Reviews Written by Bardia
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May 5, 2007
SENTINEL
Pros: AMAZING
Cons: NICE
There was some hesitation from my part about what this movie had to offer. For starters, the casting didn't seem right. Kiefer Sutherland had already done very well in "24" and the preview didn't seem to offer anything challenging to him or the audience. Eva Longoria appeared out of place, and the rest didn't seem very interesting.
When the film finally ended, I was not completely displeased for I had seen a decent thriller that could have been much better, had the responsible parties taken a little more care to watch for the narrative gaps and given a little more care to character development. We have seen threats of this type before, and that made the main conflict much more challenging to the writers. As an audience, we don't want to sit through the same old story again. We want to see something different, be thrilled and entertained.
There is nothing wrong with the casting. From Kim Basinger's delicious first lady. She carries herself with enough grace and sex appeal to make the part memorable. Michael Douglas has been and done that before. Unfortunately, the president is much of a non entity to even care about his fate. Sutherland rehashes his "24" tough guy approach with enough power to make it big enough for the big screen, and Eva does a passable job, as the newcomer.
Don't expect as many twists and fireworks as some of the established classics ("North by Northwest" and "The Fugitive" come to mind). Leave your expectations outside and enjoy the ride for whatever it might be. It's o.k. ... -
May 5, 2007
TESS
Pros: NICE
Cons: AMAZING
Roman Polanksi's Tess gets better and better with age.
The mists...the sounds of footsteps on the dirt roads... the ambling horse... the elflike man that appears at the Cross in Hands, Tess' walk to her Inlaws church, The dripping water, The taking of the boots, the misplaced letter, the milk run, the puddle in the road, the dripping milk pouches, The strawberry, the blood stain, The burial, Stonehenge...Everything is beautifully shot. It lingers in the mind long after viewing. Geoffrey Unsworth's final cinematographic film. Thank you for all your beautiful work.
It is neither pretentious nor bold.
Mesmerizing! The musical composition is charging.
Nastassja Kinski's plays the title character. She reacts so well. Her beauty in a time of such oppression and depression would be an ill fate. Tess knows this fate and she wishes she was never born. She is the sacrifice of a paradigm. Victorian era was finished. Edwardian Enlightenment would soon come but not for Tess, the sacrificial pure beauty.
Thomas Hardy created a pure woman in Tess. That is why her plight is so tragic. She possesses a strong spirit that is oppressed by the male political and religious world around her.
The opening shot is well directed in the morning sunrise as fair maidens dance with one another. Tess' oversight by Angel begins this tragic tale. "As Flies to wanton boys, are we to the Gods, they kill us for their sport."
Tess, Thomas Hardy
Do not take your eyes off of it. It is beautifully told! ... -
January 10, 2007
بر باد رفت&#
1607; Pros: رما&#
1606;تی 05; Cons: عشق
GONE WITH THE WIND is without doubt a great, great film. It has probably been seen by more people than any other film in history. I saw it for the first time in a theater in 1968, when, on its re-release, it was playing to capacity houses.
I saw it again on its re-release in 1971 and again in 1976. In both instances it was again playing to full theaters. When the movie was released in 1939, the average movie ticket was probably around fifty cents. Today, if the average price for a movie ticket is nine dollars, it is easy to calculate that GONE WITH THE WIND is the most fiscally successful film in history, and the reason for this can only be because it is one of the most beloved.
And with good reason. This is a magnificent cinematic achievement, whether by the standards of 1939 or of any other year. I would take it any day over the computer-generated nonsense being churned out today.
It is probably the most written-about movie ever, with the exception of CITIZEN KANE, so there isn't much to add to it except a few personal observations:
1. Watching the film again recently, it seemed that every single scene was perfectly written, directed and acted. There isn't a moment I would like to see discarded.
2. Many people think that the sexiest moment in movie history comes when Scarlett is shown the morning after she's been taken forcibly up the stairs to the bedroom of her husband, Rhett Butler.
3. The character of Scarlett is the most memorable heroine in film history and quite likely the greatest feminine role ever adapted for the screen from a novel. Vivien Leigh's performance is no less than spectacular. It was Miss Leigh's great fortune to have played not only Scarlett but A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE's Blanche DuBois, who is arguably the greatest role ever written for a stage play.
4. The character of Rhett Butler was probably written with Clark Gable in mind, and he brings a stalwart virility to the role which is exactly what is needed. But does it matter whether Gable or Gary Cooper (who was certainly considered) or anyone else played Rhett? Anyone who played him would certainly have been deemed the definitive Rhett.
5. Olivia de Havilland's Melanie tends to remain a stereotype of a too-good-to-be-true counterpart to Scarlett, although there are a handful of scenes when she breaks away from the mold and shows true mental and moral fortitude. In the scene where Scarlett shoots the Yankee deserter on the staircase at Tara, Melanie, appearing from above with a sword almost too heavy for her to lift, quickly assesses the situation and shouts to the family that Scarlett had just been tinkering with the gun when it went off. Later, she covers for Rhett in the scene where be brings the wounded Ashley home from the raid on Shantytown, pretending that Ashley had been with him all evening at Belle Watling's. Her best moment comes when she approaches Scarlett at Ashley's birthday party after rumors of an affair have been circulating; her face is eloquently neutral, as though she were ready for all-out warfare, and we wait for the worm to turn. It doesn't. Instead, she embraces Scarlett and asks her to help her receive her guests. She never sees the bad in anybody. She is a true lady.
6. The early scenes in the movie are relatively light and frothy as the principals emerge and the atmosphere is established. The first change of tone comes from the reading of the Gettysburg death list--and it's a shocker. From a shot of the hushed crowd waiting outside the newspaper office, the camera zooms to a list of the names of those killed in action as cries of horror penetrate the soundtrack. We see Scarlett and Melanie breathlessly scanning the list in fear that Ashley's name may be among the casualties, and then there is a shot to the mournful crowd and finally to the pitiful band who defiantly strike up "Dixie" as tears flow down their anguished faces.
7. The atmos ... -
November 17, 2006
Visually Stunning!
Pros: Beautiful graphics, tops the first game, better concepts, and better manuverability
Cons: Horrible load times, steep processor requirements
Overall this is the best game I have played to date.
There are no boundaries as to where you can go with it or what you can do. Whatever you are into, it appeals to any demographic. Even those that were turned off by some of the concepts in the first game will find that this one introduces new ones.
For instance, some people feel that the first game has no point, like maybe it's a toy and not a game. The Sims 2 has purpose! Great game!
Beware, this game may be a little rough on the old gamers' computers! ...
* ...
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The best story ever told on film
Pros: Tim Robbinz- Morgan Freeman
Cons: Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
I believe that this film is the best story ever told on film, and I'm about to tell you why.
Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne, a city banker, wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. He is sent to Shawshank Prison in 1947 and receives a double life sentence for the crime. Andy forms an unlikely friendship with "Red" (Morgan Freeman), the man who knows how to get things. Andy faces many trials in prison, but forms an alliance with the wardens because he is able to use his banking experience to help the corrupt officials amass personal fortunes. The story unfolds....
I was so impressed with how every single subplot was given a great deal of respect and attention from the director. The acting was world-class. I have never seen Tim Robbins act as well since, Morgan Freeman maybe (e.g. Seven). The twists were unexpected, an although this film had a familiar feel, it wasn't even slightly pretentious or cliched, it was original. The cinematography was grand and expressive. It gave a real impression of the sheer magnitude of this daunting prison.
But the one thing which makes THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION stand above all other films, is the attention given to the story. The film depends on the story and the way in which it unravels. It's a powerful, poignant, thought-provoking, challenging film like no other. If Andy were to comment on this film, I think he might say: "Get busy watching, or get busy dying." Take his advice. ...