Reviews by PvtCaboose91

"I am Jaques Cousteau!"

Adrift is an example of Hollywood studios cashing in on the success of a movie by tagging a completely unrelated film as its sequel. This movie boasts itself as the sequel to the 2004 film Open Water. I liked the 2004 movie, so I decided to give this a shot.

It comes as no shock that the movie was a complete disappointment and marketed as a sequel to get more money.

A group of 6 friends venture out in a yacht to the open ocean. They decide to go for a swim, but soon realise that no-one lowered the ladder and the boat is too big for anyone to climb on-board. So thus starts a stupendous drama that is unrealistic and quite laughably stupid at times.

The cast give it all they can, but it's clear that the screenwriter is what ultimately doomed the movie. There's no intensity to speak of, and instead of playing on human fears and using sharks we're given an episode of a dumb soap opera that's set out in the ocean.

I couldn't believe that no sharks turned up...even when there's lots of blood in the water! If only we lived in this alternate reality!

As a tale of survival, it's surprisingly unremarkable and uninteresting. The film loses steam extremely quickly, with the final 50 minutes becoming increasingly boring; forcing viewers to stare at their watches or just turn off the movie altogether.

For me, I just wanted to know what happened so I stuck with it. The hope of the group surviving maintained a bit of tension throughout. The direction was actually quite above average. It was well shot, directed and edited considering the very limited budget that the film was made on. But it's a shame some of that cash wasn't used to tidy up the script.

The film is incredibly stupid at times, but well made.

"Your request is not unlike your lower intestine: stinky and loaded with danger."

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is the inevitable sequel to Jim Carrey's popular 1994 comedy film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. This sequel is even more random and hilarious than the first film...but a lot more stupendous as well. If you can imagine it, When Nature Calls is filled with laughs that are even more exaggerated than those used in the original. The filmmakers have chosen to focus less on the plot, and more on the hilarious gags.

The fairly straight-forward plot follows Ace Ventura (Carrey) who returns as our beloved Pet Detective. After an assignment goes very wrong in the Himalayas, Ventura goes into exile. That is, until he takes up his job again and flies to Africa to investigate the disappearance of the sacred Great White Bat. If Ace does not recover the bat in time it could mean civil war between the two rival tribes.

In typical Ace Ventura style, there are plenty of hilarious gags to see here (many of them being just plain disgusting), but a lot of the better ones were in the first half. Throughout the second half it seems the gags slowly lose steam, descending into nothing more than a string of highly entertaining gags that sit the film in the 'watchable' category.

If you're not a fan of Carrey and his mannerisms I suggest you stay clear. It's no wonder Steve Oedekirk was involved in this film. Even if you can't imagine it to be true, this sequel crossed the line even more than the first film. It's loaded with random, sometimes disturbing gags that make the film very enjoyable, albeit stupendous.

If you're looking for something thought-provoking and full of meaning I suggest you stay perfectly clear of this one. But if you want harmless entertainment that can be continually enjoyed, then rent this immediately.

"If I'm not back in five minutes... just wait longer."

Jim Carrey's hilarious antics always guarantee a bunch of quality laughs. Over the years, Carrey has starred in an enormous amount of nonsensical comedies that are funny but nothing groundbreaking.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a textbook example of one of those aforementioned comedies that are nothing more than light-hearted entertainment. Jim Carrey has no problem with bouncing around the screen embarrassing himself while overacting, performing hilarious stunts and just acting in a wild (not to mention bizarre) fashion; demanding attention for every scene he appears in. What is there not to laugh about?

Ace Ventura (Carrey) is a unique pet detective; that is, he solves crimes that involve typical household pets and other animals in that vein. He specialises in recovering animals that have gone missing or have been kidnapped. For Ventura's latest assignment, he is hired to investigate the sudden disappearance of a dolphin that acts as a mascot for the Miami Dolphins football team. Ventura is one whose crazy actions and antics mirror those of the animals he loves so much and has vowed to protect.

Only someone of Jim Carrey's stature could allow something like this to work. His overacting and hilarious antics will have you in stitches on multiple occasions. It's obvious that the filmmakers hired him for nothing more than his zany nature and crazy mannerisms.

Of course the film is filled with gags, but there are things that unfortunately drag down the film's value to nothing more than a bit of entertainment. For one, it's amazing that Ventura is so knowledgeable and yet acts so silly in every scene. I mean his detective skills could make Sherlock Holmes look like an amateur. Such a juvenile nature, and yet so smart. A combination that has mystified me.

And every time the film tries to turn into a serious drama to make itself seem more than B-Grade entertainment, it fails and instead makes us wonder why they even bothered. In all honesty, if they kept the quality gags coming from start to finish with a smaller attempt at drama the film would have been a lot better.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a single note movie filled with a bunch of great gags and clever characters. It's highly flawed, but at least it's entertaining. The kids will love Carrey, but beware the continuous string of sexual gags.

"I was in some strange territory. Was I frightened? I was petrified."

I usually enjoy watching these types of heart-warming British comedies, and About a Boy is certainly no exception. This one has a lot more heart than some other comedies I've seen over the years, and the great cast certainly help the film majorly.

Hugh Grant plays Will, a 38-year-old underachiever who is out of work, has a fear of commitment and starts a sudden obsession with dating single women. While attending a single parents gathering group, he meets Fiona (Collette) and her son Marcus (Hoult). Will's life is altered after Fiona attempts suicide, and Marcus feels that Will should marry her so he won't have to put up with her depression issues. Marcus and Will strike up a close friendship, and they both learn a thing or two about life while helping each other through their respective life problems.

Hugh Grant, although pretty much playing these types of characters all the time, is in good form and is quite hilarious at times. Young Nicholas Hoult delivers a questionable performance at times, but he's far from horrible.

I had not seen this film for a long time, and now that I've finally seen it again I rather liked it a lot more the second time around. I guess age has a lot to do with tastes in movies. The film is very charming, well made, and is quite side splitting at times as well.

British comedies are usually of varying quality, but About a Boy was a really good movie. The laughs are all over the place, the film is brightly told, and the cast is great. Makes for a great night out at the movies!

"These guys are about as much fun as a tax audit."

James Cameron was indisputably one of the most influential directors throughout the 20th Century; with each new film brought new groundbreaking special effects as well as mind-blowing, innovative concepts.

The Abyss is undoubtedly a top notch, extraordinarily well made film that can be regarded as more of an underwater adventure film than a sci-fi outing. Being a big fan of Cameron's prior films, I was eager to see this one and I was far from disappointed.

During the height of the Cold War, a group of oil rig workers are assigned by the navy to investigate a nuclear submarine that mysteriously sunk somewhere in the depths due to causes unknown. The navy suspects the Russians are behind the mysterious attack, and scramble to get to the site of the submarine before the Russians get there first. While the operation is being executed, freak weather conditions damage the platform and sever its communication with the surface. As World War III looms above and tensions rise between the divers and a deployed SEAL team, the rescuers discover that there is something else in the deep abyss of the ocean besides the submarine.

The film is told at such a snail pace but is full of state-of-the-art special effects to capture the imagination of Cameron's inspirational ideas. Each new creature only heightens the 'wow' factor of the overall production. The film's only real flaw was the convoluted dialogue that becomes hard to follow. But on the other hand, James Cameron tells the story exceptionally well.

The production design is great, as are the Oscar winning special effects that are outstanding for its age. Although they may look a tad weak compared to today's standards, they were utterly groundbreaking upon first release. I found Cameron's direction throughout to be almost flawless.

The atmosphere allows the audience to really get into the action unfolding on the screen. This wouldn't have been possible without the engaging performances as well. Ed Harris was very good in the principal role. Kudos to the production team for giving the audience the sense that there was no escape. Thanks to their remarkable work we can feel the tension and the fear of the characters.

Overall, The Abyss is a groundbreaking masterpiece from a wizard of modern filmmaking. My respect for Cameron can only heighten with each new film he produces. The Abyss is a landmark film and an extraordinary experience. One not to be missed!

"I live in torture thinking of these moments. Every look he gives you I get sicker and sicker. There's a burning in me, I feel on fire and a guilt I can't comidify. Does it make you happy to know that?"

Typical, standard Hollywood epic is nothing more than light entertainment with some romance thrown in there.

A young orphan named Tristan (Franco) is heir to the British throne. During the period when the British were not at peace with the Irish, Tristan is wounded in battle and nursed back to health by young Irish royal Isolde (Myles). The two slowly fall in love, predictably. But their passionate romance is forbidden, and the two lovers must choose where their allegiance lies - love or honour.

Surprisingly, there are very few good things to find here. The performances are weak, but somewhat convincing. Franco wasn't given much to work with, with such a poor script. And Myles was bordering on average and poor.

The battles did look most impressive at times, but the American PG-13 rating means that the medieval violence looks tame and underwhelming. The film tries to pass itself off as another Braveheart, but the difference is that the extreme battle violence in Braveheart made the battles a lot more entertaining. Here I was just yawning.

The non-sentimental approach to the characters also means that when I saw a character being killed I couldn't tell whether they were Irish or English. And what's more - I never cared when someone was killed! Each character looks similar and is not memorable in the slightest. Apart from the two protagonists, I can't think of another character that was actually developed.

And the romance was laughable. I never cared for the romance for a single second. A love story is superfluous if the audience do not care about it. The parallels drawn between this and the story of Romeo & Juliet are uncanny. This film may be based on legend, but the studio appears to do everything they can to ensure it's a pointless rehash of the classic Shakespeare tale told in a Braveheart kind of setting. The tagline mentions Romeo & Juliet, and even the title of the film is similar to Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet by inserting a '+' in the promotional title.

Still, the film is mildly entertaining at times if a little overlong. Tristan + Isolde told its story, but not well. The tame battle scenes and laughable romance leave this sitting in the mediocre category.

"Hey, you wanna hear my philosophy of life? Do it to him before he does it to you."

On the Waterfront is a classic film that tells a remarkable tale of one man's struggle with his conscience and the union bosses that he works for.

The film is brutal, gripping, hard-hitting and categorically astonishing. It's just such a monumental shame that this film (along with a majority of classics) is so criminally overlooked during the time of modern cinema.

Marlon Brando, in one of his early performances, is an ex-boxer named Terry Malloy. Terry now works at the docks for a group of corrupt union bosses. But when a worker attempts to tell the authorities of the corruption that is occurring at the docks, the bosses send a clear message and have him eliminated. The dead man's sister Edie (Saint) is determined to find her brother's killer. When Terry and Edie strike up a relationship, Terry realises that he can no longer turn a blind eye to the corruption at his work-place that caused the untimely murder. Thus Terry must question where his loyalties lie, and has to make a decision about whether to stand up and testify against his corrupt bosses.

On the Waterfront is a gripping, groundbreaking masterpiece. It takes an uncompromising look its subject matter without holding back on the violence.

Marlon Brando is exceptional as Terry. He looks so young and dashing, yet every line he delivers is so powerful. I could barely recognise Brando due to him being so youthful. Eva Marie Saint, in her starring debut, is so potent and beatific. The chemistry between Brando and Saint feels so natural and real. And all the rest of the supporting cast add to the genuine feel of the whole experience.

The film's pacing is slow, and it requires heavy patience, but the performances from the cast are just so mesmerising. The scene in the back of the taxi is still one of the most moving and most powerful scenes in cinema history. The scene would not have been as good without the aid of such great character portrayals from all those in the cast.

The cinematography is another immensely brilliant aspect here. The use of grainy black and white makes it feel even more authentic. The great story is complimented by the remarkable direction of Elia Kazan. He won an Oscar for such inspirational directing. The music is used meagrely, but it is always loaded with so much power.

On the Waterfront is an astoundingly brilliant production and a marvellous movie. The film is so gripping and so compelling, with drama that keeps one engaged for the film's duration. Over 50 years on and the film has not lost any of its original impact. Highly recommended for those with enough patience. Winner of 8 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing and Best Art Direction.

"There are two wolves fighting in each man's heart. One is Love, the other is Hate."

Pathfinder ended up being an appalling movie, and one of the worst of 2007. Truth be told I told myself I would see this one despite it looking mediocre...but it turned out to be quite terrible. For the duration of the movie, it's nothing more than a poor excuse to showcase many different ways for heads to be cut off and people getting killed with swords or axes.

The very little evidence of a plot that I picked up on had something to do with a young boy named Ghost (Urban) who is abandoned as a child. Raised by a Native American tribe, he proves to be quite a skilled warrior. When the Norsemen arrive on American shores with intentions of killing all villagers in sight, Ghost proves a saviour to the people.

From there it's completely predictable and the shallow plot completely disappears within the extreme mindless violence.

I found most aspects of the film to be dull - the colour grading made the film difficult to watch, the blood effects looked bleak and the typical use of slo-mo and shaky cam during battles makes things extraordinarily hard to make out.

Karl Urban doesn't deliver many lines, but when he does it seems he makes no effort to hide his true voice. He sounds more like an American man rather than a Viking. The other performances weren't in the least bit memorable, nor did they deserve to be memorable. All characters are clothed the same, all characters speak the same. There's no distinction between characters, and therefore this non-sentimentality means that when someone is killed it may look cool, but I honestly never cared. Some of the action is intense, but it's useless if one doesn't care about what's going on. Without character development (of which there is none in this movie) how are we supposed to give a damn about anyone?

Pathfinder is an example of filmmakers using everything they can to craft an action movie that adolescents will delight over due to the extreme violence, but there's nothing here for anyone else. Give it a miss!

"I'm going crazy. I'm standing here solidly on my own two hands and going crazy."

The Philadelphia Story is a classic, enchanting romantic comedy that has gone down in history as one of the much-loved romantic comedies of all time.

I will admit that because the film is decades old it has lost some of its charm and appeal, but the abilities of the actors is what truly carries this movie.

Based on a Broadway play, The Philadelphia Story is about a spoiled young woman named Tracy (Hepburn) who is engaged to marry stuffy upper class executive George (Howard). But soon Tracy's ex-husband Dexter (Grant) enters the picture as the wedding day approaches, as well as a charismatic newspaper spy (Stewart) who is hired to take pictures and grab an interesting scoop on the wedding. The wedding attracts a lot of attention from the media, and Dexter invites journalists from Spy magazine into Tracy's estate to record events leading up to the wedding in an attempt to get revenge on Tracy for their break-up many years ago.

For a classic, this love triangle in a romantic comedy is quite sophisticated. The snappy dialogue flows fantastically from scene to scene, accompanied by classy direction from George Cukor.

My only complaint: the film didn't have enough to keep my interest throughout the running time. There just wasn't enough substance to sustain interest in the viewer for the full 110 minutes.

One of the film's strengths is its tendency to steer away from conventions and predictability, but maybe a few of these thrown in could have made the film a bit more entertaining. But don't think I'm looking for some mindless Hollywood romantic comedy - most of which I detest - but I'd much prefer a bit more substance to keep my interest. Even after saying that, I will admit laughing at some of the witty dialogue delivered by some talented actors.

Cary Grant is at his usual high standard here, as is Katharine Hepburn. James Stewart, in his Oscar-winning role, plays a very fascinating fast-talking (!) reporter.

Overall, I found The Philadelphia Story to be pure classic cinema from the golden age of MGM studios. It's appealing, albeit dated, and very well crafted. A must for film buffs.

"I hear like you see. Like that hummingbird outside the window, for instance."

Ray is a film that instigated a craze of music-orientated biopics in Hollywood, and there's little wonder considering the quality we're presented with here.

Before this film, Jamie Foxx had a limited number of memorable performances on his résumé. Suffice to say, Foxx proved an able actor and delivers a truly outstanding performance. Throughout the whole movie he seems like Ray Charles. He physically looks like him and talks like him. The resemblance is uncanny. The man we see on screen does not appear to be Jamie Foxx; it feels like it's actually Ray Charles. It's no wonder that Foxx got an Oscar for his remarkable portrayal.

Ray is the story of the life and career of singer Ray Charles - a man who lived an extraordinary life. The film traces his humble beginnings when he sang in night clubs right up to his clash with fame and creating a title for himself as one of the most legendary soul performers in music history.

One of the more interesting aspects of his life that the film examines is the man's drug addiction and the problems it posed towards his career. The sound editing also won an Oscar, and there's little wonder why it did. Whenever we see the character of Ray singing, the words appear to be in perfect sync with his mouth. Although Foxx never actually sang the songs himself, but rather used recordings of the real Ray Charles singing, you would never notice.

The whole film is made even more heart-wrenching during the tragic scenes, especially with the thought in mind that it actually happened. The whole film is made in an engaging style, and it's filmmaking at its finest.

Truthfully, I was never really a Ray Charles fan before watching this movie. But after this experience I felt compelled to begin listening to some of his songs, and now it's impossible not to enjoy the man's music. Kerry Washington and Regina King both are stunning here as the leading ladies in Ray's life. And with each new character added to the story, the performance from the respective actors is tremendous.

Ray is a cinematic masterpiece. The whole film is brilliant, heart-wrenching and powerful. Quite simply, this film cannot be missed. The real Ray Charles died during production.