Friday, December 26, 2003

MOVIE - PAYCHECK - Review Rating $$$$$ 1/2 (OUT OF 10) STARRING - Ben Affleck (Michael Jennings), Uma Thurman (Rachel Porter), Aaron Eckhart (Rethrick), Paul Giamatti (Shorty) & Colm Feore (Wolfe). DIRECTOR - John Woo (Face/Off, The Killer, Hard Boiled, Mission: Impossible 2 & Windtalkers) Based upon the 1953 short story, "Paycheck", by Philip K. Dick. Other movies based on the author's work include Blade Runner, Minority Report and Total Recall. One of the reasons that Paycheck doesn't work is that there really isn't a good reason for the evil ACME corporation (humour intended) to regularly erase Jennings's (Affleck) memory. If only Jennings and one other person knew about his work then it might be logical to go to such extremes. However, when a gaggle of corporate honchos are witness to his work what's the difference if he knows what he's done or not. The lack of a compelling reason to sap synapses makes the film's momentary reflection on a life with serious memory gaps almost pointless and certainly less meaningful. This may all have been excusable if Paycheck was truly a thriller but its not. Don't be confused by Paycheck's December release this is just a very average summer flick. Running time - 110 minutes Full Review & Links To Alternative Reviews Comments by Halo Scan: 1:51:50 AM     | MOVIE - COLD MOUNTAIN - Review Rating $$$$$ $$$1/2 (OUT OF 10) STARRING - Jude Law (Inman), Nicole Kidman (Ada), Renee Zellweger (Ruby), Donald Sutherland (Rev. Monroe), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Veasey), Natalie Portman (Sara) & Giovanni Ribisi (Junior). DIRECTOR - Anthony Minghella (The Talented Mr. Ripley, The English Patient, Truly Madly Deeply & Mr. Wonderful) In business there is an old saying "that location is everything". In the world of movies it could be said that "setting is everything". Cold Mountain, set against the backdrop of the U.S. Civil War, is a case in point. Despite the fact the Cold Mountain covers very familiar ground, love and war, the setting creates a reciprocal relationship between its main themes that makes the love more poignant and the war more painful. It is this unique combination, that derives its potency from the setting, that separates Cold Mountain from lesser films that tell similar stories. Cold Mountain is a compelling romance and a vivid reminder that war is hell. Full Review & Links To Alternative Reviews Comments by Halo Scan: 1:21:54 AM     |

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