Prelude's Movies > Movie reviews by Prelude

WTF?

Posted : 1 year, 2 months ago on 11 September 2008 12:04 (A review of You Don't Mess with the Zohan)

I've seen some real shit films in my life, but this has, to date, quite possibly been the worst fucking movie I have ever seen. This movie makes 'Little Nicky' look like a masterpiece.

Not even worth wasting another word on...

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rehashed american junk

Posted : 1 year, 7 months ago on 11 April 2008 02:42 (A review of 21)

This movie was great!.... when I saw it 4 years ago, as a Canadian-made film called 'The Last Casino'.


That's Hollywood for ya - no more original ideas left. They had to steal all Canadian actors, now they're stealing our movies too. And some IMDB reviews are calling it 'fresh and original'. *sigh*


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Another Stephen King masterpiece

Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 26 March 2008 12:14 (A review of The Mist)

We all know Stephen King is the undisputed master when it comes to horror novels, but not all his works have translated well to the big screen. But I'm glad to say this one, based on a novella (mini-novel) of his, is a beauty. When I read it a few years back in college, I remember thinking 'man, this would make an awesome movie!' so I was excited when I found out that not only was it coming out, but that Frank Darabont was at the helm. The critics came, and many were harsh towards it. I suppose they just didnt except such a King-style ending. lol

All the things that make King special are in this film; the slow build-up of suspense, the complete unexplained mystery, a raving lunatic, terrifying monsters, and finally, the end.

And what an ending. Speechless. wow

THAT alone is worth the price of admission (or at least a rental). The ending. Predictable if you know King (as Voxy points out in her review), but shocking nonetheless.

Well, that, and the justice dealt to the crazy bible thumper. It's been a while that I stood up and yelled 'YES MUTHAFUCKAA!' at my TV. :)

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Great RomCom, but predicable as hell

Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 25 March 2008 11:57 (A review of Dan in Real Life)

For starters, Steve Carell is the only reason I watched this film, and its the perfect role in which he excels at - as a lovable down-on-his-luck good guy with great punch lines.

Not being a fan of romantic comedies (i'm a guy, after all), I still found myself somewhat impressed with this one, and even fought back tears in one scene (when Steve was telling his three daughters which part of them reminds him of his dead wife). And many of the jokes throughout are brilliant and funny.

What I didn't like about this film was the cheezy family dynamics. Seriously, does ANYONE know a family out there that meets up for a week, get along perfectly (for the most part), exercise together, play football together, and even do special talent shows in front of each other by the fireplace? guitar and all? come on... that's not 'REAL LIFE'.

The plot also was way too predictable. I knew right away things would be awkward, then they'll fall in love, then all hell will break loose in the family, but then everything will work out perfectly and last scene will be a wedding with everyone all happy and perfect. Its about as predictable as a period.

And *despite* all that, I still give it a generous 7 out of 10 because, well Steve Carell is in it, and its NOT Evan Almighty. :)

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Visually beautiful, but not for everyone

Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 25 March 2008 11:45 (A review of Rescue Dawn)

Leave it to the eccentric Herzog to make a Vietnam War movie about 15 years after Hollywood stopped making Vietnam War movies.

This movie is loosely based on real events of an air pilot's capture, life in a POW camp, and a daring prison break with his fellow american prisoners.

If you know Herzog, you'll quickly notice his very sparse use of music, very slow-paced cinematography, and with all the sounds of the crickets in the jungle while time slowly passes by, I don't recommend watching this if you're tired (I fell asleep twice before I finally finished this film).

But despite all that, it's truly a beautiful film. So if you are seeking a great film that's off the beaten path, might want to give Rescue Dawn a chance. But don't blame me if you fall asleep ;)

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Best Western since Unforgiven

Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 25 March 2008 11:33 (A review of 3:10 to Yuma)

To anyone who loves westerns but feel like the genre has died, you owe it to yourself to go buy this movie. It is quite easily the best Western since 'The Unforgiven', and I consider it up there with 'Good Bad & Ugly' and 'Once Upon a Time in West' masterpieces.

First off, Christian Bale - quite easily one of my fave actors lately - pulls off another intense performance. Is there anything this guy can't pull off? He riveted me in 'The Machinist', he mesmerized me in 'Prestige', he blew me away in 'Batman Begins', and now comes out smokin' in '3:10 to Yuma'. (like the metaphors? lol)

And after a few duds, Russell Crowe is back in top form as the bad-ass gunslinger in this western, revolving around getting him to the 3:10 train to Yuma, while his entire posse is determined to free him. While in captivity, Crowe and Bale's characters develop respect and sympathy for each other, leading to an incredible shootout thru town as the train awaits them.

Seriously, if you like westerns, don't you dare miss this one. Even if westerns are not your thing, the action and suspense in this film will keep you hooked throughout.

A flawless film. 10/10

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BeeG Disappointment

Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 24 March 2008 08:38 (A review of Bee Movie)

Some animated movies are clearly aimed at kids, others are clearly aimed at adult audiences, and the real winners are the ones that can give something for both; films like Shrek or Finding Nemo, for example.

I felt that 'The Bee Movie' is clearly an adult-oriented animated film, in the guise of a kids film. With Seinfeld's ill-placed jewish jokes, tons of humor only intended for adults (like a parody of Haliburton and Enron company names), and a plot revolving around a class action lawsuit against humans so they stop stealing honey, I guarantee your kid will stop watching once the 'cool! a talking Bee!' effect wears off and the boredom kicks in. Or maybe they will stop eating honey, since, I guess that's the 'moral' message of this film? The evil humans steal all the honey from the hard-working bees. Oh, the humanity!

And a quick note to Dreamworks from a concerned parent: Adding a jealous boyfriend who tries to kill the main bee using an aerosol can + lighter = quick flamethrower is NOT something I want to have to explain to my children anytime soon. Thanks anyways.

High-Definition Trailer -->

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Great Thriller

Posted : 1 year, 8 months ago on 19 March 2008 11:08 (A review of Michael Clayton)

It seems great thrillers are getting scarce these days, so I simply had to check out Michael Clayton. The film has a certain 'Erin Brokovich' feel to it, with the plot based around an agrochemical corporation that is trying its hardest to fight off a massive civil lawsuit where one of its products has poisoned farmland and destroyed families. In comes Michael Clayton. He is a clean-up man for the lawfirm which is defending the corporation. There's been a problem...

I want to give a few thoughts and discuss the excellent plot at a later date, but I won't give away plot spoilers here because this film is best enjoyed with a clean slate. I'll say this though; it is a very complex story so if your attention span is not one of your strong points, you may want to pass on this one and rent 'Meet the Spartans' instead.

The performances that impressed me most were George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson. Not sure why Tilda Swinton got an Oscar though - it was just a typical run-of-the-mill acting, with very few memorable lines. But the confrontation between Clooney and Swinton at the end - magnificent. That scene alone was worth the price of admission.

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my god was this lame

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago on 10 January 2008 06:21 (A review of I Am Legend)

Nice effects and theme, but that's about all I give it. What a load of garbage! My brain still hurts from all the idiotic plot holes and unimportant garbage they put in. Like the herd of deer running amok thru streets of NY. Even at the start of the film, it was puzzling as hell, as to why there are all of a sudden hundreds of deer in middle of NYC after only 3 bloody years! And if you factor in the fact that there are thousands of killer mutants out there every night, and that the bridges were all blown up 3 years ago, leaving only the Central Park population of deer to multiply to such herd level, well, you'd have to be a retarded 5-year old not to notice that plot hole. So only logical answer is they included the deer hunting scene at the start to get the redneck audience all jacked up, and then throw in their face that Ford Mustang commercial built-in the movie.

and it goes downhill from those first 5 minutes...

The 'Speaking to God' bit was unbelievably lame as well. Ok audience, GOD says there is a place in Vermont, so there. End of dicussion, no need to think about it anymore. GOD says it, so its true, k?

And anyone else notice how convenient that most streets were nicely abandoned with all cars properly parallel parked just so Will Smith can show off his Mustang driving skills?

Of course, they also never answered the fact as to how that woman and child got to NYC in a car and scared off hundreds of mutants with only her car headlights in the process, oh and with all bridges destroyed.


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Another Farrelly bros hit

Posted : 1 year, 11 months ago on 14 December 2007 11:00 (A review of The Heartbreak Kid)

Put aside a lot of the negative ratings, and don't compare this to that other Farrelly/Stiller hit 'There's Something About Mary', and what you're left with is a solid, perverted, and funny comedy. Ben Stiller still manages to crack me up just by his expressions, and Rob Corddry is hilarious in this.

The part that was 'off' in this movie, which may explain the negative ratings, is some people probably mistook this as a romantic comedy, but the Farrelly brothers kept making it spin more eccentric and perverted thru its runtime, so what you have here is a weird sort of hybrid between a raunchy comedy about a guy trying to get together with another woman while on his honeymoon, and a romantic comedy about a quick marriage. Even the ending threw me for a (good) loop, as the ending was so unexpected. haha, loved it. But definitely the jokes are geared more towards the 'married' guys and girls out there, so maybe the overly young IMDB crowd just doesn't get it.

Overall a great comedy, something we don't see much these days, and a definite keeper for my collection.

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