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Reviews
Norbit (2007)
Murphy is a comedy genius
Having seen many of the negative comments, it seems that people have either not actually seen the film, or just don't appreciate Eddie Murphy's humour.
I'm a big fan of Eddie Murphy, but I only give credit, where credit is due. Yes, there have been some strange movie choices by the man in recent years. But you should bear in mind, that many of the recent roles, have been targeted at a family audience.
So the wise cracking, foul language spewing - Eddie from RAW, Delirious, 48 hours, Trading Places and Beverly Hills cop cannot surface.
In effect, the humour, then has to be diluted, but I think that Norbit still packs more laughs, than most movies.
I was actually laughing out loud for most of the movie and so were many others in the theatre. Before the PC brigade starts asking, which parts I laughed at, it was not at Rasputia's appearance.
With many of Eddie's films, the humour is not in the physical appearance of the characters (although people assume that's the funny part), its more the delivery, wording and responses of the characters, that make the funniest moments.
I agree that Rasputia's catchphrase of 'how you doing' was not funny, thats why i rated it as just a 9, but don't let the negative comments, about obese humour, put you off the film. It is actually Rasputia's character that does the majority of the bullying.
Everyone and everything in the film, is made fun of from: pug dogs, old Mr Wong, pimps, geeks, skinny people, large people, even turkeys!
So enjoy the film for what it is - a Comedy. It is not a conspiracy to attack the obese, it attacks the appearance and traits of everybody, so deal with it.
Instead of the focus on one subject, people should ask themselves one question? how many people have I made fun of today for whatever reason? (I have yet to meet a person, who has never, ever made fun of anyone!)
To all Eddie Murphy fans, this is the funniest movie, since Life was released.
To all the Eddie haters - go watch something which shows REAL problems e.g a news channel!
Miami Vice (2006)
Such a disappointing movie.
Overall I didn't like this movie, but I am a big fan of Michael Mann's films.
This movie had such great potential, but in the end, it was too long (the editor needed to be more ruthless) and had very little substance. I cannot argue with the shooting of the film, the sets and visuals were superb. The soundtrack was good, but the big disappointment was the middle of the movie.
A story needs a beginning, a middle and an end!. It seemed that after an initial good 20 minutes, the remainder of the movie, just ambled along with no real sense of purpose. The beginning and end were OK, but the middle was a mess.
I have seen the movie twice, just to give it a second chance, but to no avail.
The two leads (Farrell and Fox) just don't gel. I think both are very talented actors, but it seemed like they had met a day before shooting the movie began. They just did not create the impression, that they were a partnership on screen. Too many of the scenes feature Crockett, Tubbs and various other individuals. There should have been more scenes with only Crockett and Tubbs.
More effort should have gone into developing the reasons, why crockett and tubbs were such a great team. The audience is just expected to assume that they are a great partnership, with little or no background.
I am a fan of the 80's TV show, but knew it was an updated version, rather than a remake, but the story was still lacking.
As I stated earlier, for visuals and soundtrack, you won't be disappointed, Mann has again scored on that front.
The problem lies with the development of the story, after the first 20 mins. An informant commits suicide and this then opens up the main purpose of the film. Crockett and Tubbs are to infiltrate a drug smuggling ring and take down all the major players.
All of a sudden, Tubbs is a qualified pilot, Crockett is adept at handling a speedboat and any action decides to take time out. The whole middle sequence of the film, rambles from Crocketts love interest to lots of dialogue about drug deals (at which point subtitles would have been nice!! the speech is too quick from all the actors and even with the great sound of a movie theatre, it is hard to understand what has just been said) Some action would have been nice, just to change the pace, but the whole middle section becomes quite boring.
The last half hour does up the tempo, but by this time, its too little, too late, as you are treated to a couple of action sequences. Compared to Mann's previous movies, these sequences, seem like they were filmed in five minutes and not given much thought to.
As I said, I am a big fan of Michael Mann movies, I saw it TWICE to give it a fair chance, but overall, this is not a good movie. I hope his next movie improves on this one!
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Ron Howard, I salute you on a job well done.
I saw the Da Vinci Code in the UK last night. I really cannot understand, why it has been so badly received. I went with 10 other people (some had read the book, others had not) and everyone of us thoroughly enjoyed the film.
I must say, I have never seen so many people queueing for the cinema!! Bearing in mind, that half of the world, know the start, finish and end (from the book), you knew there wasn't going to be any major shocks.
Also you have to think that it has a 12a rating, so the action sequences cannot be too gory/shocking.
If you look at it in simple terms, it is an adaptation of a book. The book was entertaining, (with a controversial subject matter) the film has stayed loyal to the book.
Ron Howard has done a great job, bringing the book to life. The old adage "if it isn't broken, don't try and fix it" applies to this, I think he deserves some credit, for not being one of these, pompous Directors, who try and tell the story in their own aloof way.
As for the characters, all have played the parts well.
Hanks plays Langdon well, (remember Langdon wasn't portrayed as Mr Action in the book), he's a lecturer, who is a play by the rules type guy. McKellen is great as Teabing,he brings some humour to the film too, Bettany is excellent as Silas, (but remember 12a rating!!!) so he can't be too menacing, although he does a very good job.
Tautou plays Neveu well too, as a quiet, shy cryptologist. Reno plays the part well, broody, mysterious, somewhat of a shifty character.
All of the actors involved, just played the characters, as they were portrayed in the book! what else do people want????
Why are people listening to Cannes critics anyway???? if a film doesn't shock, depress or downright disgust you, then the Cannes lot are never happy!!!
Go see it, judge for yourself people.
Revolver (2005)
Not as clever, as the plot suggests
I saw this film last week and to be honest I expected another entertaining film as per Snatch and Lock stock.
Instead you get a rambling, incoherent, confusing film, that tries to be more intelligent than it actually is.
There is a part in the film, where the audience is no doubt expected to marvel at the (supposed) amazing twist, but all I could think of, was how badly Revolver seems to try and imitate a certain classic. You will know the film, I'm referring too, if you ever decide to watch this film!
The performances from Statham and Liotta are very good, but even having such an accomplished actor as Liotta, still cannot rescue this film.
I like Ritchie's style as a director, but the story suffers from trying to be too complex for it's own good and the plot has many unexplained gaps.
It will certainly have you talking about it for days afterwards, but for all the wrong reasons. I found the animation part to be totally irrelevant and bemusing. There was simply no need for it at all.
The last part of the film is both pointless and annoying and I couldn't wait to leave the cinema.
This is certainly not a classic, but if you want to judge it for yourself, then that's entirely up to you.
Goodfellas (1990)
as near to perfection as possible.
This film is truly superb. Everything from the acting to the direction flows smoothly. Liotta lets us into the world of Henry Hill and we all get a glimpse of the good times and the bad times of being a hood. Each character manages to slot perfectly into the individual roles and the all star cast adds that extra bit of magic to this wonderful Scorsese picture. Accompanying Liotta's character are De Niro and Pesci and once again they show us, just how well they can act. From start to finish, each scene fits together and captivates the audience. You will either love the characters or hate them, but the film will do nothing but impress. If you haven't seen this film, you are missing out on a truly classic movie.