that the young ruler was in I think it was definitely a feasible move for his character.

Update from imdb.com:
The real-life Commodus was in fact the only Roman Emperor in history to fight as a gladiator in the arena. However, he did it several times, not just once. Also, he was not killed in the arena but was strangled in his dressing room by an athlete named Narcissus.

Entertainment: (10) A visual masterpiece and just a tremendous hero story.

Cumulative: (9.875) The sheer enormity of LOTR keeps that trilogy as my #1 all-time, if you forced me to break up the trilogy and rate each of the movies individually then Gladiator would be the #1 movie on my list.

I have finally recovered....

from the disaster that was The Happening. On to some new reviews. From best to worst:



Walk The Line (2005)
Directed By: James Mangold
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon
#19 on my All-Time list



Acting: 9
Cinematography: 9
Plot: 9
Experience: 9

Overall: 9

Reese Witherspoon puts on her best performance (BY FAR) to date and Joaquin Phoenix does really well. I had waited a while to see this movie and it definitely lived up to all the hype and prestige. An absolute must see no matter your music preference.




The Sting (1973)
Directed By: George Roy Hill
Starring: Robert Redford, Paul Newman
#62 on my All-Time list



Acting: 9
Cinematography: 7.5
Plot: 9
Experience: 8.5

Overall: 8.5

I was not a big fan of the cut scenes or the rest of the cinematography, but this movie is a solid crime caper. Robert Redford and Paul Newman are great and I had a hunch how it would end, but I definitely wasn't certain at any point.




Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail (1975)
Directed By: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
Starring: Monty Python group
#92 on my All Time list


Acting: 9.5
Cinematography: 7
Plot: 8
Experience: 8.5

Overall: 8.25

A re-watched favorite and a movie that you either like or hate. There really is no room for middle ground. This is Monty Python at its finest (or worst depending on your view). Take into consideration that they had a budget of about $200,000 which kept them from renting horses or learning how to ride, hence the coconut assisted followers and the script for this is really top notch. I knock the cinematography on the grounds that I really don't care for the cartoon cut scenes that are a MP staple.




The Truman Show (1998)
Directed By: Peter Weir
Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney
#99 on my All-Time list



Acting: 7.5
Cinematography: 8
Plot: 9
Experience: 8

Overall: 8.125




The 25th Hour (2002)
Directed By: Spike Lee
Starring: Edward Norton, Rosario Dawson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman




Acting: 8
Cinematography: 7.5
Plot: 7.5
Experience: 7.5

Overall: 7.625

Another solid performance from Edward Norton with solid help from Rosario Dawson.




Miller's Crossing (1990)
Directed By: The Coen Brothers
Starring: Albert Finney, Gabriel Byrne, John Turturro, Marcia Gay Harden




Acting: 8
Cinematography: 6.5
Plot: 7
Experience: 7.5

Overall: 7.25

Would have rated much higher if it weren't for the horrendous score. There were many times that the movie leaned towards ominous, but then this chirpy/bright music would start playing and ruin the mood that they were trying to portray. This is the only Coens' film i have seen where I have had that complaint. Still worth watching and Gabriel Byrne's second best film next to The Usual Suspects.



Porky's (1982)
Directed By: Bob Clark
Starring: Kim Cattrall



Acting: 7
Cinematography: 6
Plot: 6.5
Experience: 7

Overall: 6.625

I was surprised for a couple reasons 1) this movie was actually pretty funny and seemed much more realistic than the more modern American Pie series and 2) the lack of nudity. Not that i was looking for that but considering what is essentially mandated for all coming of age movies nowadays this movie keeps it pretty low key with the understanding that in 1982 this was considered risque.




Body Heat (1981)
Directed By: Lawrence Kasdan
Starring: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner




Acting: 7
Cinematography: 6.5
Plot: 6.5
Experience: 6.5

Overall: 6.625

Your average movie with predictable storyline. Nothing really that unique.





Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Directed By: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack




Acting: 6
Cinematography: 8.5
Plot: 6
Experience: 6

Overall: 6.625

An absolutely ridiculous story that is basically a reason for Kubrick to showcase Kidman. I understand that there are a lot of strange things that occur in this country that I probably don't know about, but the story was incredibly far-fetched. That said the visuals and cinematography are classic Kubrick and he has yet to disappoint in that category. Everything else is ho-hum and it is strange to see a movie with Kidman and Cruise now.




Virtuosity (1995)
Directed By: Brett Leonard
Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe




Acting: 6
Cinematography: 6
Plot: 3
Experience: 5

Overall: 5

Who thought a movie starring these two could be so incredibly bad. The story was probably about 15 years and a good script away from being a decent sci-fi movie, but it just does not work at all. Kelly Lynch has one of the worst performances I have ever seen.



Doom (2005)
Directed By: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Rosamund Pike




Acting: 4
Cinematography: 5.5
Plot: 5
Experience: 5

Overall: 4.875

OK, so I completely expected this to be terrible. That said I didn't expect them to destroy the entire premise for the game. If you don't know the video game Doom was created by ID software and is about a base set on Mars where some experiments lead to the opening of a portal connected to H-ll. Here we get a lab where they are focused on genetic engineering. Totally defeats the purpose. The only redeeming thing is the performance of an under appreciated Rosamund Pike.

Chicago

Chicago (2002) Best Picture Winner*
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones, & Richard Gere





I suppose I've finally reached the point in my life where I'm comfortable enough with my masculinity to watch this film. Maybe I'm a late bloomer. In all seriousness, I've been avoiding this film for years. Alas, my quest to see every Best Picture winner finally prompted me to watch this film last night.

So....here it goes.

Acting: (9) There's no way around it: the cast is great. They look great. They sound great. Zeta Jones & Zellweger, though not two of my favorites, are captivating. Both give arguably their best career performances. Actually, you can strike the word "arguably" from the last sentence. This was easily their best. Nearly every member of the cast was showered with awards for their performances and each one was deserving.

Cinematography / Effects: (9)The film's sights and sounds are dazzling. The choreography combined with the cinematography create a near sensory overload. This is one of the rare films that manages to harmonize the costumes, lighting, and set design to near perfection. The scene in which Richard Gere plays the media like puppets would make Tim Burton envious.

Plot: (7.5) This one is tough to judge because a film like this isn't meant to be as much about the plot as it is the performers. Realizing that this is an adaptation of a stage play, the standards are somewhat different. I gave it relatively high marks however, based on all the subplots surrounding each character. Though Roxie's trial was center stage, it was the relationships with John C. Reilly's and Zeta Jones' characters that were intriguing.

Entertainment: (6.5) For the first 45 minutes I was thoroughly entertained. The bells and whistles alone amused me for quite some time. However, without an engaging story, I eventually lost interest. Once again, I can only be entertained so long by singing and dancing. Had the movie been only an hour, the score would have been much higher, but I found myself looking at the DVD clock several times during the second half.

The complete experience was far less painless than anticipated. This film was very valuable in the sense that it significantly altered my perception of Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger's talents. They can obviously shine in the right situation.

Overall Score: (8) Very Good

The Happening...

The Happening (2008)
Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel




Since the moment I first saw the previews for this it was on my must see list. I even got out of work early just to see it on opening day. M. Night has been a favorite director of mine and I have always been one to apologize for him and stick up for him. The Village was slightly disappointing but I got through it and I could appreciate it in future viewings. Lady in the Water was saved by the performance of Paul Giamatti, so for this movie I was just hoping that it was not another let down.

A side note Night is probably the best trailer guy in Hollywood, even if its a disappointing movie he will have a trailer that makes it look awesome.

Unfortunately my faith in MNS has evaporated. This movie was terrible. Casting was poor, acting was uninspired, the script was wretched. Very few scenes provided any redemption. The idea was plausible but the execution was rushed. Wahlberg's line delivery (to the train crew for example) was unemotional and forced. I never believed that they were in fear of anything. The second part of the movie including the "old lady" scenes were completely strange. There was no reason given as to the importance of her character or the reason for her. Just an overwhelmingly disappointing movie.

Acting: (3.5)
Effects: (6.5)
Plot: (6.5)
Entertainment: (3)

Cumulative: (4.875)




Broadcast News (1987)
Directed By: James L. Brooks
Starring: William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter




A solid film that never tries to be more than it is. Reminds me a lot of the Wes Anderson films, if they weren't so crazy.

Acting: (9)
Effects: (7.5)
Plot: (8)
Entertainment: (8)

Cumulative: (8.125)




Sunshine (2007)
Directed By: Danny Boyle
Starring: Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy

A decent Sci-Fi flick that is redeemed by the quality of the special effects. It has to be said that Cillian Murphy is one of my least favorite actors, ever.

Acting: (6)
Effects: (8)
Plot: (8)
Entertainment: (7)

Cumulative: (7.25)

Adaptation. (2002)
Directed By: Spike Jonze
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton

An overwhelmingly unremarkable film. Cage is mediocre and the editing for the scenes in which he plays both brothers are incredibly poor. You can hear the sound difference in their dialogue which makes it the performance that much more unbelievable.

Acting: (6)
Effects: (6)
Plot: (6)
Entertainment: (6)

Cumulative: (6)




Stranger than Fiction (2006)
Directed By: Marc Forster
Starring: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

A unique story that just seemed like too much of a role for Will Ferrell. I never believed the sincerity of his performance. Hoffman was great as usual and Emma Thompson was decent as well.

Acting: (6.5)
Effects: (7.5)
Plot: (8)
Entertainment: (7)

Cumulative: (7.25)




The Cell (2000)
Directed By: Tarsem Singh
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Lopez, Vincent D'Onofrio



A film that I think is a little under appreciated. The visuals are pretty strong in spite of the mediocre acting. The story is decent and even though it tries hard to be a Silence of the Lambs type movie the visuals alone make it worth watching.

Acting: (6.5)
Effects: (8)
Plot: (7.5)
Entertainment: (7)

Cumulative: (7.25)

The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Directed By: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
Starring: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams



I can remember back to the high school days when one of my classmates swore this movie was a true story and that the actors really were missing. Even after explaining to her that I saw Heather Donahue on a late show appearance she still did not believe me. I saw this movie in the theater 3 times and maybe it is because I am a hunter and I have to traipse around in the woods after dark, but in my opinion at the time I thought this was one of the best scary movies I had ever seen. For a couple years after watching it as I was walking back to the woods in the pitch black I at least thought about the idea of someone being out there. So almost ten years later I got to re watch this movie and I still found it intriguing. Granted I found Heather Donahue to be INCREDIBLY annoying but the uniqueness to the movie that makes this one of my favorite scary movies of all time was still there.


Acting: (4)
Effects: (9.5)
Plot: (9.5)
Entertainment: (9)

Cumulative: (8)




Things we Lost in the Fire (2007)
Directed By: Susanne Bier
Starring: Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro



Benicio Del Toro proves again why he is one of my favorite actors and while Halle Berry's performance is solid as well there were parts of the plot that were just a touch on the unbelievable side. On the surface though the story is good.

Acting: (8.5)
Effects: (8)
Plot: (7)
Entertainment: (7.5)

Cumulative: (7.75)

Week in Reviews 6/1/08 - 6/7-08

The Departed (2006) Best Picture Winner*
Directed by Martin Scorsesse
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, & Jack Nicholson

This was a re-watch and was even better than I had remembered it. The acting is phenomenal across the board. Nicholson and Wahlberg really stand out. The cinematography and score are best Scorsesse has done in my opinion. Filled with parallels and paradoxes, the story is complex and enthralling. Everything about this film is great.

Acting: 9.5
Effects: 9
Plot: 9.5
Entertainment: 9

Cumulative: 9

The Great Debaters (2007)
Directed by Denzel Washington
Starring Denzel Washington & Forrest Whitaker

Remember the Titans without the football. We've seen all of this before. The performances are fine and the end is emotional and uplifting, but it certainly doesn't break any new ground. Don't get me wrong, the film was good, but I had higher expectations.



Acting: 8
Effects: 7
Plot: 7.5
Entertainment: 6.5

Cumulative: 7

Cleaner (2007)
Directed by Renny Harlin
Starring Samuel L Jackson & Ed Harris

Another case of a "thriller" too smart for it's own good. It tries to be stylistic with it's cinematography, but it doesn't add anything to the movie. Sam Jackson is tolerable and the movie does just enough to keep your interest, but not much more. At 89 minutes, it's not painful.



Acting: 7
Effects: 5
Plot: 7
Entertainment: 6.5

Cumulative: 6

Rambo (2008)
Directed by Sylvester Stallone
Starring Sylvester Stallone

An absolute blood bath. A cartoonish looking Stallone takes on the evil army of Burma to save a group of missionaries. The acting is poor and the plot is predictable. That being said, I liked it. It stayed true to the original trilogy while upping the violence / gore factor exponentially. The action sequences were pretty incredible. If you liked "First Blood," you'll probably really like Rambo. The reason this movie get's a pass for predictability and poor acting is because that was it's intent. Stallone wasn't trying to make Apocalypse Now.


Acting: 4
Effects: 7.5
Plot: 6
Entertainment: 7

Cumulative: 6

Grace is Gone (2007)
Directed by James Strouse
Starring John Cusack

This is a much warmer and more subtle commentary on Iraq. John Cusack is surprisingly good as the grieving husband / father. It's not all politics...which actually has a greater impact than movies that slap you in face with it (Lions for Lambs).



Acting: 8
Effects: 6.5
Plot: 7
Entertainment: 6.5

Cumulative: 7

American Graffiti (1973)
Directed by George Lucas
Starring Ron Howard & Richard Dreyfuss

There is no way George Lucas is responsible for this film. It has to be the best teen comedy ever made. It doesn't have to resort to masterbation jokes to get laughs. It points to an incredibly nostalgic time of innocence in American History before Kennedy was shot & the war in Vietnam divided our nation.


Acting: 8
Effects: 8.5
Plot: 8.5
Entertainment: 8

Cumulative: 8

Untraceable (2008)
Directed by Gregory Hoblit
Starring Diane Lane & Billy Burke

Had David Fincher or Jonathan Demme been given this premise to work with, we may have ended up with a classic. However, Hoblit's hodge podge falls flat. Hanks and Lane are miscast as FBI agents, but are completely unbelievable. The script attempts to trump feasability with bogus tech jargon that sound about as natural as Chinese coming from Lane.


Acting: 4.5
Effects: 5.5
Plot: 4
Entertainment: 4

Cumulative: 4.5

Whale Rider (2003)
Directed by Niki Caro
Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes

This is really a beautiful and inspirational movie. Castle-Hughes' performance is really astounding given her age. It's a story of tradition and lore versus modern relationships.




Acting: 8
Effects: 7.5
Plot: 8
Entertainment: 7.5

Cumulative: 7.5

Being There (1979)
Directed by Hal Ashby
Starring Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers gives a truly great performance. This film is light, but clever in the way it manages to deliver some scathing satire in regards to American media and politics.




Acting: 9
Effects: 7.5
Plot: 8.5
Entertainment: 8

Cumulative: 8

Some good...Some REALLY Bad.

City of God (2003)
Directed By: Fernando Meirelles
Starring: Alexandre Rodrigues




I had watched this movie around the time it came out and didn't get through all of it. This time around I was amazed by what I saw. Considering the fact that almost all of the actors were pulled from the streets of Rio the overall cast performance is very strong. This ranks up there with some of the best organized crime movies of all time.

Acting: (8.5)
Effects: (9)
Plot: (9)
Entertainment: (8.5)

Cumulative: (8.75)



Waitress (2007)
Directed By: Adrienne Shelly
Starring: Keri Russell




A strong performance from Keri Russell and a lasting work for the late Adrienne Shelly. It's nice to see someone take broken people and leave them broken throughout the film. It always seems more real that way even if the ending is a little too neat and clean.

Acting: (8)
Effects: (7.5)
Plot: (8)
Entertainment: (8)

Cumulative: (7.875)




Easy Rider (1969)
Directed By: Dennis Hopper
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson




Nicholson steals the show in this film and provides one of his best performances (slightly behind One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) of all time. The editing annoyed me and the ending was a little too much, but I guess the point gets driven home.

Acting: (8)
Effects: (8)
Plot: (7.5)
Entertainment: (7.5)

Cumulative: (7.75)



Horton Hears a Who (2008)
Directed By: Jimmy Hayward
Starring: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell




Acting: (7)
Effects: (8)
Plot: (7)
Entertainment: (7)

Cumulative: (7.25)



What Dreams May Come (1998)
Directed By: Vincent Ward
Starring: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr.




I can appreciate that this is one mans view or desire for what the after life may be like. I cannot however accept the ending of the film. It is completely illogical from what the characters had been built to be and probably drops the rating at least a half point.

Acting: (7)
Effects: (7.5)
Plot: (6.5)
Entertainment: (7)

Cumulative: (7)



The Human Stain (2003)
Directed By: Robert Benton
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Sinise




The acting is strong and all of the ratings would be slightly higher if the premise of the character relationship weren't so unbelievable. Pre-Prison Break Wentworth Miller is solid. I am starting to think that Nicole Kidman may be overrated.

Acting: (7)
Effects: (7)
Plot: (7)
Entertainment: (6.5)

Cumulative: (6.875)


St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore

Another 80's film that falls completely flat. There is very little that makes this watchable.

Acting: (4)
Effects: (6)
Plot: (5)
Entertainment: (3)

Cumulative: (4.5)



Lifeforce (1985)
Directed By: Tobe Hooper
Starring: Peter Firth, Mathilda May




A space shuttle mission investigating Halley's Comet brings back a malevolent race of nude space vampires who transform most of London's population into zombies. I couldn't make this stuff up.

Acting: (2)
Effects: (3)
Plot: (3)
Entertainment: (2)

Cumulative: (2.5)






Graduation (2008)
Directed By: Michael Mayer
Starring: Shannon Lucio, Chris Lowell



Quick think of every high school cliche you can think of from film....group of friends where two are dating but third guy really loves the girl and has his whole life, a parent is having an affair, friends are all going to different colleges, etc.. Yep throw all of them together with a bad script and some poor acting and you have this craptastic heist movie. If it weren't for some absolutely laughable dialogue and unintentional comedy this would be a solid 1.

Acting: (2)
Effects: (3)
Plot: (1)
Entertainment: (1)

Cumulative: (1.75)