A
woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her
captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human
logic.
Luc Besson typically mashes up pseudo-science and action in this wildly lively sci-fi thriller and ignores any narrative pot-holes and logic along the way; however, Scarlett Johansson is charming in th title role and ensures that the movie is quite entertaining.
4 criminals steal diamonds from a safe deposit box in Cape Town -
including a drive containing a US senator's evil plans who will do
anything to get it back.
Standard conspiracy actioner is predictable and only mildly entertaining, despite a capable cast.
Judah Ben-Hur, a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted
brother, an officer in the Roman army, returns to his homeland after
years at sea to seek revenge, but finds redemption.
Unoriginal and superfluous adaptation of the popular novel has some production value and the chariot race is not bad, but the story hardly sparks any interest in the matter.
A lawyer is asked to come to the police station to clear up a few loose ends in his witness report of a foul murder.
Remake of Garde a vue: a murder mystery staged as a closed-room
drama with the two male leads playing at their best, but still can't
make the ending more believable - the original managed that much better.
On renewed viewing: I still agree with my initial opinion, the performances make it quite watchable.
Halliwell (no star): "Disappointing duel between two fine actors, who
are not helped by the hyperkinetic style of the director. The result is
much less compelling than the French original The Inquisitor/Garde a
vue."
Maltin**1/2: "Hopkins uses some imaginative techniques, and the two
leads are excellent, as usual, but overall it's routine and familiar."
Unless a comet can be destroyed before colliding with Earth, only those allowed into shelters will survive.
Mediocre and quite tedious doomsday movie that makes one long for the apocalypse - and disappoints in that aspect, too.
On renewed viewing: If you don't take it too seriously, the movie can be mildly entertaining.
Halliwell*:
"Something of a feel-bad disaster movie, in which the world is almost
destroyed, while the audience is slowly drowned in the sticky syrup of
sentimentality. What is truly striking is the poverty of imagination:
the end of all life is a theme worth more than the trivial psychodramas
on display."
Maltin***: "Exciting yarn...Freeman is the
rock-solid U.S. president, Duvall a veteran astronaut on a space
mission to explode the comet; their authorative presence adds weight to
this saga, while Leoni seems a bit of a flyweight as the ambitious TV
newswoman who breaks the story."
A down on her luck widow, desperate to provide care for her daughter,
moves in with her father in-law from whom she is estranged, because he gives her the fault for his son's death.
A deliberately simple tale is well produced and the cast in great form, but the movie is slow-paced and not too exciting.
ON renewed viewing: I still agree with my first assessment, but it is a likable movie.
Maltin***: "Warmhearted, embracing story about family ties and the need
for forgiveness. It's a treat to watch Redford and Freeman as two old
codgers with an unshakable bond of friendship."
One of the world's greatest assassins escapes from his arrest to the woods, while an ex-cop is hiking with his son, and the killer's cohorts try to spring him from
custody, and soon the pair is caught in the crossfire.
Below-average thriller with a ridiculous plot, suspenseless action, and the stars' capabilities are never put to any use. Maltin**: "Untidy actioner leaves plenty of questions unanswered while offering the barest minimum of thrills."
A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.
An
intelligently made sci-fi movie that will satisfy fans of the genre
with its fantastic settings and desolate post-apocalyptic, but beatiful
landscapes and a story that keeps your attention as the mystery
unravels.
On second view: still like it for the same reasons.
Maltin**1/2: "Intriguing if unoriginal
science-fiction premise, from director Kosinski's graphic novel, becomes
more obvious as it heads toward a less-than-startling conclusion. Never
boring, thanks to outstanding production design...and solid
performances from its highly attractive stars."
Unless a comet can be destroyed before colliding with Earth, only those allowed into shelters will survive.
Mediocre and quite tedious doomsday movie that makes one long for the apocalypse - and disappoints in that aspect, too.
Halliwell*: "Something of a feel-bad disaster movie, in which the world is almost destroyed, while the audience is slowly drowned in the sticky syrup of sentimentality. What is truly striking is the poverty of imagination: the end of all life is a theme worth more than the trivial psychodramas on display."
Maltin***: "Exciting yarn...Freeman is the rock-solid U.S. president, Duvall a veteran astronaut on a space mission to explode the comet; their authorative presence adds weight to this saga, while Leoni seems a bit of a flyweight as the ambitious TV newswoman who breaks the story."
A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.
An intelligently made sci-fi movie that will satisfy fans of the genre with its fantastic settings and desolate post-apocalyptic, but beatiful landscapes and a story that keeps your attention as the mystery unravels.
Maltin**1/2: "Intriguing if unoriginal science-fiction premise, from director Kosinski's graphic novel, becomes more obvious as it heads toward a less-than-startling conclusion. Never boring, thanks to outstanding production design...and solid performances from its highly attractive stars."
Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
Drawn-out, but never boring and always touching buddy story, the movie
manages to revive some old and almost forgotten Hollywood virtues,
basically an interesting story well told.
On renewed viewing: Still agree with my old assessment, a modern-day fairy tale.
Halliwell*: "A melodrama of wasted lives and male bonding with a twist ending, more enjoyable for the performances than the narrative, which veers unpredictably between toughness and sentimentality."
Maltin**1/2: "Widely praised film is well crafted but terribly overlong, and (like much of Stephen King's non-horror writing) hollow and predictable."
A disgraced former Presidential guard finds himself trapped
inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his
inside knowledge, he works with national security to rescue the
President from his kidnappers.
The similarities to White House Down are amazing, and this action thriller is just as silly, but by far not as much fun.
Maltin**1/2: "Nonstop action is the order of the day in this disaster film...The story is far-fetched and some of the characters deeply stereotyped but Fuqua keeps it all moving along; if you don't care about credibility it's reasonably entertaining, mindless fun."
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