Darth Stujitzu's Reviews

I will look for this Darth as this subject is interesting to me, or my line of work

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In Bruges
2008 Directed by : Martin McDonagh


Sent into hiding after a botched job, old timer Ken and newbie Ray must endure the sights and sounds of Bruges whilst waiting orders on their next move, Ken revels in his new surroundings whilst Ray loathes everything about their new temporary home.

This is a very dark, twisted slice of black comedy/noir, not for everybody, but for those that can see the funny side in un-pc behaviour, then this will float your boat.

At the films core is the unlikely duo Ken ( Brendan Gleeson ) and Ray ( Colin Farrell ), and it's the pair's chemistry that really makes the film, they could almost be brothers the way they chide and rile each other, there are plenty of witty one liners, but as stated they go pretty close to the bone on several occasions.

Bruges looks amazing throughout, and even though the film dragged a little in places, I found the film both entertaining & enjoyable, both Gleeson & Farrell give strong performances, and it looks like both enjoyed the experience.
Ralph Fiennes pops up for the films final act, and I have to admit to being impressed with his performance in a film I wouldn't have really thought would be his cup of tea.

Rating 4/5 a little slow in places, but sharp, dark humour had me laughing throughout.

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Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbour?

88 Minutes
2008 Directed by : Jon Avenet

First things first, does anybody else remember that fine actor Al Pacino? You know, the one before some sort of invasion of a bodysnatcher that replaced him with Little Shouty Al???

So, yep you've guessed it, yet another tired, lazy, shouty performance from the once great one, this formulaic piece of trash has so many red herrings that director Jon Avenet should consider setting up a red fishmongers rather than direct again.

So, what's so bad, well it's not so much a poor man's attempt at a thriller along the lines of Seven, as totaly skint hobo living in a cardboard box attempt at a clever thriller.

Pacino is surrounded by a young cast of familiar faces, although most of them are never allowed to really develop as characters in the film, as the director is obviously of the school of thought, that directing the camera in their direction and making them look twitchy counts as intelligent & suspenseful filmmaking, it doesn't and instead most of the cast end up looking constipated for the whole movie.

I do feel a certain amount of sympathy towards Pacino, De Niro and lately Denzel, as I feel that it must be increasingly hard for these guys to find a decent script that will test them, rather than be a by the numbers piece, but this film is the prime example of lazy filmmaking and acting of the lowest quality.

Right, rant over, those that want to find out what the film is about, can head over to imdb.com, this reviewer has already had too much of his time taken up by this putrid turkey of a movie.


Rating -5/5 yep, that's minus 5!!!!
P.S. to those bodysnatchers, can we please have the real Al Pacino back, just for a little while???

If Al was actually bodysnatched, he's long gone. That pod guy absorbed everything. I actually like Avnet's Fried Green Tomatoes and Up Close & Personal, but maybe he got absorbed into the collective too.

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Iron Man
2008 Directed by : Jon Favreau

After being captured by terrorists and enduring a life threatening injury, billionaire arms dealer Tony Stark must come to terms with the legacy he has built, it's consequences and his future involvement in the fight between good and evil.

There have been a slew of comic book films over the last decade or so, how does Iron Man stand up or out to the competition?
Well, it's not quite along the lines of Batman Begins or the first 2 X-Men films, but sits in comfortably with the likes of the first 2 Spiderman films, and well above the horrible Fantastic Four movies, or even the horrible Brett ( I have no talent what so ever ) Ratners X3.

There is nothing outstanding on offer, it was somewhat of a gamble to cast Robert Downey Jnr, but he doesn't let the side down, and indeed provides one of the more wry comedic performances of recent years.
The direction is fine, pace and action sequences plod along at a decent pace ( still not loving CGI though! ) my only real grumbles were that the rest of the cast have little to do, and I'm afraid that as inspired as casting Robert Downey Jnr was, casting Jeff Bridges as the main villan didn't work for me at all.
I love Jeff Bridges, from Star Man, Jagged Edge, to The Big Lebowski, I've admired his work, but as the villan of this particular film, it just didn't quite fit.

It's a minor quibble, it's still big, dumb, enjoyable fun, but my money's on The Dark Knight being this summer's big winner in the superhero box office battle.

Terrance Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow are little more than actor eye candy, although there are hints that both will have more substantial roles in future sequels.

Rating 3/5 no brainer big popcorn movie.

Cloverfield
2008 Directed by : Matt Reeves

Friends gather to say farewell to Rob before his move to Tokyo, mid way through the party, Manhatten appears to be struck by a terror attack, but by whom or what is unknown to the guests at first, as the truth is slowly revealed to a small group of friends, their nightmare is only just beginning.

So, eventually, I'm catching up on all those films I've missed over the last 14 months or so ( too busy making films to watch them! ), Cloverfield was one that I was particularly looking forward to.

Produced by JJ Abrahms, the current goldenboy of Hollywood, and shrouded in secrecy, Cloverfield was always going to be one of these films that either totally disappointed or broke new ground.
Happily, it didn't disappoint, as stated previously,I regard CGI as the Anti-Christ of filmmaking, but it can be used to good effect if you don't over use it or light the sequence the wrong way.
Cloverfield uses it's CGI sparingly for a film of its' magnitude, using shadows and dark lighting to good effect when it does go all guns out CGI, and although I've yet to be totally sold on CGI, it wasn't as bad as I had feared before watching the film.

The jerky POV camera work won't be to everyones' liking, think Blairwitch Project on speed, but I didn't feel it distracted too much from the film, and instead I found it kept my attention and intrest throughout. One minor quibble I would have is the supposed camera operator Hud's incesant voice-over commentary did get on my nerves at times, yes I realise that he was supposed to be the comic relief, but the longer the film went on, the more I hoped he would meet an untimely demise.

Cloverfield is an intresting and slick production, not that you would expect anything else with JJ's name attached, and for once it was one of those big summer blockbusters that actually came close to living up to the hype bestowed upon it.
It's far from perfect, but it is infinetly more intresting watch than its' predecessor in the shaky hand held camera type mockumentary the Blairwitch.


Rating 3/5 good fun, intresting creature feature.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2008 Directed by : Steven Spielberg.

Indiana Jones comes crashing back into action when shadowy Russian's attempt to find the mythical Crystal Skull and harness its' powers to use them against America.

Well, its been a long time coming, but eventually, the fourth Indiana Jones film has arrived.
To be honest, I have to say that I liked it rather than loved it, to use a metaphor, the film is a bit like Indiana's hat, it's comfortable, but old and a little threadbare.
The fourth film doesn't have the same appeal as Raiders or the Last Crusade, but fits in slightly ahead of Temple of Doom, still enjoyable, but will it stand the test of time as well as the others?

Unlike Lucas' Star Wars prequels, Spielberg ( and Lucas if you're being pedantic ) stick pretty much to the old formula that had served them so well previously, there is nothing really fresh and new here, but at the same time the film never feels dull or uninteresting.
There are many nods to the previous films, some good, others not so. Shia LeBeouf adds a bit of youth and vigour to the proceedings, indeed he is one of the few new characters that is given ample screentime or anything worthwhile to do.
It's all here, chase sequences, action, adventure, romance, everything you've come to expect, there isn't really any breaking of new ground, in fact, personally I would have liked the CIA interest in Indiana taken further, seemed a slight waste to hint at their involvement without any real payoff, that and the fact that I didn't really feel Kate Blanchett's character was particularly evil or menacing as other villans have been in the series.

Its been a long wait, and it still delivers, but not quite as much as I had hoped for, perhaps like Indy himself, it's time to hang up the hat on this particular franchise.


Rating 3/5 Good, but not great.

For those who acknowledge that Indy is old (and old school), I venture this: he's old but he has more to say about movie blockbusters that 90% of the new ones, and he's more entertaining than 95% of the new ones, and he can teach you more about history than 99% of the new ones. Yeppers, I think i can live with .

Don't get me wrong, I applaud Spielberg & Ford's decision to show that Jones is not quite as able as before, and I would agree that the fourth installment is a lot better and more deserving than most of the big summer blockbusters that rarely live upto expectations or hype, but as stated it was other parts of the film that I felt let the side down, namely that most of the other characters had little to do, Blanchett's villan wasn't as good as previous villans, and something I forgot to mention in my review, Ray Winstone's character was a bit wishy washy, and personally I'm not sure he was even needed.

Minor grumblings, I'm sure Indy 4 will be one of the better films on offer this summer, but personally I'm not sure if Spielberg can get any more mileage out of this franchise.

I haven't seen The Indy movie yet Watched Cloverfield a few weeks ago, I did enjoy it

Wristcutters
2006 Directed by : Goran Dukic

Broken hearted after splitting up with his girlfriend, Zia decides that life is not worth living. After his subsequent suicide he awakes to discover that death was only the beginning.


Soon after awaking in the afterlife Zia discovers that his ex-girlfriend Desiree has also committed suicide and so Zia decides to find her accompanied by his Russian musician friend Eugene and a lonely drifter Mikal whom they pick up along the way.

Wristcutters is a bleak, dark romantic comedy, more akin to a European film than its' glossy American counterparts. Its' style won't be to everybody's taste, it can be a little slow, and its subject matter of suicide and the afterlife will rub some people up the wrong way.
The afore mentioned suicides are handled tastefully, and are no more gory than Six Feet Under's death scenes, and in all honestly only play a small part in the film.
I really enjoyed the film's quirkiness and there were several amusing little touches here and there that kept me entertained throughout.
Wristcutters hints that the director Dukic could be one to watch, the cast are all excellent in their slightly off the wall performances, Patrick Fugit, Shannyn Sossamon & especially Shea Whigham all deserve credit as too does the ever watchable Tom Waits.


Rating 4/5 enjoyable and intresting watch.

With a name like Wristcutters I would have avoided it at the dvd shop may give it a go now Thanks

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
1970 Directed by : Russ Meyer


Three girls come to Hollywood to find fame & fortune, but end up embroiled in a lifestyle of sex, drugs & sleaze.

Shockmeister Russ Meyer's romp through 70's Hollywood will be too much for some, naked buxom women, gay love, swingin' parties, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

In its' day it was a deeply shocking taboo film that pushed many boundries, by today's standards it's a camp romp.
A wry look into Hollywood and its appeal to many and how it can chew up and destroy those who come seeking fame and fortune.

More like a music video at times than a film, the film's serious message is lost in a heady mix of nudity and MTV style video effects and editing.

Russ Meyer's films are definetly an acquired taste, but as I was brought up on a stable diet of Benny Hill and Carry on Movies, I quite like them as escapist fluff, especially when fighting jetlag at 3am.


Rating 3/5 like Benny Hill on speed & acid.

P.S. Nebbit's avatar looks like she could be in one of Russ' films!!!

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is certainly the best Meyer film I've seen and the best written by Roger Ebert. (That translates to , but it definitely gets better once you've watched it once with that WTF? expression.)

Nice review Darth... it's been a while since I watched this... but, from what I remember, I'm pretty sure I'd rate it closer to a 2...

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What can I say, it gets a 3 cause I'm a sucker for buxom ladies!!!

I love the attempt at a Shakespearian type tragedy, but with Meyer's own unique twist, it's like totally groovy man, ya dig!!!

It is a bizarre movie, but I still find it enjoyable time after time.

Thats a blast from the past one I had totally forgotten I think that is a good thing

Shhhhh I am trying to forget about it

Gone baby, gone
2008 Directed by : Ben Affleck


Set in a tough Boston neighbourhood, the film follows the case of a kidnapped child, it's subsequent search and the revelations that come to light.

Ok, firstly on the record, I'm not a fan of Ben Affleck, and if I'm being totally honest, I wasn't much of a fan of his brother until I saw The Assassignation of Jesse James, but I put my reservations to one side, it was easy as Ben doesn't act in the film.

After watching the film, my first reaction was that it wasn't a bad film by a first time director, it kept me involved throughout and most of the performances were fine.
The other main observation that struck me is that Affleck has tried to copy Mystic River in almost every aspect, performance, tone, cinematography etc.
Truthfully, Mystic River is a superior film, but considering that Clint Eastwood has some 30 odd years of experience over Affleck, that's hardly surprising.

For me, it's a nearly movie, it's decent enough, but just lacks that little je ne sais quoi ( oooh Darth bursting out the French! )
Casey Affleck does ok, Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Freeman aren't really given enough to get their teeth into, but I found Ed Harris' performance a little too forced for my liking.
The twist is easy enough to get, but all being said, I've watched far worse from more experienced directors.


Rating 3/5

Paris Je T'aime
2006 Directed by : 20 different directors

Set exclusively in Paris, the film is made up of twenty 5 minute mini films each by a different director around the core theme of love.

Produced by the same producer as Amelie, some of the films are very similar in tone and style.
There is something for everyone in this brilliant little collection, some are better than others, my particular favourites being Vincenzo Natali's vampire love story " Quartier de la Madelaine ", Sylvian Chomet's " Tour Eiffel " and the Coen brothers " Tuileries ".

There is a myrid of talent both on screen and behind the camera, and there is a nice mix of big Hollywood stars mixed in with lesser known and better known French talent.

A must see for lovers of World Cinema, and a very intresting little experiment.
Rating 4.5/5

The Edge of Heaven
2007 Directed by : Faith Akin

Fate plays a large hand in the lives of six characters, a random event sets in motion events that will change all six characters lives forever.

Set in Germany & Turkey the film deals with the class system and political events that effects Turks in both countries.

The film can be a little slow in places, and the seperate stories are eventually tied up neatly enough, but ultimately I was left feeling a little disappointed.
Again, it's an almost movie, the story depends on the viewers belief in fate and how we can all be linked together by events outwith our control, I think my main gripe was that I never really felt any strong affinity with any of the main characters.
The cinematography is decent enough, Turkey looks amazing, but ultimately the core stories are not strong enough to carry the film, and with there being so many key characters, none are given enough time to be fully developed.


Rating 3/5