Reviews by PvtCaboose91

"Life passes most people by while they're making grand plans for it."

Legendary actor Johnny Depp again proves he is a versatile performer that can brilliantly accomplish any role that is tossed in his direction. Of course, I watched Blow because I was attracted by the cast led by the impeccable Depp.

Blow is based on the true story of an American drug smuggler who built a solid reputation for himself. George Jung (Depp) is a young man seeking a decent career. But he realises that there is a lot of money to garner in the business of drug smuggling.

After being busted while transporting pot, he then becomes a distributor of cocaine. Jung literally made the cocaine market in the United States, and it is rumoured that in real life he supplied 85% of the product available on the market at the time.

Blow chronicles the rise and fall of the drug dealer who led an extraordinary life and made a name for himself during his intermittent career frequently interrupted by being sent to prison. The film features a variety of different locations in addition to a number of different decades as the story progresses. This is a chance to show skill on the part of those who worked on costumes, sets and especially make-up. Depp looks genuinely older as the account of his character's life evolves.

The film tells a remarkable tale and can't be faulted for its production values. Blow is a vehicle for engrossing direction, compelling performances - just all round superb filmmaking.

Johnny Depp's performance was nothing short of fantastic. With a new character dropped into his lap brings new opportunities for him to further display his diverse talents. His character is fresh, original, and nothing that mirrors his previous work. Of course this is the beauty of Depp's work: never playing the same character multiple times. There are so many scenes when the poignancy of his performance brings you close to tears. The very last scene brought tears to my eyes.

Ray Liotta was a particular stand out in the film because he played his role with such authenticity. Although his character's son is a drug dealer who has been caught numerous times he doesn't care. Instead he always has love and respect for his son. Liotta captures everything in a father figure that we can all relate to - i.e. showing endless fatherly support towards a son.

The rest of the performances are very compelling. One could barely recognise Penélope Cruz as the bitter, ignorant wife to George Jung. Cruz displays a diverse selection of emotions; ranging from sympathy to pungent rage. Please note that high levels of profanity are present when the drama gets profound. All in all; this film contains a brilliant cast to tell such a story.

Strong direction is another vital ingredient for the success of the movie. Ted Demme's direction is focused; the pacing is slow, but he manages to keep something interesting remaining on the screen. Even during heavy drama it's very compelling and difficult to throw your interest.

One of the qualities I most admired was the use of classic rock music. Director Demme was a fan of classic rock, as was Johnny Depp. I was psyched when the first song was by The Rolling Stones.

Blow is an intriguing film that was a daring move on the part of the filmmakers. George Jung is still in prison and still haunted by his experiences when he dealt drugs. Watching a gripping account of his life will make you want to investigate further. Depp spent several days with the real Jung to ensure he played the role accurately and did justice to the source material.

Blow ended up being one of the best films of 2001. In a year filled with highly anticipated cinematic releases (i.e. the first instalment of Lord of the Rings). It was a breath of fresh air to see a drama like this hit the big screen. If your attention span allows you to sit through the whole thing, you won't regret it.

"...This is a jar of dirt."

Disney sequels frequently have a typical predisposition for being a worthless waste of time and a complete disgrace to the original.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was made for the money, and although the film didn't entirely suck I found it sorely lacking. Visually, the movie was fantastic. The mild use of CGI looked extraordinary, extravagant and was a treat to the eyes...but did anyone take a moment to contemplate a better script and a better storyline?

After the events of the first film, our favourite notorious swashbuckling hero Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) is thrown into the world of the supernatural as he is reminded of a debt he owes to Davy Jones (Nighy) - his soul. So as Davy and his crew aboard the Flying Dutchman search for Jack, he races against time to find the heart of Davy Jones that would give Jack the ability to scratch off his debt and be in control of Davy.

Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) are set to be married, but their marriage is interrupted when they are arrested for aiding Jack Sparrow many years ago. But Will is given a chance for redemption as he is sent to recover Jack's compass that is of some value to his captors.

The whole plot is convoluted, outrageous, and preposterous - even for a pirate film. The film itself is overblown, dumb and loud. But the worst part is that it outstays its welcome by well over half an hour. Like the first film, it could have done with some heavy trimming.

But on the other hand, the acting was a mixed bag. Johnny Depp is still our loveable Captain Jack Sparrow who is given a bunch of clever lines to deliver, and a great selection of amusing situations that he gets himself into. Depp carried the film, and makes the script sound quite decent.

Orlando Bloom...is a tremendously appalling actor. I don't know what was more disconcerting with his role - the bad screenplay or the insipid way he dispensed his lines. With each new scene Bloom is in, my respect for the actor keeps lowering.

Keira Knightley was among the better additions to the cast, which is a faint praise. The stand out for me, though, was Bill Nighy. His acting skills are stellar, and he delivers a memorable performance despite acting through a CGI mask.

The film moves at a steady pace, but it still runs horribly overlong and I lost interest well before the film's conclusion was even close. The action was first-rate, and one of the few redeeming features. At least the sword-fighting was swashbuckling and exciting.

But of course, one of the best features of the experience was the rollicking soundtrack. The music is downright exceptional and cannot be flawed in any way.

Overall, this inevitable sequel was made for the money, not for the fans. The sequel was announced not long after the release of the first film because of the big pile of treasure it received at the box office. And hence quality was never the question - but money was the bigger picture for the studio. This is a mighty shame, but at least the film is mild entertainment. Worth seeing, I guess.

"The closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn."

On the surface, Léon is an easily dismissible film because it just seems like a simple French drama. But Léon is something far from that. Léon is an absorbing character study that has all the elements of gripping drama mixed with the elements of an exciting American action film. The combination equals one of the most intelligent American action films in cinematic history.

Léon is the first American film by director Luc Besson and it's a masterpiece. The film is exciting, suspenseful, taut, smart and awesome.

Jean Reno plays the title role of Léon; a professional assassin with a robust reputation. In his apartment building an abused, alienated 12-year-old girl named Mathilda (Portman) is left alone when the rest of her family are slaughtered courtesy of crooked, two-faced, psychotic DEA cop Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Léon reluctantly takes Mathilda under his wing; providing care and a place to stay because she has no-where else to go.

But Mathilda is intrigued by Léon's profession of being a hit man. In order to avenge the death of her little brother (the only one in the family she cared about), Léon teaches Mathilda the art of his trade and reveals the secrets of how to become a professional cleaner. But this blooming friendship opens up new doors for Léon; he feels the ability to care and love.

Léon brilliantly combines scenes of violent, awesome action with some compelling drama that showcases wonderful performances. Jean Reno begins as a cold assassin who feels nothing. Every turn for his character is felt strongly by the audience. He's reluctant to shelter young Mathilda but when he finally does it alters his life forever. Being a professional hit man he should not have the ability to love and strongly feel emotion. Jean Reno never breaks his profound concentration for the film's duration. The opening 20 minutes showed Reno as ruthless and cool; everything one should find in such a character.

Natalie Portman is in her film debut with this role. She's extremely young, but her acting can't be faulted. Her performance is heart-felt and sincere. Whenever she cries it doesn't feel at all contrived. For someone in their early teen years, this is a quality almost unheard of. Kudos to Portman for pulling off such a convincing first role!

Gary Oldman is sadistic and cynical but at the same time energetic and occasionally amusing. His character was despicable; however Oldman plays the role to perfection.

Luc Besson really knows how to direct a film like this. The cinematography in particular was outstanding! The action scenes don't suffer from the usual fast cut syndrome. They are filled with creative camera angles, ultra violence and the camera was utilised in a highly inventive way.

Léon also boasts a great story that suffers from a very small number of typical clichés. Sure, the love story was a little embarrassing at times but that's only a marginal fault. Aside from that the script is smart, the action is taut and the film is dazzling entertainment.

Léon is highly recommended for a night of action, laughs and drama all rolled into one masterpiece.

"Nothing is more reliable than a man whose loyalties can be bought with hard cash."

I picked up a copy of The Ninth Gate and viewed it solely for the presence of Johnny Depp.

Depp is an accomplished actor whom I admire. He always chooses his film roles with great care; hence I was ambitious to see this one.

Roman Polanski is also an acclaimed director who has been at the helm of many classic films. Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby are among his best work. For this genre, Polanski was in his element; a demons and angels oriented horror film with strong themes of satanic rituals and gothic mystery.

Dean Corso (Depp) is a cynical, morally corrupt rare book hunter with a strong reputation for recovering rare books. Corso soon becomes involved with demonologist Boris Balkan (Langella). Balkan is a man who owns one of the three surviving copies of a piece of text supposedly written by the devil several centuries ago. He pays Corso to seek out the final two surviving copies of this piece of text in order to verify which copy is genuine.

During Corso's travels he realises that he is involved in a conspiracy that also involves a group of enigmatic individuals who are leaving many people dead.

The plot is original; and only someone like Polanski would agree to get behind the camera on this sort of a project. The atmosphere is chilling and sometimes terrifying. This is to be expected in a Polanski horror movie. But the final 5 minutes destroy the whole experience. It was so sudden, so weird, so unexpected. It offers no explanation to the events that have just unfolded, instead completely losing the plot and ending it with some weird nonsensical religious mumbo jumbo that doesn't make a lick of sense. I was none the wiser as to what was occurring during those final minutes. I wish Polanski hacked this atrocious ending out of the movie because it would have done some good.

There are no surprises in saying that Johnny Depp's performance was incredible. Although working with some shockingly bad material towards the ending he never breaks focus; instead continuing the meek, confused, almost clueless character that he was when the film opened. Depp never plays the same kind of character twice. This is a great career move because therefore he is never typecast. If he played the same character for most of his movies then the concept of a book detective would confuse the audience. He skilfully proves accomplished when any role is thrown in his direction. Depp looked so adorable during some of his scenes.

Direction from Roman Polanski was exceptional. For scenes that required it, Polanski was very artistic and created an atmosphere that is both moody and eerie. He presented the audience with an encyclopaedic arrangement of filming techniques, both old and new, assembled by a master of his craft.

The build up to the disappointing climax was slow but intriguing. Each new clue leaves us guessing until the end when all is revealed (although not conclusively).

The Ninth Gate was a good vehicle for Johnny Depp to nail yet another character. It's a good thriller that is vastly flawed, albeit entertaining. Worth seeing for Depp aficionados.

"Here's how it is: The Earth got used up, so we moved out and terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths. Some rich and flush with the new technologies, some not so much. The Central Planets, thems formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule; a few idiots tried to fight it, among them myself. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity. She's a transport ship; Firefly class. Got a good crew: fighters, pilot, mechanic. We even picked up a preacher for some reason, and a bona fide companion. There's a doctor, too, took his genius sister outta some Alliance camp, so they're keepin' a low profile. You understand. You got a job, we can do it, don't much care what it is."

Joss Whedon, modern master of television, was asked for another TV show. He had successfully made Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel; both of which became hits. And so Whedon conceived the sci-fi western of Firefly. Tragically the show was cut down in its prime; its cancellation being announced before half the episodes had been aired.

It was a major error for Fox to cancel Joss Whedon's Firefly after only the first season had been made. They gave the show an appalling time slot, and as a result it didn't get the ratings it deserved. But when this show hit DVD - popularity followed. The massive fan following then turned into a worldwide phenomenon. And this is all with good reason.

The show follows the crew aboard a space ship. Captained by Mal Reynolds (Fillion), the crux of the show's plot extends from the sub-plot of Mal and his crew accepting two fugitives aboard their vessel. Although there are differences between them and Mal, they are accepted as they are seen as assets for the jobs that the crew pull off.

So you can add me to the endless list of people who loved Firefly. When I first heard of it I felt it to be impossible for a show to be as good as it was hyped up to be. So I purchased the DVD I decided I'd watch the first episode that evening. As it turns out, I watched the first four episodes one after the other because I couldn't get enough of it!

And why is Firefly so darn special? It has witty humour, fantastic characters, relatable plots, exciting action, innovative concepts, attractive females, numerous sex scenes - the list will continue to go on. Each episode is as superb as the one preceding it. All the episodes have a high sense of excitement and adventure - this is truly the wild west that has been transplated into a science fiction setting.

The scripts are outstanding. There is humour aplenty; amusing dialogue, witty insults and characters that are developed superbly. Throw in some special effects that could rule all existing television programs, a faultless cast and some sublime direction from numerous contributors.

Another thing is that the cast are so lovable. Each character has distinguishable traits and a well thought out personality. Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds...unbeatable. Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cob...outstanding. It would take all day to list everyone in the cast that I liked. Each had something to contribute and there is no wasted space.

Music heightens the show's likability. The title song feels out of place, but suits the style. And the use of guitar music frequently reminds us we're in a western of the sci-fi universe. Even this music can't be faulted.

There is a reason why Firefly has won so many awards and has been voted so highly by many websites and publications. There's a reason why Firefly holds a firm 9.5/10 on IMDb with 20,000 votes (higher than The Godfather, Shawshank Redemption, etc). There's a reason why thousands of internet petitions have surfaced demanding the immediate resurrection of Whedon's masterpiece. It's because the show is the pinnacle of perfection. I have never seen a show (or a movie) of such high standard.

Some may be underwhelmed due to the hype, some may just not "get it". As for me, Firefly is better than any movie, any TV show or any damn internet series in existance. I could watch the whole first series everyday until the day I die and still shuffle off this mortal coil with a smile on my face. Watch it non-stop until I die...would still not be enough to satisfying my cravings.

Go buy this series NOW. If it's on the TV, watch it IMMEDIATELY. Firefly is unbeatable.

"We weep for a bird's cry, but not for a fish's blood. Blessed are those with a voice. If the dolls also had voices, they would have screamed, "I didn't want to become human"."

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is a breathtaking piece of anime, and could be the best anime movie ever made.

The animation is as close to perfect as it could possibly be, and the CGI is incomparably exceptional as well. All the battles look incredible despite being animation, and each character has been finely detailed.

In the movie a cyborg named Batou (voiced by Akio Ôtsuka in Japanese, and Richard Epcar in the English dub) is a detective for a government covert anti-terrorist unit known as Public Security Section 9. Batou is investigating a gynoid(that is, a hyper-realistic female robot created for sexual companionship...or just a robotic whore in simpler terms) who has malfunctioned and has slaughtered her owner.

Batou and his partner dive deep down into the investigation as questions arise about humanity's need to immortalise its image in dolls. As they scrutinise the investigation closer they battle fierce Yakuza thugs, scheming hackers, government officials and corporate criminals to eventually uncover the scandalous reality behind the crime.

Like the first film, the movie questions the existence of the human soul and its place in a society filled with technology that is always advancing. The pacing is a lot different to the first film, with a greater emphasis on the philosophical aspects and emotive inspiration.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence sports some of the most breathtaking animation I have ever seen. Director Mamoru Oshii also seamlessly combines CGI with the hand-drawn creations, creating a unique visual experience.

Fans of the anime genre do not want to miss this one. Many people will pass up this one because it's "confusing" or "too convoluted". Stick with Michael Bay rubbish if this is the case.

For an action anime movie, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is one of the deepest, most meaningful pieces of digital cinema I have ever witnessed. This is not your standard anime movie, but something a lot more outstanding.

"And where does the newborn go from here? The net is vast and infinite."

Back when it was first released, Ghost in the Shell was looked upon as a thoroughly engaging and original piece of anime. Over 10 years on the film has lost next to none of its original impact.

But it's a shame the film is too convoluted, confusing, and rather boring at times too. I will admit to never being an anime fanatic but I certainly have enjoyed a number of anime productions.

Unfortunately, this original Ghost in the Shell feature is marred by its tendency to descend into pure philosophical drivel and confusing dialogue that screams multiple viewings. The whole film is very deep and is a complicated system of sub-plots that require your full attention, or you'll fall behind and be forced to watch the film a few more times to understand what the characters are saying.

Despite this flaw, the animation looks gorgeous. Director Mamoru Oshii has seamlessly combined fantastic anime with scenes of amazing CGI. And of course the film must get marks for its originality and its brilliant vision of the future.

Set in 2029, the world is a vastly different place. With upgrades in technology, humans can now be applied with sophisticated implants to enhance functions and allow direct interaction via the internet.

The film opens as a government police unit called Section 9 are investigating a complicated virus that has the ability to hack into cyborgs and control them against their will. Cybernetic government agents Motoko and her partner Batou become involved in the investigation and eventually begin to uncover evidence of a massive political conspiracy.

The film's vision of the future is nothing short of stunning. The imagery we're treated to looks gorgeous despite being an anime feature. The cyborgs and weaponry look especially stunning and realistic, accompanied by an equally brilliant sound mix.

Ghost in the Shell is a stunning thriller. Under the surface it cleverly inserts motifs that invoke philosophical thoughts in the audience's mind to do with the future and a human's place in a society that's becoming more and more reliable on technological advances. It has its fair share of quality action (with frequent gory violence), and it's highly intelligent science fiction. But like I've stated before, despite all this the film is highly boring and irritating at times.

Overall, I found Ghost in the Shell to be a highly impressive, visually stunning anime thriller. Not among the greatest anime productions, but worth seeing. Followed 9 years later by Ghost in the Shell: Innocence.

"You're dumber than you think I think you are."

This Roman Polanski effort is a true classic movie; Chinatown is an excellent, stylish, fascinating and gripping thriller that is based on the novel by Robert Towne.

Cleverly, the film has been made in a very 1940's style - the acting, the score, even the credits. Suffice to say, the plot is a lot more complex than anything one would have seen in a movie released during the 40s.

There isn't much I can reveal about the plot without the spoiling the whole thing, but I will try to write a brief outline. Jake Gittes (Nicholson) is a former policeman from Chinatown who is now a highly successful private investigator. A woman comes to him with a suspected case of marriage infidelity. While this seems like a very open-and-shut case of simple surveillance, Jake gets himself mixed up in one massive mystery that he struggles to uncover.

In tradition with many films of this style, the certain style is what makes it so brilliant. And the screenplay is what makes the movie work. That, and the actors.

Without work from Nicholson or Dunaway the film would have sunk without a trace. Jack Nicholson is absolutely exceptional here. His performance is just spot on, and displays such depth. Likewise with Faye Dunaway whose performance is just sublime.

And Polanski's direction...well, despite his personal life being a mess and being a wanted fugitive, he is one damn fine director! He crafted this stylish cinema noir exceptionally well.

Certainly I think the film is a tad overrated and the ruckus may be a bit hyperbolic, but nevertheless I found Chinatown to be a true classic. Driven by a fascinating screenplay and great performances, this is one not to miss!

"You picked the wrong day not to use the ATM."

Chaos is just another cop/bad guy thriller with a few good names attached. I never expected this to be anything more than it turned out to be, which is disappointing especially when you consider the talent involved.

When a cop is suspended after a questionable decision during a hostage crisis, a group of five men commence a bank robbery downtown and will only negotiate with suspended cop Conners (Statham).

But when the criminals escape and disappear, the police must now work to flush them out and discover what really happened.

Effective cop thriller certainly has its moments, but it's sorely lacking in many aspects. First of all; the script. By using so much cop slang throughout the running time, the plot twists aren't in any way understandable and the film wants the audience to think far too hard about everything. Now I detest filmmakers who spoon feed everything to the audience, but there's a fine line between spoon feeding and not letting the audience understand what the hell is actually going on!

There's also some weird, miss-guided guff about the chaos theory thrown in there just to give the film a more promising title.

The film's pacing is another issue. With little action, the audience is forced to sit through endless scenes of drama that attempt to make the film smarter than it actually is. Still, Statham carries the movie quite well and there are a number of highly impressive names here as well.

The twist at the end is also kind of redeeming, and the film ends with a climax that is both unexpected and unconventional. It's just a shame the rest of the film didn't carry such intelligence.

Overall, Chaos is worth seeing but you won't be regretting it if you give it a pass.

"I look at this town, and I don't like what I see."

Cop Land is a film that changed my overall view of actor Sylvester Stallone. For Stallone, he wanted to bury the type-cast action hero and star in something different. I was very impressed with the results here.

Sheriff Freddy Heflin (Stallone) lives in the pleasant town of Garrison, New Jersey. For years he has turned a blind eye to the police corruption that he has no control over; after all, Freddy cannot to anything to prevent this in a town full of cops. But as the stench of corruption worsens, Freddy finally realises that the town is filled with mob connections and murder and can ignore it no longer.

The cast is absolutely first-rate and cannot be flawed. Stallone, Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel, Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport...the list goes on. All big names that I found to be exceptional in this dialogue-orientated crime drama.

The first half of the movie sells the premise exceptionally and presents us with strong movie-making. Unfortunately a section in the second half turns over to conventions and predictability, but this is worth it for the tremendously entertaining and extremely violent conclusion.

Writer/director James Mangold does an extraordinary job. He presents us with a very plausible plot, and some good twists. It's a shame, though, that some of the twists aren't properly distinguished.

Stallone proves very able at drama rather than action, and his dialogue is more understandable than usual.

Overall, Cop Land is highly entertaining and extremely well crafted. Marred only by traditional conventions that appear in this genre too frequently. It's a shame that this movie is so overlooked! Recommended.