Reviews
Arena (2011)
Grade B movie with Samuel L. Jackson!
It is so sad when a great actor ends up in grade B movie. But even if it happened to Cuba Gooding Jr. I have never imagined that Samuel L. Jackson could fall so low. Although he never seemed very picky if you remember "Deep Blue Sea" or "Home of the Brave" but he was always successful in choosing movies of at least moderate quality. And to be honest his flicks always get better ratings than they should which is not surprising, he is one of the most likable and charismatic actors in Hollywood. I always wonder can the actors predict how awful a movie is going to be before signing up for it. The answer more and more often seems to be they can't. The first question an actor should ask the producer is how high is the budget then they should really carefully read the script. The choice between acting in one good movie every two years or in three mediocre ones a year should be obvious. But it's not! Arena's budget surprisingly isn't that bad what it lacks most of all was a good screenplay! And it's the combination of first time director and inexperienced first time writers that made it a grade B movie.
Battle Planet (2008)
beware!
the only justification for screening this movie should be to show actor wannabees how not to act!! seriously people if you wanna make a showbiz career than at least take a night course! On the other hand even the great actors when given ridiculous dialogues seem terrible and this movie has both awful screenplay and direction. The third thing at which they excel here is makeup which reminds me of TMNT but bear in mind the turtles makeup was done 20 years ago and it's still better than this one! My advice for the creators in future make your sci-fi flick a comedy not drama! then at least it might pass as a spoof! Finally i'd love to know the people who wrote reviews here using words like excellent and gem towards this movie and awarding it with 10* even if my girlfriend played in this one i'd never give it more than 5/10! it would be indecent!
Brotherhood of Blood (2007)
how I got tricked into watching this..
it's quite simple really you get the whole cast and crew voting, suddenly grade B (Z in fact) movie gets 8.2 user rating on IMDb! it's also crucial to hire one former star especially one that has respectably sounding name e.g Baldwin or in this case Connery, and you promote your low budged low quality low skill movie as a cult independent production! This movie (though I don't believe it deserves to be called that) will disappoint even the hard core fans of the genre, as I'm not one of those I'm also not a critic as self respecting critics would surely ignore this sad waste of time! I only write this review in hope I'll save it for some more fortunate than me!
10,000 BC (2008)
probably the best epic we've seen in last few years
You ask yourself why the low score on IMDb I think there are two reasons: people lack the imagination and curiosity to check if the movie has merit and I encourage you to check it because it does more than you would think! For example I bet when you watch the movie you think/thought what the hell are the mammoths doing around these people and it turns out they have every right to be there! the last mammoths has survived as far as 2000 BC! I do agree there is some resemblance to Apocalypto but I believe it comes from the literature the genre is based on, these ideas has been exploited to some extent not only in Apocalypto but in many movies and books before but when you compare these two epics 10 000 BC, while maybe not as realistic, has one advantage it's a quality family entertainment while Apocalypto with it's grisly scenes is more suitable for older audiences and I suspect this is the main reason why Apocalypto has such a good rating it seems the violence these days is the only thing that can catch people's imagination! I dare you to check the list of 50 "best" movies of the decade you'll find there such a worthless titles as There Will Be Blood and Oldboy while you won't find Pirates of the Caribbean or Golden Compass! If you are regular here you know that IMDb ratings are usually but not always right this one is definitely not one of them! 10 000 BC has one of the most absorbing and entertaining plots I've seen in last few years. A must see!
The Man from Earth (2007)
the essence of sci-fi
Imagine a movie in which the whole story happens in one room, no flashbacks, no CGI! just sitting on a couch and talking, whole 87 minutes of it! can you even think of more boring movie? well, I have a surprise for you this one has one of the most interesting plots I've seen in years, it will keep you intrigued and you wont even notice when the time goes by. For that highly addictive story I give it 8 out of 10 (I would surely give it 9 if not for some bad acting) you might think it's a lot but what really is sci-fi? it's the idea, the incredible imagination that has no boundaries! It might seem the story takes place in this one room only but in truth it happens all over the history of human race and in very beautiful geographical locations you just need to have your own imagination to enjoy it! Writing this I'm hoping for the sci-fi fans, who somehow lack imagination and expect a guy in latex killing lots of other latex guys, to find my message and save them-self some frustration. I find The Man from Earth to be the essence of sci-fi.
Les triplettes de Belleville (2003)
in one word: artistic masterpiece! (ok that's two words)
If you love animation like I do you will adore this one! A crime story that will keep you in suspense for whole 78minutes! The scenery is marvelous every thing is so beautifully exaggerated, the bodyguards wide as cupboards, transatlantic ships higher than buildings, the people and their features. Every frame of this movie is a artistic gem and we are taking about very French art but don't worry the comedy in it is very universal and I know you'll find yourself as amused as I was (and will be many times again!). It's the most original animated movie ever created not just the graphics but also the music and the whole concept for that I give it ten stars!