Final Destination 2 movie review (2003)

A year ago, Alex Browning from the first movie predicted he and his fellow classmates dodged a fatal plane accident, Flight 180, only to find that it put a kink in Death’s design. To right the wrong of them escaping their predetermined deaths, Death kills them in the order they were supposed to die on the plane. The only one to escape her fate was Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), who is now locked voluntarily inside a padded psychiatric cell at a psyche ward. Now, a new person has gotten the same premonition as Alex. Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook), on a car trip with her friends, sees a terrible traffic accident involving a logging truck while waiting in heavy traffic on an off-ramp. She considers it just a little too freakishly real, so she blocks all the cars on the off-ramp with her car, since they all were killed in her vision. She manages to save all their lives, which ticks Death off again. When lucky lottery-winning survivor Evan Lewis (David Paetkau) is suddenly killed in a bizarre fashion, Kimberly and Officer Thomas Burke (Michael Landes), the cop who pulls her out of the way before she could get run over by the logging truck, begin to question if the curse that afflicted Alex and his friends is happening all over again. Kimberly tracks down and seeks the help of Clear, who at first isn’t too eager to relive the horror. Together they gather the rest of the survivors, including Kat (Keegan Connor Tracy), Eugene (Terrence “T.C.” Carson), Rory (Jonathan Cherry), Nora Carpenter (Lynda Boyd), her son Tim (James N. Kirk), and others try to steer clear of being the next in line to die. Based on some obscure advice of Mortician William “Bill” Bludworth (Tony Todd), they figure the only way they can cheat Death is to track down a pregnant woman and keep her alive long enough to have her baby, so they break the Death rule and create life instead of take it (or something like that.)
Final Destination 2 movie features a young woman who inadvertently cheats death when a vision of a horrible accident convinces her to change her road-trip route. When the accident occurs shortly thereafter, she realizes that the vision she had was actually a premonition. As a result of her swift action, other people who should have died in the accident are also spared. Needless to say, this pisses Death off, prompting him/her/it to pursue those who escaped his/her/it's clutches.

Sure, they replace a plane accident with a car accident, but what this sequel lacks in an original plot makes up for in some delicious horror fun. The star of this movie is the special effects. For some reason, Death couldn’t just run them over with another car or give them a heart attack. No, they had to die in some of the nastiest ways I’ve ever seen in a horror movie (which means parents should take note that this one is not for the easily offended or easily disgusted.) There is one scene involving barbed wire that brings up memories of the impressive opening scene of last year’s Ghost Ship. If you like gross special effects, this one is for you.

Director David R. Ellis is very competent in his use of gore and many of the "Death" sequences are well executed, most notably an intense and visually gripping car pile up early on in the picture.

The more impressive thing about the creative deaths in this movie is that they truly come at you surprisingly. Unlike last week’s Darkness Falls (see my review), you don’t see many of the deaths coming.

The bottom line is, Final Destination 2 isn't scary in the slightest, but it is extremely funny, very gory, and mildly entertaining. It also features some nifty "death" sequences. I'd also like to mention that Final Destination 2 never bored me. That, in itself, says something.

The Recruit movie review (2003)

In the thriller, Colin Farrell plays a computer expert who is recruited by a veteran CIA operative played by Al Pacino. Through a series of intense training exercises, Farrell is soon unable to distinquish reality from the CIA tests.

Farrell is an exciting, energetic talent, and while this particular part isn't exactly ripe with texture, he brings a lively bravado to the role. Pacino turns in yet another solid performance, and nearly every line of dialogue he utters, comes across as natural. What's most fun about his turn in The Recruit is how he toys with Farrell and the audience. We're never really sure whether he's bad or good until the very end of the movie, even though the obvious screenplay dictates the answer to that question relatively early on.

The Recruit was directed by Roger Donaldson who's made impressive thrillers before (see the engrossing Thirteen Days and the nail biter No Way Out). While I was entertained and enjoyed the quick pace of this movie, I was never completely won over because it was either a tad too predictable or just a little too over the top.
Overall, The Recruit was a fun time thanks mostly in part to two actors from different generations who really seem to relish playing off of each other. A similar dynamic was on display in A Few Good Men, as Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise went at each other with absolute ferocity. While The Recruit is certainly on a smaller scale, Pacino and Farrell make the most of what they have to work with.
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8 mile movie review (2002)

A rap version of “Saturday Night Fever.” B-Rabbit, a wannabe rapper from the wrong side of Detroit’s 8 Mile, has problems: he dumps his girlfriend when she tells him she’s pregnant; to save money to make a demo tape, he moves into his alcoholic mom’s trailer; his job’s a dead end, and he’s just choked at the local head-to-head rap contest. Things improve when he meets Alex - an aspiring model headed for New York - and a fast-talking pal promises to set up the demo. Then new setbacks: Alex isn’t faithful, mom rejects him, rifts surface with his friends, and he’s mugged by rivals. Everything hinges on the next rap showdown at the club. Can B-Rabbit pull truth out of his cap?

While 8 Mile isn't completely autobiographical, it is very much a glimpse into Eminem's life growing up in Detroit. Before Marshall Mathers was a superstar, he was a struggling artist who desperately wanted to be heard. Of course being white in a predominately black neighborhood presented a world of challenges.

In 8 Mile Eminem plays Jimmy Smith (aka B-Rabbit), a talented musician trying to break free of his tough surroundings. His mother (played by Kim Basinger) is a dysfunctional woman who's happiness seems determined by whether or not she wins at bingo, while most of his friends seem to be going nowhere. All this on top of growing up fatherless in a hard, poverty stricken environment Smith has the skills to take his music to the top, but he can't quite shake the fear that comes with performing in nightly rap competitions at a local club.

The heart of 8 Mile brought to mind two 70's cinema treasures. With it's depiction of young friends cruising around getting into trouble, and it's main character hoping to achieve success with extraordinary talent, I was reminded of Saturday Night Fever. And with it's underdog tale of a young kid growing up in the sticks, getting that all important shot at the big time, I was instantly reminded of Rocky. There's even a moment in 8 Mile when our hero is about to face off against his adversary, and while the two are merely about to rap, the scene is staged in a way that suggest we're about to watch Sly and Mr. T bloody each other up in the ring.

So how is Eminem in his big screen debut? He's terrific, but then he isn't asked to do Shakespeare here. Mathers is perfectly used in 8 Mile, and not surprisingly, he's most impressive in the dynamic rap sequences. This is not the Eminem that we're used to seeing in interviews. This is a stripped down version. The rap superstar manages to humanize B-Rabbit, and this makes the experience all the more real. You'd never think that at some point in his life, Slim Shady was so afraid before hitting the stage, that he actually threw up. But then if you asked Eminem about this, he'd probably reply by saying that it never did happen. It's just a movie thing. Basinger is at her most unglamorous, and while she is making a big effort, she overplays this underwritten role. Mekhi Phifer is very likable as B-Rabbit's best buddy and Brittany Murphy excels as the new girl in Jimmy's life, a sort of sleazy young woman who has aspirations of her own.


Scott Silver's screenplay has it's moments, but it does take a little too long to get going, and the scenes in which Smith and his buddies cruise around talking about life, don't really work. These guys don't have anything particularly interesting to say to each other, but then I guess that's part of the point. They're not really going anywhere in their lives. Still, it made for boring screen time. What I do admire about the screenplay, is how each character effects Jimmy's life in some way. These characters all push or motivate B-Rabbit, be it in a negative or positive way. Silver also has fun playing with Eminem's media perpetuated rep as bad boy. Jimmy even has a friend at work who happens to be homosexual.

The movie really explodes when Eminem is performing, and I suspect much of this stuff was improvised by the lyrical genius himself. The climax of 8 Mile really makes you want to stand up and cheer, and you can't ask for much more than that.

American Pie movie review (1999)

It preoccupies the four teen-aged boys whose raucous and often raunchy exploits are humorously observed in American Pie. Breathing and eating are probably very distant second and third priorities for Jim, Kevin, Oz and Finch, desperate young men in search of the tauntingly elusive path to manhood.

A blatantly derivative but nonetheless buoyant coming of age gambol, director Paul Weitz's down and dirty odyssey through the smirky catacombs of adolescent sexuality is wrapped in the new vulgar-chic that the trailblazing There's Something About Mary made borderline acceptable at the multiplex. But beware! While this is the junior version of that film, it is no less risquй and certainly more exploitative. Yet there is a curiously inherent quality of good-naturedness to American Pie, and it prevails; as matters bawdily unfold and the movie's would-be Casanovas are hilariously shown for the sexually naive bumblers that they are, the rite-of-passage aspects of the tale winsomely supplant its naughty quotient. In short, it's not what they do, but how awkwardly they try to do it that makes American Pie so rollickingly engaging.


Sworn to conclude their virginal days no later than prom night, a gaggle of somewhat familiar, neo-Brat Pack stereotypes are played by a solid ensemble of young actors making a passage of their own; to starring roles. Zaniest among the 17-year-old hopefuls is self-deprecating Jim (Jason Biggs, delivering his lines with the distinctive patter of a stand-up comic), easily the least likely to succeed. Entirely flummoxed by the peer-imposed mission to the sexual major leagues, Jim's ineptitude with the fairer sex becomes legend when his foiled attempt at romantic conquest with an East European exchange student (Shannon Elizabeth as Nadia) is mistakenly broadcast to their entire Midwestern community over the Internet.

Oz (Chris Klein), on the other hand, a handsome lacrosse player, seems a shoe-in for success. But guess again. His original plan dashed, the jock uncharacteristically tries out his vocal chords in the school choir whilst exploring the possibility of amour with straight-laced Heather (Mena Suvari).

For all its nasty posturing, when it comes down to cases this is really a traditional tale, a punk-suburban look at the fires of spring. It's just dressed up like Peck's Bad Boy. And that's because between the ages of 14 and 17 there is status in smut. The off-colour tint is more a marketing consideration than an inseparable part of the story.
And then there's Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), certainly an odds-on favourite to win masculine bragging rights. He's the only one who has a steady gal. Trouble is, girlfriend Vicki (Tara Reid), who will be attending classes at a college far from where Kevin will be matriculating come September, finds herself torn between love and pragmatism (Oh, these adult decisions). Not knowing that boyfriend secretly confides in and seeks advice to the sexlorn from her best pal, Jessica (Natasha Lyonne), betwixt and between Vicki does the same. An experienced veteran of the teen war between the sexes, with "Been There....Done That" seemingly stencilled across her forehead, jaded Jessica acerbically reminisces that once upon a time she was "duped out of her virginity." Oddly, the sarcastic go-between's advice is generally sound.

Hand held over mouth in faux embarrassment, young viewers enjoying their vicarious complicity in these ribald goings-on will readily offer their favourite parts and register hearty approval of this self-conscious prurience. For just as American Pie's four Lotharios are really more interested in impressing each other than actually making the post-pubescent journey in question, it's so much cooler to flaunt one's sophistication than to wax rhapsodic about the moral of the story. But surprise. The core viewing group's worst fears are realised: Hidden amidst the irreverent junk food, American Pie manages to serve up a nourishing slice of life.

American Beauty movie review (1999)

Lester and Carolyn Burnham are on the outside, a perfect husband and wife, in a perfect house, in a perfect neighborhood. But inside, Lester is slipping deeper and deeper into a hopeless depression. He finally snaps when he becomes infatuated with one of his daughters friends. Meanwhile, his daughter Jane is developing a happy friendship with a shy boy-next-door named Ricky who lives with a homophobic father.

There are many, many films out there that concern themselves with the fabled mom's apple-pie family unit. It's easy to grasp why filmmakers, and by extension audiences, are so captivated by this topic; it allows us to gaze upon a mirror image of ourselves, or what we could be in different circumstances. Of course most of these pictures are intentionally weird and hyper-dramatic, concerned only with the immoral underbelly of our culture. It's a fine tool in the right context, though something of a blunt instrument when you're looking to create a more refined portrait. Fortunately director Sam Mendes displays a delicate and gentle touch, astonishing given that this is his first film.

Certainly he's superbly assisted by Alan Ball's screenplay for American Beauty (here also work that is its own debut). Ball manages to create characters that are consistently surprising, but not in an artificial manner. The shocks that emerge arrive naturally, from the way the people are and the situations that condense around them; so when Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) starts to re-evaluate his life and how it's being lived, he does so because of certain catalysts. One's Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari), the precocious and sexually aware best friend of his daughter Jane (Thora Birch). The second is new next-door neighbour Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley), clean-cut yet slightly too confident for one so young. Both have a far greater impact on Lester than they could ever guess.

For most of the running time Mendes directs quietly, letting the actors grow into their roles; perhaps a respect learnt from working in theatre. He does, however, wrap American Beauty within quotation marks -- the legacy of re-editing Ball's first draft script after the completion of shooting. Right at the outset Lester informs us of his death and how the film covers the last year of his existence, then at the end he lets us in on what it all means. As it happens this prior knowledge doesn't distract, the story is far too engaging for that, but it does stick out if you start to ponder. A more interesting legacy is the short sequence of Jane being camcordered by Ricky; her words stay with you, later reappearing unannounced. As matters spiral towards a bunch of conclusions, you're drawn to the edge of your seat, expectant and nervous. American Beauty's that absorbing and a bit of tinkering around the edge is unlikely to cause a problem.

Of course (as Mendes realises) no matter how good your source material, the end result depends absolutely upon the strength of the cast. That's why he should be grateful to casting director Debra Zane; somehow she manages to populate American Beauty with performers talented enough to subsume their egos. Spacey seems truly plugged into his mid-life crisis, revisiting the themes of his youth while casting off unwanted shackles. His portrayal feels deadly accurate, weighted with joy, amazement and concern. As Lester's wife Carolyn, Annette Bening hovers close to the edge of hysteria, grappling with a career that's beyond her capabilities and a neurotic conviction that everything will work out if you try hard enough. Birch is convincing as their spoilt child, hurt but too cool to show the pain, though she's overshadowed by Bentley. In many ways he embodies the spirit of American Beauty, while still convincing as a man on the cusp of adulthood.

Still, given that this moderately clumsy attempt at setting the context may be down to inexperience, it's handy that a mature hand steers the camera. Conrad L. Hall, almost forty years a photographer, captures a beautifully drawn world. Never jarring in his choice of shot, Hall demonstrates ingenuity and a sense of playfulness; his American Beauty drifts easily between real and surreal, making a delightfully understated marriage. The score complements and underlines this relationship, marking the boundaries of dream thoughts, then evoking memories that we can share with Lester. Driven by superb performances, all of these elements (whether visual, aural or something less concrete) pull together such that the film really fires on all cylinders.

For most of the running time Mendes directs quietly, letting the actors grow into their roles; perhaps a respect learnt from working in theatre. He does, however, wrap American Beauty within quotation marks -- the legacy of re-editing Ball's first draft script after the completion of shooting. Right at the outset Lester informs us of his death and how the film covers the last year of his existence, then at the end he lets us in on what it all means. As it happens this prior knowledge doesn't distract, the story is far too engaging for that, but it does stick out if you start to ponder. A more interesting legacy is the short sequence of Jane being camcordered by Ricky; her words stay with you, later reappearing unannounced. As matters spiral towards a bunch of conclusions, you're drawn to the edge of your seat, expectant and nervous. American Beauty's that absorbing and a bit of tinkering around the edge is unlikely to cause a problem.
Unlike so many movies, black comedy American Beauty feels complete within itself. It's not a message picture, though it's possible to decode a mantra from the drama, and it's definitely not high-concept. What it has is a theme, of looking more closely at life, and vividly drawn characters; these are real people, sedated through complacence, nudged into rediscovering what they'd forgotten about themselves. It's not so much that nothing is as it seems, the film just isn't that cynically manipulative. Instead it shows how if you take folk for granted then sooner or later they'll shock you by acting seemingly out of character; it's not true but your simplistic assumptions make it seem so. American Beauty doesn't chart new territory, but then what film does? Instead, intangible and complex, it deals honestly with a fascinating possibility.

Die Another Day movie review (2002)

James Bond’s newest mission begins with a high-speed hovercraft chase through a minefield in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. From Hong Kong to Cuba to London, Bond circles the world in his quest to unmask a traitor and prevent a war of catastrophic proportions. On his way he crosses paths with Jinx and Miranda Frost, who will play vital roles in his latest adventure.

In typical Bond fashion, Die Another Day opens with a slam bang action sequence. It involves hover crafts, machine guns, huge explosions, and it's an absolute thriller. Surprisingly, the action piece ends in a most unexpected way. The audience is then treated to another innovative credit sequence accompanied by Madonna's techno flavored theme song (one of the worst Bond themes ever). Incidentally, the material girl also has a cameo in the film).

I wouldn't say Die Another Day takes the Bond character into unfamiliar territory, but it does push the envelope in terms of technology and gadgets (believe me when I tell you, there's plenty of both). I also loved the scope of this picture. Throughout it's two hour and ten minute running time, we are whisked away to Havana, England, Korea, and Iceland. There is no shortage of breathtaking locations in this movie.

What follows, is two hours of sheer, familiar fun, in which Bond sets out to save the day yet again. And while Die Another Day probably features some of the most silly, absurd, and implausible scenarios in a Bond-picture history, it also captures that undeniable 007 spirit that's been lacking in recent adventures. Because of the unlimited energy and high spirited tone, I found myself grinning throughout most of this picture, and I was reminded of why Bond is such a great character. With all the hype surrounding XXX earlier this year, I was more than pleased to see that Die Another Day is far more engrossing than the Vin Diesel vehicle.

I wouldn't say Die Another Day takes the Bond character into unfamiliar territory, but it does push the envelope in terms of technology and gadgets (believe me when I tell you, there's plenty of both). I also loved the scope of this picture. Throughout it's two hour and ten minute running time, we are whisked away to Havana, England, Korea, and Iceland. There is no shortage of breathtaking locations in this movie.

Brosnan is incredibly comfortable in his fourth outing as 007, and because of certain events that take place early on in the picture, there is a sense of growth in this timeless character. It's also nice to see that Brosnan isn't too old to kick a little ass. Halle Berry doesn't fare as well as Jinx. While she's certainly beautiful, her line delivery is less than impressive. But then, the Bond franchise has offered up some of the worst female characters in movie history (see Tanya Roberts in A View to a Kill or Denise Richards in The World is Not Enough). While I wouldn't rank Berry at the bottom of the barrel, her character and performance hardly reach the heights of Diana Rigg in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

At the very least, Jinx does get to take part in a lot of the action. Die Another Day also stumbles in the villain department. Actually, there are a couple of villains here, and aside from looking cool, they really don't bring anything new to the table. The Bond franchise needs another crazy villain like Christopher Walken's Max Zorin in A View to a Kill (even if that particular film is one of the worst in the series.) Judi Dench is terrific as M, while the reliably entertaining John Cleese shows up in an all too brief role as Q, the handy gadget creator. It would have been nice to see more of the British funny man.

Director Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors, Along Came A Spider) has done a fantastic job with pacing, and really seems to have a feel for the Bond mythology. He even throws in gags involving past Bond adventures. And while there are a few visuals in this picture that are positively dreadful, and while the director can't resist taking things a bit over the top, I was thoroughly entertained by Die Another Day.

Terminator movie review (1984)

In the decennary 2029, the machines have nonheritable ability and are gunfight against people in a dystopian world. Among the humans, John Connor, in the time leads a robust lockout that puts the group at an advantage. The machines project a cyborg, the Terminator(Arnold Schwarzenneger), to move body in example to 1984 to deathblow the mater of John Connor, Sarah (Linda Hamilton), before he is born. To curb this, the grouping project Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) to defend her from the cyborg.

In the near future, humanity is being pushed to the verge of extinction by sentient machines (after coming through a nuclear apocalypse). To win the war before it even starts, a cyborg assassin, the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), is sent back through time by the machines. Arriving in a flash of light, during a dirty 1984 evening, the Terminator pauses at a view over Los Angeles, almost as if it can sense its prey already. Moments later another flash bleaches the shadows of an alley, spewing Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) from within its temporal belly.

Since both the Terminator and Reese have emerged from the future as naked as new-born babes, they both need to locate contemporary clothing. The big difference in approach is that the Terminator beats up some greaseball punks for his snazzy leather outfit while Reese is reduced to stealing his trousers from a nearby tramp. Their objectives are also identical, involving the location of someone named Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and either killing or protecting her. There are three people in the phone book with the correct name, so the Terminator methodically moves towards wiping them all out (luckily Reese has a bit of inside information which means that he can track down Connor slightly more easily.

Meanwhile, Connor goes about her business oblivious to the gathering storm. Life as a waitress ain't pretty, particularly for someone as ditzy as Connor, but at least she's got a night out with her room-mate Ginger (Bess Motta) to look forward to. A news bulletin regarding the bloody killing of one of her namesakes briefly catches her attention, but it doesn't amount to much for someone hardened to living in LA. Slowly the net tightens, with the Terminator moving inexorably towards Connor while Reese can only watch and wait (hoping that the cops don't pick him up). Since he doesn't actually know what the Terminator looks like, he has to sit back until the last possible moment before shooting it - a temporary distraction for the Terminator, at best. This begins the nightmare for Connor.

The central theme of The Terminator is one endlessly recycled in all forms of entertainment, testament to its intrinsic power and numerous psychological hooks. An assassin who is not merely implacable but also seemingly invulnerable strikes right at the base of our deepest fears, threatening to upset our stability. The choice of Schwarzenegger for the cyborg role was a stroke of genius (even though he and Biehn were initially cast in each other's character). With his pumped-up, inhuman musculature and inexpressive features, there is little difficulty in imagining that he is an ultimate killing machine, sent from the future.

Interestingly, Reese is portrayed as a double-edged warrior; the exact opposite of the Terminator and yet almost exactly like his nemesis. This makes sense (given where he's come from) but it's pretty eerie when Reese launches into compact future-speak and shrugs off bullet wounds as a minor scratch. Biehn does a fine job as a fish-out-of-water, brought up to fight and lumbered with the task of explaining everything to a sceptical Connor. She is the antithesis of the organised, tough mother of the future saviour of mankind that Reese might have expected - an excellent piece of script-writing. Her transformation and gradual coming to terms with the coming holocaust never feels outlandish, thanks to the well pitched performance of Hamilton.

An unusual feature of The Terminator is that it puts forward a strong script to complement the impressive special effects, a result of its low-budget origins. Events are tightly plotted, if rather contrived, under the direction of James Cameron, ensuring that the tension gradually notches ever higher. It's also refreshing to find a movie where the timelines of present and future are synchronised properly, without lots of absurd hops back and forth in time. Altogether this ensures that The Terminator is a landmark science-fiction film, a benchmark for others to aim for and one of Schwarzenegger's finest performances.


When I first expression the movie, I was reverent by the conceptuality and the effects. The picturing of the future seemed very infrigidation and Schwarzenneger was pluperfect as a temperature merciless cyborg. Perception it again, I still weighing some of the effects are performance and it's heartening to bishopric that in some ways, Schwarzenneger hasn't changed very much since bowing his discovery capacity (the distinctness being that these life he plays the role instead of the villain). The script is colloquialism quality as is the portrayal by the hanging cast. The centile is excellent. Terminator is a large sci-fi contact that I definitely suggest swing on your must-see list.