dave1606 Reviews

Take (2007)

My first film at tribeca is a winner!

[9/10 · 28 April 2007]

A great, thought provoking film about the death penalty. This is a movie that will be extremely difficult for most viewers to watch, yet it is worth it for more than one reason. The first and foremost to reason to see this film is that it is a visual tour de force. Every scene looks amazing and the cinematographer constantly fills the screen with something interesting to look at. The second reason I would say to see this is that its script is pretty intelligent. while not above some logic flaws and a frustrating beginning, a murder who I felt needed a little more backstory,the film really does shine when it comes together. Much like Crash or Babel it is a nonlinear story with some different time periods. Minnie Driver is quite good though her accent does come through at points, regardless her emotion is conveyed really well on screen. Overall this film made quite an impact on me and was well worth the time invested! Definitely check out this well made expertly directed low budget film. Cant wait for my next film at tribeca!

Apocalypto (2006)

Pretty good

[8/10 · 28 November 2006]

Tonight I went to an advance screening of Mel Gibson's new film Apocalypto. This is an interesting movie for many reasons, the first being its Mayan language. I am hearing that this is actually considered a foreign film by the Golden Globes because of it, regardless of the movie originating from America. This could be written off as a gimmick, but it is one of the film's strongest points, the movie looks, feels, and sounds(despite for a few lines that needed to be edited out) authentic.

What this movie is is gory. It is one of the bloodiest movies I have seen and should be avoided if blood bothers you. Here is a great scenic moment from the film. If this sounds too much for you than stay away because yes, it gets much worse.

The captives are brought in covered in blue paint. They look up at the top of a vast temple where an executioner is thanking the lords as he rips the hearts out and decapitates their fellow men. The heads roll down the long stair case followed soon after by their bodies. The heart is put on hot rocks and thousands up people cheer. There are hundreds of heads on steaks all around.......

This is the first movie I have ever been to where people actually walked out of the theater.

Getting back to the movie itself there are quite a few good qualities as well. The acting is superb all around, I actually cared about the main character and his family. The prophecy made by the sick girl is a clever piece of writing as well as the dream the main character has. The empire of the main tribe is quite amazing and will take your breath away in both its horror and its beauty.The early scenes of humor are very nice and help us appreciate the characters and a nice break from the extreme violence that follows. The movie looks amazing, the characters designs and costumes are well done as is the sets. Finally, superb direction by Mel Gibson make all of this work together quite well.

My main problems with this movie are these: The movie is too long (2 and half hours) and includes some surprisingly campy scenes. The birth in the well did not work for me at all. The last chase sequence is far too long and could have been cut in half.

Overall I was slightly disappointed by this film. I wanted more Mayan culture and less running through the forest. However, Mel Gibson had something else in mind and I applaud him for making the movie he wanted to make. Despite my problems the film is quite good if you can make it through the gore. I would be highly surprised if this did well at the box office due to the extreme gore, other language language(Americans don't like subtitles), long running time, and of course the now infamous name of Mel Gibson attached. However I enjoyed the movie and might want to see it again. If you can believe that.

WTC View (2005)

Room with a view

[10/10 · 15 October 2006]

I recently had a chance to screen this film with the director present. He said that his two inspirations for this movie came from Rear Window and Rosemary's Baby. Not exactly two films that come to mind when you think of a 9/11 movie. However, they are fitting. The main character in the movie is trapped in his apartment. We do not see the outside world until the last frame. His prospective tenants go and look out the window of the bedroom and we know what they are looking at without ever seeing it. We do not see it because it is not a movie about us. It is a movie about the characters on screen and their dealing with the tragedy. Writer /director Brian Sloan has captured almost every angle of reactions to that day. Perhaps the most interesting reaction comes from Alex(Nick Potenzieri), as someone who was actually in the tower when the plane hit. He has a positive look on life, and begins to look at everything differently. This movie would be fascinating enough if it were just about prospective roommates and their dealings with Septemeber 11 but it isn't. It becomes much more as we deal with Eric and how profoundly he was affected by that day. This movie is an intimate, moving portrayal of events that we all know, but in a much different way than we have ever seen. I highly recommend it if you can find it to watch.

The Grudge 2 (2006)

I want my 2 hours back.

[3/10 · 12 October 2006]

Wow. Thank god i didn't pay for that. I do believe that I have seen one of the worst movies of the year. To say that it was a crappy horror movie is an understatement. With a plot that makes no sense whatsoever and somehow manages to drag out every horror movie cliché in the history of cinema, this movie is almost on the verge of a camp classic. However it takes itself much to serious for that. There are essentially three stories told that are loosely connected, but never really come together. Unlike a movie like 21 grams, there is not an interesting way in which we find out that they are connected. It is merely an lame excuse thrown together in the end. With characters saying lines like "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" of the ghost you wonder if you are watching scary movie 5. The acting is some of the worst this year with the exception of Sarah Michelle Gellar, who only gets 5 minutes of screen time before she is thrown off a roof.

Also the ghost is stuffed in nearly every scene whether it be the girl or the meowing little boy, taking away any sense of tension. (which really makes me angry the meowing is incredibly lame and makes no sense) I was someone who enjoyed the first movies so I came into the second movie intrigued to find out the origins of the curse. Twenty minutes into this movie I realized I didn't care. In the back of my mind I knew that this would be a crappy sequel, but I didn't want to believe it. Yet In a month where Saw 3, the Texas chainsaw massacre:the beginning and the grudge 2, I must realize that this is merely a cash crop on Halloween and the successful original. To its credit, the scene in the darkroom, and the scene in the shrinks office were well done and made me jump. The rest of the movie i was either laughing or annoyed.

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006–2007)

powerful, angering and a must see

[10/10 · 22 August 2006]

Spike Lee's film When the Levees Broke: A Requim in Four acts is a haunting look at New Orleans during and after the devastation of Katrina. But this documentary is quick to point out that the disaster was not really from nature at all, it came directly from our own government, from the army core of engineers' poor construction of the Levees to the complete breakdown of the federal government and FEMA's lack buster response. This is not easy to watch as you see just how people's lives were devastated. It is angering, saddening, and also hopeful that New Orleans will be rebuilt and that there is progress made. I liked how it does not point blame in one direction. Everyone is at fault here though some more than others. Seeing the picture of Dick Chenney fly fishing days after the disaster and Condaliza Rice buying shoes in NYC were certainly angering but also watching the governor of Lousiana refuse help from our president are standouts. However the real star of this documentary are the people of New Orleans. They talk freely and angrily about the pain that they have gone through and show that the storm didn't end last August, its still going on there to this day. It is unbelievable to watch as these people wait 4 months and longer for FEMA trailers, and when they get them to find that there is no electricity. When asked what she could do to get electricity one woman suggests a blow-job. It just shows the complete lack of support our government gave to this state and to this city. This film will move you to tears many times and is hard to take but it is necessary to watch . It features a superb score by Terrance Blanchard whose own family was devastated by Katrina as shown on film. An excellent documentary.