mic check
Joined Nov 2000
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Reviews9
mic check's rating
What is the Matrix? A top-notch, balls to the wall, ingenious, visually expansive and stunning, exquisitely crafted hard sci-fi film that also happens to be exceptionally well made and very entertaining. Questions about Keanu's acting chops aside, The Matrix is jammed with effects, well-choreographed fight sequences, and some amazing acrobatics by Reeves, Fishburne, and Moss. The plot is full of holes, naturally, and the dialogue is typically lowbrow and terrible but who really cares? This is cerebral popcorn at its most highly developed, a plate of eye candy lovingly delivered with gasoline eyedrops.
I liked it.
Keanu plays Neo, a computer nerd whose life is turned upside down when he is brought into the bizarre world of Trinity (Moss) and Morpheus (Fishburne). He jumps into a classic mind-trip and has to sort out his situation. While it would be very uncool to tell you what the Matrix is, understanding that virtual worlds are involved helps immensely. Essentially, Keanu and crew can bend their reality in one of the worlds but find themselves being chased by computer-generated agents intent on keeping the secret of the Matrix intact in the other.
The power exhibited by the three main characters (Keanu, Lawrence, and Carrie-Ann) is explosive and awe-inspiring. The trio of actors did most of their own stunts and the results are striking. They trained for seven months with martial arts experts and it absolutely pays off. With the addition of some dead time cinematography and film speed tweakage, the fight scenes are nothing short of beautiful.
In fact, just about every inch of this flick could be framed and put on a wall.
The film does have a few faults though. You've got to decide whether the lack of a well-constructed plot and sometimes silly dialogue will bother you. Like Blade, this flick definitely chooses style over substance. Still, it is light years ahead of some of Hollywood's normal drivel. There are frequent moments when you start to poke holes in the plot but the filmmakers quickly remedy that situation with another fight or effects scene. While the film literally drips with Hong Kong-style wire acrobatics, it also has the lovely all-encompassing darkness of Dark City.
At the pub last night discussing this film with Gaz and Chen, we started rattling off other action films that were nearly perfect: Die Hard, the first Lethal Weapon, and much of Face/Off. While The Matrix is far from perfect, it is certainly one of the more memorable flicks to come down the action transom in years.
I liked it.
Keanu plays Neo, a computer nerd whose life is turned upside down when he is brought into the bizarre world of Trinity (Moss) and Morpheus (Fishburne). He jumps into a classic mind-trip and has to sort out his situation. While it would be very uncool to tell you what the Matrix is, understanding that virtual worlds are involved helps immensely. Essentially, Keanu and crew can bend their reality in one of the worlds but find themselves being chased by computer-generated agents intent on keeping the secret of the Matrix intact in the other.
The power exhibited by the three main characters (Keanu, Lawrence, and Carrie-Ann) is explosive and awe-inspiring. The trio of actors did most of their own stunts and the results are striking. They trained for seven months with martial arts experts and it absolutely pays off. With the addition of some dead time cinematography and film speed tweakage, the fight scenes are nothing short of beautiful.
In fact, just about every inch of this flick could be framed and put on a wall.
The film does have a few faults though. You've got to decide whether the lack of a well-constructed plot and sometimes silly dialogue will bother you. Like Blade, this flick definitely chooses style over substance. Still, it is light years ahead of some of Hollywood's normal drivel. There are frequent moments when you start to poke holes in the plot but the filmmakers quickly remedy that situation with another fight or effects scene. While the film literally drips with Hong Kong-style wire acrobatics, it also has the lovely all-encompassing darkness of Dark City.
At the pub last night discussing this film with Gaz and Chen, we started rattling off other action films that were nearly perfect: Die Hard, the first Lethal Weapon, and much of Face/Off. While The Matrix is far from perfect, it is certainly one of the more memorable flicks to come down the action transom in years.
THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER WAR LIKE WWII. And though Hollywood has done everything in its power to glamorize full-scale combat, Saving Private Ryan is an important reminder that war is not glamorous, noble nor pleasant in any way. In Ryan, Steven Spielberg delivers some of the most terrifying battle scenes ever committed to film, and in the process, uncovers the lingering bits of humanity found in the hearts of all men, even soldiers in the midst of an all out invasion.
Most of the action in Ryantakes place on the battle field
the brutality of war Saving Private Ryan is a story of mutilation. Soldier's bodies are torn in half, exploded, gutted, sliced, stabbed, dismembered, and generally desecrated in every way imaginable. And for their trouble, the lucky ones receive a quick-and-dirty burial in a mass shallow grave. It's this reality that Spielberg embraces, never giving the viewer anything less than a close-up and graphic look at the carnage. But unlike slasher or Hong Kong action movies, Saving Private Ryan was not made to impress the viewer with its creative violence. The graphic violence is meant to scare the living hell out of the audience, and give some kind of explanation for the surviving characters' state of mind.
With war comes suffering for all, not just the soldiers
technical mastery Despite the horrors of war depicted in the movie, even the most squeamish of viewers will find it difficult, if not impossible, to tear their eyes away from the screen during the disturbingly intense battle scenes. From the hand-held camera work (complete with occasional dropped frames for that classic WWII stock footage look), to the devastating visual effects of bombs exploding, bodies being torn to hell and, most of all, bullets flying everywhere, Saving Private Ryan is a thing of absolute wonder. And yet the visual effects pale in comparison to the sound effects which are thick and powerful, and do more to bring the audience into the world of the movie than anything actually on the screen.
The opening scene beach invasion is the most intense battle of the entire movie what about ryan? Beyond the amazing effects, sets and spot-on performances from Sizemore, Burns, Davies and Pepper, Saving Private Ryan fails to deliver the knockout punch in some aspects of the story. Yes, Private Ryan is the last remaining brother of the Ryan family, and, of course it will be difficult to find one foot soldier in the middle of a war, but that's about all you get. Tom Hanks, as solid as his performance is, never quite takes his character where it wants to go, and Matt Damon's character proves practically meaningless, making it difficult to justify the loss suffered trying to save him.
so does it work? Saving Private Ryan will leave your nerves absolutely frazzled and give you plenty to think about on the subject of humanity. And though, there are a few disappointments along the way, the negatives are few and the strengths are many and impressive.
Most of the action in Ryantakes place on the battle field
the brutality of war Saving Private Ryan is a story of mutilation. Soldier's bodies are torn in half, exploded, gutted, sliced, stabbed, dismembered, and generally desecrated in every way imaginable. And for their trouble, the lucky ones receive a quick-and-dirty burial in a mass shallow grave. It's this reality that Spielberg embraces, never giving the viewer anything less than a close-up and graphic look at the carnage. But unlike slasher or Hong Kong action movies, Saving Private Ryan was not made to impress the viewer with its creative violence. The graphic violence is meant to scare the living hell out of the audience, and give some kind of explanation for the surviving characters' state of mind.
With war comes suffering for all, not just the soldiers
technical mastery Despite the horrors of war depicted in the movie, even the most squeamish of viewers will find it difficult, if not impossible, to tear their eyes away from the screen during the disturbingly intense battle scenes. From the hand-held camera work (complete with occasional dropped frames for that classic WWII stock footage look), to the devastating visual effects of bombs exploding, bodies being torn to hell and, most of all, bullets flying everywhere, Saving Private Ryan is a thing of absolute wonder. And yet the visual effects pale in comparison to the sound effects which are thick and powerful, and do more to bring the audience into the world of the movie than anything actually on the screen.
The opening scene beach invasion is the most intense battle of the entire movie what about ryan? Beyond the amazing effects, sets and spot-on performances from Sizemore, Burns, Davies and Pepper, Saving Private Ryan fails to deliver the knockout punch in some aspects of the story. Yes, Private Ryan is the last remaining brother of the Ryan family, and, of course it will be difficult to find one foot soldier in the middle of a war, but that's about all you get. Tom Hanks, as solid as his performance is, never quite takes his character where it wants to go, and Matt Damon's character proves practically meaningless, making it difficult to justify the loss suffered trying to save him.
so does it work? Saving Private Ryan will leave your nerves absolutely frazzled and give you plenty to think about on the subject of humanity. And though, there are a few disappointments along the way, the negatives are few and the strengths are many and impressive.
Austin Powers is one of those movies that has become MORE popular as time wears on. Austin's slang has worked its way into the lexicon and everything from the redhot video to the Austin Powers Penis Enlarger is on sale and raking in meeeeeelions. When news of a sequel hit the streets, fans freaked. It's safe to say that AP2 is rivaled only by The Phantom Menace as 1999's must see.
The wait is over.
The second-most anticipated movie of 1999 finally comes to theaters. We're ecstatic to report that AP is a friggin' laugh riot, as Myers and crew have strung together another brilliant collection of one-liners and over the top, sometimes horribly disgusting, sight gags. The follow-up to 1997's video hit has Austin heading back to the 60s to track down his mojo, stolen by one of Dr. Evil's comically evil hapless henchmen. What's mojo? A multi-colored, stringy looking mess that makes Austin irresistible to the ladies. But the plot isn't so important. This is the Austin you know and love, only this time he's even more raw and hardcore.
It's clear that Myers was given a much larger budget to bring his vision to the screen after the runaway success of Austin Powers on video. The sets in Spy are much more vibrant and huge, the effects (yes, effects) are top-notch, and the pacing is completely nonstop. I had a perma-grin stuck on my face through the whole thing and will need to see it again just because the audience drowned out some lines with laughter.
Here Kitty Kitty Kitty Spy picks up with Austin taking a trip in a time machine back to the smashing 60s where, as we all know, he is a sexual dynamo. The time travel bits can get confusing, but as Basil Exposition of British Intelligence says, "Just sit back and enjoy yourself." Back in the 60s, Austin quickly draws the attention of his nemesis Dr. Evil. The hilarity begins as a patchwork parade of moronic henchmen attempt to wipe out Austin.
Still, the best reason to shell out your cash is that AP2 is clearly Dr. Evil's movie. If he's your favorite, you're in luck. Most important, we see him get some.
The film does lean a bit too heavily on gags from the first flick and some of the "Yeah, baby" schtick grows old fast. (When your Mammy starts saying "Yeah, baby," it's clearly tired, right?) Still, fans of the original will feel right at home with the budget destructo devices, the horrid teeth, and the clumsy bumblings of Austin himself. In a summer full of high concepts and big budget, AP2 is just the ticket.
The wait is over.
The second-most anticipated movie of 1999 finally comes to theaters. We're ecstatic to report that AP is a friggin' laugh riot, as Myers and crew have strung together another brilliant collection of one-liners and over the top, sometimes horribly disgusting, sight gags. The follow-up to 1997's video hit has Austin heading back to the 60s to track down his mojo, stolen by one of Dr. Evil's comically evil hapless henchmen. What's mojo? A multi-colored, stringy looking mess that makes Austin irresistible to the ladies. But the plot isn't so important. This is the Austin you know and love, only this time he's even more raw and hardcore.
It's clear that Myers was given a much larger budget to bring his vision to the screen after the runaway success of Austin Powers on video. The sets in Spy are much more vibrant and huge, the effects (yes, effects) are top-notch, and the pacing is completely nonstop. I had a perma-grin stuck on my face through the whole thing and will need to see it again just because the audience drowned out some lines with laughter.
Here Kitty Kitty Kitty Spy picks up with Austin taking a trip in a time machine back to the smashing 60s where, as we all know, he is a sexual dynamo. The time travel bits can get confusing, but as Basil Exposition of British Intelligence says, "Just sit back and enjoy yourself." Back in the 60s, Austin quickly draws the attention of his nemesis Dr. Evil. The hilarity begins as a patchwork parade of moronic henchmen attempt to wipe out Austin.
Still, the best reason to shell out your cash is that AP2 is clearly Dr. Evil's movie. If he's your favorite, you're in luck. Most important, we see him get some.
The film does lean a bit too heavily on gags from the first flick and some of the "Yeah, baby" schtick grows old fast. (When your Mammy starts saying "Yeah, baby," it's clearly tired, right?) Still, fans of the original will feel right at home with the budget destructo devices, the horrid teeth, and the clumsy bumblings of Austin himself. In a summer full of high concepts and big budget, AP2 is just the ticket.