Reviews by TopMovies

I'll be posting a series of reviews here, they're part of my blog, and I'd like to share them with everyone in this community. They generally show how I feel abut a movie in particular. I want to emphasize that I am NOT a professional critic, I am just another person, sharing his views on different movies. So, here's the first review:

CLICK - What if you had an universal remote... that controlled your universe?

Click is one of those movies that makes you cry with laughter, but also makes you think about the importance of life, and how you should live it, which is quite rare in movies these days. Clcik manages to show all the problems we encounter in life, how be become slaves of our own jobs, thus missing everything that is important in life, like family and friends.

As I see it, the plot twists and turns, and is more of a comedy in the beginning, turning into a drama towards the end. Michael Newman (played by Adam Sandler) seems to have a succesful life: a loving family, friends and a very promising job as an architect. Michael turns out to be a workaholic, as he works all day long so that his family can live a good life, and this causes a huge lack in communciation and understanding. The outstanding quality of this is movie is that it presents all these problems in a funny yet thought provoking way. When Michael is given a universal remote than can controle his life, everything changes, and when the remote starts to malfunction, skipping several years of his life, everything goes wrong. THe really dramatic part is at the end, when Michael realizes that he had put work before family, thus ruining his life. And the ending… it simply mesmerisez me. The tension increases and the drama purely invades your soul as you see Michael die in the arms of his wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale). Then, the theatrical hit: evrything was just a dream. But this movie teaches us a valuable lesson in life: family comes first before anything else, and especially before work.

All in all, the acting was good, Sandler did a great job in creating all the hilarious scenes, and Kate Beckinsale’s role as his wife brings a certain touch of romance and a sense of family. This movie can be watched by people of all ages, because it will be fun for children, and for adults both entertaining and thought provoking.

My rating: 9/10

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Thanks for the review topmovies Great start!

Wow, 9/10 I would say is way too high for this flick.

It went in too many directions, with fart and fat jokes in this film, it's hard to take it seriously at the end. If it were to stick with a single tone, it would have been more enjoyable.

Welcome to the board.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Thanks for the comments, it's good to be here. I hope I'll post good quality material in the future.

Well, i believe i speak for the thousands upon thousands of professional critics here at Movie Forums when i say that we'll make an exception. Just for you. Just this once.

Welcome to mofo.

thanks for the warm welcome. I wanted to emphasize that I am not a critic because i got many complaints on my blog concerning the way I review movies. As I said on my blog, I do take the quality of the movie into account, but my rating is also influenced by my personal impression of the movie. While i might be crazy about a movie, many others may not like it at all. it's just up to everybody's tastes after all.

Hi and Welcome Thanks for the review.

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A new review for today, for one of my all time favourite movies, The Illusionist.

The Illusionist

I saw this movie last year, but I liked it so much, that it is still vivid in my memory. I had never seen Edward Norton act before, so I saw this movie as a challenge, to see whether he is good or not. At the end, I found out that he was absolutely brilliant.

The plot is very captivating, the tension building up all throughout the movie. The story is set at the turn of the 20th century, when Eisenheim (Edward Norton), falls in love with a girl with a much higher social status. Their relationship is forbidden by their parents, so they will be separated for a long time. Years later, Eisenheim finds Sophie, the woman he loves, again, but she is already engaged to Germany’s Crown Prince. All in all, The Illusionist is a fascinating story of love, showing how Eizenheim uses all his magic tricks in order to free the woman he loves and undermine the powers of the Royal House.

The acting was absolutely breath taking, Norton did a fantastic job in playing the magician’s role, and, surprisingly, Jessica Biel had a good performance in interpreting Sophie.

Finally, this movie combines fantasy, adventure, drama and romance, this making it one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen.

My rating: 10/10

You've never seen Norton act before????

Go pick up American History X right now.

thanks for the advice, I looked the movie up on imdb and it's highly rated. i'll try to see it as soon as possible.

Norton is also good in Primal Fear and Fight Club, IMO.

I loved The Illusionist, btw...

Yeah, The Illusionist is simply a great movie. And thanks to TheUsualSuspect's advice, I've got my hands on a copy of American History X and I'll probably watch it in the next few days, and why not even try to review it.

That's the kind of reviews I like to read. I usually just skim over a review that goes on about how great or poor a movie is based on the quality of the film making, who the director is, etc. I can read those anywhere on the net or in review magazines. I enjoy reading what the viewer likes and dislikes about a movie with none of this, "it's Steven Spielberg so you know it's quality", or "It's Brad Pitt, so you know the movie has a good cast." ...yes, but did you enjoy it, or are you just saying so because you like the director or the actor who is in it?...
*BTW I don't like Spielberg lol

As for Norton flicks, I really liked:
Primal Fear
American History X
Fight Club

A new review for today, hope everybody likes it:

Banlieue 13

Besides watching Hollywood productions, which are the most numerous in the world of film, I also try to get a perspective on film making in other countries as well. This is how I stumbled upon Banlieue 13.

The action is placed in the ghettos of Paris, France, out of which District B13 is the worst of all, being ruled by crime and violence. Leito is an honest man living in District B13, trying to keep the druglords out of the area. But when he destroys the merchandise of Taha, a major drug lord, his sister Lola is kidnapped. Leito is betrayed and gets arrested, and is freed from jail six months later by Capt. Damien Tomaso. Now, they must both find a neutron bomb that could explode at any minute.

In less than 90 minutes, the movie manages to glue you to your seat. The action is almost non stop, the fighting scenes are among the best I’ve seen in action movies, and the plot has several twists to it.

What was really interesting about the movie was that the actors spoke their native tongue, French, and this gives the movie it’s own identity and authenticity. And, for those of you who don’t know French, don’t worry, the movie also has English subtitles, so you’ll be able to enjoy the movie.

All in all, this is quite a good movie, and, even though it could use some small tweaks here and there, I think it represents a great step for French cinematography.

My rating: 9/10

Another new review, enjoy!

Unleashed - Serve no master

I am quite a fan of action movies of all kinds, but I also like movies with martial arts, so, when I saw that Jet Li starred in this movie, I knew there was bound to be some good action.

Unlike his other movies, Jet Li shows us a new side of himself, an emotional and dramatic one. Besides being a very good action movie, this piece of cinematic art is also a very intriguing and thought provoking drama. Danny (Jet Li) is treated like a slave by his master, Bart (Bob Hoskins). Bart’s final goal is to turn Danny into the ultimate fighting machine. So, he treats him like a dog, putting a collar around his neck, in order to keep him calm. But when he takes the collar off, Danny goes into a frenzy and kills anyone within his sight. After a car accident, Danny is wounded, and is taken into care by a blind piano tuner, Sam (Morgan Freeman) and his stepdaughter Victoria. But when Bart finds him again and wants to take him back, Danny will fight with all his powers in order to save his new found family. THe movie has a happy ending: Danny is finally completely free from his former master, and he will now enjoy a new life along with his new family.

This movie impressed me very much. Even if this is highly unlikely to happen, the fact remains that there is still severe cruelty among other people, but I think that what this movie is trying to show underneath all its action and fighting scenes is that even someone who doesn’t have any form of contact and understanding of this world can be brought back on tracks with the help of love and support.

The acting is very good, Jet Li shows a new face in this movie, turning from the cold hearted martial arts fighter into a somewhat more sensitive man, and this is what makes him the perfect actor for this part.

All in all, the rushing adrenaline scenes, the martial arts as well as the drama implicated make this movie an outstanding feature of cinema.

My rating: 9/10

I also liked Unleashed.

Waiting eagerly for AHX review.

As promised, the review for American History X

American History X - "Some legacies must end"

American History X is one of those movies that shocks you, impresses you, and also makes you think about life and even history. I admit that this movie is quite old, it came out in 1998, but I only saw it a few days, thanks to a forum member (TheUsualSuspect ) who told me I had to watch this movie to see Edward Norton’s true value.

Derek Vinyard (played by Edward Norton) is a neo-nazi skinhead, who is full of hatred, and who extends his influence on his younger brother, Daniel Vinyard (played by Edward Furlong). When some black people try to steal his car, he is sentenced to 3 years of jail for murdering 2 of them. The time spent in prison is traumatizing, but when Derek finally gets out, he is a new man, abandoning all his former beliefs. But now, his brother Daniel thinks he is a hero, and slowly goes down the path of becoming a skinhead. Derek fights to turn his brother back on the good path, showing him that they were only blinded by hatred in their actions. Unfortunately, the movie ends dramatically, as Daniel is shot and killed.

If you ask me, this is the best drama I’ve seen in my entire life. The storyline is absolutely mind blowing, the movie never becomes boring for even one second. The flashback technique is also used, and the scenes that are remembered are in black and white, further adding to the movie’s originality. At, to top everything off, Edward Norton gives an absolutely stunning performance, he becomes one with the character, showing mixed emotions like hatred, fear, and making them vivid.

This movie is also a valuable moral lesson, teaching us not to hate each other, not to racially discriminate, showing us the negative effects of conflicts between people.

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, just grab the DVD and see it right away, you won’t regret it.

My rating: 10/10

Good Review. AHX is in my top 5 films of all time. Definite must watch in my opinion.

Quite a lon time since my last post here, but I come with a new review.

Superman Returns

Superman is a hero that has earned his place in the hearts of the audience, be it from the movies, the comics, or the cartoons, so the central idea in the third part of the Superman series was that the world cannot live without him.

The plot of the movie once again puts Superman (played by Brandon Routh) in a fight to destroy evil. After seeking the remains of his homeplanet, Krypton, Superman finally returns to Earth, only to find that the people didn’t believe in him anymore. He also finds out that Lois Lane (played by Kate Bosworth) had a son and was engaged to Richard White. Once again, Lex Luthor (played by Kevin Spacey) manages to get out of prison, and puts another masterplan into motion. Using crystals found at the Fortress of Solitude and kryptonite fragments, Luthor plans to create a new continent, which will destroy the US. Finally, Superman is able to destroy Luthor’s plans, thus saving humanity once again.

Quite frankly, I liked this movie, but my opinion is a bit byassed, because I am a fan of Superman. Unfortunately, I have seen many reviews for this movie, which only point out its flaws, but not its good parts. Yes, I admit, the characters are a bit under-developed, the relationship between Superman and Lois Lane could have been focused upon more; there are a few gaps in the movie’s continuity, but these facts shouldn’t stop anyone from enjoying this movie. The visual effects are absolutely stunning, introducing us into the fantastic world of Superman. The plot manages to keep you waiting to see what happens next, and, even though we know from the start that there has to be a good ending, the movie has such twists and turns that it makes you wonder how is the hero going to get out of trouble now. Brandon Routh does a pretty good job in playing Superman and Kate Bosworth also does a good job in playing Lois Lane, though she is a bit too young for the part, if you take into consideration the continuity of the series. Kevin Spacey is absolutely great in Lex Luthor’s role, I don’t think anyone else could have done a better job.

All in all, if you leave the several faults aside, this is a good movie to watch, especially for those who have been life long fans of Superman.

My rating: 8/10

double post??