Inside Hollywood: The Reviews

Okay, my english grammar is far from perfect. But don`t blame me, blame my teachers. Here is my first review:


CYPHER






Story: Cypher is not only the name of the traitor in the epic movie Matrix. It is also the title of this canadian Sci-Fi Thriller, directed by Vincenzo Natalie, who is well known as the mastermind behind the unexpected success Cube. Settled in a dark future, the story contains all the elements of a classic Dystopia. Even when the budget is quite low, there is at least one big name in the cast: Miss Lucy Liu. She plays a mysterious woman, who is somehow deeply connected to the main protagonist Morgan Sullivan (Jeremy Northam). This average looking office-clerk is totally bored and burned out. His 9 to 5– Job and his 6 to 8-Life seems to kill him from the inside. So he decides to make a change. In a world which is ruled by impersonal Mega-Cons, this is a very dangerous act. And what starts as a mild thrilling spy-adventure, soon becomes an inscrutable game of deception. Morgan realizes that he is only a pawn in great and merciless conspiracy. And we all know, what happens to pawns, if they are failing to reach the other side of the checkerboard in time.

Vincenzo Natalie did it again. Cypher is smart, straight and disturbing. The puristic, almost artistical design emphasizes the State of Mind of the protagonists. There is something rotten in these perfect organized Kingdoms of the materialistic future. But the movie don`t has the intention to play around with higher concepts. This is the simple story of a single man who is trying to break free from his chains. Yeah, there are some explosions and fight scenes. And Lucy Liu is a babe, of course. But Cypher is a calm and concentrated mindgame in first place. There is not one redundant scene in the whole movie. And because of that, I give Definitely worth watching.

You did pretty well for someone whose first language isn't english thanks for the review

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Thank you. When I`m not sure about some of the words, I use a translation program.

I'm a HUGE fan of Cube and will be checking this one out based on your review.

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Suspect's Reviews

I thought that Cypher was ok, though I'd lost interest by the end. Though, I'll admit that I'm not sure if that's because I lost interest or because it lost me. The first hour or so though, I was with it all the way.

When director Michael Mann teams up with actors like Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, high tension is what the audience anticipates. Unfortunately "Public Enemies" is cold-blooded in every way. Dillinger is falling in love with the dresser Billie Frechette (Marion Cottilard), Christian Bale is on the hunt, banks are getting robbed, several people are getting killed, and all you feel is - nothing. The movie itself hold his protagonists at distance. The digital camerashots are not very helpful, they even reinforce this emotional effect. Unlike to his masterpiece "Heat", Mann is not able, to make the complex connections between the figures visible. And that is a reason, why this ambitious, longrunning movie partially is sustained and as tough as old boots. The mimic accomplishments, the scenography and the art direction - all this is quite good. But the surprisingly lack of movie magic inhibits the whole drama.
Even the title is deceptive: "P.E." misses the opportunity, to show us more interesting details of the Public and of the State who declares Dillinger as his Enemy Number 1. Remember: The movie takes place in 1933 - the age of the big Depression when the world was on the eve of World War II.
"Public Enemies" is mainly ignoring this great template and waste his setting, which is a shame.


Rèsumè: This is a solid gangster movie. Nothing less and, despite of all expectations, nothing more.

State of Play





You should never judge a book by his cover. But sometimes, even a simple title can tell you how good or bad a movie is. Only bureaucrats would think that "State of Play" sounds just like a statement of accounts. These three words also includes some energy, like the description of a new gamescore, five minutes before the final whistle rings out. And actually it`s five to midnight for the most traditional newspapers, they are facing the biggest crisis since their foundings.The investigative reporter Cal McAffrey (Russel Crowe) is so old-school, that it seems he is able to remember this early days. He works for the renowned "Washington Globe", but as a modest guy he drives a crappy car, lives in a fairly small apartment, listens to his old cassettes (!) and regards himself as a "journalist and not a publicist". His modern counterpart in this flick, is the young Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), writer and blogger for the online division of the Globe. Things starts rolling, when three people getting murdered within a few hours in Washington D.C. One of them is Sonia Baker, a researcher for the republican congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), who was McAffreys college roommate. Collins is leading a investigation against Point.Corp, a private defense contractor who is involved in controverse operations in the middle east. At a press-conference on the occasion of Bakers death, Collins is not able to hold back his tears in the public. So it`s soon becomes pretty clear, that this two had something going on. Problem: Collins is not only a war-veteran and a carrier of the sword of truth, he is also a married man. Things become even rougher, when Cal`s boss Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) put pressure on him, to get the story done, despite of all loyalities.
But Cal is a pro and had already figured out, that something bigger is hiding in the shadows, that Bakers death wasn`t an accident but an homicide. For experienced thriller-fans it´s no real surprise, that this homicide is somehow connected to the other two dead bodies - and the criminal business of Point Corp.

According to wikipedia, Brad Pitt had a long association with the Cal-Part. Personally I´m very thankful, that he don`t took it. Not that I can`t stand him. It`s just that Russel Crowe nails it totally. There is no way that any actor in Hollywood would have fit this role better, including Al Pacino and Daniel Day Lewis. The other actors are also just fine. Ben Affleck, who gains much respect for directing the bittersweet Boston-ballade "Gone Baby Gone", has also grown as an actor, even while it`s quite clear, that he is still out of Crowes and Mirrens league. Newcomer Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman as a pervert PR-guy are the icing on the cake. The straight main-story holds a good balance between tension and reflection, is as fast-paced as it`s needs to be. But it´s not just about modern mercenary-organisations and their hunger for power, not only about groups who profits from war and playing poilitical hide-and-seek games. When the credits starts running, you may will realize, that this thriller is mainly about the end of an era.. McAffrey and his whole `snoopy snooper`-attitude is almost prehistoric. And the old-style isn`t profitable enough any more. Things are about to change, for good or worse. The only thing you can hold against this glossy flick, that it`s made very conventional, too - and takes a clear stand.

"State of Play" works on many levels and is tough, fast, real enough to entertain from the start. Good stuff.

P 2




In the parking lot, no one can hear you scream! But at the beginning, everything is fine as usual. Young lawyer Angela just wants to leave her office and is looking forward to celebrate Christmas with the family. But then her car breaks down and the mobile phone is not receiving any signals. So she asks the parking lot clerk for some help. That is a big mistake, because it turns out, that he is a sadistic psycho killer! After a knock-out, Angela finds herself fixed at his dinner table. Merry Christmas!

Oh my god! Help! But screaming is not very useful down there at the P2. So Rachel Nichols have to fight back psycho Wes Bentley real good, if she wants to survive this hell of a Christmas. P2 is damn entertaining and presents the well known, stereotype survival-story at it`s best. Sure, there are many movies like this. Some are great (Red Eye), some are overhyped (Hard Candy), but only a few will stand the test of time. This one is a solid candidate for the B-movie hall of fame. Right, it`s not able to avoid all the chlichès all the time, but the development of the cruel story is believable, there are not many "stupid girl" moments. The directing, the cast, the camera, the score - it`s all good. I don`t want to get too enthusiastic about a genre flick, which not inhibits real surprises. But if you like these sort of movies, you will love this one.

Beyond the Sea






It seems that Kevin Spacey and Cutie Kate Bosworth are getting along very well. They have been working together in 21, in Superman Returns and in this movie. It`s the Story of Bobby Darin, the almost forgotten prince of swing, who had hits like Splish-Splash, Mac the Knife, Beyond the Sea and was also nominated for an Oscar in 1963. The cast is cooler than ice-cream. Besides Bosworth and Spacey many well known actors are on stage: Bob Hopkins, John Goodman and Brenda Blethyn are just the most common names. Beyond the Sea is not a normal biopic, but a life-collage, music is just the biggest part of it, not necessarily the heart of it. Definitely a flick you have to watch twice, if you want to catch all the small details. Bobby Darin and his wife, the also forgotten actress Sandra "Tammy" Dee, were not exactly deep artists. So, when Bosworth plays her part, she switches constantly between a real person and some kind of Lindsay Lohan /Mena Suvari-hybrid. That is not as scary as it sounds - she still looks beautiful no matter what. Beautiful people, beautiful music, beautiful movie? Yes, but you have to notice, that this is a very free re-narration of one mans journey trough a wild kind of life. But does it really matters that much? Like Bobby Darin says: "Memories are like moonbeams. We do we them what we want." If you can tolerate this attitude (and musicals), you should watch this entertaining movie, because it`s pretty cool.

A few things you don't mention above are that Kevin Spacey co-wrote and directed the movie and does all the singing during the Bobby Darin songs.

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