Jeff's Reviews | Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

recent product reviews

The Family Stone (2005)

Reviewed on Jan 20, 2006

Lots of script problems. The story awkwardly bounces between comedy and drama and tragedy. How are we supposed to feel? Unlikely relationships between characters aren’t flushed out, they just happen. Mom’s illness is handled sloppily. And references to things we haven’t seen indicate that the film may have been cut…

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Road to Perdition (2002)

Reviewed on Jan 11, 2006

An engaging, beautifully shot film. The story sucks you in, the sets are elaborate and believable, the photography is silky smooth. Hanks and the kid are exceptional. Newman is still vibrant at 77.

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Sin City (2005)

Reviewed on Jan 7, 2006

The loosely connected stories are off-beat, comical, and horrific. Strange anachronisms, from cell phones to vintage cars to sports cars, make things extra weird. The whole thing is like a nightmare, actually. Frightening. Extremely violent, lots of beatings and torture. Fringy characters try to outdo each other with annoyingly poetic…

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Alien (1979)

Reviewed on Jan 7, 2006

Interesting departure from the recently released Star Wars in that it’s dark and moody and dramatic and real. Well, more real than Star Wars. An interesting critical analysis could come out of comparing the space movies of the time, Star Wars, Alien, Close Encounters, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Action is…

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Baseball (1994–2010)

Reviewed on Dec 29, 2005

A documentary that takes a very leisurely pace through baseball history, almost at the pace of a real baseball game, which is to say, it’s too slow. The camera hesitates on each photo for just a moment too long (with this many photos, it adds up), and the voiceover is…

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The Delta Force (1986)

Reviewed on Dec 27, 2005

The hijacking scene is interesting to watch post 9/11. I’d love to see something like this in a Hollywood movie nowadays. Great cast. Marvin in a good, although small, farewell performance. Forster is magical. And thankfully, we don’t have to see Norris very much.

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Death Wish (1974)

Reviewed on Dec 27, 2005

Charles Bronson is one of the ugliest, least interesting leading men in history. I guess standards were a bit different back then. In a way, it feels like movies were in their adolescence in the late 70’s. Remnants of 50’s camerawork, acting, and dialogue stuill remain, but filmmakers were starting…

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The Girl Next Door (2004)

Reviewed on Dec 26, 2005

Pretty funny! A surprisingly good high school comedy. The situations aren’t realitically played out at times, but it works. I sure could have used a neighbor like that! Cuthbert is hot, Olyphant is great, Hirsch is genuine and appealing.

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Munich (2005)

Reviewed on Dec 25, 2005

OK, but it didn’t draw me in, which made it a bit long. Bana wasn’t much of a hero, so that didn’t help. Most of the other characters are interesting and well-acted. The desaturation of the film stock made things feel more authentic. The shot at the end showing the…

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