DrLaser's stats
- Review count280
- Helpfulness votes157
- First reviewMarch 15, 2008
- Last reviewAugust 14, 2013
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4
Overall rating
4
/
5
DJANGO- the "D" is silent! So very Tarantino!
PostedJanuary 7, 2013
Dialogue
4
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5
Special Effects
4
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5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
4
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5
Camerawork
5
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5
If you're a fan of Quenton Tarantino, you know exactly what to expect - lots of blood and cursing with a cast of regulars and lots of fun cameos. Do not see this is you are easily offended, because it is over the top...way over the top!
Django is Tarantino's foray into the Italian Spaghetti Western genre, which was a take off from Kurasawa's Samuri films, which were taken from John Ford's John Wayne Westerns. And here the circle comes full round back to the American West in a story where a slave becomes a bounty hunter who wants to get his wife back from a sadistic Mississippi plantation owner played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Tarantino never misses an opportunity to twist the idea of an African American in the days of slavery in every possible way he can. Jamie Foxx (Django) is an escaped slave who becomes a free man with the help of Christoph Waltz who plays a dentist turned bounty hunter. Together they hunt down and legally kill white men (outlaws) for money. Samuel L.Jackson is a freed slave who works as DiCaprio's aged right arm henchman. Tarantino loves to take history and rewrite it (as he did in Inglorious Basterdz). Watch for his brief appearance near the end as an Australian. Check out the credits at the end to see who some of the cameo players were. And stay for a short bonus scene after the credits.
Pros well paced
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+1point
2of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Jack Reacher - unlike the books, but fun
PostedDecember 27, 2012
Dialogue
4
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5
Special Effects
4
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5
Art Direction
4
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5
Acting
4
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5
Story
4
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5
Camerawork
4
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5
The plot is all about twists and turns in a defense attorney's investigation of a mass murder comatose sniper suspect that is only recognized by clandestine military detective Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). However, this is just another entertaining lightweight action film that you'll forget fairly quickly but enjoy for the moment. Reacher thinks out of the box and turns heads wherever he goes. He is Tom Cruise after all. What really helps is when Robert Duvall appears and adds his acting chops to an otherwise predictable role. I would rate the action on a par with a TV show like NCIS. Cruise is comfortable in this role and plays it with a sense of self mocking humor. This is no Mission Impossible nor is it on a par with any of the Bourne films. Yet, its two hours you won't regret, but its also two hours you probably won't remember in a month.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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0of 0voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
The Hobbit - LOTR with more humor and transformation
PostedDecember 19, 2012
Dialogue
4
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5
Special Effects
5
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5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
4
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5
Camerawork
5
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5
Peter Jackson has taken the familiar and added a new layer of lighthearted joviality to the action and stunning 3D cinematography of this J.R.R. Tolkien novel. He takes the artistic liberty of stretching the story so that this becomes the first film of a prequel trilogy. The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins, who is reluctantly recruited on a mission to help a band of Dwarves reclaim their lost homeland. The special effects have improved since the previous LOTR trilogy (just look at the detail on Gollum), but the pacing is not quite as good and takes a while to find its rhythm. But once it does, watching Bilbo grow into his role is quite wonderful.
The Dwarves are amazing warriors who don't think much of Bilbo, and for that matter, neither does he. As he finds himself tested, he slowly evolves into a quick talking clever and courageous partner every bit their equal. Every so often he delivers a small but amazingly well spoken speech that changes everything.
The Hobbit is a story of awakening and transformation best summed up by Gandalf as he tells Frodo that true courage come not from who you kill but from who you spare.
Pros great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
The Life of Pi - Stunningly beautiful CGI with a twist ending
PostedDecember 18, 2012
Dialogue
4
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5
Special Effects
5
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5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
4
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5
Camerawork
5
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5
The computer animation for the tiger and all the other animals is simply amazing and gives the story a kind of realism that previously was just not possible. At times you are totally captured by the visual intensity of the strange solitude at the films center as the lifeboat drifts aimlessly in the ocean. Yet, this is purported to be a story that will make you believe in the existence of God. On that level, it never really hits its mark. Regardless of how incredible the story may be, it never rises to something spiritual. And then just when you feel that the story is over, out of nowhere, the rug is pulled out from under you and everything you have accepted is rewritten and redefined in a far more grim allegory told to the Japanese investigators who are trying to understand why the ship sank. They are asked to choose which version they want to believe and they defer to the romantic version we just watched. But clearly this is all just a mental bandaid for Pi who can not accept the reality of the unthinkable horror he witnessed at sea. Its a very powerful realization and a very well made film, but its at time slow and surreal and certainly not for your typical movie goer looking for a simple shoot em up. Ang Lee has never been a traditional Hollywood director, but his sensibility for the unique shines here.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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2of 3voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
3
/
5
Anna Karenina - too much style too little substance
PostedDecember 11, 2012
Dialogue
3
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5
Special Effects
4
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5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
4
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5
Story
4
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5
Camerawork
4
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5
Tolstoy's tale of infidelity has been updated in an effort to appeal to younger hipper audiences. It is more choreography and staging than cinema. It is interesting to watch and at times quite beautiful as everyone stops moving until Anna dances past and each couple subsequently begins to dance. But strong visual effects alone do not compensate for the choppy job the director has done with the story itself. Although the acting is fine, the totality of the film misses its mark. I kept feeling that at some point the characters would erupt in song and that this would become a stage musical, but alas even that failed to materialize. Maybe it should have and this might have become another Les Mis. Unfortunately style alone is not enough. The director has made a daring attempt that just misses its mark.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Lincoln - strong acting, good politial history, yet slow
PostedDecember 4, 2012
Dialogue
5
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5
Special Effects
4
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5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
4
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5
Camerawork
5
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5
This is a fascinating story of a president pushing through an unpopular piece of legislation in the House of Representatives (a not so concealed metaphor to a current president who will go nameless). It is visually striking. Day-Lewis has created an Oscar deserving portrayal of Lincoln as a high pitched thoughtful man with a wry sense of humor. Yet, the film is cluttered by too much information condensed into too little time. This makes the story drag. Important information (as in missing scenes) are replaced by quick conversations explaining and connecting the absent dots. Two and a half hours are simply not enough time to tell this tale. But its a long time to sit watching.
It is fascinating to see a president who was so accessible; to see a country at war without the kind of overbearing security we have all grown accustomed to in recent years. In many ways this vision of an earlier America is both surprising and romanticized.
Sally Field's version of Mrs. Lincoln is quite unique. And although she will probably receive an Oscar nod, it somehow feels at odds with the actual history of her character. But in the end this is a film and not history. Lincoln, the film, is a masterful work that tells the story of how little politics has changed in the past century and a half. Its definitely worth seeing, but its important to remember that years from now people will be picking it apart for its imperfections, just as Lincoln's enemies attacked him.
Pros great actors
Cons slow
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+2points
3of 4voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Skyfall - Bond returns home 50 years later
PostedNovember 13, 2012
Dialogue
4
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5
Special Effects
4
/
5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
5
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5
Camerawork
5
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5
Sometimes the old ways are the best. Bond has returned to his roots and even though Daniel Craig has played Bond for several movies, this is a series reboot and its every bit as good as the reboot was for Star Trek a few years ago. If you enjoyed Goldfinger with its Aston Martin with its passenger ejection seat, you will enjoy this one even though it has foregone the gizmos and gadgets that Q used to make. This is old school Bond and its quite enjoyable. Javier Bardem once again has created a villain perfect for the film he's in. Instead of the tired evil genius, Bardem is the bad spy who is every bit on Bond's level.
Ralph Fiennes plays a complicated role in a professional manner and evolves as does the story as does Helen McCrory as Bond's some time assistant spy. Judy Dench is always a delight in these films.
Yet, its the action that always defines a Bond film. Whether its watching a vodka martini shaken not stirred or Bond driving a motorcycle on a rooftop, this film lives up to your expectations and then some. Truly a classic, Skyfall ranks in the top ten of the James Bond series. If you are a Bond fan, this is as good as it gets!
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
3
/
5
Alex Cross - you sir are no Morgan Freeman
PostedNovember 7, 2012
Dialogue
2
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5
Special Effects
3
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5
Art Direction
3
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5
Acting
3
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5
Story
2
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5
Camerawork
4
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5
I like Tyler Perry, but stepping into the shoes of Morgan Freeman may have been too much of a stretch. Perry is just too nice and lacks that serious edge that elevated the previous films (Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider). And what happened to director Rob Cohen (Fast and the Furious) in this film? Its choppy and telegraphs all its punches as if we need to be spoon fed.
If you've never seen an Alex Cross film, this one is ok, but if you have seen Morgan Freeman's interpretation, well, this version will seem like a High School theater company version of a Broadway play.
The biggest problem is that the script is weak. There's just no edge to it. Everything is constantly explained like a Lifetime tv film. Yes, I've sat through worse, but as much as I tried, I walked away disappointed. Save this one for a sleepy weekend on free cable.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
4
/
5
The Paperboy - a shocking, sleazy, sexualy sordid, story of the South during segregation
PostedNovember 2, 2012
Dialogue
4
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5
Special Effects
3
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5
Art Direction
4
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
4
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5
Camerawork
4
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5
Director Lee Daniels (Precious) likes stories about the dark underbelly of society and this one even pushes his limits. Its sexuality is extreme and deals with racism and homophobia so be warned. Yet it gives a fine cast of actors a chance to sink their teeth into stretch roles unlike anything they have ever done before. Zach Efron is the central character who comes of age in both the story and his own acting roles. His brother (Matthew McConaughey) is a journalist with a black British writing partner (David Oyelowo) who is confronted with small town racism at every juncture. Macy Gray is the maid in his home who also acts as narrator holding this lurid story together.
The film seems to touch almost every taboo one might associate with a murderer on death row (John Cusack) who makes his living by skinning gators in the swamp and the crusading newspaper men who want to vindicate him. Nicole Kidman plays the sexually overcharged trailer trash woman pen pal who want to marry this murderer but is also the object of Efron's affection. The twists and turns are endless and to say the plot thickens is an understatement.
If you've seen Precious, you understand how Daniels directs. In comparison to this, that was a mild film, so be prepared. Its bloody, its sordid, and its full of sadness.
Pros great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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0points
1of 2voted this as helpful.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Argo - A strong Oscar contender
PostedOctober 16, 2012
Dialogue
5
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5
Special Effects
4
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5
Art Direction
5
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5
Acting
5
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5
Story
5
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5
Camerawork
5
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5
Ben Affleck stars in and directs this compelling story of a covert plan to free diplomats trapped in the Canadian Ambassador's house in Iran during the hostage crises in 1979. Affleck has shown himself to be one of Hollywood's best directors. His acting was subdued and purposeful. Both Alan Arkin and John Goodman as the Hollywood team who create a phony science fiction film as a cover for the escape, are both wonderful in their roles. Arkin delivers the most memorable catchphrase of the film by turning its title into a off color phrase that becomes more than a running joke.
What is most incredible is that the film keeps you on the edge of your seat with suspense and not a lot of action. The tension keeps building right up until the end. This is a small masterpiece about a huge success brought about by a few dedicated people who do it knowing that they will remain nameless. Its powerful while simultaneously understated.
Pros well paced, great story, great actors
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.