Reviews (1,970)
The Gift (2000)
Sam Raimi is a whiz who can turn a fairly mediocre script into a first-class thriller. It doesn't happen very often when I watch a movie, but I was really scared, and I think that's the best mark.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
One of the few films where I literally fell in love with the main characters and experienced everything good and bad with them. The relaxed performances of everyone involved make me believe that the shooting must have taken place in a perfect atmosphere and the love for the source material oozes out of the film, that is something that is reflected in the final result. Writing how visually stunning this film is, is like bringing wood to the forest. From an acting point of view, I particularly enjoyed Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, and I was very pleasantly surprised by Sean Bean as Boromir. His performance at the end, when he wants the ring from Frodo, is one of my favourites.
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
What moral lessons can we take away from this film? The following: if you give beer to your bear, you will make an alcoholic out of it, useless for guarding your personal property. A lesson so profound that it's quite enough to award this entertaining western four stars.
Air Force One (1997)
Wolfgang Petersen forgot about his masterpieces Das Boot and The Neverending Story and made a stupid film that even Emmerich would be ashamed of.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Once again I didn't give in to the critics and it paid off. A.I. is an excellent film and I left the cinema with a warm feeling in my heart. I think it is stupid to look for Kubrick here, this is sensitive Spielberg with all the bells and whistles.
15 Minutes (2001)
Robert De Niro shows his career is going downhill, because he is taking roles in increasingly mediocre films, and 15 Minutes is no exception. Karel Roden overacts with gusto and maintains a comfortable distance next to the awful Edward Burns.
The Specialist (1994)
Yeah, the detonation scenes are interesting and dramatic, but the love story line is lifeless and Sly, narcissistically showing off his body at the gym, isn't at his best either. Luis Llosa can put together action scenes, but he is not so good that he can easily combine multiple genres.
Runaway Train (1985)
I wouldn't expect this from Konchalovsky, a very good thriller with brilliant performances. B-movie king Eric Roberts could enjoy his only Oscar nomination.
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Of the entire Jurassic Park series, ironically I had the most fun with the third one, maybe because I wasn’t expecting much. Yeah, it was shit, but it didn’t pretend to be anything else. It's fast-paced, the action scenes start a few minutes after the beginning and end with the closing credits. It’s just pop-corn entertainment as it should be. And the scene with the pterodactyls in the cage is a blast.