Reviews

My Mom’s New Boyfriend

Watched “My Mom’s New Boyfriend” (aka “Homeland Security) on the plane. The film does not deserve much. It couldn’t be spoiled by tiny LCD screen with really poor image quality and the most horrible headphones that I ever plugged into my ears. The story is simplistic and predictable. Most of the dialogs are horrible and were only saved by the actors themselves. There was no high or low point in the film – it was all on the same level, and that level was pretty low. It’s a pity to see both Antonio Banderas and Meg Ryan in a film like this.

5 out of 10.

House M.D.

It’s my second week now of being hooked to “House M.D.” series.

Yes, I’ve been warned a few times that it is very addictive, and yet I decided to watch a couple of episodes. Every day now I am staying late and waking up early just to see yet another episode. The surprising thing is that I tought I’d get bored of it pretty soon – stories in every episode are very similar, characters behave in the same way, and jokes follow the same pattern. However there is something slightly different about every episode that makes me want to see the next one.

So far, I am up to episode 11 of the 3rd season. First season was very introductory and fun, except for that episode where Dr.House explains what happened his leg. That episode alone was an excellent movie in itself, even if just 45 minutes long. Second season was a bit more boring. Third season is way more exciting, with this whole cop drama.

Also, I am sort of glad that I have the Russian version of the series. I can hear how bad the translation is and that it misses quite a bit, but listening to all that terminology in English would really bore me to death. I can’t undertand that stuff in Russian, but at least I can somewhat guess of the whereabouts.

Anyway, be warned that the series are very addictive and if you get hooked, you’ll spend a lot of time watching it – 6 seasons x 24 episodes x 45 minutes per episode adds up to a lot of time. But if it happens that you try it and like it, you’ll have quite a bit to enjoy. Make up your own mind.

Frost / Nixon

A few days ago I went to see “Frost / Nixon“. A movie with the one of the USA presidents in the title? Just a few days since the whole world has watched the most hyped up inauguration of the USA president in history? And just a few days since I’ve watched another political movie about yet another predisent of the USA – “W.“? Yes, of course. Plus there was a surprisingly high rating over at IMDB.

And it happens to be a really good movie. I’m a total loser when it comes to history, so I can’t really say how accurate the film is, but from the movies point of view it was excellent. I really liked the simplicity of the overall setup – it felt like everything happened in the single room, even though it is not true. It also felt like there were only two people in the film, even though that wasn’t true either. It felt like there was nothing else, even though that again wasn’t true. It’s just that type of a movie which has a lot of tiny details which are unnoticable on their own, but which build up the film to be what it is.

Another thing which I thought was done really well, was the drama. A big man with the weight of his mistakes and, seemingly, the whole country pointing fingers at him – yet resistent to accept his guilt, finding ways to see everything from other perspective, however feeling the burden deep inside. And then another man, much smaller one, but with his head high due to all the publicity and success around him. And like they say in the film, there is this moment in the ring where a challenger receives the first punch from the title holder and suddenly, in split second, understands the seriousness of the situation. This was built up and shown very well.

As noted above – tonnes of work went into making of this film and the result is great. Because of all the acting, camera work, light, make-up, sound work, etc, etc, etc this film is one of those fresh breezes even though it has an “oldish” touch to it.

5 stars. Recommended, even if you are not into politics.

The Spirit

The trailer for “The Spirit” was really nice and I wanted to see the movie. However, when I checked IMDB page and saw the 5.something rating, I got worried. There are many examples when my personal rating differs a lot from the IMDB one, but 5.something is always a cautious sign.

And since there wasn’t much else to see, I still went for it. Unfortunately, this time IMDB was quite right. The film feels like a leftover from “Sin City”. There is nothing original about it. Nothing much to enjoy. And, honestly, nothing much to see in it. Most of the time is spent in silly dialogues and monologues. And these are so silly that they actually harm the good acting that could have been done.
The only scene to remember is the one with Samuel Jackson dressed as a German nazi, and Scarlett Johansson helping him out. Everything is else is boring, overdone, and unoriginal.

3 stars it is.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Watched “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” in the movies yesterday. Excellent film!

First of all, an original story. Secondly, interesting historical recreaction and mix of times from beginning of the last century to these days. Thirdly, impressive technically – acting, make-up, camera work, special effects, etc. Fourthly, the film is both entertaining, as well as philosophical.

And if that all sounds like way too perfect, maybe it is. However there were a few things that could have done better. I thought that the film was a bit too long, and that the ending was somewhat unrealistic – which is fine, but just doesn’t fit the rest of the film.

Overall, an excellent experience. Much recommended. 5 stars.