Change Your Image
tom1111
Reviews
Little Fockers (2010)
Not bad, little slow, but engaging
This movie is solid 7 for me. When I walked into the movie, I was expecting pretty bad, and comically weak movie but it was surprisingly tense and engaging at the same time. All the main characters are there with their quirks and ideas. All of the characters were actually quite developed with their unique attitudes and awkward moments and phrases. De Niro, Stiller and the others are 100% there with their characters and everything.
On the other hand, the movie is little slow, but it is definitely a funny movie. Streisand and Dustin Hoffman are also there with their unique funny moments.
It is little slow, but the movie was on point. It was worth it for me. I laughed a great deal too. I'm expecting Fockers 4 to be made. This version 3 of the movie didn't really kill the possibility of Fockers 4 since this movie kept the car in the same gear, but little slower, but the Focker family keeps making people laugh a great deal.
Tron: Legacy (2010)
Excellent movie.
This is a solid movie. The visuals are impressive, the soundtrack is impressive and fits the mood and scenes of the movie well. The acting is pretty good. Jeff Bridges and Hedlund and others do a great job. There is intensity, sense of urgency, emotional depth in the characters. The story line flows nicely, but it was little uneventful in very few seconds, but conceptually, visually, and imaginative ways, this was a solid movie for me. I like science fiction movies so this movie really opened my eyes and was very unique and nice experience.
Also movies that use a lot of computer graphics can become very visually overwhelming if the action scenes and sounds are overdone, but this movie wasn't overwhelmingly CGI motion and action oriented. The nature of the movie is futuristic even without the computer generated imagery.
Solid movie, interesting, unique, good acting, very good sounds/music, and those with special interest in science fiction movies I think will find this pretty much well done.
Solid 7.2-8 for me.
Repo Men (2010)
Cool movie
This movie is solid 7 votes for me. Couple of things. This movie is little gory and little bit of blood, but overall it is a cool movie. This movie is in the nature of The Matrix. There is a lot of cool and interesting plot to this story and when it deals with the future of human civilization, the story is intriguing. The story, plot and the gritty commonsense nature of the acting and story were pretty convincing for me. Jude Law, the main character does a great job in this movie acting wise. Forest Whitaker was also intense and convincing in the movie. The directing aspect of the movie is what made this movie good. The director was practical and commonsense in terms of the actor's emotions, intent, timing and not very comical. Without a good directing, this movie is little easy to become something not real and comical.
Acting was great, plot was wide and deep, actions were practical except in couple of scenes. It has a lot of bloody action. It is definitely a R rated movie.
Overall, good movie with great story, great directing, production and acting. For me it is not as great as The Matrix, but this movie was satisfying. If other directors and writers elaborate on this film's plot and story, it might become a more better compared with others. This movie is also little like Minority Report too, but the scope and production I think might be little less, but the story was definitely good as Minority Report, if not little more.
Armored (2009)
Decent movie, short and sweet
This is a decent movie. Although little bit short in time for me, it packs a lot of action, grit, commonsense and emotions in that time frame. Matt Dillon and the other main character does a great job in this movie. The emotions and intensity were convincing and tense throughout the movie. It is not typical fancy expensive Hollywood CGI action movie, but it was a very satisfying movie indeed for the price. My evening was great because of this movie. This movie is straight traditional action movie with great acting, story and directing. I would recommend this movie. The character development of the characters were good and makes you believe that were are actually seeing a real event taking place. Because this movie I believe was made with cheaper budget, the acting and quality were much higher.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Decent and fun movie
I would rate this move 7.5 to 8. First of all, this is not very serious and historical movie in that it is intended to have some comedy and witty dialogue. I also liked how Tarantino's possible portrayal of SS/Gestapo officers that terrorized the people of the regions by being very slick and sly. This also taught me what it was like to get approached and subtly interrogated by one of these German agents.
Brad Pitt was good. I also liked the supporting actors like the "basterds." On the other hand this was a very dialogue intensive movie, but on the other hand the dialogue of the German officer was very engaging and scary considering the power the system had over the regular people who can just "take care" of the people right then and there without any judicial policy.
Finally, this is not a very serious movie like "Saving Private Ryan," "Thin Red Line," or "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Flags of Our Fathers," etc. This is more of a comedy movie with a little Tarantino quality in it. If you enjoy and seen Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction, it is not hard to know where Tarantino wanted to take this film. Overall a decent movie, but not too great for me. Little long and dialogue intensive, but overall decent.
Fast & Furious (2009)
Great movie, better than present movies
This is a great movie. A lot of action, deep drama, common-sense dialogue. This is pretty much a little grown up movie. This is definitely not a video game kind of movie. Vin Diesel is good in this movie with deep drama and struggle. I liked the dialogue that was real world. I liked the cars.
This movie is definitely recommended for all younger people if you like or not like cars. This movie also doesn't have too much racing, which is fine. Watch the movie and your weekend will be much more entertaining. Ending was great too.
Director Justin Lin did a fine job of directing the movie, which is crucial to sequel movies that tend to lose the depth and character development. He actually made it more serious movie than I expected and character development is well. I was expecting non-sense 24/7 racing with no dialogue, which it wasn't like that.
Valkyrie (2008)
Solid, simple and precise movie
Having read about this plot in Wikipedia, this is a solid movie. People have been writing saying this is not good (especially the newspapers) but this is one precise, near shocking, surprising and sometimes sad movie. This is why I like Bryan Singer in X men and X2, because of his quality of scenes, simplicity of the scenes and excellent timing.
This is a good movie. It doesn't preach, talk a lot, describe, it just gives it to you plainly. It doesn't have a lot of shooting, blood, gore and other propaganda style themes. It is mostly about action, emotions and just plain despair and horrible realization of the end.
This is a great movie. I wouldn't rank it with Saving Private Ryan in terms of realism and action, but this is solid work on the coup.
Watch it and you may learn something.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Weakest of Bond movies that I can remember
Not satisfied at all with this movie. I was expecting something gritty and compelling and just got the opposite. The biggest problem was the story. I didn't get the story and some of the scenes and logic of the movie didn't flow. It was not real world. It basically had not story. It didn't have any gritty performance or scene that I was expecting from bond movies when Pierce Brosnan was around. There just was not story. It was comedic, some of the stuff that they main characters were doing. You suddenly show up in some weird far away place and in the next scene you are in some kind of city. People won't just buy that. I would say it is opposite of Batman Begins kind of gritty and real/convincing movie into a childish suit and tie wearing guy just running around just for the sake of it. It is just sad. I hope Marc Foster the director doesn't direct any action movie from now on. What were they thinking? It is not worth $10 dollars. You might as well just rip it and throw it away and watch Batman Begins or The Dark Knight and appreciate how well a movie should be made compared to this. Not all big budgets automatically produce a well movie.
Cloverfield (2008)
Motion sickness issue, big time.
This movie is not for people who have easy motion sickness. The camera movement will make you throw up if you have motion sickness easily. The actor's emotion and the action in the movie wasn't realistic. Things were exploding next to you, they are basically standing around for most of the time during the beginning of the movie. When their friends die they basically act like nothing happened 5 minutes later. The monster was childish. It was something out of a comic book. It was straight out of a comic book. The acting was not very good, motion sickness was terrible, and what they were doing and why they were doing in that circumstance was very bad. Some things didn't tie up.
Especially the camera movement is not for viewing. It is always shaking and you can't see anything and makes you want to throw up right then and there.
Not recommended because of the camera movement. Big time motion sickness movie. I had to walk out because it made me sick (the camera movement).
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Very grotesque movie hard to enjoy
Sweeney Todd is a very grotesque and gore filled scenes put together with a pretty ridiculous cast and crew. Johnny Depp does his best, but the story is the one that is not good and didn't make a lot of sense in the end. The end didn't tie with the way the store flowed.
This is not some movie you can walk out saying that was a great movie. This is disturbing and not pleasurable to watch movie. One positive aspect is the computer generated environment and setting, but the blood, gore and shaving knife is not a good combination for anyone that wants to see a decent feel good movie.
I would skip this movie and watch "National Treasure" or "George Wilson's war." This is *not* a family movie, girlfriend/boyfriend movie or for any people for that. It is extremely badly storied movie. You won't feel good after watching this movie. Period.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Letters from Iwo Jima is a sad movie
I have just seen the Letters from Iwo Jima directed by Clint Eastwood. All I have to say is to give credit to Clint Eastwood and the honesty that he treated this movie with. He will be known was one of the most honest and finest directors and one of the finest actors.
The movie breaks down the barrier of the "evil", "unhuman", "robot" "Japanese" propaganda/perspective and let you see the real human sides of these soldiers and their leaders. They might've killed American soldiers and bombed Pearl Harbor, this movie will take you home whether you are in one side or the other and makes you sympathize with these soldiers in one way or another. This movie is similar to "Saving Private Ryan" in terms of substance, simplicity and practicality of the soldiers. This movie doesn't try to say who is good and who is bad, but gives it like it is and the result is one of the finest and most honest.
Highly recommended if you want to know and understand the once widely considered "enemy," "evil" and "unhuman" Japanese. Highly recommended and above all we are all humans trying to get through the day is what I think Clint wanted to send across. The pain, anxiety, hope, war are all presented with simplicity, substance and practicality.
Kudos to Clint Eastwood for his honesty and for his bravery to make one of the most affecting (near to shocking) and honest war movies.