Topic: Riches Random Reviews

[Tom]

Matchstick Men

Underrated movie that deserves watching.
 

I haven't watched this one for a few years. There were a lot of times, that I had it already in my hand to put it in my player but then I decided otherwise and put it back into the shelf.

[Touti]

Passchendaele



Set during the height of the First World War, PASSCHENDAELE tells the story of Sergeant Michael Dunne (Paul Gross), a soldier who is brutally wounded in France and returns to Calgary emotionally and physically scarred. While in the military hospital in Calgary, he meets Sarah (Caroline Dhavernas), a mysterious and attractive nurse with whom he develops a passionate love. When Sarah's younger asthmatic brother David (Joe Dinicol) signs up to fight in Europe, Michael feels compelled to return to Europe to protect him. Michael and David, like thousands of Canadians, are sent to fight in the third battle of Ypres, a battle against impossible odds, commonly known as “Passchendaele”. It is a story of passion, courage and dedication, showing the heroism of those that fought in battle, and of the ones that loved them.

Canadian film told with compassion and noble ambition, certainly a story that on paper appears more interesting than it did on the big screen. To say the special feature 'the road to Passchendaele' available from the extras is twice as good as the film is no exaggeration, it is one of the better making-of features I have seen before, and is wholly more memorable than a lot of the actual film.
The war scenes in the movie, gruesome muddy trench warfare with pointless but courageous deaths, are simply amazing, intense, and challenge Saving Private Ryan for quality, and pull this film above what could of been a quite tedious affair. Unfortunately the romance between the leads continually muffles the film, is unbelievable, and eventually causes what could have been a great war film to misfire.
 

I watched this movie last night.  I'm not gonna write a full review of my own because I'm not very good at it and I would have to say exactly was Rich said but I couldn't do it so nicely.  This could have been a very very good war movie............if it was a war movie but it's not.  It's a chicks flick that uses a war story for background.  It's called Passchendaele but in a movie that less than 2 hours you hear of Passchendaele for for the first time after 1 hour.  Then as Rich rightly said, what could have been good (the last 45 minutes or so) is interrupted all the time by the chicks flick stuff.

All in all not a bad movie but I hope they'll do a Passchendale II without the romance stuff and tell the story itself.

[richierich]

Tomorrow Never Dies



The British super spy goes after a ruthless media baron (an amalgam of Ted Turner, Rupert Murdoch, and Bill Gates, played with feisty aplomb by Pryce) whose diabolical plans include instigating World War III so that his empire can obtain an exclusive (a la CNN during the Gulf War). This time, 007 discovers sorrow in a love lost and a worthwhile partner in a female Chinese counterpart (Hong Kong action diva Yeoh). Noteworthy for its unabashed commercial product placement, Sheryl Crow's title song was nominated for a Golden Globe (Best Original Song - Motion Picture).

Average spy film, the start and first hour or so heralded great things, with excellent chemistry between Brosnan and Hatcher, but for me it rather fizzled out through a pedestrian and uninspiring storyline when the settings went to Asia. The villain (Pryce) was pathetic and an unbelieving media mogul, and a limp somewhat camp baddie in relative unknown Gotz Otto.
This what a stretch too far from reality for my taste, and a flimsy plot which did not deliver the goods. A missed opportunity after a great beginning.
 

[richierich]

Friday Night Lights



A genuine stand-up-and-cheer movie about a courageous high school football team's fight to fulfill their destiny and live their dream, Friday Night Lights is "unforgettable and real" (Larry King). Billy Bob Thornton stars in a true American story of how one legendary Texas town made hope come alive under the exhilarating glare of Friday Night Lights! "One of the greatest sports stories ever told" (Sports Illustrated) is now "one of the greatest sports movies ever made" (Larry King).

One dimensional sports movie which I found overdone and trite. The characters were never developed enough, and the relationship between the high school team and the town was never fully explored. Full of clichés and everything bad about an American sports film, at some points I was literally retching with how thick the patriotism and nationalism was spread. Does the USA have to produce a film every year about some no-hopers pulled together against adversity to come good?? Stand-up-and-cheer, more like sit-down-and-sleep.
Empty and boring, a bit like Thorntons portrayal of the cowardly coach.
 

[richierich]

Notorious



In Notorious, a brilliant allegory of love and betrayal, Hitchcock fuses two of his favorite elements: suspense and romance. A beautiful woman with a tainted past (Ingrid Bergman) is enlisted by American agent Devlin (Cary Grant) to spy on a ring of Nazis in post-war Rio. Her espionage work becomes life-threatening after she marries the most debonair of the Nazi ring, Alex (Claude Rains). Only Devlin can rescue her, but to do so, he must face his role in her desperate situation and acknowledge that he's loved her all along. Stunning performances, Ben Hecht's excellent script, and Hitchcock's direction at its best make Notorious a perfect film.

I will leave it to Jon to wax lyrical over this film, my knowledge of Hitchcock is very narrow in comparison and would not do it justice.
Briefly, it was clear to see the genius of Alfred in the direction of this film, some fantastic shots and suspense expertly delivered. Some truly chilling moments are handled perfectly, particularly impressive was the filming of Bergman, who portrayed so much with a look or close-up of her eyes. Cary Grants performance was edgy and masterful. Bergman was absolutely gorgeous and fitted the role perfectly, simmering and fervent.
Espionage, love story and betrayal, served up expertly.
 

[richierich]

Citizen Kane



Orson Welles' timeless masterwork (#1 in the American Film Institute's 1998 list of Best American Movies) is more than a groundbreaking film.  Presented here in a magnificent 60th anniversary digital transfer with revitalized digital audio from the highest quality surviving elements [Disc One], it is also grand entertainment, sharply acted (starting many of Welles' Mercury Players on the road to thriving film careers) and superbly directed with inspired visual flair.  Depicting the controversial life of an influential publishing tycoon, this Best Original Screenplay Academy Award® winner (1941) is rooted in themes of power, corruption, vanity — the American Dream lost in the mystery of a dying man's last word: "Rosebud."

As good as I remembered, a masterclass in film making, a moment of history, a lesson in cinematography. I am a movie buff, not a film enthusiast, so this never would be in my top 10. But it never misses by much, as a movie alone it is thoroughly enjoyable and has stood the test of time like few others.
Welles delivers a commanding and spellbinding performance, from young buck to old lonely man shuffling round his monolithic mansion, complete with amazing backdrops and sets. His directorship at just 24 is practically flawless, he clearly was gifted with a natural flair. The supporting cast of mainly unknowns making their first big features are tremendous, and were never a weak link.
The storyline holds up right to the very end, with the 'who is Rosebud' spine of the film lasting until nearly the final shot.
For it's time, the greatest film ever made.
 

[Najemikon]

Looking forward to your verdict on this!

[richierich]

Looking forward to your verdict on this!

Verdict delivered   

[richierich]

Crossing Over



Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones films) is on a quest for justice as an immigrations agent investigating the case of a missing illegal. In a cross-fire of crime and bureaucracy, fraud and murder, he must race against time to try to save a family from becoming collateral damage in the fight for the American dream. Critics rave, "Harrison Ford is terrific. An engrossing, thoroughly entertaining movie with great performances from a first-rate ensemble cast" (Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com). Co-starring Ashley Judd (Twisted), Ray Liotta (Smokin' Aces), Jim Sturgess (21), and Cliff Curtis (10,000 BC), Crossing Over will keep you riveted until the final mystery unfolds.

Average fare with Ford showing his age, and with his constant broodiness seen in several recent films not carrying it particularly well. What has happened to Liotta, did he get a welder to perform his plastic surgery?

Guys only -

(click to show/hide)

Special mention for Alice Eve's breasts, which were truly magnificent and often paraded, to actually be the highlight of the whole movie

For Americans some of the questions raised, and ironies and hipocracies shown surrounding immigration, will probably be more poignant than they were for me. But this storyline has been overdone in recent years, and typically better, and this just misses the mark in too many ways, it actually felt like a dot the dot formula for such a plot design.
Best to leave this one at the border  

[richierich]

Fired Up



In this laugh-out-loud comedy, Ford High’ s star football players Shawn Colfax and Nick Brady scheme to ditch football camp so they can spend the summer surrounded by beautiful girls…at cheer camp. The guys are having the time of their lives as they use their new reputation as "sensitive guy" to talk the hotties into skinny dipping, cheering naked, and hooking up. But when Shawn falls for the gorgeous head cheerleader who’ s suspicious of their motives, the players must change their game to prove Shawn's intentions before the thrilling cheer competition finals.

They broke the mould with Porkys and Lemon Popsicle, nearly rebuilt it for American Pie, but teenage sex comedies such as this are just tedious and over populated.
I didn't really laugh once, it was dull to the extreme, poorly written with wooden actors, and impossible to warm to.
Do not waste your money.
 

[goodguy]

Citizen Kane
...
As good as I remembered, a masterclass in film making, a moment of history, a lesson in cinematography.

It's been a while since I last watched it, but I remember enjoying the Ebert commentary much more than the movie itself. I understand all the praise, but it works even less for me than The Third Man.

[richierich]

Fanboys



Get ready for the comedy adventure that's "smart, funny, and tailor-made for the inner-Jedi in all of us" (Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com). In 1998, four childhood buddies with a shared love of all things Star Wars reunite for one final, hilarious odyssey. Their insane plan: a cross-country road trip to storm George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and steal a copy of Episode I before it's released. With the police, a crew of angry Trekkies, and a crazy pimp hot on their trail, what could possibly go wrong? Featuring Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury), Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder), and Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), plus a slew of hysterical surprise cameos, "the Force IS strong with this one!" (Brian Gallagher, MovieWeb)

One joke movie, that should have been put to sleep long before the ending. It is a geekfest overdone, do people really get so obsessed that they walk around in stormtrooper outfits and speak like Yoda? I'm sure some do, but it isn't entertaining. Not an original idea appears, we had a scene of accidentally walking into gay bar aka police academy, and the overused mistaken hookers in Vegas scene.
It was a laugh an hour, and not a belly laugh.
Another crap movie to avoid
 

[richierich]

The World is Not Enough



When the suave Agent 007 (Pierce Brosnan) is assigned to protect a beautiful oil heiress (Sophie Marceau), he is catapulted into a passionate, adrenaline-charged adventure that pits him against one of his most deadly adversaries: Renard (Robert Carlyle), a ruthless anarchist whose total imperviousness to pain makes him a virtually unstoppable enemy. The unrelenting suspense, breathtaking action and sly wit never let up in this explosively entertaining thriller.

Well thought out plot, an endearing Bond, a superb villain in Robert Carlyle, and an outrageous action packed movie funfest. The characters are interesting across the board, Coltrane is back as Zukovsky, Judi Dench shines as always, and Cleese is introduced following the sad loss of Desmond Llewelyn who has a nice final farewell scene as Q. Denise Richards is ridiculous in the role of a nuclear physicist, albeit fantastic eye candy in shorts and breast hugging tee shirts.
Not the best of the franchise, but a lot that I enjoyed and thus I give a good mark for this film.
 

[richierich]

Die Another Day



Pierce Brosnan plunges into action as James Bond in this adrenaline-pumping thrill-ride, co-starring Oscar® winner* Halle Berry. Bristling with excitement, bursting with explosive special effects and surging with high-octane chases, Die Another Day is a pulse-pounding adventure with "super cool quality from start to finish" (NEWS OF THE WORLD). "Bond is back and it's even better than ever" (THE SUN).

An amazing start, complete with spies surfing in to North Korea, an amazing action sequence with hovercrafts, and then a memorable set where Bond is held captive and given up by MI6. However the film slowly drifted away, somewhere it just didn't work. The choice of Berry was poor, as she tried desperately to steal every scene and spewed cringeworthy lines, and the speed she dropped her pants was amazing even by 007 standards - a couple of corny ornithology chatup lines and bish bosh she's bedded.
The invisible car was ridiculous, possibly only overtaken by the VR shots with Moneypenny.
On the plus side I loved the fencing scene, the attractive supporting cast, and the Ice Palace was an impressive backdrop.
 

[richierich]

The Green Berets



They were crack troops skilled in the techniques of unconditional warfare, the soldiers of the Special Forces - and the focus of Hollywood's first feature film about the Vietnam War: 'The Green Berets'.
John Wayne stars in and co-directs this red-white-and-blue depiction of America's Vietnam effort, based on Robin Moore's novel. Wayne wrote to President Lyndon Johnson to request military assistance for the film - and got more than enough firepower to create an impressive spectacle.
Its soldiers fit the tried-and-true mold of earlier Wayne war classics like 'Back to Bataan' and 'Sands of Iwo Jima'.  Their heroics are timeless.

Flag waving support for the Vietnam war, totally unrealistic, ignoring the true horrors of the conflict, with Wayne acting like this was a Western.
The battle scenes were impressively shot and intricate, but alas again childish in there portrayal that people die heroically with little fuss and bullets miss the good guys.
Heavy going, lacklustre casting, crap dialogue, overlong and way too political for my taste.